Justice League 3000 1 (February 2014)

936488 Being insincere and not funny are two things Justice League 3000 can’t handle. It’s a dumb idea–in the future, the Wonder Twins clone the Justice League so they can save the galaxy. Only there are problems. For example, Superman is a lot like the Giffen/DeMatteis Guy Gardner, only with some Ultimate Captain America thrown in. He and Batman threaten to kill each other every few panels. Then Batman quips about kryptonite.

3000 isn’t just not funny, it’s desperately not funny.

Keith Giffen gets a plotting credit, so he isn’t as responsible as J.M. DeMatteis, who scripts this terrible dialogue. He’s trying to surprise with the clones, which just makes things worse. Except not as bad as the Wonder Twins banter. Nothing is as bad as the Wonder Twins banter.

The Howard Porter art doesn’t fit the story and isn’t an original future design; clearly no one cares.

CREDITS

Yesterday Lives!; writers, Keith Giffen and J.M. DeMatteis; artist, Howard Porter; colorist, Hi-Fi Colour Design; letterer, Sal Cipriano; editors, Kyle Andrukiewicz and Joey Cavalieri; publisher, DC Comics.

Drax the Destroyer 4 (February 2006)

271067 Giffen does manage a couple nice plot twists for the last issue, but since he’s ending this series as a prologue to some other series… there’s not much closure. In fact, the lack of closure just points out what a strange book Drax has been. The human inhabitants–turned into slave labor–are dismissible. Giffen made two of them sympathetic.

He also doesn’t work to make Drax sympathetic. Instead, the Skrull comes off as more likable. The Skrull has a very nice finish in the series (though apparently not enough to make it to the cliffhanger). There’s a strange coda with Cammi’s mother and her sidekick, like Giffen remembered it later.

The first half of the issue, even without the nice Skrull moments, reads better. Giffen isn’t rushing things for it.

Still, he wrote an amusing comic. Not successful, but definitely amusing. Shame the Skrull couldn’t have been the lead.

CREDITS

Hard Penance; writer, Keith Giffen; artist, Mitch Breitweiser; colorist, Brian Reber; letterer, Cory Petit; editors, Molly Lazer, Aubrey Sitterson and Andy Schmidt; publisher, Marvel Comics.

Drax the Destroyer 3 (January 2006)

271066 Cute Doctor Who reference.

Giffen also has a nice little moment where the “reality” of the Marvel Universe comes into play. There’s no way to call for help in a rural area to report an alien attack.

The issue opens with the girl bantering with the Skrull, which is a fun scene, especially since Giffen has the girl outwit the space thugs. The good banter distracts from the lack of actual content; there are a number of well-written scenes, but nothing with much heft.

For the issue’s last act–I use the term loosely as Giffen doesn’t really work towards a first or second act–Drax returns. Thanks to alien physiology, it’s the first time the reader gets to meet him. It’s also the first time Giffen gives him much to say.

It’s fun–Giffen writes Drax well against Cammi, the girl–but the comic’s running out of steam.

CREDITS

From the Ashes; writer, Keith Giffen; artist, Mitch Breitweiser; colorist, Brian Reber; letterer, Cory Petit; editors, Molly Lazer, Aubrey Sitterson and Andy Schmidt; publisher, Marvel Comics.

Drax the Destroyer 2 (December 2005)

271065 Giffen continues to impress on Drax. Besides having the two thug aliens for humor, there’s also the Skrull. The Skrull–and his dimwit sidekick–are very funny. Giffen goes beyond the humor though. He’s got some fantastic plot twists.

The first one involves the girl, Cammi–actually, so does the second one. Giffen writes teenage girls well, apparently. Anyway, the first twist is the aliens leaving her alive. She doesn’t quite stand them down, but she points out living in the Marvel Universe, aliens aren’t exactly exciting anymore.

The second one has her setting Drax up to fight for her. It leads into the end twist. Giffen’s bucking the convention with this character; she’s not the nice human child who befriends an alien.

The last twist–besides that cliffhanger–is the aliens’ plan. They want slave labor to repair their ship. It’s like a fifties b movie. It’s great stuff.

CREDITS

Illegal Aliens; writer, Keith Giffen; artist, Mitch Breitweiser; colorist, Brian Reber; letterer, Cory Petit; editors, Molly Lazer, Aubrey Sitterson and Andy Schmidt; publisher, Marvel Comics.

Drax the Destroyer 1 (November 2005)

271064 There’s so much sci-fi mumbo jumbo in this issue. So, so much. The first five pages or so are just Keith Giffen writing sci-fi babble for his alien characters. Then the comic starts. The sci-fi babble comes back a little later, but the comic’s strong enough it doesn’t annoy.

It’s a great setup. An intergalactic prison ship crashes on Earth (in Alaska). Will the surviving aliens come across the precious teenagers from the nearby town and will it be trouble? Of course. But Giffen writes the characters well–there’s the tough girl and the dorky guy. And the stuff with the aliens bickering… Giffen does fine with it too.

Where Drax has problems is the art. Mitch Breitweiser has a lot of problems keeping the figures consistent, not to mention the dimensions of heads. Lots of problems there. And the action’s not great.

But the writing’s strong.

CREDITS

Earthfall; writer, Keith Giffen; artist, Mitch Breitweiser; colorist, Brian Reber; letterer, Cory Petit; editors, Molly Lazer, Aubrey Sitterson and Andy Schmidt; publisher, Marvel Comics.

Hero Squared X-tra Sized Special 1 (January 2005)

Hero Squared is not high concept. Keith Giffen and J.M. DeMatteis’s approach to it, however, is high concept. The plot’s simple–a Superman (and Captain Marvel) analog ends up in an alternate universe where Earth has no heroes (I think it’s Earth-3, pre-Crisis) and has to deal with his powerless alter ego. Oh, and the hero? He’s just a comic book hero on this Earth.

Except his powerless alter ego is a floundering, feckless twenty-something incapable of adult emotion. And the superhero? His entire universe has just been destroyed and he’s dealing with those events while trying to maintain the hero thing.

It’s excellent stuff. It’s a little awkward, pacing wise, since it’s a one shot, but Giffen and DeMatteis write fantastic dialogue; they establish their characters in two lines. Outstanding writing.

Joe Abraham’s art is mostly quite good, it’s sometimes off a little. But mostly good.

O.M.A.C. 3 (January 2012)

It’s the first all-action issue of O.M.A.C. and everyone–meaning Giffen and Koblish–does fine. There’s one great moment when O.M.A.C. “smashes,” which I assume was a Hulk reference.

But the issue introduces the first original villain, a very silly Psi-fi Man, who has a distended brain stem because he’s so smart and psychic.

It shouldn’t work, it really shouldn’t.

But like everything else in O.M.A.C., it does. Psi-fi Man works. Heck, after the send-off the issue gives him, I wish he’d get a one shot.

The book still manages not to be silly, even though… you know, it’s silly. Now Didio and Giffen are introducing (or reintroducing into the new DC Universe) Checkmate. Only they have these light show weapons out of Tron and whatnot. They’re after O.M.A.C., who’s zapping around the country, with Brother Eye setting him up for trouble.

O.M.A.C.‘s a constant joy.

CREDITS

Offensive Meetings, Antagonistic Communications; writers, Dan Didio and Keith Giffen; penciller, Giffen; inker, Scott Koblish; colorist, Hi-Fi; letterer, Travis Lanham; editors, Harvey Richards; publisher, DC Comics.

Green Arrow 3 (January 2012)

If you illegally download, you want to watch psychopaths murder people. Krul makes the world so simple. I was shocked Ollie didn’t break the fourth wall to tell any comic book downloaders they were killing him.

Then the comic ends with this lame “growing up” speech. Krul forgot to make Ollie Steve Jobs and turned it into the Iron Man movie.

But I still appreciate Green Arrow as one of the new DC’s less offensive bad comics. It’s simple-minded and Krul’s not willing to commit to much (oh, the people watching Green Arrow get killed on the Internet aren’t bad… they’re just lonely), but the art’s competent superhero art.

Jurgens and Perez continue to make Arrow look like a book from the nineties. It’s like a book people tell you to read; you do and you’re perplexed. Then they say, “Oh, I meant the back issues, it’s crap now.”

CREDITS

Green Arrow’s Last Stand; writer, J.T. Krul; pencillers, Dan Jurgens, George Pérez and Ray McCarthy; inkers, Pérez and McCarthy; colorists, Tanya Horie and Richard Horie; letterer, Rob Leigh; editors, Sean Mackiewicz and Pat McCallum; publisher, DC Comics.

O.M.A.C. 2 (December 2011)

The second issue of O.M.A.C. is even better than the first, as Didio and Giffen embrace all their wackiness. Even when the wackiness is forced, it works great. Like the secret reveal at the end–it’s kind of obvious, but with Giffen’s Kirby-homage approach to the character, it works.

Didio and Giffen continue their Hulk approach with the O.M.A.C. guy moving around a desert town and getting into trouble because Brother Eye has some plans for him. But when they bring in an actual emotional need, they get away with it. Some of their dialogue is weak, but mostly just the guy talking to himself. Everything else works.

What works really well is the narration. It’s so intensely serious, it’s funny, which sums up half the book. The other half is the goofiness of the O.M.A.C. guy.

Didio and Giffen’s O.M.A.C. is perhaps the most singular title in DC’s relaunch.

CREDITS

Odd Meals Assure Confrontation; writers, Dan Didio and Keith Giffen; penciller, Giffen; inker, Scott Koblish; colorist, Hi-Fi; letterer, Travis Lanham; editor, Harvey Richards; publisher, DC Comics.

O.M.A.C. 1 (November 2011)

They had me until the last page. I mean, OMAC is a terrible idea for DC’s relaunch. It’s a big Kirby homage when the line is supposed to be geared at people who don’t know or care about Jack Kirby.

But it’s also Keith Giffen letting loose. Apparently, he can be freewheeling when he’s got the president of the company as his co-writer (or whatever Dan Didio’s position’s called). Because the story’s so straightforward and enthusiastic, they could practically get away with anything in terms of dialogue. But it’s still good dialogue. Giffen always had an ear for conversation.

The only problem–besides the last page (which might even be in the original Kirby continuity, I don’t care)–is Scott Koblish’s inks. He controls Giffen, making the lines thin and tight. For a better Kirby homage, it should’ve just been Giffen.

Maybe Koblish is supposed to make it accessible….

CREDITS

Office Management Amidst Chaos; writers, Dan Didio and Keith Giffen; penciller, Giffen; inker, Scott Koblish; colorist, Hi-Fi; letterer, Travis Lanham; editor, Harvey Richards; publisher, DC Comics.