Who is The Winter Soldier?

Recently the title for the upcoming sequel to the 2011 film, "Captain America," was revealed alongside its release date...but, what exactly does the title suggest to fans and movie-goers?  A hardcore comic book fan might have some notion as to what the film title suggests, but to those who are avid movie-goers but lack the knowledge of the source might have difficulties piecing together the reference.  

No matter which camp you belong to (or even if you reside in the center of the geek Venn Diagram) here is some basic knowledge to help you plunder your way through the rich and diverse Captain America, Bucky, and Winter Solider fictional history:

Before the character Winter Soldier existed, there was James 'Bucky' Barnes, a soldier in the U.S Army and close friend of Steve Rogers.  Eventually Bucky ascertained that Captain Rogers was in fact Captain America.  At this juncture they began their joint battle along side one other throughout the bulk of World War II.  However, during the close of the second Great War, Bucky was supposedly killed in action and Captain America frozen for many decades.

Much later it is discovered that Bucky is alive--by a stroke of luck he had been found by a crew of Russian patrolmen.  He had suffered massive brain damage (which resulted in his amnesia) and lost an arm due to the explosion.  Russian scientists built him a mechanical arm and brainwashed him to be a become a Soviet, Cold War Agent.  He was then bequeathed the codename: Winter Soldier.

As a Soviet Agent he was sent on missions usually involving political assassinations and espionage, which resulted in crossovers with such characters as Wolverine and Black Widow.  when not on the aforementioned assassinations he was kept in a cryogenic stasis missions resulting in a sort of longevity.

Eventually he was found by Captain America and his memories were restored using the reality-altering Cosmic Cube, and having gained back his memories, he was forced to carry the burden of his past as...The Winter Soldier.

Recommended Readings:

"Captain America: Winter Soldier Ultimate Collection"

Trade paperback includes: "Captain America #1-9" and "#11-14." 

"Winter Soldier, Vol. 1: The Longest Winter"

Trade paperback includes:  "Fear Itself: Captain America: #7.1" and the first issues to the current ongoing series, "Winter Soldier #1-5."

You can also check out a review of "Winter Soldier #1" here.

Related Articles:

Review: Winter Soldier #1

Review: Winter Soldier #2

Review: Winter Soldier #3

Review: Winter Soldier #4

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Review - Night of the Owls: Batman Annual #1 (2012)

The first annual to come out DC’s NEW 52 cannon happens to be nestled right within Scott Snyder’s Night of the Owls crossover, and manages to introduce Mr. Freeze to the new continuity while simultaneously tying him to the Court of Owls. On the whole the annual does exactly what it aims to do, but there are several sections where improvements and character truisms could have been adhered to rather than eliminating them to make way for another Night of the Owlstie-in.

The annual opens up with a flashback. A young Victor (Mr. Freeze) joyously plays in the snow while his mother follows. In single, near silent moment Victor’s mother plummets through the ice and disappears without a word.

The issue then transitions to an interrogation session of Mr. Freeze. He uses this as a window to escape his cell successfully subduing and killing several guards. In an act of trickery he eventually obtains his specialized armor, which allows him to escape Arkham Asylum. Mr. Freeze’s first thought is to quickly locate the Penguin in order to re-obtain his equally specialized weaponry, which he plans to use against his nemesis, Bruce Wayne.

An informative segment explaining why Mr. Freeze despisesBruce Wayne is presented in another flashback. And, like the lore of before, Victor is driven by his near-dead wife, Nora Fries, which Bruce Wayne unceremoniously took away fromVictor causing him to break and become Mr. Freeze. In search for Nora, Mr. Freeze finds another cryostasis chamber and is shocked by the inhabitant’s aged appearance.

At this moment, Nightwing and Robin take the opportunity to enter in an effort to stop Mr. Freeze in the sublevels ofWayne Tower. They briefly squabble, but unfortunately the two are thwarted and Mr. Freeze escapes unscathed. He proceeds to climb Wayne Tower eventually finding Noraalone and still frozen in a large empty room. Batman enters in his traditional fashion, and plans to finally end Mr. Freezesrampage once and for all.

The issue concludes nicely adding a couple of twists for the benefit of the reader slightly altering the mythos surroundingMr. Freeze and his origins. I won’t spoil it, but it was definitely a classic Snyder touch; it was much appreciated. It was incredibly symmetric and a great way to structure Mr. Freeze’s origin story. Also, Snyder and Tynion take an obvious and logical avenue to explain Mr. Freeze’sinvolvement with the Court of Owls, and within the issue they do a great job of portraying his reaction to his interaction with them.

Personally, I found the issue to be enjoyable, but there were a couple scenes that disappointed me, and on the whole this annual didn’t feel much like an annual. It could have very well been the next issue of Batman or a giant-sized issue, rather than an annual. The scene that troubled me the most was how easily Mr. Freeze defeated Nightwing and Robin as well as his subsequent escape. Together, Nightwing and Robinare more than a match for Mr. Freeze, and if Mr. Freeze is as cruel and ‘cold-hearted’ as to be believed he would have just killed them when he had the chance.

Nevertheless, I thought that Scott Snyder and James Tynion IV’s plot was tight and coherent, and I really appreciatedJason Fabok’s pencilings and Peter Steigerwald’s corresponding colors. I give Batman Annual #1 four-and-a-half stars out of five.

(SOURCE: Review - Night of the Owls: Batman Annual #1 (2012))

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The NEW 52: Ravagers #1

Ravagers hits you with a dull thud the moment you take a gander at it.  The cover is riddled with eye-distracting text, which effectively buries any semblance of artwork beneath its heel.  On a related note, I am surprised by the lack of fact checking that took place on the cover.  Artist Jeremy Whittington pointed out to me that two of the team members are misnamed, due to a transposition, creating a fairly blatant error that now gets to rest upon comic book shelves all across the country for all to see DC’s wonderful editing skills. 

As guessed, the first impressions of Ravagers #1 are not a stellar.  The Ravagers spins out of the Titans Titans crossover, The Culling.  Essentially, the Harvester (a villain from Legion Lost’s time period) has meta-humans compete in what is dubbed the ‘Culling’ to see which are skilled and strong enough to become his own personal minions, otherwise known as the Ravagers.  These individuals are often tortured and experimented on in order to enhance or evolve their power sets.  This often has horrible side effects resulting in unstable abilities and memory gaps and/or loss.  However, despite all of this, in the closing pages of theCulling a small group of Ravagers escape and try to begin anew in Ravagers #1. 

The first issue of this new DC series begins and ends rather sluggishly.   Led by Harvester scientist Fairchild aids the beguiled Ravagers to the surface above the underground complex amidst a flurry of snow and broken ice.  Almost immediately the loose knit team splinters, pairs off, and takes their own lives in hand in an effort escape.

There is some brief dialogue between the characters, but the comic tries to pick up again when two of Harvester’s more prominent Ravagers (Warblade and Rose Wilson) arrive on site to wrestle the remaining Ravagers back into their cages.  In desperation the team reforms under Fairchild’s leadership and instead of fighting the two head on they use Thunder’sunchecked power to cut off a section of the ice shelf successfully separating themselves from their enemies and plunging them into the newly created chasm. 

On the whole, the Ravagers is much worse than last month’s G.I. Combat.  For a second I almost thought that I was reading a J.T. Krul penned comic, but alas I was mistaken.  Like Krul, the dialogue and plot structure are clumsy and ill structured.  I see the intent behind some the scenes, but they are injected at odd junctures and try to convey much deeper motifs than can be explained in a single issue. 

From my understanding one of the main tenants of theRavagers’ dynamic is the simple fact that they are essentially tortured meta-humans with a tampered moral compass.  As a group they are going to have to ascertain their place upon the good vs. evil battlefield, and instead of setting some underlying narrative to dive into this as the series progresses there are particular snippets that try too hard to explain something too complex for the infancy of the series.

The art is middle of the road.  It’s not bad, but it’s not Jim Lee’s Superman either.  I was hoping that I would be dazzled with a brilliant splash page or two after slogging through such poor narrative, but alas I was wrong again.

 I give Ravagers #1 two-out-of five stars; I’d shelve this one and move on to something more intriguing.  DC has rolled out some great titles, but unfortunately this isn’t one of them.  Save yourself the trouble and pick up Dial H to satisfy your hankering for something fresh.

Also, don’t forget to check out more of DC’s New 52 at your local Spokane comic book shop, Merlyn’s, downtown on Main Street.  They’ve recently changed their pricing to include 20% off of graphic novels and 50% off of back issue comics 2011 and older.  It’s a stellar deal, but it’s first come first serve, so stake your claim quick.  Stayed tuned for my upcoming review on DC’s first Before Watchmen title, Minutemen #1.  Here’s a preview: It’s Awesome!

(SOURCE: The NEW 52: Ravagers #1)

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The NEW 52: Batman Incorporated #1

One of DC’s most anticipated titles is Grant Morrison’sBatman Incorporated.  Volume 1 of Batman, Inc. predates the DC relaunch, and directly followed the death, search, and return of Bruce Wayne.  During last September’s relaunch of the entire DC Universe Batman Incorporated was mysteriously absent from their new lineup, until December which heralded the release of the Batman, Inc one-shot,Leviathan; Leviathan served to wrap-up the loose ends from the first volume’s story arc.  With DC canceling six of its titles room for a second volume of Batman, Inc opened up, and continues exactly where the Leviathan one-shot left off.   

Grant Morrison takes the interesting concept of Batmanbuilding a global, Wayne-funded corporation to thwart the world’s villains, and furthers it by writing a compelling and believable plot.  Continuing directly from the Leviathan one-shot, Batman, Inc #1 begins with Alfred consoling a downtrodden and humiliated Bruce Wayne due to the events of the Leviathan story arc.  In contrast the issue then transitions by showcasing Chris Burnham’s great (but sometimes gory) artwork by penciling Batman and Robin’sbattle against goat-masked butchers.

Batman and Robin kick some serious butt during this sequence, but by the end of the battle Robin’s life is almost dashed by an incredibly skilled sniper.  Luckily, Batman saves the day and rescues his son in the nick of time.  The rest of the issue unfolds by showing the uneventful exploits of the rest of the members of Batman, Inc. in their West Coast headquarters, the chasing of the sniper, and finally the realization that Damian’s mother Talia al Ghul is the one responsible for the assassination attempts on Robin.

Morrison’s script is fantastically written!  It was humorous, poignant, and continues upon the excellent groundwork thatMorrison laid down in the prior volume.  There is a particularly amusing moment in which Damian proclaims to be renouncing meat due to the actions of the goat killers.  You’ll have to check it out for yourself to get a good laugh (F.Y.I. it's included in the slideshow attached to this article).  I also appreciate the subtle tie-ins to Snyder’s Batmancontinuity, but Morrison is forging new ground and doesn’t fall inline with the ever encompassing Night of the Owls crossover—it’s a nice break from the ‘now’ norm.  I giveBatman, Inc. a five-out-of-five stars and I whole-heartedly recommend it as my comic book of the week.

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The NEW 52: World's Finest #1

World’s Finest is a direct spinoff of Earth 2.  Earth 2’sSupergirl and Robin appear to be killed in the opening battle against Darkseid in the introduction of Earth 2, but in all actuality are transported to Earth 1; hence their own title,World’s Finest.  Flash forward five-years, and Supergirl andRobin have now become Power Girl and the Huntress—theHuntress has changed her purpose is to protect their new home, and Supergirl is hell bent on returning back ‘home.’

The title sequence begins with the Huntress and Power Girlenjoying dinner together.  News that Power Girl’s newly purchased R&D center has been set afire precipitates the ‘call to action’ and the two quickly rush off.  In an effort to save the equipment, Power Girl dives headlong into the fire with the Huntress following suit.  Power Girl is horribly dismayed to discover that the facility was purposefully destroyed and that the specialized machinery might have been their only hope in returning to Earth 2.  Throughout the main narrative, pages and panels fill-in the Huntress andPower Girl’s forcible journey to Earth 1 and subsequent adaptation.  The issue then closes out by introducing Hakkou the Irradiated Man, the individual behind the destruction ofPower Girl’s R&D center.

I did enjoy World’s Finest, however, there are some inconsistencies in the continuity.  References toBatman/Bruce Wayne just don’t quite add up.  Also, I would have preferred that DC hold off on blending Earth 2 and 1; with the reboot so fresh and not even a year old I think that it would be more beneficial to create a solid foundation before extrapolating on the DC multiverse.  Otherwise the comic shapes out nicely.  The Huntress and Power Girl have very different personalities and views upon their predicament, which results in a wonderful chemistry between the two.  I give World’s Finest three-and-a-stars out of five stars. 

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The NEW 52: G.I. Combat #1

Traditionally DC has blended war comics with their always-expanding universe.  With DC’s NEW 52, Men of War served to fill this niche, but due to poor sales it was subsequently canceled.  As its replacement, G.I. Combat is purposed to blend modern day war scenarios with the fantasy presented in comic books—in this case an amalgamation of dinosaurs and traditional warfare.

G.I. Combat opens with a soldier conversing with his wife/girlfriend and newborn via satellite, while his friend lightheartedly ribs him.  The next scene depicts a debriefing and then the crew takes to the skies to find out why a section of North Korea has suddenly gone ‘silent.’  Not more than a couple of panels later the reason becomes hopelessly apparent as a Pterodactyl attacks the helicopter and lightning repeatedly crackles alongside the air squadron.  An air squirmish commences, the prehistoric creatures pick off several soldiers, and eventually several of the helicopters collapse into the dead zone that the soldiers came to explore.  Not more than a stone throws away the survivors of the crash come into a storm addled clearing to witness the Koreans battling dinosaurs.

Overall, the issue is short, J.T. Krul’s writing is mediocre and cliché at best, and the art was decent--but definitely short of spectacular.  I was already hesitant diving into a Krul penned comic, and after reading G.I. Combat my suspicions were wholly realized.

However, much like the Justice League, G.I. Combatfeatures a short add-on comic at the end of the issue titled,Unknown Soldier.  Unlike G.I. Combat, Justin Gray andJimmy Palmiotti, penciled by Dan Panosian, write Unknown Soldier.  I was very much impressed with Unknown Soldier; it tells the tale of a bandage wrapped soldier being interviewed about his heroics, and essentially ‘origin story.’  The narration is tight, and the artwork was gritty and war torn, which is exactly how I picture the artwork of a war comic.

G.I. Combat receives a three-out-of-five stars and Unknown Soldier a four-out-of-five—hopefully DC will continue on withUnknown Soldier and bump J.T. Krul from G.I. Combat post-haste.

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The NEW 52: Earth 2 #1

The phrase ‘Earth 2’ conjures up the Golden Age heroes of yore for many, and in years past has served as the parallel universe that houses the Justice Society of America.  With DCdefinitely keeping the word ‘relaunch’ in mind they are seriously taking a gamble with their newest title by completely revamping Earth 2 and its Golden Age inhabitants.

Earth 2 begins in the midst of the Justice League’s first story arc, except with one definite twist.  In this universe their first encounter with Darkseid doesn’t end quickly and lead to the formation of the Justice League…in fact just the opposite.  The conflict with Darkseid’s army is long and bloody, and eventually fractures the Justice League before it ever even begins.

Similar to the Justice League arc except more compressed, the issue skips forward five years to a world moved on from superheroes.  Civilization is rebuilding and the world, once again, seems to be moving along at a brisk.  

Alan Scott is introduced as a charismatic media mogul, and without his traditional Green Lantern ring and garb.  The issue then shifts laterally to catch Jay Garrick clumsily fighting with his unsympathetic and downright mean girlfriend as she finalizes their breakup and moves on.  Jay Garrick has always been portrayed as a rather intelligent and scientific character, but in DC’s newest iteration Garrick is a rough around the edges, unfocused, and hopelessly clueless.  He is a college grad without the hint of path; however, Jay does end up filling his old shoes by the end of the issue by gaining his speedster abilities from a rather unusual, but clever source.  And, at that scene, the issue is closed.

Nicola Scott’s pencilings are great and are really the highlight of the issue.  Her artwork is detailed, and incredibly colorful due to Trevor Scott’s inking.  From the big three battling their way through hordes of minions to the mundane nature ofAlan Scott conversing on his private jet to the climatic last panel--the art is of top quality and catches the eye from cover-to-cover.

James Robinson’s plot is coherent and understandable assuming that readers have read the first several issues ofGeoff Johns and Jim Lee’s current Justice League run.  If you haven’t caught the first Justice League story arc Earth 2might seem confounding to some and not at all coherent as aforementioned.  I’m a tad surprised that Earth 2 would directly build off of a specific event in a parallel universe, but maybe it’s a Doctor Who thing—a fixed point in space time that if tampered with would unravel the universe (we’ll go with that for the sake of sanity). 

Personally, I appreciated the drastic alterations made to the two characters introduced, but I have heard through the grapevine that the many avid Golden Age fans are quite aggravated by the changes and claim that they damage the legacy of the character.

With the dust settled, I picture Earth 2 being a bone of contention and ripe for controversy as the run continues forth, but because of this conflict I have a gut feeling it’ll have the Starfire affect and boost sales in the long run--to a degree, both negative and positive PR increases the sales of products.

I am giving Earth 2 three-and-a-half stars out of five due to the fact that it’s entire existence owes itself to another comic set in another universe and that the drastic changes made to core DC characters might be off-putting to some.  However, the art was slick, and like a coin, some might like the shinier side of Alan and Jay.   

Personally, I’ll be picking up the next several issues, because I fell on the side of the positivity when all was said and done, but I can definitely see Earth 2 heading south very quickly if handled poorly.  

(SOURCE: The NEW 52: Earth 2 #1) 

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The NEW 52: Dial H #1

DC's NEW 52 just got newer—sort of.  In September DCrevitalized their entire universe on the cusp of the 2011 blockbuster event Flashpoint.  Flash-forward eight months later, after the first bouts of cancellations, six new serials were poised to take their spots—one of which being, Dial H.

Dial H for Hero has bit into the DC Universe a couple of times now.  One of which being in the 1980’s where it hopped around for a bit as a crossover in several DC magazines such as: The Legion of Super-Heroes, Adventure Comics, The New Adventures of Superboy, and Superman.  And, most noticeably, a short-lived run in 2003 titled H.E.R.O., which only ran for twenty-two issues.

The premise of the Dial H for Hero franchise is as follows: a mysterious and magical telephone booth transforms the ‘boothee’ into a random superhero upon the condition that they dial ‘4376,’ otherwise represented as the word ‘HERO.’

China Mieville begins by introducing readers to Dial H’s titular character, Nelse—an overweight, late twenty something, struggling in a city that eats up slackers and do-gooders all the same.  Nelse is bickering with his friend Darren when he finally stomps off to leave Nelse to his invitational-only pity party.  In a pang of guilt Nelse chases after his buddy to only catch up with him as he is being mugged.  Trying to get to a telephone to dial for help he stumbles into a phone booth and in a panic dials a number—any number—and suddenly Nelsetransforms into—Boy Chimney!

Boy Chimney is a macabre, Jack Skellington-esque character whose powers include: increased reflexes and speed, poison gas, smoke manipulation, bullet-proof skin, smoked-based clairvoyance, and transportation by smoke.  Mateus Santolouco’s rendering of Boy Chimney was superb, and the pages including the unusual hero were my favorite of the issue.

After saving his friend and taking him to the hospital, Boy Chimney collapses back to Nelse upon a rooftop in Littleton and begins piecing together the last few hours of events. 

The issue then peaks as Nelse finds out that his hospitalized friend has been conducting some illegal business on the side, owes money to some very nasty individuals, and that is the truth to why he was roughed-up in the first place.  In an effort to protect his friend, Nelse heads back to the phone booth and transforms yet again, except under the guise of Captain Lachrymose!—an emo clad hero that draws upon the most traumatic events of a person’s life for strength and power.

Dial H definitely has a very strong Vertigo vibe to it, which translates well.  There is a slight reference to the Green Lantern, but other than that Dial H feels completely outside of mainstream DC Universe.  The plot is excellently composed and will hopefully catch the subscription piles of readers. Santolouco’s art is gritty and dark; Littleton almost has a ‘what-if’ Gotham City had no Batman kind of an atmosphere to it, so the more eccentric and morally ambiguous heroes such as Boy Chimney and Captain Lachrymose fit in perfectly.

I give Dial H #1 four-and-a-half stars out of five and the Schultz must-read stamp of approval.

(SOURCE: The NEW 52: Dial H #1)

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The Dark Knight - Prologue

A couple of days ago I was graciously invited to an advance screening of the Dark Knight Rises Prologue at the IMAX in downtown Spokane, WA.  I, of course, accepted and was able to take my girlfriend to the event.  The six or seven minutes of Christopher Nolan’s film was to be shown at 10pm, so we hightailed it over to the theater about forty-five minutes early where we were pleasantly surprised by a pair of free t-shirts (featured in the slideshow).  Both have logos depicted in an echo location style of print—one has an image of bat with the word “Legend” below it and the other a picture of Bane’s mask with the word “End” below it.  Definitely a nice perk for attending the event. 

The theater was packed and before the film reel rolled one of the attendants gave an announcement detailing out the dos and don’ts of the event.  Obviously no cell phones or recording devices were allowed during the showing.  As an aside, Spokane was one of only thirteen cities premiering the prologue; I found this particularly surprising and it sparked a deep sense of pride in my little hometown.

The prologue begins with Commissioner Gordon giving a press conference and eulogy for the late-Harvey Dent.  Afterwards the footage segues to the next scene, which depicts a plane readying for take off.  Aidan Gillen (portraying an undercover CIA Agent)is standing in front of a plane, with several of his henchmen, leading Liam Neeson’s character,Ra’s Al Ghul, with two other hooded figures.  The two-cloaked hostages are ‘not apart of the deal,’ but they are allowed to board the plane at the behest of Ra’s.  Once on the plane the two masked figures are interrogated by shoving their heads out the door of the plane, whilst being threatened with a gun by Aiden Gillen’s character.  During the interrogation with the second, hooded individual the first begins to speak and the title’s main villain, Bane (played by Tom Hardy) is revealed to the audience.  Aidan Gillen and Bane quip back and forth about the seemingly foolishness of Bane’s actions, but toGillen’s surprise their plane is quickly and efficiently taken out of commission by Bane’s special commandos residing in plane of his own.  During their conversation a much larger plane had flown above Gillen’s plane and several commandos rappel down to the plane below and proceed to shoot out the windows killing most of Gillen’s men.  They then attach a number of cables to the body of the aircraft and the plane above ascends ripping the smaller plane upwards, which tears the wings off and sends the remaining passengers of the plane plummeting to the nose of the destroyed aircraft.  The special ops team then blows the tail of the plane off leaving the body of the plane exposed to the sky.  A cadaver is lowered and ostensibly resuscitated by one of Bane’s loyalists via blood transfusion.  Another one ofBane’s fanatics remains behind and it is conveyed between the two that this event and the destruction of the plane, with the cadaver and other passengers, will be the “fire” that starts a new chain of events.  The scene concludes with Bane and his bloodletting loyalist being parachuted out of the plane as it is released from Bane’s larger plane.  The smaller aircraft begins to free fall back towards the ground.  From here the screening concludes by showing various snippets of the Dark Knight Rises including: mobs of Gothamites swarming the city, varying scenes highlighting Bane, Catwoman, and finallyBatman holding a cracked cowl (similar to the newly released poster.)

Overall, I thought that the footage was amazing.  The action sequences were tight and it made me went to see the film, even more so than before.  The only complaint that I heard from my fellow patrons was the fact that Bane’s voice was near unintelligible.  His words were garbled, due to the mask, and without context the dialogue, or lack thereof, would be indecipherable.  I overheard some moviegoers liken it theStatler & Waldorf Muppets laughter as they mock the other’sMuppets from their balcony.  Christopher Nolan has already stated that Bane’s indecipherable dialogue was done purposefully and they he is not going to alter it.  However, with enough complaints I believe that Nolan might reconsider and re-mix the sound in the editing process.  Personally I could see how this style could be advantageous to the characters—it adds an aura mystery.  But if this ‘style’ persists I could see it becoming quite distracting from the rest of the film. 

 Nevertheless, I am quite excited to see the last of Nolan’s Batman trilogy.  We will see how it pans it in the coming months leading up to its summer release!

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The NEW 52: Week 4 Wrap-Up

In the final week of DC's big relaunch some the biggest hitters of the month led the September extravaganza to a stellar conclusion.  If you get a chance I would highly recommend picking up Aquaman #1, The Flash #1, and The Savage Hawkman #1.  These were by far the best of the best of the week.  Some definitely have some potential, but akin to Justice League #1, they kind of had a slow start and thus didn't make the recommedation list.  Of these I think that Green Lantern: The New Guardians and Teen Titans will take off in the coming months and will be truly great runs.

Here are a list of notable reviews:

1.  All-Star Western #1

2.  Aquaman #1

3.  Batman: The Dark Knight #1

4.  Blackhawks #1

5.  Justice League Dark #1

6.  Superman #1

7.  Teen Titans #1

8.  The Flash #1

9.  The Fury of Firestorm #1

10.  The Green Lantern: The New Guardians #1

11.  The Savage Hawkman #1

12.  Voodoo #1

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The NEW 52: Resurrection Man #1

Resurrection Man is written by Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning with art by Fernando Dagnino and colors by Santi Arcas.  (With cover art by Ivan Reis and Joe Prado)

Resurrection Man has a very interesting premise and power.  Resurrection Man is technically immortal, however, he can be killed; upon his death he is resurrected (hence the name) and receives a new power related to his death and/or rising.

Issue #1 begins with Mitch Shelly (aka Resurrection Man) describing the metal about his corpse as he lays upon a gurney with an M.E. performing his autopsy.  He describes the cold metal slab beneath him, the taste of metal deep within his gums, and his abnormal sense of other metallic objects in the room (including the coroner’s watch).  Shortly after the M.E. leaves the room Resurrection Man is painfully resurrected.  He then proceeds to gather up an ID and some wearable clothing from the nearby locker room.  Intuition tells him he needs to head to the nearest airport to catch a flight.

Besides his ability to resurrect and subsequent power he also is ‘gifted’ with a notion or a nagging idea of where to proceed once he is revived –akin to a indirect, more cerebral Greek call to action-.  This time around he feels the need to take a particular flight, and thus heads to the airport to satisfy his mind’s urge.

He makes his flight and in a sudden twist the patron who ‘happens’ to sit beside him ends up being something a little more than human, which results in a stellar ending to the issue and sets up for a great story arc to be continued well into the next issue.

Personal Thoughts:  I really enjoyed Resurrection Man almost solely on the principle that it felt ‘new’ to me.  He is an interesting character that I had not really caught onto when he debuted in the late nineties.  His powers are truly unique and he comes off as a more realistic character who just happens to have powers instead of an invincible hero with a cape.  His powers are not the standard super strength, speed, or flight abilities given to most heroes and villains to some degree or another, and because of this he stands out amongst them. 

Due to Resurrection Man’s ability to overcome even death he is technically more powerful than even Batman or Superman.  This coupled with the aforementioned statement makes for an intriguing dichotomy, which will further create some out of the ordinary story arcs that I think will stand out from other comic book runs.

Overall, the art is slick and the writing is superb; definitely a week two gem of DC’s NEW 52.  I give Resurrection Man four-out-of-five stars.  Do not forget to check out Resurrection Man #2 which releases 10.12.2011; it is sure to tingle even the dead’s literary senses. 

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