Hey Bulleteers, this is Raph (aka Wraithmaker on the Raging Bullets Forum), and this is my 2nd Raging Bullets of the Week column. I'm hoping you guys enjoyed the last week, and if you have any comments, questions or points you'd like to make, post them on the forum and you can reach me at my e-mail address. I'm open to discussing comics, what you think of what I say and what you, my fellow listeners, are reading.
I was thinking about putting a brief FAQ about myself up in the column or on the forum, but this writer will stay a man of mystery for now (dramatic Batman Begins music), “It's not who I am underneath, but what I REVIEW that matters.” I guess when people ask questions about me, I'll dedicate a column to an “About Me” sorta deal...
This is a SPOILER column. I will be talking about things that occur in past books and current books. If you have not read what I've discussed, and you don't want me to tell you what happens, go get the book and bookmark the column. Read the book, then come back to the column. Then agree with me. Or not. I'll put a thread up in the forum after I finish the column.
I thought I would do something
special for this week. As you noticed, or if you haven't, this week's 52
is the halfway point of the series. We've been following the exploits of
the DC Universe without the Trinity for half a year. In honor of this
occasion, I thought I'd have a Top 5 Silver Bullets 52 STYLE!
TOP 5 SILVER BULLETS OF 52'S FIRST HALF!
#5 – Ambush Bug – This was just one
issue, but man was Ambush Bug funny. Fourth Wall breaking funny. Much
like that character that was so Marvelously spoofed in last
week's Superman/Batman annual. More Ambush Bug. More.
#4 – Ralph Dibny, widower, suicidalist...
DR. FATE?!?: Seeing Ralph disappear with the Helmet of Nabu and being
teased a possible new life for him was amazing. I felt his pain in
Identity Crisis. Let's get Ray Palmer some help too. Also, SuperChief
getting pimped just to teach Ralph a lesson... deep.
#3 - “HE KNOWS” - From Booster's rise to
his fall and eventual death... Skeets turning out to not be this
wonderful sidekick robot... I felt bad for Booster's death, and I hope
he isn't finished. Skeets sudden turn has me intrigued... and tuning in.
#2 – Black Adam Family – What an
incredible character storyline for Black Adam. He goes from ripping
villains in half to having a new family for himself. Isis is such a
sweetheart, and I hope she survives 52. Osiris is like any kid given
godlike power, and I like him, though he's a bit dark.
#1 – Question/Montoya – the clever wit
and chemistry between these two is hilarious. My favorite lines out of
52 are from these guys. Question: “SHAZAM! BLACK ADAM! ISIS!” Montoya:
“What the HELL are you doing?” Q: “Seeing if it's contagious.” A truly
funny moment in the tradition of “BUH-GUYH!” Someone's gotta make a
t-shirt with that word on it.
Honorable Mention: Lobo. Ripping off
Starfire's top, being the leader of a pacifist religion... AH
Lobo...Welcome back Main Man.
I'm going to try to keep my column
two pages long in Word format. I'm still on page one, so... I guess I do
have space for my regular Silver Bullets and a Review!
RAPH'S SILVER BULLETS OF THE WEEK
What I had wanted to do was review Superman Confidential, but I have a similar problem that Sean has – I am also surrounded by guys who borrow my books, the CBM or Comic Book Mooch. This is not a shot at all at my friend or Jim (who borrows Sean's books) and others who borrow books. I love the fact that friends of mine want to know more about comics, but sometimes I wish they'd just shell out the 3 extra bucks... ahhh, but that's the way of life. I would gladly loan my friends comics rather than let them go along in life unaware of this wonderful medium. I want to be a writer, and these people are going to be my future audience. God Bless You, moochers! 'Tis better to have mooched and read than to never have read at all.
So I guess Sean and Jim are going to cover 52 in their podcast, and Justice League hasn't wrapped up, I'll cover Midnighter #1. I may consider waiting for the first Meltzer story to wrap and put up a Bullet Points review... so Midnighter it is then!
Midnighter #1 was written by Garth Ennis, the artist was Chris Sprouse and the inker was Karl Story. Colors by Randy Mayor, Letterer was Phil Balsman. The Editing Team: Assistant Kristy Quinn and Editor Scott Dunbier. As a preface to this review, my knowledge of Midnighter and the Authority comes solely from what I read about in the previews for Worldstorm and in the Wikipedia pages. I liked the concept of the Authority, but when they first came around, I was still getting an allowance from mom and dad. That being said, I love Garth Ennis, specifically for his Punisher run, and I will be trying to pick up his Vertigo stuff soon. On with the review.
The story opens with the Authority on their ship, floating over Earth. Midnighter is walking through it, and he's commenting on the others, saying stuff like, “I am not a lover. I am not a father. I am not a friend. I am what I was bred to be.” For some reason, I kept flashing to Jor-El in Superman Returns, “Even though you were raised as a human being, you're not one of them.” Except this guy has been programmed to read your movements before you do them and kill you a myriad of ways before you even attempt them. Midnighter spins a globe, waits, and points out a spot – Afghanistan. He then says “Door”, and disappears. You know there has to be some kick @$$ scene next... and you would be right in guessing so. For those of you that didn't, you can still enter into our raffle and receive a “BUH-GUYH” t-shirt courtesy of... whoever makes that shirt. Please someone... do it!
Our next scene is in Afghanistan, as three tanks lumber towards what seems to be a small village. The tanks are communicating to each other, and it seems like the town is rather defenseless against these massive weapons, until we see a figure coming at them. It comes closer and closer, and they realize, “It's HIM.” They SCRAMBLE to get weapons locked onto him, and they fire. An entire page is dedicated to Midnighter KICKING THE BULLET RIGHT BACK AT THE TANK! One down, two to go.
He takes down #2 by jumping onto the barrel one tank, jumping off and kicking the gunner's head like a football! It's GOOOOD! If Batman and Wolverine were put together, and had Superman for a lover, then Midnighter is what you would end up with, for those who are not initiated. These moments just define the bad@$$ that is Midnighter. Midnighter then hops into the tank, disables the troops inside, save one, and fires on the other tank! He then tells the guy to load the gun, because his fellow soliders “won't be sentimental.” An American looking person is trying to escape that last tank, but gets blown up in the process. It turns out this guy is a salesman, who sold these tanks the Mujahadeen, who terrorize other groups in Afghanistan. Midnighter sends a message to the men who sold these tanks, by killing the salesman. Another job done well, with a few pints of blood. As he tries to return to the Carrier, Midnighter is ambushed by mysteriously armored people.
We are now introduced to Paulus, a mysterious man with mysterious technology. Paulus has disabled Midnighter's power to predict his opponents' moves. Paulus also has been monitoring Midnighter on the Carrier, but cannot access the ship itself. We're then introduced to the guys in red armor who beat on Midnighter, led by Rourke. Paulus explains the suits as being able to survive teleportation. Paulus then gets into why he's taken Midnighter – he wants a man killed. Midnighter is the best, thus he's perfect for the mission. Midnighter, in his arrogance, says he'll be leaving soon, and after a verbal jab about his sexuality, slugs Rourke. Midnighter ends up hurting his hand and getting beat down again.
When Midnighter awakens, some guy in a mask is trying to break him free. He says he got the contract a while ago, even though Midnighter hasn't been there for a few hours. They are making their way through the halls, when BOOM!, the guy's chest explodes. Midnighter's rescuer is dead. The man who wired the guy? None other than Paulus himself. He did it for two reasons, one to show that escape isn't possible, and two, that the bomb in that guy's chest is also in Midnighter's, in place of his secondary heart. WHAT THE?!? THE GUY'S GOT A SECONDARY HEART!!!!! Paulus finally reveals to Midnighter (and us) the mission. To kill a certain person, a person that only the “Most Lethal Man in the World” could kill... ADOLF HITLER!!!
Okay this story for me was pretty interesting. As a newbie to the world of the Authority, some of the references went over my head, such as the Secondary Heart thing. If it weren't for Wikipedia I wouldn't know that he and Apollo are lovers, although the insults hurled at Midnighter in the book are usually about his sexuality. Garth Ennis is a master of writing twisted, bad@$$ characters who get put into the corner and then fight their way out. I'm intrigued enough to continue picking up this book, but those readers who don't like graphic violence will definitely be turned off this book. This book is seriously for fans of the Authority and fans of blood, gore and violence. This book gets 3 and 1/4th Bullets out of 4. I give it a slightly lower grade than last week's Superman/Batman Annual only because I'm not as familiar with the source material, so I didn't feel as connected to the character as I could of. Feel free to debate this with me on the forum. That's it for this week. Next week I will be at a conference, so I may or may not have a column up. Until next time, help the moochers, lend them a comic.