DAMN Good Comics -- DC UNIVERSE: REBIRTH #1

Fair warning, there will be spoilers here, even though just about every comics news site already spoiled this issue a week ago.

Almost five years ago, DC Comics rebooted their fictional universe as "The New 52," which featured a few successes with Batman, Justice League and Harley Quinn, but largely was considered a creative disappointment.  DC's legendary heroes of hope and optimism were replaced by younger, grimdark versions that lacked the essential charm and appeal of their pre-Flashpoint incarnations, and declining sales soon reflected that.

So at long last, DC is taking major steps to address their mistakes without completely hitting the shiny, candy-like reset button, and who better to set the tone for this "DC Rebirth" than DC's Chief Creative Officer, Geoff Johns?  Ever since his days writing JSA and The Flash, one of Johns' greatest strengths as a mainstream comics writer has been his ability to zero in on what fans once enjoyed about DC characters and incorporate that into modern storytelling.  Sometimes that comes off as personal self-indulgence or fan service, but for the most part, Johns is great at getting readers to remember why they love comics.

And that's exactly what he does with DC Universe: Rebirth #1.  Armed with some outstanding art from Gary Frank, Ethan Van Sciver, Ivan Reis and Phil Jimenez, Johns frames the entire issue around the return of none other than Wally West -- the original green-eyed redhead who many still consider to be their Flash instead of Barry Allen.  DC fans (including myself) were upset when Wally was erased from the DC Universe with The New 52, only to eventually be reintroduced in The Flash Annual #3 as a younger, biracial version that wasn't The Flash anymore, wasn't married to Linda Park, and bore little resemblance to the character we loved.

Johns makes some important statements with Wally's return, primarily that the post-Flashpoint DCU has been missing something, that sense of legacy where a new generation takes over while honoring what came before.  As Wally struggles to return from the Speed Force, we take a tour of the reborn DCU to give readers and jaded DC fans a taste of the greatness to come.  Ryan Choi is tasked with suiting up as The Atom to find a microscopic Ray Palmer, current Blue Beetle Jaime Reyes is working with Ted Kord, Green Arrow and Black Canary are being pulled together once again, Aquaman proposes to Mera, senile old Johnny Thunder is tasked with finding the Justice Society, Dream Girl teases the return of the Legion of Super-Heroes, and Pandora (an early symbol for The New 52) is murdered for our mutual satisfaction.  And then we get a final payoff, with references to classic Flash imagery, as Wally makes a connection with his mentor Barry Allen and the two share a heartbreaking scene where Barry apologizes to Wally for forgetting him.

Wally realizes that someone out there in the DCU has stolen ten years from them, apparently to make them inexperienced and weaker for some reason yet to be revealed. That someone, which should piss writer Alan Moore off to no end, appears to be Doctor Manhattan from the classic 12-issue series Watchmen.  Now, we don't actually see Dr. Manhattan in this issue, possibly an important point, but we have a character speaking with his traditional blue Watchmen caption font with some imagery and a "The clock in the DC Universe is ticking down" tease clearly meant to imply the character.

So with all this in mind, I have to wonder, is this mysterious Big Bad really Dr. Manhattan or actually someone else?  Dr. Manhattan certainly has the power to pull off these continuity shenanigans, but as we all know, Watchmen wasn't intended to be set in the DC Universe. Bringing Dr. Manhattan into the DCU would be bold, sure, and makes great commentary against Watchmen, which introduced Grimdark storytelling along with Frank Miller's Batman: The Dark Knight Returns back in the '80s.  Wouldn't it be even bolder if we're meant to think that Dr. Manhattan is the Big Bad?  What if it turns out to be someone like the Time Trapper instead...?

Obviously, To Be Continued.  In the meantime, though, the DC Universe is reborn once again and let's just appreciate that, especially since it happened on the same day that Marvel Comics alienated a good chunk of their fanbase by making Captain America a Hydra agent.  If you're a longtime DC Comics fan that felt burned, bitter and betrayed by The New 52, please give this issue a chance and see what you think.  I think you'll be pleasantly surprised.

DAMN Good Comics -- STAR WARS #1

I have a good feeling about this.

Like many of my fellow Generation X geezers who watched Star Wars over and over and over when it debuted in 1977, I snapped up Marvel's Star Wars comic book series as soon as found each new issue on the local drug store spinner rack.  (The dark times before comic book shops.)  The license eventually moved to Dark Horse Comics in 1991, which had a good 23-year run with the Lucasfilm property until Disney assimiliated Marvel into the Mouse Collective and the rights were finally returned.

Although I have major respect for Dark Horse keeping the torch going all those years before, during and after the prequels, I have to confess that I really had no interest in buying any of their Star Wars comics.  Oh, I'd flip through some every so often, but the titles looked so desperately dull, overly convoluted and lifeless, compared to Marvel's crude but fun and innovative comics before The Empire Strikes Back arrived.

And now, the Force has awakened at long last.

Right from the very first page, Marvel captures the tone of Star Wars better than Dark Horse could ever dream with the very simple words "A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away...." in the proper blue font.  You flip the page and BAM, a double-page spread with the Star Wars logo coming at you so hard in widescreen that somehow, inexplicably, you can hear that John Williams theme blasting through the pages.  You turn the page again and Oh, thank the Maker -- there's the familiar opening crawl presenting the story title along with a quick synopsis that tells you this new series is set just where you hoped it would be, right after the very first Star Wars film.

Writer Jason Aaron, artist John Cassaday and colorist Laura Martin quickly prove to be the dream team for Star Wars comic fans, because they seem to understand the one important thing that many Dark Horse creators didn't -- getting the tone right.  This book looks and feels like a Star Wars comic, from the right amount of glib humor to the frantic escapes when things go inevitably and horribly wrong.

So if you're a fellow Star Wars fan who rediscovered your love for the films when the teaser for The Force Awakens appeared online, or just a comics fan who loves good sci-fi action tales with snappy dialogue and beautiful artwork, you owe it to yourself to pick this book up. Oh, and may the Force be with you...always.

DAMN Good Comics -- GRAYSON #4

After all this time fighting the worst supervillains imaginable as the first Robin and as Nightwing, Dick Grayson faces his greatest challenge yet -- horny college girls.

Three issues and a Futures End special into Grayson's new role as an agent of the espionage organization Spyral, we finally get a reminder of what used to be so great about the pre-New 52 Nightwing -- his sense of fun.  Writers Tim Seeley and Tom King, along with artist Mikel Janin, take a brief departure from the series' more serious tone, without making things feel so wacky and silly that you wonder if you're reading an issue of Harley Quinn or Deadpool instead.

In "The Raid," Seeley and King starts things off with an interesting mission involving Checkmate, another DC Universe espionage organization, only to go through the entire thing in only three pages.  We abruptly shift focus to Helena Bertinelli's young proteges at St. Hadrian's Finishing School, who have obtained pictures of a certain shirtless ex-Boy Wonder, reinforcing the commonly held belief among straight female and gay male fans that adult Dick Grayson is one of the hottest comics characters ever.  So what do these aroused young women do after drooling over these photos?  They decide to go on a "man-ty raid," of course.

And just before you wonder if the series is completely breaking format, the ongoing mysterious mystery of Spyral head Mr. Minos continues as Grayson uses a sucker, of all things, to obtain skin samples of Minos off the ground for Batman to analyze.  We learn how creepy, paranoid and meticulous Minos is with the revelation that he uses microscopic nanite machines to eat his skin flakes and any pieces of hair that shed in order to protect his identity.  Meanwhile, Minos has Helena investigate transmissions sent to someone else by Agent 8 in the previous issue, but she ends up finding Grayson's communications tech to Batman in his alarm clock.

As for the art, Mikel Janin provides outstanding work as always, showcasing Grayson's physique along with his impressive acrobatic skills as part of the girls' chase across St. Hadrian's campus.  And best of all, we finally get a proper overhead shot of St. Hadrian's, complete with some building descriptions so that the setting feels like an actual place in this current DC Universe.  Janin is particularly adept at facial expressions, including the girls' hot-and-bothered reactions to the photos and Grayson's reaction to his new cover identity as "a French former Olympic gymnast.  And whose face is so indistinct as to be unmemorable.  And who is gay."

If you're one of those people who wasn't up for Dick Grayson having a completely new status quo and miss the days when the character was fun and charming as Nightwing, do yourselves a favor a give this issue a try.  Grayson has been a stellar series so far, quickly becoming one of DC's best books at the moment, and deserves as much attention from fans as it can get.

DAMN Good Comics -- THE FLASH SEASON ZERO #1

Are you pumped for the Flash's long-awaited return to the small screen?  If not, you will be.

After two digital comics series based on the CW series Arrow, it doesn't take a S.T.A.R. Labs scientist to figure out that a new digital comic based on the spinoff series The Flash was a no-brainer.  However, since the TV series premieres just under a month from now, what better way for DC Comics to build anticipation than by releasing a "Season Zero" that takes place just after the events in the pilot episode?

With a story idea by The Flash's executive producer and writer Andrew Kreisberg, writers Brooke Eikmeier and Katherine Walczak start things off with our hero Barry Allen quickly reliving his secret origin that flashes (get it?) before his eyes as a large stone column outside the Central City National Bank begins crumbling on top of him.  It's a simple but effective narrative device to bring new Flash readers up to speed (sorry, I'll quit with the puns), especially if they haven't yet seen the pilot episode that leaked out over the Interwebz a while back.

In addition to the necessary background and supporting character introductions, "Freak Show Part 1: The Strongman Cometh" sets up the Flash's encounter with an extraordinarily strong circus strongman robbing the bank.  And yes, you just know he got his super-strength from that wacky S.T.A.R. Labs particle accelerator accident.  After a futile attempt on the Flash's part to subdue the strongman that results in a couple of broken ribs and a busted ankle, we learn that the strongman belongs to a small, mysterious circus located just outside Central City that might be familiar to anyone who read issues #7 and 8 of the beloved Jack Knight Starman series from 1994-2001.

As for the art, Phil Hester isn't the first artist you'd think of for the Flash, but he does a pretty nice job here.  His somewhat angular, cartoonish style gives The Flash: Season Zero a mostly animated appearance instead of lifelike depictions, but you can't deny the boldness and energy in his work.  Every page is interesting to look at, especially in the digital format where the colors really make his artwork pop.

All in all, a promising start to the series that should continue to entertain Flash fans on a bi-weekly basis every other Monday, alternating with Arrow Season 2.5.  If you're a Flash completist, someone who is curious about the upcoming TV show, or simply enjoy lighthearted superhero tales, be sure to check DC's digital comics store for more adventures with everyone's favorite Fastest Man Alive!

DAMN Good Comics -- SENSATION COMICS FEATURING WONDER WOMAN #1

Think Batman, Robin, Nightwing and Batgirl are the only ones who can protect Gotham City?  Think again.

After the recent digital anthologies Legends of the Dark Knight and The Adventures of Superman, DC Comics is now focusing on the remaining member of their Holy Trinity with the release of Sensation Comics Featuring Wonder Woman #1.  The title may be a tad clunky, but there's no denying the appeal of a series that isn't overly dramatic like the current Wonder Woman ongoing and confined to only The New 52 continuity.

In the opening two-part story "Gothamazon," former Wonder Woman writer Gail Simone returns to one of her favorite characters with the simple, but effective story premise of what would happen if Wonder Woman was called in to save Gotham from an army of Batman's biggest enemies.  And if that isn't enough to hook you, the setting is somewhere before the events of Flashpoint, meaning Wonder Woman gets to wear traditional gold instead of silver, Oracle (a Simone favorite) is in play, and The Joker thankfully still has his face attached.  Good times, good times...

Part One opens with Gotham's most notorious supervillains finally waking up and realizing how formidable they would be if they joined forces instead of fighting Batman one at a time.  After taking Batman, Robin and Nightwing off the board (to what extent, we don't know) with an explosion, the Batrogues proceed to take control of Gotham in less than four hours, forcing Oracle to look for help elsewhere.  Deciding that The Flash is "too kind-hearted," Green Lantern is "too cosmic," and Superman is "too noble," GoldiOracle calls in "the big guns," which are juuuust riiiiiiiight.

As for the art, Ethan Van Sciver (with colors by Brian Miller of Hi-Fi) blends some Pre-Crisis nods into his designs -- Two-Face wears his classic half-orange, half purple-checked suit, The Penguin wears his top hat with tails and white gloves -- while incorporating Batman: The Animated Series' original look for Mr. Freeze.  Although his artwork seems a bit rushed in places with some uneven anatomy, Van Sciver utilizes the digital panel layout well with a number of bold close-ups that create very striking images that enhance the overall story.

All in all, a very promising start to the series that should continue to entertain Wonder Woman fans with upcoming creators Cat Staggs, Chris Sprouse, James Tynion IV, Cecil Castellucci, Laruen Beukes, Caitlin Kittredge, Amanda Diebert, Renae De Liz and Georges Jeanty.  Be sure to check DC's digital comics store every week for more adventures with everyone's favorite Amazing Amazon!

DAMN Good Comics -- MOON KNIGHT #1

"I've died before.  It was boring, so I stood up."

 

I know what you're thinking -- Another Moon Knight #1?  Really?  What is this, volume 7?  Yeah, it's another Moon Knight series, with another take on the Fist of Khonshu from another completely different angle.  But the thing is, unlike so many of the others, this approach actually works.

 

A couple of years back, writer Warren Ellis wrote an incredible six issues of Marvel's Secret Avengers series, giving us stories far better than a superfluous Avengers book deserved.  One of those stories, "Aniana" from Secret Avengers #19, featured Moon Knight wearing a tailored white suit and mask instead of his traditional superhero costume and coming off more insanely cool than ever before.

 

Well, Marvel and Ellis must've loved the idea, because Marc Spector is rocking the white suit once again (Does he shop at the same men's store as Planetary's Elijah Snow?) in a new ongoing series, with art by Declan Shalvey.  Instead of wiping the slate clean as you might expect, the book is a subtle continuation of previous Moon Knight incarnations, including previous runs by Brian Bendis and Alex Maleev, and Charlie Huston and David Finch.  And for old-school Moon Knight fans, Ellis even brings back characters like Joy Mercado and Detective Flint.

 

This first issue brings the character back home to New York (after Bendis' series set in Los Angeles), a location Ellis seems to know well after his recent novel Gun Machine.  Instead of flying around in moon-shaped helicopter, however, Marc now rides in the back of a white limousine, driven by a computer named Driver.  Oh, and he and Detective Flint now have an arrangement where "Mr. Knight, a concerned citizen," is able to assist the NYPD without them being forced to arrest a dangerous vigilante.  If you've ever wondered what a Batman series written by Warren Ellis would be like, Merry Christmas.

 

Shalvey's art feels a bit sketchy in places and may depend on your personal taste, but there are some incredible visuals here that add considerable impact to Ellis' script.  There's a particularly effective sequence where Moon Knight parks his limo over a sewer manhole and climbs down at least three levels of underground tunnels.  I'm not exactly sure how he manages to keep his suit so pristinely white in the process, but hey, it's comics and sometimes you just have to roll with that sort of thing.

 

Ellis caps off the issue with some intriguing revelations about Marc's presumed Dissociative Identity Disorder and how it may be something else entirely...unless, of course, Marc is actually hallucinating these revelations and it's just yet another example of his mental instability.  This book is going to be one hell of a ride that could take us practically anywhere, so here's hoping Ellis is in this for the long run.

 

DAMN Good Comics -- BLACK WIDOW #2

You know how frustrating it is that Black Widow has never received her own solo movie?  It's even more frustrating after reading this comic.

After a solid, "Done in One" debut two weeks ago, the second issue of the new Black Widow series continues the exploration of Natasha Romanov in her dangerous and often deadly personal crusade for atonement.  Writer Nathan Edmondson and artist Phil Noto keep peeling back layers, ever so slowly, to one of Marvel's finest espionage characters and make her more intriguing by the issue.

In "Shanghaied," Edmondson opens with a bang -- or rather, a car crash -- that immediately puts Natasha at the wrong end of a gun and hooks the reader in the process.  It turns out to be an effective tease, as we quickly jump back fourteen hours, feeling like we're watching an episode of the ABC TV series Alias.  We learn that she's been hired by an old acquaintance named Mr. Lin to find his kindapped son that, of course, results in an encounter with a new adversary named the Iron Scorpion.

Meanwhile, the mystery of Natasha's lawyer/manager/central supporting character Isaiah Ross deepens, with an office meeting involving a man called Aames, a representative seeking restitution for his client's "significant loss of property."  Apparently more than just an empty suit, Isaiah takes it upon himself to find out more, discovering a plan to blackmail Black Widow and also kill Isaiah in order to encourage Natasha to pay up.  To our surprise, Isaiah's response to this isn't simply warning his superspy employer, but instead taking upon himself to shoot Aames and his two cohorts dead inside their limousine.  Obviously, there's more to Isaiah than meets the eye and he's definitely of interest in the future.

And once again, Noto produces some exquisite artwork filled with bold coloring and exciting action sequences.  He gives Natasha's red hair considerable emphasis, with the color popping off the page against her dark bodysuit and more subdued backgrounds.  It makes sense, immediately drawing your eye to the character and giving his take its own distinctive style.  This is, quite simply, one of the most gorgeous and cinematic books Marvel's currently producing.

All in all, if you're not already sold on this newest run of  Black Widow, I highly recommend jumping on board now instead of waiting for the trade.  Like Hawkeye, this could turn out to be an unexpected hit, one that builds through positive word-of-mouth over the next few months, then has slackers and latecomers scrambling to track down early issues.

DAMN Good Comics -- THE SANDMAN: OVERTURE #1

It's been far too long of a time, but welcome back to The Dreaming.

Neil Gaiman's 75-issue masterpiece The Sandman came to a close in 1996, leaving fans heartbroken but thoroughly satisified with the conclusion.  The dark fantasy series had brought critical acclaim to the world of comics, with The Sandman #19, "A Midsummer Night's Dream," earning the World Fantasy Award in 1991 for Best Short Fiction.  In 1993, the series became the flagship title for DC Comics' new VERTIGO imprint became a cult success that attracted a strong young female readership, many of whom never read comics before.

Gaiman returned to the world of The Sandman twice, once in 1999 with a novella called The Sandman: The Dream Hunters that was illustrated by Yoshitaka Amano and later adapted for comics by P. Craig Russell.  In 2003, Gaiman wrote a graphic novel, The Sandman: Endless Nights, that was broken up into seven chapters, one for each of the Endless with a different artist per chapter.  As great as these projects were, they weren't proper Sandman.  Not really.

But now, at long last, we have a new six-issue Sandman story titled Overture, which essentially serves as the prequel Before Sandman.  Some things are different, such as the cover price being two dollars more, with a glossy cover stock and a four-page foldout supposedly justifying the additional expense.  The truly important things remain, however, with Dave McKean providing one choice of covers, Todd Klein lettering the characters as only he can, and even Karen Berger's name listed as co-editor.

Gaiman finally reveals the tale of what happened before Dream, the Lord of Dreams, was captured in an occult ritual and held prisoner for seventy years as shown in the pages of Sandman #1.  In "Chapter One," longtime fans are reunited with old friends such as Dream's older siblings Destiny and Death, his support staff Lucien and Merv Pumpkinhead, and even his deadliest creation, The Corinthian.  Oh, and if that isn't enough, one of the Endless dies on page five, setting off a rather troublesome mystery.

And per Sandman tradition, there's a different artist for this new story arc.  J.H. Williams III, best known for his work on Batwoman and Promethea, feels like the perfect choice of a modern artist reintroducing The Sandman for a 2013 audience.  Williams is at the top of his game right now, with swirling, stylish layouts and innovative panel design.  One sequence has panel borders progressively catching fire, another has them arranged one panel per tooth within a mouth (or is that an eye?), and still another as pages within a book within the actual comic.

The true price for all this, of course, is that the limited series is bimonthly, meaning we have to endure two whole months before finding out what happens next.  But compared to the past seventeen years, two months should feel like tomorrow.

DAMN Good Comics -- VELVET #1

The name is Templeton, Velvet Templeton.

For any comics fans living in a cave without wi-fi for the better part of the last decade, writer Ed Brubaker and artist Steve Epting arguably crafted the definitive Captain America run from 2004 to 2012, breathing new life into the Marvel superhero with a healthy amount of espionage style twists and adventures.  And now, Brubaker and Epting have reunited for Velvet, a new espionage series from Image Comics that looks to be even better.

The first issue, "Before the Living End," opens in 1973 Paris with Jefferson Keller, a British secret agent for ARC-7, which according to the cover, stands for Allied Reconnaissance Commission 7.  Keller, codenamed X-14 (possibly because he's twice the agent OO7 is), resembles your typical dark-haired superspy in a tuxedo that looks and acts every bit of James Bond.  One problem, though -- He's assassinated within the first four pages.

Surprise, the series' central protagonist isn't Keller after all, but Velvet Templeton, the personal secretary to ARC-7's Lieutenant Director.  Velvet is no mere secretary along the lines of Miss Moneypenny, however, but a more than capable agent who was able to have affairs with a number of X-operatives without any of them being aware of the others.  And since Keller was one of those affairs, she takes it upon herself to investigate his death, starting us off on what promises to be an engaging tale of shadows and secrets.

Ever since the nineties on Marvel's The Avengers, Epting has steadily grown as an artist.  His work has evolved so much over the years, from DC's Aquaman to Crux and El Cazador for CrossGen, and eventually onto Captain America, Fantastic Four and New Avengers for Marvel.  Together with his Captain America colorist Elizabeth "Bettie" Breitweiser, Epting gives Velvet the perfect look and tone to complement Brubaker's vision.

And with the series' 1973 setting (think Live and Let Die, which was released in the same year), Velvet is able to avoid the traditional early Cold War stereotypes without getting sucked into modern technological intel storytelling.  As long as Brubaker and Epting maintain the level of intensity, and there's no reason why they shoudn't, this looks to become a spectacular series.  As of fan of comics and spy fiction, Velvet is the espionage series I've been wanting to read for years.

DAMN Good Comics -- LAZARUS #1

Family above all.

That's the tagline provided in the back matter section of Lazarus #1, a new Image Comics series from writer Greg Rucka and artist Michael Lark.  Set in an oh-so-trendy dystopia of powerful Families, Lazarus is the story of Forever Carlyle, a young woman skilled in the arts of combat and weaponry that happens to be able to resurrect herself in the inconvenient event that she's killed.  Like Lazarus, get it?

This first issue opens with a demonstration of said resurrection ability as Forever is shot three times and left for dead, only to rise a minute or two later and swiftly kill all three of her attackers.  As Forever relays the details of what happened to her doctor James, we get our first glimpse inside her head with hints that she isn't entirely satisfied being her Family's protector against people who are only looking for something to eat.

Rucka reinforces this initial drama of "problematic questions" by having James share his concern with Forever's brother Jonah.  It seems Jonah and James know far more than they're telling Forever, to the point where James is giving her stronger doses of oxycontin to keep her from "getting ideas."  A later scene underscores the series' dark tone, as Forever hesitantly executes an old man taking the rap for someone who provided access to the attackers.

As for the art, it's wonderful to see Rucka reunited with his Gotham Central creative partner Michael Lark once again.  The two mesh so well, with Lark's gritty realism enhancing everything Rucka is attempting to deliver to the readers.  He doesn't skimp on the brutality or violence, but it's never gratuitous and only adds to the overall storytelling.  The only problem area seems to be Lark's lettering, which often uses narrow word balloons that make the dialogue stilted, and confusing caption boxes that aren't distinct enough to differentiate between characters.  Hopefully these minor issues will be addressed before too long.

All in all, a promising introduction to the world of Forever Carlyle.  It's only a matter of time, of course, before Forever is able to resist what's being done to her and uncover what her Family is really doing.  However, comics like these are more about the ride than the destination and already there are plenty of unanswered questions to keep you coming back month after month.

DAMN Good Comics -- EAST OF WEST #2

Boy, nothing says Apocalypse like American Presidential politics.

The second issue of writer Jonathan Hickman and artist Nick Dragotta's sci-fi Western saga continues our introduction to life in 2064 America.  We pick up the pieces from last issue's brutal murder of the President with three of the Four Horsemen interviewing his replacement.  It seems belief in the power of The Message is pretty important to them and one by one, the Horsemen work their way through the line of succession before finally settling on a new President they can use.

(Of course, they probably should've done some homework first and realized their new handpicked President has the feminized name of Anton LaVey.  You know, that wacky author of The Satanic Bible and founder of the Church of Satan?)

In addition to East of West, Hickman is producing an insane amount of work right now -- Two issues per month of Avengers, plus issues of New Avengers, The Manhattan Projects and the upcoming Infinity event.  All of those titles have big ideas and East of West is certainly no different.  It's quickly becoming a series you could easily see developed for television, preferably on HBO or Showtime, and unique enough that people aren't going to shrug it off as another Firefly or even Syfy's current series Defiance.

Nick Dragotta, meanwhile, is proving to be the perfect choice as creative partner.  Together with colorist Frank Martin, Dragotta is cutting loose with bold, stylish designs that blow his previous work with Hickman on Marvel's first FF series right out of the water.  Regardless of his art style that partially resembles animation, Dragotta brings tons of mood and gravitas to every scene.

We're introduced to several more major players this issue, with the closing exchange between Death and Andrew Archibald Chamberlain, Chief of Staff of the Black Towers, the seat of power for The Confederacy.  Chamberlain drops a cliffhanger bombshell on Death straight out of Kill Bill Vol. 1, one that practically dares the reader to not come back next month to find out what happens next.  East of West is one of the most promising new series of 2013, so if you're in the mood for a fun and fascinating ride, hurry up and jump on board now.

DAMN Good Comics -- HE-MAN AND THE MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE #1

Once upon a time in the eighties, kids known as Generation X came home from school and watched a crudely animated syndicated TV series called He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, based on the popular toy line by Mattel.  For half an hour, they were transported to the fictional fantasy realm of Eternia to see the adventures of Prince Adam and his allies Battle Cat, The Sorceress, Teela, Man-At-Arms and Orko.  The series lasted only two seasons, but featured a total of 130 episodes, and launched a spinoff series, She-Ra: Princess of Power, centered around Adam's sister Adora.

Well, there's nothing that now-fortysomething Generation X loves more these days than reliving childhood nostalgia, so it's no surprise to see He-Man and the Masters of the Universe making a comeback in comic book form.  After an initial six-issue limited series last year, He-Man finally returns in a new monthly ongoing format by writer Keith Giffen and artist Pop Mhan.

In this first issue, "Desperate Times," we return to Eternia for the funeral of The Sorceress, who was killed and beheaded by Skeletor in the previous limited series.  Teela, who has recently learned The Sorceress was her mother, apparently copes with the news by giving herself a drastic hairstyle change from blond to traditional animated series red.  She also learns that she was named after The Sorceress' real name, Teela Na, which doesn't exactly sit too well either.  Meanwhile, Despara has arrived with a Horde invasion force and launches an attack on Eternos that culminates in a surprising revelation for He-Man and Teela.

The script by Giffen is well-paced, as you would expect from him, with plenty of action balanced with the right amount of lighthearted humor.  He has a solid enough grasp on the characters without writing them too rigidly and wisely focuses most of the first issue on Teela and Despara, who have more interesting storylines right now than their male counterparts.  It was also nice to see Skeletor put on the backburner for a while in favor of the less obvious Hordak.  My only minor concern is that for a first issue, some parts aren't friendly to new readers and may require picking up the previous limited series to bring them quickly up to speed.

As for the art, Pop Mhan produces some excellent work here.  I first started noticing Mhan on the SpyBoy series for Dark Horse and The Flash for DC Comics and it amazes me how much he's grown as an artist since then.  His depictions of Eternos are big and lavish as you would want them to be, and they look even better with the solid color work by Kathryn Layno.

All in all, a very promising return for the Masters of the Universe characters.  With this new monthly format, Giffen and Mhan have the power -- Yeah, I went there -- to craft a great fantasy series and I can't wait to see what happens next.