In 2021 I set a goal to post reviews here for 1,000 comics, and finished the year at 1,008 reviews. It was a stretch - - not to read that many comics, because I actually read quite a bit more. The challenge is to find and take the time to write a fair review of what I read - - but I made it. I’m up for a new year, and a new challenge. My goal for 2022 is to read and document 1,200 comics. That’s an average of 100 books per month, easy enough to check and update. Wish me luck!
# GOAL FOR FEBRUARY 19, 2022 . . . 167 comics documented
CURRENT COUNT . . . . . 182 comics documented
Captain America/Steve Rogers as envisioned by Jason Aaron is much less empathetic and actually exhibits some disdain for others not sharing his beliefs, like the British commandos with him on his mission to Korea. Cap was actually insulting and condescending to them, not his usual behavior over in the Marvel U. He also utilizes guns and doesn't hesitate to kill.
What the Ultimate Cap and the Standard Cap share is common is their love for the United States of America and their profound faith in the righteousness of government. Contrast that with Frank Simpson/Captain America of the Vietnam War, whose mission to kill 1,000s of innocent civilians hardened his heart and disillusioned his belief in the United States.
So they meet in Korea where Simpson is attempting to sell a new super-soldier serum to North Korean forces. Simpson proves too strong for Cap and escapes, although the serum is kept out of the wrong hands. The trail leads Rogers to Vietnam, where he is promptly beaten down a second time and imprisoned, where Simpson attempts to worm his way into Cap's brain and teach him the TRUTH about America.
A very entertaining read, with plenty of graphic fights and engaging dialogue between the two moralizing Captain Americas. FOUR STARS.
The Teen Abomination is an interesting character, although the dialogue on the front cover is a bit misleading. The Teen Abomination was the result of a lab explosion gone wrong, while Jamie was a wee lad and his mom was employed by Stark Industries. However, he does have another connection indirectly to the Stark family which is revealed in the story. Tony agrees to try and help Jamie reverse the process and return to normal, although he’s got his own selfish reasons for helping him.
I never warmed up to the version of Tony Stark in Superior Iron Man. He just comes across a little too much snarky and self-centered, much more so than the regular more tolerable version.
THREE STARS.
There are long passages of exposition, especially the telling of The Leader's origins and office politics/power grabs and head-scratching exchanges between Tony Stark (Iron Man) and Bruce Banner (Hulk). But the action scenes are good, especially when Hulk does what Hulk does best - - - smash.
In the Ultimate Universe (as opposed to the regular Marvel Universe) Bruce Banner became the Hulk not through exposure to gamma bomb radiation but by experimenting with the Super-Solider serum and Captain America/Steve Roger's blood. Bruce comes to Tony for help and he seals Bruce in a special room meant to trigger the emergence of - - and eventual subjugation of - - the Hulk. But the Hulk adapts to the cell's technology and violently escapes.
No sooner does Stark get things back under control than the mysterious Leader dispatches his army to subdue Stark and Banner. The Leader obtained his frightening mental powers and psionic abilities by self-experimentation with remnant DNA from Stark and Hulk. Now he wants to bleed them dry of their DNA so he can finish the transformation into the Ultimate Human. Best scenes are when Hulk confronts the Leader and refers to him as "big head man". Not for long. THREE AND ONE-HALF STARS.
You need a scorecard for all the characters running around and fighting in this issue. The various heroes of Batman, Incorporated versus thirty members of the League of Assassins, in these episodic issues that were are linked together by the usual mad Morrison plot by Leviathan and Talia al Ghul. Plus, half the heroes are other characters in disguise (Wingman, Redbird, and many others).
Somehow Chris Burnham manages to keep it straight and draws some wicked fight scenes. The art elevated this to a higher rating. THREE AND ONE-HALF STARS.
Also, why does Red Hood always gets picked out to be the reluctant leader of these groups? First, the Black Label Suicide Squad and now this. Poor guy, I’m feeling sorry for him. Especially since too much contact with the Lazarus Resin can be hazardous to living tissue. Jason Todd has to take a decontamination shower after each mission.
Observer Dr. Shelly (very pale-faced, is she dead too?) explains this much: “The resin is injected into homicidal meta humans, brought back from the dead against their will to be used as undead weapons. Weapons with diminished cognitive ability and minor cannibalistic tendencies.” Who is Crispin, the off-panel director we never see? What does Ms. Hobart do?
Man-Bat. Bane. Arkham Knight. Bloom. A chilling ending to Issue #1.
“You want my advice, Jason? The sooner you stop thinking of yourself as the brave hero in some fairy tale, surrounded by evil monsters, the sooner you’ll realize this isn’t that kind of story at all.” THREE AND ONE-HALF STARS.
The Elseworlds logo on the cover lets us know this story occurs outside of Superman/Batman continuity, although the characters behave much as they did in the eras these two stories are set in: 1939 and 949. I don’t know why someone thought it necessary to also place the disclaimer “An Imaginary Tale” on the cover. Kind of redundant.
This is the first of four books, each covering two decades in the life of these heroes and bringing us up to the present. Byrne is at his best here, with two entertaining stories and engaging art. The villain in 1939 is the Ultra-Humanite, a predecessor to Lex Luthor. Luthor and Joker team up in the 1949 story but are foiled by Superman, Batman and Robin playing tricks on them by impersonating each other. Wouldn’t the trick be recognized once they spoke? Ah, don’t think about it too much.
Byrne goes out of his way in the text essay at the back of the book, “The C word and the H word”, explaining his take on both Continuity and History as if he was worried that fans might chastise him for some violation. Not to worry. Fun stuff. FOUR STARS.
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