Tuesday, September 13, 2011

Static Shock #1 and Swamp Thing #1

(Let's wrap up the first week of the "New 52" with a double review.)

As I said before, I don't understand why Static Shock isn't a regular, ongoing incredibly popular comic.

It has all the potential in the world to be another Spider-Man - it stars a wise-cracking, likeable teen who uses his powers in creative, intelligent ways to take down the bad guys.

I've very happy to see the character back in his own title, even if they've transplanted him to New York and placed him under the wing of Hardware.

The story is written by Scott McDaniel (who also does the art) and John Rozum, but it falls just short of living up to the character's potential. They have to spend a lot of time and effort setting up Virgil / Static as an intern at Star Labs, where he has drawn the attention of some seriously evil opponents.

But I liked it enough to return for the next issue, and that shocking final page should get some attention, but I'm hoping for a more challenging opponent next time around.

Grade: B+

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Here's another character who should never have gone away - the Swamp Thing.

That character has been treated rather poorly in recent years (I'm looking at you, Brightest Day), so it's good to see the character's return in an intelligent horror story.

In it we meet the restored Alec Holland (who still isn't Swamp Thing), as he gets a visit from Superman (making his first "modern" post-Flashpoint appearance).

The story includes some horrific imagery (and really isn't suitable for younger readers), but writer Scott Snyder has brought back the "real" Swamp Thing (even though there's surprisingly little actual Swamp Thing content in this issue).

Kudos also to artist Yanick Paquette for some amazing art and horrific scenes.

Outstanding work all around - this issue ranks at #2 for this week's comics.

Grade: A-

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