Voices From Krypton

SPEED ZONE: FINAL CRISIS — ROGUES' REVENGE #2 IN REVIEW

Another incredible issue from Geoff Johns and Scott Kolins that really makes you root for the bad guys. Most of Final Crisis: Rogues' Revenge #2 is taken up by a savage battle between the Rogues and a younger group of "New Rogues" who first appeared in Gotham Underground. The New Rogues have no idea what they''re  getting into, and the book shows just how dangerous characters with names like Captain Cold, Heat Wave and Weather Wizard can be.
   Meanwhile, Zoom and Inertia get along about as well as you might expect. Which is to say: not very.
   The timeline is starting to fall into place. The first issue takes place during Final Crisis #2, this one takes place during Final Crisis #3, and the whole of it takes place after the stories currently appearing in the monthly series. The Flash Family meeting in Final Crisis #3 actually continues in this issue, though either scene stands on its own.
   Several story threads from early in Geoff Johns' run on The Flash get followed up on here, including his retelling of Captain Cold's origin. There's also a nice explanation of why the Rogues kept going back to their tailor, Paul Gambi, which fits well with one of the stories from Grant Morrison's brief run on the book back in 1998. (In that story, Gambi created "the ultimate super costume".)
   I'm beginning to wonder just how much this story changed as it became tied into Final Crisis. As originally describd, it sounded like the Flash was actually going to be involved. Instead, the whole thing is set when Wally is off on a mission, before Barry comes back.
   I did have a problem with the art. Normally I like Scott Kolins' work, but it seemed a bit too heavy. I don't remember thinking that with issue #1, but it may simply have not bothered me as much. I also thought the coloring was too muted, but both could be a function of printing.

SPOILERS AHEAD

5

4

3

2

1

The best moment of last issue was the brief appearance of Iris Allen with lightning and a disembodied voice calling her name. The best moment of this issue was Heat Wave vs. Burn. In Greg Keyes' Kingdoms of Thorn and Bone quartet of novels, a fencing master explains to his charge that knights don't fence; they hack at each other with their swords until they find out who has the better armor. That's what hapens here: They blast each other with flame until they find out who has the better insulation.
   As for that final page, I can't help but wonder whether Libra is still barking up the wrong tree with his hostage choices. Last I looked, Weather Wizard's interest in his son was purely scientific. I guess we can assume Iris' efforts to adopt Josh fell through, given that no one at the family gathering seems concerned about him being missing.
   The one thing that really rang false for me was the repeated references to Bart as "Kid Flash" at the time of his murder. DC went to a lot of trouble to establish him as the Flash, and every reference to the murder of the past year in Countdown, Salvation Run, etc., referred to him that way.
   It's going to be very hard to wait until mid-October for the conclusion of this series.
   — Kelson Vibber
        www.hyperborea.org - SpeedForce.org

THE CAPTAIN'S QUARTERS: CAPTAIN AMERICA #41 IN REVIEW

“The Death of Captain America Act III: The Man Who Bought America, Part V of VI”
It has been nearly six months since one time sidekick, Bucky, stepped into the role of Captain America, a role vacated by the death of the man for several decades most synonymous with the red, white, and blue, Steve Rogers, who seemingly met his end back in issue #25 at the hands of his brainwashed girlfriend and fellow SHIELD operative, Sharon Carter.  And, yet, despite the lack of Steve and, for several months, of any real Captain America at all, Brubaker’s “The Death of Captain America” epic is still rolling strong as the final pieces are moved into place in this penultimate chapter.
   With Bucky growing more comfortable in the costume with each issue, Brubaker has made his “return” from the dead one of the more acceptable ones, which is surprising considering that Bucky Barnes, along with Uncle Ben Parker and once and future Flash Barry Allen, was long considered one of those sacred characters for whom dead really meant dead.
  Part of what makes this storyline work is that it did not just begin as a gimmick with the death of Steve Rogers at the end of the Civil War, but rather back in the very first issue of Brubaker’s run.  All of threads that have been started — Lukin and the Red Skull, Bucky’s reemergence as the Winter Soldier, corruption at SHIELD — are starting to be neatly tied up in a way many writers are not often able to do.
   While this issue lacks some of the action of some of the previous installments, by the time it ends, we are faced with the sense of an impending doom as well as hope, as Faustus’ surprise betrayal and his subsequent manipulation of events to throw a monkey wrench or two into the Skull’s plans set up a showdown between the forces of good and evil in the final chapter, with Bucky finally openly and emphatically declaring for the first time that he is indeed Captain America.
   As we have a good sense as to where this may be going, part of Brubaker’s talent on the title is to throw a curveball when we least expect and provide us with jaw-dropping moments that leave us wondering if we really did just read what we thought we did.  The Red Skull’s master plan, in motion from the very beginning, seems unlike almost anything he has ever attempted and Brubaker appears to be saying, with Bucky’s declaration as the issue ends, that no matter the evil, no matter evil’s plans, and no matter the odds, the symbol of Captain America will always be there to stop it.  For a book to not at all feature the most prominent Captain America ever for nearly 18 months and still continue to sell strong is testament to the writing abilities of Ed Brubaker, as he continues to weave a captivating and engaging storyline and leave us wanting more.  The story has admittedly dragged at a point or two, but all in all, issues like this one are pulling things together.
   For the set-up, the surprise betrayals, the final massing of both sides, and the always striking pencils of Steve Epting, this one gets a 5 out of 5 stars.
   -Charles J. Baserap

FROM THE WATCHTOWER: JLA #24 IN REVIEW

“The Second Coming Part III of III: The Blood-Dimmed Tide”"

The three part “The Second Coming” arc comes to an explosive conclusion as the team faces off against the newer, deadlier Amazo in a story that highlights writer Dwayne McDuffie’s strengths and his weaknesses as he continues to find his rhythm on this title.
   As far as action goes, this issue has it all — explosions, bloodied noses, a grueling hand to hand sequence between Amazo and Wonder Woman, and collateral damage galore.  The scenes are packed with exquisite details by artist Allan Goldman that manage to convey both terrifying danger and moments of hope and heroism at the same time.  Amazo’s defeat is truly a team effort, as it takes a scheming Batman and Steel, canary cries, trick arrows, magic maces, backwards spells, and the sheer power of Wonder Woman, who stands toe to toe with an enemy that just shredded most of the League, to trap the deadly android in orbit around a red sun, where its copied elements of Superman’s physiology should keep it from regenerating and returning for another round for some time.
  Where McDuffie gets it right is in his utilization of traditionally lesser used characters, while at the same time allowing for innovative uses of their powers.  A stand-out example from this issue is when Zatanna, having had her mouth removed with a taste of her own medicine when Amazo mimicked her powers last issue, uses her own blood to write a spell on the ground to get back into the action.  Black Canary, made Chairperson of the League by Meltzer, had been criticized by many fans as to her seeming lack of credentials, her role in Birds of Prey notwithstanding.  However, McDuffie is doing a good job of showing that she more than has what it takes as she uses her cry to temporarily take off Amazo’s head.
   He also does a good job of focusing on the teamwork aspect of the book.  Gone are the days it seems when the rest of the League gets a few shots in only to have one of the big guns do the mop up duty.  McDuffie likes to spotlight different characters, the likes of which typically got lost in the shadows of heroes like Superman and Batman in times past, and has at long last given Red Tornado a body again. As a result, we don’t have to see the self-deprecating computer image of recent months.
   However, where McDuffie lacks is in maintaining a proper balance in the action in terms of the utilization of the entire roster.  While he gives some more prominence to those characters whose turn in the spotlight has been long overdo as opposed to using those who have perhaps been used too much, the latter are often somewhat relegated to wallflowers.  Superman and Batman, two-thirds of the Trinity, appeared in barely more than a dozen pages in the last two issues combined, with Superman only making appearances to be a punching bag, an all too common role during McDuffie’s run for the Man of Steel.
   McDuffie’s run has been uneven at best, but to his defense, it has been somewhat lacking in rhythm due to other DC events such as Salvation Run breaking up the run.  With a new arc set to kick off finally resolving the issues of Vixen’s powers, we will see if McDuffie can find that balance between the overuse of some of the big names like Superman and Batman that were prominent in Morrison’s turn on the book, and what we have seen thus far in the current run.  He’s starting to get the hang of it, but he’s not quite there just yet.
   Overall, the issue had enough action to make any Michael Bay fan excited, and featured a mostly strong script by McDuffie, with crisp art by Goldman, and provided a nice setup for the upcoming adventure.  For the action, and the Wonder Woman vs. Amazo bout alone, the book earns a 3 ½ out of 5 star rating.
   -Charles J. Baserap

GOLDENEYE IN RETROSPECT: PIERCE BROSNAN INTERVIEW

Back in 1995, Voices From Krypton editor Edward Gross traveled to England where he visited the set of GoldenEye, Pierce Brosnan's debut as James Bond. While there he interviewed Pierce in his trailer, where they discussed all things Bond. It was a time when the notion of Pierce as 007 was still pretty new, but everyone seemed ready -- indeed, eager -- to accept him in the role. Naturally the actor would return as Bond in Tomorrow Never Dies, The World is Not Enough and Die Another Die, before being removed from the character in a surprising move by producers when they cast Daniel Craig in Casino Royale. Pierce's early views and hopes for the character are interesting to hear.

Click To Play

Visit Vampires and Slayers

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: STARS WARS THE CLONE WARS' MATT LANTER (ANAKIN SKYWALKER)

Matt Lanter, who genre fans may recognize from season one of Heroes (he played Claire's would-be boyfriend/rapist), and who recently starred in the direct-to-DVD film War Games 2: The Dead Code, has taken on the role of voicing Anakin Skywalker in Star Wars: The Clone Wars, both the film and forthcoming television series. In this exclusive interview with Voices From Krypton, he discusses the character, the show and what fans can expect.

Visit Vampires and Slayers

SUPERNATURAL INTERVIEWS: JARED PADALECKI & JENSEN ACKLES

As Supernatural enters its fourth season, the timing is perfect to sit down with series stars Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles -- which is exactly what our sister site VAMPIRES & SLAYERS was able to do at Comic-Con.

WATCHMEN: ZACK SNYDER & DAVE GIBBONS AT COMIC-CON

TWILIGHT: AUDIO INTERVIEW WITH STEPHENIE MEYER & CATHERINE HARDWICKE

T wilight is expected to be one of the biggest tickets at theatres this Christmas, and here to discuss the teen vampire flick (based on the best selling Twilight Saga books) is author Stephenie Meyer and director Catherine Hardwicke. To listen to the interview, just head over to our new sister site, the Vampires & Slayers online community, over at www.vampiresandslayers.net.