Doc Savage #5, #6 and #7 - DC

As with the last few issues of this series, I thought issue #5 was kind of boring. Sure it had that pulp/crime drama kind of feel to it. But I guess I expected much more from such an iconic character. Doc and his team are still on the run. With the lightning strikes on them and their assets by Tom Shaw, back in New York City, plus he's being blamed for a politician's murder and the bomb that went off in the Empire State building . . Doc and his team have decided to skip the country and try to regroup. Although to me, that doesn't seem like the best course of action. Especially for a man who's not guilty. But, I'm not the writer, so . . whatever. Anyways, they end up in Greece and Clark decides to call in a few favors. He gets ahold of an old friend . . Nikos Eurystheus. He's a 'businessman' in Greece, with enough holdings and pull that he should be able afford Clark and his men a brief respite. The problem is, his is an organization that is also in disarray. Mostly from internal strife, but . . Tom and his team get mixed up right in the middle of it. Long story short, these are some problems that they don't really have the time or inclination to deal with right now. So they move on. This issues was brought to us by B Clay Moore and Howard Porter. It was an 'ok' issues. But like I said, I think I just expected more. Anyways, with issues #6 and #7 we get a new creative team. Ivan Brandon and Brian Azzarello do the story, while Nic Klein does the art. Right off the bat we really get sucked into this story. Being on the lamb in this part of the world, Clark is pulled into all the political drama that engulfs this region. Right from the very first page, with the image of the war-torn orphans, Siamese twins, that are pleading for the release, and freedom of their country, you can just tell that this is going to be a haunting tale. Basically this is a story about a very small country that has been built on the rubble of the past, literally . . with pieces and parts of whatever they could find, this city has been literally scrapped together from refuse of the past. It really is a disturbing image. But, in the process, they've also accumulated all the weapons of mass destruction that have littered the secret hiding holes and burrows of this land. Growing up on a farm, as a kid I saw every day as a discovery. Our farm had many buildings, so as a child it seemed like every day I discovered a new place, or cubbyhole, that I hadn't seen before. Growing up in the mid-west there weren't any caves or anything, but . . with the size and amount of the buildings, especially to a young child, I always approached the farm as an explorer. Plus there were woods to go through. Anyways, my point is . . I couldn't imagine growing up in a place where that exploration and discovery would be impeded by the threat and climate of it's political and social-economic influence. There . . kids can't be kids. They're utilized in the schemes of men at such an early age, they don't get the opportunity to see the world with a child's imagination. To me . . that's the saddest part of this story. And for Ivan and Brian to construct such a tale . . making the reader feel the torment and frustration of the people just trying to make a place in the world . . it really is a testament of their ability and brilliance. The other thing I liked about their story was the way they described Clark's abilities, and perception of his foreboding presence from those around him. Most of this world knows Clark to be a hero. But to those in his immediate vicinity, especially to those that may have to come into conflict with him . . his presence is just as large but equally scary. Also, I'd never even heard of Nic Klein before, but . . his style of art, along with the haunting influence he portrays with the colors and shadow, really serves to enhance the feeling of this story. Issue #7 ends with a disturbing image of this country, from Clark's and the twin's eyes, as the horizon of this country literally burns. 'Our god made a river of oil that flows beneath us. But now our god is angry.' I thought issues #6 & #7 were fantastic. I can't wait to see where they go from here. As a side note . . I haven't been paying that much attention to the Justice Inc story in the back. It's by Jason Starr and Scott Hampton. I'm just not that interested in it. Sorry!

First Wave #3 - DC

Overall, I like the concept here . . and the story. But for some reason I'm just having a hard time figuring out what this is all about. I think it's cool that we have this world where Doc Savage, the Spirit and Batman all exist in tandem. And the Batman here is one in the very early stages of his career. He's trying stuff out as he goes, and he makes mistakes. But the part that I think I'm confused about it the other 2 First Wave books . . the Spirit and Doc Savage's solo books. The worlds that those characters inhabit don't seem the same as this one. I could be wrong, but to me it seems like the world portrayed in this book is different from the one portrayed in either one of their solo books. So I don't really know if this is a different reality, or just a different time. I know it doesn't really matter, but . . I thought these 3 titles were connected. But they don't feel like it. Anyways, the Blackhawks are also a part of this world. But they seem like a group that plays both sides of the fence. And most of the drama seems to circle around Clark Savage Sr, the Doc's father. We have hints that he's not whom he appears to be. He's supposed to be dead, afterall. And we see that he can change his shape. But we don't know yet just exactly what he is. At first guess I'd say a Durlan. But that's just because of the other DC stories I've read recently. We still have 3 issues left in this series so I'm sure it'll all be sorted out for us . . in time. This issue ends with Clark Sr taking the Batman. Although I'm not sure if he's his hostage, or if Clark Sr is saving him. That part we'll have to wait and see. Also the Spirit is on the lamb. And Doc, who spent most of this issue in jail, gets busted out . . big time, at the end. Either that or they were trying to kill him . . the Blackhawk's that is. Brian Azzarello has weaved a very intricate story here. Right now . . it's also a little confusing. But that's how he usually plays it. Things don't sort themselves out until the end. It's definitely interesting and exciting. Rags Morales is doing a terrific job with the art. Another artist whom I think is hugely underrated. And our beautiful covers are by JG Jones and Lee Bermejo. I really like this book . . the concept and the story . . not to mention the characters, but . . it's not all cohesive to me. Just yet. But I have faith in Brian's talent, so . .

Doc Savage #4 - DC

I like the idea of this book. I like the character. But . . I have to say . . I'm just not overly thrilled with the actual series. I'm not sure why. But I'm guessing that since this character has such a long rich history, Paul Malmont is not doing all that much in terms of character development so far in this series. The story is interesting. But I haven't been a big follower of this character so I don't really know much about his supporting cast. Anyways, with this Lord of the Lightning storyline, it appears that someone is using some of Doc's own technology to terrorize Manhattan. Apparently with the war recently over, there's people of power and influence that don't like the idea of these 'larger than life' men running around helping the people solve their problems. I think that they feel that if the people are going to look up to and admire anybody, it should be poeple of their wealth and influence. Plus, I'm willing to bet, they don't like Doc discovering all of this new technology and then turning it over to the public domain rather than trying to make some money off of it. I guessing that it probably pisses them off. So . . this whole Lightning thing was set up to discredit Doc's name. And in the process the used the Doc's properties and assets as targets so they could tear him down financially as well. Well, Doc, and his merry band, beat the guys this issue, but . . the damage has been done. At the end of this issue he decides that they need to go underground. They need time to ferret out the people that were behind this orchestrated attack. And they need to rebuild their trust with the public. Which is a very different position than Clark has been in in quite a while. Like I said, it's an interesting story. I'm just having a hard time really getting in to it. I enjoy Howard Porter's take on the character. I just don't really feel like I know him all that much. And so far the stories haven't really helped me much in that regard. In the back we have a Justice Inc story by Jason Starr and Scott Hampton. I want to like this book. I'm just not really getting in to it. Sorry.

Doc Savage #3 - DC

I know that this is an in-between issue on this story-line . . an issue that falls roughly in the middle of the action. So while it wants to progress the story, it really can't give away to much information because it's still trying to leave the reader a bit in the dark. So unfortunately, some of the stuff that happens doesn't serve to create a clear picture . . at least, not yet. What we know so far is that someone, for some reason, is targeting everything, and everyone, associated with Doc Savage. At the end of last issue we see him jump out of a building, but in the beginning of this issue he lands on a dirigible. In fact most of this issue is spent with Clark flying on one dirigible in pursuit of Monk's captors, also in a dirigible. You'd think that they'd think of something much faster to use as a getaway vehicle. But . . it definitely wouldn't be as dramatic. Anyways, we still don't know why they captured Monk, but . . we do find out that it has something to do with him being a genius in chemistry. Anyways, we do see that this whole thing seems to be originating from the inside of the Savage Institute for Criminal Rehabilitation. But . . I think the zoo may have been taken over by the inmates. And there's something to do with some guy who's basically murdering everybody aboard a cruise-ship. He's somehow connected to all of this, but . . we don't know how or why . . yet. The issue ends with Clark crash-landing his dirigible into the river . . in front of what looks to be some huge flying vessel. Clark jumps on board as he's jumping off, and finds Shaw in the midst of some soldiers. He thinks he going to save him, only to find out that he's actually a coconspirator. The issue ends with him ordering the soldiers to shoot Clark . . in the head. Yes it's interesting, and action packed. And as usual we're left with a cliff-hanger ending. But I still just kind of felt indifferent about it. I wasn't overly excited, but . . I didn't hate it either. It's written by Paul Malmont, with art by Howard Porter. I don't know. I guess I'll just have to wait until the next issue to see if it gets any more intriguing. I really hope so.

Doc Savage #2 - DC

All of these attacks on Doc Savage . . his friends, family, holdings . . were thought to be the focus of an unknown enemy. But when everyone is brought together in Clark's cousin Pat's television studio . . it centralizes the attack and the enemy is revealed. It turns out that they've been targeted by . . the government. Well . . maybe not the whole government, but at least one faction of it that feels . . 'This country's gone to hell since the war. Everyone's soft. They look to heroes like you to solve thier problems instead of doing it themselves. Like we used to!' So I guess they feel that any hero figure is actually a detriment to personal initiative. I guess that's one way of looking at things. Anyways, they attack, and then blind everybody with light to make their getaway. However, when they do . . they only take Monk with them. You'd think their target would've been Clark. The issue ends with Clark jumping towards the swinging ladder of the dirigible as it leaves. But . . he misses, and is in freefall on the final frame. I thought it was an interesting issue. I don't know a whole lot about this character, so . . I haven't really gotten in to it yet, but . . it is interesting. Paul Malmont seems to be doing a pretty decent job with the story. And I've always been a fan of Howard Porter's. Also I loved both covers by JG Jones and John Cassaday. They both looked pretty cool. We also get a back-up story about Justice Inc, by Jason Starr and Scott Hampton. I think I'll enjoy this series when I learn more about the characters. For now, it seems like an interesting crime drama which I accidentally turned the channel to. You know . . I haven't seen it before, but . . it holds my attention.

First Wave #2 - DC

So far we know that this series takes place on another world . . an Elseworld, if you will, that appears to be set in the 40's or 50's. But they have a lot of our recent technology. As far as phones, computers and CDs. Doc Savage and the Spirit have been around for awhile, but the Batman is just getting started. Also, we find out this issue, that Richard Benson, the Avenger, is also around and operating Justice Inc. . . a detective, crime-fighting type group. And the Blackhawks seem to be some kind of covert operation . . mercenaries, working for whomever will pay the highest price. As with any story by Brian Azzarello, we're fed a whole lot of information this issue. But we don't know yet how it all fits together. Doc Savage's men, Ham and Monk, are trying to hire Benson for some 'ill-orthodoxed behavior'. They want him to impersonate someone. Meanwhile, the Spirit, having crossed paths with the Blackhawks last issue, is trying to recover and figure out what they were after. But he won't have to wait long because they soon come after him. Apparently this all has to do with Dr Richtor, Dr Gaul and NeoAtlantis . . an underwater city that they're working on. But another of their associates, Littlejohn, took off with a bunch of thier information. He has ended up at a plantation on the northern border of Hildalgo. He thinks he's been rescued, but apparently even these people, in this remote location, are working for whomever is behind all of this. It appears that the Batman has yet to cross paths with these other crime-fighters. But since Clark Savage Sr is now in Gotham . . it's probably only a matter of time before everything converges here. We only see him for one panel this issue, but . . he's doing his usual back-alley head-busting routine. We also only see Doc Savage when he comes to the Spirit's rescue. Unfortunately, we probably won't really know what's going on until issue #4 of this series. Brian doesn't like to show his cards to soon. But, with all the characters that we have available to us here . . it sure won't be a boring ride. And Rags Morales is doing an incredible job with the art. I've been a fan of Rags for a long time. I think he's a hugely underrated talent. But this issue is easily some of his best work to date. The whole issue looks great, but the page with the Batman is exceptional. This series is definitely a classic in the making.

Doc Savage #1 - DC

This book was . . ok. I wasn't overly thrilled with it. Although, I have to say, I'm coming in to it kind of cold. I know of Doc Savage's character, but . . I've never really followed him. I have the couple of mini-series that he's been in for DC, but that's about the extent of it. In fact when I started reading this issue, I found myself comparing it, and him, to Tom Strong. That's really the only thing I have to base this type of book on. Anyways, Paul Malmont writes it, and this issue he starts off by introducing us to a majority of Doc's supporting cast. Actually, they're all introduced to us through tragedy, as someone is striking out at Doc and anything and everything connected to him. He just doesn't know who it is as he, and everything, is being hit by lightning strikes. Not the kind of attack that he, or anyone else was expecting. Doc's coming home from a recent adventure in Africa and all of this starts happening as he's approaching the city. Howard Porter and Art Thibert do the art. There's also a Justice Inc back-up story. It too, I thought, was just ok. It's written by Jason Starr and drawn by Scott Hampton. It too was done as a crime-drama story. But it just seemed to lack that 'edge'. I don't know. It's only the first issue. So it's a little hard to judge off of this one view. I stuck with the Spirit for quite a while . . even though I thought it was boring. So, I guess we'll have to wait and see what happens here. For now though . . I'd suggest waiting for the TPB.

First Wave #1 - DC

I couldn't resist finding the variant cover to this one. It's by Neal Adams. Luckily though, I got it on e-bay for $5. Yay me! Anyways . . this is the first issue of this series . . and new dimension in the DC Universe . . where Doc Savage, the Spirit and Batman all exist on the same world. In it, Doc Savage has been around for quite some time and is considered pretty much the world's saviour. Well . . between he and his father, Clark Savage Sr. However, this story starts out shortly after Sr's death. Doc Savage has been out exploring the world and making his discoveries, so . . he wasn't able to make it to his father's funeral. The media is eating this up. However, once returned, and hearing that his father died of some mysterious ailment that the doctor's couldn't identify . . Doc decides to exhume his father's body and perform his own autopsy. He probably thinks that he owes his father at least that. But once the casket is opened . . Doc finds if filled with nothing but sandbags. Sandbags with a painted red hand print on each one. And . . they're all filled with gold dust. We also get a little introduction to Doc's entourage this issue. Not much. But enough to start to get a feel for the characters. We then move on to see what Denny Colt, the Spirit is up to. We get the usual banter between he and Dolan. But with Brian Azzarello writing this series . . it seems a lot more sharp . . and wittier than usual. Well . . I should say . . at least more than what we've seen lately. There's another underlying story going on here where the Russians are running some kind of secret project on an undisclosed island . . somewhere. Anyways, one of the scientists, William Littlejohn, has escaped and is running towards freedom. Unfortunately, the Russians running the project, specifically Anton Colossi, can't let him out into the world because he has to much information about what they're up to. The head of all this seems to be a Mr Sunlight, and he's in the US. Coney Island, to narrow it down. And while he's concerned about William's departure, he's also confident in Colossi's ability to retrieve him. Plus . . he seems more concerned with the news stories about Clark Savage Sr's death, and the actions of the young Doc Savage. He feels that everything is playing out the way it should be, so . . I'm thinking he has a hand in orchestrating those events also. Anyways, this Littlejohn character is about to be dumped right into the Spirit's lap as he's following one of Dolan's leads that a mysterious Russian character is supposed to be arriving in the train-yards that evening. Denny follows the lead, finds the body, but ends up square in front of . . the Blackhawks. Now . . Batman isn't introduced, or even talked about this issue. We did see him in the preview though. Apparently in this world, Bruce Wayne is just beginning on his crime-fighting journey. So here . . compared to Doc and the Spirit . . he's going to be the rookie. That should be an interesting twist. I'm sure we'll see how he plays into the story next issue. I think it's an interesting project. It definitely has potential. And with Brian writing it . . I think it's going to be a lot better than people anticipate. Brian is a fantastic writer, and this crime-drama theme fits right into his forte. I'm also thrilled that Rags Morales is doing the art. I've always thought that Rags is a lot better artist than people give him credit for. Unfortunately, he hasn't done to much work that would put him in the spotlight. Maybe this series will change that. I thought he did a fantastic job with this first issue. He really seems to have a grasp for the feel of Doc and Denny's characters. I'm all for continuity, and streamlining story-lines and character connections, and interactions, but . . I also think there's something to be said for DC, and Marvel, doing more an more with these divergent time-lines or dimensions. There's some fantastic characters out there, but I feel that sometimes they get to caught up in the continuity, or history or said character. There's big myopic story-lines, but . . in the end . . nothing ever really changes. I think they become to predictable. With these off-shoot dimensions, different paths can be explored. Risks can be taken. And I think for the genre, the characters, and the story-lines . . it definitely pays off in the end. Anyways . . long story short . . I have high hopes for this series. It's only 6 issues, but . . I think we may see more depending on how well it's received. Plus . . Doc Savage is now part of the DC Universe . . kind of. How cool is that?

Batman / Doc Savage Special #1 - DC

I haven't really dug into this 'project' yet, so I don't know what all it entails, but . . apparently this is the opening chapter of FirstWave. From the back of the book, with notes from Brian Azzarello, it looks like there's going to be a lot of characters involved in this before it's over. They include Doc's crew . . Monk, Ham, Long Tom, Renny and Johnny. But also other DC characters such as Justice Inc, the Spirit, Black Canary, Rima the Jungle Girl and the Blackhawks. This story takes place only a few months after Bruce took on the role of Batman. So apparently, we're retroactively slipping Doc into DC continuity to establish him as an important character in the DC Universe. In the beginning of the story I was wondering what the Batman was doing using guns . . 45's to be exact. At first I kind of thought that it was someone dressing up as Batman to get him in trouble or something. But this was the beginning of his career when he was trying out different things . . trying to establish his means and motives. Anyways, he comes across Doc because Doc has come to Gotham to try to put a stop to this Bat-menace. Up until this point Batman was just an urban-legend. But then people started spotting him, and pictures started circulating. So the legend could no longer be ignored. Apparently Doc, being sanctioned by pretty much every police force he's ever worked with, even though he's basically a vigilante himself, decided that he needed check up on this 'Batman' and make sure he was acting responsibly . . even though his main motivation appeared to be fear. One of the things I liked about this story was the portrayal of Bruce. He hasn't been through everything that he's been burdened with in the current DC Universe, so . . he seems a bit more light-hearted. Almost cocky. I think he's just as devoted to his cause, but this early on . . he pretty much sees things as 'black & white'. He hasn't yet accepted compromise as a way to attain his goals, even if they may be what's best for Gotham. Anyways, Doc figures out that the Batman isn't responsible for the murder that he's being accused of and decides to have a conversation. He finds him to be responsible and intelligent, and I think he feels he's pretty much on the right path. Bruce tries to explain to him about the corruption in Gotham, and why he has to fight it the way he does. I actually think that Doc was willing to help Batman find the murderer and positively clear his name, but before they can even start the guy is found . . dead. 'They got to him before we could. Leave Gotham to me . . you save the world.' Brian Azzarello is a fantastic writer, and this type of story . . set in maybe the 50's or 60's is right up his alley. If these specials segue into a Doc Savage series, and Brian writes it . . I have a feeling it'll be some fantastic stories. I'm very interested to see where all of this leads. Phil Noto does the art on this issue. It looks fantastic. The covers are by JG Jones and Rags Morales. They both look great.