Written by G. Willow Wilson
Art by Cafu
Cover by Josh Middleton
Up until very recently, with Vixen #1, Air #1, and of course this issue, I had not read any of G. Willow Wilson's work. With this issue, I can confidently say that she's growing on me, and I'll likely look into her other work in the near future.
Her writing in this issue is unlike any other superhero book (that I'm aware of) on the shelves. With the exception of the brief appearances from some JLAers in this issue and the last, this doesn't in fact feel much like a superhero book at all. If not for the aforementioned guest appearances, I wouldn't have been surprised if this were a Vertigo or indie title. Vixen's C-list at best status, despite being a JLA member at the moment, certainly lends itself to telling an interesting, continuity-free story.
While the plot and dialogue have been quite good so far, that can't be wholly judged until the mini ends. What can be is the amazing art from penciller/inker Cafu, and colorist Santiago Arcas. Wow! Great storytelling
and beautiful people! I can't wait to see more from both of these artists! Not only can Cafu capture the movement of people, but the many animals in this series thusfar are great looking as well. On the coloring side, well, just flip through the book at the store, I (not knowing enough coloring lingo) can't aptly describe its awesometude.
In conclusion: Buy this book. Buy it. Only good can come from seeing well-crafted story-telling and amazing art being supported by your dollar. This is what I want to be reading, and if you give it a shot, I think you'll agree.
I'll try and post some art as soon as I find some. The covers (as mentioned above) are by a different artist.
Written by James Robinson
Art by Pere Perez
Cover by Aaron Lopresti
While the Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen Special, which was both penned by Robinson and concerned the same characters was fantastic, this issue didn't hit that same special spot. That isn't to say that I don't appreciate Robinson fleshing out Superman's supporting cast, I do! With the supposed grand shake-up following the New Krypton event discussed by Dan Didio here:
http://tinyurl.com/5uchys in which he said, "...In the month of March, there will be changes to Action Comics in regards to who the star of Action is, and you’ll see also when we bring back the title of one of the most beloved older DC series and present it in a new light as well," I think it's reasonable to assume that perhaps a Jimmy Olsen ongoing could be on its way, and that these specials are a trial run of sorts (though I could be wrong).
Whether or not that's the case, I'd have to say this and the Jimmy Olsen Special are a good indicator that Robinson has some stories up his sleeves for these characters. The art and writing in this issue were both fair to pretty good. I do believe this to be a great example of the DC house style actually working quite well, as it actually fits. If this weren't a tie-in to an event, well, it probably wouldn't exist, but I think the story could be told in a more natural way maybe...
Like I said, it's not the great stand-alone story that Robinson's last Special provided, but if you've enjoyed what's going on in New Krypton so far, I'm sure this story will be integral somewhere down the line, so its worth checking out for those purposes. If you could care less about the Superman line, this issue is certainly not going to change your opinion.
