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Subject: TOOT for 10/2/06: The Battle For Bludhaven | Author | Messages | 
Tony Isabella
Posts: 1882
 | Posted: 10/2/2006 10:14:06 AM | TONY’S OTHER ONLINE TIPS
for Monday, October 2, 2006
Judging from the number of views these weekly reviews receive, it’s the DC Universe proper that most interests TOOT readers. So, until the tide turns, that’s what I’ll concentrate on here.
This is the first installment of a nine-week series. I’m starting with a review of CRISIS AFTERMATH: THE BATTLE FOR BLUDHAVEN, to be followed in turn by CRISIS AFTERMATH: THE SPECTRE, BRAVE NEW WORLD, and each of the new series previewed in BNW. As always, you should expect that there will be...
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CRISIS AFTERMATH: THE BATTLE OF BLUDHAVEN [$2.99 per issue] was a six-issue series which opened on the dark days after the Society of Super-Villains dropped Chemo on the city and then, within the first few pages of the first issue, jumped ahead a year. It was written by Justin Gray and Jimmy Palmiotti, drawn by Dan Jurgens and Jimmy Palmiotti, and edited by Tom Palmer, Jr. The covers were painted by Daniel Acuna.
The destruction of Bludhaven was a major event in the DCU, so I’m all for exploring the ramifications of that murderous act. Which should have included bringing the murderers to justice. Alas, in a disturbing real-world parallel, the government has put the search for those villains on the back burner. Instead, Bludhaven has been turned into a breeding ground for government super-agents with many of the subjects for the experiments conscripted against their will. The catalyst for these experiments is Captain Atom, who is kept in a comatose state by the government.
Now, to put it as mildly as possible, I’m not a fan of the current administration in our world. Even so, I’m bone-weary of comic-book stories where virtually every government representative is either downright evil or too clueless/cowardly to oppose the evil guys in charge. The only thing that makes BATTLE even remotely palatable in this regard is a fifth-issue comment from an unseen Uncle Sam to the effect that the evil comes from “corrupt factions” within the government. Mild comfort that.
What else didn’t I like about THE BATTLE FOR BLUDHAVEN?
My usually willing suspension of disbelief took a beating whenever I thought about the improbability of no super-hero checking out the Bludhaven situation for a year, the lack of media coverage of the refugees, the lack of government oversight of the activities within the city, and the rationale for so many refugees to remain camped outside a radioactive city of death. When things happened in the story, they didn’t seem to happen because they were logical things to happen, but just to move the story to the next scene or the next issue.
The large cast of super-characters was impressive, but didn’t leave room to cover elements which should have explained. For instance, where did the replacements for the deceased Lady Liberty and Silent Majority come from? Who is Father Time and how did he come to work with the government or some corrupt faction thereof? Why did Green Lantern decide to come to Bludhaven now?
The previous thing I didn’t like is part of a bigger problem for me and, I would think, other readers. THE BATTLE FOR BLUDHAVEN is yet another entry in the growing list of DCU mini-series that, though they have beginnings, remain in seemingly endless middles without ever reaching satisfying conclusions. We can’t even say that the battle for the destroyed city is over as the sixth and final issue “ends” with the revelation of some structure underneath the crater left by the petulant Captain Atom.
What did I like about THE BATTLE OF BLUDHAVEN?
Dan Jurgens is a terrific artist and storyteller, though his pencil art was not particularly well-served by inker Jimmy Palmiotti...and I write this despite Palmiotti being one of my favorite inkers. I just don’t think it was a good combination. On the other hand, I’m for anything that gets us more Jurgens comics.
The huge cast of super-characters was a comics trivia circus. I’m still tracking down where I’ve seen some of these villains before. I was especially delighted to see a bunch of villains - the Force of July and the Nuclear Family - who were created by my friend Mike W. Barr for BATMAN AND THE OUTSIDERS. By the way, new DCU stories by Barr would be as cool as more Jurgens comics.
I like the new Firebrand and what appears to be his coming alliance with Uncle Sam. I suspect these two heroes will be the cornerstone of the new Freedom Fighters and I look forward to their inevitable philosophical clashes.
I also like the hint that the new Phantom Lady’s senator father may not be on the side of the angels. If, as I expect, she also joins up with Uncle Sam, it’ll make for additional suspense and tension within the Freedom Fighters.
What am I not sure about in THE BATTLE FOR BLUDHAVEN?
The return of the Atomic Knights. I loved the original appearances of the characters in the 1960s STRANGE ADVENTURES, but haven’t been thrilled by the attempts to insert them into the DCU proper. The new armor isn’t as classy as that designed by Murphy Anderson back in the day...and its operation gives me a stinky whiff of the OMAC infestation of the current DCU. That said, I’m trying to keep an open mind about them.
The stuff I didn’t like about THE BATTLE FOR BLUDHAVEN outweighed the stuff I liked...but not by much. I’m splitting the difference and awarding the series three out of five Tonys.
© 2006 Tony Isabella
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