GLC #42 Review

[stealthwise]

Here's the thing I don't get about all of these Blackest Night reviews; they're so completely inconsistent that I've pretty much given up on reading them. This inconsistency isn't entirely the fault of the reviewers, but when I read a review for Blackest Night #4, the latest issue of GL, and the latest issue of GLC, I don't get an idea as to what is actually going on in terms of quality, because to me, they're pretty much all identical in terms of how well they are being written and drawn.

Sure, there is a bit of difference in terms of whether one prefers Johns or Tomasi's dialogue, or whether or not you like Gleason's or Reis's or Mahnke's pencilwork, but for the most part, I've found the entire crossover-which I've just re-read from the beginning up to now-to be uniformly satisfactory. And then we get this strange contrast between how Mr. Callahan and Mr. Nevitt view their respective issues (BN and GL respectively, I believe), not to mention how we get Tim giving one part of this story 4 stars, and another part 2 and a half.

Basically, I've gone on a bit of a rant because I'm really not sure what kind of critical feedback to get out of the latest review, other than "too much stuff happens." The several references to Transformers 2 I find a bit disturbing, mostly because Tomasi has done such a wonderful job establishing these characters in GLC over the past year or so, and he hints that one of them will in fact die over the past several issues. I'm not sure how there's too much happening in this, the most action-packed issue of the entire cosmic-superhero-action storyline, so as to dull the emotional impact. The review that I've read seems to indicate that Tim has grown bored with all of this action, but basically every other review I've read seems to indicate that this response is not indicative of the popular response, yet there doesn't seem to be enough critical reasoning provided to indicate that the entire review is just a completely subjective preference.

I don't mean to single out Tim too much, but I find that it's a problem with ALL of CBR's reviews, as they don't seem to have any kind of objective criteria, or even means of providing a critical outlook, other than the inexplicable "5-star" method that is applied so inconsistently that it's nigh-useless. I'd love to see a bit more of an organized approach on the part of any of the reviewers on CBR.

[rev sully]

Well...

I'm an huge! GL fan.
Have yet to buy the magazine. Already spoiled...thanks Newsarama (but iHadda look, right...damn dirty zombies)

I liked Tim's sober account of GL Corps #42. People are really high on Tomasi/Gleason's GLC and rightfully so nonetheless if it wasn't for the BLACKEST NIGHT storyline I usually do not purchase GLC in serial. I know I'm missing things but I've streamlined my buying habits from a Weekly Stack to a Monthly Stack. Yeah, Kryb does creep me out as well...it's really good and nails a huge chunk of good GL stories. But I don't usually pick it up.

The Spoil is big. Wah. Boo. You frakkin' s&ck. OK...I don't mean it really...not to anyone here at CBR at least...just venting. Here comes a Red Ring through the window now...

Also I am not down with the "Fluff For Rings" Campaign. I got a personal edit of BLACKEST NIGHT to maintain. I don't read R.E.B.E.L.S. but I get a coveted Indigo ring to go with my favorite lantern Corps Tee. No frakkin' way. That $2.99's going towards Warren Ellis' cigarettes. Take it up with him in Sunny Albion. DOOM PATROL??? They've had more restarts than the WildStorm Universe in the past decade. Sigh. A Yellow Power Ring...I can recite the frakkin' Sinestro Corps Oath, you poozers.

It's not as though I'm avoiding Tomasi/Gleason's fine work. I am obviously picking up on it. I just haven't gotten to the FunnyBook Bodega yet this month. Too bad I couldn't take Lisa Simpson & Marvin Hamlish's musical jingle advice, "just don't look...just don't look".

So what are we doing here? reviewing the review? That's boring.
I'll say thanks Tim for not giving up the last four pages. That's journalism. It's supposed to be a critique of a current release that is buzz-worthy. Tim, was GLC #42 assigned to you or do you chime in on your Weekly Stack then your editor green-lights pieces?

crea shaakti,
Rev Sully
http://thechannelocho.blogspot.com/s...Comics%20Gnome

[tomgastall]

I'd love to see a bit more of an organized approach on the part of any of the reviewers on CBR.

Here's a piece from Callahan on his approach:

http://www.comicbookresources.com/?p...ticle&id=21809

I've never read anyone else's criteria. The Buy Pile often talks about whether anything "happens" in the book reviewed, so I guess you can assume that is Hannibal's primary concern when reviewing a comic.
-Tom

[TimothyCallahan]

Chad and I are different, and even though our tastes are mostly similar, he uses a different set of standards than I do for reviews, obviously. But don't you want that? Don't you want different voices on the topic? These are aesthetic reviews, after all, not consumer reviews telling you whether or not one car gets better gas mileage than the other.

Surely every reviewer won't agree on everything. That's how it works.

But if you can't see the differences in quality between Johns's GL issue and Tomasi's GLC issue, then you aren't looking hard enough. You may find GLC's approach just as effective, but there are clear differences in how the stories unfold, the emphasis on big moments vs. small, the style of the artwork, etc. Johns's GL issue works better than Tomasi's recent GLC issue. One has moments of real suspense and heart, while the other is a whirring machine of character death.