A Glance at (Bad) Comics 3/05

As promised, here are the worst comic book series I've read in the past few months:

• Superman -
  The boost in sales this book has earned over the past year must be due exclusively to Jim Lee's top notch art, which stands in stark contrast to the low-level of writing being presented. I gave the current 12-part "For Tomorrow" storyline several chances to pick up steam, but after the 7th or 8th chapter it was clear that the "suspense" generated early on was leading nowhere. The only way to justify the half a year of build up in Superman would be to write a really spectacular payoff, but instead readers have received nothing but overly cryptic nonsensical dialogue and a depressed Supes acting like a watered down version of Batman--a take that is as untrue to the character as any I've read.

• Robin -
  As a kid, my favorite comic month after month was this title featuring the solo adventures of Batman's teenage partner as he dealt with both crimefighting and high school life. Under new management, this book has devolved into a silly sci-fi parody of the characters it once respected. Recent storylines have featured Robin facing off against a supernaturally powered gangster possessed by some sort of giant demonic thumbtack, as well as the Penguin placing orders for weaponry from outer space. And don't get me started on how this series characterizes Batman whenever he appears, turning the stoic Dark Knight into a cartoonish wisecracker.

• Catwoman: When in Rome -
  Once upon a time, writer Jeph Loeb crafted brilliant Batman mysteries like "The Long Halloween" and "Dark Victory." This companion piece to those wonderful storylines only serves to show how fall Loeb has fallen in the years since. Supposedly fitting between the gaps of events told in "Dark Victory," "When in Rome" features a mystery so unintriguing that I can't even remember what it is. The hidden villain of the story uses weapons patterned after those of Batman's famous rogues, presumably for no other reason than to have the artist draw these familiar images. The plot seeks no such excuse for the nude Catwoman scenes that crop up two or three times an issue.

• Ultimate Elektra -
  This attempt to cash in on the recent Jennifer Garner Elektra movie would have done better to follow in the footsteps of its predecessor, Ultimate Daredevil, and hired Greg Rucks to continue his defining take on the Daredevil-Elektra relationship. In that series, Matt Murdock and Elektra's love was torn apart by the latter's willingness to cross moral lines in order to see justice served. This sequel tries to re-create that same tension, as Elektra agrees to steal evidence for the Kingpin in return for his help in preventing her father from being framed for money laundering. However, any potential for a compelling moral gray area falls flat once it becomes clear that Elektra had non-criminal options for clearing her father. It seems that the title character in this story isn't overcome by passion as much as she is stupidity.