52 #1
Writers: Geoff Johns, Grant Morrison, Greg Rucka, Mark Waid
Artist: Joe Bennett
$2.50

Filling in the gaps between Infinite Crisis and all comics taking place “1 Year Later,� DC’s weekly real-time maxi-series, 52, is finally here. Sharing writing duties are what can only be described as DC’s own Traveling Wilburys; a veritable supergroup of comic book masters, including Grant Morrison, Greg Rucka, Geoff Johns, and Mark Waid, tell the story of what happened in the one year that Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman left the DC Universe.

At times funny and witty, and at other times puzzling and bleak, the first issue of 52 stumbles out of the gate, mainly due to the daunting task of having to set up such an ambitious project. 52 suffers from its assumption that the reader has a complete grasp of everything that happened in and around both Infinite Crisis and Identity Crisis, which makes for some confusing moments (even DC’s heroes don’t seem to know exactly who was killed during Infinite Crisis) and a let’s-cram-in-as-much-as-we-can feeling. And I couldn’t help but try and figure out who was writing what in the issue, an unfortunate distraction caused by having an all-star writing cast. But there’s no denying the solid characterization and formidable groundwork laid for the rest of the series; Ralph Dibny’s depression is predicable but compelling, and Booster Gold’s focus on publicity and endorsements is pretty hysterical. There’s enough here to warrant a purchase of upcoming issues, but 52’s first issue lacked a knockout punch and a steady tone to make it a true must-read.
KFR Rating: B

Street Fighter Vol. 1 – Round One: Fight!
Writer: Ken Siu-Chong
Artists: Alvin Lee, Arnold Tsang, Long Vo, Noi Sackda, Rob Ross, Alan Tam, Andrew Hou
$9.99

One of the most influential and successful videogames of all-time, Street Fighter II has had an amazing run in other media, including anime, movies, and action figures. While one would think that the storytelling well of a 15-year-old fighting game doesn’t run that deep, Udon’s Street Fighter Vol. 1 – Round One: Fight! is a surprisingly kinetic and engrossing read – so long as you approach it with the proper expectations.

Going back and forth between origins and introductions while presenting an overall decent back-story and plot, Street Fighter Vol. 1 is exactly what one hopes it would be: a perfect melding of the videogame and original anime film, but with some new surprises. Most importantly, it knows what fans want – fights, and lots of them – and it delivers in spades. The story isn’t mind blowing stuff (it’s aptly called Round One: Fight!) but there’s something intriguing about seeing who trained Ryu and Ken — and finding out who killed him. The art is a beautiful almost-manga style, but with enough Americanized flourishes to make it accessible. Shakespeare this ain’t, but good fun nonetheless.
KFR Rating: B+

Superman #652
Writers: Kurt Busiek and Geoff Johns
Artist: Pete Woods
$2.99

Dealing with the loss of Superman’s powers in the “1 Year Laterâ€? storyline, the comic icon’s titles have been surprisingly fun to read post-Infinite Crisis. Now, as he slowly regains his powers in Superman #652, the fun is in watching a Supes unsure of exactly what powers he once again has, and how well he can use them. There are some charming moments, including the opening scene, featuring his first try at leaping a tall building in a single bound, and the climax, where Supes realizes he is indeed still as fast as a speeding bullet. But the biggest problem in Superman comics today is his relationship/marriage with Lois, and it’s exemplified in this issue. Not only is the fun love triangle of Clark-Lois-Superman gone, but at this point, the two characters read exactly like Peter Parker and Mary Jane: the superhero worries about his wife’s safety and how she feels about him being a superhero, and the wife supports him as much as she can, but still worries. It doesn’t necessarily bring down this particular issue, but it’s utterly unoriginal and boring. It begs the question: if DC used Infinite Crisis to repair continuity and reverse certain changes made to characters, why not undo the marriage of Superman and Lois Lane? (Purists take note: it appears as though Supes is now sporting a raised “S” shield on his chest, meaning it looks as if Superman will soon be wearing full-on Superman Returns threads. The “S” beltbuckle can’t be too far behind.).
KFR Rating: B+

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