Jayson > Recent Status Updates

Notes:
(1) This is the third Superman tie-in and the third Lois/Clark wedding scene.
- Interesting, since they don't actually get married until 1996. I guess "The Death of Superman" delayed their nuptials a tad.
(2) James Sanders III is hands-down the best of all the credited inkers.
- His style doesn't look dated at all!
- I wish Hitch's modern art looked this good.

Notes:
(1) I really liked this tie-in—it's my second favorite so far.
- One thing I didn't like is how Batman totally buries Tim Drake, saying that he'll never be good enough to be Batman... then Tim goes and proves him right!
(2) This has to have been inspired by Robocop, right?
- Possibly "The Dark Knight Returns" too, but a cyborg Batman is more directly a Robocop twist.

Notes:
(1) Significantly, we learn that Waverider's prior interventions linger in memory/intuition, directly altering the future.
- Which only undermines more this event's whole "process of elimination" gimmick!
(2) This must have been at least somewhat of a rush job: there are four inkers credited.
- You can really tell too! Turn a page, and the art's noticeably different.

Notes:
(1) Is this the first appearance of ponytail Dick? It's not depicted here as his present-day look.
- Possibly, DC liked it so much on this future Dick that they decided to make it canon.
(2) Redwing misgendering Mirage (see above) is likely a typo, not some meta-commentary on shapeshifters.
- Though, could be this is some love triangle and Redwing's just being catty.

Notes:
(1) I liked this better than I by all means should have.
- Fact is, I'm not familiar with anyone here outside of Lobo and Vril Dox, and a lot of it was lost on me, albeit deficient context—not logic—and not enough to be an issue.
- Certainly, I'd enjoy it much more if I actually read the series.
(2) In short, this is about as "Saga" a comic as I've ever seen from DC.

Notes:
(1) I don't know what it is about older comics, they always take much longer to read.
- Not that this was bad at all, this actually makes me want to check out more of Mark Waid.
(2) I'd have liked this better if the parade of villains didn't feel so repetitive.
(3) What's the point of investigating (potential) futures if Waverider's involvement so easily alters them?!

Notes:
(1) We get a lot of recapping: of "Armageddon 2001 #1," the Hawkman/Hawkworld origin story, etc.
- Unfortunately, no recaps of anything useful, like who people are or the context of things that happen here.
(2) Interestingly, this digitization includes the newsprint texture and Ben-Day dots.
- Possibly, it's an early attempt before full-on recoloring became standard.

Notes:
(1) Okay, the art's not boring and the ending's decent, but I could barely make heads or tails of the rest of this!
- So many complaints, so little space!
(2) It's stressed how all the futures Waverider taps into are only potential futures... which is just stupid!
- Why search for clues/confirmation about Monarch's identity in timelines that might actually be false?!

Notes:
(1) This starts off all over the place, and I was worried that it would be a big letdown.
- But (nearly) all the seemingly disparate threads wove together by the end.
(2) This gets pretty meta with Blue Beetle getting fat and coming out of superhero retirement.
- Blue Beetle being the inspiration for Nite Owl in "Watchmen," who similarly loses his fight with spandex.

Notes:
(1) This is one of those comics that can make sense, but is really convoluted and requires a lot of mental gymnastics.
- Still, there's plenty to like.
(2) So, there are two mutant baboons here named Dan and Art.
- Who I can only assume are named after Dan Jurgens and Art Thibert, arguably the leading penciller/inker team on various early-'90s Superman titles.

Notes:
(1) Superman's 2001 costume looks a lot like Power Girl's.
- No boob window, but the long gloves and that big ropy cape clasp.
(2) George H.W. Bush is in this, though he's called President Forrest.
- Possibly a legal loophole and/or policy at the time.
(3) Overall, a surprisingly strong plot.
- It really keys in on why Superman shouldn't be a rebel or anti-authority.

Notes:
(1) This was a blend of "1984" and "Watchmen" with a bit of "Terminator" in the mix.
- A sort of soft dystopia.
(2) It's always interesting to see the past's vision of the future. In the same way that "Back to the Future" bet big on faxes, this bet big on floppy discs.
- It does seem fitting that something so quaintly obsolete is a time capsule of the forgotten past.

Notes:
(1) Buddy-read with Sophia and Chad!
(2) This event was never collected, and not every tie-in is available digitally via DC Universe Infinite nor on Kindle.
- I'll have a look in my local comic shops, but anything I can't get a hold of I'll just omit.

Notes:
(1) So, this is really trying to get across that it's a continuation of the original cartoon... well, the syndicated era at least.
- The CBS era is apparently not canon. This series takes place in 1989, which is right before the move.
- While they do an excellent job, they keep breaking the fourth wall, which just takes me out of it. I mean, what is this? Animaniacs?

Notes:
(1) This opens with a two-parter, which to me seems like the way to go—it actually feels like a full-length episode of the cartoon.
- This also references specific episodes of the series—I don't recall the cartoon ever being so self-referential outside of when guest characters return.
- Things are also left purposely unresolved, which suggests long-term storytelling.

Notes:
(1) It's both odd and interesting that they chose to relaunch the series with new numbering instead of just continuing from the 2022 series.
- There's no real reason to do so: no new writer, no hiatus, no new timeline, no ostensible shift in style or approach.
- And it's not as if they want to treat the first outing as a standalone series, this is Volume 2 after all.

Notes:
(1) I think the series managed to settle into a groove with the last two issues.
- Compared to the first two issues, they weren't nearly as text-heavy, reliant on in-jokes and slow in general.
- They also hit a good balance between the 1987 cartoon and the original "Adventures" comics, to the extent that you can't really put them in one camp or the other like before.

Notes:
(1) The first two stories are actually very different.
- In issue #1, the Turtles get stuck in a video game, which is very much an "Adventures" plot.
- Issue #2 involves a personality swap, which is a staple trope of the 1987 cartoon.
(2) I do like all the Easter eggs and in-jokes, which you can tell are written for a certain audience... and it's not modern-day kids.

Notes:
(1) So, I don't know quite what to expect from this.
- The cartoon was grounded-if-goofy, but this also seems like a spiritual successor to the old Archie "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Adventures," which was more far-out and wacky.
- I mean, how faithful is this? Is it set in the late-1980s?
- Tokka and Rahzar are on the cover, so it must mix in some subsequent lore.

Notes:
(1) Okay, I'm kind of angry right now. Because I can see what they're trying to do, and it's not a bad concept. In fact, all the ingredients are there for a very decent series finale... but they just couldn't restrain themselves from over-egging the pudding.
- I'll just say that retcons are meant to UN-complicate lore, NOT make clean and simple ideas super-byzantine!

Notes:
(1) This is the penultimate issue of the series and... I mean, seriously, what are we doing here?
- This is a team book and nobody's together! Michelangelo's just returned, but Raphael's been entirely absent... unless you count alternate versions of him.
- Meanwhile, the main villain's a prehistoric time-travelling shark and the central figure's some rando named Bob!

Notes:
(1) So, like the previous issue, this is just a different flashy looking location to have metaphysical chats.
- Last issue it was some floating time temple, this issue it's some cyberpunk future.
- Also, like the previous issue, Leonardo and April scenes consist of filler fights with generic nuisance monsters and more convos consisting of mystical/techno mumbo jumbo.

Notes:
(1) As nice as it is to see Renet back, she's not the same late-1980s bubbly airhead we've come to know and love. Here, she's more or less devoid of personality—a generic sensei/mentor to Lita.
- So, while it's cool to see, she doesn't bring any nostalgia value.
(2) Really, this issue has very little narrative value. Most of the middle feels like a filler side-quest.

Notes:
(1) This is the final arc of the series, and I really want to like it, but it's so not my cup of tea.
- To me, Turtles is best when it's gritty and urban. Whereas this storyline is entirely sci-fi/fantasy.
- I wouldn't mind too much if it was grounded in familiarity and nostalgia, but so far it's way too conceptual and focused on characters I don't care about.

Notes:
(1) This is a big art upgrade from the last arc. Not that I necessarily need nor prefer more stylized art for this series, but Federici's style is significantly more dynamic than Smith's.
- It reminds me a lot of Phil Hester, who's style is similarly simplistic yet kinetic and expressive.
(2) The story's just okay. Really, it's the art that tips it from 3 to 4 stars.

Notes:
(1) So, this was a real lackluster finale—though, I shouldn't be surprised: every issue this arc was lackluster.
- Everything's pretty much settled by the midway point... well, except for the serial killer subplot, which was totally ignored and swept under the rug.
- The rest is a sitcom-style goodbye montage, except there's no jokes and it's everyone who parts ways.

Notes:
(1) So, a lot of this is the old Scarecrow trope from Batman, where hallucination scenes visualize characters' worst fears.
- The way the art depicts this all is pretty messy, but I'm fine with it as a concept. Artistically, this was just very visually-dense.
- Frankly, if you hadn't read any of the previous issues, or forgot, it's a decent narrative device reminder.

Notes:
(1) I hate to sound like a broken record about this arc but, again, it's competent but lifeless.
- We get a decent mix of action and story progression here, but also too many characters doing too much bickering.
(2) Like the previous issue, we get several character returns.
- Seemingly, everyone's coming out of plot hibernation now that "The Armageddon Game" is over.

Notes:
(1) A definite improvement over the last issue: a lot less talking and a lot more action.
- I mean, there's still lots of talking, just less—it's also less talking-focused.
- By "more action" I mean there's actually action—more than barely-any.
(2) This is one of those issues that, while technically well done, lacks any spark, pizzazz or re-readability.

Notes:
(1) So, I wouldn't say this is boring per se, just dry.
- Basically, following The Armageddon Game, the Turtles are having long conversations/arguments about what their purpose is now, what to do with their lives, blah blah blah.
(2) I don't want to crap on the art, but it's fairly lifeless too.
- Don't get me wrong, it's proficient, but just stiff and dated feeling.