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I was going to put this in the "Transmission X" thread, since that's the only thing here that involves Karl Kerschl directly, but it really probably belongs in Weekly Review.
The Teen Titans miniseries is chugging along, and I just had to point out the beautiful, stylish and clever, evocative art by Karl Kerschl. The writing, from a Hollywood-writer-slumming-it-during-the-writer's-strike (Amy Wolfram), is simple but charming; it's not a bad first shot at comic book writing. At times it's excessively simplistic, but other times it nails certain little moments or things about why comics are freakin' joycore fun. It's worth checking out; or look through the trade when all the issues are collected. There's just something about this little mini. Hardly reinventing the wheel...just fun. And well-drawn.
I know many here love to take potshots at Geoff Johns, and I've been someone who has found his work to be really pretty well-done at times and not-so-great at other times. His Green Lantern series, I'd argue, is continuing to build and to a large degree, flourish. The current "Secret Origins" art contains some nice character work, and his Justice Society arc currently ranges from inventive to rambling-on-too-much-about-Gog-and-Magog and Kingdom Come revisitation fanwank (Alex Ross is co-plotting and contributing covers and occasional interior art pages).
And count me very interested in the Barry Allen: Rebirth series he's doing with Ethan Van Sciver. Even many who were hardly Johns fans here on Barbelith had some good words for Hal Jordan's return in the GL: Rebirth miniseries, I recall. And Final Crisis: Rogues' Revenge by Johns & Kolins is providing some entertaining flashback to what was good about his & Kolins' run on the regular Flash book, with some setting the table for Barry Allen's return. Johns has said in interviews that he's putting a lot of thought into why Barry Allen, why now, what is his place in the DCU, and he clearly has a lot of love for the character. I know it might be fashionable to discredit Johns as a slavish fanboy, and cleary he loves DCU continuity quite a bit, but I feel he's got some good stuff to offer. Count me among those who feel he's had too many gruesome people-being-ripped-in-half scenes & such, but there's a good writer in there. No Alan Moore, mind you, more like a Kurt Busiek-type writer with moments of Mark Waid-at-his-best. Morrison himself has praised Johns' work in rejuvenating the Green Lantern book. I remember thinking in the first 4 or so issues of the Johns GL that it really wasn't doing it for me, wasn't taking off much - but the saving grace was the whole Sinestro Corps concept and that arc, now leading into the "Rainbow GLs", which some may find tiresome but I find enjoyable. Playing off the Alan Moore story is enjoyable, too. Again, I'm not saying he's a brilliant writer - but he's got something worthwhile to offer when he's not having Hal Jordan punch everyone in the face or ripping people's heads off. (I tend to think his love for Superboy Prime is a bit silly, since the character is just an eeeevil spoiled, tantrum-throwing brat) |
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