Green Lantern #46
Creators: Geoff Johns and Doug Mahnke
Blackest Night is good, and I won’t go into specifics again. This chapter centers on Sinestro, and we see a little of the complexity that Johns gives him. He is not a simple bad guy. He’s loyal to his troops, to his planet, and to his friends. He’s also able to take a beating, as we see in a sequence of brutal Mahnke realism. The art here isn’t fancy or earth-shattering, but it’s dead on in its gritty detail. Sinestro’s loyalty is matched by his ruthlessness against those who cross him. His solution in his confrontation with Mongul is brilliant, and it leads right into a fantastic reveal that definitely advances the overall story.
Grade: A+
Detective Comics #857
Creators: Greg Rucka and JH Williams III
I probably should have listed Williams first here. His art is mind-blowing, and his creativity is what has really powered this book. The page layouts are incredibly inventive. He never lets you get your balance. Yet once you take a minute to process what’s going on, there’s an incredible amount of information being conveyed to you visually. Consider, for instance, that if you pay attention to the way Kate and the High Madame are drawn throughout the book, the ending is not at all the surprise that it first seems. Williams told you about it long before Rucka said a word. This first arc finishes up in good fashion. A little resolution, a few question left unanswered, and plenty of action. The Rucka and Cully Hamner backup feature starring The Question is a fun little gutter-crawling crime adventure, but it’s just icing on the cake.
Grade: A-
Fantastic Four #571
Creators: Jonathan Hickman and Dale Eaglesham
Hickman’s FF run continues with more high-concept sci-fi. I hadn’t read this book much lately until Hickman and Eaglesham came on board, and I’ve been really happy with it so far. Reed has met a council of alternate universe Reeds, and he has to decide if the influence he can have in the council is worth giving up his own family. Great dialog sets off some interesting, slightly Kirby-esque art. The cliff-hanger is a little cheesy, but you can’t have everything.
Grade: B
Michael is old enough to know better, but still reads comics. He writes about them to make himself feel less nerdy. 
