Comics this week

Bloodshot #3- After the blood and guts of the first 2 issues, the story takes a detour as writer Duane Swierczynski has Bloodshot running around trying to figure out his fractured psyche. In the midst of making sense of his mind, we see the extent of the methods his former handlers are willing to go to cover up their mess. The issue was strange in that though it’s not bad, it’s also not that good. Bloodshot just seem out of character here (though to be fair, that might be deliberate by Swierczynski) and having a killer like Bloodshot taken out by a housewife and a nurse was laughable. Maybe it’s just a case of how good the first 2 issues were. The writing here was good. The art by Manuel Garcia & Arturo Lozzi were solid but #3 just didn't reach the level of #1 or #2.

Earth 2 #0- Timing is everything. With the regular series just getting into its stride, this #0 issue comes at a bad time. Not to say it’s a bad issue, the motivations and actions of Terry Sloan were interesting and although it’s hinted that his actions were more due to envy than anything else, writer James Robinson also makes a point that ultimately his actions, murderous as they were, helped the world. A villain that’s a “necessary evil” in a superhero world is not something that happened a lot so this character (and this issue) was more interesting because of it. However I can’t help but think that this issue would work better later in the series as a flashback, after Green Lantern, Flash and Hawkgirl were more settled in the series. The regular story is showing new heroes which have almost nothing to do with Sloan and this stick out sorely as the whole issue showcased Sloan, Wonder Woman, Batman, and Superman fighting the hordes of Apokolips. Timing is everything.

Green Lantern #0- A zero issue is as good as any I guess for writer Geoff Johns to introduce the latest Green Lantern. With the “death” of Hal Jordon in the GL annual, Simon Baz is now the latest human GL of Sector 2814. Now why does the ring keep on choosing Earthlings as GL is something that’s never explained (Hal was only the third human ever to be selected to be a GL and now there are 5 human GL alive?) but I have to give Johns credit for trying to do things differently. Baz is not only a criminal but also a suspected terrorist. In fact, he was under interrogation when the ring flew in and literally blew him out. Johns also did a good job hinting at the reactions of other heroes on the arrival of the latest GL. Good issue to set things up nicely for the immediate future; can’t ask for more in a zero issue.