Teen Titans Earth One

Writer:  Jeff Lemire

Artists:  Rachel Dodson Terry Dodson

Source:  Net Galley

First Publication:  November 2014

Publisher:  DC Comics

Graphic Novel Challenge #62

From Amazon:  

A new original graphic novel in DC's popular "Earth One" series, TEEN TITANS: EARTH ONE follows in the tradition of SUPERMAN: EARTH ONE and BATMAN: EARTH ONE, both of which were #1 New York Times bestsellers. 

The Teen Titans never felt like normal kids... but they had no idea how right they were. Their seemingly idyllic Oregon upbringing hides a secret -- one that will bring killers, shamans, and extraterrestrials down on their heads, and force them into an alliance that could shake the planet to its foundations! 

The Creators:

Jeff Lemire caught my attention with his work on various DC titles.  One of the first that I remember was his stint on SUPERBOY before the start of the New52.  One of the most interesting titles he has written was the FRANKENSTEIN AGENT OF S.H.A.D.E.  Definitely worth following.

The Dodsons have worked on numerous titles for various companies.  Their smooth lines show some of the same rendering styles used by Adam Hughes.

The Story:

I had mixed feelings about this one.  On one hand I could see where this would appeal to younger fans.  The storytelling is solid but not up to the quality  I have come to expect from Lemire.  It did not have the innovative ideas of his other work.  A younger fan who is not as familiar with Lemire or the Titans would enjoy this one.  For me, I will stick with the stories written by Marv Wolfman and Geoff Johns.  Both did Titans stories more to my liking.

The high point of the story was the art.  The Dodsons consistently turn out good work but I thought this was some of their best.  

Green Arrow Volume 5: The Outsiders War

Author:  Jeff Lemire

Artist:  Andrea Sorrentino

Publisher:  DC Comics

First Publication:  October 14, 2014

Source:  Net Galley

Graphic Novel Challenge #31

Collects:  Green Arrow #s 25-31

Summary:  As Green Arrow discovers that his stranding on a desert island was more than just an accident, there seem to be more sinister forces at work behind all these sudden revelations. The Queen family is embroiled in a war generations old. A war of clans. A war of outsiders. 

Jeff Lemire and Andrea Sorrentino have put together one of my favorite Green Arrow series.  I was sorry to hear that their time on the title is coming to an end.  I will be following both creators to their new series.

Lemire's history of Green Arrow is being slowly revealed with more clues being show in each issue.  He is a master of how to craft an exciting present day story while working in flashbacks.

And what more can be said about Sorrentino's art?  He has developed into one of the best artists working today.  The innovative panels/page layouts make the atmosphere explode off of each page.  I have not been this impressed with original page composition since the heyday of "Master of Kung Fu" when either Paul Gulacy or Gene Day was the artist.  

Green Arrow, and the Queen family, continue to be put through the ringer as the tension builds with each chapter.

Highly recommended.

Trillium

Creator:  Jeff Lemire

First Publication:  2014

Graphic Novel Challenge book #20

Trillium is an interesting combination of many different types of stories. 

First off, I found the art to be reminiscent of the classic science fiction comics published by EC.  In addition to the art, the story brought back fond memories of the tales that appeared in Weird Science.  

Fans of Indiana Jones will like the jungle adventure story that takes place in the past. Science fiction fans will prefer the story in the future. It focuses on a scientist's interaction with an alien species.  At the same time he also builds the story around a romance between the two main characters.

Jeff Lemire utilizes an interesting technique to leave stories together.

I recommend this book to people who are looking for something different than the usual superhero stories to read.