1001 Arabian Nights: The Adventures of Sinbad, The Eyes of Fire (Citizen's Grade: O.K.). I've always enjoyed Sinbad, the original swashbuckler...this volume was very inspired and historically accurate, with good writing from Dan Wickline and various artists. When Sinbad is accused of murder, He and his motley crew mush travel to a remote island in search of the Jericho visor, an ancient artifact that may be able to clear his name. But in order to get it, Sinbad must face the beautiful and dangerous Queen Alorana...who has her own plans for Sinbad and his crew.
No other Eastern fictional character; except Aladdin, is as well known as Sinbad. That said, Zenescope's efforts to reproduce Sinbad's adventures falls on deaf ears....society doesn't seem to care about Sinbad at this time. If they are still even publishing issues of 1001 Arabian Nights, I can't find them, although I've read on a few various websites that a movie is in the works for Sinbad, so maybe interest will peak in the future.
The Flash: The Wild Wests (Citizen's Grade: Sucked). I love Wally West as The Flash, but this is the worst story arc of his character I've ever read. After Wally and his wife take their infant twins to a secret location on a distant world to raise them in safety following the events of Rogue War and Infinite Crisis, they begin to notice their children growing at....you guessed it, SuperSpeed. Now they are back in Keystone City, protecting the city as The Flash and trying to raise his super-powered twins, Wally and Linda must face challenges they never have before. Is it right for their children to be in harms way because Wally is the Flash? The Justice League asks that very question....and Wally may not like the answer.Mark Waid's writing is sub par, the artwork is just O.K. & just sucks in some parts...the worst Flash Graphic Novel...ever!
Hawkgirl by Walter Simonson (Citizen's Grade: Sigh...). Collected in three volumes (The Maw, Hawkman Returns, & Hath-Set), Hawkgirl took over for Hawkman (during DC's One Year Later story arc) after the events of Infinite Crisis. Poor Hawkgirl and Walt Simonson, they didn't even start numbering over, just had her take over at issue #50. Simonson's writing (He's a legend, but this isn't his best work) & the artwork is O.K., but it's just disappointing after Hawkman & Johns.In The Maw, Hawkgirl is stalked by her bad dreams, personal & professional & superhero life issues, mysterious gang killings she can't solve and it all seems linked to Voudon magic and a supernatural menace that has begun stalking her. In Hawkman Returns, Kendra is reunited with Hawkman after a year apart, only to find that Carter Hall's space adventures have brought unexpected enemies to their doorstep. Blackfire sends a platoon of evil aliens to kill Hawkgirl, and the Hawks combined strength may not be enough to survive. In Hath-Set, the Immortal high priest who originally set in motion the fate of the Hawks returns with a plan to end their endless cycle of death and rebirth once and for all...Kendra must fight for her very soul, racing against time, against the evil Hath Set.
The Trials of Shazam (Citizen's Grade: O.K.). Written by Judd Winick, with artwork by Howard Porter. These two volumes follow the events of Final Crisis into the "new" age of magic. The Wizard Shazam dies fighting The Spectre, and Captain Marvel rebuilds the Rock of Eternity and becomes the new Wizard Shazam....so, of course we need a new Captain Marvel. Now it's up to Freddy Freeman to take he mantle of Shazam, unless an evil sorceress can beat him to it. The volumes follow Freeman as he races against Sabina, as they both try and acquire as much of Shazam's magical might as possible....one for good, one for evil. Winick does a good job writing and Howard Porter is a great artist, but I've just given up on the Shazam Franchise. Years of legal rights over the Captain Marvel name between DC Comics and Marvel Comics (who put out some crappy work with their Capt. Marvel every few years so that DC can't claim the name by expiration) have bummed me out on the Champion of Magic.
