“Action Comics #870”

The conclusion to the five-part “Braniac” arc begins as Superman finds himself at the mercy of Braniac.

Although they have met many times before, writer Geoff Johns keeps the meeting fresh by expanding Braniac’s backstory to include an encounter with Superman’s enemies from Krypton, Zod and Ursa, which left Braniac searching for surviving Kryptonians.

While the idea that every version of Braniac previously met by Superman (dating back 50 years) has instead been a probe sent by the real Braniac may bother some continuity fans, it does help lend importance to a story which might otherwise seem to be a retread of older adventures. Johns writes Superman with a humanizing touch, emphasizing his ties to Earth more than those to his home planet of Krypton. Artist Gary Frank’s rendition of Superman (which bares a striking resemblance to Christopher Reeves) adds to this relatability, making Braniac, here used to question Superman’s emotional connection to Earth, an ideal villain.

“Green Lantern #35”

The final issue of Geoff Johns’ retelling of Green Lantern’s “Secret Origin” promises more details of Hal Jordan’s history while setting the stage for a restructuring of the entire Green Lantern mythos.

When Johns took over the series in 2004 with “Green Lantern: Rebirth,” he thrilled readers by bringing back popular silver-age Lantern, Jordan, while simultaneously redefining the history of the book. Hal Jordan was no longer a traitor to the Green Lanterns and a murderer, but instead had been tricked by the villain Parallax, an embodiment of fear which was used to explain why Green Lanterns had been, but were no longer, mysteriously powerless against the color yellow.

“Secret Origins,” while providing an excellent jumping-on point for the series, also promises another large-scale revamp of the rules which govern the Green Lantern universe by adding groups representing other colors and ideals. Some of these groups, like the Blue and Indigo Lanterns, stand for positive values such as hope or compassion, but others, such as the Red and Orange Lanterns, stand for hate and greed. Although Johns still has some explaining to do, these additions promise to add depth and provide further conflict to his already character-defining run on the book.

“Crossed #1”

Garth Ennis has become known for the controversial subject matter of his writing, and with good reason. With popular series such as “Preacher” and “The Boys,” featuring brutal serial killers, irreverent criticisms of religion and a nearly uncountable number of people having their heads kicked off, this is certainly a reputation Ennis has earned.

It is no small wonder, then, that Avatar has chosen to market Ennis’ newest series, “Crossed,” as “the most twisted book of his career.”

This marketing is sure to attract many of Ennis’ loyal readers, but overlooks the well-designed stories, relatable characters and inspired dialogue which made “Preacher” a must-read series. While one can only hope that Ennis has not similarly overlooked these highlights of his stories in order to focus more on shock-based writing, the first issue should still be worth a purchase.

Even if Ennis doesn’t deliver a story or characters rivaling “Preacher,” expect a unique and debaucherous story to balance out some of the more generic superhero works in your comic stack.

— Tim Bennett is a professional writing senior.