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matteldritch92's review
2.0
I'm beginning to think that this year's batch of DC Comics/Hanna Barbera crossovers are going to be pretty bad considering this the second subpar issue in the latest series.
The story oddly enough takes itself pretty straight as a 70's inspired kungfu plot mixed with a story would be more at home in the 1970's Marvel comic "Heroes for Hire", starring Power Man (known better as Luke Cage) and Iron Fist with that pairing being homaged with Black Lightning and Hong Kong Phooey, respectively. Unfortunately this is pretty much where their personalities end.
There is nothing of real interest happening in this book. It takes itself way too seriously to be enjoyable and even when its serious, its a boring and joyless sense of seriousness. Why do something like this for a character that had been previously a Clouseau-esque crime fighter whose sidekick did most of the work for him? You couldn't make a good story playing with or even lampshading his previous characterization? Black Lightning suffers similarly, even though he's a big star nowadays, he just comes off as incredibly flat and uninteresting like HKP himself. Even the villains are uninteresting as them, so there is literally no one worth rooting for.
The bonus story fares better because of its brevity, but does fall short of delivering something good. In this, the ghost known as the Funky Phantom, a former soldier fighting for George Washington in the Revolutionary War. The story serves as a comedy and parody of the second amendment absolutists and their beliefs but this still falls under having no one really interesting star in it.
Pretty much the only reason I'm giving this book two whole stars is because of the artwork. Both stories have terrific artists working on them, but they deserve better books.
The story oddly enough takes itself pretty straight as a 70's inspired kungfu plot mixed with a story would be more at home in the 1970's Marvel comic "Heroes for Hire", starring Power Man (known better as Luke Cage) and Iron Fist with that pairing being homaged with Black Lightning and Hong Kong Phooey, respectively. Unfortunately this is pretty much where their personalities end.
There is nothing of real interest happening in this book. It takes itself way too seriously to be enjoyable and even when its serious, its a boring and joyless sense of seriousness. Why do something like this for a character that had been previously a Clouseau-esque crime fighter whose sidekick did most of the work for him? You couldn't make a good story playing with or even lampshading his previous characterization? Black Lightning suffers similarly, even though he's a big star nowadays, he just comes off as incredibly flat and uninteresting like HKP himself. Even the villains are uninteresting as them, so there is literally no one worth rooting for.
The bonus story fares better because of its brevity, but does fall short of delivering something good. In this, the ghost known as the Funky Phantom, a former soldier fighting for George Washington in the Revolutionary War. The story serves as a comedy and parody of the second amendment absolutists and their beliefs but this still falls under having no one really interesting star in it.
Pretty much the only reason I'm giving this book two whole stars is because of the artwork. Both stories have terrific artists working on them, but they deserve better books.
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