DC doesn't seem to have released new packs recently; these are just more from the last round I hadn't gotten yet (each one has a featured lead comic).
Batman Eternal #1, 16 (DC)
from 2014
I consider Batman Eternal to have been Snyder and Tynion's attempt to sprint through everything they were never going to get a chance to explore during the New 52 as they explored their own arcs, revisiting classic characters and even letting some new ones (Harper Row) a chance to breathe. The first issue is early DC Jason Fabok, who would later have his true breakthrough in the pages of Justice League. #16 is another one featuring art from Dustin Nguyen and Derek Fridolfs.
Batman #7 (DC)
from 2016
This was one of the featured lead comics, reprinted as Batman: Night of the Monster Men #1. As I've said before, I love that these are true variants. I have no idea if they'll ever be worth money, but I just love that they exist. "Night of the Monster Men" was billed as the first crossover event of the Rebirth era, and it seems positively tame in hindsight. It's also funny that Tom King bowed out as writer for the tie-in issues, allowing Steve Orlando, fast emerging as a new force in the company, a chance to step in.
Green Arrow #48 (DC)
from March 2016
It's downright baffling that DC didn't make a greater priority of Green Arrow once Arrow, the TV series, began and eventually expanded into a whole franchise. This late issue from the New 52 era seems to have left Oliver Queen a...werewolf?
Infinite Crisis: Fight for the Multiverse #10 (DC)
from June 2015
Injustice: Harley Quinn (DC)
from 2016
The later was originally published as Injustice: Ground Zero. But being reprinted with Harley Quinn in the title isn't merely gratuitous, it's also acknowledging that the story is all about her, plus a review of everything that's happened in the Injustice comics. I'm not a video game guy, so the Injustice comics, and the Infinite Crisis comic listed above, are as close as I'll get to those experiences.
The New 52: Futures End #13 (DC)
from September 2014
It's really shocking that fans didn't really care about this weekly series. The assembled writers were certainly impressive enough: Azzarello (synonymous with prestige), Giffen (synonymous with DC weekly comics at this point), Jurgens (still synonymous with "Doomsday," the biggest comics event of the modern era), and Lemire (now synonymous with the modern vanguard). I still want to catch up with it. This issue features part of the Superman arc, where he's been amnesiac about being Superman. It was also the mainstreaming of Batman Beyond. Terry McGinnis seems on his way to...involuntarily bequeathing the role to Tim Drake in this issue...
Convergence: Action Comics #2 (DC)
from July 2015
I still love Convergence. Maybe it's because it came at a dark moment for me, and it was a rare beacon of life. I didn't read the Action Comics two-parter at the time, and I'm not sure what I missed. Maybe not too much.
Trinity of Sin: Pandora - Futures End (DC)
from November 2014
I've written about Pandora often enough. This version of her story reveals an alternate explanation for the character (Geoff Johns had a different one during the Justice League "Trinity War" event, and a much different fate in DC Universe Rebirth). But it was certainly interesting to see this one, even if the art didn't really do it much justice.
Showing posts with label Derek Fridolfs. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Derek Fridolfs. Show all posts
Wednesday, October 18, 2017
Tuesday, September 19, 2017
Quarter Bin 117 "More DC 3-Pack Comics"
I love these DC 3-packs. I love that I can find any comics in retail stores, even if they're grab bags, but the consistency of these 3-packs has been a continuous joy for the past few years. So here's what I got in the last two:
Batman and Robin: Futures End (DC)
from November 2014
I love reading these Futures End issues. I love that so many writers ignored, and possibly at editorial suggestion, the Futures End event itself and just had a look at whatever was most probably five years down the line in whatever was happening in the titles at the time. Ray Fawkes was riffing, here, on Damian's death, and Batman's penchant for going gunshy on his new partners because of things like that. This time he's pulling it on Duke Thomas, who in this Futures End timeline actually did become Robin, as so many fans long anticipated (Snyder has instead opted to give him his own identity: the Signal). The art is by Dustin Nguyen, with inks by frequent collaborator Derek Fridolfs. It's funny to see Nguyen presented as a traditional artist again, after getting so used to his Descender water colors look.
What's funny is that it makes his work look like Jorge Corona's.
Here's what Nguyen looks like in Descender, by the way:
The story, by the way, involves Batman's showdown with a revived Heretic, most likely a clone, the villain who killed Damian in the pages of Morrison's Batman Incorporated. I'm sure I've read it before, but it's another of the excellent Futures End specials.
Green Arrow #1 (DC)
Wal-Mart reprint from July 2017
This is a reprint of the Rebirth debut issue from the ongoing series, and does an excellent job of spotlighting Benjamin Percy's vision for the series, integrating a lot of different elements of Green Arrow's publishing history, including his social views, relationship with Black Canary, and penchant for having a sidekick, except this one...It becomes a wonderful development for the character, having Ollie take on a half-sister, whose mother turns out to be his enemy Shado. Makes me think I really should've made this series a priority read at some point. Will have to check back in...
Justice League #36 (DC)
from January 2015
This is the first chapter in the "Amazo Virus," where Geoff Johns started amping the series back up to its "monthly event book" (my designation) status as it geared toward "Darkseid War." The art of Jason Fabok was an immediate sensation, and certainly helped drive eyeballs back to the title.
Justice League United #2, 5 (DC)
from August, December 2014
I never did get around to sampling this series at the time, but I'm glad I finally have. Jeff Lemire (writer of Descender, by the way!) launched it, and these issues make it clear that United helped launch the New 52 version of Adam Strange, which was fun to read, especially for someone who's just finished rereading 52.
Batman and the Justice League: Outbreak #1 (DC)
Wal-Mart reprint from July 2017
This is what's really fascinating about these 3-packs, that the comic in front is always the newest, and often features a custom Wal-Mart cover and even, with some of them, custom titles. Batman and the Justice League is actually the Rebirth Justice League from Bryan Hitch, and this is actually #10 from the series. It's kind of funny, too, or maybe calculated, that the issue is related to the above Justice League, as it also features Amazo.
Batman and Robin: Futures End (DC)
from November 2014
I love reading these Futures End issues. I love that so many writers ignored, and possibly at editorial suggestion, the Futures End event itself and just had a look at whatever was most probably five years down the line in whatever was happening in the titles at the time. Ray Fawkes was riffing, here, on Damian's death, and Batman's penchant for going gunshy on his new partners because of things like that. This time he's pulling it on Duke Thomas, who in this Futures End timeline actually did become Robin, as so many fans long anticipated (Snyder has instead opted to give him his own identity: the Signal). The art is by Dustin Nguyen, with inks by frequent collaborator Derek Fridolfs. It's funny to see Nguyen presented as a traditional artist again, after getting so used to his Descender water colors look.
What's funny is that it makes his work look like Jorge Corona's.
Yeah, Corono drew Duke, too, as a kind of Robin, in the pages of We Are Robin. Seems appropriate, anyway.Here's what Nguyen looks like in Descender, by the way:
The story, by the way, involves Batman's showdown with a revived Heretic, most likely a clone, the villain who killed Damian in the pages of Morrison's Batman Incorporated. I'm sure I've read it before, but it's another of the excellent Futures End specials.
Green Arrow #1 (DC)
Wal-Mart reprint from July 2017
This is a reprint of the Rebirth debut issue from the ongoing series, and does an excellent job of spotlighting Benjamin Percy's vision for the series, integrating a lot of different elements of Green Arrow's publishing history, including his social views, relationship with Black Canary, and penchant for having a sidekick, except this one...It becomes a wonderful development for the character, having Ollie take on a half-sister, whose mother turns out to be his enemy Shado. Makes me think I really should've made this series a priority read at some point. Will have to check back in...
Justice League #36 (DC)
from January 2015
This is the first chapter in the "Amazo Virus," where Geoff Johns started amping the series back up to its "monthly event book" (my designation) status as it geared toward "Darkseid War." The art of Jason Fabok was an immediate sensation, and certainly helped drive eyeballs back to the title.
Justice League United #2, 5 (DC)
from August, December 2014
I never did get around to sampling this series at the time, but I'm glad I finally have. Jeff Lemire (writer of Descender, by the way!) launched it, and these issues make it clear that United helped launch the New 52 version of Adam Strange, which was fun to read, especially for someone who's just finished rereading 52.
Batman and the Justice League: Outbreak #1 (DC)
Wal-Mart reprint from July 2017
This is what's really fascinating about these 3-packs, that the comic in front is always the newest, and often features a custom Wal-Mart cover and even, with some of them, custom titles. Batman and the Justice League is actually the Rebirth Justice League from Bryan Hitch, and this is actually #10 from the series. It's kind of funny, too, or maybe calculated, that the issue is related to the above Justice League, as it also features Amazo.
Monday, February 2, 2015
Reading Comics 152 "Bull Moose Bargains V"
Got a bunch more cheaply-priced recent-ish comics from Bull Moose recently...
B.P.R.D. #114 (Dark Horse)
Part of the "Hell on Earth" arc, the series is the first expansion of the Hellboy franchise from Mike Mignola as featured in the movies.
B.P.R.D.: Vampire #4 (Dark Horse)
Both of these are from 2013. I'm not sure, but these might be my first Hellboys. The most interesting thing about them are the letters columns, which might almost be automatically the case for any comic book still featuring letters columns. Otherwise a little hard to get into, being randomly available inexpensive purchases as they are. As samples, I guess I would have to say that this is probably the reason I haven't read Hellboy until now. They're comics for other readers.
Batman: Li'l Gotham #8 (DC)
These are fun comics (even referenced in The Multiversity Guidebook, for the record!) from a couple of dudes lucky enough to have their own little sandbox where they can use whatever continuity they want, which is to say, unconstrained by the wider New 52 mandate. In some ways, this is also the Damian series that will never happen otherwise, what Batman and Robin would be like if Pete Tomasi weren't so concerned with, y'know, trying to make a permanent legacy and all. Good comics for kids without being simplistic or derivative to some cartoon series.
FBP #4 (Vertigo)
Not to be confused with the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Development (see above), the Federal Bureau of Physics is the focus of a comic I hoped, when it launched, would become a new favorite. But it didn't. This was my chance to confirm I didn't make a mistake.
MPH #3 (Image)
I resisted picking this one up for the longest time, because it's Mark Millar's version of speedsters and having cursory looks didn't seem to suggest I'd be as jazzed about it as Starlight. Boy was I wrong. Plenty of superhero comics (and other stories) try to do the modern Robin Hood thing, but Millar has done a terrific job of nailing it. This is a collection of youths who've discovered a drug giving them super speed, which they use to rob from the rich and give to the poor. These are still times where that's a prescient topic. A little like Brian Michael Bendis's Brilliant, but with greater relevance. Glad I finally got this one.
The Walking Dead #115 (Image)
I don't know, it gets to a point where the story of Walking Dead is just repetitive. Rick and pals are backed into a corner and must cleanse their situation of other survivors who are bad examples of humanity. The reason I liked the second season of the TV so much was because the conflict came from within, Rick and Shane's reckoning. To me, that's ultimately the only relevant thing Walking Dead can do, if it really won't address what caused the zombie apocalypse to begin with, as Robert Kirkman has suggested. If it's not The Stand, with a clear beginning, middle and ending, then that's the only thing worth telling otherwise. Maybe that's where Carl is headed? If that's the case, then maybe, eventually, Walking Dead will be worth all the hype. But spinning wheels is still spinning wheels.
B.P.R.D. #114 (Dark Horse)
Part of the "Hell on Earth" arc, the series is the first expansion of the Hellboy franchise from Mike Mignola as featured in the movies.
B.P.R.D.: Vampire #4 (Dark Horse)
Both of these are from 2013. I'm not sure, but these might be my first Hellboys. The most interesting thing about them are the letters columns, which might almost be automatically the case for any comic book still featuring letters columns. Otherwise a little hard to get into, being randomly available inexpensive purchases as they are. As samples, I guess I would have to say that this is probably the reason I haven't read Hellboy until now. They're comics for other readers.
Batman: Li'l Gotham #8 (DC)
These are fun comics (even referenced in The Multiversity Guidebook, for the record!) from a couple of dudes lucky enough to have their own little sandbox where they can use whatever continuity they want, which is to say, unconstrained by the wider New 52 mandate. In some ways, this is also the Damian series that will never happen otherwise, what Batman and Robin would be like if Pete Tomasi weren't so concerned with, y'know, trying to make a permanent legacy and all. Good comics for kids without being simplistic or derivative to some cartoon series.
FBP #4 (Vertigo)
Not to be confused with the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Development (see above), the Federal Bureau of Physics is the focus of a comic I hoped, when it launched, would become a new favorite. But it didn't. This was my chance to confirm I didn't make a mistake.
MPH #3 (Image)
I resisted picking this one up for the longest time, because it's Mark Millar's version of speedsters and having cursory looks didn't seem to suggest I'd be as jazzed about it as Starlight. Boy was I wrong. Plenty of superhero comics (and other stories) try to do the modern Robin Hood thing, but Millar has done a terrific job of nailing it. This is a collection of youths who've discovered a drug giving them super speed, which they use to rob from the rich and give to the poor. These are still times where that's a prescient topic. A little like Brian Michael Bendis's Brilliant, but with greater relevance. Glad I finally got this one.
The Walking Dead #115 (Image)
I don't know, it gets to a point where the story of Walking Dead is just repetitive. Rick and pals are backed into a corner and must cleanse their situation of other survivors who are bad examples of humanity. The reason I liked the second season of the TV so much was because the conflict came from within, Rick and Shane's reckoning. To me, that's ultimately the only relevant thing Walking Dead can do, if it really won't address what caused the zombie apocalypse to begin with, as Robert Kirkman has suggested. If it's not The Stand, with a clear beginning, middle and ending, then that's the only thing worth telling otherwise. Maybe that's where Carl is headed? If that's the case, then maybe, eventually, Walking Dead will be worth all the hype. But spinning wheels is still spinning wheels.
Tuesday, November 4, 2014
Quarter Bin #57 "Binge-worthy II: Batman"
Detective Comics #225 (DC)
From 1955.
The cover story is a wacky Silver Age adventure concerning members of the public getting to be Batman for a day, which is one of those stories that made perfect sense at the time but would now require quite a bit more contextual justification. The more relevant story from the issue is the debut of Martian Manhunter! Although it might be funny to realize that he was probably intended to spend less time in his familiar green form and more in his human alter ego as, well detective John Jones. Just imagine if he'd remained that way...! The Silver Age Classics reprints were some of the first comics I ever owned, notably Showcase #22, the debut of Green Lantern Hal Jordan.
Harlan Ellison wrote this one (you, ah, might have been able to tell from the cover). For some people, he's best known for the classic Star Trek episode "The City on the Edge of Forever." In his Batman story, Batman keeps finding out he's not actually needed in any of the emergencies he comes across. It would have made for a wacky Silver Age adventure, no doubt.
Devin K. Grayson, who sadly all but disappeared from comics nearly a decade ago, was at one time a leading writer of the Batman line, to the point where a whole series, Gotham Knights, was launched to give her a spotlight. This issue features the Key, who had last appeared in the pages of Grant Morrison's JLA. Here the depth of his psychoses are explored, a true villain who would be formidable indeed if only he could get out of his own way. The art comes from Dale Eaglesham, whom I know better from the pages of Geoff Johns' Justice Society of America. The idea behind Gotham Knights was to explore Batman in the context of his allies, and as such besides Robin there's Azrael in the story, although unfortunately the Azrael with his most terrible costume design. I have no idea what they were thinking, the more desperate DC was to keep him relevant, they actually made it easier to dismiss him. There's also a Batman: Black & White adventure from Paul Levitz featuring Commissioner Gordon.
Here's Grayson again handling Dick Grayson, the character who became her true legacy, although much of what she did within the pages of Nightwing ended up being unpopular even though it followed directly in the footsteps of what Chuck Dixon had been doing before her, and both did some of the best work with the character I've read. The story involves someone trying to convince Dick that he's got a whole secret history, but as it turns out it's just a lot of manipulation (reminding me of the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episode "Second Skin"). The idea of Dick having an aspect of his past he hadn't known about was later explored again during the recent "Night of the Owls" event. The art is from Roger Robinson, whom I usually find to be a far more pleasant presence than his general lack of reputation suggests, but he seems to have been working in a different style for the issue. The Batman: Black & White feature this time is from Mike Carlin (better known as an editor), although it's done more or less in the Bruce Timm style as featured in Batman: The Animated Series.
From 1955.
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| via My Comic Shop |
Detective Comics #567 (DC)
From 1986.
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| via comiXology |
Batman: Gotham Knights #5 (DC)
From 2000.
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| via DC Wikia |
Batman: Gotham Knights #21 (DC)
From 2001.
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| via DC Wikia |
Batman #625 (DC)
From 2004.
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| via DC Wikia |
The conclusion to the "Broken City" arc from 100 Bullets team Brian Azzarello and Eduardo Risso reads like a preview of the Scott Snyder era, with a confrontation between Batman and the Joker that makes it clear just how obsessed with Batman the Joker really is. There's also a tribute to Julius Schwartz, legendary editor, who had just died.
Streets of Gotham was Paul Dini's series, a highly underrated one that was better than the work he'd been doing in Detective Comics previously. Dini is best known for his collaboration with Bruce Timm in Batman: The Animated Series. Art for the issue is provided by Dustin Nguyen and Derek Fridolfs, who would keep the spirit of this initial collaboration alive within the delightful Li'l Gotham. The villain is Mr. Zsasz, the psycho best known for cutting himself for every murder he commits. This is also during Dini's Tommy Elliot arc, the underrated sequel material to "Hush," as he poses as Bruce Wayne. Marc Andreyko's Manhunter is featured in the back-up.
Batman: Streets of Gotham #4 (DC)
From 2009.
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| via DC Wikia |
Thursday, October 2, 2014
Reading Comics #135 "Batman and Family"
I've been meaning to say this, but I love Batman and Robin. What's that? I've said it before? Can't hurt to say it again.
I love Batman and Robin!
In #34, "Robin Rises" Part 2, Pete Tomasi and Patrick Gleason sort of swiftly undo whatever it is "Death of the Family" was supposed to accomplish, with Batman closing circle with Batgirl, Red Robin, and Red Hood and then later with Dick Grayson, who mentions this:
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| via DC Comics. That guy in the middle, by the way, is Batman |
"You know how much Damian meant to me, Bruce..."It's a subtle reminder that in the pages of a different Batman and Robin, Dick wore the cowl to Damian's Boy Wonder, an era that is more important to both characters than subsequent stories tended to acknowledge. It's the sort of deft storytelling this series has constantly featured.
And then stuff like this, too, a quote from Shazam this time:
"See, Wonder Woman, I told ya I'd beat you here."Tomasi has become near-impeachable in his grasp of the DC landscape, transforming the series into a phantasmagoria where the constant remains the Dark Knight, but everything around him can shift (hence the period where even the title wasn't constant) but always steeped deeply in old and current lore (which itself seems impossible for most other writers). This is not a nostalgia ride. This isn't just a series that provides commentary for things that happen elsewhere. It's become a touchstone.
And, of course, with "Robin Rises," where things are most definitely happening. I keep saying that Batman and Robin is arguably the essential Batman series of the moment, even as it becomes increasingly timeless, a synthesis of everything it is and should be.
In the Futures End one-shot, we receive an unexpected glimpse at a new Robin, a character introduced in Scott Snyder's "Zero Year" arc (everyone always assumed that it would be Harper Row, who instead has transformed, in the pages of Batman Eternal, into Bluebird), Duke Thomas, who like all Robins starts out as a boy impressed with Batman but who apparently was given a considerable gestation. If Futures End at all leads to actual continuity, I hope Duke makes it. Tons of story potential in an instant, unlike every other Robin with a built-in extended training period like Bruce Wayne himself.
The writer for the issue isn't Tomasi but rather Ray Fawkes. I've previously wondered if Fawkes was ever going to impress me, so it was great to see that he did, and under the banner of Batman and Robin, which has come to represent true excellence for me, whether the writer is Tomasi or originator Grant Morrison. Fawkes handles the storytelling deftly and seamlessly. It certainly doesn't hurt that he has artists Dustin Nguyen and Derek Fridolfs (who've partnered before on material like Streets of Gotham and Li'l Gotham and have been begging to be given a shot at some major league material). On the whole this trio accomplishes the impossible, matching Tomasi and Gleason as a perfect creative team for this series.
The story itself is also interesting, since it's Batman in hot pursuit of Heretic, the brute Morrison introduced as a henchman in "Batman R.I.P." but who gained far greater significance when he was revealed to be an altered clone of Damian in Batman Incorporated. His appearance here hopefully certifies him as a standout villain in his own right, a sort of less sophisticated Bane (anyone who's actually tried that with Bane himself has only managed to neuter the character).
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| via IGN |
The writer for the issue isn't Tomasi but rather Ray Fawkes. I've previously wondered if Fawkes was ever going to impress me, so it was great to see that he did, and under the banner of Batman and Robin, which has come to represent true excellence for me, whether the writer is Tomasi or originator Grant Morrison. Fawkes handles the storytelling deftly and seamlessly. It certainly doesn't hurt that he has artists Dustin Nguyen and Derek Fridolfs (who've partnered before on material like Streets of Gotham and Li'l Gotham and have been begging to be given a shot at some major league material). On the whole this trio accomplishes the impossible, matching Tomasi and Gleason as a perfect creative team for this series.
The story itself is also interesting, since it's Batman in hot pursuit of Heretic, the brute Morrison introduced as a henchman in "Batman R.I.P." but who gained far greater significance when he was revealed to be an altered clone of Damian in Batman Incorporated. His appearance here hopefully certifies him as a standout villain in his own right, a sort of less sophisticated Bane (anyone who's actually tried that with Bane himself has only managed to neuter the character).
Saturday, May 18, 2013
Reading Comics #114 "Rounding Toward Third"
Batman Incorporated #9 & 10 (DC)
The issues that follow the death of Damian Wayne are pretty interesting and speak to the significant impact of the event as well as how it fits into the rest of what Grant Morrison has been doing in his final Batman arc. #9 cuts between the immediate aftermath of Damian's death as Batman and Nightwing attempt to handle the other Damian (a clone matured to adulthood by proud mama Talia, who was nonetheless displeased that one killed the other) and the funeral, where Bruce lets Alfred know that he too is displeased in the butler's tacit approval of his late son's last caper. That's probably the best moment of the issue. The former Squire also decides to replace the late Knight (the two were the most prominent members of Batman Inc., featured in an excellent and very British mini-series by Paul Cornell). The city of Gotham, meanwhile, gives in to Leviathan a.k.a. Talia's demands and officially outlaws Batman, the agent provocateur. #10 sees Morrison circle back to his earliest issues in this run, where Manbats were flying about. It's also a direct evocation of Batman's origins, as Bruce decides that the only way to defeat Talia is to literally become a bat, thanks to the Manbat serum. It's a powerful, meaning-filled development. There are three issues left, plus a jam issue a month later featuring the international heroes technically represented in the title of this series.
Batman: Li'l Gotham #1 (DC)
I've been following the blog of Derek Fridolfs for a while now, and by extension his Facebook posts, and it's always been a little weird because Fridolfs is mostly a digital-first creator, his stories originally appearing on the DC website and then being printed later. He's best known for his comics based on the Arkham City games (and as such that was the basis of the excellent Endgame Joker story I read last year) and Batman Beyond landscape, though recently he's been collaborating with the great Dustin Nguyen on Li'l Gotham. This issue is a collection of the holiday specials that served as the introduction of these incredibly fun tales. Fridolfs is clearly a fan of continuity, and he's always finding new ways to explore it, mindful that for some readers, especially in these fringe adventures, it could very well be their first exposures. Since he doesn't write New 52 material, Fridolfs can do whatever he wants. Li'l Gotham is technically considered a young readers title, but it can easily be enjoyed by anyone strictly as a humor series.
Before Watchmen: Comedian #6 (DC)
The conclusion of this mini-series and the whole Before Watchmen event, I've been waiting months for this. Comedian became the only part of the event I tracked for every issue of original publication thanks to Brian Azzarello's masterful character study of Edward Blake and his relation both to the Vietnam War and the John/Robert Kennedy saga. Azzarello made a few changes to Blake's classic arc; for instance the infamous face scarring that forced him to wear a mask doesn't occur in this comic. The lead character in this series remains more of a hero than antihero, though certainly stained by the events of his times. Edward and Bobby end the issue trying to make the best of a bad situation and not really succeeding. Bobby, of course, is assassinated. Edward's demons are more psychological, but they're impactful. I read someone's assessment of the Before Watchmen project, and they labeled Comedian as one of the disappointments. I still contend it was the best of the whole thing, and I think history will side with me, just as anyone who read Watchmen itself ended up thinking a lot differently about Edward at the end of it than they did at the beginning (or...every other point). That's the magic of the character.
Django Unchained #3 (Vertigo)
Now that I've actually seen the movie, it's a different experience reading the comic book adaptation of Quentin Tarantino's complete script. With the first two issues, I was discovering the story outside of the movie's direct influence. Now it's harder to separate the two, although the adaptation is still making the story its own, retaining all the distinct advantages of the comic book format, and new artist Denys Cowan continues to keep the art equally distinctive, evocative and yet unique. The series is halfway through, and on the final page introduces Calvin Candie, the character portrayed by Leonardo DiCaprio in the film.
Justice League #18 (DC)
This will probably be my final issue of the series. While Geoff Johns continues work on Justice League (and its spin-off I'll be talking about next) and is gearing up for "Trinity War," the event that he's been working toward since the start of the New 52 and introduction of the mysterious Pandora (very soon to be featured in her own series), I'm not really in the financial means to continuing reading new comics on a regular basis. I've been in the position to have a much smoother conclusion than in 1999 (known as cold turkey) or my abortive efforts in 2011 (when Flashpoint and the start of the New 52 sabotaged a similar design). Grant Morrison concludes his Superman and Batman stories this year, and Johns is stepping down from Green Lantern. I couldn't ask for a better exit. Justice League has been consistently excellent, and this of all issues is a fine place to stop (and just as well to begin for readers in a different situation than me). It's the customary recruitment issue. Morrison did something similar in his JLA run, and it's been a staple for subsequent writers like Brad Meltzer. Lots of new faces are here. The issue also features the tenth installment of the Shazam! backup feature from Johns and Gary Frank, where the erstwhile Captain Marvel and always-kid Billy Batson finds it increasingly difficult to avoid the inevitable confrontation with Black Adam.
Justice League of America #2 (DC)
Another comics blog I follow, Crisis on Earth Prime, found this Hawkman/Vibe moment pretty memorable: Vibe says "Are you okay?," to which Hawkman responds "Why?" Vibe next says "You're covered in blood," and Hawkman says "It's not my blood." Vibe spends the next two panels putting some distance between them, and there are no words. They're not necessary. Johns wrote Hawkman both in the pages of JSA and his own title for years, but this may be the best scene he's ever done with the character. There's also a pretty interesting Catwoman moment where she realizes how similar she is to Steve Trevor in the department of being spurned by giants. This is the strength of the series, that Johns is able to write characters who aren't necessarily icons. He actually writes both his League books in much the same way, but this one just feels more intimate. These characters all have something to prove and they know it. There's a backup feature in this series, too, featuring Martian Manhunter, who gets my vote as the best character too many people don't really care about. He would make for an excellent movie.
The Mice Templar, Volume IV: Legend #1 (Image)
The series featuring fuzzy rodents that everyone who cares knows about is Mouse Guard, but Mice Templar has always had my vote for the better of them. It's an iconic new take on the traditional hero's journey, always taking original twists and turns. After a considerable absence, I'm glad to see it return. I started reading these adventures in 2007.
Nova #2 (Marvel)
I loved the first issue of this new Jeph Loeb series, an integral element of Marvel's renewed Guardians of the Galaxy push (seeing that there's going to be a movie and all). I didn't just love it, I adored it, one of the best single issues I've ever read. You may have guessed at this point that I wasn't so wild about the second issue. That's okay.
Saucer Country #13 (Vertigo)
The penultimate issue of this series (although Paul Cornell contends that he will attempt to revive it elsewhere) busts one of the key bits of mythology. The previous issue had a distraught Professor Kidd apparently about to commit suicide, which turned out to be a ruse in order to get the "Pioneer space probe couple" stand revealed as a hoax. The whole series has been about perception and reality in the world of alien abduction, following the presidential campaign of Arcadia Alvarado, who has been trying to come to grips with her own apparent abduction, which has only been complicated by the fact that she shared it with her estranged husband Michael. It's been a fascinating ride.
Star Trek: The Next Generation - Hive #4 (IDW)
The conclusion of this Borg epic that represents Brannon Braga's ultimate vision for the Collective and the roles Jean-Luc Picard and Seven of Nine (featured in Voyager) play in it. In a lot of ways, it's a rephrasing of Voyager's final episode "Endgame." There's also a little of a Star Trek Nemesis hangover involved as Future Data reveals how he returned (and not because as fans thought simply reborn as B4), which serves as an excellent ending after an emotional farewell to another character. Pretty good stuff, although it would certainly be interesting to watch as filmed material.
Star Trek #19 (IDW)
This series is based in the rebooted continuity of the 2009 J.J. Abrams film and was originally set up to adapt classic episodes from the original series with the new interpretations of the familiar characters. I don't know how many issues have deviated from this mission, but this one in particular certainly does and it's well worth enjoying for it. Simply put, this is the secret origin of Scotty, from his family heritage to the incident with Admiral Archer's beagle (evoking similar characters from Enterprise but not the exact ones, because that was a hundred years in the past). Good stuff.
(Justice League of America's) Vibe #1 (DC)
I had to go back and catch this one after initially skipping it. Both spin-offs of the new series look like they're well worth checking out, this one and Katana. What's intriguing about Vibe is that it follows a character who in his previous incarnation was all but a punchline, more famous as a casualty of a forgettable League lineup than anything he did or represented personally. As with Earth 2, this is another series that builds on the initial Darkseid arc of Justice League, and brilliantly at that. Departing Earth 2 writer James Robinson is still most famous for Starman, a series he cleverly hinged around legacy, but in a twist that no one would have seen coming when Jack Knight quickly replaced his more traditional brother David as successor to their father Ted. Geoff Johns does something very similar here with the new Vibe, who is also notable for having the ability to see beyond the regular limits of this particular reality. It's Geoff revising his own Booster Gold revision, the also-ran who became a multiverse champion following the breakthrough 52 experiment. I don't know how long this series will last, but to my mind Vibe has everything to gain from all of this. He's just become one of the most fascinating characters in DC.
The issues that follow the death of Damian Wayne are pretty interesting and speak to the significant impact of the event as well as how it fits into the rest of what Grant Morrison has been doing in his final Batman arc. #9 cuts between the immediate aftermath of Damian's death as Batman and Nightwing attempt to handle the other Damian (a clone matured to adulthood by proud mama Talia, who was nonetheless displeased that one killed the other) and the funeral, where Bruce lets Alfred know that he too is displeased in the butler's tacit approval of his late son's last caper. That's probably the best moment of the issue. The former Squire also decides to replace the late Knight (the two were the most prominent members of Batman Inc., featured in an excellent and very British mini-series by Paul Cornell). The city of Gotham, meanwhile, gives in to Leviathan a.k.a. Talia's demands and officially outlaws Batman, the agent provocateur. #10 sees Morrison circle back to his earliest issues in this run, where Manbats were flying about. It's also a direct evocation of Batman's origins, as Bruce decides that the only way to defeat Talia is to literally become a bat, thanks to the Manbat serum. It's a powerful, meaning-filled development. There are three issues left, plus a jam issue a month later featuring the international heroes technically represented in the title of this series.
Batman: Li'l Gotham #1 (DC)
I've been following the blog of Derek Fridolfs for a while now, and by extension his Facebook posts, and it's always been a little weird because Fridolfs is mostly a digital-first creator, his stories originally appearing on the DC website and then being printed later. He's best known for his comics based on the Arkham City games (and as such that was the basis of the excellent Endgame Joker story I read last year) and Batman Beyond landscape, though recently he's been collaborating with the great Dustin Nguyen on Li'l Gotham. This issue is a collection of the holiday specials that served as the introduction of these incredibly fun tales. Fridolfs is clearly a fan of continuity, and he's always finding new ways to explore it, mindful that for some readers, especially in these fringe adventures, it could very well be their first exposures. Since he doesn't write New 52 material, Fridolfs can do whatever he wants. Li'l Gotham is technically considered a young readers title, but it can easily be enjoyed by anyone strictly as a humor series.
Before Watchmen: Comedian #6 (DC)
The conclusion of this mini-series and the whole Before Watchmen event, I've been waiting months for this. Comedian became the only part of the event I tracked for every issue of original publication thanks to Brian Azzarello's masterful character study of Edward Blake and his relation both to the Vietnam War and the John/Robert Kennedy saga. Azzarello made a few changes to Blake's classic arc; for instance the infamous face scarring that forced him to wear a mask doesn't occur in this comic. The lead character in this series remains more of a hero than antihero, though certainly stained by the events of his times. Edward and Bobby end the issue trying to make the best of a bad situation and not really succeeding. Bobby, of course, is assassinated. Edward's demons are more psychological, but they're impactful. I read someone's assessment of the Before Watchmen project, and they labeled Comedian as one of the disappointments. I still contend it was the best of the whole thing, and I think history will side with me, just as anyone who read Watchmen itself ended up thinking a lot differently about Edward at the end of it than they did at the beginning (or...every other point). That's the magic of the character.
Django Unchained #3 (Vertigo)
Now that I've actually seen the movie, it's a different experience reading the comic book adaptation of Quentin Tarantino's complete script. With the first two issues, I was discovering the story outside of the movie's direct influence. Now it's harder to separate the two, although the adaptation is still making the story its own, retaining all the distinct advantages of the comic book format, and new artist Denys Cowan continues to keep the art equally distinctive, evocative and yet unique. The series is halfway through, and on the final page introduces Calvin Candie, the character portrayed by Leonardo DiCaprio in the film.
Justice League #18 (DC)
This will probably be my final issue of the series. While Geoff Johns continues work on Justice League (and its spin-off I'll be talking about next) and is gearing up for "Trinity War," the event that he's been working toward since the start of the New 52 and introduction of the mysterious Pandora (very soon to be featured in her own series), I'm not really in the financial means to continuing reading new comics on a regular basis. I've been in the position to have a much smoother conclusion than in 1999 (known as cold turkey) or my abortive efforts in 2011 (when Flashpoint and the start of the New 52 sabotaged a similar design). Grant Morrison concludes his Superman and Batman stories this year, and Johns is stepping down from Green Lantern. I couldn't ask for a better exit. Justice League has been consistently excellent, and this of all issues is a fine place to stop (and just as well to begin for readers in a different situation than me). It's the customary recruitment issue. Morrison did something similar in his JLA run, and it's been a staple for subsequent writers like Brad Meltzer. Lots of new faces are here. The issue also features the tenth installment of the Shazam! backup feature from Johns and Gary Frank, where the erstwhile Captain Marvel and always-kid Billy Batson finds it increasingly difficult to avoid the inevitable confrontation with Black Adam.
Justice League of America #2 (DC)
Another comics blog I follow, Crisis on Earth Prime, found this Hawkman/Vibe moment pretty memorable: Vibe says "Are you okay?," to which Hawkman responds "Why?" Vibe next says "You're covered in blood," and Hawkman says "It's not my blood." Vibe spends the next two panels putting some distance between them, and there are no words. They're not necessary. Johns wrote Hawkman both in the pages of JSA and his own title for years, but this may be the best scene he's ever done with the character. There's also a pretty interesting Catwoman moment where she realizes how similar she is to Steve Trevor in the department of being spurned by giants. This is the strength of the series, that Johns is able to write characters who aren't necessarily icons. He actually writes both his League books in much the same way, but this one just feels more intimate. These characters all have something to prove and they know it. There's a backup feature in this series, too, featuring Martian Manhunter, who gets my vote as the best character too many people don't really care about. He would make for an excellent movie.
The Mice Templar, Volume IV: Legend #1 (Image)
The series featuring fuzzy rodents that everyone who cares knows about is Mouse Guard, but Mice Templar has always had my vote for the better of them. It's an iconic new take on the traditional hero's journey, always taking original twists and turns. After a considerable absence, I'm glad to see it return. I started reading these adventures in 2007.
Nova #2 (Marvel)
I loved the first issue of this new Jeph Loeb series, an integral element of Marvel's renewed Guardians of the Galaxy push (seeing that there's going to be a movie and all). I didn't just love it, I adored it, one of the best single issues I've ever read. You may have guessed at this point that I wasn't so wild about the second issue. That's okay.
Saucer Country #13 (Vertigo)
The penultimate issue of this series (although Paul Cornell contends that he will attempt to revive it elsewhere) busts one of the key bits of mythology. The previous issue had a distraught Professor Kidd apparently about to commit suicide, which turned out to be a ruse in order to get the "Pioneer space probe couple" stand revealed as a hoax. The whole series has been about perception and reality in the world of alien abduction, following the presidential campaign of Arcadia Alvarado, who has been trying to come to grips with her own apparent abduction, which has only been complicated by the fact that she shared it with her estranged husband Michael. It's been a fascinating ride.
Star Trek: The Next Generation - Hive #4 (IDW)
The conclusion of this Borg epic that represents Brannon Braga's ultimate vision for the Collective and the roles Jean-Luc Picard and Seven of Nine (featured in Voyager) play in it. In a lot of ways, it's a rephrasing of Voyager's final episode "Endgame." There's also a little of a Star Trek Nemesis hangover involved as Future Data reveals how he returned (and not because as fans thought simply reborn as B4), which serves as an excellent ending after an emotional farewell to another character. Pretty good stuff, although it would certainly be interesting to watch as filmed material.
Star Trek #19 (IDW)
This series is based in the rebooted continuity of the 2009 J.J. Abrams film and was originally set up to adapt classic episodes from the original series with the new interpretations of the familiar characters. I don't know how many issues have deviated from this mission, but this one in particular certainly does and it's well worth enjoying for it. Simply put, this is the secret origin of Scotty, from his family heritage to the incident with Admiral Archer's beagle (evoking similar characters from Enterprise but not the exact ones, because that was a hundred years in the past). Good stuff.
(Justice League of America's) Vibe #1 (DC)
I had to go back and catch this one after initially skipping it. Both spin-offs of the new series look like they're well worth checking out, this one and Katana. What's intriguing about Vibe is that it follows a character who in his previous incarnation was all but a punchline, more famous as a casualty of a forgettable League lineup than anything he did or represented personally. As with Earth 2, this is another series that builds on the initial Darkseid arc of Justice League, and brilliantly at that. Departing Earth 2 writer James Robinson is still most famous for Starman, a series he cleverly hinged around legacy, but in a twist that no one would have seen coming when Jack Knight quickly replaced his more traditional brother David as successor to their father Ted. Geoff Johns does something very similar here with the new Vibe, who is also notable for having the ability to see beyond the regular limits of this particular reality. It's Geoff revising his own Booster Gold revision, the also-ran who became a multiverse champion following the breakthrough 52 experiment. I don't know how long this series will last, but to my mind Vibe has everything to gain from all of this. He's just become one of the most fascinating characters in DC.
Wednesday, January 2, 2013
Batman: Arkham City - End Game #1 (DC)
writer: Derek Fridolfs
artist: Jason Shawn Alexander
It's hard to find a Joker story you really like. Especially after The Dark Knight, in which Heath Ledger brilliantly reimagined the character. In the comics, killing Robin and maiming Batgirl made Joker pretty infamous in the 1980s...and kind of hard to write after that. I mean, what does he does for an encore?
I read a version of an origin story, "Lovers and Madmen" from the pages of the short-lived Batman Confidential, that I really liked, and Grant Morrison used Joker sporadically, but aside from Arkham Asylum seemed reluctant to explore the character much further, other than as Batman's opposite number. Scott Snyder has brought him back in a big way for "Death of the Family," but for me, the recent Joker story that stands out is purely out of continuity, and is featured in a comic book based on a video game.
Now, for some people, "comic book based on a video game" can be a good thing, because they love said video game. For others, it means that the story will be instantly irrelevant. Yet out-of-continuity is not always a bad thing. DC made some really good stories of that nature with its Elseworlds line. You can almost think of this comic as an Elseworlds story. It features the death of the Joker.
And yet, because it's Joker, that's not the end of the story. Derek Fridolfs has been using his comics based on video games to write the stories he wants to write rather than stories based on video games. Here he's found his masterstroke, the ultimate out of continuity story. The Joker is set free by his death, and is thus free to push Batman to his limits. End Game is an extra-sized story, culled from material previously presented online, and as such is the very same kind of statement event as "Death of the Family."
Does Batman survive? That's not even a guarantee, and in fact the story teases that more than one monumental career ends. Jason Shawn Alexander's moody art helps set the tone. This could have been a movie, if Heath Ledger hadn't died, perhaps even The Dark Knight Rises in a totally different interpretation. (I still contend that Paul Giamatti, perhaps only as a voice, could have continued Ledger's Joker.)
Anyway, it's brilliant, it really is, a must-read Batman story regardless of how much you know about the video game that helped make it possible.
artist: Jason Shawn Alexander
(via dccomics.com)
It's hard to find a Joker story you really like. Especially after The Dark Knight, in which Heath Ledger brilliantly reimagined the character. In the comics, killing Robin and maiming Batgirl made Joker pretty infamous in the 1980s...and kind of hard to write after that. I mean, what does he does for an encore?
I read a version of an origin story, "Lovers and Madmen" from the pages of the short-lived Batman Confidential, that I really liked, and Grant Morrison used Joker sporadically, but aside from Arkham Asylum seemed reluctant to explore the character much further, other than as Batman's opposite number. Scott Snyder has brought him back in a big way for "Death of the Family," but for me, the recent Joker story that stands out is purely out of continuity, and is featured in a comic book based on a video game.
Now, for some people, "comic book based on a video game" can be a good thing, because they love said video game. For others, it means that the story will be instantly irrelevant. Yet out-of-continuity is not always a bad thing. DC made some really good stories of that nature with its Elseworlds line. You can almost think of this comic as an Elseworlds story. It features the death of the Joker.
And yet, because it's Joker, that's not the end of the story. Derek Fridolfs has been using his comics based on video games to write the stories he wants to write rather than stories based on video games. Here he's found his masterstroke, the ultimate out of continuity story. The Joker is set free by his death, and is thus free to push Batman to his limits. End Game is an extra-sized story, culled from material previously presented online, and as such is the very same kind of statement event as "Death of the Family."
Does Batman survive? That's not even a guarantee, and in fact the story teases that more than one monumental career ends. Jason Shawn Alexander's moody art helps set the tone. This could have been a movie, if Heath Ledger hadn't died, perhaps even The Dark Knight Rises in a totally different interpretation. (I still contend that Paul Giamatti, perhaps only as a voice, could have continued Ledger's Joker.)
Anyway, it's brilliant, it really is, a must-read Batman story regardless of how much you know about the video game that helped make it possible.
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