Batman and Robin #8 review
Grant Morrison continues to weave together a unique era in the Batman mythos. For timeless characters like Batman, it’s tough to come up with something original. Like it or hate it, Morrison is delivering something new.
Dick Grayson, Batwoman, the Knight and the Squire gather at a Lazurus Pit under the streets of London, and await the resurrection of Bruce Wayne. In a smart twist, Morrison reveals that the corpse Superman carried at the end of Final Crisis was a clone of Batman created by Darkseid. Not being a fan of Final Crisis, I was sad to see elements of that debacle reach into the pages of this issue. However, it was tolerable if not enjoyable. Morrison writes Dick Grayson extremely well. He’s emerging as a confident hero who is building poise under the cowl. Damian gets a new spine (literally) and is temporally confined to a wheelchair. This issue ends with a shocker and a cliffhanger that makes he hope for the next issue to arrive soon.
While I prefer Frank Quitely’s unparalleled art, Cameron Stewart is doing a great job. This issue is a fast-paced romp and Stewart has a commanding grasp of these pages. The Batman vs. Batman fight is sharp and flows beautifully. Stewart captures soft details in a clean and refined style. Considering that he had to fill Quitely’s shoes, Cameron Stewart is holding his own.
I respect what Grant Morrison is creating, but I’m not a huge fan Final Crisis. I like Batman because he’s an earthy hero, with no jacked up origin story of cosmic powers or aliens. Batman tossed in with mulit-verses, resurrections, time travel and all that bull crap is not my cup of tea. Morrison gets too weird for me, but he is writing a good story. Let Batman protect Gotham and Green Lantern tackle the sci-fi junk.
3.5 out of 5
Resurrection #7 review
After reading the trade paperback Resurrection Vol. 1 and feverishly devouring up to issue 7 of the monthly comics, I am officially hooked on this series. Resurrection brings new life to the overexposed alien invasion genre. Sub-tagged with “The End is Only the Beginning,” this original plot follows humanity’s survivors after an alien invasion and occupation. Why did the aliens, referred to as “The Bugs,” leave after they conquered earth? What was their purpose? What’s left of our societies? Will they come back? When will comics ship (just kidding)?
A band of survivors have formed an uneasy alliance. Leaving the safety of Red Lion, PA, they begin their journey to Washington, D.C. Among their precious cargo is Bill Clinton, the current US President. As the group’s factions clandestinely debate their next move, they are quickly brought back together when a threat emerges. This issue opens up a new direction and another dilemma for our survivors. I loved it because I never saw this one coming. That’s good comic book writing!
Marc Guggenheim’s brilliant storyline and intelligent characters are keys to the series success. Similar to Kirkman’s The Walking Dead, Guggenheim’s narrative uncovers the human struggle in the wake of the unthinkable. The horror of the alien occupation is over, but life is still terrifying. When I can pick up a comic and remember the main characters from month to month, the author has written a fine book. The series progression never lulls and keeps getting cleverer. The characters have distinct voices and act like real people. Each book has a second feature, which isn’t a cheap through away. These pages maintain the series quality and truly further the storyline.
For comics, the best stories needs a talented artist to bring it to life. Artist Justin Greenwood gives Resurrection a boldly distinctive style I haven’t seen anywhere else on the racks. I love detail, but Greenwood’s approach relies on boldness. Thick, dark lines create a brooding atmosphere. With very little detail, each panel sharply conveys its point. This allows the reader to follow the action, helping the story to progress quickly. It takes a talented artist to trust that less is truly more. With simple lines, Guggenheim shows his talent by drawing a perfect fit to a powerful plot.
Resurrection is a well-rounded, never dull, refreshingly new, uniquely drawn comic. With Resurrection, Guggenheim and Greenwood prove they are mighty tag team in the industry. Comics should be fun and entertaining to read and this one is both. If this smartly plotted comic isn’t on your pull list, then you dumb.
4 out of 5
Days Missing #1 review
I was compelled to buy Achaia’s premiere issue of Days Missing for several reasons. First, it costs less than a dollar; bargains are always a plus. Its tagged with “Roddenberry Presents” so I thought it would be an interesting sci-fi story. The cover and back were sharp and the concept seemed original. Was it worth a buck? Buck, no!
Comic industry veterans Phil Hester and Frazer Irving should be ashamed. Hester’s script just falls flat. I was interested by the concept but bored by the poor execution. The story is about a mysterious figure who intercedes on behalf of humanity to keep us from extinction. This white haired, crazed eyed hippie has been around since earth’s creation and has been waiting for humans so he could hang out with someone similar to him. The issue begins with a viral epedemic that could destroy the earth’s population. The cosmic hippie lends his hippie hands and once again humanity is saved from annihilation. The pages are littered with too much unnecessary back-story and the pace is deathly slow.
Artist Frazer Irving’s skills are uncharacteristically poor and sloppy. I think Irving realized that the story sucked and just drew these panels in a drunken stupor. Large black lines outline every character, giving them a cookie cutter appearance. The bland cast is drawn just as they are written – boring.
I will never have the dollar I spent on this drivel back or the 10 minutes it took me to read this. Take a pass on Days Missing.
1 out of 5
Stumptown #2 review
Did you ever pick up a comic on a whim, not hearing any hype surrounding its release, and strike gold with your chance purchase? That’s what I did with Stumptown. Oh yeah, solid gold, baby.
Dex is a private investigator and proprietor of Stumptown Investigations. Writer Greg Rucka creates a female character, both flawed and loveable. The series first arc The Case of the Girl Who Took Her Shampoo, But Left Her Mini follows Dex as she seeks the whereabouts of a missing girl. Taking the case to settle a gambling debt, Dex is quickly pulled into a quagmire of shady villains with hidden motives and itchy trigger fingers. Rucka nails the atmosphere and intrigue behind the protagonist and the plot. I love the layers that Greg Rucka weaves and builds as Dex gets deeper into finding answers.
Artist Matthew Southworth draws a pitch perfect match for Greg Rucka’s extraordinary narrative. In a character driven comic, the artist must be able to convey the story without relying on action sequences and muscle-clad heroes. His silent panels are well structured and flow perfectly.
Get onboard right now so that you can say, I was there at the beginning. This is a smart comic that should be at the top of pulllists.
4.5 out of 5
Tracker #2 review
Writer Jonathan Lincoln and artist Francis Tsai unite to deliver one hell of frickin’ good comic. After a fine inaugural issue, I hoped that the series would continue to satisfy. Well, mission accomplished, boys.
Alex O’Roark is the FBI’s top tracker and he loves his job (even more than his girlfriend). While tracking down a serial killer known as Herod, he survives “The Blue Line Massacre.” We learn that the Handel Foundation has been researching lupines or werewolves and one of their mysterious doctors cares for O’Roark after the massacre. Another victim mysteriously survives and O’Roark tracks him down in this issue. Lincoln achieves an appropriate balance between exposition and action. This is an unpretentious action-packed read. This is tightly plotted with a fresh approach to the icon werewolf genre.
Francis Tsai draws a sharp comic. His panels and layouts pace perfectly with the narrative. The supernatural creatures’ kinetic movements are nicely portrayed. It’s a dynamic approach, which is just what this comic needs.
Tracker is an equally clever detective yarn and a brutally vicious horror tale populated by smartly written characters. I pray this five- issue story gets a monthly series.
4.5 out of 5
Die Hard: Year One #3 review
I grew up with the Die Hard movies and loved every testosterone injected, unrealistic action-packed moment. When a buddy gave me the first three issue of Die Hard Year One, I turned up my nose. “What this hell is this”, I thought. How many more places can McClain get stuck in? An elevator, maybe? Oh, me of little faith. It’s a big world and there are plenty more binds for John McClain to get into.
With a necessarily slow build as the major player took their places, this series is shaping up to be a fun ride. Officer John McClain, the character immortalized by Bruce Willis in the Die Hard franchise, hits the New York streets on his first beat. It’s the 70’s and trouble is brewing in the Big Apple. Writer Howard Chaykin has good command of the story as he navigates multiple episodes and characters. Once all parties intersect, the plot takes off and the stage is masterfully set for some balls-to-the-wall John McClain ass-kicking and name–taking good times. Like all Die Hard plots, Chaykin does a fine job of assembling an interesting crew of bad guys and an unsuspecting McClain finds himself trapped in their scheme.
Stephen Thompson captures the feel and funk of the 1970’s. With bellbottoms and tube socks, the details make these pages sharp. Some of the effect choices fall flat, i.e. the forefront blurring in some action sequences, but overall it’s a good effort. I love the headbands and feathered back hair!
Die Hard is back and seeing McClain’s roots is a blast.
3.5 out of 5
Spider-Woman #4 review
We know that Brian Michael Bendis loves Jessica Drew, a.k.a Spider-Woman. He has been enthralled with her and is singlehandedly responsible for inserting her at the Marvel Universe’s epicenter with he role in Secret Invasion. Months ago, Bendis spoke with love and excitement as he announced his Spider-Woman series. Jessica Drew is a compelling character, raised by terrorists, allied with Nick Fury, then the Avengers, and kidnapped by the Skrulls. How would she fit into the world post-Secret Invasion world? Bendis certainly had an interesting premise to work with.
Four issues into the series I can state in all fairness that I am not impressed. After reading the first few issues, I couldn’t decide if I liked it. There are many elements of the series I like, but they fail to gel together into a good book. I like Brian Michael Bendis’ choice of allowing Jessica first person narrative. However after four issues, she just seems to be bitching. I’m a fan of wordless panels, allowing the art to speak for itself. While this series relies on this technique frequently, the plot is too sparse for it to be effective. There is just not enough going on and it gets boring fast. I like that gritty noir style which artist Alex Maleev employees. It just doesn’t work well with this story. Bendis’ writing doesn’t have a noir feel and there’s a disjointed presentation between script and art. The watercolors are distracting and out of place. From the coloring, to the art, and the dialogue, no one element is bad, but there is something missing, leaving this series with many individual pieces and nothing complete.
It’s a bizarre combination of ideas that seems like a Bendis experiment. I applaud the attempt, but I’m disappointed with the end result.
2 out of 5
Outsiders #25 review
The Outsiders jump onto the Blackest Night bandwagon as Terra, Geo-Fore’s half-sister, squares off against the team. The dramatic tension is written well by Peter J. Tomasi as Black Lantern Terra pleads for her brother to kill her. Meanwhile, Katana holds her
ground against deceased family, all sporting shiny new black rings. The plot is pretty standard Blackest Night cross over, heroes are attacked by their dead teammates or relatives.
What makes this issue memorable is its terribly inconsistent art. With two pencillers and three inkers, its no wonder this issue looks like a middle school art project. Some pages are great, but most utterly fail. This is some of the worst art I have ever seen in a DC comic. Lifeless, flat, and boring are nice adjectives to describe the shit I just bought. I feel bad for Tomasi, a talented author, whose decent story was butchered by a team of artists who obviously didn’t care bout this issue.
Outsiders is a good read, but I almost dropped it after this fiasco. For $3.99, this isn’t acceptable. Dan Didio, senior VP of DC comics, you should be ashamed.
1 out of 5
Fables #91 review
With this issue’s conclusion of the Witches story arc, Fables is back to its original splendor. With the disappointing “not so” Great Fables Crossover, I began to wonder if Fables ran its run. Well, worry no more! The creative team of writer Bill Willingham and penciller Mark Buckingham has returned their brilliant storytelling abilities to this imaginative series.
There are many plots, but each is juggled well and gives the book a great pace. Geppetto, sensing a power vacuum, makes his case for becoming leader of the fables. Protecting him from the angry mobs are brother and sister dyrads with anatomically correct parts (creepy, but I had to look). The cute and sneaky Ozma makes her play for the witches’ leader. Red Rose is hallucinating in bed, still unable to recover from the death of Boy Blue and talking to a dead decapitated pig. Bufkin and his misfit team of heroes make their stand against the powerful evil witch Baba Yaga. Each plot thread gets dealt with and concluded well. The dialogue is sharp and witty without being forced.
The last page vaults us toward the next arc with anticipation. A new fable is introduced and should have a big role in future issues. Lurking in the background is Mister Dark. How will the fables unite to tackle their toughest enemy yet? I can’t wait to find out. This is what Fables should be; fun, dark, well written and unlike any other comic.
4 out of 5
Ghost Riders: Heaven’s on Fire #5 review
Uber-talent Jason Aaron had an incredible run on Ghost Rider. Injecting new life into this often-floundering title, Aaron brought spunk and great stories to this franchise. With the series end, a six part miniseries Heaven’s on Fire hoped to tie up the story begun by Jason Aaron, but hopes (even of great writers) don’t guarantee great comics.
With only one issue left, I must say I am very disappointed. It seems like the series just ran out of gas. The brothers Ghost Riders are on a mission to take down the evil angel Zadkiel, who they recently learned us behind their curse. Both sides have some nutty persons: Satan’s son, the teenage antichrist, nuns with guns, a giant eyeball guy on a chopper, and many other freaks. I like the over-the-top characters that Aaron has created, but they just fail to fit together. This series has lots of great ingredients, but they don’t make a good finished product. Jason Aaron had a great concept, but dragged out through five comics it has lost all steam. And there is still one issue to go!
Artist Roland Boschi’s rough, unfinished style works well with the supernatural genre. His quick, thin lines effectively craft the spiritual world. There are weak points where human bodies and faces are distorted and disproportionate.
Ghost Riders’ run is almost at an end for now. I hope Jason Aaron returns with his literal guns blazing for the last tissue. It will take a miracle to pull this one out of the gutter.
1.5 out of 5
