Batman #15

Batman #15

Batman #15 sees the 2nd part of the Rooftops storyline where Batman and Catwoman have had their romantic escape on the rooftops over Gotham. The issue expectedly results in Catwoman leaving Batman early in the morning without saying goodbye. If only every woman could do that, right? RIGHT?

Right.

Batman has to enlist the help of his compadre, Commissioner Gordon, to help track a lead to pick up the Cat. Gordon’s little morning routine and monologue to himself is brilliant, The way he points at himself in the mirror using his toothbrush is subtle but those six panels could have come from any comic strip and I would have enjoyed it. The next three panels are a little more… unique to a Batman comic-book…

Honestly this issue is possibly one of my favourite Batman comics I’ve read yet. It is a treat on the eyes and reads with little effort.

Mikel Janín has been doing the art for Batman since issue #9 but last issue they switched to Mitch Gerads and the choice is the best one yet. The panels, the colouring, the faces, all delivered with impact by Gerads and all of a sudden this might be DC’s best looking book.

Gerads is only a recent signing to DC having agreed to work between DC and Vertigo last Summer but this isn’t Gerads’ first time working on art with King writing, they also produced The Sheriff of Babylon with Vertigo comics  and their work together on Babylon will continue into the future too as part of Gerads’ contract.

Worth every one of the 299 cents you’ll have to pay to have it.

Batman #15 is out now.

Kamandi Challenge #1

Kamandi Challenge #1

The Kamandi Challenge is a DC legacy at this stage and in order to honour Jack Kirby's 100th birthday they put their A-list roster of writers and artists together to bang heads and create more of the series. The original Kamandi was created by comic legend Jack Kirby while he was at DC and spanned around six years of publishing. The series was briefly revived at times after that but never took hold as a standalone title again.

I’ve just read #1 and the Special for the first time and this comic book is to other comic books what Vodka is to Beer. Pure distilled raw adventure is how I would describe it. Kamandi is a teenage boy, the last survivor of the Human Race as we know it discovers he is on a planet that has suffered catastrophe and is now occupied by intelligent animals.

The only other humans are feral and treated like pets by other animals but Kamandi (named for Command D, the bunker he grew up in) is educated by his grandfather and a skilled fighter. This comic is a lot like the serials of old, one adventure after another forcing you to use your imagination at times.

Speaking of that A-list roster they have Dan Jurgens (Superman: Lois and Clark/Action Comics), Joe Tomasi (Superman/Detective Comics), Dan Abnett (Aquaman), Scott Tynion IV (Detective Comics/Batman Eternal), Tom King (Batman) and a load of others delivering 12 issues starting 25th of January.

I hope it’s a blast, I enjoyed reading the original so much because it sparked an excitement in my head reading through the adventures of Kamandi.

The Mighty Captain Marvel #1

The Mighty Captain Marvel #1

Carol Danvers was an Air Force pilot but after encounter with alien tech gained her powers and became.. The Mighty Captain Marvel.

After the events in Civil War II we see a Captain Marvel suffering alienation from the superhero world, due to her friends either being dead or just not wanting to speak to her after her actions. She comes across in this book as stern, well-coordinated, eager to make a difference. She’s basically what you would think Captain America is.

The book is written by Margaret Stohl and is her first full length comic book. Stohl started with Marvel only recently (2015) with some Black Widow but has moved very quickly to a mainstream ongoing title. It’s an interesting but perhaps unsurprising move by Marvel in an attempt to attract more young adults particularly girls to the genre. Stohl’s previous work includes writing young adult fiction series, the Caster Chronicles of which there are four books now as well as a movie.

It’s not the first time we’ve seen Marvel get a female writer to write a female comic which seems to feature empowerment themes on every 2nd page. It’s surely a good thing to normalise the genre for girls but from my point of view reading it can get stale.

It’s like she has too much .. something. It’s like if you’ve ever watched a show on Discovery and the narrator keeps saying “and you won’t believe what happens next” but not in a cheesy unnecessarily crap way but in a we’re-trying-to-be-serious-but-DC-does-it-better way.

Basically Captain Marvel is her own Discovery Channel narrator…

And you won’t believe what happens next...

The Mighty Captain Marvel #1 is out today.

Scarlet Spider is back!

Scarlet Spider is back!

For those reading the Amazing Spider-Man right now this is the big reveal from the Clone Conspiracy series-crossing story from Dan Slott and Marvel. The Jackal, one of Peter Parker's most nefarious foes, is back and cloning again (raising from the dead in fact...). This time however, the Jackal is revealed to be Ben Reilly! Ben, of course, being the clone of Peter Parker whom the Jackal created.

Long time fans of Spidey will remember Ben Reilly from the Spider-Man clone saga and probably fondly recall how he took over Parker's life as the Amazing Spider-Man for a while. When Clone Conspiracy finishes in the coming weeks it won't be the end of Ben Reilly because he will get his own title Ben Reilly: The Scarlet Spider. 

I was initially very psyched when I heard this because he's such a cool character but also because Peter David (the awesome guy behind Spider-Man 2099 with Cork-native Will Sliney) will be writing it. However the first cover art reveals a Scarlet Spider that I'm not really digging. The original hoodie that was ripped and torn and thrown over his old costume is now finely crafted and made to look identical to Spider-Gwen (why?!) and is clearly aimed at a younger aesthetic with a glossy digital art look.

I'll inevitably pick it up anyway and I hope for the best out of it but for now I'll remain skeptical...

Dark Knight III: The Master Race Book Seven

Dark Knight III: The Master Race - Book Seven

This issue is part 7 of the series, a series which was only intended to run a handful of issues but has been so well-received that it will continue likely for the foreseeable future but with some gaps between releases. Is it a cash grab? Yes. Is it deliciously good? Yes.

The book is written by Brian Azzarello with Frank Miller and I think it’s more a case that Brian does most of the actual writing with creative input from Miller, that's according to a recent interview about the project from Miller.

I like the way Dark Knight uses media footage much the same as the original Dark Knight by Miller, it frames the story well including a modern spin by capturing tweets from the likes of a fictional Trump

The books are famous for their variant covers, I was lucky enough to pick up variants for the first five issues but you feel the pinch on your wallet for those covers that’s for sure.

This book is essentially the Champagne of comic books. The paper is incredible, the colours intense, all-star team, covers incredible and a bonus comic inside which is always something very different each time.

This issue is the post-war-zone Earth where the Kryptonian forces still stand above repelled from their latest attack with a new plan is to steal Superman’s son, Jonathan. The best part is this involves attacking the Amazons and it looks absolutely rip-roaring for the next issue.

This book is mandatory reading for me and for any Bat-fan and definitely worth a shot just to see what an excellent comic book looks like in general. At the same time it has been met with some mixed reviews due mostly to the slightly directionless story at times. I hope the new longevity of the series will help bolster the story more.

If you’re not feeling the story or digging the art that’s fine but there is no denying this is a masterpiece worthy of succeeding previous Dark Knight stories.

Darth Maul #1

Darth Maul #1

One of my favourite characters from the prequel trilogy is coming to the comic medium in the pages of Marvel’s Darth Maul series! Written by Cullen Bunn (Deadpool, Magneto, Sinestro) and drawn by Luke Ross, this title will probably examine the time before Episode 1 where Darth Maul and Darth Sidious are plotting against the Jedi.

One of my long-living memories of seeing Maul in The Phantom Menace is his snarling face when facing Obi-Wan Kenobi and Qui Gon Jinn on Naboo, incidentally this face is the subject of one of the variant covers coming out with the first issue along with a few other variant covers.

Maul has had a lot more exposure recently as well through the hit show Star Wars Rebels in which it is revealed that his fate at the end of Episode 1 may not have been so final after all. He is a sinister, evil character that feeds on hatred and through seeing him along with Palpatine in Episode 1 I often wondered about that got the two of them to that peak where they could finally reveal themselves to the Jedi.

Darth Maul #1 is out February 1st.

This Week's Comics - January 11th 2016

This Week's Comics - January 11th 2016


We have Action Comics #971, Men of Steel part five, will Superman be able to save Lex Luthor? Should he bother... Let's hope not.

All-Star Batman #6, from the hero who brought us New 52 Batman, Scott Snyder continues the most awesome road-trip you've ever read. Check out that awesome Jock variant cover!

Detective Comics #948 is coming out, Batwoman has become a real leader of crime-fighting in Gotham, this story is called Batwoman Begins, a two part story examining the most level-headed woman in comics.

Justice League/Power Rangers #1 - God I hate team-ups but I somehow always have an open mind, why not try something new and see if it takes your fancy, good preparation for both teams having a film release this year!

Inhumans versus X-Men continues this week with issue 2, the X-Men have attacked New Attilan because their sick of the Inhumans bullcrap. Get your tickets right here!

Spider-Man #12 - the kiss heard around the internet. Check out a grown woman making out with a 14 year old boy. Looking forward to Black Panther getting it on with an equally young Ms. Marvel at some stage... thanks Marvel! Always pushing boundaries.

Spider-Man/Deadpool #13 - one of the few titles to constantly get re-printed every single issue. Get it.