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.

Action Comics #970

Action Comics #970

Action Comics is written by Dan Jurgens and drawn by Patrick Zircher (Cable & Deadpool, Nightwing, Iron Man). Dan Jurgens penned the well-received Superman: Lois and Clark at the end of New 52 in which the Superman from the events in Convergence and not originally part of this Earth has moved to our Earth with the Lois Lane from his timeline. After losing his powers previously this Clark had a son with Lois and started hiding out in the middle of nowhere raising his new son with Lois. Eventually his powers returned and with the death of New 52 Superman this other-world Superman stepped in to be the hero Earth needs.

In the current story arc Lex Luthor has become a new kind of Superman due to the death of this planet’s Superman but Clark doesn’t trust him at all.

To make matters even more confusing a new character has showed up called… Clark Kent. He has no super-powers and no one knows where he’s come from.

Phew.

Action Comics #970 is part four of the Men of Stell story in which Lex Luthos is going on trial for being Lex Luthor. He is accused of destroying the lives of millions by L’cal the Godslayer. Can Superman allow Lex to be killed based on the accusations?

Please let the answer be yes.

Star Wars #26

Star Wars #26

*cue theme music*

This Star Wars book has been Marvel’s primary offering since getting the licence to publish Star Wars again for the first time since 1986! The series started with plenty of fan fare but actually overshadowed Dark Horse’s final run on it which was also brilliant and well-worth picking up retrospectively, apart from the fact that all of Dark Horse’s work is now non-canon….

“sorry-not-sorry, Dark Horse”

- Marvel

The current Star Wars story follows the Rebels after the destruction of the first Death Star and focuses on a few different characters even doing some issues from the Imperial point of view (say hello to Scar Squadron). Along with this we have a series of Obi Wan Kenobi issues done in the style of diary entries of when he was protecting young Luke on Tatooine. Throw in a host of excellent variant covers and Marvel have put an appreciable amount of effort into what is essentially a side-show for them.

This issue happens to be one of the Obi-Wan stories but this is the first time that the Obi-Wan diaries are interspersed with the ongoing story-line.

In the ongoing story our mighty heroes have restored HOPE to the Galaxy. I capitalized the word hope because apparently hope is super important as shown in the recent documentary Rogue One.

Rebels have captured an Imperial Star Destroyer not unlike previous Star Wars story arcs (Wedge Antilles shows up in the captured Lusankya in Crimson Empire) and the main characters have escaped the clutches of the evil Darth Vader. All except one of them... C-3PO who now faces interrogation at the hands of Scar Squadron.

Much like Action or Detective Comics you can jump into Star Wars at any issue number and enjoy it. Even better this issue kicks off a new story arc: Yoda’s Secret War. Get on it!

The Atom: Rebirth #1

The Atom: Rebirth #1

The Atom introduces DC’s second Asian superhero title of the Rebirth era. Say hello to Lun Choi A.K.A. The Atom although the name he’s chosen for easing into United States society is Ryan. In his first semester he is already fluent in all of the lecture material before even attending the lectures having listened to all of his professors’ lectures and read them online. Flash forward 12 months and Ryan is acting as a research assistant to one of his physics lecturers.

It’s Ryan’s sophomore year and already he’s published and patented work so he’s a bit of a nerd.  

Genius.

Sorry, I meant genius.

Professor Palmer recognises Ryan as someone he can trust and, after examining his reasons for wanting to study science, reveals to him his identity as the Atom. At first Ryan is The Atom’s aide, coordinating his efforts from a command centre. Fast forward another 12 months now (Junior Year) and The Atom (Professor Palmer) has sent Ryan a message that he’s shrunk smaller than atoms and discovered the Microverse. He tells Ryan that he’s left him the equipment to become another...Atom and that he needs his help to save the nanostructure of the temporal time-line.

As a story it flows nice and will become a good adventure type title if it continues in this vein. Will it make the pull-list? Not for me, there’s just too much available on the market in terms of well-written books right now but this character might gel well for some people and #1’s are always worth a pull.

The Atom: Rebirth #1 is out this week.

Old Man Logan #16

Old Man Logan #16

Written By: Jeff Lemire

Drawn by Sorrentino

We're back to Old Man Logan once again! In Old Man Logan our hero is transported from a horrific future where his family is dead and he is guilty of butchering the X-Men under the malign influence of Mysterio.

The setting is like Stephen King’s Dark Tower, not just that one of the key settings is The Wasteland, a desolate terrain in a future where the bad guys have won. The hero is the same as well, reluctant, sometimes starved and dehydrated, disoriented. Logan has journeyed from the Wasteland to somehow end up back on Earth as we know it in the Marvel Universe. This is a Logan where the wires are more exposed than ever. The claws are quick problem solvers, like they were in the aftermath of the Weapon X Program. When it’s fighting time he doesn’t talk as much, it’s like he’s decided at this late stage that death is inevitable. For everyone else.

In this issue Logan is back in the Wastelands, somehow transported back from our Earth in events he can’t recall clearly.

The art is incredible. I quit Old Man Logan for a couple of issues when they got Filipe Andrade to pencil some issues (#14-#15) but now Sorrentino is back. He gets a huge amount of emotion from his facial expressions and contrasting scenes, helped by the fact that Logan is one of the most ‘real’ superheroes, despite overexposure to the movie industry and a legion of comic books left the character vulnerable to typecasting and not being relevant any more but Old Man Logan is possibly my favourite rendition of Wolverine since Weapon X.

The colouring of the book is on par with the sketching and evolves over the course of the first 10 issues moving from harsh contrasting colours to pastel shades later on. Jeff Lemire is writing other X-Titles but this seems to be the Marvel title where everything gels just perfectly throughout.

Often switching between worlds (or planes of existence, take your pick) is hard to pull off but Old Man Logan has been doing it for over a dozen issues. The book is consistently good (as long as they don’t go changing artist again…) and I can’t recommend enough. Start with Old Man Logan Vol. 1 - Berserker, out on paperback already. This should give you a good taste. But in my opinion a good comic can only ever stand up to someone being able to get into it based on reading a random issue. If the writing and art speaks to you you’re onto a winner so maybe just grab #16, out this week.

Batman #13 and #14

Batman #13 and #14

In issue #13 of this acclaimed Tom King series the ‘I am Suicide’ story continues (#12 was a corker also).

Bats finally defeats the psycho-pirate and subdues Bane with the help from Catwoman and the Ventriloquist. At the end of the issue Bats tells Bane that he doesn’t have to come and find the monster etc. and that he’s not necessarily a completely bad guy but in typical fashion the issue closes with Bane calling for lots and lots of venom to turn himself into a psycho again. This leads nicely into the next Batman storyline where Bane comes back to kick some Bat-butt, starting in Batman #16 on sale February 1st.

#14 opens with a very sexy make-out scene between the Cat and the Bat. Bats tells her she has to go to prison because she’s killed an awful lot of people (237 to be exact, along with one broken Bat-heart). She won’t get the death penalty but gets life instead and it’s in Blackgate not Arkham so that’s a bonus I guess.

Catwoman wants one last night before being locked away for good and so she and the Bat roam the city rooftops fighting two-bit criminals. The night ends in a romantic farewell between the two and after next issue Catwoman will be locked up.

Batman #14 is out this week.

Superman #14

Superman #14

Superman #14 sees the start of a new story, Multiplicity!

In this story a Russian-speaking Superman appears in front of our Superman driving his truck. He’s bloodied and running from people called the Gatherers who seem all-obsessed with consuming living breathing Supermen. As it turns out these Supermen that they want are all across the Multiverse but our Superman is not on the list, I’m guessing because he is from the events in Convergence and not originally part of this Earth.

Superman is written by Joe Tomasi, a writer who got me into DC in the first place when he wrote some New 52 Detective Comics. I like his storytelling and the character they’ve given him (Dan Jurgens Superman) and will probably always have time for him especially with the upcoming Supersons title in February.

But this issue of Superman ends with a bunny wearing a cape held on by little carrots.

And that’s pretty much all you need to know, give it a miss but definitely pick this title up in future or try to collected editions!

Detective Comics #946

Detective Comics #946

(slightly behind due to New Year hangover)

Easily my favourite of the Rebirth era so far, the story in Detective is gripping and attractive to probably any DC fan new and old.

Over the Christmas/New Year period we had #946 ( God I love the return to old numbering…) and #947. The issues are standalone from Batman/Batgirl, etc. and are an excellent read. Scott Tynion IV has delivered on previous Batman titles like Batman Eternal and he suits the Dark Knight very well. It’s a comic that has not let me down once and will go down as one of the best of Rebirth due to its gritty art, hard story-telling and consistency.

Issue #946 sees the continuation of the Victim Syndicate storyline where Batman’s first ‘victims’ (who are not criminals, see?) take offence at having their lives ruined by the caped crusader. At the start of the issue we see a character who left us after he sacrificed himself to save the rest of the team: Bruce and Tim are in the old Wayne Tower looking forward to the possibilities the new project could bring, the new project is of course Batman and Batwoman’s team that they put together in this run of Detective.

There is an excellent image on the second page showing a throwback to the night Tim died, a vast panorama of broken glass and Gotham, Wayne Tower in ruins, an airship and the sky filled with danger. It looks dystopian with all the lighting and two vigilant capes ready for action.

Tim talks to Batman of another way forward, a way of trusting other people to help him on his quest to make Gotham the city it should be. The juxtaposition is excellent. Tim tore Bruce apart when he died a few months ago but in this scene he is telling him the benefits of opening himself up to trust. One can easily imagine after being hurt so badly Bruce just doesn’t want to trust anything ever again.

The issue ties in nicely with Batman #12 also, part of the ‘I am Suicide’ storyline in which Tom King examines Bruce’s reason for donning the cowl in an excellent issue-long monologue.

As I’ve said any time someone is unlucky enough to ask me about this run of Detective Comics, this is an excellent book, consistently #1 or #2 of DC’s Rebirth line and long may it continue.

If you're not reading it you really should give it a chance, pick up the TPB versions of this run, the first of which is coming out 14th February of this year.

Hulk #1

Hulk #1

Jennifer Walters, formerly She-Hulk...now just Hulk (because Hulk is dead remember) is a female lawyer type recovering from her Civil War II comatose (aren’t we all?!). She just called Hulk now because her cousin, the Hulk, is dead. Clint Barton killed him. Yes that Clint Barton. We start to see the fallout of Civil War II now in these titles. She-Hulk was comatose by Thanos when fighting him and by the time she woke up Bruce Banner had been killed.

Jennifer is going through something we’ve all had to face in our lives. That horribly awkward first day at work. As awkward as it is there is some instant comic relief after she makes it through the gaggle of co-workers.

The issue has Jennifer meeting her new clients at her new law firm and getting on with life after the death of Bruce but it will delve a little deeper into the psyche of recovery and psychology from the looks of it.

The series is written by Mariko Tamaki. Who is Mariko Tamaki I hear you asking, well hang on and let me Google it for you. She is a graphic novelist (thanks Wikipedia) and apart from working on one other project (Supergirl: Being Super) she has not worked in mainstream comics before.

I think it’s really great and definitely not completely hypocritical that Marvel and DC have brought in more female writers in order to write female-only stories.

Definitely great.

Not hypocritical.

Issue #1 was very enjoyable with an absolutely creeper of an ending.

Issue #2 is out on the 25th of January.

Hawkeye #1

Hawkeye #1

How many times can they release a Hawkeye #1 you ask? Well Marvel have another rung to add to that ladder. This time our Hawkeye is the Kate Bishop version. From Matt Fraction’s Hawkeye (aka Hawk-Guy, try to keep up, please) you’ll remember Kate as being the competent one when compared to Clint Barton (and Lucky of course, who could forget Lucky!).

In this first issue (penned by Kelly Thompson[this her first Marvel series from issue #1 I believe], art by Romero) Hawkeye is in beautiful California tailing a hot surfer gentleman by the name of “Brad” when she comes across a bothersome bank robbery. Being a total heroine she foils the robbery with sass (and trick arrows) and goes about her day after losing track of Brad.

In this first issue we’re introduced to Ramone, the not-as-clutsy-as-Hawkeye surf shop owner in Venice Beach. Ramone does what any good friend does upon first meeting, she makes fun of Kate’s crappy drawing the tells her to move her car. I’m 99.95% sure that Ramone will show up again...

Next we meet our first victim, I mean client, of the Kate Bishop. Hawkeye. PI Agency. Thing. Her name is Mikka and she is facing online harassment. Well Mikka, welcome to the internet, a more villainous hive of scum and villainy you will not find in this galaxy. Kate does some investigating and finds the culprit, job well done! But all is not quite as it seems… issue #2 is out this week in your friendly local comic store.