Penultimate Issues

Batman #13 Review

noreply@blogger.com (Marc Turnage) — Tue, 23 Oct 2012 22:46:00 +0000

Batman #13 is written by Scott Snyder with art by Greg Capullo. The issues marks the first part of the "Death of the Family" story featuring the return of the Joker. The backup feature, "Tease" is written by James Tynion IV and Scott Snyder with art by Jock.

The story opens with a conversation between Commissioner Gordon and Detective Harvey Bullock about bad omens and signs of things to come. As the two lawmen enter the police station, the power suddenly goes out. Commissioner Gordon asks everyone to remain calm as the generator kicks on. To the commissioner's horror, he briefly sees the Joker standing in the doorway before the lights go out again. The Joker attempts to tell a joke as he quickly moves through the room, breaking the necks of a few officers along the way. The lights come on as Batman has arrived on scene only to find the Joker gone and several officers dead. Commissioner Gordon and Batman head to the evidence lockup to find that the Joker's face is missing (removed from him back in Detective Comics #1).

Back in the batcave, Batman analyzes some of the poison found at the police station to discover an amalgamation of prior Joker toxins. Each of the former Robins, and even the current one, offer there assistance as the Clown Prince of Crime has returned. Batman remains confident that he will beat him alone. Soon, a local news station runs a hostage tape of the Joker using John Claridge, son of Diamond Magnate Henry Claridge (seen in Joker's first appearance way back in 1940's Batman #1) to warn the city that he will kill Mayor Hady. The younger Claridge is then assassinated.

With the mayor locked up in a safe room with plenty of armed policemen, Batman is also hiding on the premises waiting for the Joker to make his move. Soon, all the guards die from a poison in their clothes that reacted with a solution used to clean the mayor's floors. Rather than a smile, the guards are left with a frown on their faces.

With the mayor still alive and safe, Batman analyzes the new toxin to discover 3 unnecessary components whose first letters are A, C, and E. Following the obvious clue to Joker's origin at the ACE Chemical factory, Batman confronts Harley Quinn who is dressed as the Red Hood. Batman is knocked into a chemical vat as he questions the whereabouts of the Joker. At Wayne Manor, we find out the answer as Alfred answers the door to find the Joker ready to attack.

In the backup story, we see Joker set up the trap for Batman as he prepares Harley Quinn for her role. A scared Quinn realizes that Joker has become more frightening than ever.

This issue really packed a ton of stuff in. I really enjoyed the homage payed to the Joker's first appearance as he is forcing Batman to relive their times together. I'm still a little uneasy with this take on the Joker as it feels like recently so much pressure is placed on writers to make him a homicidal maniac that most forget to make him fun. It's way too early in the story to see how Snyder will pull those off, but this was an enjoyable and promising issue that definitely leads into a story with a ton of potential.

Batman The Dark Knight Returns Part 1 DVD Review

noreply@blogger.com (Marc Turnage) — Sun, 21 Oct 2012 13:31:00 +0000

Batman The Dark Knight Returns Part 1 is a direct-to-dvd adaptation from Warner Bros. animation of Frank Miller's classic Batman tale.

The story is set in the not-to-distant future where Bruce Wayne has retired as Batman. Gotham City is beginning to become overrun by a gang called the Mutants and Harvey Dent is being prepped for his release after extensive surgeries and therapy. With Commissioner Gordon prepping for retirement, tensions in the city begin to rise and eventually force Batman out of retirement.

The production team did a great job capturing almost every panel from the printed tale into this adaptation. Frank Miller's comic depended a lot on the small panel TV reports, and seeing them animated puts a little different feeling into the story. Some of the tale is out of sequence, but seems to make sense in terms of breaking this up into two separate parts. The voice talent was great and is lead by Peter Weller (mostly known for his role as the first Robocop) as Batman and is perfect casting. Overall, the film acts as a great compliment to the comic, but by no means should be taken to replace it. Part 2 should be hitting the shelves sometime around the end of February.

Superman #0 Review

noreply@blogger.com (Matthew Turnage) — Tue, 16 Oct 2012 16:57:00 +0000

Superman #0, “Every End Has a Beginning”, is written by Scott Lobdell with art by Kenneth Rocafort.

Jor-El is conducting experiments deep beneath the surface of Krypton which confirm his earlier conclusions that Krypton is dying. After a near-fatal encounter with a previously undiscovered form of subterranean life which destroys all the data he has collected, he returns to the surface and discusses his findings with his mentor Kra-Hu. Kra-Hu promises he will attempt to get Jor-El permission to return to Krypton’s core to gather more data. However, the core research center is soon destroyed, killing Kra-Hu and the other scientists there, while Jor-El and Lara are attacked at their home by a group who want to keep Krypton’s impending demise from the general population. Despite being in the early stages of pregnancy, Lara puts her training at the Kryptonian Military Academy to good use to allow them to escape. Jor-El sends the attackers to the Phantom Zone, and the entire sequence is observed from afar by Superman, in a new black and silver costume. In the epilogue, a mysterious herald sounds a horn, and says that Krypton has been given a second chance. It is up to Krypton’s last son to determine whether the planet will live or die.

I’ll admit I approached Scott Lobdell’s appointment as new Superman writer with some trepidation. I’ve never been a fan of the X-Men and so his earlier work held little appeal to me. I also didn’t care for his Teen Titans relaunch and advance reviews of Red Hood and the Outlaws convinced me to steer clear. However, I had been pleasantly surprised by his Superboy run, and after changing writers twice within the first year I was looking forward to some stability on the Superman title.

Although Lobdell’s take on the Superman mythos was previewed in Superman Annual #1, this zero issue is our first glimpse of his work on the monthly title. I must say I was very impressed. Lobdell takes a familiar story (Jor-El discovering Krypton is doomed) and breathes new life into it by adding depth of character not only to Jor-El, but to Lara, who is often overlooked and underdeveloped in various retellings of the Superman origin. I’m pleased Lobdell chose to make her more action oriented, a role that would ill-suit Superman’s scientist father but lets us see where that side of Superman might have come from.

Kenneth Rocafort’s artwork is also excellent. I really admired his too-brief run on Action Comics prior to the New 52, so I am glad to see him return to the world of Superman. Based on this issue, I am really excited to see what this creative team has in store. The groundwork has been laid for many potential storylines, including the conspiracy behind Krypton’s destruction (or at least, keeping the information from the public), Superman’s new costume and how he arrived on Krypton before its destruction, as well as the “second chance” for Krypton. While Morrison, Diggle, Snyder and Lee have been grabbing the headlines for their upcoming Superman stories, Scott Lobdell and Kenneth Rocafort’s Superman should not be overlooked.

Legends of the Dark Knight #1 Review

noreply@blogger.com (Marc Turnage) — Mon, 08 Oct 2012 01:07:00 +0000

Legends of the Dark Knight #1 is a new print comic collecting three issues of the digital first series. The stories in this issue include "The Butler did it" written by Damon Lindelof with art by Jeff Lemire, "All of the Above" written by Jonathan Larsen with art by JG Jones, and "The Crime never committed" written by Tom Taylor with art by Nicola Scott.

The first story by Prometheus and Lost writer Lindelof and drawn by New 52 Animal Man scribe Lemire, features a very young and overconfident Batman. In this story, Alfred accepts Bruce's challenge and reveals to the young crimefighter Batman's one weakness.

The second tale is a straight superhero adventure. Batman, alone on monitor on the JLA's satellite must fight Amazo (robot villian with the combined powers of the JLA) all by himself. This is an awesome display of how Batman's mind is his greatest weapon.

In the final story, Batman uses his detective skills to stop a crime before it is committed and, with the help of Robin, convinces the man to turn away from his life of crime. An awesome display of the world's greatest detective at work.

This new series is exactly what all the frustrated readers of the new 52 have been looking for. These out of continuity stories are all great examples of the core strengths that make Batman who he is without the timeline confusion that the new 52 has brought upon itself. Even seeing the real Tim Drake in his classic Robin outfit was a welcome relief from the train wreck that character has been put through in the pages of Teen Titans recently. I'm really excited about the rotating creative teams and looking forward to more great stories to come.

Detective Comics #13 Review

noreply@blogger.com (Marc Turnage) — Sat, 06 Oct 2012 11:53:00 +0000

Detective Comics #13 is written by John Layman with art by Jason Fabok. The backup feature is written by Layman with art by Andy Clarke.

The first issue with the new creative team for this batbook starts with Batman on a regular night patrol stopping some pretty basic crimes around the city. The story shifts to three days earlier as the Penguin hires the Asian assassins known as the Ghost Dragons to kill Bruce Wayne. Back in the present, Alfred reminds Batman of a banquet that Bruce Wayne is expected to attend as one of Gotham's hospitals is going to be naming a new children's wing after his late mother, Martha Wayne. More crimes start popping up around the city as Batman heads to the banquet. Noticing a pattern involving a failed security system, Batman enlists Nightwing's help in stopping the break-ins.

Back at the banquet, Penguin "convinces" the hospital to name the wing in honor of his mother instead of Wayne's. Bruce arrives just in time to hear the announcement. Penguin, seeing Bruce's face, is satisfied and decides to call off the assassination. Ogilvy, Penguin's right-hand man, informs Penguin that the Ghost Dragons do not accept failure, and once they take a job they don't stop until it's finished. And so the issue ends with Bruce Wayne being attacked at the banquet.

In the backup feature titled "IQ Test", Ogilvy takes on a new recruit, Martin from Miami, to assist in stealing codes from a security system (same one from the main story). Throughout the break-in and robbery Ogilvy is schooling Martin on how to work smart to try and avoid Batman as long as possible. Instead staging a botched robbery to cover up the codes being stolen, Martin researches and makes the robbery a success. This way they get the codes and some cash out of the job. Ogilvy ends the lesson by informing Martin that being too smart and showing too much initiative can also get you killed in Gotham.

Throughout the first year on Detective, Tony Daniel's art was amazing but the stories were pretty sub par. With this new creative team, it looks like we're gonna get amazing doses of both. The story was really fun and entertaining and Fabok's art has much more of a classic and simple look than the often over-stylized Daniels. The way the backup built on the main story was also very interesting and hopefully a sign of really good things to come.

Justice League #0 Review

noreply@blogger.com (Marc Turnage) — Mon, 24 Sep 2012 00:28:00 +0000

Justice League #0 is written by Geoff Johns with art by Gary Frank, featuring a backup story written by Johns with art by Ethan Van Sciver.

This is the first full issue of DC's new 52 to feature Shazam (formerly known as Captain Marvel), having previously been building up to this point in backup stories within Justice League. Picking up right where Justice League #12 left off, Billy Batson has been brought to the Rock of Eternity as the Wizard is looking for a new champion to stand up against the recently released Black Adam. The Wizard states he has been searching for hundreds of years for someone worthy to gain such power, but has not found someone who is pure good. After the very cynical Billy Batson puts down on all of humanity claiming that no one is all good based on his experiences, the Wizard realizes time is short and decides to settle to see if Billy instead has the potential of good. Witnessing the recent events of Billy standing up for his newly adopted family and the kindness he shows others, the Wizard decides the potential exists within Billy and grants him the powers of Shazam before disappearing.

As Shazam, our new hero finds his adoptive brother Freddy and the two get back at the neighborhood bullies by smashing their car. Shazam then makes a quick buck by stopping a mugging and asking for cash as a reward.

In the backup tale, Pandora seeks to once again open the mystery box only to find she is unable to. The Wizard then mysteriously appears and offers an apology to Pandora, saying that the other two in the Trinity of Sin deserved their punishment (as seen in the new 52 Free Comic Book Day comic) but that he regretted punishing Pandora for simply being curious. The Wizard then claimed that only the strongest of heart, or the darkest, could open the box to claim its power. The Wizard then disappeared as suddenly as he had appeared. This backup ends with another member of the Trinity, The Question, leaving readers with a cryptic message sure to play out over the next year in the upcoming Trinity War (DC big event for 2013).

Overall, this story just continued to push my disapproval of the new Shazam. I was hoping that Johns was pushing the snotty kid aspect of Billy Batson to really bring out the awesome moment when he realized his potential. He may still be doing that, I just assumed (and hoped) it would happen prior to Billy receiving his powers from the Wizard. The backup is an obvious teaser for events to come in the next year, but really didn't do much to get me excited about the event. As my interest in where Johns is taking Justice League fades, Trinity War will probably end up being an event I miss.

Batman The Animated Series Tribute

noreply@blogger.com (Marc Turnage) — Sun, 16 Sep 2012 01:21:00 +0000

Twenty years ago this month (September 5, 1992 to be exact), Fox Kids debuted Batman The Animated Series. This show not only introduced a whole new generation to the dark knight, but set the standard for animated storytelling to this day. As a tribute, I have listed 5 of my personal favorite episodes.

Beware The Gray Ghost (Originally Aired Nov. 4, 1992)

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This episode introduced The Gray Ghost as Bruce's childhood hero rather than Zorro. A new criminal in Gotham is copying crimes from the old Gray Ghost serials and Batman hunts down the actor who played Gray Ghost (voiced by Adam West!) to help solve the case.

The Joker's Favor (Originally Aired Sept. 11, 1992)

This episode is about an accountant who has a terrible day and ends up taking his road rage out on the Joker (obviously not realizing who was in the car). Joker spares the man's life in exchange for a favor to be requested at a later date. Years later, Joker tracks down the man (having moved and changed his name) and cashes in the favor. This episode is an excellent example of everything that is awesome about the Joker as a villain and still able to be shown on Saturday morning TV, writers today could take away a lot from this episode.

The Demon's Quest Parts 1 & 2 (Originally Aired May 3 and 4, 1993)

This two-parter is written by Denny O'Neil who also wrote the comic this story is based on. Robin and Talia al Ghul are captured and Batman meets Ra's al Ghul who insists they pool their resources to find the two. Once again the producers nail the voice casting by having David Warner (from Tron and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II) play Ra's al Ghul.

The Forgotten (Originally Aired Oct. 8, 1992)

In this episode, Batman goes undercover to find out why Gotham's homeless have been going missing. Batman is attacked from behind and loses his memory. My favorite scene from the entire series is in the episode, when Batman is punished and sent to the hot box. While locked inside, he has a dream and remembers who he really is.

Heart of Ice (Originally Aired Sept. 7, 1992)

Many fans consider this the greatest episode of the series, and with good reason. This episode is responsible for turning Victor Fries into a tragic villain that forces you to have sympathy for him. Simply trying to find a way to cure his wife, Victor feels there's no other way but to turn to crime.

Batman #0 Review

noreply@blogger.com (Marc Turnage) — Thu, 13 Sep 2012 08:46:00 +0000

Batman #0 is written by Scott Snyder with art by Greg Capullo. It also features a backup story written by James Tynion IV with art by Andy Clarke.

During the entire month of September, DC Comics is celebrating one year of the new 52 relaunch by publishing a zero issue for each title. The main Batman title focuses on an early outing of Bruce Wayne fighting crime in Gotham prior to donning the Batman persona.

The issue starts with the Red Hood gang robbing Gotham National Bank. By not killing one of the hostages, Red Hood realizes that one of his henchmen is not who he says he is. The disguised Bruce Wayne ends up escaping the Red Hood gang and heading into the sewers where he makes his way into a hidden bunker that leads to his city apartment.

At his apartment, Bruce is refining his batarang technology when he is payed a visit by Lieutenant Gordon. The young lieutenant has concerns about the legalities of current Wayne Enterprises dealings and also warns Bruce of a vigilante being spotted in the area. The conversation ties into Alfred's earlier advice and surely is something that pushes Bruce to have more of a public presence in Gotham. The story ends with Red Hood giving the orders to blowup Bruce's city apartment with promises of the story continuing in 2013.

In the backup feature, Jim Gordon is standing on the rooftop explaining to his daughter, Barbara, the importance of letting the city know that Batman is not a myth. Elsewhere in the city, middle school student Tim Drake has his academy head master arrested for embezzlement after Tim breaks into the school's financial records and uncovers all the wrongdoings. Across the city, Jason Todd becomes accessory to murder as he acts as a lookout for a convenience story robbery that goes wrong. Jason beats the other kid into a coma in the alley after the incident and turns the killer into the police, withholding his own role in the situation. Finally, a young Dick Grayson stops a purse snatcher at the circus while promoting his family's trapeze act. The four tales come together as Jim lights the bat signal for the first time as a means to let the city know that Batman is real. In separate parts of the city, all four of Batman's future allies stand in amazement as they look to the sky.

Both the main feature and the backup did an awesome job telling a great story set in the early days of the Dark Knight. The main story really showed Bruce's vast inexperience and hinted at the importance of the playboy facade. The backup took something as simple as the bat signal and showed its importance to the bat universe. I'm definitely looking forward to more of these early tales throughout the month.

Teen Titans #12 Review

noreply@blogger.com (Marc Turnage) — Sat, 25 Aug 2012 17:16:00 +0000

Click on Cover to purchase your own copy

Teen Titans #12 is written by Scott Lobdell with art by Brett Booth. This issue also features an Impulse back up written by Fabian Nicieza with art by Jorge Jimenez.

This issues opens with Wonder Girl taking on Superboy and Red Robin in a fight as she has been taken over by the Silent Armor, an oft invisible armor that has formed a symbiotic relationship with Cassie (Wonder Girl). Elsewhere, Bunker heals from his fight with Wonder Girl while Impulse and Solstice watch after him.

Back at the fight, Red Robin manages to cut through the armor and make Cassie bleed. With just that tiniest opening, Superboy is able to use his Telekinesis to remove the armor from Cassie. The Silent Armor is torn from her just in time for her ex-boyfriend, Diesel, to show up and claim the armor. Intent on using the armor to destroy the world, Diesel escapes as the Teen Titans plan to follow.

The Impulse back up story apparently follows the events from Impulse's solo story in DC Universe Presents #12. In this tale, Impulse and his dinosaur friend, Teryx, hunt down a creature named Steg from Mystery Island who plans on reclaiming the surface from the mammals.

The main story for Teen Titans has been pretty disappointing from the start of the series. The plot attempts to hang on to relationship tensions that have not been fully developed. The book is non-stop action with no real story and every issue has felt very "empty" throughout the first year. With a back-up story that requires further reading from a different title, this entire issue was a pretty big let down. I started picking this series up because it was the only option the new 52 offered for a regular dose of Tim Drake, Red Robin. Even that steady dose of the former boy wonder won't be enough to keep this book on my pull list for much longer.

Star Trek: The Next Generation / Doctor Who: Assimilation2 #3 Review

noreply@blogger.com (Matthew Turnage) — Tue, 14 Aug 2012 02:11:00 +0000

Star Trek: The Next Generation / Doctor Who: Assimilation² #3 is written by Scott & David Tipton with Tony Lee and art by J.K. Woodward and the Sharp Brothers.

Picking up where last issue left off, the Enterprise is in the middle of a combined Borg / Cyberman fleet. They are hailed by a borgified Cybercontroller, who informs them, “You have no means of stopping us.”

Under attack, Picard orders a strategic withdrawal into the Paertes Nebula. The crew uses the opportunity to find out what they can about the Cybermen from the Doctor. Data uncovers an encounter with earlier Cybermen (circa the Doctor Who story “The Invasion”) in the logs of the Constitution-class Enterprise. A flashback reveals Kirk and company’s encounter with the Fourth Doctor and the Cybermen. Back in the 24^th Century, the Eleventh Doctor reveals that he was there, but he both remembers the encounter and remembers not remembering it. Realizing that the timeline appears to be shifting, Picard takes the Doctor to meet someone sensitive to such changes… Guinan.

After using the first issue to primarily establish the Doctor and his companions, and the second to establish the TNG crew as well as bring both casts together and introduce them to the threat, this issue begins to delve a bit more into the two groups interacting. Twelve pages of the issue are devoted to a flashback of the TOS crew meeting the Fourth Doctor, which helps add scope to the crossover as well as provide a nice contrast between two eras of each of the shows. This is aided by the change in art styles, with the Sharp Brothers traditional pencil and ink comic artwork contrasting with Woodward’s painted style in the 24^th Century portions.

This is not a series that will be groundbreaking in either franchise’s comic history, but it does what I would want from a crossover of this type – it gives plenty of fun, fannish moments. Overall, I’ve found this to be an entertaining series so far and am looking forward to more.

RIP Joe Kubert 1926-2012

noreply@blogger.com (Marc Turnage) — Sun, 12 Aug 2012 22:57:00 +0000

Sadly, today marks the passing of another comic book icon. Joe Kubert, founder of the Kubert Art School and best known for his work on Sgt. Rock and Hawkman, passed away on August 12 at the age of 85. This day continues to be a sad day for the industry with Mark Greunwald and Mike Wieringo passing away on August 12 as well (1996 and 2007, respectively). Joe had been contributing to Before Watchmen and DC also has plans to publish the one-shot anthology Joe Kubert Presents in October 2012.

Batman #12 Review

noreply@blogger.com (Marc Turnage) — Fri, 10 Aug 2012 08:09:00 +0000

Batman #12 is written by Scott Snyder and James Tynion IV with art by Becky Cloonan and Andy Clarke.
The title of this issue is "Ghost in the Machine" and tells the story of Harper Row, a young electrical engineer for the city. Harper and her brother Cullen are on their own, growing up on the wrong side of Gotham (is there a right side?). Cullen is tormented constantly for his sexuality until an assault in the street on him and his sister is stopped by Batman. The tormentors cease to bother the siblings and Harper becomes obsessed with Batman.

Using her knowledge of how the city electrical grid works, Harper finds a piggy-back system that Batman has placed inside the city's electrical grid that both boosts the power supply for the city and allows Batman to control very short blackouts to allow him to travel through the city without being seen. While battling Tiger Shark, one of the controls cease to function which prompts Harper to step in and help out. Not realizing that Batman purposely left the power on to tip off the police, Harper causes Batman to change his plans which earns her a stern warning from the Dark Knight. Undeterred, Harper vows to continue to help Batman anyway she can.

Harper has shown up once or twice in the new 52 relaunch prior to this issue. It was nice to finally get her full story. What I really liked about this issue is the perspective of Batman it offers from some of Gotham's citizens. As reader's, we are almost always given Batman's point of view in the story; it's always cool to be reminded of the "urban myth" aspect by offering tales from an outsider's viewpoint. I liked the character of Harper as well. It definitely feels like she'll eventually fill the void of Harold, Batman's former mute mechanic who Jeph Loeb ruined in the epic "Hush" storyline.

Justice League #11 Review

noreply@blogger.com (Marc Turnage) — Fri, 20 Jul 2012 08:01:00 +0000

Justice League #11 is written by Geoff Johns with art by Jim Lee. This issue is a continuation of "The Villain's Journey" story introducing the new villain, Graves. Also in this issue is the fifth chapter in the Shazam backup story written by Johns with art by Gary Frank.

In the last issue, Graves used his power to feed off the misery of the Justice League. With the team trapped in pain, Graves teleports to the home of Steve Trevor's sister and threatens her and her family. The Justice League arrive via boom tube as Graves leaves. They finally discover the identity of Graves: author David Graves whose book helped the public gain acceptance of the team when they first formed. Blaming herself for putting Trevor in danger, Wonder Woman fights the rest of the League while trying to go after Graves alone.

With their fight being broadcast all over the world, the League quickly boom tubes to Graves' Maine cabin. Here, they discover Graves' journal and that he and his entire family developed cancer which Graves blamed on the Darkseid incident. After his family died, Graves traveled to the Valley of Souls were he gained his power. The League go to the Valley where they each see visions of someone in their life who has passed away. Two intriguing visions were Cyborg seeing himself and Wonder Woman seeing Steve Trevor, who everyone hoped was still alive.

In the Shazam backup, Black Adam has been reawakened and destroys Sivana's companion while Sivana promises to help Black Adam find the Wizard. Elsewhere, while attempting to payback some bullies for picking on the family, Billy is chased by the bullies again. Billy escapes the two brothers by running onto a subway right as the doors close. The subway departs and then stops suddenly, opening its doors to a very strange and mystic place.

In the Justice League tale, it was nice to finally get the full story on Graves. It will be interesting to see how the team will come together to take him down. I'm getting a little tired of the in-fighting with the team. This should be the premiere superhero team and should work together as a unit. Having been around each other for five years now, you would think they would have all of these personal conflicts worked out, especially in public. The constant bickering makes them seem unprofessional and unlikable to me.

In the Shazam story, things are really starting to pick up. With issue #0 coming out in a couple of months and focusing solely on Shazam, more excitement is surely on the way. Billy is definitely coming around as a kid who will stand up and take care of his family. It's also really cool to see the duo of Black Adam and Sivana coming together to hunt down the Wizard.http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008KSBKIU?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creativeASIN=B008KSBKIU&linkCode=xm2&tag=penultissues-20

DC Universe Presents #11 Review

noreply@blogger.com (Marc Turnage) — Wed, 18 Jul 2012 22:40:00 +0000

DC Universe Presents #11 is the third and final part of the Savage story featuring Vandal Savage and is written by James Robinson with art by Bernard Chang.

In the finale, Vandal's daughter and FBI agent Kassidy Sage has been kidnapped by Steven Ward, son of the FBI agent who was killed when he arrested Vandal Savage. Ward has been copying Vandal's murders to force the FBI to release Vandal in order to help them solve the case. By releasing him, the FBI unknowingly gave Ward the opportunity he was looking for to make Vandal pay for killing his father. Ward's plan fails as Kassidy murders Ward and recaptures her father.

As I stated in my review of part 1, the premise played out very much like Silence of the Lambs. For the finale, however, I was thinking that Robinson, who is also writer on Earth 2, would make and overt reference to this story taking place on Earth 2 since Vandal Savage is a classic villian of the JSA. No such reference is made, but nothing was stated that would make anyone assume that this is taking place on Earth 1 either. Regardless, this was an interesting story even with all the similarities. I like that DC has this title to showcase some lesser known characters and I'm looking forward to who all will get the spotlight in the future.

Batman Earth One Review

noreply@blogger.com (Marc Turnage) — Sat, 07 Jul 2012 22:14:00 +0000

Batman Earth One is an original graphic novel written by DC Chief Creative Officer Geoff Johns with art by Gary Frank. DC's Earth One series of original graphic novels are sets of stories that offer a modern take on the company's iconic superheroes, retelling origins and providing new stories outside of the current comic book continuity.

This tale opens with Batman, very early in his career, chasing down a suspect across the Gotham rooftops. Batman attempts to use a grappling gun which breaks apart when he attempts to fire it. After misjudging a leap, Batman falls from a rooftop as the man gets away.

Next, in a flashback scene, Alfred Pennyworth is introduced as an ex-Royal Marine who mayoral candidate Thomas Wayne brings in to head his security detail as threats against his life have been received. Martha is introduced as not only Thomas' wife, but his campaign manager as well. In an interesting twist, her maiden name has also been changed to Arkham. Finally, a young Bruce is seen in the flashback as he urges his parents to hurry before they miss the movie. Brushing off Alfred's warning of going out unprotected, the family makes the fateful trip to the theatre. Prior to the movie starting, the power is cut and Bruce runs out the fire exit urging his parents to come along so they can make the show across town. In the alley alone, a dark figure grabs Bruce as the Waynes run after him. Recognizing the family, the man demands money as he guns down both Thomas and Martha as Bruce watches. Back at Wayne manor, Alfred is informed that he was named legal guardian of Bruce.

Back in the present, a very worn down Detective James Gordon is introduced to his new partner, former reality TV detective, Harvey Bullock. Seeking more fame, Bullock transferred to Gotham seeking to solve the cold case of Thomas and Martha's murder. Elsewhere, Bruce seeks out a young Lucius Fox to help improve some of his "climbing" equipment. Bruce then heads to a city celebration and meets his father's former opposition and Gotham's current mayor, Oswald Cobblepot. Suspecting Cobblepot was involved in his parents' murder, Bruce looks for clues when he spots the man he was chasing at the beginning of the story, Jacob Weaver. Weaver was apparently the first to report to the crime scene and Bruce notices he is using his father's cigarette lighter. Changing in to Batman, the hero is outnumbered as he attempts to question Weaver on the roof. Overtaken by Cobblepot's bodyguards, Batman is grazed by a bullet to the head and is quickly rescued by Alfred.

Later, Bullock attempts to retrieve the Wayne file from Cold Cases but is turned down because the paperwork for his transfer has not been completed. Not backing down, Bullock signs the file out under Gordon's name. News of the file being pulled reaches Cobblepot, who has a serial killer dubbed the Birthday killer kidnap Gordon's daughter Barbara. Finally willing to fight back against the city, Gordon and Bullock take to the streets until the find where Barbara is being held, in the old Arkham house. Batman finds traces of rust at the abduction scene and traces it back to Arkham himself.

In the old Arkham house, Batman, Gordon, and Bullock team up to take down the birthday killer and rescue Barbara. Bullock does not get out of the situation unscathed, as he falls to the basement during the fight and discovers the remains of the birthday killer's victims.

Tying all the pieces together, Batman finally goes after Cobblepot. Accusing the mayor of being everything that is wrong with the city, Batman is caught off guard as he is stabbed with an umbrella. Removing his mask and discovering Batman's identity, Cobblepot admits to cutting the power and attempting to murder his parents, but some street thug beat him to his task. As Cobblepot readies to finish Batman off, he is shot and killed by Alfred who has just entered the scene. Faced with the fact that he may never find out the identity of his parents' killer, Bruce decides that his war to retake Gotham must continue and Alfred pledges to help him be a better Batman.

Much like the Superman Earth One tale that came before, the story did not stray too far from the classic origin of Batman. The biggest change that this story displayed was that of Alfred. In this story, Alfred is much more rigid. He is credited as being the one who trained Batman and comes off much colder than he has in previous incarnations. His care for Bruce is evident, but he takes on much less of a servant role. Gordon was also much more beaten down in the beginning, but by the end he definitely is shown as the no-nonsense cop everyone is familiar with. Overall, I really enjoyed this book. It was interesting to see the characters from a different perspective and I liked how Johns developed them throughout the story into the characters we know. With a tease of the Riddler to end the book, I'll definitely be looking forward to the sequel.

Batman The Dark Knight #10 Review

noreply@blogger.com (Marc Turnage) — Sun, 01 Jul 2012 23:01:00 +0000

Batman The Dark Knight #10 is written by Gregg Hurwitz with art by David Finch.

Writer Gregg Hurwitz opens his first issue of The Dark Knight with a very disturbing scene of who we believe to be Jonathan Crane (the Scarecrow) sowing his lips together before walking down into a basement to terrify an abducted little girl. The story then shifts to Wayne Manor where Bruce is acting out his playboy image by having a Ukranian pianist perform for him while she wears nothing but a bed sheet. Alfred soon interrupts and Bruce excuses himself to the batcave. Elsewhere, Commissioner Gordon and a squad of Gotham's finest have found the girl from the opening scene wandering the streets. Police rescue the girl and follow the vehicle that dropped her off as Batman joins the chase. Disabling the driver, Batman gets no new information from the criminal who states he was approached and offered money to drop the kid off. Back at the station, the child is too terrified to speak as Batman attempts to gather some information. Showing a rare human side, Batman does offer some small comfort to the child as they sit in silence.

Meanwhile, Gordon has returned to his home and is blasted with fear gas as he turns on the shower. He quickly begins living out his worst nightmares as he is confronted by images of his crippled daughter and mentally ill son. The images of his children blame the commissioner for everything bad that has happened to them. The issue ends with the scarecrow entering the commissioner's home and teasing that they are just getting started.

Prior to this issue, Gregg Hurwitz had written the Penguin: Pain and Prejudice 5 issue mini-series that came out at the start of the new 52 relaunch. Hurwitz appears to take a more shocking and disturbing approach to his villains. Much like the opening scene of this issue, Pain and Prejudice was filled with very graphic images meant to shock the reader. I'm not a big fan of this style as blood and gore have never been something I've been attracted to in either comics or film. And though Scarecrow lends himself much more easily to this style, I still found myself turned off by this story. As far as plot, the child kidnapping is definitely an unnerving twist for the villain, but one that doesn't make a lot of sense yet. Unfortunately, it seems that most of this issue is meant to be both visually and morally disturbing with no other motivation behind the story. I hope this turns around and perhaps more of the story will make sense as this arc plays out, but if Penguin is any indication, the chances of that are slim.

Justice League #10 Review

noreply@blogger.com (Marc Turnage) — Thu, 28 Jun 2012 20:35:00 +0000

Justice League #10 is written by Geoff Johns with art by Jim Lee. It also features the Shazam backup story written by Geoff Johns with art by Gary Frank.

This issue is the second part of the Villain's Journey story. The issue opens three years in the past with author David Graves seeking out mystical forgotten gods to assist in helping him exact revenge on the Justice League, who Graves blames for the death of his family. The gods transform Graves, giving him some sort of mystic power. Later, in the present, Graves has kidnapped Justice League government liaison Steve Trevor. Graves uses his power and attacks Trevor as he attempts to escape. Elsewhere, at the Justice League's watchtower satellite, the League has become aware that several of their enemies have been attacked and interrogated by Graves. The League is unaware of who Graves is, but realize that he knows more about the team than they've shared with each other. While the team bickers about the trust within their group, a silent alarm is triggered by a code given to Steve Trevor. The League investigates and find Graves has arrived at the watchtower. Realizing that Trevor has been kidnapped, Wonder Woman is the first to attack. It appears that the life is sucked out of her as Graves power seems to feed on his victim's emotional pain. The League is quick to counterattack.

The League's might proves to be no match for Graves' power as the entire team quickly fall as easily as Wonder Woman.

In the Shazam backup tale, Billy Batson's adopted parents share their concerns about Billy to one another. They've come to realize that Billy was just putting on an act at the child services agency and that he is not as well adjusted as they previously believed. Meanwhile, one of the other kids, Freddy, sees Billy packing his backpack and leaving the house. Freddy follows Billy into the zoo, where Billy is feeding one of the tigers there, who he refers to as Tawny. Freddy is soon discovered and thanks Billy for standing up for him and the other kids against some bullies in their neighborhood. Realizing that the bullies' father is the worst of the bunch, Freddy states he knows where they live and the two share a deviant smile.

Elsewhere in the Middle East, scientist Dr. Sivana uncovers the prison of Black Adam and reads the inscription stating that he is to remain imprisoned until a being who can destroy him is found. With his eye guiding him and translating the inscriptions for him, Sivana utters the word "Shazam" and the prison is opened. Black Adam is released and immediately asks the whereabouts of the wizard.

It's extremely difficult to come up with a new super-villain to challenge the Justice League. The interesting part about Graves is that his power appears to feed off others' emotional pain, something that all heroes seem to share. With the entire league apparently being sucked dry, this issue definitely ended with the reader curious as to how the team will get out of this one. One revelation that I did like was that Superman and Batman apparently have been teaming up outside of the Justice League and have a great amount of trust between them. I'm still not a fan of how much distrust there is amongst the others, especially considering that they've been together for five years now. Hopefully they'll continue to grow and trust one another, but the dynamic and arguing amongst the team seems to be a major focus for this new series.

As far as the Shazam story goes, I'm still not sold on the depiction of Billy Batson as a cynical, anti-social trouble maker, but the rest of the story is coming together pretty good. I especially enjoy the depiction of Dr. Sivana as a scientist seeking to release magic back on Earth. The inclusion of Tawny (originally Billy's best friend, a talking tiger) in this story was a nice nod to the golden age. Still not sure how the other kids are going to factor into the power of Shazam, but with Black Adam being released in this issue, answers can't be far behind.

Fan of the new relationships amongst the Justice League? Enjoying the new direction for Shazam? Leave your comments below!

Birds of Prey #10 Review

noreply@blogger.com (Marc Turnage) — Tue, 26 Jun 2012 21:51:00 +0000

Birds of Prey #10 is written by Duane Swierczynski with art by Travel Foreman.

This issue picks up immediately following the events of last issue's Night of the Owls crossover with Batman. In that issue, the Birds of Prey helped to stop Mr. Freeze and one of the Talons, but froze Poison Ivy in the process. While tagging along on a plane ride to the amazon with a coke dealer to restore Ivy, the Birds' plane is shot down and the team is being hunted by bizarre plant creatures. Ivy is finally revived and plans to explain to the Birds everything surrounding the plant creatures.

This series, though many of the same stars are intact, has proven to have quite a different direction from its pre-new 52 runs. Rather than a cohesive covert team that targets injustice around the world, this series features a team that holds a fair amount of secrets from one another and constantly find themselves the victims of circumstance. Probably the biggest reason for the change is the removal of Oracle as team leader with Barbara Gordon now back in the Batgirl suit. Swierczynski is slowing revealing some of the mystery surrounding Black Canary's past and I'm looking forward to the zero issue in a couple of months to reveal even more.

Fan of the new 52 series? Do you miss the previous run? Leave your comments below!

Nightwing #10 Review

noreply@blogger.com (Marc Turnage) — Sat, 23 Jun 2012 08:33:00 +0000

Nightwing #10 is written by Kyle Higgins with art by Eddy Barrows.

In this issue, Nightwing is investigating a killer who has used his escrima sticks to kill two brothers, framing Nightwing for murder. While gathering evidence from the brothers' apartment, Nightwing takes note of the alpha/omega symbol that was also tattooed on the victims' bodies. Soon, Gotham police detective Nie has SWAT bust in on the apartment after a tip that Nightwing was there. Nightwing escapes as the cops shoot up the place. Later, Dick Grayson is working with Lucius Fox to secure funds to resurrect Amusement Mile with Haly's Circus as the main attraction for the city. Wanting to start this endeavor without involving the Wayne fortune, Dick is informed by Lucius that Sonia Zucco, daughter of the man that murdered Dick's parents, is interested in loaning him the money. Meanwhile, police Commissioner Gordon confronts Nie, who threatens to sue the city if Gordon removes him from the case. Deputy Mayor Kavanaugh promises to support Gordon in helping to clear Nightwing's name since the vigilante previously saved the deputy mayor's life. Following the alpha/omega lead, Nightwing unearths a new gang operating in secret in Gotham. Their leader, Paragon, anticipating Nightwing's inevitable involvement, catches the hero off guard and prepares to execute the former boy wonder.

Kyle Higgins did a great job building off the relationships and revelations from the Night of the Owls and Haly's Circus stories, but still providing a clean break and a great starting point for this story introducing the new villain Paragon. Eddy Barrows' art compliments the tone of the series very well. I'm really looking forward to what the creative duo have in store for Nightwing as we get ready to enter the second year of the series.

Enjoying Nightwing? Rather the series go in a different direction? Leave your comments below.

Superman Vs. The Elite DVD Review

noreply@blogger.com (Marc Turnage) — Thu, 21 Jun 2012 22:15:00 +0000

Superman Vs. The Elite is a direct-to-dvd animated release from Warner Bros.

In this animated feature, Superman is faced with the idea of being caught behind the times. He becomes increasingly questioned about his actions and how he refuses to use lethal force to deal with recurring threats. As these questions are being asked, a new superteam known as the Elite enter the scene. The Elite, led by telepathic/telekinetic powered Manchester Black, do not have any problems in being judge, jury, and executioner. As the popularity of these new heroes grow, Superman begins to wonder if the world has left him and his ideals behind. Soon, the Elite is feared by the world as they wipe out the leaders from two warring countries, forcing Superman to deal with the Elite once and for all.

This animated feature is based on the story "What's so funny about truth, justice, and the American way?" from Action Comics #775. Both the printed tale and the animated feature are written by Joe Kelly. Having the original writer adapt the story for animation obviously allowed for a very faithful interpretation. As opposed to their counterparts at Marvel, DC's direct-to-dvd animated efforts are just getting better and better. With Justice League Doom just being released this past February and Batman The Dark Knight Part 1 being released this fall, it appears DC animation is cutting the time between features from 6 months to 4 months.

Enjoy this feature? Would you rather see original tales or adapted stories for these dvds? Please leave your comments below.

Batman and Robin #10 Review

noreply@blogger.com (Marc Turnage) — Sun, 17 Jun 2012 17:54:00 +0000

Batman and Robin #10 is written by Peter Tomasi with art by Patrick Gleason. This issue is the first part of the "War of the Robins" storyline.

The story opens with a new villain, Terminus, assembling a group of four who have been captured and otherwise humiliated by Batman. Promising the opportunity for revenge, Terminus offers the other four villains each their own soldiers to wage their war against the Dark Knight. Meanwhile at Wayne Manor, Bruce, Alfred, Dick, Tim, and Damian all pose for a Wayne family portrait. Bruce's hope to spend some quality family time together is quickly ruin as the boys begin to bicker over who upheld the Robin legacy best. Later, Damian assembles all the former Robins together, including Robin #2 Jason Todd, to inform them that he plans to beat them all individually at something they feel unbeatable at.

This is shaping up to be a really fun sibling rivalry story. With the inevitable "can they stop fighting long enough to stop Terminus" issue out there, it will be fun to see how it plays out. Damian has often annoyed me since he was introduced as Bruce and Talia's son early on in Grant Morrison's run, but Tomasi has been finding ways to turn his arrogance into humor.

Enjoy Damian as Robin? Rooting for one Robin in particular through this story? Leave your comments below.

Batman #10 Review

noreply@blogger.com (Marc Turnage) — Sat, 16 Jun 2012 12:58:00 +0000

This issue features the main "Court of Owls" story written by Scott Snyder with art by Greg Capullo and features the backup story "The Fall of the House of Wayne" written by Scott Snyder and James Tynion IV with art by Rafael Albuquerque.

LAST CHANCE, BIG SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW

In this issue, Batman finally brings the fight to the Court of Owls after receiving a list of potential member's names from dying mayoral candidate Lincoln March. After intimidating one of the member's, Batman traces a phone call to one of the Court's meeting places. Upon entering, Batman finds that the members have died after drinking poison. The next morning, Alfred tries to convince Bruce that the issue is resolved and that fearing the Batman's vengeance, the Court took their own lives. Unsatisfied, Bruce remembers something he overlooked and quickly dresses as Batman before heading to the morgue. Opening a container to find it empty, Batman finds a note that asks, "Follow me down the rabbit hole?". Batman heads to the abandoned Willowwood Home for Children that sits on a sinkhole. The building was previously a home for mentally unstable children before being shut down. Here, Batman comes face-to-face with Lincoln March who states he used the Court's formula to fake his death. Lincoln claims to not only be a rogue member of the Court who orchestrated the mass suicide Batman found earlier, but he also claims to be Thomas Wayne, Jr., Bruce's younger brother. The issue ends with the two preparing the battle it out.

The backup story in this issue supports Lincoln March's claims as we see a pregnant Martha Wayne and a young Bruce being threatened by high ranking city officials over funding of various projects. Alfred's father, Jarvis, takes center stage as this story is told through a letter to his son warning of the dangers involved with the House of Wayne. This story ends with one of the Court's Talons causing a car accident involving Jarvis, Martha, and Bruce.

The idea of Thomas Wayne, Jr. actually existing and being a killer is nothing new. Bob Haney introduced and killed off the character back in 1974 in the pages of World's Finest Comics #s 223 and 227, respectively (he uses the name Thomas Willowwood before Batman deduces his true identity). The Earth-2 villain Owlman's secret identity was also that of Thomas Wayne, Jr. so the Jr.-Owl relation has been established. While Lincoln does provide some evidence to support his claim, it is important to note that he is crazy. There is still a big enough window to write this off without changing what we previously believed about the Wayne family. If it is true, some of the biggest questions I would have would be, "how was the care of this child not listed in their wills", "why didn't Alfred know about the child?", "wouldn't they have had pictures of him in the mansion somewhere?", and if they did try to hide his existence then Thomas and Martha were really some pretty rotten parents. As the story wraps up in the next two issues, hopefully we'll get some definite answers.

Enjoy this issue? Want to see more Haney stories brought into the new 52? Leave your comments below.

Batwing #10 Review

noreply@blogger.com (Marc Turnage) — Fri, 15 Jun 2012 17:23:00 +0000

Batwing #10 is written by Judd Winick with art by Marcus To.

This issue begins with Batwing targeting some pirates off of Africa's coast. While attempting to free the hostages, Batwing discovers a Chinese nuclear scientist onboard. Before Batwing can ask any questions, the boat is blown up. Protected by his armor, Batwing survives. Contacting Batman and Robin back in Gotham City, Batwing and Matu (Batwing's version of Alfred) learn of the scientist's background and Batwing heads to Beijing to investigate the scientist's apartment. Accompanied by Nightwing, the two heroes find that the apartment has been emptied and soon find themselves surrounded by a Chinese gang. Their leader, Long, transforms into a dragon as he prepares to attack Batwing and Nightwing. Back in Gotham, we find that the classic bat-villain Penguin is behind everything that is going on.

The first story arc in Batwing, which involved child soldiers and took place almost exclusively in Africa, was a nice setup for the character. After taking a break to focus on last month's Night of the Owls bat-crossover event, the second arc is doing a great job of establishing Batwing as a part of the bat-family. I really enjoyed the more global approach and the strong interaction with the established bat-characters. Marcus To, as I've stated before, does a fantastic job and I hope he stays on the book for quite some time.

Like the new direction for Batwing? Would you rather see him exclusive to Africa? Leave your comments below.

Earth 2 #2 Review

noreply@blogger.com (Marc Turnage) — Sat, 09 Jun 2012 12:58:00 +0000

I can't look at this cover without thinking of Gene Simmons crying

Earth 2 #2 is written by James Robinson with art by Nicola Scott. Cover art by Ivan Reis.

This story picks up where the first issue left off, Jay Garrick is being visited by Mercury. As the Roman god is dying, he imparts his power of speed upon Garrick who transforms into the Flash. Elsewhere, Alan Scott arrives in Hong Kong for some relaxation after wrapping up a big business deal. While taking the bullet train to the country to unwind, Alan proposes to his partner, Sam, but the train blows up before he gets a response.

As noted in my review for the first issue, I was already concerned about the direction that DC was taking some of my favorite heroes. Regardless of the much publicized revelation that Alan Scott is gay, its clear that these characters only commonplace with their pre-52 counterparts are their names.

One of the reasons that I love Captain America and the Justice Society so much is that they were part of the greatest generation. Somehow, knowing that they fought Hitler and the Nazis made them more heroic to me than even Batman or Superman. I really enjoyed Geoff Johns' take on the characters in the previous two series in which the original superhero team saw it as their responsibility to train and develop the up-and-coming generation of heroes. Having this team at the start of their heroic careers is fine, but as illustrated with Jay's concerns to Mercury, this team will be living in the shadows of the heroes who died in the first issue instead of leading the way for others. This is not my Justice Society, and it's also no longer on my subscription list.

Fan of this new take? Miss the original superhero team? Leave your comments below.

Superman Family Adventures #1 Review

noreply@blogger.com (Matthew Turnage) — Wed, 06 Jun 2012 02:46:00 +0000

Superman Family Adventures #1 is written by Art Baltazar & Franco, with art by Art Baltazar.

Superman, with help from Supergirl, Superboy and Krypto battles three robots wreaking havoc in Metropolis. Superman discovers that the robots are controlled by Lex Luthor. Luthor intends to use the robots to zap Superman with a ray that will transfer Superman’s powers to Luthor. However, Krypto intercepts the ray, and Luthor gains not only Krypto’s powers but some of his dog personality. With the aid of Luthor’s pet mouse Fuzzy (who also received some of Krypto’s powers and intelligence), the Superman Family defeats Luthor and removes his powers. However, Fuzzy is allowed to keep his powers as a reward for his help and he becomes a super-pet.

Art Baltazar and Franco come to this new all-ages title fresh off the success of Tiny Titans, and this series is very much in the same vein. I’m glad DC continues to invest in titles that are friendly for younger readers, and I think there should always be a Superman book that is young reader friendly. The humor will appeal to older readers as well, and I look forward to reading this title month after month.