Green Arrow #25 – Review

By: Jeff Lemire (story), Andrea Sorrentino (art), Marcelo Maiolo (colors)

The Story: We have a knight and archer in the same room.  Now where’s the mage?

The Review: I confess that I have a certain amount of cynicism about crossover events in comics, viewing them usually as schemes to capture readers (and their dollars) who wouldn’t read these books otherwise.  The farther spread the crossover, the more suspicious I get, and Zero Year’s infection reaches far, indeed.  Having just read an Action Comics tie-in that was only marginally related to events in Zero Year proper, I wondered if Green Arrow will fare any better.

Lemire gets a leg-up on Action Comics #25 by actually setting his story in Gotham and allowing Ollie to run into the early Dark Knight himself.  True, it’s a little too fortuitous that Ollie’s return from the island coincides exactly with the chaos erupting in Gotham, but it’s a narrative necessity that mostly pays off, so you don’t take too much issue with it.*  At the very least, you get to see some interesting parallels and contrasts between two of DC’s most prominent non-powered superheroes.

Daredevil: End of Days #8 – Review

By: Brian Michael Bendis, David Mack (Writers), Klaus Janson, Bill Sienkiewicz, David Mack (Artists), Matt Hollingsworth (Colorist)

The Story: Timmy, Ben Urich’s son, has to learn how to cope with his father’s death as he tries to piece out just what his old man had been working on.

The Review: How easily could everything have failed…With the scope of this series and just what everything Bendis and Mack tried to do here, it could have been a dud, yet this is some splendid stuff. In short, if you believe yourself to be a fan of either Daredevil or Brian Michael Bendis, you need to read this issue, plain and simple.

What we get here is a love letter to the whole mythology behind Daredevil, referencing the story of the character, the influential run that cemented what the character is about and just how it could very well have ended. Bendis and Mack do their best in bringing in what people loved about Daredevil and they succeed, taking risks such as killing arguably the most important characters in the mythos: Ben Urich and Matt Murdock themselves. Yes, Ben Urich is dead and the story is told with Timmy’s viewpoint, who has been revealed to be the new Daredevil, the one that had been trained by Matt himself.

Daredevil: End of Days #7 – Review

By: Brian Michael Bendis, David Mack (Writer), Klaus Janson, Bill Sienkiewicz (Artists), Matt Hollingsworth (Colorist)

The Story: Ben Urich follows some more leads for the mystery behind the Mapone mystery and the secret of the newer Daredevil.

The Review: If there is one character that I always love to see Bendis write, it has to be Ben Urich. I do love how he always seems to go out of his depths in search of a story, while he seems to be always relatable and just plain interesting. This is a man that always get involved in the adventures of Daredevil, throughout the happy times, but mostly through the harder perils of the life of Hell’s kitchen protector.

Daredevil: End of Days #6 – Review

By: Brian Michael Bendis (Writer), David Mack (Writer/Artist) Klaus Janson, Bill Sienkiewicz, Alex Maleev (Artists), Matt Hollingsworth (Colorist)

The Story: Ben Urich gets saved by the new Daredevil and continues his investigation, this time trying to talk with some of the villains in Matt Murdock’ life.

The Review: It seems that Brian Michael Bendis is on fire right now. With his All-New X-Men being great, Ultimate Comics Spider-Man being still the best part of the whole Ultimate universe and set to debut Guardians of the Galaxy this month (for real, I mean, with a #1 issue), he seems to be on top of his game. He seems fully reinvigorated, with his writing skills just like when he started writing Ultimate Spider-Man and Daredevil.

How fitting it is then that one of his strongest inputs in years is his ode to the death of Matt Murdock. Having killed him right in the very beginning of the series, we have followed Ben Urich (probably one of the characters that Bendis handles the best) as he tried to solve the mystery of his death and of Daredevil uttering of the word ‘’Mapone’’. What started as a homage to Citizen Kane as Urich started to question the entourage and loved ones of Matt Murdock has quickly evolved into something else thanks to this issue, as it adds some new elements to the game that are handled quite well.

Daredevil: End of Days #5 – Review

By: Brian Michael Bendis, David Mack (Writers), Klaus Janson, Bill Sienkiewicz (Artists), Matt Hollingsworth (Colorist)

The Story: Ben Urich continues his talk with the Punisher in The Raft and then meet some more people to learn about Matt Murdock and the meaning of the word ‘’Mapone’’.

The Review: This limited series is a dream for those who were fan of the Miller and Bendis/Brubaker era of Daredevil. Being a remembrance of those previous times, it is a stark contrast to the much more optimistic and upbeat comic that Mark Waid is writing, yet it is a fitting homage to those eras that is showcased here.

Indeed, much here seems like a trip to memory lane for the old fans, with all of the characters that had been recurring to the Hornhead. Bullseye, Elektra, Typhoid Mary have been already shown to us, demonstrating what kind of futures they would get in the world imagined by Bendis and Mack. Here, we get Punisher, Melvin Potter (The Gladiator, an old enemy of Daredevil that turned good in Miller’s run) and a bit about Foggy Nelson.

Daredevil: End Of Days #4 – Review

By: Brian Michael Bendis, David Mack (Writers), Klaus Janson, Bill Sienkiewicz, Alex Maleev (Artists), Matt Hollingsworth (Colorist)

The Story: Ben Urich continues his investigation with the discovery of Bullseye’s dead body and an encounter with a very special case in prison.

The Review: Daredevil: End of Days could become one of the quintessential Daredevil stories. Full of moments that shows just where the key players in the ongoing saga of the Man Without Fear could turn up, it is essentially boiling down the Bendis, Miller and Brubaker eras of the book, two eras that are loved and cherished by fans.

Of course, since it is cowritten by Bendis, there are plenty of references to what has come before and other easter eggs in the storytelling methods. It is clear by reading that series so far that both Bendis and Mack are aficionados of Citizen Kane, Orson Welles’ masterpiece, incorporating its basic structure for the plot of the limited series. They just had to replace ‘’Rosebud’’ with ‘’Mapone’’ and there you go.

Rocketeer Adventures II #1 – Quick Review

By: Marc Guggenheim, Peter David & Stan Sakai (story), Sandy Plunkett, Bill Sienkiewicz, Sakai & Arthur Adams (art), Jeromy Cox, Dave Stewart & John Rauch (colors) and Scott Dunbier (editor)

The Story: Another anthology of Rocketeer stories from top-shelf creative talent.

Review: If you enjoyed Rockteer Adventures last time around, IDW is back with another helping of Dave Stevens-inspired goodness.  For those who don’t know, Dave Stevens created the Rocketeer character back in the 1980’s and even got a movie made of the character in the early 1990’s (which isn’t a half-bad movie, btw).  Stevens tragically died of cancer in 2008 at the age of 53.  Truly he was taken too soon, but one wrinkle when comic creators die is: What happens to their creator-owned material?  We all know what happens to Marvel/DC characters when Jack Kirby or Joe Simon die, but it is different with creator-owned characters.  Does anyone even have the right to legally publish the character?  Will creators see it as (a) continuing the passion of a dearly departed colleague or (b) treading on the grave?

Uncanny X-Men #159 – Flash back review

By: Chris Claremont (writer), Bill Sienkiewicz (pencils), Bob Wiacek (inks), Glynis Wein (colors) & Tom Orzechowski (letters)

The Story: Dracula wants Storm for his bride…

Flash Back Review: As any comic fan knows, the X-Men are currently having a bit of a problem with vampires.  I’ve seen a lot of moaning on message boards about how tacky this is of Marvel and how it’s obviously an attempt to jump onto some of the current popularity of vampires (see: True Blood and Twilight).  That may be true, but this is hardly the first time the X-Men have had to deal with vampires.

I’d ask you to take a trip down memory lane to Uncanny X-Men #159 which was published in July of 1982.  Comics were still 60 cents, the #1 song in the United States was “Don’t you want me” by the Human League (which is now stuck in my head) and Chris Claremont still had his 98 mph fastball (instead of the old junkballer he has become).  In terms of the X-Men, this was early enough for them that Rogue was still a bad guy and they had never encountered the Brood.  In short, it was a long time ago.

This issue tells a self-contained story of the X-Men venturing into the city so that Kitty could hang out with her parents for the weekend and the plan was that the X-Men would crash at Misty Knight’s pad for the weekend.  Of course, being the X-Men they travel in full costume and blast into Misty’s place in style: Nightcrawler “bamfs” in, Kitty phases through the wall and Wolverine has his claws popped.  After Misty’s startled roommate changes her pants (just kidding….there is no spoiling of pants in this issue), Kitty and Storm change into street clothes and head off into the night.

Of course, the night doesn’t end well for Storm as it appears that she is mugged and has her throat slit after leaving Kitty with her parents.  Claremont lets this mystery swirl as we get page after page of Storm becoming a creature of the night: light sensitive, aversion to religious symbols, wearing a scarf from an “admirer” with a big “D” monogram… Hmm…What sort of mugger could it be?

Not only was it a vampire, it was Dracula himself!  Once the true evil is revealed, what follows is a pretty standard effort by the X-Men to save Storm from this psychological hold that Dracula holds over her.  However, Dracula is not defeated by the might of the X-Men, instead he bows out after being so impressed by the sheer nobility of Storm that he cannot force her to become his bride against her will.  The end!

This is far from the best story of this era.  A few issues earlier, and we have the classic Days of Future Past storyline.  A few issues later and we get the Brood saga that holds a place in my heart because that was when I started buying Uncanny at the gas station.  Then again, the Days of Future Past single issues are going to set you back $40+ each whereas you can buy Uncanny #159 for about five dollars.

Joker’s Asylum: Mad Hatter – Review

By Landry Quinn Walker (writer), Keith Giffen and Bill Sienkiewicz (art), David Baron (colors), Patrick Brosseau (letters)

The Story: The Joker spins another tale from Arkham for our benefit. This one is about Jervis Tetch, and gives us a poignant little peak into the Mad Hatter’s unique brand of psychosis.

What’s Good: Quite a lot, I’m happy to report. Although the Joker-as-narrator worked pretty well for the first issue of this series, I’m glad that it isn’t a reoccurring device. It’s a lot more fun to see the events of the book through the eyes of the character it’s actually about (or at least how Joker imagines they might see it, I suppose.) This works especially well for a villain like Hatter, who is a bit less popular and less frequently used, and therefore more enigmatic.

Giffen and Sienkiewicz do an awesome job on art here, and are backed up beautifully by Baron’s colors. This is one of the best marriages of pencils and color I’ve seen in a long time, and it’s a real joy to look at. Just browsing through the book and looking at the pictures is worth the cover price. As good as the script is (and it is good), much of the story and character comes from these illustrations. In addition to just being pretty, the panel layouts are just fantastic—pictures within pictures, scrapbook like touches and childlike side drawings that give us insight into how the Hatter sees the world are inspired, and really elevate proceedings.

Walker does an excellent job as wordsmith as well. Hatter’s delusions and struggles are deliciously creepy, and his frustration at his inability to find “his Alice” is chilling, and not a little poignant. (Not that such heinous acts can be understood or forgiven, but it’s sadly pathetic to see someone so hopelessly confused and not in control of themselves.)

Batman: Widening Gyre #1

By Kevin Smith (writer), Walt Flanagan (penciller), Art Thibert (inker), Art Lyon (colorist)

The Story: Some years ago, Batman and Robin (Dick Grayson) captured Baron Blitzkrieg and Atomic Skull. Flash to the present, where Dick Grayson, now Nightwing, has brought Batman to help him out in a bout, since one of the criminals he has been tracking has now gotten the Baron Blitzkrieg armor. There is more on Dick’s mind than nostalgia, when he shows Batman a body in the morgue that could only have been killed by Poison Ivy, who is still in Arkham Asylum. The Dark Knight goes off to find Arkham completely overgrown, as he penetrates it to puzzle out this mystery.

What’s Good: The cover by Bill Sienkiewicz was great, as it really drove me to buy this book.

What’s Not So Good: I had a bit of a hard time with this review, because I love Kevin Smith’s movies so much. His movies are original, manic, unexpected, irreverent and hypnotic. Unfortunately, this book was none of those things.

Right out of the gate, the art put me off. Some artists are so realistic that you can feel the texture and mood of what they draw. Other artists abandon realism for style, and weave compelling images that fascinate. The art in The Widening Gyre achieves neither realism nor style. It tells the story competently, but there is little to leave the reader breathless and swept up in the pictures. The figures, expressions, textures, and even light and shadows, have a plastic feel. The art made me much less receptive to Smith’s story.

As for the story itself, it never took off. I had major problems from the get-go with Smith’s long set-up scenes. We open on some adventure in the past when Dick Grayson was twelve years old. In the present, Nightwing gets Batman’s detective curiosity going, but then disappears. Batman didn’t need Nightwing to show him a body. Anyone could have done that and Batman would have been off to Arkham. Therefore, what was the use of that set-up?

The set-up is tied factually and mechanically to the story in the present, but thematically, there’s no apparent linkage for all the nostalgia. My hope is that Smith added the set-up scene with Nightwing not to fill the third of the book, but for a thematic purpose that will reward the patient reader later in this mini-series.

Nor did the set-up sequence crank up the tension for the reader. Quite the opposite. Both Bruce and Dick spent the flashback and the present fight ridiculing and belittling the villains. There was little sense of anything being at stake, or that this was more than a routine workout for the once and future dynamic duo. The old rule for comics is that the stature of the hero is proportional to the danger and menace of the villain. These foes are not people who raise the stature of Batman and Nightwing.

And the tension did not really pick up once Batman got in Arkham. Every villain he found was tied up, except for Killer Croc and a surprise villain. Ivy herself wasn’t really threatening, unless she has some death by coitus thing going on. The battles at the end don’t manage to pull the tension into positive digits.

Long story short, Smith and Flanagan never made me care about Batman. Not only that, I found it hard to get invested in a Bruce Wayne Batman story when I know he is “dead.” I’m actually quite happy and intrigued by his replacement.

Conclusion: A sub-standard bat-offering. Take your bat-money elsewhere. I will be back for Smith’s next movie. I won’t be back for Widening Gyre #2.

Rating: C-

DS Arsenault

Next Issue Project #1: Fantastic Comics #24 – Review

By Erik Larsen, Joe Casey, Tim Scioli, Tom Yeates, Fred Hembeck, Ashley Wood, Andy Kuhn, B. Clay Moore, Bill Sienkiewicz, Mike Allred, Brian Maruca

Fantastic Comics #24 is, well, fantastic! Hats off to the entire creative team who labored to get this book out. For those who don’t know, Image Comics has been working on this “Next Issue Project” for a while now. It’s goal is simple: Give readers the next issue of an old Golden Age comic that was canceled back in the day. Well, after 67 long years, Fantastic Comics #24 has hit the stands!

I can’t even begin to tell you how much love went into this book. The teams on this book put so much attention to detail in the art, color, nuances, and even typography, that new readers may look at this and wonder if they’re holding a reprint. Let’s go down the list: Zippatone colors that bleed off the panels (and characters)? Check. Hand written lettering? All over the place. Off-center logos and fonts? Damn right! Silly stories? Definitely. Newsprint-esque paper? Hell yeah! Archaic comic book advertisements? Woohoo!

I won’t go into all the stories, but Erik Larsen’s story of Samson is just pure pulp fun. The way Samson fights for his life only to be rescued by the very kid he snubbed off at the beginning of the story perfectly encompasses old school storytelling. Joe Casey and Bill Sienkiewicz channel the science fiction genre with their offering about a man who creates a machine to the Fourth Dimension. Thomas Yeates tackles the medieval adventure category. And Jim Rugg and Brian Maruca take on the whole war genre with Captain Kidd! There’s actually more stories I’m leaving out, but I think you get the gist of what’s going on here.

This is probably the cheapest Golden Age book you’ll ever buy (sorta). But seriously, the book’s cover price is $5.99. Ouch, I know – but you do get 64 pages of comic book fun – and coming from someone who bought the book today, it’s easily the best comic I’ve read all year. Stuff like this doesn’t come around very often. We should consider ourselves so lucky for a gem like this. (Grade: A+)

– J. Montes

A Second Opinion

I can’t disagree with anything Jay said about this book. The Next Issue Project is a great concept and the contents of this issue do not disappoint. I enjoyed it from cover to cover (although I needed a translator for Sub Saunders). If you’ve read any Golden Age, multi-story format books, this faithfully recreates that feeling – it’s amazing. You’ll really appreciate all the little details that the team slipped in, too. Because it feels so authentic, Fantastic Comics #24 makes the 67 year gap since issue #23 melt away in an instant.

In my opinion this book well worth the $5.99 cover sticker as compared to some of the crap people buy for $2.99 each week. I am putting the Next Issue Project at the top of my pull list (whenever it comes out next). I can’t wait to see what they’ve got in store for us next. (Grade:A)

-Chris Williamson