Nightwing Annual #1 – Review

By: Kyle Higgins (writer), Jason Masters with Daniel Sampere & Vincente Cifuentes (art), Chris Sotomayor (color)

The Story: Play it again, Alfred. Play ‘As Time Goes By’.

The Review: Have two characters of such high profile ever had such uncertain fates? Months after her writer was fired and swiftly rehired, Batgirl is wanted for the murder of her sociopathic brother. Hunted by her outraged father, her boyfriend in a coma, Barbara has forsaken the bat. Meanwhile, Dick Grayson is having a swell time in Chicago, but rumors of his demise and a creative change on his book swirl. Rather than pretend that there’s certainty one way or the other, Kyle Higgins has cleverly called upon that very uncertainty to drive his extra-sized story.

Higgins seems to have a good grip on both of his protagonists. Dick is the same character that readers of Higgins’ monthly work have come to love, but we get to see a slightly different side of him thanks to Barbara’s appearance. Higgins’ take on not!-Batgirl is similarly strong. Barbara’s wit and natural affinity for superheroics come through loud and clear. There’s something hungry, biting in her words and actions. The issue deals with Dick and Barbara’s relationship and, as such, its greatest accomplishment is allowing them chemistry. Honestly, this is a girl who makes the boy wonder play not only boy scout, but straight man to her fiery wisecracks. Dick Grayson is a smart lad, he knows that the proper response to finding a woman who can kick your ass is to hold on tight.

Arrow S01E10 – Review

By: Moira Kirland & Ben Sokolowski (story)

The Story: If people are dying by fire, there’s only one thing to do—throw a party.

The Review: I give a lot of unsolicited advice in these posts—granted, one could argue that every single review we do is unsolicited, but let’s set that aside—and I think it comes from my conditioned instinct as an editor and also my innate desire to control things.  About 99 percent of the time, all suggestions go unheeded, probably because no one in any position of power actually reads or cares about them, but once in a blue moon, I get the thrill of being heard.

It’s all a delusion of grandeur in my mind, of course, since no one will change anything just because some upstart blogger suggests it.   More likely, it’s a matter of my just happening to tap into a problem so obvious that even the creators can’t really ignore it anymore.  I’m pretty sure that’s the case with my point back in the fifth episode, where I thought it was a waste the show didn’t capitalize on the legal/police drama it had going for it.

Giant-Size Astonishing X-Men #1 – Review

By Joss Whedon, John Cassaday, and Laura Martin

Had this book actually come out on time, my emotional response to its finale might have been stronger. But given that Kitty Pride’s fate was tossed out months before this issue hit the stands (in a pathetic attempt to keep continuity) just diminishes the whole point of this book. So how was the issue? Was it worth the wait? Should Joss Whedon be allowed to write comics given his sluggishly slow track records?

Well, I’m not sure who’s to blame for this book’s lateness – Whedon or Cassaday, but if it is Whedon, I say just stick to the television business. Because as much as I enjoy his writing in the funny books, his lack of dedication to keeping a schedule is disrespectful. If this is John Cassaday’s fault, well, congratulations on being another artist who’s excelled at disappointing his fan base with late work. End of rant.

The issue itself is a satisfying one  that would have had a greater impact had the series been released on a timely schedule. Picking up this book, I felt “out of it” from the get-go. I had to reacclimatize myself to the story and the situation before I could get into the book’s “groove”. Being that this is the last issue and lots of lives are at stake, the tension was sadly, offset by my knowledge of what’s already transpired. If you’re not a reader of Uncanny X-Men, you might not know what’s coming and this’ll play out as intended: A sad and jolting conclusion.

As much as the spoilage hurts the book, Whedon’s humor comes across again as clever and funny. This is something the X-Titles need more of. There’s a lot of great character moments – in particular a scene with Spider-Man smacking Storm that’s downright hilarious. The stuff with Beast and the Agent Brand, however? That felt a bit too Whedon-esque (or forced). I just don’t buy it. And frankly, it’s kind of gross.

Cassaday’s art is simple, and not so breathtaking as it used to be. It’s lost some of its luster, and the use of photographic backgrounds from the opening pages is jarring. As a whole, Cassaday’s work gets the job done. keeping the cohesion from the past 24 issues intact. The closure of this storyline is fitting, bringing things full circle, so to speak. I may not have been blown away by its conclusion, but other than maybe X-Men: Legacy,  this title is still miles away better than all the other X-Titles combined. (Grade: B)

– J. Montes

Serenity: Better Days #1 – Review

By: Joss Whedon & Brett Matthews (story), Will Conrad (art) & Michelle Madsen (colors)

Once more, I can watch Serenity fly again. It’s been a while, but the wait was worthwhile. Joss Whedon’s involvement makes this story official canon, setting it after the TV series and before the movie. And just like the TV show and movie, it delivers!

The story starts with the government (I presume) presenting an advanced flying robot prototype that can police the streets. It can be used for apprehension or elimination, plus it can nearly adapt to any terrain or situation warranted. This thing reminds me of the now imfamous debut of ED-209 from Robocop. You just know it’s going to get messy and something is going to go wrong.

This flying machine’s first test, is, of course, the Serenity crew after they’ve completed what seems to be a clean art heist. A high speed chasing ensue, leaving it up to Kaylee to save the day (as usual). From here, we get to see a steamy scene with Inara and an Alliance official, which ends in an exchange of steamy and revealing dialog. Later, the crew is doing business trying to sell the flying robot, but they’re forced to do the dirty work and fetch the money from elsewhere, they literally get a lot more than they bargained for.

The book gives a lot of references to the series, which is a good thing for fans. It’s magical how I can still hear the voices of the actors while reading the comic. It’s a testament to how well written the dialog is here. There’s an interesting feature at Dark Horse’s website, showing the different stages of the creation of this issue. Check it out! (Grade: A)

-Daniel Yanez

A Second Opinion

Love the paper stock! It’s thick, vibrant, and heavy. This book screams “high quality”. And that, we get. From the story to the art, everything is pretty much dead on faithful to the Firefly universe. This first issue alone is loads better than the combined entirely of the last series released by Dark Horse. It’s not just the silly predictaments the crew seems to always get themselves into, it’s the subtle traits of their characters that make this book so darn entertaining.

Too bad Adam Hughes didn’t do the interiors, because his cover art is just spot-on perfect.  My only complaint is the coloring. I hate it with a passion! Skin tones are too red, and a lot of the colors seem flat and dull. Someone please get a new colorist on board this series. It’s just painful. (Grade: B+)

– J. Montes

Astonishing X-Men #24 – Review

By: Joss Whendon (Writer), John Cassaday (Pencils)

This story was supposed to conclude this issue. Instead, Joss Whedon keeps us hanging on for a giant sized issue due out who knows when. It’s pretty disappointing too when you consider that virtually nothing forwards the story. What happens at the end of the book is the same as the beginning: The 10 mile long missile is still headed to Earth, the X-Men are still scrambling to stop it. Perhaps the only thing revealed to us is that the missile isn’t exactly a missile and the person Hank thinks may cause trouble for the X-Men is killed off.

The story flounders on all levels. Even Wolverine’s dialogue in this issue (“When do I get to be thrown again.”) comes off as stupid, failing to carry that Whedon charm that we’ve all come to expect. This is the first issue of Astonishing X-Men that I honestly didn’t like. So now what? We have to wait 2-3 more months for the conclusion that was due to us this issue?! Thanks for nothing, Whedon.

Oh, Cassaday’s artwork is lovely as expected. (Grade: D)

-J. Montes