Vertigo Quarterly: Cyan #1 – Review

By: Too many to list—or even to review. Just check out the issue.

The Story: It’s impossible not to feel blue after reading this.

The Review: Of all the showcase titles out in recent years, the ones from Vertigo have been the best by far, with a good mix of known and unknown writers confidently spinning self-contained yarns from the chosen motif. Until now, I haven’t had a proper appreciation for the choice of motif, which provides some degree of unity to what would otherwise be jumbles of disparate, unconnected stories. But revolving stories around a color doesn’t quite do the same trick.

The big difference is that a color is an abstract concept in comparison to, say, witches or ghosts, which are somewhat more defined, even if a writer takes the notion in some radical direction. In theory, you can write any story and shoehorn a bit of cyan in there, which is what a lot of the features in this issue do, whether it’s Shaun Simon’s unconvincing “Serial Artist” or a metaphysical numbers extravaganza in Mony Nero’s “Much Ado About Nothing.” It’s easy enough for the colorists to dab a bit of sharp light blue in any given feature, but difficult to grasp the color’s effect on the story.

Morbius the Living Vampire #7 – Review

By: Joe Keatinge (story), Valentine de Landro/Felix Ruiz (art), Antonio Fabela (colors)

The Story: Two of the most unappealing and unattractive characters team up. What did you expect?

The Review: Is it any wonder that this title is scheduled to be cancelled with issue #9? This title has been a slow-motion train wreck since it started.  This issue is simply another nail in the coffin (no pun intended).  This comic is such a disaster that I don’t know where to start.

That’s not true – I know exactly where to start. From the jump, the writer has had absolutely no concept of who this character is. Keatinge has ignored decades of character development in order to slap together this “vampire as the noble hero” in, of all places, Brownsville, Brooklyn, New York.  What the heck?!

Anyone that has spent ANY time in Brownsville knows that it is the LAST place Morbius would be found, much less acting as its “protector”. What were they thinking? A European scientist that has spent the better part of his life fighting against supernatural horror beings and searching for a cure to his blood dyscrasia is now suddenly the self-proclaimed protector of Brownsville?!

I spent several months as a medical student at Brookdale hospital in Brownsville and I promise you that no self-respecting vampire would be caught dead (pun definitely intended) in Brownsville. A European super-scientist would simply find nothing to challenge his intellect in Brownsville, not when Manhattan is a subway ride away. It’s as if a superhero decided to become the protector of Parma, but ignore the problems of Cleveland.

DC Universe Presents #18 – Review

By: Joe Keatinge (story), Federico Dallocchio (art), Allen Passalaqua (colors)

The Story: A village threatened by oppression—and one lone outlaw comes to save the day.

The Review: Two things you ought to know about me: first impressions count a long way with me (probably more than they should, come to think of it), but to make for that fact, I tend to bend over backwards giving folks the benefit of the doubt—even if the red flags are waving that they are, in fact, crazy people.  I think this comes across in my reviews.  I’ve forgiven and shown loyalty to many a writer based on one good showing.

Joe Keatinge really impressed me with his deft handling of Arsenal in last month’s DC Universe Presents, so I was quite eager to see what he could do with the archer’s alien bombshell of a teammate.  Starfire is such an obvious piece of cheesecake, especially nowadays, with her ever-revealing outfit, that it’s hard to take her seriously.  You can call her warrior princess and give her all the powers you want, but she’ll seem like Beyoncé with flaming hair and orange skin.

Morbius The Living Vampire #2 – Review

By: Joe Keatinge (Writer), Richard Elson (Artist), Antonio Fabela (Colorist), Clayton Cowles (Letterer)

The Review: If it seems like a long time since the first issue of Morbius: The Living Vampire came out that’s because…well, it was. The most conspicuously late shipping book on Marvel’s slate at the moment is (of course) Uncanny Avengers, but Morbius has probably just nabbed second place – #2 has arrived just under two months since the title’s launch. And right now, that’s probably the most interesting thing about it…

Which is a shame.  Morbius, much like X-Men: Legacy, has positioned its minor league hero in a interesting place; a largely self-contained corner of the Marvel Universe where the character can develop at his own pace, carve a successful niche and, hopefully, garner a loyal critical and commercial following in the process. Instead it’s floundering, and floundering hard. With a fairly glum and uninteresting story, a cut-out cast of characters and a bland, detached art style it is, quite possibly, the worst book to yet come out of Marvel NOW.

DC Universe Presents #17 – Review

By: Joe Keatinge (story), Ricken (art), Pete Pantazis (colors)

The Story: Arsenal proves that you can do a lot with a quarter if you know how to use it.

The Review: I hadn’t planned to review this issue so soon; after all, it wasn’t as if DC Universe Presents was ever much of a hot title before now.  But when I went to pick it up at my favorite comic book shop on Wednesday, I was surprised to discover it had sold out.  Seriously?  I then made a call to my back-up comic book shop, who informed me (on Thursday morning!) that they only had one copy left, which is the one I eventually bought with no little amazement.

I can’t say I completely understand what made this particular issue of DC Universe Presents such a must-buy, but I have some thoughts.  Surprisingly, Red Hood and the Outlaws is actually one of the most popular titles from DC (ranking in the top 25 for the last few months).  Besides his starring role in that title, Arsenal has also figured pretty prominently in Young Justice, so he’s got quite a bit of exposure lately.

Morbius The Living Vampire #1 – Review

By: Joe Keatinge (Writer), Richard Elson (Artist), Antonio Fabela (Colorist)

The Story: Morbius gets to Brownsville and try to explain his choice to himself while he gets in big trouble with the locals there.

The Review: Suspension of disbelief is a wonderful thing in comics. It is something that makes us forget the fact that most things we see in superheroes adventures are impossible, making us enjoy the sheer concepts and thoughts behind them. It can also make us forgive some small plot holes in favor of how some situations or characters could develop. Truly, it is a marvelous thing. However, there are some times when the suspension of disbelief of readers can be stretched too much, leading to severe plot holes or inconsistency in character or continuity which can hinder the work done by a creative team on some book.

This is unfortunately the case in the first issue of Morbius’ adventures, as there are several actions done by the main character and his entourage that makes absolutely no sense at all considering the background of Morbius the living vampire.