Supurbia #12 – Review

By: Grace Randolph (writer), Russell Dauterman (art), Gabriel Cassata (colors)

The Story: Shapeshifters, man…shapeshifters…

The Review: At Comic-Con, Dan DiDio commented that he didn’t want his superhero stories to be about a marriage. I found that to be a reasonable statement that I didn’t totally agree with, but I can’t help but come back to it as I read this climactic issue of Supurbia.

Supurbia #12 is a prolonged final clash between the Meta Legion and the shapeshifting androids that have haunted the cul-de-sac since the series began. And while the stakes are certainly high enough – an attack from within, a sixteen issue threat brought to bear, loved ones in danger – the issue doesn’t go where you might expect.

In keeping with their nature, the shapeshifters’ methods are more insidious than your standard endgame opponent. Those looking for a stream of escalating apotheosis will largely be left disappointed, though Eli gets saved in a rather satisfying way. Indeed, if there’s a weakness to this issue it’s that it’s really a comic of ideas.

Supurbia #10 – Review

By: Grace Randolph (writer), Russel Dauterman (art), Gabriel Cassata (colors)

The Story: Ever wanted to see a naked Superman demolish a house? Well, have I got a comic for you!

The Review: Some of you may have heard Grace Randolph’s Superbia described as the Real Housewives of the JLA. Technically that’s true, but Superbia is so much more.

Indeed, there are very few moments in this issue where you’d think ‘I’m reading about the hero’s wife.’ Most of the women are either heroes themselves or serve as essential support staff to the spandex set. What’s more, gender balance is more even than you might think. Whether it’s Sovereign, Eli, or Agent Twilight the men are active participants in the story. I actually would have liked to see a little more of some of the female characters, Batu or her daughter, for instance.

In fact, I’d have liked to have seen more of any of the characters. Superbia is a comic about a community rather than an individual, however, this month we see the down side of having so many characters in play. The comic flits around every couple of pages, popping in on another member of the cast. Some, like Sovereign get a moment out of this, but all too often it just feels like the writer taking inventory.

The tragedy of this is that Randolph has two excellent superhero adventures to play with and a myriad of interpersonal dramas yet can’t pick one to devote the issue to. Past months have focused on Hector Hall’s abduction of Zari, but that plot line ends up a bait and switch as we transition to the shape-shifter plot just in time for the comic to end.

The Darkness #78 – Review

By Phil Hester (Writer), Nelson Blake II (Pencils), Ryan Winn (Inks), and Arif Prianto of IFS (Colors)

Some Thoughts Before The Review: I’m glad that it looks like Phil Hester is about to get The Darkness back on track. While I’ve enjoyed the re-launch of The Darkness quite a bit, there’s no denying that something has been missing.

The Story: Jackie wants to regain some measure of control and power. To do so he must take out the Sovereign…

What’s Good and What’s Not So Good: The Darkness #78 tells a cool little story that not only works well as a (temporary) conclusion to the Sovereign arc, but also as a standalone story about Jackie Estacado being a total badass. It’s clever, it’s brutal, and it’s written/framed in a way that effectively adds to Estacado’s mystique as someone that’s not to be messed with. In addition, The Darkness #78 does a nice job of setting up the near future of the series which, from the looks of it, seems to be all about getting back to what made Jackie’s story such a hit to begin with.

Nelson Blake II is the big surprise of the latest issue of The Darkness. I’ve seen Blake’s pencil work before, but I don’t recall it ever looking quite as good as it does in The Darkness #78. Thanks to Ryan Winn and Arif Prianto, Blake’s work is bright, clean, and stylish in a way works far better than you’d expect; considering what an issue of The Darkness normally looks like. While the art isn’t really a prime example of the typical “Darkness” style, it still proves to be a nice change of pace for the series.

Conclusion: The Darkness #78 isn’t groundbreaking or particularly exciting, but it delivers as a solid piece of entertainment. The art impresses and the writing effectively sets the stage for the next chapter of The Darkness.

Grade: B

-Kyle Posluszny

The Darkness #76 – Review

By Phil Hester (Writer), Michael Broussard (Pencils), Ryan Winn (Inks), and Benny Fuentes (Colors)

Some Thoughts Before The Review: I bailed on the third volume of The Darkness following the end of the first story arc. And to be honest, I’m not entirely sure why. Maybe it was the different art team or perhaps it was the less than engaging previews I had checked out. Whatever the reason, I decided to jump back on board after the series hit number seventy five and celebrated with a one-shot that offered up a pretty compelling glimpse of a possible future for the Top Cow universe.

The Story: While attempting to walk away from the Sovereign’s orders, Jackie Estacado falls under the spell of a beautiful woman with a red ribbon in her hair. Jackie quickly finds out that there’s more to the woman than meets the eye, and he finds out that there is quite a bit he has yet to learn about the legacy of the Darkness. And it could cost him his life.

What’s Good: For an extremely fast read, The Darkness #76 does quite a few things right. The artwork, though not without flaws, is pretty quite striking at times and does a nice job of visually carrying the story forward when there is little dialogue or narration to help out. The woman’s red ribbon is particularly worthy of note because Michael Broussard and his team do a great job of making it stand out in any panel it’s present in. And the effect helps to create a sense of uneasiness about both the woman and the desperation that drives Jackie toward his destination. As for the writing, Phil Hester effectively adds wrinkles to both the mythology of the Darkness and the character of Estacado. While the conflicted anti-hero is something of a cliché (and has been for some time), Estacado manages to remain compelling regardless of the baggage that the characters of his type tend to carry.

What’s Not So Good: While I didn’t feel ripped off, there is no denying how quick the latest issue of The Darkness ended. Whole pages went by without any dialogue, which really accentuated the inconsistent (sometimes silly) visuals. I mean, Jackie Estacado’s face seemed to change repeatedly throughout the book. At times, his particular case of moody angst seems to give him pouty Angelina Jolie lips. As it turns out, the unintentional hilarity really breaks the somber tone Hester and company seem to be going for.

Conclusion: While the wonky artwork proves at times, distracting, it doesn’t hurt the quality of an otherwise enjoyable comic too much. There is something about the fairly simple story and effective use of color that kept me glued to the pages. It definitely could have been better, but nonetheless, I liked it well enough.

Grade: B-

-Kyle Posluszny