Demon Knights #2 – Review

By: Paul Cornell (writer), Diógenes Neves (penciller), Oclair Albert (inker), Marcelo Maiolo (colorist)

The Story: You know, the T-bones of T-Rexes make s’good eatin’.

The Review: Anyone who’s watched almost any episode of Seinfield  knows that when you have a group of characters that vibrant and diverse, you can be entertained watching them do pretty much nothing.  And that is pretty much what Seinfield fans did, episode after episode, for years.  While the show’s lack of sentimentality made it a bit harder for the characters to capture hearts, nevertheless, a lot of people became attached to the sheer force of their personalities.

Demon Knights has just about the most entertaining and engaging cast of all the new DC titles, with the added bonus of being set against a particularly fertile ground for imaginative storytelling.  If you have a comic whose opening includes a two-page splash of fire-breathing dinosaurs in armor, and Vandal Savage exclaiming with a manic gleam, “Excellent!  I haven’t eaten one of these in centuries!”—well, something’s going right for you, that’s for sure.

Demon Knights #1 – Review

By: Paul Cornell (writer), Diógenes Neves (penciller), Oclair Albert (inker), Marcelo Maiolo (colorist)

The Story: Don’t be fooled into thinking you’re playing WoW—this is a comic you’re reading.

The Review: It just occurred to me that I’ve spent quite a bit of time on this site discussing any number of fictional genres: sci-fi, pulp, noir, romance, thriller, and on and on.  One we haven’t really covered is fantasy, by which I mean your classic, dungeons-and-dragons, wizards and knights stuff.  Of all the titles between the Big Two, only Thor sort of counts as the kind of fantasy we’re talking about, and the genre doesn’t fare much better among the indies.

Enter Cornell’s Demon Knights, which can’t possibly fit the bill better unless it established the genre itself.  It even starts from the very paragon of fantasy stories, Camelot, but rather than poach off that already overdone mythos, this issue uses it as a jumping-off point, a way to understand how the glory of King Arthur’s reign gave way to the present grimness our heroes exist in now.  And since some of them have their origins in Camelot, it’s a fitting start indeed.

Two of them should look pretty familiar: supernatural superstars Jason Blood (alter-ego: Etrigan the Demon) and Madame Xanadu, who, at this juncture of their immortal lives, come about as fresh-faced as it’s possible for them to be.  Jason retains his resignation as a cursed host of the demon, but the young Xanadu has none of her farseeing airiness.  In its place, Cornell gives her a lively candor (“I say again, my love—my arse.”) and promiscuity.  Fun as it is to read her blunt style of repartee, it’s even more fun to see her cheat on Jason with his demonic alter-ego.

Flashpoint: The Canterbury Cricket – Review

By: Mike Carlin (writer), Rags Morales (penciller), Rick Bryant (inker), Nei Ruffino (colorist)

The Story: We’re going to need a real big can of bug repellent

The Review: Originality is hard to come by in fiction nowadays.  To even grasp at the tail end of novelty, writers need the guts to plunge into the weirdness pool and fish out whatever fresh ideas they can get.  Done right, those ideas can move beyond the strangeness of their conception and produce a great story on their own right.  Otherwise, you just get a hodgepodge of promising details that never gel their potential together into anything substantial.

That’s much the case with the Canterbury Cricket, an undoubtedly odd character with an equally bizarre origin.  But for all its weirdness, the retelling of how he came into existence is strangely unarresting, and it takes up the vast majority of the issue.  On the day of the Amazon invasion into Britain, chauvinist Jeramey Chriqui takes refuge in the Canterbury Cathedral, which the warrior women destroy.  From the ashes rises a shockingly well-mannered cricket-man, a transformation he claims is as divine as the place where it takes place.

Vaguely interesting, but sluggishly told, then unwisely followed up by a pointless anecdote about his first team-up effort.  Again, Carlin presents an idea that’s far more intriguing in theory than execution: a group of “Ambush Bugs,” whose roll call includes all the insect-themed heroes and villains in the DCU: Queen Bee, the Cockroach, Firefly, and Blue Beetle.  We don’t see how the group gathers, nor do we have a firm handle on their goals, other than to annoy the Amazons, which they carry out rather ineptly, resulting in their near-immediate defeat.

Cricket tells his sorry tale to some present-day members of the British resistance, a group whose most recognizable figure is the crusty Etrigan, the Demon (“Continue to make that infernal racket / and everything inside that heart / can be skilled from your skin-jacket / all ‘round these wooded parts!”), who leads the hair-extending Godiva, the Creeper-like Wicked Jinny Greenteeth, and Mrs. Hyde.  Colorful characters, to be sure, but since we only get to see a couple pages of them in action, they do little more this issue than act as Cricket’s rapt audience (better them than me!).

Secret Six #33 – Review

by Gail Simone (script), J. Calafiore (art), John Kalisz (colors), and Travis Lanham (letters)

The Story: The Six fight for their (after)lives against Prince Ragdoll and his legion of demons.

The Review: Secret Six has been on absolute fire lately, and the conclusion of this latest, and very strong, arc comes to a rousing conclusion without any letdowns whatsoever.  Quite honestly, this is one of those issues where there’s just so much to rave about.

Perhaps the first and most crucial thing to touch upon, however, is how Simone once again taps not just the awesome team dynamic of the seeks, but the emotional ties that bind them together.  Scandal’s decision between Knockout and her team as well as Ragdoll’s recognition of his having a new family are definite highlights that really hit home.  It never ceases to amaze just how emotionally powerful Secret Six can really be.

Each character also has their moment.  Catman, for instance, meets his mother again and it’s one of the best scenes of the series.  Confronted with a grotesque and bloodthirsty torturer for a parent, the resulting scene is both repulsive and touching.  It feels so, so wrong for this to be a feel-good moment for Catman and this comic, but that’s what it is, and the disturbing paradox is testament to Simone’s skill.

Or what about Deadshot?  Once again, badassery looms in his whole-hearted dedication to almost anarchic violence.  Simone again uses Deadshot’s complete ambivalence to matters of life and death as a means of showing that, at his heart, he does actually care about his team.  Much like with Catman, it’s another paradox that works so, so well.

Wednesday Comics #7 – Review

Batman by Brian Azzarello (writer), Eduardo Risso (artist) – Sure it looks good and the dialogue has that scathing snap I’ve come to expect from the creator of 100 Bullets, but I’m shocked at how boring this story is.  I can’t blame Azzarello for not wanting to do a standard superhero story, but even for crime fiction this falls far below the quality he’s capable of.  Grade:  C-

Kamandi by Dave Gibbons (writer), Ryan Sook (artist) – Easily one of my favorite stories.  Sook’s artwork is gorgeous and epic and I’m making it my mission to follow his stuff from now on.  I adore Gibbons’ decision to not use dialogue because it makes me feel like I’m reading a prose adventure story and not a one page comic strip.  I’d love to see these guys do a monthly Kamandi series when this is over!  Grade:  A

Superman by John Arcudi (writer), Lee Bermejo (artist) – While Bermejo’s art benefits from the larger page size and conveys a wonderful sense of action, Arcudi’s script is flat and his characterization of Superman is one of the most painful I’ve ever read.  This is THE icon of DC Comics, and deserves a much better story than this.  Grade:  C-

Deadman by Dave Bullock and Vinton Heuck (writers), Dave Bullock (artist) – I did not expect to enjoy this story, but this is turning out to be a seriously wild ride, full of invention and mad energy.  Bullock uses the oversized page to have some serious fun with his art, as evidenced by this week’s sick splash page.  As with Kamandi, if these guys were to do a monthly Deadman series, I would gladly pay for it.   Grade:  B+

Green Lantern by Kurt Busiek (writer), Joe Quinones (artist), Pat Brosseau (colorist) – I’ll admit I’m rather confused as to why Busiek chose to set this story in the past… Perhaps because the idea of an astronaut being turned into a space monster is more plausible when it happens in the early days of our space program.  Either way, this is a straight forward story with really enjoyable art and stunning colors.  Grade:  C+

Metamorpho by Neil Gaiman (writer), Mike Allred (artist) – Of all the stories in this anthology, this is the one I was most looking forward to, and sadly most disappointed with.  I love the writer.  I love the artist.  You’d think the two would come together to tell a truly fantastic story, but they seem more concerned with paying homage to Silver Age antics. Too bad.  Grade:  C-

Teen Titans by Eddie Berganza (writer), Sean Galloway (artist) – This story, along with a few others, highlights a major problem I have with Wednesday Comics, which I’ll address shortly in an upcoming installment of Don’t Believe the Hype! This story reads like an extended episode of the Teen Titans cartoon, but I don’t think that sensibility translates as well onto the printed page, especially when you’re doing one page a week.  Grade:  C

Strange Adventures by Paul Pope – Yes, yes, yes!!!  This is what I want all Wednesday Comics stories to be like, bursting with madness, awe, and wonder.  Pope’s art is exotic and looks like something torn from the pages of Heavy Metal, a perfect choice when illustrating a beautiful space opera like this.  Here again, I would pay good Yankee dollars for a monthly Pope Adam Strange series.  DC, are you paying attention!?  Grade:  A+

Supergirl by Jimmy Palmiotti (writer), Amanda Conner (artist) – This story was clearly not intended for me, and I’m cool with that.  Conner is such an amazing artist; her illustrations are consistently expressive and beautiful to look at.  Palmiotti’s script is  sugary sweet, perhaps a little too much even for young female readers this was intended for. I’m curious to know if that demographic is actually reading this.  Not a bad story for what it is though.  Grade:  B

Metal Men by Dan Didio (writer), Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez (artist) – Nevermind that Metal Men is an incredibly stupid, outdated concept that stopped being relevant forty years ago, what I want to know is why DC keeps bringing them back!?  Didio’s story reads like a vanity project, and is barely kept alive by Lopez’s serviceable art.  Grade:  D

Wonder Woman by Ben Caldwell – Who the fuck commissioned this?  Caldwell, an otherwise wonderful artist whose style looks like something from a really good Disney movie, repeatedly shoots himself in the foot here with claustrophobic page layouts that completely destroy his art and render his story incomprehensible.  Incredibly bad storytelling, which is a real shame because so much more could have been done with the character.  Grade:  F

Sgt. Rock by Adam Kubert (writer), Joe Kubert (artist) – A refreshing addition to the anthology and a solid war story, as told by comic book royalty.  Joe Kubert, best known for his prior work on Sgt. Rock, returns to the character without missing a beat.  His art is appropriately grim and gritty, and Rock looks like a man who’s stared into the face of death too many times to count.  I’m really glad they chose to include this story.   Grade:  B

The Flash by Karl Kerschl and Brenden Fletcher (writers), Karl Kerschl (artist) Iris West by Dave McCaig (writer), Rob Leigh (artist) — Part superhero story, part romance comic, and partly successful.  I understand what these guys were trying to do and I applaud the attempt, but for me it’s not quite working.  Frankly, I would have preferred this as a smartly written romance comic. I’am disappointed at the fact that they felt it necessary to include a superhero plot.  Grade:  C

The Demon and Catwoman by Walter Simonson (writer), Brian Stelfreeze (artist) – Despite being an incredibly unusual pairing, I think this is one story that has been getting better every week.  As represented by the main characters, the story is part crime caper, and part supernatural weirdness, and entirely satisfying.  Grade:  B

Hawkman by Kyle Baker – Another story that has not once disappointed me.  Baker’s art is wildly inventive and takes full advantage of every page.  There is something going on with the colors that gives the art a dark, overcast look, but the effect does little to detract from the quality of the art.  Grade:  A-