SO MUCH COMICS!! SO MUCH OF THEM!!
Comics. Have I mentioned comics at all? Or how there is so much of them? Well I do my best to talk about them. All so much of them. Enjoy that here.
twitter.com/SoMuchComics:
My latest Kid Flash drawing. It’s NEW52 Bart!
I did his first costume, from issue #1, where he blew up with a quick-change over to his new costume from STAR Labs.
I’m really happy with how this turned out, and really happy with how my drawing’s progressed this past week.
Enjoying my newfound interest in art.
Here’s another Bart as Kid Flash.
And he’s colored too! I think I’m gonna keep doing this, even though my hand’s throbbing.
Looks like Bart’s not doing so well against whatever he was running from!
(How’d they catch up to him?)
Had some fun today pretending to be an artist during some down time at work.
Any guesses as to what he did this time?
You can now find my reviews on REAL COMIC GUYS!
And that’s not all! If you follow this Tumblr, you’ll get all sorts of the latest comic reviews, be it traditional American or manga!
AND THAT’S NOT ALL! They post the latest news in comics too!
WHAT MORE CAN YOU ASK FOR?!?!!
You can now find my reviews on REALCOMICGUYS!
And that’s not all! If you follow this Tumblr, you’ll get all sorts of the latest comic reviews, be it traditional American or manga!
AND THAT’S NOT ALL! They post the latest news in comics too!
WHAT MORE CAN YOU ASK FOR?!?!!
(photo source: Newsarama)
Batman & Robin: Peter J. Tomasi, Patrick Gleason, Mick Gray, John Kalisz, Pat Brosseau
I think this was my favorite issue so far. When I first started this series, I was disappointed because of the lack of progress in which we see Damian. Now I understand why. Tomasi is spinning an epic tale of trust, betrayal, and loyalty. And he’s leaving us with a surprisingly open-ended last page in this issue. There’s a lot of subtlety in this issue, I think, and we definitely get that feeling of “failure” that’s been so present so far in the January issues. First, let’s talk subtlety. A lot of this has to do with the art and layout of the pages. First of all, I love the drawings Damian had in his room. They’re truly disturbing, and have all the earmarks of a psychopath. I’m suddenly finding Damian to be an even more interesting character than I did before…and it’s helping to develop this side of Bruce Wayne that we’ve only seen glimpses of before, what with his previous Robins. Now, however, this is his true son…and so it’s a little different. It’s blood. It’s an obligation. An unconditional love, which Bruce is not used to as much. Next, that snake-like gargoyle Damian sits on in that first full splash, with the shadowy figures of the other statues, and Morgan, behind him. This is a beautiful page, and I don’t think I’ve seen Damian ever drawn more perfectly. He looks like a young kid, but he also has this weight to him…this predatory strength that truly underscores the buried nature within Damian. We go from that to Bruce’s monologue throughout the issue, which helps to really express how Bruce is really feeling about Damian and what’s happening with the mutiny. I really had to cheer for Bruce while reading this, because I believe him…this made me really believe he wants to do right by his son. The Ducard story was interesting, but I really wanted it to be shorter. It took up too many pages that could have instead been spent on the main story here. Besides, we didn’t even get into why Bruce regretted going along with the Ducards, unless it’s meant to be inferred, and if that’s the case then it was really a waste of time. So it seems like there really wasn’t a point to it all. By the time we’re done with that little flashback that taught us nothing, we only have four pages left of the book to show time between Morgan and Damian. Luckily, though, a very well-thought out layout was implemented by artist Gleason. The scene of Damian and Morgan infiltrating the foreign embassy was done with lots of smaller, wordless panels that show us a lot of action and time in that limited space. This is also that subtlety that I mentioned…with this style we really have to fill in some blanks and just let the action speak for itself. Like I said, there’s no dialog, and no narration, so it was a fresh little couple of pages where I could just enjoy what I was seeing. The failure part of this issue really sings loudly. I mean…Batman lost his son to a grave enemy, who is now training him to embrace that killer instinct. Doesn’t get much more “faily” than that. However, I did say that Tomasi leaves this surprisingly open-ended…and by that, I mean that Damian is shown with a gun in his hand, but he doesn’t act. That’s our cliffhanger (not to spoil anything), and I’m almost expecting Damian to suddenly turn the gun on Ducard and incapacitate him…this having been his plan all along. But I guess we’ll see. I’m not sure how happy with that I’ll be, should it happen next issue. I kind of want Damian to be struggling with everything so that it falls to Bruce to raise him right, and have a chance to make up for his mistakes. If Damian was just playing along in order to take Ducard down, then it doesn’t necessarily mean he’s learning from Bruce, just continuing to act out on his own - WHILE causing his father to freak out and chase him down. Although, that does sound like Damian to kind of “stick it to him,” and make him feel like a failure just to teach him a lesson. I guess we’ll have to wait until Valentine’s Day to see!
Batman & Robin #5, the verdict: Despite a lagging middle with the Ducard story, I felt this issue was really solid, and definitely added an interesting twist to the whole Damian equation. A lot of people dislike the newest Robin, but I’ve always liked the character because of how different he is from Batman. I’m glad we don’t have just another cookie-cutter of Batman to follow him around. That’s even mentioned in this issue, how wants to not be a replica of his father. That’s a lot more interesting than someone who always follows the rules and is so straight-edge he could split a hair. So I embrace the Damian character rather than boo him, and I end up liking him even more. He’s unpredictable, and that makes for a great opposition to Batman’s staunch rules and work ethic. I’m still concerned about the ending of this issue, and what it could lead to…but since I have no control over that, I guess I’ll just wait until I read #6 to find out what happens!
Swamp Thing: Scott Snyder, Yanick Paquette, Nathan Fairbairn, Travis Lanham
There’s a couple things I learned reading this issue. One was how much I missed those heads-on-backwards guys that we saw earlier in this series. The other was, no matter how ignorant I was to it, I’ve always wanted to see a three-headed cow torn to pieces by roots. Such is the bliss of Scott Snyder’s Swamp Thing #5. The art is just amazing…I love Paquette’s work, and I’m so glad he’s back on board. He really was missed. Just the twistedness of it, the horrific macabre we see, and - dare I say it? - OH THE HUMANITY!! The gore in this issue is fantastic, what with the animals that show up. Tell the truth, I wasn’t quite expecting to meet up with William yet, but it was a nice surprise, and I like where it went. I also had to let out a cheer when Alec finally tapped into the Green and used it to help Abigail. I also noticed…William kind of looks like Bart as Impulse, if he were drawn more realistically. But that’s neither here nor there. In line with the art compliments, we see some really great panels and panel layouts too. I love how the borders change from being bloody and significant to William and the Rot, to being sticks and branches significant to Alec. But then things go back to red and bloody as William celebrates some kind of victory, and he looks absolutely demented, I love it. I’m not quite sure what happened…but I think it has to do with what we saw in Animal Man this month, about the Rot infecting the Red. Here…it looks like the Rot somehow infected the Green or, more specifically, Alec. So…we’re back to that failure motif that’s been so prevalent this month. For a while, it didn’t seem like this issue would have it like the others do…but there it is, plain as day, at the end. “The rot has won!” The Parliament of Trees is in danger, and Alec Holland has felt the bitter sting of the Rot. This is all very interesting, and it felt very natural and real, the way things progressed between Abigail and Alec in this issue. He gave her some peaches. B*tches love peaches. So this, just like this month’s Stormwatch, and Animal Man, is definitely playing into the whole “End of the world!” that Eddie Berganza is talking about in the backs of the issues. There’s just this impending doom that cannot be avoided or ignored, and I’m really looking forward to seeing what happens next. Why, oh why, can’t these issues come out faster?!
Swamp Thing #5, the verdict: Yet another fantastic issue from the Swamp Thing team…and things start to get intense as the showdown begins, and Alec finally starts accepting his destiny. He explains a little bit about how he knows it’s always been there, and how he can really start to hear the Green, along with his own mind and voice. It sounds like things are coming together and merging into what we all know he’ll eventually become. Until then, though, can we please have more Alec Holland with glowing green eyes, please? That’s just amazing. As we all celebrate the beginning of the end of the world, let’s take a moment to appreciate what we have…and what we have is a fantastic series that’s been brought back to vigorous life by a fantastic writer and an incredible artist.
Stormwatch: Paul Cornell, Miguel Sepulveda, Allen Passalaqua, Rob Leigh
WOW. You guys, I apologize in advance…I feel like it’s going to be difficult for me to accurately review this issue without going completely geek crazy and just restating over and over how WONDERFULLY FANTASTICthis book is! I MEAN WOW. Stormwatch was good before, but this issue just takes the freaking cake. January, so far, has been a month of failure. I’ve talked about it before in the other reviews, and I’m going to talk about it again. Deal with it. To start us off with this issue, the second word of spoken dialog in this issue is “failed.” So we’re setting the tone quite plainly, it seems. Adam One has failed the Stormwatch team’s boss, The Shadow Cabinet, in the field by so characteristically freezing in the midst of all the terrible action with the giant creature. The Shadow Cabinet is not pleased…so they assist in shuffling him off his mortal coil (I really like that phrase, and I have no idea what it means…like, literally means. What is a mortal coil, anyway?), but they do this in order to bring him onto The Shadow Cabinet. So…interesting. I’m excited to see where that goes and how it develops, especially considering a theory I and a friend of mine have about the true origins of this Adam One character (see Paul Cornell’s Demon Knights for possible hints). That’s our first taste of failure in this issue. The second comes when Midnighter and Harry Tanner face off on the Eye — what?! You mean a cover depicting something that actually happens in the book!? So yes, there is a failure there, but I’ll let you read it to find out what it is. And you should, because the last page is, not only astounding, but it also says that the actions we’ve just read will have huge after-effects on the rest of the world. We’ll be seeing these effects in issues like Superman #6, and Grifter #7, and I really hope there’s more. But it is 2012. The so-called end of the world will happen this December, and it looks like DC is running wild with the idea. Anyway, aside from the failure motif (because I don’t want to seem like I’m linking that with this…), I have a question and I’m just going to ask it: are Apollo and Midnighter gay? Don’t get me wrong, I don’t think that’s a bad thing…I just want to know. I had that feeling last issue, with Midnighter touching Apollo’s face, and it’s even stronger here. They all but admit to it. I don’t know if this is a new thing, or if this was present in the previous iteration of “Stormwatch.” Anyway, just another way for Cornell to make these characters so unique and interesting. Finally, let’s take a moment to praise Sepulveda’s marvelous artwork, as I always do. This is absolutely no exception…and I practically ruined my issue by drooling all over it. As I stated before, he has a knack for destruction and making sure to include all of something’s construction in its destruction. The floating debris we see in the fight between Midnight and Harry Tanner is a great example — and Tanner’s energy swords are absolutely breathtaking. The fighting poses we see these two in are fantastic to look at as well. So clean and precise. You can really tell these two are expert fighters, and that’s important for us to believe and accept. The set pieces are better than ever here, with that beautiful cathedral and the excellently detailed foliage aboard the Eye. I also love the “Warehouse 13” room we see Apollo and Midnighter run through. I see tons of stuff here. It looks like there’s a Green Lantern ring, the ark of the covenant, and even a miniature xenomorph creature. And then there’s the wonderfully colored Shadow Cabinet character and his death pit. This book is just full of awesome.
Stormwatch #5, the verdict: I cannot stress this enough, everyone. DO. NOT. MISS. STORMWATCH. If you are not reading this book, you are depriving yourself of some of the best writing available right now. The characters are so unique and have such individuality and originality, that I’m always entertained by their actions and interactions. The story is just developing into something that will have huge reverberations on the rest of the DC universe, so there’s another reason to read it, so you’re in the know and not missing out. Finally, the universally outstanding art and coloring we see…it brings a sense of realism to the book that it so desperately needs. If you were reading this book, and its art were more cartoony or, we’ll say, less realistic…there’s no way it would fly. The outrageous and unbelievable situations we find this team in call for some kind of realism that we can relate to, and the art is where that is. Further, the action and plot…the things that are actually going on…are big enough and ambiguous enough that we as readers don’t entirely understand everything…which helps elevate the importance and magnitude that the Stormwatch team and mission has and shoulders. We can definitely feel like this is way over our heads and it’s all up to these people to save us, because there’s no way we could do it ourselves. Without Stormwatch, we are all doomed…which makes the last page of this issue that much more impactful. Every single month, this book gets better and better. It’s the series that’s setting the bar. It’s the title that other titles should be watching, learning from. It’s the comic book that stands apart from everything else available on the market right now. READ. STORMWATCH.
Static Shock: Scott McDaniel, Andy Owens, Travis Lanham, Guy Major, Khary Randolph, Emilio Lopez
Here’s what I like about this book: the beginning of every issue has taken place in a different setting than the ending of the last issue, even if just slightly. Last issue, Static was captured. Some could consider that a “cliffhanger,” if they wanted to. But what’s great here is that we have something fresh…picking up that cliffhanger isn’t like all the other books where it’s right where the last book left off, it accounts for some time that may have occurred in between. Like, here, we see Static is in a new location and underwater. That definitely didn’t happen last issue. And what I like most about this, I think, is how like an episodic cartoon it is. This is normally how a TV show would be written (at least a good one), with time moving forward in between episodes. See, now here’s what else is awesome about this — now we don’t have to suffer through the agony of “false” cliffhangers…where the character is in grave danger on the last page of last issue, and then the first one or two pages into the next issue, they get out of it so ridiculously easy that it feels like a cheat…like they were never in any danger at all. This is the kind of cliffhanger ending that I like. I think it’s neat, and I tip my gentleman’s hat to Scott McDaniel for it. Now, this book has another thing going for it that I really enjoy…and it’s the same thing I like about Eric Wallace’s Mister Terrific…and that’s the science nerd within the main character. Static may not be in the top 5 of the smartest people on the planet, but he’s still damn smart for a kid his age, and he loves science and tech. We see Static using science to escape what seems to be an almost impossible situation, and he’s so cocky about it too. Static really is a likable character. Anyway, we then see Piranha and the Slate Gang arguing over a security contract that I’m still a bit in the dark about. I understand that this was what all of this mess has been about this whole time, but I don’t know why they want the contract so badly. I can’t see what’s in it for them, or what they get out of it, besides possibly more tech and maybe some money. A member of the Slate Gang does say it has the potential to bring in billions of dollars. I just don’t see how. So it’s kind of a flat motivation in my eyes. Static’s sister Sharon is kidnapped while Static dreams with some really cool art, and Static leaves to try and find her. Meanwhile, Piranha’s behind the kidnapping and he and his newly superpowered goons kill one of the Slate Gang’s members. This was a cool scene, though a little confusing to me. It looks like Piranha, who was speaking in one panel, suddenly turns into the electric-powered Alkalie, who is saying the same thing and performing the action in the next panel. I know that’s not possible, because they’re two separate characters…but, then, that’s why it was confusing to me. It just didn’t seem to flow well. Guillotina forms a bond with Sharon, and we get to see a little of where she came from, and she suddenly seems like an alright person, if she weren’t working for Piranha. The Pale Man’s cover is almost blown, and Static destroys the Slate Gang’s tech hideout and contacts his compatriot Hardware, who assures him help is on the way. No surprise ending! No cliffhanger! See? A good comic can still be without these. It gives the issue a sense of finality, of completion. Whenever there’s something like a “to be continued” type thing, I never feel like I finished reading the comic, because there’s no resolution. I get the purpose of a cliffhanger ending…I just don’t have to like being inundated with them.
Static Shock #5, the verdict: There’s also a sense of failure in this book…as Static fails to protect his sister and she’s taken. It’s definitely not the same kind of “world-shattering” failure that we’ve seen in other issues this month, but it’s absolutely something that Static hates himself over. He feels the guilt and the disappointment, and, if anything does happen to Sharon, it will turn into the world-shattering failure that’s been so prevalent so far. So, I’m interested in these characters…I want to see where this goes…I’m just not entirely on board with the villains and their motivation yet. Sure, they could stand to gain tons of money (which would honestly be motive enough for me to be evil), but what’s the point of it all? Is this security contract something that Piranha’s good at? Is it something that will be easy for the money? Is it what he’s always wanted to do with his life? Will he become more influential and powerful by having the contract? To me, money alone is not a complete motivator. There needs to be subtext, and reason. So we’ll see if that crops up later. Overall, though, still a great book with a unique and fresh style.
Red Lanterns: Peter Milligan, Ed Benes, Diego Bernard, Rob Hunter, Nathan Eyring, Dave Sharpe
This was easily the best issue yet. I’ve been so upset at this damn series for dragging ass this whole time…I’ve been waiting for certain things to happen. I’ve been wanting to see certain things resolve. And I’ve waited. And waited. Always expecting something to happen with every issue I buy. But all I’ve received is in-fighting, disjointed visions, unrelated action, and more teases. I’ve felt, to be honest, strung along. Couple that with how I feel like this whole “spirit of vengeance” role the Red Lanterns are taking on is a complete crock, and we get a very unattractive series for me. I felt like I was wasting my money. However, it’s with this issue that things start to turn around and get interesting. The Red Lanterns are finally united and ready to fight. Atrocitus is ready and focused on a clear goal, instead of cowering at the thought of his corps rising up against him. And we finally see the Red Lantern I’ve been waiting for since issue #1. We still never see the “origin” story for Zilius, and I’m wondering if that was just forgotten or something. But we do get to see the rest of the story for Skallox and Ratchet. I have to say that I really sympathize with Ratchet, the poor guy. He makes a good point, too, which helps with the whole “vengeance” mission. It cannot be based on morals. They cannot choose to punish only the “evil,” which is something Atrocitus has already shown in past issues. There is no good and evil, they cannot see sides like that. I liked that…and it made the pill easier to swallow. I’m really confused about this whole Krona thing…and my panties would get all up in a bunch if it turns out Krona really is alive. Atrocitus himself states that it’s just about impossible…but he does consider that the being is a Guardian, and that they have lots of power that could possibly have saved him. So…does this mean that Hal never killed Krona? Will he be accepted back into the Green Lantern Corps? So I’m both happy and unhappy with this series now. Though, I feel cheated because I feel like we could have reached this point quicker…and without wasting all that time and my money. Am I bitter? I guess…. Maybe I’m really just not interested in this series anymore.
Red Lanterns #5, the verdict: I’m glad that we’re finally seeing the Red Lantern I’ve been wanting to see from the start, but we had to wait so long it doesn’t even feel worth it anymore. Though, I will say, that scene was very moving and quite emotional. I have nothing against Milligan - there’s no vendetta here, I know he can write a fantastic story - I’m just not happy with the product. Also, Atrocitus has never looked less like himself than in this issue right here. I’m super upset with how they changed his face. He looked much more imposing and badass pre-relaunch. I’m only recommending this book for die-hard Red Lantern/Lantern Corps fans and fans of Milligan or the creative team. Other than that, if you’re just curious, I can’t see why you would enjoy it, given knowledge of the mythos and canon of the content.
