New Suicide Squad #1 Written by Sean Ryan Art by Jeremy Roberts Colors by Blond Published by DC Comics The lineup up for the New Suicide Squad assembled by Mr. (Vic?) Sage is quite the Murderer’s Row. There’s Task Force X veterans Deadshot, Harley Quinn, and Black Manta back for another go as well as newcomer …
There aren’t many ethnic minority characters in comics, so there is something heartening about seeing Val-Zod, a person with dark skin, sporting a symbol as important to comics as that of the House of El. In the nightmare world of Earth 2, where the world’s greatest heroes are no more and the best of them has been corrupted by Darkseid, this young boy may be the best hope that world has.
Batman Eternal #13 Written by Scott Snyder and James Tynion IV Art by Mikel Janin and Guillermo Ortego, Cover by Dustin Nguyen Published by DC Comics James Gordon has not yet been freed from prison. Let that sink in for a moment. His interrogator at Blackgate Prison is not a fellow police officer but his …
Action Comics #32 Written by Greg Pak Art by Aaron Kuder, Colours by Will Quintania Published by DC Comics Superman is now public enemy no.1. Having been infected with the Doomsday virus in his last battle, the Man of Steel flees the authorities and heads into space. There, he hopes he can get a grip …
Wonder Woman #32 Written by Azzarello Art by Goran Sudzuka Cover by Cliff Chiang Published by DC Comics Brian Azzarello’s tale of Wonder Woman’s battle against the First Born is finally picking up pace. This is understandable considering Azzarello’s time on the title is coming to an end soon. In these final issues, time is …
Sinestro #1 Written by Cullen Bunn Art by Dale Eaglesham. Cover by Dale Eaglesham Published by DC Comics Thaal Sinestro is not a pleasant individual. A former Green Lantern who renounced his alleigance and would – eventually – become the leader of the feared Sinestro Corps, whose warriors would spread fear throughout the galaxy. However, …
For a while now, Astro City has been in what you might call a familiar rut. Not in a bad way, per se, but a period of distilling the core ideas and motifs of the series down, of perfecting the formula that made Astro City great. But something like this can only be done for so long before it gets stale, and thankfully it seems that Busiek and co. were aware of this, as Astro City #13 is nothing if not a shakeup, an experiment, a step out of the normal pattern. And also thankfully, it’s a darn good one.
Jeff Lemire and Mike McKone’s Justice League United #0 presents part one of a five-part story, making issue #1, the second comic DC has released this month, that is wrongfully billed as a first issue. It’s essentially just the second chapter of a quinary story arc. Following the “Forever Evil” crossover, Justice League United kicks off with a fresh spin and an alternative super team, set in Canada, and that includes several favourite B-list heroes, and 2 new characters never before seen.
Having a villain as the main character is something Astro City has indulged in before, on occasion, usually in the form of stories of redemption, like the early classic The Tarnished Angel. Issue 12 of the current series, The Deep Dark Woods, pulls a similar move, but the name of the game this time around isn’t redemption but addiction.
Superman Doomed, a DC Comics One-Shot that will be continued in Action Comics #31, has all the ingredients of a great comic. Cosmically powerful monster bent on destroying the earth? Check. A Man of Steel who is wrestling with the consequences of the choices he may have to make to defeat said monster? Check. Cameo appearances by other members of the Justice League? Check. Artwork that conveys the epic scope expected of a comic featuring Superman and Doomsday? Check. All of the ingredients are there. Somehow, though, it doesn’t quite come together.
Justice League United #0 Written by Jeff Lemire Art by Mike McKone Colored by Marcelo Maiolo Published by DC Comics First of all, I feel a bit odd as an American is reviewing a book that was originally called Justice League Canada for a Canadian website. Nonetheless, Justice League United #0 is a weird, little book filled with …
Astro City is a book (and a city, for that matter) populated largely by archetypes. While there are a few wholly original heroes and villains dotted about like bacon bits on a good pizza, for the most part what we get are thinly veiled variations on characters we already know. This is because Astro City is more concerned with the world and the normal people in it than the brightly colored people who fly about it in their longjohns, who for many stories are just set dressing. Astro City number 11, once you get to the heart of it, is about Doctor Strange and Wong.
Batman Eternal #1 Written by Scott Snyder and James Tynion IV Art by Jason Fabok Colored by Brad Anderson Published by DC Comics With a jaw dropping first page (actually the end of the whole Batman Eternal story), Batman Eternal #1 goes full throttle from the beginning and never lets up on the gas. Scott Snyder and James Tynion have …
With Astro City issue ten, Winged Victory’s current story arc has come to a close, with Vic finally confronting Karnazon, the villain responsible for slandering her name and kidnapping former students. As an ending to the story itself, the issue isn’t anything to write an epic sonnet about. A few keystrokes and the help of a plucky supporting character reveal the location of Karnazon’s base, and the big bad is dispatched with all the gravity and dramatic weight of someone shaking a leaf from the sole of their shoe. Readers looking for epic confrontations and climactic battles will be let down, but those readers will have missed the point somewhat, as Astro City has never been concerned much with action and excitement as it has with characters and ideas, and this issue exemplifies this.
Even though she was never a writer or artist, Karen Berger is one of the most influential people in comics. She has won three Eisner Awards for Best Editor and singlehandedly created the Vertigo imprint for DC Comics while recruiting some of comics’ greatest talents to work for DC (Alan Moore, Grant Morrison, Neil Gaiman). …
Arguably, no superhero has permeated the pop culture zeitgeist more thoroughly than Superman. Thanks to countless comic books, radio and TV shows, animated series, movies and merchandise, the character is essentially a household name. Alongside him through it all, since his very first appearance in Action Comics #1, all the way back in 1938, has …
Animal Man #28 Written by Jeff Lemire Art by Rafael Albuquerque Colors by Dave McCaig Published by DC Comics Poor Buddy Baker. Jeff Lemire has really put his family through the ringer. You can’t help but feel sorry for the guy. His son Cliff died in Rot Wars, his daughter has been drawn into the …
It would be very easy to call this issue a dalliance or distraction, similar to the previous one. Not entirely essential to the story, but just a bit of padding to bring it to four issues. While this claim may not be entirely false, it feels more like an organic part of Winged Victory’s storyline than the last issue, mostly by the virtue of actually putting more of its focus on events which directly affect Vic as a character, and not sidelining her so “Astro City” can have a “Batman vs. Superman” moment.
Man of Steel can best be described as inconsistent and certainly a missed opportunity. Now, with news of the mutated sequel coming in every week, it seems a good time to really explore these flaws.
The Filth #1-13 Written by Grant Morrison Penciled by Chris Weston Inked by Gary Erskine Colored by Matt Hollingsworth Published by Vertigo Comics The world of Grant Morrison and Chris Weston’s The Filth is a perverse one, a world hardly worthy of saving. The good guys fight for the status quo of a bland existence …
Teaming with frequent collaborator Frank Quitely, Morrison delivered a twelve part epic that pays tribute to Superman stories of the silver age, a time it seems more and more that the modern comics industry would rather forget. While other stories before and since tried to update Superman for a modern age, “All Star Superman”, in typical Morrison fashion, is enamored with the wild, weird days of Silver Age comics, and unflinchingly brings the “anything can go” attitude that defined them to modern readers.
Green Arrow #27 Writer: Jeff Lemire Art: Andrea Sorrentino Colours: Marcelo Maiolo Letters: Rob Leigh Publisher: DC Comics Purchase: http://www.dccomics.com/comics/green-arrow-2011/green-arrow-27 Let’s pretend for a second that Jeff Lemire’s run on Green Arrow is the comic book equivalent of a ‘bullseye’. Every issue thus far has hit its mark and then some. So here we are now, …
Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on a Serious Earth Writer: Grant Morrison Artist: Dave McKean Publisher: DC Comics 25 years ago and well before his celebrated seven year run writing various Batman titles, Grant Morrison and Sandman cover illustrator Dave McKean collaborated on the best-selling and mind bending Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on a Serious Earth. The …