All snark aside: This cover is absolutely gorgeous.
What has come before: technically nothing, since this is a prequel.
The folks at Top Cow have been doing a lot to try to lure new readers and lapsed fans back into the fold. They have been tying up dangling subplots in their comics in preparation for fans jumping (back) on board. They have been offering trade paperbacks at the introductory price of $9.99.Finally, they have been releasing the occasional one-shot like this one, a tale of one of the previous bearers of the Darkness in the late 19th century.
There’s a very mild spoiler in this review, so let’s meet up again after the break. (more…)
The irony of this book being released in time for Thanksgiving is not lost on me...
Premise: Tony Chu is a detective who gets psychic impressions from almost anything he eats. As an agent for the FDA (which has grown into a powerful agency in the wake of a devastating case of bird flu), he gets involved in cases that are even weirder than his psychic powers.
I tried describing this book to my girlfriend and she was revolted, so I’ll tell you up front that this book is not for everyone. However, if you are a fan of black humor, surrealism, and procedurals, this is a book that you cannot miss. Writer John Layman economically establishes a rich setting with a minimum of exposition (vital information is usually delivered with brief, Pushing Daisies-style flashbacks).
The most important characters are well-rounded and fully realized, and the cliche characters (such as Chu’s antagonistic superior officer) still manage to be entertaining. Plus, he is as deft with moments of side-splitting humor as he is moments of jaw-dropping horror.
He's keeping a running tally of all the continuity mistakes...
What has come before: Norman Osborn (formerly the Green Goblin, now the Iron Patriot) pretty much runs America. Clint Barton (formerly Hawkeye, now Ronin) seems to be more upset about this than anyone (even Spider-Man, oddly enough).
This comic dredges up some mixed emotions in me. I’ll get into it further after the break, as there are some spoilers contained herein.
What has happened before: The Kree and the Shi’Ar went to war again, this time lead by Earth-born conquerors (Black Bolt and Vulcan, respectively). The Kree won when Black Bolt set off a doomsday weapon that appeared to kill both Vulcan and himself. While all this was going on, the former Shi’Ar empress, Lilandra, was assassinated by what appears to have been Darkhawk.
If the War of Kings miniseries had a failing, it was that the ending was rather abrupt. Thankfully, this issue provided a much needed epilogue for this epic crossover. Writers Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning maintain their high level of quality output here, as does artist Paul Pelletier. Like their Secret Invasion: War of Kings one shot, this issue concisely sums up the previous crossover, tells a self-contained story, and provides all the necessary set up for the next crossover event. My only problem with it is that it makes me want to follow the upcoming Realm of Kings crossover, despite my crossover fatigue and rapidly shrinking comics budget.
Of course, if Marvel continues to publish transitional one-shots of such high quality, I may just skip the crossovers altogether and buy these every few months…
Olympus, a new limited series from Image comics, bleeds cool. The tale follows two brothers, Castor and Pollux, as they hunt down renegade divinities from the ever-popular Greek pantheon. Is it worth your hard-earned cash? Read on.
One of the first things that you may notice about Olympus is Christian Ward’s art. The pencils, as a whole, are a little inconsistent but the colors are simply stellar. I don’t think I’ve ever seen so many different tints and hues in one comic before and for the most part they really enhance the the characters and the story.
If I had to one word to describe the pencils, it would have to be “kinetic.” The characters always seem ready to leap off the page and the action sequences flow into each other with a grace that you rarely see in other comics. Ward’s skill with panel layout is a treat as well. The panels cater to the flowing movement of the pencils and infuse all of the action with a dynamic energy that’s awesome to see.
For the past few years, the issues of Detective Comics written by Paul Dini were at the top of my “to read” pile the Wednesday they came out. Gritty, snarky, and new-reader friendly, Detective was everything that a comic book should be. As his run continued, he did have to accommodate the occasional editorially-mandated crossover (such as “The Resurrection of Ras Al Ghul”), but immediately returned to his previous “done in one” method of storytelling. During the “Batman R.I.P.” event, he had written the uncharacteristically long 5-part “Heart of Hush” arc, which I would have liked a lot more had it been two issues shorter and about anyone but Hush, a character that I have little to no interest in. Then the Bat-Titles took a break, in order to get back on schedule.
Anyway, despite shaking the Batman titles to their very foundation, DC decided to keep Dini and Grant Morrison around to write the adventures of the new Dynamic Duo. Can Dini get great stories out of Dick Grayson like he did out of Bruce Wayne? (more…)
I’m not sure this is so much of a review as it is a rant. The last issue of Birds of Prey saw Barbara Gordon leaving the team to take care of some personal business. This personal business leads her to Gotham City and, conveniently, her part in The Battle for the Cowl. Needless to say it seems that DC is also intent on taking a once brilliantly written character down a few notches, both in quality and characterization. Only time will tell if the character will spiral further into cliche or once again rise to the status she once held.
If you are like me you’ve likely picked up a series or two not because they were great, but because you felt the need to have a complete collection. I slogged through these issues because of that obsessive compulsive need and I’m here to try and talk you out of doing the same. If you are curious about the story and want to pick it up: don’t. If I can’t convince you to do that, at least try the following:
1. Wait until the trade paperback.
2. Let someone else buy it, read it, and then immediately take it back to sell used, probably swearing all the way.
3. Pick up the copied used, after it has been reduced to a ridiculously low price and consigned to the ultra-bargain bin.
All told that if there is any justice in the world you should only have to wait a week for all of that to happen.
Faster than a Speeding Recap: Superman has moved to New Krypton to keep tabs on General Zod. He has been drafted into the Kryptonian Military and serves directly under Zod. Naturally, this is the kind of thing that the Green Lanterns of Space Sector 2814 would want to investigate. So here they are…
Let it be noted here that 3 June 2009 was a great day for comics. Aside from the comic I’m about to review, it also saw the release of Batman & Robin #1 (off to a great start), War of Kings #4 (some truly epic space opera), Mighty Avengers #25 (where Reed Richards & Henry Pym argue about whose… brain is bigger), and Secret Six #10 (Why aren’t you reading this title?!?). Even in some lofty company, this comic is still my pick of the week.
The Darkness: Shadows and Flame
What has happened before: The Kree and the Shi’Ar went to war again, this time lead by Earth-born conquerors (Black Bolt and Vulcan, respectively). The Kree won when Black Bolt set off a doomsday weapon that appeared to kill both Vulcan and himself. While all this was going on, the former Shi’Ar empress, Lilandra, was assassinated by what appears to have been Darkhawk.
Olympus
