IGN.com has a new Reader Reviews section and they featured my review for Echoes #4!
After you click the link, scroll down to Echoes #4 and leave a comment!
http://comics.ign.com/articles/115/1158642p4.html
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Week of 3/30/11 Reviews: Echoes, Green Lantern, and more!
Week of 2/28/2011
Good O'l Reviews are regular long-form reviews that I will do from time to time on noteable books in addtion to my regular, shorter Reviews in 140.
Butcher Baker (#1)
He’s pig-headed and he likes women. So what?
Art by Mike Huddleston
Butcher Baker is a patriotic-looking, lewd-mouthed sex fiend that comes perilously close to being a cheap imitation of Alan Moore’s Comedian from Watchmen. If a panel does not depict him drinking booze, doing drugs, or getting down with several women, it’s because he’s too busy discussing a black ops mission with a government agent and, of all people, Jay Leno. He is shown punching Osama Bin Laden in the head, too.
When all of this comes together, it makes for a rushed first issue that tries too hard to rest on the laurels of past satirical comics that did a good job of being entertaining, pertinent, and funny. The writing seems to focus on Baker being pitched a mission to blow up a super villain prison, but then quickly jumps into a messy montage - Baker being chased by a police officer while driving a red, white, and blue truck that would make Optimus Prime jealous - and quickly loses coherence.
Artist Huddleston cannot be blamed for the mess, as his stylized action scenes are a high point of the issue. His attention to detail is admirable when it matters, but he also knows when to pull back and show the scale of the Baker’s whereabouts as he approaches the prison. With such quality art, it is a shame that Casey does not make Baker seem interesting until an unexpected revelation on the last page.
Score: 6.5/10
Caligula (#1)
A peasant wants to kill an emperor, and he just might get his way.
Written by David Lapham (@DavidALapham)
Art by German Nobile
Roman Emperor Caligula is best known for his brutality, lavishness, and sexual depravity, which are all shown in full gory detail in this first issue by Lapham, who is no stranger to writing about men disemboweling each other in his gruesome yet successful Crossed series.
Lapham takes his time to set up the motivation for young peasant Junius to exact revenge on Caligula, who raped and murdered every member of his family, but not always in that order. While the imagery by Nobile shows highly detailed decapitated bodies and gutted corpses, it is the narration deftly written by Lapham that keeps the focus not on the violent acts, but on the insanity of the man behind them. Junius is the everyman who has it out for a madman, and it is this stark opposition that makes the story feel like an insider report of what it was like to be under a lunatic Emperor’s rule.
The writing is rich with Roman terminology that might seem pretentious in another writer’s hands, but here it adds a subtle flavor to the proceedings that sell it as a period piece. With such a realistic setting, the supernatural twist at the end might startle some, but the adept storytelling is bound to make them come back for more.
Score: 8 out of 10
Echoes (#4)
A schizophrenic uncovers a startling truth, but is it all in his head?
Written by Joshua Hale Fialkov
Art by Rashan Ekedal
Reviews in 140 are comic reviews in 140 characters or less; done this way to satisfy a world of Twitter-fied readers who want a quick overview of a comic and a rating so they can decide if it’s worth buying at the store each week.
Green Lantern (#64) - 7/10
Green Lantern: Emerald Warriors (#8) - 8/10An intimate rivalry gives this issue heart, but Hal is drawn hollow and wooden.
Good O'l Reviews are regular long-form reviews that I will do from time to time on noteable books in addtion to my regular, shorter Reviews in 140.
Butcher Baker (#1)
He’s pig-headed and he likes women. So what?
Art by Mike Huddleston
Butcher Baker is a patriotic-looking, lewd-mouthed sex fiend that comes perilously close to being a cheap imitation of Alan Moore’s Comedian from Watchmen. If a panel does not depict him drinking booze, doing drugs, or getting down with several women, it’s because he’s too busy discussing a black ops mission with a government agent and, of all people, Jay Leno. He is shown punching Osama Bin Laden in the head, too.
When all of this comes together, it makes for a rushed first issue that tries too hard to rest on the laurels of past satirical comics that did a good job of being entertaining, pertinent, and funny. The writing seems to focus on Baker being pitched a mission to blow up a super villain prison, but then quickly jumps into a messy montage - Baker being chased by a police officer while driving a red, white, and blue truck that would make Optimus Prime jealous - and quickly loses coherence.
Artist Huddleston cannot be blamed for the mess, as his stylized action scenes are a high point of the issue. His attention to detail is admirable when it matters, but he also knows when to pull back and show the scale of the Baker’s whereabouts as he approaches the prison. With such quality art, it is a shame that Casey does not make Baker seem interesting until an unexpected revelation on the last page.
Score: 6.5/10
Caligula (#1)
A peasant wants to kill an emperor, and he just might get his way.
Written by David Lapham (@DavidALapham)
Art by German Nobile
Roman Emperor Caligula is best known for his brutality, lavishness, and sexual depravity, which are all shown in full gory detail in this first issue by Lapham, who is no stranger to writing about men disemboweling each other in his gruesome yet successful Crossed series.
Lapham takes his time to set up the motivation for young peasant Junius to exact revenge on Caligula, who raped and murdered every member of his family, but not always in that order. While the imagery by Nobile shows highly detailed decapitated bodies and gutted corpses, it is the narration deftly written by Lapham that keeps the focus not on the violent acts, but on the insanity of the man behind them. Junius is the everyman who has it out for a madman, and it is this stark opposition that makes the story feel like an insider report of what it was like to be under a lunatic Emperor’s rule.
The writing is rich with Roman terminology that might seem pretentious in another writer’s hands, but here it adds a subtle flavor to the proceedings that sell it as a period piece. With such a realistic setting, the supernatural twist at the end might startle some, but the adept storytelling is bound to make them come back for more.
Score: 8 out of 10
Echoes (#4)A schizophrenic uncovers a startling truth, but is it all in his head?
Written by Joshua Hale Fialkov
Art by Rashan Ekedal
Fialkov again proves his mastery of writing an unreliable narrator that the reader desperately wants to believe. Main protagonist Brian has been led to think that his father is a murderer who cuts up small girls and sews them back together; he also thinks that he has inherited this horrendous trait.
The tension is constantly on the rise as Brain sees visions of murdered children and feels the sidewalk turn to a pit of stitched-up hands ready to pull him under, but it is quickly shown in Ekedal’s haunting pencils that this is all in his head. Brain suffers from schizophrenia, a trait also inherited from his father, and every interaction he has with a character must be second-guessed by the reader to whether it is reality, a mirage, or something in between. But that is where the fun is in reading a story where the main character could be a horrible murderer or an innocent victim.
It is Fialkov’s intimate knowledge of mental disorders and their side effects that allows him to craft an ingenious, unexpected, delightful twist at the end that makes one wish this was not a limited series with one issue left to go.
Score: 8.5 out of 10
The tension is constantly on the rise as Brain sees visions of murdered children and feels the sidewalk turn to a pit of stitched-up hands ready to pull him under, but it is quickly shown in Ekedal’s haunting pencils that this is all in his head. Brain suffers from schizophrenia, a trait also inherited from his father, and every interaction he has with a character must be second-guessed by the reader to whether it is reality, a mirage, or something in between. But that is where the fun is in reading a story where the main character could be a horrible murderer or an innocent victim.
It is Fialkov’s intimate knowledge of mental disorders and their side effects that allows him to craft an ingenious, unexpected, delightful twist at the end that makes one wish this was not a limited series with one issue left to go.
Score: 8.5 out of 10
Reviews in 140 are comic reviews in 140 characters or less; done this way to satisfy a world of Twitter-fied readers who want a quick overview of a comic and a rating so they can decide if it’s worth buying at the store each week.
An exciting start with some startling imagery, despite the overuse of Parallax.
Green Lantern Corps (#58) - 7/10
The Parallax gimmick is already old, but Kyle's constructs make for some dazzling art.
Green Lantern: Emerald Warriors (#8) - 8/10An intimate rivalry gives this issue heart, but Hal is drawn hollow and wooden.
Monday, March 14, 2011
There Will Be Only Three!
The final setup issue to the War of the Green Lanterns is out, but the only part I find remotely interesting about this event is that the Book of the Black has teased that by the end of the event, there will only be three Earth GLs remaining.
That means either John Stewart, Guy Gardner, Kyle Rayner, or Hal Jordan will no longer be a Green Lanern. One could imagine that one will die, but I'd hate to restrict the possibilities so obviously. Also, "dead means dead" now in the DCU, so killing a character is a huge deal since (for now) there are no take-backs. I could see one retiring from the Corps. Perhaps one will jump ship to another colored Corps? Probably not, since Corps intermingling has been restricted purely to Hal Jordan, who has been every color lantern except violet (since he's not a woman) and Indigo (because he hates walking sticks), but I wouldn't be surprised if he eventually found a way around that in order to make more action figures.
So let's run through each Earth GL and explore the possibilities.
Hal Jordan - Geoff Johns has spent years rebuilding, refreshing, and reinvigorating the character of Hal Jordan, so to off him at the height of his popularity, especially with a movie on the way in June, would be an awful idea. He has already gone the self-destructive route once and died for his sins, so to retread that ground would be an insult to the character and a borefest to the fans. Hal will remain alive and green, if only for financial reasons.
Guy Gardner - Guy is the one character who is hot-headed enough to make a decision that would get him killed, but that's what makes him so interesting, and it always pays to keep characters like that around. Besides, he just got his own book, Emerald Warriors, so unless DC wants to cancel that series right as it is getting off the ground, Guy most definitely isn't going anywhere. There is a possibility that he could join the Red Lantern Corps. Everyone seems to love the Reds and they are by far the most popular of the new Corps, so much so that there is going to be a new Red Lantern Corps book coming out later this year. But like I said, this would deter from EW and make having two books about a Red Lantern redundant. Guy isn't going anywhere.
John Stewart - John has sadly become nothing more than a supporting character in the GL books. Kyle manages to outshine him even if they have the same amount of on-page time in the GL Corps book. This doesn't bode well for his chances since a character who isn't pulling his weight is most assuredly more intersting dead. If he were to become another colored Lantern, I'd have trouble believing it, since he more than anyone else embodies pure willpower (yes, even Hal).
Kyle Rayner - Kyle's romance with Soranik Natu and the excellent tension that Sinestro puts on their relationship is a highlight of the GL Corps book. Also, because he is the youngest of the Earth GLs, he is a constant joy to read because of how he is always learning and growing. Even though he has accomplished more than any of the other Earth GLs put together (becoming Ion, re-building the GL Corps), lately he has not been at the forefront of any big GL stories due to Hal's re-emergence. That hurts his chances of surviving. But he did already die for a hot second during Blackest Night, so to kill him again for real would just be outright character abuse. Now, if he were to join another Corps, I would buy him joining the Indigo Tribe or the Blue Lanterns, since he embodies compassion and hope moreso than any other Earth GL. Kyle's future is uncertain.
Kyle or John is going to be ousted from the GL Corps by the end of War of the Green Lanterns, either to the grave or to another role entirely. I am eager to see who winds up where, since Krona has proven to be as interesting a villain as Shark.
That means either John Stewart, Guy Gardner, Kyle Rayner, or Hal Jordan will no longer be a Green Lanern. One could imagine that one will die, but I'd hate to restrict the possibilities so obviously. Also, "dead means dead" now in the DCU, so killing a character is a huge deal since (for now) there are no take-backs. I could see one retiring from the Corps. Perhaps one will jump ship to another colored Corps? Probably not, since Corps intermingling has been restricted purely to Hal Jordan, who has been every color lantern except violet (since he's not a woman) and Indigo (because he hates walking sticks), but I wouldn't be surprised if he eventually found a way around that in order to make more action figures.
He would be so pretty in pink.
So let's run through each Earth GL and explore the possibilities.
Hal Jordan - Geoff Johns has spent years rebuilding, refreshing, and reinvigorating the character of Hal Jordan, so to off him at the height of his popularity, especially with a movie on the way in June, would be an awful idea. He has already gone the self-destructive route once and died for his sins, so to retread that ground would be an insult to the character and a borefest to the fans. Hal will remain alive and green, if only for financial reasons.
Guy Gardner - Guy is the one character who is hot-headed enough to make a decision that would get him killed, but that's what makes him so interesting, and it always pays to keep characters like that around. Besides, he just got his own book, Emerald Warriors, so unless DC wants to cancel that series right as it is getting off the ground, Guy most definitely isn't going anywhere. There is a possibility that he could join the Red Lantern Corps. Everyone seems to love the Reds and they are by far the most popular of the new Corps, so much so that there is going to be a new Red Lantern Corps book coming out later this year. But like I said, this would deter from EW and make having two books about a Red Lantern redundant. Guy isn't going anywhere.
"I finally got my own series and you want to kill me? NEVER!"
John Stewart - John has sadly become nothing more than a supporting character in the GL books. Kyle manages to outshine him even if they have the same amount of on-page time in the GL Corps book. This doesn't bode well for his chances since a character who isn't pulling his weight is most assuredly more intersting dead. If he were to become another colored Lantern, I'd have trouble believing it, since he more than anyone else embodies pure willpower (yes, even Hal).
Did I mention he killed all these people?
Kyle Rayner - Kyle's romance with Soranik Natu and the excellent tension that Sinestro puts on their relationship is a highlight of the GL Corps book. Also, because he is the youngest of the Earth GLs, he is a constant joy to read because of how he is always learning and growing. Even though he has accomplished more than any of the other Earth GLs put together (becoming Ion, re-building the GL Corps), lately he has not been at the forefront of any big GL stories due to Hal's re-emergence. That hurts his chances of surviving. But he did already die for a hot second during Blackest Night, so to kill him again for real would just be outright character abuse. Now, if he were to join another Corps, I would buy him joining the Indigo Tribe or the Blue Lanterns, since he embodies compassion and hope moreso than any other Earth GL. Kyle's future is uncertain.
One can only hope. (Art by *1314)
Kyle or John is going to be ousted from the GL Corps by the end of War of the Green Lanterns, either to the grave or to another role entirely. I am eager to see who winds up where, since Krona has proven to be as interesting a villain as Shark.
Yeah, I went there.
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
DC's Infinity Gauntlet!
In the new War of the Green Lanterns story, the villain Krona weilds what can initially only be described as a willpower Infinity Gauntlet.
Marvel and DC imitating each other is nothing new, but couldn't they have made it anything but a gauntlet? A headband? A kneepad? A necklace? A sword? A gun? An orb? Anything else wouldn't have been so blatant. =P
Marvel and DC imitating each other is nothing new, but couldn't they have made it anything but a gauntlet? A headband? A kneepad? A necklace? A sword? A gun? An orb? Anything else wouldn't have been so blatant. =P
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)