Archive for July, 2004
July 26, 2004 | Comics
Aquaman #20
Will Pfeifer, Patrick Gleason
DC Comics
$3.85/$2.50 US
**** (out of five)
San Diego is washed into the Pacific Ocean after a major earthquake and instead of killing millions a new society of water-breathers is born.
The six-part American Tidal concludes as the man responsible for the disaster is forced to deal with scope of his crimes and the former king of Atlantis comes to a tough decision about his future in ‘Sub Diego’.
Writer Will Pfeifer and penciller Patrick Gleason’s bold, new redirection for Aquaman is an outstanding achievement. In six short issues they have done what many said was impossible: they’ve made Aquaman a must-read series.
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July 26, 2004 | Comics
Sleeper Season Two #1
Ed Brubaker, Sean Phillips
Wildstorm/DC Comics
$4.50/$2.95 US
**** (out of five)
Season two of Sleeper picks up right where season one left off — with a clever mix of action, intrigue and characterization that makes it a real standout.
Holden Carver, the Sleeper in question, isn’t really an undercover agent anymore. In fact, he doesn’t know what he is.
After realizing there is no way to return to the side of angels and accepting the offer of the head of the criminal organization he has infiltrated to ‘come over to the dark side’ at the end of season one, Carver is excelling in his role as a devil. But will the one man who can prove his innocence throw a wrench in his plans?
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July 26, 2004 | Comics
The Goon #7
Eric Powell
Dark Horse Comics
$2.99 US
*** 1/2 (out of five)
The Goon meets Hellboy. Does any more need to be said?
OK, well, creators Eric Powell (The Goon) and Mike Mignola (obviously the big red guy) collaborate on a classic comic book team-up that sees their heroes get together to battle the forces of evil and eventually to pound the tar out or one another in one of those infamous good-guy misunderstanding battles.
Already one of the most underrated series on the racks, The Goon hits new heights of hilarity in a somewhat slapstick crossover with (thanks to the multi-million dollar making movie) one of the most recognizable faces in comics.
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July 26, 2004 | Comics
Catwoman #32
Ed Brubaker, Sean Phillips
DC Comics
$3.85/$2.50 US
*** 1/2 (out of five)
First they had ‘the kiss’ now they have ‘the date’.
Batman and Catwoman shocked DC Comics’ fans in the now-legendary Batman: Hush storyline last year by making with the lip-lock.
But after a year of playing cat and … um … bat, the pair finally strip off their costumes and head out for dinner and a movie.
The extremely talented creative team behind Sleeper, Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips, give readers a sweet story that features lots of dialogue, plenty of touchy-feely stuff and not one punch thrown in a story that is a breath of fresh air.
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July 26, 2004 | Comics
Superman Secret Files & Origins 2004
DC Comics
$7.50/$4.99 US
*** (out of five)
Welcome to another ‘we don’t call them annuals anymore’ issue.
While many of these once-a-year standalone books are packed with fluff and have little impact on the goings on in monthly series, Superman Secret Files & Origins 2004 is full of useful info.
The main story finally closes the book on the presidency of Lex Luthor.
Superman’s arch-nemesis was impeached recently in the ongoing Superman/Batman series, leaving long-time friend of Clark Kent, Pete Ross in charge of the U.S. But by the time this issue is over, there is a new man in command and some sinister goings on at the White House.
Perhaps more importantly, just three months after a huge redirection in the Superman series of titles (Action Comics, Adventures of Superman, Superman), this book is packed with profiles of many of the supporting characters in the Man of Steel’s life.
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July 5, 2004 | Trades
Batman: Broken City
Brian Azzarello, Eduardo Risso
DC Comics
$37.95/$24.99 US (Hardcover)
**** (out of five)
Broken City could have been a huge letdown.
Jim Lee and Jeph Loeb’s Batman story arc, Hush, was one of the most talked about events in all of comics last year.
It was the triumphant return to a monthly series for a supremely talented artist in Lee, which paired him with one of the hottest writers in the industry in Loeb. And it was everything one could ask for, smart, beautifully illustrated and a bestseller.
But it was all short lived. Hush was a 12-part story and the creative team was gone after their story was told.
This left DC Comics with some huge shoes to fill and they couldn’t have found a better fit than Brian Azzarello and Eduardo Risso.
The creative team behind 100 Bullets, one of the edgiest and most thoughtfully constructed series on the market, was a perfect redirection from what Loeb and Lee had done.
Broken City sees Batman on the trail of a local hood he suspects of murder. But as he closes in on his target, two parents are killed in front of their son, an eerie reflection of Batman’s beginnings.
As he works his way through some of Gotham’s biggest lowlifes like Killer Croc and The Penguin, the world’s greatest detective is forced to question his life and his assumptions, leading him to the possibly the worst situation he’s ever been: needing the Joker’s help to solve the crime.
Featuring the quick wit and dark undertones readers of Azzarello’s run on Hellblazer and 100 Bullets have come to appreciate and moody and striking art from Risso, this dynamic due seems like they might be the most natural fit for Batman in years. Broken City is hard-boiled Batman at it’s best.
It almost makes you feel story for writer Judd Winick and artist Dustin Nguyen, who have taken up the title after Azzarello and Risso.
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July 5, 2004 | Trades
Batman: Illustrated By Neal Adams Vol. 2
Neal Adams
DC Comics
$76.95/$49.99 US (Hardcover)
**** (out of five)
Holy pointless plotlines, Batman! That’s what made the character a joke in the 1950s and 60s.
From battles with alien invaders to adventures featuring Ace The Bat-Hound, tales of the world’s greatest detective were often far-fetched and just plain silly.
And worst of all is that a character that lends itself to all these great visual elements kept popping up wandering around in the sunny afternoon.
All this began to change when Neal Adams came along.
After cutting his teeth on Archie books, a syndicated comic strip based on the TV-show Ben Casey and a host of other smaller work, Adams started to garner attention for his bold work on several of DC Comics’ covers.
After moving into comic fans’ focus for his highly regarded run on Deadman, Adams started his first work with The Caped Crusader. His vision of a Batman who was lean and lithe, who kept to the shadows and did his best work at night was revolutionary.
His penchant for breaking out of the standard boxy comic book page and using unconventional design elements made Adams the most influential comic book stylist since the great Jack Kirby.
This second chronological collection of Adams work on Batman, collecting work originally published from 1969-71 and featuring some classic stories such as the first few appearances of the Man-Bat, shows off some of the best of the artist’s stylings.
The action bursts off the pages as Batman leaps from the shadows, getting back to his roots and regularly fighting actual crime.
While over 30 years later this all sounds very mundane, Adams was setting a standard which has lasted all that time. There isn’t a Batman comic in the stores today that isn’t homage to what this revolutionary artist did.
But what shouldn’t be lost in this volume is the influence of Denny O’Neil, who scripted many of these tales and whose collaborations with Adams were almost as integral as the art itself.
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July 5, 2004 | Trades
The Darkness: Resurrection
Paul Jenkins, Dale Keown, Matt Milla
Top Cow Productions
$21.85/$14.99 US (Paperback)
*** (out of five)
Jackie Estacado’s life is just going from bad to worse.
The former Mafia hitman is hiding out in protective custody after ratting out his Uncle Frankie to the feds when he receives a videotape labelled ‘To My Dearest Nephew’. The tape shows Frankie exacting his revenge by killing the love of Jackie’s life, Jenny.
Devastated and now hungry for vengeance himself, Jackie sets up a meeting with his uncle and promptly blows both of them up in a roaring explosion.
Good thing for Jackie he is the bearer of The Darkness, an ancient evil power that allows him to summon forth some of the most terrifying evil from the depths of hell. The Darkness won’t let Jackie stay dead and it slowly brings him back to life, leaving him suffering with Jenny’s death, a still-angry Mafia on his case and a newly invigorated Darkness on his hands.
Collecting the first six issues of the new Darkness series, Resurrection is a bleak, gory and tragic piece of work.
Featuring incredibly detailed art by Toronto’s Dale Keown, whose skill for bringing out the toothsome terror in The Darkness’ creepy crawlies is unparalleled and a smart script by writer Paul Jenkins, Resurrection is a great jumping on point for new readers. It could have used a little bit more of a recap of the previous series to help smooth things along, but the jist is there and it is still very readable even for first-timers.
One of the coolest features of this volume is a proper Canadian price tag. Top Cow has actually calculated exchange rates, as opposed to other publishers who round up, charging readers extra. Of course, time and fluctuating rates change everything and the cost of this book should now be $22.48, making this book an even better buy,
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July 5, 2004 | Trades
Fused — Canned Heat
Steve Niles, Paul Lee, Brad Rader, Ben Templesmith
Rocket Comics/Dark Horse Books
$12.95 US (Paperback)
** 1/2 (out of five)
Fused is the story of Mark Haggerty: a man trapped inside a machine.
OK, so that sounds like the lead-in to one of the most tired clichés in comic books. If your mind is already be drifting to Iron Man or any of the other armoured heroes created over the years, Fused is pretty much what you’re used to.
But that doesn’t mean it’s all bad.
Steve Niles — the writer behind 30 Days Of Night and Criminal Macabre — finally moves away from horror, but doesn’t really take readers anywhere they haven’t been before.
Haggerty is wearing an experimental robotic suit equipped with artificial intelligence when an accident forces him to not only remain in the suit, but ‘fused’ with it.
The use of three different artists on the four chapters of this collection also tends to hamper any kind of flow it may attempt to build. Paul Lee, Brad Rader and frequent Niles collaborator Ben Templesmith all bring interesting elements to Fused, but their clashing styles tend to overwhelm the story.
In the end all you may get out of Fused is confused.
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July 2, 2004 | News
There is little better than getting something for nothing.
Walk into your local comic book shop tomorrow and you can do just that.
Free Comic Book Day 2004 is taking place all day exclusively at comic shops around the world.
In Toronto, the city’s largest such store is taking this great promotion and making it even better.
“I like to do a little extra and make a real event out of Free Comic Book Day,” says Justin Van Leeuwen, manager of Silver Snail on Queen St. W.
“Every comic store can get free comics, but we want to make it special to our customers and to the public to bring them into the store.”
To that end, Silver Snail, which is celebrating its 28th anniversary this year, will have J. Torres, the writer of DC Comics’ Free Comic Book Day release, Teen Titans Go!, in store to meet that fans and autograph copies of the book.
The idea of giving away comics to anyone who wants one is terrific, Van Leeuwen says.
“Free Comic Book Day is important because it allows us to appeal to the general public, people who don’t necessarily read comic books,” he says.
“It also helps promote not only literacy, but comic book literacy. A lot of people still view it as a very childish medium without any real content of quality.”
Up to 30 different free comics will be available tomorrow from various publishers, featuring such familiar characters as Archie, Mickey Mouse, Spider-Man and Spawn. But not all these books will be aimed at children.
“While none of these comics are necessarily adult-oriented, they definitely have serious topics that will probably appeal to a larger audience than just five- to 10-year-olds,” Van Leeuwen says.
The most important thing about Free Comic Book Day is to show people who aren’t yet fans of graphic storytelling (or who were but have forgotten) how great these titles can be.
“If you can give people something (for free) they’re likely to read and appreciate it,” Van Leeuwen says.
For more information on Free Comic Book Day, check out: www.freecomicbookday.com and www.silversnail.com.
The following is a list of guests who will be appearing at Silver Snail for the third-ever Free Comic Book Day tomorrow (signings begin at noon):
J. Torres, Teen Titans Go!
Chip Zdarsky, Prison Funnies
Kagan McLeod, Infinite Kung Fu
Cameron Stewart, Seaguy
Ramon Perez and Atilla Adorjany, UDON Entertainment
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