Showing posts with label Lee Bermejo. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Lee Bermejo. Show all posts

Wednesday, February 24, 2021

#IReadsYou Review: THE DARKNESS #1 25th Anniversary Commemorative Edition

THE DARKNESS #1 25TH ANNIVERSARY COMMEMORATIVE EDITION
IMAGE COMICS/Top Cow Productions, Inc.

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

STORY: Garth Ennis
PENCILS: Marc Silvestri
INKS: Batt (inking assistants: Joe Weems, Nathan Cabrera, Victor Llamas and various)
COLORS: Steve Firchow
LETTERS: Dennis Heisler
EDITOR: David Wohl
COVER: Marc Silvestri and Batt with Steve Firchow
36pp, Color, $4.99 U.S. (November 2020)

Rated M / Mature

The Darkness created by Marc Silvestri, Garth Ennis, and David Wohl

“Coming of Age”


The Darkness is a long-running comic book series created by artist Marc Silvestri, writer Garth Ennis, and editor David Wohl.  The Darkness focuses on Jackie Estacado, a mafia hit man who inherits “the curse of the Darkness.”  The character made his debut in Witchblade #10 (November 1996) before making his solo debut in his own series.

In celebration of the twenty-fifth anniversary of The Darkness #1 (December 1996), Image Comics and Top Cow Productions, Inc. are publishing The Darkness #1 25th Anniversary Commemorative Edition.  This one-shot comic book reprints the story contents from The Darkness #1 and also includes an interview, an essay, a five-page section reprinting select cover illustrations produced during the series first 16 years, and other material.

The Darkness #1 (“Coming of Age”) opens at night on the Lower East Side of New York City.  Tall, dark, and handsome mafia hit man, Jackie Estacado, has just executed his latest target in service of his boss, Don Franchetti.  This latest bloody move by the Franchetti mob starts a bloody skirmish with rival mobster, Don Tommy Marchianni.  Jackie, Don Franchetti's top enforcer, is caught in the middle.

But the young killer has bigger problems.  He is about to turn 21-years-old, and “The Darkness” is about to start calling for him.  And the “Angelus” is coming for him.

THE LOWDOWN:  I read the first 10 or 12 issues of the original run of The Darkness back in 1996-97, but I eventually grew bored with this comic book and stopped reading it.  I have to admit that I had high expectations for it.  After all, the writer was Garth Ennis, red-hot in the mid-1990s because of his DC Comics/Vertigo series, Preacher.  I was a huge fan of post-Marvel Comics Marc Silvestri.  I thought many the comic books that Silvestri drew for Marvel Comics looked awful because of his chicken-scratch drawing style.  But Image Comics-Marc Silvestri seemed like an entirely different artist, especially when Silvestri's pencils were inked by the great Scott Williams.

Yet every time I read The Darkness, I felt like Ennis and Silvestri were not really delivering on this concept's potential.  I understood that the universe of Silvestri's Top Cow Productions, Inc. was obsessed with some kind of angelic vs. demonic rivalry, similar to that of Jim Lee's Wildstorm Productions universe.  However, I didn't think that Ennis and Silvestri really understood where they could take The Darkness in terms of narrative.  In The Darkness, Ennis delivered a stillborn version of the usual outtakes from his ultra-violence wheelhouse.  Silvestri's art was an unimaginative spin on the grim-and-gritty riffs that everyone was stealing from Frank Miller's Batman comics.

I don't know if The Darkness every reached its potential.  Frankly, I didn't give a crap after I stopped reading the series, but on occasion, I would see an issue of The Darkness and wonder about it … I have to admit.

The Darkness #1 25th Anniversary Commemorative Edition commemorates an anniversary that is only important to Top Cow because … let's be frank … it does not have much to commemorate.  The original Image Comics creators, Marc Silvestri among them, turned their studios into vanity project factories that produced poorly written comic books that featured the kind of art that only the artists and their sycophantic fans thought was great.  This is something that can be said of many of the artists associated with Image Comics first decade, for instance Rob Liefeld and J. Scott Campbell.

It is only in the last 15 years or so that Image Comics has delivered on the promise that the birth of the publisher offered to both comic book creators and readers.  The Darkness represents a placeholder in the evolution of Image Comics.  After the fanfare for their first wave of comic book series faded, some of Image's founders moved on to offering exciting new concepts.  For Jim Lee, it was Divine Right, and for Silvestri, it was The Darkness.  At least, The Darkness ran much longer than Divine Right.

The Darkness #1 25th Anniversary Commemorative Edition, as a package, is nothing special, but – and there is a big but – reading it again did remind me that The Darkness still has great potential.  I enjoyed re-reading this reprint of the first issue, and I might reread a few more of the original issues.  I still think that The Darkness is an outside-the-box comic book concept that could be an exceptional dark fantasy comic book.  But will it ever be that?  Does it matter?

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS:  Fans of Top Cow Productions' comic books will want The Darkness #1 25th Anniversary Commemorative Edition.

6 out of 10

This issue contains the feature “Say Good Night to the 'Good Guy'” by Henry Barajas and Claire Napier.  This feature includes illustrations; an questions-and-answer session with Marc Silvestri and David Wohl; a bullet-point presentation about the publication, licensing, and merchandising success of The Darkness.

This issue also includes a gallery of cover art produced by the following artists and art teams for The Darkness:  Marc Silvestri, Joe Weems, and Peter Steigerwald; Joe Benitez, Joe Weems, and Dean White; Nathan Cabrera and Victor Llamas; Greg Hildebrandt and Tim Hildebrandt; Michael Turner, Joe Weems, and JD Smith; Joe Benitez, Joe Weems, and Richard Isanove; Clarence Lansang, Victor Llamas, and Matt Nelson; David Finch, Jason Gorder, and Matt Nelson; Brian Ching, Victor Llamas, and Matt Nelson; Mark Pajarillo, Danny Miki, and Matt Nelson; Dale Keown and Matt Milla; Lee Bermejo; Dale Keown; Rafael Albuquerque; Todd McFarlane; Jeremy Haun and John Rauch

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"



www.topcow.com
https://twitter.com/ImageComics
https://imagecomics.com/


The text is copyright © 2020 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for syndication rights and fees.

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Monday, January 25, 2021

DC Comics from Lunar Distributors for January 26, 2021

DC COMICS:

Batman Black And White #2 (Of 6)(Cover A Jock), $5.99
Batman Black And White #2 (Of 6)(Cover B Doug Braithwaite), AR
Batman Black And White #2 (Of 6)(Cover C Kamome Shirahama Catwoman Variant), AR
Batman The Adventures Continue #8 (Of 8)(Cover A Mirka Andolfo), $4.99
Batman The Adventures Continue #8 (Of 8)(Cover B Ronnie Del Carmen Card Stock Variant), AR
Batman White Knight Presents Harley Quinn #4 (Of 6)(Cover A Sean Murphy), $4.99
Batman White Knight Presents Harley Quinn #4 (Of 6)(Cover B Matteo Scalera), AR
DC Comics The Art Of Lee Bermejo HC, $49.99
DC Connect Checklist Poster #8, AR
Future State Aquaman #1 (Of 2)(Cover A Daniel Sampere), $3.99
Future State Aquaman #1 (Of 2)(Cover B Khary Randolph Card Stock Variant), AR
Future State Batman Superman #1 (Of 2)(Cover A Ben Oliver), $3.99
Future State Batman Superman #1 (Of 2)(Cover B Arthur Adams Card Stock Variant), AR
Future State Dark Detective #2 (Of 4)(Cover A Dan Mora), $5.99
Future State Dark Detective #2 (Of 4)(Cover B Gabrielle Dell’Otto Card Stock Variant), AR
Future State Legion Of Super-Heroes #1 (Of 2)(Cover A Riley Rossmo), $3.99
Future State Legion Of Super-Heroes #1 (Of 2)(Cover B Ian MacDonald Card Stock Variant), AR
Future State Suicide Squad #1 (Of 2)(Cover A Javi Fernandez), $5.99
Future State Suicide Squad #1 (Of 2)(Cover B Derrick Chew Card Stock Variant), AR
Future State Superman Vs Imperious Lex #1 (Of 3)(Cover A Yanick Paquette), $3.99
Future State Superman Vs Imperious Lex #1 (Of 3)(Cover B Simone Di Meo Card Stock Variant), AR
Joker Harley Criminal Sanity #7 (Of 8)(Cover A Francesco Mattina), $5.99
Joker Harley Criminal Sanity #7 (Of 8)(Cover B Mico Suayan), AR
Justice League Dark Volume 4 A Costly Trick Of Magic TP, $19.99
Justice League International Volume 2 Around The World TP, $29.99
Last God #12 (Cover A Kai Carpenter), $4.99
Legends Of The DC Universe Doug Mahnke HC, $49.99
New Teen Titans Omnibus Volume 5 HC, $99.99
Other History Of The DC Universe #2 (Of 5)(Cover A Giuseppe Camuncoli & Marco Mastrazzo), $6.99
Other History Of The DC Universe #2 (Of 5)(Cover B Jamal Campbell), AR
Other History Of The DC Universe #2 (Of 5)(Cover C Giuseppe Camuncoli & Marco Mastrazzo), AR
Strange Adventures #8 (Of 12)(Cover A Mitch Gerads), $4.99
Strange Adventures #8 (Of 12)(Cover B Evan Doc Shaner), AR
Superman Kryptonite Nevermore HC, $29.99
Superman The Man Of Steel Volume 2 HC, $49.99
Titans Burning Rage TP, $16.99
Wonder Woman In The Fifties TP, $34.99



Monday, June 15, 2020

DC Comics from Diamond Distributors for June 17, 2020

DC COMICS

MAR200597    AQUAMAN GIANT #4    $4.99
MAR200614    BATGIRL TP VOL 07 ORACLE RISING    $19.99
MAR200521    BATMAN AND THE OUTSIDERS #13    $3.99
MAR200522    BATMAN AND THE OUTSIDERS #13 MICHAEL GOLDEN VAR ED    $3.99
MAR200626    CATWOMAN TP VOL 03 FRIEND OR FOE (RES)    $16.99
MAR200583    DAPHNE BYRNE #5 (OF 6) (MR)    $3.99
MAR200584    DAPHNE BYRNE #5 (OF 6) SEBASTIAN FIUMARA VAR ED (MR)    $3.99
MAR200477    DARK NIGHTS DEATH METAL #1 (OF 6)    $4.99
JAN208909    DARK NIGHTS DEATH METAL #1 (OF 6) BLACK BLANK VAR ED    $4.99
MAR200478    DARK NIGHTS DEATH METAL #1 (OF 6) DAVID FINCH BATMAN VAR ED    $4.99
MAR200479    DARK NIGHTS DEATH METAL #1 (OF 6) MATTINA SUPERMAN VAR ED    $4.99
MAR200482    DARK NIGHTS DEATH METAL #1 (OF 6) MIDNIGHT PARTY VARIANT    $4.99
MAR200480    DARK NIGHTS DEATH METAL #1 (OF 6) STANLEY LAU WONDER WOMAN V    $4.99
MAR200634    DC COMICS THE ASTONISHING ART OF AMANDA CONNER HC    $39.99
FEB200526    DETECTIVE COMICS #475 FACSIMILE EDITION    $3.99
MAR200629    DIAL H FOR HERO TP VOL 02 NEW HEROES OF METROPOLIS    $16.99
FEB200449    FLASH ANNUAL #3    $4.99
MAR200641    FLASH TP VOL 12 DEATH AND THE SPEED FORCE    $17.99
MAR200539    GREEN LANTERN SEASON 2 #4 (OF 12)    $3.99
MAR200540    GREEN LANTERN SEASON 2 #4 (OF 12) MATTEO SCALERA VAR ED    $3.99
MAR200543    HAWKMAN #24    $3.99
MAR200544    HAWKMAN #24 GERARDO ZAFFINO VAR ED    $3.99
FEB200559    JOKER DELUXE EDITION HC    $34.99
MAR200649    JUSTICE LEAGUE TP VOL 05 JUSTICE DOOM WAR    $24.99
FEB200476    METAL MEN #7 (OF 12)    $3.99
FEB200477    METAL MEN #7 (OF 12) BRIAN BOLLAND VAR ED    $3.99
FEB200480    NIGHTWING ANNUAL #3    $4.99
FEB200424    PRIMER TP    $9.99
FEB200481    QUESTION THE DEATHS OF VIC SAGE #3 (OF 4)    $6.99
FEB200482    QUESTION THE DEATHS OF VIC SAGE #3 (OF 4) H CHAYKIN VAR ED    $6.99
FEB200493    SUPERMAN #22    $3.99
FEB200494    SUPERMAN #22 BRYAN HITCH VAR ED    $3.99
FEB200580    TERRIFICS TP VOL 03 THE GOD GAME    $16.99
MAR200577    WONDER WOMAN #757    $3.99
MAR200578    WONDER WOMAN #757 CARD STOCK OLIVIER COIPEL VAR ED    $4.99
FEB200501    WONDER WOMAN DEAD EARTH #3 (OF 4) (MR)    $6.99
FEB200502    WONDER WOMAN DEAD EARTH #3 (OF 4) DANIEL JOHNSON VAR ED (MR)    $6.99
MAR200674    YEAR OF THE VILLAIN HELL ARISEN TP    $16.99
FEB200425    YOU BROUGHT ME THE OCEAN TP    $16.99
FEB200507    YOUNG JUSTICE #15    $3.99
FEB200508    YOUNG JUSTICE #15 BEN CALDWELL VAR ED    $3.99

Tuesday, December 24, 2019

#IReadsYou Review: BATMAN: Damned #3

BATMAN: DAMNED No. 3
DC COMICS/DC Black Label – @DCComics

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

STORY: Brian Azzarello
ART: Lee Bermejo
COLORS: Lee Bermejo
LETTERS: Jared K. Fletcher
EDITOR: Mark Doyle
COVER: Lee Bermejo
VARIANT COVER: Jim Lee with Alex Sinclair
48pp, Color, $6.99 U.S. (August 2019)

Mature Readers

Batman created by Bob Kane and Bill Finger

Batman: Damned is the three-issue comic book miniseries written by Brian Azzarello, drawn by Lee Bermejo, and lettered by Jared K. Fletcher that launched DC Comics' “DC Black Label” prestige imprint.  Published in an over-sized softcover format (8.5” x 10.875”), Batman: Damned #1 gained attention and created controversy when it was discovered that the art included a depiction of Bruce Wayne/Batman's penis.  There have been reports on various comic book news sites that the later issues of the series were delayed so that portions of the story could be redrawn to remove potentially controversial content.

Suddenly, what was supposed to be a “mature audience” imprint, DC Black Label, had to tone down its content and attitude.  Supposedly, some announced projects for the imprint were canceled or were being rewritten – to be toned down.  Sadly, Batman: Damned #2, which seemed like filler material, could have used the depiction of a good stiff penis (say, Deadman's) to liven up the proceedings.

The central focus of Batman: Damned is that The Joker is dead, and that maybe Batman is the one who killed him... But Batman cannot remember, and there may be some sinister and thus far unknown force that done the deed.  Are John Constantine and Deadman Batman's true allies in solving this mystery?  And why is Batman recalling such a horrifying version of his youth, especially concerning his late (and murdered) mother, Martha Wayne?

Batman: Damned #3 opens with Batman in a grave.  And Swamp Thing thinks Batman should not trust John Constantine.  Now, Batman must face his worst nightmares and the stunning truth about the death of The Joker.

I don't want to spoil Batman: Damned #3, although it has been out for about two weeks now.  I can say that the title is literal, and that it has a stunning ending.  I did suspect that Batman was an unreliable narrator, because he was dead, so...

I can also say that the art by Lee Bermejo's art is as beautiful ever.  In fact, in terms of story, Bermejo does his best work of the series in Batman: Damned #3 with this powerful graphical storytelling.  Jared K. Fletcher's lettering is simple, yet so evocative and powerful.  Brian Azzarello, after delivering empty, tattered Gothic trappings, gives us a powerful finale this is actual storytelling.

I think the problem with Batman: Damned is that Brian Azzarello had an idea for what is essentially a story that belongs in a Batman Annual or in one of those 48 or 64-page Batman “Elseworlds” comic books.  Anything more than 100 pages, which the total page count of Batman: Damned exceeds, is simply a story stretched too thin and is a consumer product that is not honestly released to consumers.

So, at least they got Batman: Damned #3 mostly right.  In fact, this last issue is good enough to warrant a sequel – of a certain page count, of course.

7.5 out of 10

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"


The text is copyright © 2019 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

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Sunday, November 3, 2019

Review: BATMAN: Damned #2

BATMAN: DAMNED No. 2
DC COMICS/DC Black Label – @DCComics

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

STORY: Brian Azzarello
ART: Lee Bermejo
COLORS: Lee Bermejo
LETTERS: Jared K. Fletcher
EDITOR: Mark Doyle
COVER: Lee Bermejo
VARIANT COVER: Jim Lee with Alex Sinclair
48pp, Color, $6.99 U.S. (February 2019)

Mature Readers

Batman created by Bob Kane and Bill Finger

Batman: Damned is a new three-issue comic book miniseries written by Brian Azzarello and drawn by Lee Bermejo.  Published in an over-sized softcover format, it is the inaugural series for DC Comics' new prestige and event publication imprint, “DC Black Label.”  Letterer Jared K. Fletcher is the other member of Damned's creative team.

The central focus of Batman: Damned is that The Joker is dead, and that maybe Batman is the one who killed him... But Batman cannot remember, and there may be some sinister and thus far unknown force that done the deed.  Are John Constantine and Deadman Batman's true allies in solving this mystery?

In Batman: Damned #2, Batman recalls memories of a troubling time in his childhood, and it has something to do with his late mother, Martha Wayne.  Meanwhile, The Dark Knight’s descent into the madness of Gotham City’s decadent underbelly continues,  and that includes a trip to a club called “The Cavern,” where Etrigan the Demon is a hip-hop artist – a rapping demon!  Plus, a number of supernatural DC Comics characters make appearances... while a strange Bat-signal haunts the sky over Gotham City.

Some describe comic books as a storytelling medium of word and pictures, and some call comics and comic books “sequential art.”  I call comics a kind of graphical storytelling in which the story is conveyed to readers via illustrations and graphics that tell a story.

Brian Azzarello writes the story that artist Lee Bermejo illustrates into the comics medium.  Azzarello is one of American comic books' most popular and acclaimed writers of the past 20 years.  In some ways, Azzarello is still coasting on the strength of his breakout and most famous work, the crime comic book, 100 Bullets.  That award-winning comic book is largely the reason that Azzarello gets to write prestige projects like Batman: Damned.

If I were nice, I would describe Azzarello's story for Batman: Damned as pretentious.  I don't feel like being nice right now, so I will call it mostly junk.  Batman: Damned may be one of those death dream narratives in which the protagonist or the character through which the story is told is dying.  His story is really a long period of subjective time that passes in an instant because it is the hallucination of dying man's mind or consciousness.  Probably the most famous example of this is Ambrose Bierce's short story, “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” (first published in 1890).  A more recent and popular example is the 1990 film, Jacob's Ladder, which stars Tim Robbins as Vietnam vet who believes that he has returned home when he is actually dying after being injured in combat.  Nothing Azzarello has done so far in Batman: Damned is anywhere as interesting as that film or Bierce's story.

The member of this creative team that makes Batman: Damned worth seeing (if not reading) is artist Lee Bermejo.  His Gotham City is a hell-scape that hints at the paintings of Hieronymus Bosch.  Much of Batman: Damned's art recalls the best comic book artists who have drawn horror comic books, including Bernie Wrightson and Graham Ingels.  I also see similarities to the comic book art of the great Glenn Fabry, the legendary Brian Bolland, and the sublime Dave McKean.  Bermejo makes Batman: Damned #2 exactly what DC Comics describes – a veritable Grand Guignol.

Batman: Damned #1 became much talked about because of Bermejo's painted depiction of Bruce Wayne's penis in the story.  As good as Bermejo's art is in the second book, I wish DC Comics would have encouraged him to draw another dick – maybe Deadman's.  Batman: Damned #2 would matter more if it contained more comic book character penis

5 out of 10

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"


The text is copyright © 2019 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

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Monday, September 9, 2019

DC Comics from Diamond Distributors for September 11, 2019

DC COMICS

JUL198303    BATMAN #76 YOTV DARK GIFTS 2ND PTG    $3.99
JUL198304    BATMAN #77 YOTV DARK GIFTS 2ND PTG    $3.99
JUL190538    BATMAN #78 VAR ED YOTV    $3.99
JUL190537    BATMAN #78 YOTV    $3.99
JUL190544    BATMAN AND THE OUTSIDERS #5 VAR ED YOTV    $3.99
JUL190543    BATMAN AND THE OUTSIDERS #5 YOTV    $3.99
JAN190658    BATMAN ETERNAL OMNIBUS HC    $125.00
JUN190569    BATMAN HUSH TP NEW ED    $29.99
JUN190574    BATMAN THE KILLING JOKE HC NEW ED    $17.99
JUN190562    BATMAN TP VOL 10 KNIGHTMARES    $17.99
JUL190617    BATMAN UNIVERSE #3 (OF 6)    $4.99
JUL190552    CATWOMAN #15 CARD STOCK VAR ED YOTV    $4.99
JUL190551    CATWOMAN #15 YOTV    $3.99
JUL190553    COLLAPSER #3 (OF 6) (MR)    $3.99
FEB190625    DC DESIGNER SER BLACK LABEL BATMAN BY BERMEJO STATUE    $150.00
FEB190631    DC ESSENTIALS RED HOOD ACTION FIGURE    $26.00
FEB190632    DC GALLERY DARK KNIGHT RETURNS COWL    $90.00
JUL190555    DETECTIVE COMICS #1011 VAR ED YOTV    $3.99
JUL190554    DETECTIVE COMICS #1011 YOTV    $3.99
JUL190528    DOLLAR COMICS BATMAN #608    $1.00
JUL190564    EVENT LEVIATHAN #4 (OF 6)    $3.99
JUL190565    EVENT LEVIATHAN #4 (OF 6) CARD STOCK VAR ED    $4.99
JUL190568    FLASH #78 VAR ED YOTV    $3.99
JUL190567    FLASH #78 YOTV    $3.99
JUL190522    GOTHAM CITY MONSTERS #1 (OF 6)    $3.99
JUL190523    GOTHAM CITY MONSTERS #1 (OF 6) VAR ED    $3.99
JUL190576    HAWKMAN #16 VAR ED YOTV    $3.99
JUL190575    HAWKMAN #16 YOTV    $3.99
JUL190577    HOUSE OF WHISPERS #13 (MR)    $3.99
JUL190585    JUSTICE LEAGUE ODYSSEY #13 VAR ED YOTV    $3.99
JUL190584    JUSTICE LEAGUE ODYSSEY #13 YOTV    $3.99
JUL190503    RIDDLER YEAR OF THE VILLAIN #1    $4.99
JUN190612    TRANSMETROPOLITAN TP BOOK 02 (MR)    $29.99
JUL190611    WONDER TWINS #7 (OF 12)    $3.99
JUL190614    WONDER WOMAN #78 VAR ED YOTV    $3.99
JUL190613    WONDER WOMAN #78 YOTV    $3.99
JUN190552    YOUNG JUSTICE #8    $3.99
JUN190553    YOUNG JUSTICE #8 CARD STOCK VAR ED    $4.99

Tuesday, September 3, 2019

Review: BATMAN: Damned #1

BATMAN: DAMNED No. 1
DC COMICS/DC Black Label – @DCComics

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

STORY: Brian Azzarello
ART: Lee Bermejo
COLORS: Lee Bermejo
LETTERS: Jared K. Fletcher
EDITOR: Mark Doyle
COVER: Lee Bermejo
VARIANT COVER: Jim Lee with Alex Sinclair
48pp, Color, $6.99 U.S. (November 2018)

Mature Readers

Batman created by Bob Kane and Bill Finger

Batman: Damned is a 2018-19 three-issue comic book miniseries written by Brian Azzarello and drawn by Lee Bermejo.  Published in an over-sized format, it is the inaugural series for DC Comics' new prestige and event publication imprint, “DC Black Label.”  Letterer Jared K. Fletcher is the other member of Damned's creative team.

Batman: Damned #1 opens in an ambulance where we find Batman on a stretcher.  He is dead or near death when he suddenly revives and makes his escape.  The Joker is dead, and maybe Batman finally killed him.  Or is it some sinister and thus far unknown force that done the deed?

The problem is that Batman can't remember, and what he does remember does not jibe with what information he can get.  John Constantine and Deadman aren't helping.  Now, Batman will have to go into the sordid and seedy underbelly of Gotham City to find the truth, and where he goes is dark... and maybe hot as hell.

I am a fan of artist Lee Bermejo.  I particularly like the way he draws Batman's costume, which remind me of the World War I army uniforms that British “dough boys” wore.  However, his art for Batman: Damned #1 looks like pieces for a portfolio or art exhibition as often as it looks like graphical storytelling.  It does not help story matters that Brian Azzarello's script reads like something composed by a kid in a high school creative writing program to accompany pieces in an art show.

No one seems like a reliable narrator in this first issue, especially John Constantine who, if not the narrator, provides voice over narration, one that reads as if this comic book were an episode of a true crime television series.  Honestly, the only interesting thing in Batman: Damned #1 are the four “shots” of Bruce Wayne's nicely shaped penis, which have caused quite a bit of consternation in various comic book corners of the Internet.

Once again, an event comic book does not live up to the hype, or, in this case, the hype delivers on controversy rather than on storytelling.  Even if he or she were talented, an unknown or novice writer could not get an editor to accept a script like the one for Batman: Damned #1.

Keep humpin' that chicken, DC Comics; maybe, you can keep manufacturing high first issue sales before readers catch on to the fact that they should not believe the hype.  Still, I hope the second and third issues of Batman: Damned (which will not make their original announced release dates) are better.

5 out of 10

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"


The text is copyright © 2018 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

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Monday, July 1, 2019

DC Comics from Diamond Distributors for July 3, 2019

DC COMICS

MAY190375    ADVENTURES OF THE SUPER SONS #12 (OF 12)    $3.99
APR190442    BATGIRL #36    $3.99
APR190443    BATGIRL #36 VAR ED    $3.99
DEC180679    BATMAN BLACK & WHITE STATUE BY KENNETH ROCAFORT    $80.00
APR190531    BATMAN DELUXE ED COLL HC BOOK 04    $34.99
MAY190390    BATMAN TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES III #3 (OF 6)    $3.99
MAY190391    BATMAN TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES III #3 (OF 6) VAR ED    $3.99
DEC180683    DC GALLERY ARKHAM ASYLUM BATMAN COWL (AUG188732)    $90.00
APR198793    DCEASED #1 (OF 6) 2ND PTG    $3.99
MAY190397    DCEASED #3 (OF 6)    $3.99
MAY190399    DCEASED #3 (OF 6) CARD STOCK HORROR VAR ED    $4.99
MAY190398    DCEASED #3 (OF 6) CARD STOCK VAR ED    $4.99
MAY190396    DEATHSTROKE #45 CARD STOCK VAR ED YOTV THE OFFER    $4.99
MAY190395    DEATHSTROKE #45 YOTV THE OFFER    $3.99
MAY190367    DOOM PATROL WEIGHT OF THE WORLDS #1 (MR)    $3.99
MAY190405    DREAMING #11 (MR)    $3.99
MAY190408    FEMALE FURIES #6 (OF 6)    $3.99
MAY190413    GREEN LANTERN #9    $3.99
MAY190414    GREEN LANTERN #9 VAR ED    $3.99
MAY190418    HARLEY QUINN #63 CARD STOCK VAR ED YOTV THE OFFER    $4.99
MAY190417    HARLEY QUINN #63 YOTV THE OFFER    $3.99
APR190556    JOKER TP BLACK LABEL    $14.99
APR190557    JSA BY GEOFF JOHNS TP BOOK 03    $39.99
MAY190426    JUSTICE LEAGUE #27 CARD STOCK YOTV VAR ED THE OFFER    $4.99
MAY190425    JUSTICE LEAGUE #27 YOTV VAR ED THE OFFER    $3.99
MAY190371    LOIS LANE #1 (OF 12)    $3.99
MAY190372    LOIS LANE #1 (OF 12) VAR ED    $3.99
MAR190595    RED HOOD OUTLAW TP VOL 01 REQUIEM FOR AN ARCHER    $19.99
APR190566    SUICIDE SQUAD KATANA THE REVENGE OF COBRA TP    $16.99
MAY190363    SUPERMAN UP IN THE SKY #1 (OF 6)    $4.99
APR190511    WILD STORM #24    $3.99

Monday, September 17, 2018

DC Comics from Diamond Distributors for September 19, 2018

DC COMICS

JUL180619    AQUAMAN #40 SINK ATLANTIS    $3.99
JUL180620    AQUAMAN #40 VAR ED SINK ATLANTIS    $3.99
JUN180564    BANE CONQUEST TP    $29.99
JUL180626    BATMAN #55    $3.99
JUL180627    BATMAN #55 VAR ED    $3.99
JUL180597    BATMAN DAMNED #1 (OF 3) (MR)    $6.99
JUL180598    BATMAN DAMNED #1 (OF 3) VAR ED (MR)    $6.99
JUN180562    BATMAN KNIGHTFALL TP VOL 02 25TH ANNIVERSARY ED    $19.99
JUN180565    BATMAN THE GOLDEN AGE TP VOL 05    $29.99
JUL180634    DAMAGE #9    $2.99
JUN180574    DAMAGE TP VOL 01 OUT OF CONTROL    $16.99
JUL180649    GREEN LANTERNS #55    $3.99
JUL180650    GREEN LANTERNS #55 VAR ED    $3.99
JUN180577    HAL JORDAN & THE GREEN LANTERN CORPS TP VOL 06 ZODS WILL    $14.99
JUL180653    HARLEY QUINN #50    $4.99
JUL180654    HARLEY QUINN #50 VAR ED    $4.99
JUL180659    INJUSTICE 2 #34    $2.99
JUN180580    INJUSTICE GODS AMONG US YEAR ONE DELUXE ED HC BOOK 01    $49.99
JUL180660    INJUSTICE VS THE MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE #3 (OF 6)    $3.99
JUL180664    JUSTICE LEAGUE #8    $3.99
JUL180666    JUSTICE LEAGUE #8 JIM LEE PENCIL VAR ED    $3.99
JUL180665    JUSTICE LEAGUE #8 VAR ED    $3.99
JUN180583    JUSTICE LEAGUE NO JUSTICE TP    $16.99
JUN180516    MISTER MIRACLE #11 (OF 12) (MR)    $3.99
JUN180517    MISTER MIRACLE #11 (OF 12) VAR ED (MR)    $3.99
JUL180674    NEW CHALLENGERS #5 (OF 6)    $2.99
JUL180677    NIGHTWING #49    $3.99
JUL180678    NIGHTWING #49 VAR ED    $3.99
JUL180679    PEARL #2 (OF 6) (MR)    $3.99
JUN180587    SCOOBY APOCALYPSE TP VOL 04    $16.99
JUL180695    TEEN TITANS #22    $3.99
JUL180696    TEEN TITANS #22 VAR ED    $3.99
JUL180697    TEEN TITANS GO #30    $2.99
JUN180591    TITANS TP VOL 04 TITANS APART    $16.99
JUL180704    WILD STORM #17    $3.99
JUL180705    WILD STORM #17 VAR ED    $3.99

Thursday, November 30, 2017

Review: SUICIDE SQUAD #1

SUICIDE SQUAD No. 1 (2016)
DC COMICS – @DCComics

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

STORY: Rob Williams
PENCILS: Jim Lee
INKS: Scott Williams
COLORS: Alex Sinclair
LETTERS: Nate Piekos of Blambot
COVER: Jim Lee and Scott Williams with Alex Sinclair
VARIANT COVER: Lee Bermejo
32pp, Color, $2.99 U.S. (October 2016)

Rated “T+” for “Teen Plus”

“The Black Vault” Part One: “I Wanna Be Sedated”

Suicide Squad by Robert Kanigher and Ross Andru

Suicide Squad is a DC Comics team.  It first debuted in The Brave and the Bold #25 (cover dated: August/September 1959) and was created by writer Robert Kanigher and artist Ross Andru.

The second Suicide Squad appeared in Legends #3 (cover dated: January 1987), the 1986 DC Comics event miniseries. Created by John Ostrander, this Suicide Squad was “Task Force X,” an anti-hero team of incarcerated super-villains that undertook high-risk, black ops missions in exchange for commuted prison sentences.

With the re-launch of DC Comics’ superhero line, “The New 52,” there was a new Suicide Squad comic book series.  The Suicide Squad was a team of super-villains, in which the members took on risky missions in exchange for time served. The team’s base of operations was Belle Reve Penitentiary, a special prison for meta-humans and super-villains located in Terrebonne Parish, Louisiana.

With the “Rebirth” event, there is a new Suicide Squad comic book.  It is written by Rob Williams; drawn by Jim Lee (pencils) and Scott Williams (inks); colored by Alex Sinclair; and lettered by Nate Piekos.

Suicide Squad #1 (“I Wanna Be Sedated”) finds Amanda Waller, the head of Task Force X, making a trip to Belle Reve Penitentiary where she meets with Colonel Rick Flag, Suicide Squad Field Commander, and his second-in-command, Katana.  Together, they will select a squad of super-villain scum for a mission to retrieve or destroy an alien item that a rogue Russian state is studying.  However, this Suicide Squad:  Deadshot, Harley Quinn, Captain Boomerang; The Enchantress, and Killer Croc may not be badass enough to compete this mission.

The main story is 13 pages long and is not long enough for me to get much of a feel for the quality of the beginning of the story arc.  I can say two things.  First, I don't feel I need to read more. Second, Jim Lee is on the down side of his career.  Compared to even his average work, this is poor.

“Never Miss”
STORY: Rob Williams
ARTIST: Jason Fabok
COLORS: Brad Anderson
LETTERS: Nate Piekos

“Never Miss” is kind of an origin story slash biography slash early tale of the career of Deadshot.  I liked it.  It's dark and depicts Floyd Lawton a.k.a. Deadshot as a man who is much more complicated and conflicted than his costumed self suggests.  Writer Rob Williams smartly depicts the high costs of being Deadshot, and Jason Fabok's dark compositions makes this tale's tragic angle feel genuine.

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"


The text is copyright © 2016 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for syndication rights and fees.

--------------------------


Monday, November 6, 2017

Dark Horse Comics from Diamond Distributors for November 8, 2017

DARK HORSE COMICS

JUL170097    ABE SAPIEN DARK & TERRIBLE HC VOL 01    $34.99
JUL170145    BEST WISHES GN    $19.99
JUL170204    BLADE OF IMMORTAL OMNIBUS TP VOL 04 (MR)    $21.99
SEP170039    HARROW COUNTY #27    $3.99
SEP170036    HELLBOY & BPRD 1955 OCCULT INTELLIGENCE #3 (OF 3)    $3.99
AUG178154    LCSD 2017 SHERLOCK FRANKENSTEIN & LEGION OF EVIL #1    $3.99
JUL170107    LEGACY OFF COLOR NOVELLA FOR YOU TO COLOR HC    $19.99
JUL170189    MANARA LIBRARY TP VOL 03 TRIP TO TULUM AND OTHER STORIES (MR    $29.99
JUL170186    WB DUBAYS THE ROOK ARCHIVES HC VOL 03    $19.99

Thursday, May 4, 2017

Review: HAN SOLO #1

HAN SOLO No. 1
MARVEL COMICS – @Marvel

[This review was originally posted on Patreon. Visit "Star Wars Central" review page here.]

WRITER: Marjorie Liu
ART: Mark Brooks
COLORS: Sonia Oback
LETTERS: VC's Joe Caramagna
COVER: Lee Bermejo
VARIANT COVERS: Mike Allred; John Cassaday; John Tyler Christopher; Scott Koblish; Pepe Larraz; Phil Noto
28pp, Color, $3.99 U.S. (August 2016)

Rated “T+”

“Part 1”

Everyone's favorite scruffy smuggler, Han Solo, now has his own comic book as part of Marvel Comics' recently launched line of Star Wars comic books.  A five-issue miniseries, Han Solo is written by Marjorie Liu; drawn by Mark Brooks; colored by Sonia Oback; and lettered by Joe Caramagna.

Han Solo #1 opens between the events depicted in the films, Star Wars (1977) and The Empire Strikes Back (1980).  Han Solo needs to take on some smuggling jobs in order to pay his debt to crime lord, Jabba the Hutt, but Han has been feeling kind of strange.  Every job offer seems wrong, so Chewbacca says that Han is spooked.  Then, Han gets a call from Princess Leia Organa, delivered in a most peculiar manner.  Her request involves “The Dragon Void Run,” a race Han Solo has always wanted to enter, just not like this.

I have to admit that I have not been crazy about all the new Star Wars comic books that Marvel Comics has released since the beginning of 2015.  The Chewbacca miniseries and that awful C-3PO one-shot come to mind.  However, Han Solo, judging from the first issue, seems like it will be a winner.

I think that this “new hope” begins with writer Marjorie Liu (Monstress), who captures the essence of Han Solo.  He is a loner, used to looking out for himself, but, in spite of his protestations, he knows what's right and wrong.  He balances a sense of justice or “moral compass” with the desire to survive and thrive.  He can look out for number one and also help his friends.  There is tension in this balance – an ebb and flow, a constant tug between me-first and taking-one-for-the-team.  When a writer can capture this furious conflict within Han Solo, she is halfway to writing an engaging, intriguing, and truly enjoyable Han Solo comic book.

Artist Mark Brooks strengthens this series' potential.  He fills the pages with evocative backgrounds that recall the original Star Wars film trilogy.  Brooks creates stylish space ships and an alien menagerie that gathers familiar Star Wars people and beings, but also adds some bits from his own imagination.  Sonia Oback gives Brooks' art a look similar to classic sci-fi film and science fiction art.

I pretended that I was not expecting a lot from this Han Solo miniseries, but I am expecting this to be really good.  So far, so good...

A

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"


The text is copyright © 2016 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

-------------------

Monday, December 19, 2016

DC Comics from Diamond Distributors for December 21, 2016

DC COMICS

OCT160243    ALL STAR BATMAN #1 DIRECTORS CUT    $5.99
OCT160165    AQUAMAN #13    $2.99
OCT160166    AQUAMAN #13 VAR ED    $2.99
OCT160175    BATMAN #13    $2.99
OCT160176    BATMAN #13 VAR ED    $2.99
OCT160245    CAVE CARSON HAS A CYBERNETIC EYE #3 (MR)    $3.99
OCT160246    CAVE CARSON HAS A CYBERNETIC EYE #3 VAR ED (MR)    $3.99
OCT160181    CYBORG #7    $2.99
OCT160182    CYBORG #7 VAR ED    $2.99
DEC150389    DC COMICS BRASS BATMAN STATUE    $5000.00
FEB160280    DC COMICS DESIGNER SER LEE BERMEJO BATMAN AF (RES)    $28.00
FEB160283    DC COMICS DESIGNER SER LEE BERMEJO SUPERMAN AF (RES)    $28.00
MAR160323    DC FILMS ARMORED BATMAN PREMIUM AF    $50.00
MAR160324    DC FILMS SUPERMAN PREMIUM AF    $45.00
APR160456    DC TV ARROW FLASH 2 PACK AF    $50.00
OCT160197    GREEN ARROW #13    $2.99
OCT160198    GREEN ARROW #13 VAR ED    $2.99
OCT160201    GREEN LANTERNS #13    $2.99
OCT160202    GREEN LANTERNS #13 VAR ED    $2.99
OCT160209    HARLEY QUINN #10    $2.99
OCT160210    HARLEY QUINN #10 VAR ED    $2.99
OCT160271    HE MAN THUNDERCATS #3 (OF 6)    $3.99
OCT160255    INJUSTICE GROUND ZERO #2    $2.99
OCT160215    JUSTICE LEAGUE #11    $2.99
OCT160216    JUSTICE LEAGUE #11 VAR ED    $2.99
OCT160147    JUSTICE LEAGUE SUICIDE SQUAD #1 (OF 6)    $3.99
OCT160148    JUSTICE LEAGUE SUICIDE SQUAD #1 (OF 6) CONNER VAR ED    $3.99
OCT160149    JUSTICE LEAGUE SUICIDE SQUAD #1 (OF 6) FRANK VAR ED    $3.99
OCT160325    LUCIFER #13 (MR)    $3.99
OCT160287    MAD MAGAZINE #543    $5.99
OCT160288    MAD MAGAZINE #543 BLANK VAR ED    $5.99
SEP160351    METAL MEN FULL METAL JACKET TP    $14.99
OCT160221    NIGHTWING #11    $2.99
OCT160222    NIGHTWING #11 VAR ED    $2.99
OCT160272    RAVEN #4 (OF 6)    $2.99
OCT160274    SUICIDE SQUAD MOST WANTED #5 (OF 6) EL DIABLO & AMANDA WALLE    $4.99
SEP160353    SUICIDE SQUAD TP VOL 05 APOKOLIPS NOW    $19.99
OCT160229    SUPERMAN #13    $2.99
OCT160230    SUPERMAN #13 VAR ED    $2.99
AUG160337    SUPERMAN ACTION COMICS HC VOL 09 LAST RITES    $24.99
SEP160355    SUPERMAN ACTION COMICS TP VOL 08 TRUTH    $16.99
AUG160333    SUPERMAN WONDER WOMAN HC VOL 05 SAVAGE END    $24.99
SEP160356    SUPERMAN WONDER WOMAN TP VOL 04 DARK TRUTH    $16.99
OCT160286    TEEN TITANS GO #19    $2.99
SEP160349    TEEN TITANS YEAR ONE NEW EDITION TP    $16.99
OCT160237    TRINITY #4    $2.99
OCT160238    TRINITY #4 VAR ED    $2.99

Tuesday, October 27, 2015

DC Comics from Diamond Distributors for October 28, 2015

DC COMICS

AUG150205     ALL STAR SECTION 8 #5     $2.99
AUG150177     AQUAMAN #45     $3.99
AUG150285     ART OPS #1 (MR)     $3.99
AUG150227     BATGIRL #45     $2.99
AUG150231     BATMAN 66 #28     $2.99
JUL150309     BATMAN ADVENTURES TP VOL 03     $16.99
AUG150159     BATMAN AND ROBIN ETERNAL #4     $2.99
JUL150304     BATMAN WAR GAMES TP VOL 01     $34.99
JUL150299     CONVERGENCE INFINITE CRISIS TP BOOK 01     $19.99
JUL150301     CONVERGENCE INFINITE CRISIS TP BOOK 02     $19.99
AUG150184     CYBORG #4     $2.99
AUG150181     DEATHSTROKE #11     $2.99
JUN150300     DEATHSTROKE BOOK AND MASK SET     $29.99
JUN150322     FABLES DELUXE EDITION HC VOL 11 (MR)     $29.99
JUL150340     FABLES THE WOLF AMONG US TP VOL 01 (MR)     $19.99
AUG150190     FLASH #45     $3.99
AUG150239     GOTHAM BY MIDNIGHT #10     $2.99
AUG150243     GRAYSON #13     $3.99
AUG150253     HE MAN THE ETERNITY WAR #11     $2.99
AUG150266     INJUSTICE GODS AMONG US YEAR THREE HC VOL 01     $22.99
JUL150315     INJUSTICE GODS AMONG US YEAR TWO TP VOL 02     $16.99
AUG150196     JUSTICE LEAGUE 3001 #5     $2.99
AUG150168     JUSTICE LEAGUE DARKSEID WAR BATMAN #1     $3.99
AUG150200     NEW SUICIDE SQUAD #13     $2.99
AUG150203     PREZ #5     $2.99
AUG150246     ROBIN SON OF BATMAN #5     $3.99
AUG150290     SANDMAN OVERTURE #6 SPECIAL EDITION (MR)     $4.99
AUG150251     SINESTRO #16     $2.99
AUG150221     SUPERMAN #45     $3.99
AUG150293     VERTIGO QUARTERLY SFX #3     $7.99
AUG150245     WE ARE ROBIN #5     $3.99

DC COMICS/DC COLLECTIBLES
JUN150334     BATMAN ANIMATED NBA ROBIN AF     $24.95
JUN150341     BATMAN ARKHAM KNIGHT NIGHTWING AF     $24.95
MAR150331     BATMAN BLACK & WHITE STATUE BY LEE BERMEJO 2ND ED     $79.95
MAR150325     DC COMICS BOMBSHELLS BATWOMAN STATUE     $124.95

Tuesday, October 13, 2015

DC Comics from Diamond Distributors for October 14, 2015

DC COMICS

AUG150230     BAT MITE #5     $2.99
AUG150225     BATMAN #45     $3.99
AUG150157     BATMAN AND ROBIN ETERNAL #2     $2.99
AUG150217     BATMAN SUPERMAN #25     $3.99
JUN150299     BATMAN YEAR 100 DLX ED HC     $29.99
AUG150232     CATWOMAN #45     $2.99
JUN150319     COFFIN HILL TP VOL 03 (MR)     $14.99
AUG150183     CONSTANTINE THE HELLBLAZER #5     $2.99
JUL150295     CONVERGENCE CRISIS TP BOOK 01     $19.99
JUL150297     CONVERGENCE CRISIS TP BOOK 02     $19.99
AUG150188     DC COMICS BOMBSHELLS #3     $3.99
AUG150187     EARTH 2 SOCIETY #5     $2.99
AUG150289     FABLES THE WOLF AMONG US #10 (MR)     $3.99
JUN150305     GRAPHIC INK THE DC COMICS ART OF DARWYN COOKE HC     $39.99
MAY150241     GREEN LANTERN A CELEBRATION OF 75 YEARS HC     $39.99
AUG150240     HARLEY QUINN #21     $3.99
JUL150200     JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #4     $3.99
AUG150176     JUSTICE LEAGUE UNITED #14     $3.99
AUG150258     MAD MAGAZINE #536     $5.99
JUL150317     MORTAL KOMBAT X TP VOL 02 (MR)     $14.99
AUG150204     RED HOOD ARSENAL #5     $2.99
AUG158645     SCOOBY DOO TEAM UP #12 2ND PTG     $2.99
AUG150256     SCOOBY DOO WHERE ARE YOU #62     $2.99
JUL150320     SENSATION COMICS FEATURING WONDER WOMAN TP VOL 02     $14.99
AUG150206     STARFIRE #5     $2.99
AUG150160     SUPERMAN LOIS AND CLARK #1     $3.99
AUG150282     TWILIGHT CHILDREN #1 (MR)     $4.99

DC COMICS/DC COLLECTIBLES

APR150333     ARROW TV FELICITY SMOAK AF     $24.95
JUN150336     BATMAN ANIMATED BAS BATMAN AF     $24.95
JUN150338     BATMAN ANIMATED BAS RIDDLER AF     $24.95
JUN150337     BATMAN ANIMATED NBA BATGIRL AF     $24.95
APR150357     BATMAN BLACK & WHITE STATUE JOKER BY BERMEJO 2ND ED     $79.95
APR150340     BATMAN BLACK & WHITE STATUE SCARECROW BY DANDA     $79.95
APR150347     DC COMICS CONSTANTINE STATUE     $124.95
APR150343     WONDER WOMAN ART OF WAR STATUE BY JILL THOMPSON     $79.95


Sunday, September 6, 2015

Review: WE ARE ROBIN #1

WE ARE... ROBIN #1
DC COMICS – @DCComics

[This review originally appeared on Patreon.]

STORY: Lee Bermejo
ART: Jorge Corona; Khary Randolph (Epilogue)
BREAKDOWNS: Rob Haynes
COLORS: Trish Mulvihill; Emilio Lopez (Epilogue)
LETTERS: Tom Napolitano
COVER: Lee Bermejo
VARIANT COVER: James Harvey
32pp, Color, $3.99 U.S. (August 2015)

Rated “T” for Teen

Batman created by Bob Kane and Bill Finger; Robin created by Bob Kane, Bill Finger, and Jerry Robinson

“We are... Robin!”

The DC Comics character, Robin, is best known as Batman's sidekick/partner.  Robin's civilian identity, Dick Grayson, was Bruce Wayne's young ward.  Robin/Dick Grayson was originally created by Bob Kane, Bill Finger, and Jerry Robinson to serve as a junior counterpart to Batman and first appeared in Detective Comics #38 (cover date:  April 1940).  Eventually, Dick Grayson became a new superhero, Nightwing, and over the last 30 years, there have been other Robins.

As part of the “DCYou” event/publishing initiative, there are several aspiring teenage vigilantes in Gotham City taking the moniker, “Robin.”  The focus will be on Duke Thomas, an African-American teenager previously introduced in the Batman story arc, “Zero Year,” and who becomes part of the movement to fight crime in Gotham.  Duke and the other teens are the stars of the new comic book series, We Are... Robin.  It is written by Lee Bermejo; drawn by Jorge Corona, Rob Haynes, and Khary Randolph; colored by Trish Mulvihill and Emilio Lopez; and lettered by Tom Napolitano.

We Are... Robin #1 (“We are... Robin!”) opens with Duke Thomas on the receiving end of a schoolyard beat-down.  That means Dr. Leslie Thompkins will have to find the orphaned teen another foster home.  Duke doesn't want to sit around in another  foster home/dump.  He would rather discover the fate of his parents who were exposed to the “Joker toxin” (in the Batman story arc, “Endgame.”).  His search takes him underground where he finds trouble and also a group of admirers.

We Are... Robin #1 is not as well-composed as the first issue of the new series, Robin: Son of Batman, but I will give it a chance.  As someone who was once a Black child who wanted to be Robin in order to have adventures with Batman, I can certainly buy into the central conceit of We Are Robin.  I can also find myself becoming a huge Duke Thomas fan.

Lee Bermejo is an acclaimed comic book artist, but here, he is the writer.  However, he does provide the cover art for We Are... Robin #1, and it is a striking illustration, indeed.  However, Bermejo's drawing style is also strikingly different from the interior art, but I like the series artists; their styles seem as if they will work for We Are... Robin.

In some promotional information released for We Are... Robin, Bermejo said “We Are... Robin is a new approach to showcase diversity in the DC Universe for readers.”  Too bad someone can't showcase the diversity of DC Comics by showcasing the work of more African-American creators, especially writers.  For the time being, however, I can settle for more White women and Asian-American/Canadian creators because, in the DCYou, there is a Black kid trying to be Robin.

B+

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux


The text is copyright © 2015 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog for reprint and syndication rights and fees.



Wednesday, July 15, 2015

Review: FIGHT CLUB 2 #1

FIGHT CLUB 2 #1
DARK HORSE COMICS – @DarkHorseComics

WRITER: Chuck Palahniuk
ART: Cameron Stewart
COLORS: Dave Stewart
LETTERS: Nate Piekos of Blambot
COVER:  David Mack
VARIANT COVERS: Lee Bermejo; Amanda Connor; Steve Lieber; Cameron Stewart; and Chip Zdarsky; Joëlle Jones; Paul Pope; Tim Seeley
EDITOR: Scott Allie
28pp, Color, $3.99 U.S. (May 2015)

The Tranquility Gambit #1: “Keep The Home Fires Burning”

Written by Chuck Palahniuk, the novel, Fight Club, was first published in 1996.  It was subsequently adapted into a film of the same title by director, David Fincher, that starred Brad Pitt and Edward Norton in the lead roles.  Released in 1999, the film was not a big box office smash, but it has since gained cult status and continued popularity.

Fight Club the novel follows an unnamed male protagonist, who is struggling with insomnia and is unhappy with his workaday life as an office drone.  The turning point in his life is when he meets a mysterious man named Tyler Durden, who has established an underground fighting club, which becomes a kind of radical psychotherapy for disaffected males who are unsatisfied with the modern, industrial, consumerist world.

Last year, Dark Horse Comics and Chuck Palahniuk announced that Fight Club was getting a sequel, but that sequel would not be a novel.  It would be a comic book, and thus, we now have Fight Club 2, which is written by Chuck Palahniuk, drawn by Cameron Stewart, colored by Dave Stewart, and lettered by Nate Piekos, with cover art by David Mack.

Fight Club 2 #1 (“Keep The Home Fires Burning”) reintroduces the unnamed protagonist of Fight Club, who now calls himself “Sebastian.”  A decade ago, he had an army of men ready to take down the modern world.  Now, Sebastian is surrounded by assorted pills and medications.  His wife, Marla Singer, once his co-revolutionary, is deeply unsatisfied with the suburban, TV Land life they lead.  Even their son, “Junior,” is now more interesting than his dad.  Marla just wants to fuck Tyler Durden again, and she just may get that chance...

I think I saw Fight Club the movie before I read the novel.  Both are good.  The film is a bracing, exhilarating trip through the dissatisfaction of the kind of Gen-X males that, having generously supped on the tit of White privilege, suddenly found themselves overfed and bored.  The book is nuanced, probing, thoughtful, and provocative.  It demands that its reader engage it, and each reader takes from the novel what he can understand or absorb.

Fight Club 2 retains the voice of the novel, which might seem obvious considering that the originator of Fight Club is also the writer of the comic book.  However, popular culture is littered with the disappointing or uneven results of creators returning to a creations some considerable time after they first began working on them.  Some of you, dear readers, will immediately think of the original Star Wars films and compare them to the “prequel trilogy.”  In comics, a good example would be Frank Miller's Batman: The Dark Knight Strikes Again, which disappointed readers because it was so different from the original, Batman: The Dark Knight Returns.  So the voice is not always the same when it should obviously be the same.

Discounting the film, there was more to say about Fight Club, and although this is only the first issue, Fight Club 2 seems as if it will be both a worthy successor to the original and also a solid narrative in its own right.  Artist Cameron Stewart captures the banality and the fragility of Sebastian's current life, as well as its surreal and unreal nature.  David Mack's cover art for this first issue evokes the sense that Tyler Durden is both alluring and dangerous. This cover alone should earn him an Eisner Award nomination in the “cover artist” category.

So after one issue, I heartily recommend Fight Club 2 #1, at least, to anyone who has ever read Fight Club the novel and/or seen the film.

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux (This review first appeared on Patreon.)


The text is copyright © 2015 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog for reprint and syndication rights and fees.


Sunday, April 19, 2015

I Reads You Review: DEATHSTROKE #1

DEATHSTROKE #1 (2014)
DC COMICS – @DCComics

WRITER/PENCILS: Tony S. Daniel
INKS: Sandu Florea
COLORS: Tomeu Morey
LETTERS: Rob Leigh
COVER: Tony S. Daniel and Sandu Florea with Tomeu Morey
VARIANT COVERS: Andrea Sorrentino; Kevin O'Neill
32pp, Color, $2.99 U.S. (December 2014)

Rated “T+” (Teen Plus)

Deathstroke created by Marv Wolfman and George Perez

Deathstroke is a DC Comics character that first appeared in New Teen Titans #2 (cover date December 1980).  Created by Marv Wolfman and George Perez, Deathstroke was originally introduced as a character named “The Terminator.”  He was Slade Wilson, a mercenary who was completing the terms of a contract undertaken by his son, Ravager, to kill or capture the Teen Titans.  The Terminator became Deathstroke the Terminator and eventually just Deathstroke, an assassin, mercenary, and anti-hero.

With the re-launch of DC Comics’ superhero line, known as “The New 52,” Deathstroke received his second ongoing series, which ran for 20 issues.  In October of last year (December 2014 cover date), DC Comics debuted a new Deathstroke ongoing series.  It is written and pencilled by Tony S. Daniel, inked by Sandu Florea, colored by Tomeu Morey, and lettered by Rob Leigh.

Deathstroke #1 (“Gods of War”) opens with Deathstroke heading to Russia to complete a contract kill.  He meets his Russian contact, Angelica, for sex before going on a killing spree of associates of his target, a man called “Possum.”  But it's all a set-up.

I thought that The Punisher by Garth Ennis was the comic book with the most extreme depictions of violence ever published by one of the big two comic book companies – that I read, at least.  Deathstroke's pretty art, from pencils to compositions and from design to colors, is a flashy and explosive celebration of graphic violence in graphical storytelling.  I am not offended; I want more.

I am glad that I found a second printing of Deathstroke #1.  It seems like something I want to read, and my mind seems to love the eye-candy ferocity of the story.

[This comic book includes a preview of the Vertigo comic book series, Suiciders, from writer-artist, Lee Bermejo.]

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux

The text is copyright © 2015 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog for syndication rights and fees.



Tuesday, February 24, 2015

DC Comics from Diamond Distributors for February 25, 2015

DC COMICS
DEC140270     AQUAMAN #39     $2.99
DEC140337     ARKHAM MANOR #5     $2.99
DEC140325     BATMAN #39     $3.99
DEC140328     BATMAN #39 COMBO PACK     $4.99
DEC140366     BATMAN 66 #20     $2.99
DEC140324     BATMAN ETERNAL #47     $2.99
NOV140295     BATWING TP VOL 05 INTO THE DARK (N52)     $16.99
DEC140413     BODIES #8 (MR)     $3.99
DEC140352     CATWOMAN #39     $2.99
DEC140281     DEATHSTROKE #5     $2.99
DEC140277     EARTH 2 WORLDS END #21     $2.99
DEC140410     EFFIGY #2 (MR)     $2.99
DEC140283     FLASH #39     $2.99
DEC140338     GOTHAM ACADEMY #5     $2.99
DEC140339     GOTHAM BY MIDNIGHT #4     $2.99
NOV140311     HE MAN AND THE MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE TP VOL 04     $14.99
DEC140373     HE MAN THE ETERNITY WAR #3     $2.99
DEC140279     JUSTICE LEAGUE DARK #39     $3.99
NOV140299     JUSTICE LEAGUE DARK TP VOL 05 PARADISE LOST (N52)     $14.99
DEC140403     MAD MAGAZINE #532     $5.99
DEC140368     MORTAL KOMBAT X #3 (MR)     $3.99
DEC140297     NEW 52 FUTURES END #43 (WEEKLY)     $2.99
DEC140362     RED LANTERNS #39     $2.99
DEC140415     SANDMAN OVERTURE #4 SPECIAL EDITION (MR)     $4.99
NOV140323     SCOOBY DOO TEAM UP TP     $12.99
DEC140290     SECRET ORIGINS #10     $4.99
DEC140363     SINESTRO #10     $2.99
DEC140299     STAR SPANGLED WAR STORIES GI ZOMBIE #7     $2.99
DEC140404     SUICIDERS #1 (MR)     $3.99

Thursday, February 27, 2014

I Reads You Review: SUPERMAN UNCHAINED #1

SUPERMAN UNCHAINED #1
DC COMICS – @DCComics

WRITER: Scott Snyder
PENCILS: Jim Lee, Dustin Nguyen
INKS: Scott Williams
COLORS: Alex Sinclair, John Kalisz
LETTERS: Sal Cipriano
COVER: Jim Lee and Scott Williams with Alex Sinclair
VARIANT COVERS: Jim Lee, Bruce Timm, Dave Johnson, Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez, Neal Adams, Jerry Ordway, Dan Jurgens, Lee Bermejo, Brett Booth
40pp, Color, $4.99 U.S. (August 2013)

Superman created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster

Last year, DC Comics unleashed a new ongoing Superman comic book series to coincide with the release of Man of Steel, the 2013 relaunch of the Superman film franchise.  Superman Unchained is from burning-hot writer Scott Snyder and superstar-for-over-two-decades artist Jim Lee with his longtime inker, Scott Williams.

Superman Unchained #1 (“The Leap”) opens with a brief (kind of) prologue that takes place in Nagasaki, Japan on April 9th, 1945.  We move to the present (which seems like a near-future) and find Superman trying to stop a space station called the Lighthouse from causing an epic catastrophe when it crashes to Earth.

Superman has suspects for the Lighthouse event, which include Lex Luthor (on his way to prison) and a cyber terrorist group known as Ascension.  The Man of Steel is probably wrong on his suspects, and there is a lot that he doesn’t know.  But Superman doesn’t know what he doesn’t know.

Superman Unchained #1 is one busy comic book.  Scott Snyder, obviously in love with his dialogue, packs this first issue with so much talk and exposition.  This first issue is like a box of “Raisin Bran” (or one of its knock-offs) infested with raisins – just too much of a good thing.  The story is a slick piece of sci-fi-lite, complete with digital displays and shiny tech.  The story, however, doesn’t really get hot until the last page of “The Leap.”  Of note, there is also a two-page epilogue drawn by Dustin Nguyen.

Speaking of busy, that’s Jim Lee’s pencils.  Lee draws so much anemic line work and so many scritchy-scratch lines that we should be thankful for Scott Williams ability to rein in Lee’s excesses and eccentricities.  As usual, Alex Sinclair’s colors turn the art into comic book eye candy.  I have to admit that I’ll be back for future issues.

B

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux

The text is copyright © 2014 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog for syndication rights and fees.