Dawn of the Arcana: The Supposed Death of Lemiria

I read Dawn of the Arcana, Vol. 4

I posted a review at the ComicBookBin (which has FREE smart phone apps and comics).

Review: LEGENDS OF THE DARK KNIGHT Jim Aparo Volume 1

LEGENDS OF THE DARK KNIGHT JIM APARO VOLUME 1
DC COMICS

WRITER: Bob Haney
ARTIST: Jim Aparo
COVER: Jim Aparo with Alan Passalaqua
Artists on cover reprints: Jim Aparo, Murphy Anderson, Bob Brown, Nick Cardy, Gil Kane, Joe Kubert, Irv Novick, George Papp, Howard Purcell, George Roussos
ISBN: 978-1-4012-3375-4; hardcover
360pp, Color, $49.99 U.S., $57.00 CAN

Legends of the Dark Knight: Jim Aparo Volume 1 offers readers three times the fun. How does this hardcover collection do that? This 360-page book reprints 23 issues of The Brave and the Bold, published over a five-year period, covering late 1970 to late 1975. Because it was a Batman team-up book for most of its run, this collection finds The Batman joining forces with such classic DC Comics heroes as Aquaman, Deadman, the Metal Men, the Phantom Stranger, Sgt. Rock, Swamp Thing, and the Teen Titans; plus the trio of Green Lantern, Green Arrow, and the Black Canary, and even a bizarre team-up of The Batman and his arch-nemesis, The Joker.

The second cool thing about the book is that every story reprinted within its fine covers is written by Bob Haney. Over a three-decade career at DC Comics, Haney was a key contributor to what would become the DC Universe, including being a co-creator of the original Teen Titans.

However, the purpose of this book and the third great thing about it is its focus on the late Jim Aparo. Aparo’s 30-plus year career at DC Comics as a comic book artist was a high-water mark for the American comic book industry. For the past few years, DC Comics has been publishing book collections showcasing the work of some of the most influential Batman artists of the last four decades. Hardback trade collections have gathered comic book stories drawn by such artists as Neal Adams, Don Newton, and Marshall Rogers. Now, the focus is on Jim Aparo, beginning with the subject of this comic book review, Legends of the Dark Knight: Jim Aparo Volume 1.

Debuting in 1955, The Brave and the Bold featured the debut of the Justice League of America (#28, February-March 1960) and of what would become the Teen Titans (#54, July 1964). Beginning with its 74th issue, The Brave and the Bold became a Batman team-up title. Jim Aparo, who at the time had only been at DC Comics a few years, was the fill-in artist for The Brave and the Bold #98. Beginning with #100, he became the regular artist and from 1971 to end of The Brave and the Bold in 1983, Aparo was the series’ regular artist.

Over a 30-year period, Aparo was probably the most prolific artist on the Batman line of comic books, but during that time, other Batman artists, like Neal Adams, Marshall Rogers, and Frank Miller, received more attention and critical acclaim. Aparo was clearly influenced by Neal Adams, who was his contemporary. Still, Aparo had his own style and was able to stand apart and also influence later Batman comic book artists, including, by my estimation, Norm Breyfogle, Alan Davis, and Bruce Timm.

Unlike the muscular, pumped-up Batman that is familiar to today’s readers or the classic line, cleanly-designed Batman of the Golden and Silver Ages, Aparo’s Batman is a lean, muscular figure. Aparo gives Batman the rangy and nimble physique of a natural athlete. He poses Batman in a way that makes him seem like a normal person, but also presents him in a classical fashion, as if Batman were posing before a figure drawing class. Aparo also gives Deadman the natural/classical ideal treatment during the character’s appearance and team-up with Batman. (The Brave and the Bold #104, “Second Chance for a Deadman”).

Aparo’s Batman is unmistakably human. Of course, Bob Haney gets credit as the writer of the stories reprinted here, but comics is a graphics medium in which a storyteller draws the story. Aparo’s Batman comes across as a tangible person. He is vulnerable and fragile, contemplative and thoughtful, stalwart and steady, brave and bold, and is as surprisingly emotional as he is consistently rational (as a detective).

Whoever made Aparo the regular artist on The Brave and the Bold made the perfect choice. Aparo had the ability to adapt Batman’s emotions, moods, and appearance for wildly differing scenarios. That also made him the perfect artist to draw Batman stories which paired him with other characters that were like him, only somewhat like him, and not like him at all.

In the story “The Commune of Defiance,” (The Brave and the Bold #102), Batman and the Teen Titans unite to help a group of young people save their blighted neighborhood. In this story, Batman is a father figure who not only discourages the young radicals’ propensity towards violence, but also encourages them to work towards their goal. Here, Batman the masked avenger becomes Batman the defender and people’s champ. He believes that if someone saves these young people’s neighborhood for them, it will mean much less than if they did the work to save and rebuild their homes. Today, Batman would be called a “thug hugger” for his stance in this story. So it is safe to say that this Batman, who bucks the police and political power in Gotham to help “young criminals” save their neighborhood, will never been seen again.

What we as readers and people who appreciate the medium lost when Jim Aparo retired was a storyteller who recognized what is best about these superheroes. They are not gods and figures of some new mythology. They are like us, but better; they are idealized versions of what we’d like to be. Our good sense and perhaps, some physical revulsion might keep us from jumping into the middle of an inferno to save a life. A superhero like Batman is someone like us – someone we want to be – who will indeed dive into the inferno. This is Aparo’s Batman.

I don’t mean to do a disservice to Bob Haney, a master storyteller who could do in a single issue what someone apparently can’t do in six issues of Justice League – tell a complete story. However, Legends of the Dark Knight: Jim Aparo Volume 1 is about Jim Aparo. I’ve long thought this, and now, I can unleash this thought. Jim Aparo, at this point in time, is the greatest Batman artist in the history of comic books.

A+

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Negromancer Reviews "Men in Black 3"

I saw Men in Black 3 yesterday.  It was pleasant and inoffensive, but not the "best Men in Black" as some critics have apparently said (at least, I don't think so).  Read the review here.  I loved the villain, Boris the Animal, and Josh Brolin certainly brings a touch of poignance to the story, which it needs.

Seeing the movie reminds me that I've never read the original comic book, The Men in Black.  I need to.

George Lucas: Billionaire Philanthropist

Going Where No Billionaire Has Gone Before
By Carl Gibson, Reader Supported News
15 May 12

Reader Supported News Perspective

The world needs more billionaires like George Lucas.

George Lucas, worth $3.2 billion as of 2011, may have ruined his reputation with his fans by creating Jar Jar Binks and making a travesty of a film like Episode 1, but his latest move may be the finest moment of his career.

At first, Lucas intended to use his property at Old Grady Ranch in Marin County, California, to build a 300,000 square-foot movie studio. The plan, according to Lucas, would generate $300 million in economic activity for the area. His neighbors resisted him every step of the way, insisting that the constant construction and extra traffic would be a blight to the community.

Now, the filmmaker has abandoned his efforts, and instead will build affordable housing for low-income families and elderly people living on fixed incomes. Here's an excerpt from his official statement:

"We plan to sell the Grady property expecting that the land will revert back to its original use for residential housing. We hope we will be able to find a developer who will be interested in low-income housing since it is scarce in Marin. If everyone feels that housing is less impactful on the land, then we are hoping that the people who need it most will benefit."

There are literally five vacant buildings for every homeless person in America. And the latest US Census data shows that half of America is either poor or low-income. After the housing bubble burst and the recession hit, homelessness jumped 32% between April 2008 and April 2009, undoubtedly exacerbated by all the new foreclosures. And, according to the National Low Income Housing Coalition, 40% of those facing eviction from foreclosures are renters. An additional seven million low-income households are at risk of foreclosure. Despite all this, JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon, whose bank has been accused of fraudulently foreclosing on thousands of veterans, haughtily defended his bank's practice of risky Wall Street speculative trading that sent a whopping $2 billion down the drain.

If anything has changed in the last ten years since the first Star Wars prequel was made and today, it's been a greater redistribution of wealth from the bottom 90% to the top 0.1% like Lucas. And while the billionaires at Bank of America, Wells Fargo and Chase are fraudulently foreclosing on needy families, one billionaire filmmaker is making housing more accessible for people who need it the most.

While Lucas' gesture is a good one, it shows the complete lack of attention being paid to low-income families by elected officials, whose job is supposedly to uphold the rights of their constituents when they're being victimized by predatory banking, lending, and deceptively fraudulent mortgages. If President Obama was bold enough to stand up to the Jamie Dimons of the world, he would declare housing to be a human right, make more low-income housing a national priority, and give every American adult who owns a mortgage a $100,000 principal reduction to keep mortgages more in line with the actual value of their home.

Poverty has gone up just as dramatically as the wealth amassed by the 1% and the .01% like George Lucas. And the amount of available low-income housing for needy families has gone down just as dramatically as the value of millions of homes owned by those victimized by the reckless greed of Wall Street executives like Jamie Dimon.

Until George Lucas and his fellow multi-billionaires find it in their hearts to build affordable housing for everyone who needs it, we must hold our elected officials accountable if they continue to side with their Wall Street campaign donors over the 99%.

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

Carl Gibson, 25, is co-founder of US Uncut, a nationwide creative direct-action movement that mobilized tens of thousands of activists against corporate tax avoidance and budget cuts in the months leading up to the Occupy Wall Street movement. Carl and other US Uncut activists are featured in the documentary "We're Not Broke," which premiered at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival. He currently lives in Old Lyme, Connecticut. You can contact Carl at carl@rsnorg.orgThis e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , and listen to his online radio talk show, Swag The Dog, at blogtalkradio.com/swag-the-dog.

Reader Supported News is the Publication of Origin for this work. Permission to republish is freely granted with credit and a link back to Reader Supported News.

DC Comics Super Heroes Inspire Fine Art and Tour

From left to right: Movie director Zack Snyder, DC Entertainment Chief Creative Officer Geoff Johns and DC Entertainment Co-Publisher Jim Lee in a May 22 2012 Business Wire photographic image.


Original Fine Art Inspired by the Universe of DC Comics Super Heroes Kicks Off a Multi-City Tour

The “Darkness & Light” Art Exhibit Features an Awe-Inspiring Collection of Pop-Culture and Fine Art Interpretations of the World’s Most Iconic Heroes as You’ve Never Seen Them Before

BURBANK, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Warner Bros. Consumer Products and DC Entertainment yesterday premiered “Darkness & Light: Art Inspired by Heroes & Villains, Hope & Heroism,” a collection of original artwork inspired by the universe of DC Comics and its iconic characters, including JUSTICE LEAGUE super heroes Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman, and re-imagined by exceptional contemporary artists from around the world. To celebrate the unveiling of this one-of-a-kind collection, DC Entertainment opened the doors to its new Burbank headquarters at The Pointe with an open house and private reception.

“We work with many of these amazing artists day-in and day-out. With this project, we gave them the free rein to interpret the universe of DC Comics super heroes as they see them in their medium of choice. What we got back was a fascinating collection of visually stunning pieces, each offering a completely unique perspective on these universally recognized characters,” said Brian Deputy, Vice President of Creative Worldwide for Warner Bros. Consumer Products and curator of the “Darkness & Light” exhibit.

The collection, which includes more than 100 original works from artists spanning the globe and ranging in various forms, from graphic designers and painters to sculptors, will also raise awareness for DC Entertainment’s WE CAN BE HEROES giving campaign (http://www.wecanbeheroes.org/).

The participating artists hail from around the globe—as well as within the halls of Warner Bros. Consumer Products and DC Entertainment—and bring their diverse backgrounds, unique artistic styles and perceptions of the universe of DC Comics to this collection. Some key artists involved include Kiyoshi Nakazawa, Martin Ontiveros, Mike Palermo, Nathan Sawaya, Bwana Spoons and Amanda Visell.

The collection includes a piece by Martin Ontiveros called “Order/Chaos,” which depicts good and evil together, rendered in ink and paint on board; Kiyoshi Nakazawa combined various media in his dramatic interpretation of Batman in “A Great Sense of Humor”; working in steel, wood, paper, plaster and resin, Mike Palermo created "Man of Steel" that shows that there is a hero in everyone; Amanda Visell’s piece, “Wonder Woman,” uses paint on board to show this female super hero’s stoic but sexy power; and an oversized original work of art by legendary comics artist and DC Entertainment Co-Publisher Jim Lee, which utilizes spray paint and acrylic on canvas to highlight the profile of Batman with a color scheme inspired by the colors of Africa – yellow, green, red and black.

“This distinctive collection unites the comic industry with contemporary artists, highlighting each artist’s individuality and style,” continued Deputy. “The creators each had a deep connection to the characters and worlds of DC Comics and this passion is brought to life and captured for all to see through this incredibly vivid collection.”

Up next, “Darkness & Light” will take to the road with a series of public exhibitions that will continue to benefit and raise awareness for WE CAN BE HEROES, including a showing in San Diego at the premier Michael J. Wolf gallery during Comic-Con International from July 13-15. Additional exhibition dates and locations to be announced this summer.

WE CAN BE HEROES utilizes the iconic JUSTICE LEAGUE to help raise awareness and funds for three nonprofit partners – Save the Children, International Rescue Committee and Mercy Corps – who are delivering aid to millions of people in need of critical assistance in the famine-ravaged Horn of Africa. For more information on DC Entertainment’s WE CAN BE HEROES campaign, please visit http://www.wecanbeheroes.org/.

To learn more about DC Entertainment and its iconic characters, please visit http://www.dccomics.com/.


About Warner Bros. Consumer Products:
Warner Bros. Consumer Products, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company, is one of the leading licensing and retail merchandising organizations in the world.

About DC Entertainment:
DC Entertainment, home to iconic brands DC Comics (Superman, Batman, Green Lantern, Wonder Woman, The Flash), Vertigo (Sandman, Fables) and MAD, is the creative division charged with strategically integrating its content across Warner Bros. Entertainment and Time Warner. DC Entertainment works in concert with many key Warner Bros. divisions to unleash its stories and characters across all media, including but not limited to film, television, consumer products, home entertainment and interactive games. Publishing thousands of comic books, graphic novels and magazines each year, DC Entertainment is the largest English-language publisher of comics in the world. In January 2012, DC Entertainment, in collaboration with Warner Bros. and Time Warner divisions, launched We Can Be Heroes—a giving campaign featuring the iconic Justice League super heroes—to raise awareness and funds to fight the hunger crisis in the Horn of Africa.

Black Bird: The Brothers Usui

I read Black Bird, Vol. 14


I posted a review at ComicBookBin (which has free comics).

I Reads You Review: STAR WARS: CRIMSON EMPIRE III – Empire Lost #2

STAR WARS: CRIMSON EMPIRE III – EMPIRE LOST #2 (OF 6)
DARK HORSE COMICS

["Star Wars Central" review page is here.]

STORY: Mike Richardson and Randy Stradley
SCRIPT: Mike Richardson
ART: Paul Gulacy
COLORS: Michael Bartolo
LETTERS: Michael Heisler
COVER: Dave Dorman
28pp, Color, $3.50 U.S.

In the Star Wars Expanded Universe timeline, there is a period known as “The New Republic Era.” This period takes place between 5 to 25 years after the Battle of Yavin (ABY), the climatic battle in the 1977 film, Star Wars, in which Luke Skywalker destroys the Death Star. This era essentially begins a year after the events depicted in Return of the Jedi (1983).

In this period, the Rebel Alliance tries to become a functioning galactic government, a New Republic. However, there are growing pains; imperial loyalists, as well as various insurrectionists and warlords, prove to be obstacles. Luke Skywalker also begins training apprentices in order to rebuild the Jedi Order. Star Wars: Crimson Empire is set in “The New Republic Era.”

Star Wars: Crimson Empire – Empire Lost takes place 13 years ABY (or 8 years into “The New Republic Era”). The New Republic’s power and influence is growing, with Chief of State Leia Organa Solo overseeing the government at Coruscant, the home planet of the New Republic’s government.

In Star Wars: Crimson Empire – Empire Lost #2, a hooded figure ferments hatred of the New Republic by speaking before large crowds, but a raid of a toxic weapons dump only hints at his larger plans. At the same time, Kir Kanos, the last remaining member of Emperor Palpatine’s Royal Guards, meets former high-ranking Imperial military officials, as they plot the birth of a new empire. Meanwhile, Mirith Sinn continues her job as Security Chief. She ensures the safety of Leia and her children, but Sinn reluctantly accepted this position. Now, her skills are about to be tested.

In his back page column to readers, Star Wars: Crimson Empire – Empire Lost co-writer and series editor, Randy Stradley seems proud as he talks about the purpose of Crimson Empire III – to tell stories from the part of the Imperials. Stradley and Dark Horse can indeed take pride in Crimson Empire III. This second issue has the requisite sci-fi action that is Star Wars, but, as will likely be the case with the entire series, it will be able to delve deeper into the political scheming and galactic intrigue that George Lucas only lightly touched upon in the Star Wars prequel trilogy.

This looks to be a character driven series, and virtually every lead or major supporting character will be attractive to readers. The most intriguing are Kir Kanos, the former Imperial guard, and Mirith Sinn, the security agent with a dark connection to the Skywalker family.

The art by Paul Gulacy is good, both in terms of style and storytelling. He brings the mood and atmosphere necessary to make the story by Mike Richardson and Stradley work as something more than just science fiction action and violence. Over three decades of drawing comics, and Gulacy is still at the top of his game.


Consume Star Wars: Crimson Empire III - Empire Lost