Showing posts with label Brenden Fletcher. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Brenden Fletcher. Show all posts

Monday, April 2, 2018

Image Comics from Diamond Distributors for April 4, 2018

IMAGE COMICS

FEB180497    ANALOG #1 CVR A O SULLIVAN (MR)    $3.99
FEB180498    ANALOG #1 CVR B SHALVEY & BELLAIRE (MR)    $3.99
JAN180702    BIRTHRIGHT TP VOL 06    $14.99
DEC170674    BLACK CLOUD #8 (MR)    $3.99
FEB180618    ELSEWHERE #6    $3.99
JAN188895    GIDEON FALLS #1 2ND PTG (MR)    $3.99
DEC170704    GOD COMPLEX #5 (MR)    $3.99
FEB180630    HEAD LOPPER TP VOL 02 CRIMSON TOWER    $16.99
DEC170708    HORIZON TP VOL 03 (MR)    $16.99
FEB180637    I HATE FAIRYLAND #18 CVR A YOUNG (MR)    $3.99
FEB180638    I HATE FAIRYLAND #18 CVR B F*CK (UNCENSORED) FAIRYLAND VAR (    $3.99
FEB180639    I HATE FAIRYLAND #18 CVR C BEAULIEU (MR)    $3.99
JAN188858    I HATE FAIRYLAND #18 CVR D VIRGIN CVR (MR)    $3.99
FEB180500    ISOLA #1 CVR A KERSCHL    $3.99
JAN188864    ISOLA #1 CVR B    $3.99
JAN180794    KINGSMAN RED DIAMOND TP (MR)    $16.99
JAN180804    MOTOR CRUSH #11 CVR A TARR    $3.99
JAN180805    MOTOR CRUSH #11 CVR B STEWART    $3.99
FEB180663    PAPER GIRLS TP VOL 04    $14.99
DEC170659    REDLANDS TP VOL 01 (MR)    $9.99
OCT170710    RINGSIDE #15 (MR)    $3.99
FEB180699    SCALES & SCOUNDRELS #8    $3.99
JAN180823    SEX CRIMINALS #23 (MR)    $3.99
JAN180824    SEX CRIMINALS #23 XXX MARGUERITE SAUVAGE VAR (MR)    $4.69
JAN180828    SNOTGIRL #10    $2.99
JAN180829    SPAWN #284 CVR A MATTINA    $2.99
JAN180830    SPAWN #284 CVR B MATTINA B&W    $2.99
JAN180831    SPAWN #284 CVR C MATTINA VIRGIN    $2.99
FEB180713    WALKING DEAD #178 CVR A ADLARD & STEWART (MR)    $3.99
DEC178343    WALKING DEAD #178 CVR B SIENKIEWICZ (MR)    $3.99
FEB180714    WICKED & DIVINE #35 CVR A MCKELVIE & WILSON (MR)    $3.99
FEB180715    WICKED & DIVINE #35 CVR B YOSHITANI (MR)    $3.99

Friday, August 14, 2015

Review: BLACK CANARY #1

BLACK CANARY (2015) #1
DC COMICS – @DCComics

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

WRITER: Brenden Fletcher
ART: Annie Wu
COLORS: Lee Loughridge
LETTERS: Steve Wands
COVER: Annie Wu
VARIANT COVERS: Tula Lotay
32pp, Color, $2.99 U.S. (August 2015)

Rated “T” for “Teen”

“The Most Dangerous Band in America”

DC Comics' superhero, Black Canary, first appeared in what is known as the “Golden Age” of comic books.  She was created by writer Robert Kanigher and artist Carmine Infantino and debuted in Flash Comics #86 (cover date:  August 1947).  Black Canary was one of DC Comics' earliest female superheroes.

Her alter-ego was Dinah Drake, and she was a member of and appeared in both the Justice Society of America and Justice League of America comic books.  Eventually, Dinah Drake gave way to a younger version of the character, Dinah Laurel Lance (who was at one time depicted as the daughter of Dinah Drake).  Dinah Lance's super-power is the “Canary Cry,” a high-pitched sonic scream that can shatter objects and incapacitate enemies, and she is also a world-class martial artist.

As part of DC Comics' new publishing initiative, “DC You,” Lance is the star of a new comic book entitled Black Canary.  It is written by Brenden Fletcher, drawn by Annie Wu, colored by Lee Loughridge, and lettered by Steve Wands.

When Black Canary #1 (“The Most Dangerous Band in America”) opens, Dinah is the lead singer of a four-piece band called “Black Canary.”  On keys is Paloma TerrificLord Byron pounds the drum kit.  The “silent wunderkind,” Ditto, is the guitarist.  Talk about kick out the jams, mutha...., Black Canary is literally tearing up the venues in which her band plays.  She is a trouble magnet, but what she discovers about her band will change all their lives.

The snarky part of me thinks that this Black Canary comic book won't last more than 12 issues; actually, I don't think that it will go past eight issues.  This is not a bad comic book, but, at this point, its uniqueness may not save it.  Black Canary is a like a shallow Vertigo Comics spin on Eisner Award winner Jaime Hernandez's classic “Lucas” comics in the long-running alt-comix title, Love and Rockets.  Hernandez was able to convey the heady noise-making of punk rock in both the static images and graphical language of comic books.  Black Canary doesn't bring the noise.

Black Canary has potential, but sometimes, quirky and interesting isn't enough.  Black Canary needs a great second issue to suggest a long run.  Hell, a third and fourth great issue wouldn't hurt.

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux


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


Sunday, March 15, 2015

I Reads You Review: BATGIRL #35

BATGIRL #35
DC COMICS – @DCComics

STORY: Cameron Stewart and Brenden Fletcher – @cameronMstewart @BrendenFletcher
ART: Babs Tarr – @babsdraws
BREAKDOWNS: Cameron Stewart
COLORS: Maris Wicks
LETTERS: Jared K. Fletcher
COVER: Cameron Stewart
VARIANT COVERS: Babs Tarr; Kevin Nowlan
28pp, Color, $2.99 U.S. (December 2014)

Rated “T” for “Teen”

“Burned”

Of the many incarnations of the character, Batgirl, the best known and most popular is Barbara Gordon as Batgirl.  Barbara is the daughter of Gotham City Police Commissioner James Gordon, and she first appeared in 1966, introduced in Detective Comics #359 (entitled “The Million Dollar Debut of Batgirl”) in a story written by Gardner Fox and drawn by Carmine Infantino.

DC Comics recently launched a new era of Batgirl-Barbara Gordon with the creative team of writers Cameron Stewart and Brenden Fletcher, artist Babs Tarr, colorist Maris Wicks, and letterer Jared K. Fletcher.  From the start, this looks like its going to be an exciting and invigorating new era.

Batgirl #35 (“Burned”) opens as Barbara moves to the other side of the bridge from Gotham City to the hip Gotham borough, Burnside.  She has a new roommate, Frankie, and is continuing to work on her graduate degree.  This should be a fresh start, but trouble rears its ugly head.  All around her, laptops and hand-held devices are disappearing, including her own.  Plus, Barbara's former bestie, Dinah Lance/Black Canary, has shown up on her new doorstep.  Then, there's Riot Black.

It is hard not to like the spiffy new Batgirl, and I didn't resist.  Like recent Batman-related launches, Grayson and Gotham Academy, Batgirl is mostly free from being connected to continuity.  The new-direction Batgirl is not quite a Batman version of the classic 1960s sitcom, “That Girl.”  Still, Batgirl looks as if it will focus on the life of a young woman who is on the cusp of adulthood while still preparing for it.

I am enamored with Babs Tarr's art, with its Darwyn Cooke's inflection.  I also thought of Jaime Hernandez's Locas stories enjoying the art.  Being similar to Cooke and Xaime are good things, as far as I'm concerned, so I plan on reading more of this new-era Batgirl.

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux


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



Wednesday, March 4, 2015

I Reads You Review: GOTHAM ACADEMY #1

GOTHAM ACADEMY #1
DC COMICS – @DCComics

STORY: Becky Cloonan and Brenden Fletcher – @beckycloonan @BrendenFletcher
ART: Karl Kerschl – @karlkerschl
COLORS: Geyser with Dave McCaig
LETTERS: Steve Wands
COVER: Karl Kerschl
VARIANT COVER: Becky Cloonan
32pp, Color, $2.99 U.S. (December 2014)

Rated “T” for “Teen”

“Welcome to Gotham Academy”

Gotham Academy is a recently launched DC Comics titled aimed at teen readers.  The series is written by Becky Cloonan and Brendan Fletcher, drawn by Karl Kerschl, colored by Geyser (with Dave McCaig), and lettered by Steve Wands.

Gotham Academy #1 (“Welcome to Gotham Academy”) opens just outside the Headmaster's office of Gotham Academy.  No one is really in trouble.  Headmaster Hammer simply wants second year student, Olive Silverlock, to act as “nanny” (chaperon) to first-year student, Maps Mizoguchi.  Maps just happens to be the younger sister of Olive's boyfriend (ex-boyfriend?), Kyle.  Chaperoning the little sister is going to be the least of Olive's problems.

Let's be straight, dear reader.  Gotham Academy is a girl's comic book, and that is a good thing.  What writers Becky Cloonan and Brendan Fletcher have done is show that with imagination, the most traditional aspects and elements of DC Comics mythologies and properties can yield something for just about any reader.  And that can be done without transforming the central property, in this case Batman, into something alien.  Gotham Academy is simply a small country in the world of Batman.  It is a boarding school story with elements of mystery and adventure, genres and sub-genres that are familiar to most people who have been regular readers throughout their lives.

So, Gotham Academy is for everyone – for everyone who wants it.  In the meantime, with its female lead and mostly female supporting cast (so far), this comic book is aimed at teen girls, a demographic that producers of comic books in America should be trying to attract.  Still, fans of everything Batman can find something to love about this enticing title.

Gotham Academy is an especially good read, and I certainly want to read more.  Karl Kerschl's quirky graphic style, his energetic graphic design and layouts, and his sparkling graphical storytelling will hook readers into attending this boarding school.  Like another famous boarding school, it has an alluring sense of mystery, wonder, and darkness about it.

A

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux


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