Showing posts with label Pete Pantazis. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Pete Pantazis. Show all posts

Tuesday, February 2, 2021

#28DaysofBlack Review: Dwayne McDuffie and "Justice League of America: The Injustice League"

[Dwayne McDuffie (1962-2011) left behind a diverse body of work in American comic books, one that emphasized diversity and inclusion. He did so when "diversity" and "inclusion" were dirtier words than they may be to some, now. McDuffie continues to be an inspiration to new voices in American comic books and graphic novels.]

Get #28DaysofBlack review links here.

JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA: THE INJUSTICE LEAGUE
DC COMICS – @DCComics

STORY: Dwayne McDuffie; Alan Burnett
PENCILS: Mike McKone; Joe Benitez; Ed Benes; Allan Jefferson
INKS: Andy Lanning; Victor Llamas; Sandra Hope; Allan Jefferson
COLORS: Pete Pantazis; Alex Sinclair
LETTERS: Rob Leigh
EDITOR: Brian Cunningham
COVER: Ian Churchill and Norm Rapmund with Alex Sinclair
MISC. ART: Ed Benes and Rod Reis with Alex Sinclair; Ian Churchill and Norm Rapmund with Alex Sinclair; Joe Benitez and Victor Llamas with Pete Pantazis
ISBN: 978-1-4012-2050-1; paperback (June 9, 2009)
144pp, Color, $17.99 U.S., $21.99 CAN

Justice League of America created by Gardner Fox

The Justice League of America is a DC Comics team of superheroes.  The team was conceived by writer Gardner Fox in the late 1950s as a then modern update of the 1940s superhero team, the Justice Society of America.  The Justice League of America's original line-up of superheroes was comprised of Superman (Clark Kent), Batman (Bruce Wayne), Wonder Woman (Diana Prince), The Flash (Barry Allen), Green Lantern (Hal Jordan), Aquaman (Arthur Curry), and the Martian Manhunter (J'onn J'onzz).  This group first appeared together as the Justice League of America in the comic book, The Brave and the Bold #28 (cover dated: March 1960).

The team received its own comic book title entitled Justice League of America, beginning with a first issue cover dated November 1960.  Justice League of America #261 (cover dated: April 1987) was the series' final issue, and a new series, simply titled Justice League, began with a first issue cover dated May 1987.  The title, “Justice League of America,” would not be used for an ongoing comic book series for almost two decades.

After the events of the event miniseries, Infinite Crisis, Superman, Wonder Woman, and Batman reformed the Justice League of America as seen in Justice League #0 (cover dated: September 2006), the kickoff of a new Justice League of America ongoing comic book series under the guidance of writer Brad Meltzer and artist Ed Benes.

After the publication of Justice League of America #12, Dwayne McDuffie became the series new writer.  McDuffie's first story arc was entitled “Unlimited.”  The creative team was comprised of pencil artists: Mike McKone, Joe Benitez, and Ed Benes and inkers: Andy Lanning, Victor Llamas, and Sandra Hope; colorist Pete Pantazis; and letterer Rob Leigh.

The story arc began in the one-shot special, Justice League of America Wedding Special #1 (November 2007) and ran through Justice League of America issues #13 to #15 (November 2007 to January 2008).  Issue #16 (cover dated: February 2008) offered two related stories.  “A Brief Tangent” was written by McDuffie; drawn by Benitez (pencils) and Llamas (inks); colored by Pantazis; and lettered by Leigh.  “Tangent: Superman's Reign” was written by Alan Burnett; drawn by Allan Jefferson; colored by Pantazis; and lettered by Leigh.

The “Unlimited” story was collected in Justice League of America: The Injustice League, which reprints Justice League of America Wedding Special #1 and Justice League of America issue #13 to #16.  The collection was first published first in hardcover (June 2008), and then, as a trade paperback (June 2009).

The backdrop of “Unlimited” is the impending wedding of Oliver “Ollie” Queen, the retired superhero known as Green Arrow, and Dinah Lance known as the hero, Black Canary, the leader of the Justice League of America.  The male members of the League are holding a bachelor party for Ollie that is not going as well as expected.  The female members are holding a bachelorette party for Dinah.

Elsewhere, super-villains:  Lex Luthor, The Joker, and Cheetah are forming a new iteration of “The Injustice League,” the evil counterpart of the Justice League, but this version will have the largest roster of villains ever.  Meeting at the “Hall of Doom,” Luthor dubs this new team, “The Injustice League Unlimited,” and they start launching their first attacks against the Justice League.

Soon, at St. Vincent's Hospital in Greenwich Village in New York City, Wonder Woman and Hawkgirl are fighting the new Injustice League's members, Cheetah, Dr. Light, and Killer Frost, while Firestorm (Jason Rusch) is in a hospital bed, gravely injured from his battle with the villains.  Batman and Red Arrow (Roy Harper) find themselves ambushed by The Joker, Fatality, and the Shadow Thief, who have already taken out Geo-Force.

With members of the Justice League falling to its adversaries, the Justice League is outmatched, and its numbers are dwindling.  Lex Luthor, however, is focused on his main target, Superman, and Luthor promises that he has devised a way to finally destroy Superman.

THE LOWDOWN:  Dwayne Glenn McDuffie died on February 21, 2011, one day after his 49th birthday.  McDuffie was a comic book writer, and he was one of the founders of Milestone Media.  This pioneering minority-owned-and minority-operated company created comic books which featured superheroes and other characters that were either African-American or other minorities whose depictions were underrepresented in American comic books.

McDuffie also wrote and produced for television, specifically for animated TV series.  He was a writer-producer for one season of Cartoon Network's “Justice League” (2001-2004) and a writer-producer for its follow-up, “Justice League Unlimited” (2004-2006).  He wrote and/or produced for three iterations of Cartoon Network's “Ben 10” franchise.  McDuffie also wrote several episodes of the animated series, The WB's “Static Shock” (2000-04), which was based on the Milestone comic book series, Static, that McDuffie co-created and co-wrote.

McDuffie may have been one of the most under-utilized talents and under-appreciated and underrated writers during his three-decade career in the American comic book industry.  Since I don't owe anyone anything and because I don't care much about consequences, I can freely say that had Dwayne McDuffie been a white man instead of an African-American, his status as a comic book creator would have been the American comic book industry equivalent of “most favored nation.”

However, much of his creative output was for DC Comics, where the most powerful editorial positions, those that hand out the writing gigs, were held by bigots, racists, and a variety of sexual harassers and abusers.  During his time at Marvel, McDuffie would have encountered much of the same thing, and during the last decade of his life, Marvel editors mainly hired white guys whose work impressed them and their friends outside the job.

Yet, in spite of such obstacles, McDuffie carved out a career telling hugely entertaining stories in comic books.  McDuffie was a traditionalist and largely eschewed the more “adult” and “mature” storytelling modes that began to dominate American comic books in the 1970s.  Yes, McDuffie was a modern writer and his work did feature elements of realism, but he wrote classic fantasy stories of good and evil in which the shades of gray served the plot, characters, and settings.  McDuffie did not write “grim and gritty” for the sake of style or fad.

That can be seen in the comic book, Static, which is a modern and perhaps, “urban contemporary” take on Spider-Man.  Static was a black teen superhero facing typical teen problems, learning to understand his powers, and dealing with the struggle to learn how to be a superhero.  Thirty years before the debut of Static, a white teen, Peter Parker, lived similar experiences in the pages of Marvel Comics' The Amazing Spider-Man.

Justice League of America (Vol. 3): The Injustice League offers “Unlimited,” which is also classic in the sense that it recalls the original Justice League of America series.  By the time, McDuffie started writing Justice League of America, comic books featuring superhero teams were dark in tone, with characters involved in adult relationships and living complicated, messy lives.  “Unlimited” is straight-forward good guy vs. bad guy.  Yes, the characters have rivalries, conflicts, motivations, personality quirks, and goals, but the depiction of that purely serves the central plot.  And it is this: with their backs to the wall, how do the members of the Justice League of America come back from the ass-kicking Lex Luthor, The Joker, and Cheetah and company have given them?

McDuffie's storytelling is efficient and every panel on every page is consequential, and there is no “decompression” filler.  From the beginning of the story, there is enough tension to create anxiety in the reader for his heroes, and I certainly found myself racing towards the end, hoping that things would work out in the end.  Of course, the heroes always (sort of) win in the end, but the best writers of superhero comic books convince readers that this is it – the end of the line for the good guys.  And McDuffie did that in “Unlimited,” seemingly with ease.

“Unlimited's” plot is so engaging that I ignored the inconsistency of the graphical storytelling due to the shifting art teams.  Actually, the artists offer straight-forward storytelling.  Artists Ed Benes, Mike McKone, and Joe Benitez might not be the best comic book artists or draw the prettiest pictures, but they are quite good at superhero comic book storytelling.  In the end, their art tells a fine story with great characters, and comic book fans swear that is what they really want...

And if audiences and editors really wanted great-stories-characters, then, Dwayne McDuffie, teller of fine comic book stories filled with hugely attractive characters, would not have had to wait to the last half-decade of his life for an A-list assignment in comic books.  By the way, those outstanding editorial citizens fired McDuffie from Justice League of America less than two years into his run on the title.

But they could not kill his pride... nor our memories of his work.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS:  Fans of Dwayne McDuffie will want to treat themselves to Justice League of America: The Injustice League.

A
9 out of 10

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


https://www.dccomics.com/
https://www.facebook.com/dc/


The text is copyright © 2021 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

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

Amazon wants me to inform you that the link below is a PAID AD, but I technically only get paid (eventually) if you click on the ad below AND buy something(s).

 

Wednesday, August 29, 2018

Review: TUROK, Vol.1 #1

TUROK, VOL. 1, No. 1
DYNAMITE ENTERTAINMENT – @dynamitecomics

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

WRITER: Chuck Wendig
ARTIST: Alvaro Sarraseca
COLORS: Triona Farrell
LETTERS: Taylor Esposito
COVER A: Aaron Lopresti with Pete Pantazis
COVER B: Aaron Conley with Jean-Francois Beaulieu
COVER C: Alvaro Sarraseca
COVER D: Andy Belanger
COVER E: Aaron Lopresti (B&W)
COVER F: Alvaro Sarraseca (B&W)
COVER G: Aaron Lopresti with Pete Pantazis (Virgin Art Incentive)
COVER H: Dan Parent with Anwar Hanano (Limited Edition)
32pp, Color, $3.99 U.S. (2016)

Rated “Teen+”

“Blood Hunt”

Turok is an American comic book character that belonged to Western Publishing.  Turok first appeared in Four Color Comics #596 (cover dated:  October/November 1954), which was published by Dell Comics, and eventually got his own title, Turok, Son of Stone. Turok (also named “Mandan”) is a pre-Columbian Native American who, along with his brother, Andar, becomes trapped in an isolated canyon valley populated by dinosaurs.

In 1992, Valiant Comics introduced a revamped and re-imagined version of Turok.  Turok and and his brother Andar were now 18th century Native Americans and were trapped in “The Lost Lands.”  This was a land that existed in a self-contained loop where aliens, demons, and dinosaurs flourished.  Millions of years might pass outside the loop, but time barely moved inside the loop.

Dynamite Entertainment is the current license holder of Western Publishing, now Random House's comic book characters.  There is a new Turok comic book series.  It is set in the “Lost Valley,” a prehistoric jungle which exists in all points in time simultaneously.  The saurian Varanid Empire of dinosaur people rule the Lost Valley.  Here, Turok is trying to find a missing girl who may hold the clue as to how things changed so much in the valley.  Turok is written by Chuck Wendig; drawn by Alvaro Sarraseca; colored Triona Farrell; and lettered by Taylor Esposito.

Turok #1 opens on the “Thornbush Road,” on the way to Terminal Market, a prison belonging to the Varanid Empire.  Marak, a “pigblood” (half-human/half Varanid), and Nettle, a human, are being transported to the prison to become residents.  There is, however, a legendary hero aboard the transport.  He is Turok, and he actually wants to get inside Terminal Market.

My only previous experience reading Turok comic books is a Dark Horse Archives collection of the Dell Comics Turok from several years ago.  I was curious about Valiant Comics' Turok: Dinosaur Hunter, but got around to reading it.  It seems as if Dynamite's new Turok (part of a brand called “The Sovereigns”) is probably closer to Valiant's Turok than the original Dell Comics' Turok.

This new Turok is competently written and drawn, and these 21 pages are good enough to make me want to try the second issue.  There is not really enough here to make a solid judgment about the quality of the series, but I will give it a grade.  I really like the striking cover drawn by Aaron Lopresti and colored by Pete Pantazis.  Speaking of striking images, that last page will probably encourage readers to come back for at least a second issue.

[This comic book contains the Doctor Spektor back-up story, “Part 2,” by writer Aubrey Sitterson; artist Dylan Burnett; colored by Triona Farrell; and letterer Taylor Esposito.]

6.5 out of 10

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


The text is copyright © 2017 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

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



Friday, January 5, 2018

Review: BLACK LIGHTNING: Cold Dead Hands #1

BLACK LIGHTNING: COLD DEAD HANDS No. 1 (OF 6)
DC COMICS – @DCComics

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

WRITER: Tony Isabella
ART: Clayton Henry
COLORS: Pete Pantazis
LETTERS: Josh Reed
COVER: Clayton Henry with Tomeu Morey
VARIANT COVER: Ken Lashley with Juan Fernandez
32pp, Color, $3.99 U.S. (January 2018)

Rated “T” for “Teen”

Black Lightning created by Tony Isabella and Trevor Von Eeden

Cold Dead Hands Part One: “Ready to Do It All Over”

Black Lightning is a DC Comics superhero.  Also known by his civilian identity, Jefferson Pierce, the character was one of the first major African American superheroes to appear in DC Comics.  Pierce debuted in Black Lightning #1 (cover dated: April 1977), and was created by writer Tony Isabella and artist Trevor Von Eeden.

Black Lightning returns in a new six-issue miniseries, entitled Black Lighting: Cold Dead Hands.  It is written by Tony Isabella; drawn by Clayton Henry; colored by Pete Pantazis; and lettered by Josh Reed.

Black Lightning: Cold Dead Hands #1 (“Ready to Do It All Over”) finds Jefferson Pierce back in Cleveland, already having to play superhero.  On the plus side, Pierce has been learning to maximize his electricity-based powers, and in his first battle back, Black Lightning takes down members of “The Weathermen,” street thieves in the possession of advanced weaponry.

His success is tempered, however, by the state of affairs in Cleveland.  The local police do not want what they see as superhero interference, and some of them may be willing to shoot Black Lightning to make their point.  Also, Black Lightning's take down of “The Weathermen” has earned him the ire of a very powerful and very bad man.

First, Black Lightning: Cold Dead Hands #1 looks dazzling from the art, graphics, and design perspective.  Clayton Henry's art features strong composition and dynamic layout and design.  Pete Pantazis posts layers of color that are luscious like flowing cake frosting.  The color effects on the energy blasts from weapons, the arcs of Black Lightning's electricity, and the gold of Lightning's goggles are radiant.

Josh Reed's lettering is quite effecting; at least to me, it seems that the word balloons were placed for maximum effect.  Reed's work never intrudes; instead, he creates a rhythm that builds a sense of rising tension and also suggests that Black Lightning is in an increasingly precarious position.

Isabella's story is also quite good.  He should write more comic books.  I like the way that he creates a sense of tension around Black Lightning, which gives the story edge and latent hostility.  Remember, 12-year-old Tamir Rice, shot to death by a Cleveland police officer, was described as “menacing,” by those who made disingenuous arguments in support of his killing?  That is basically what Black Lightning faces; he is a superhero in a place inclined to think of him as a menace.  We, the readers (at least, some of us) do not think of him as a menace.  Isabella creates a scenario in which many distrust Black Lightning, to one extent or another, so as the narrative precedes, the hero finds himself under a spreading malaise.

Isabella increases the obstacles against his hero and that makes a compelling story that will, in turn, make readers want to come back for more.  I want to come back for more.

A
9 out of 10

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


The text is copyright © 2017 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

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



Sunday, September 20, 2015

Review: BIZARRO #1

BIZARRO #1 (OF 6)
DC COMICS – @DCComics

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

WRITER: Heath Corson
PENCILS: Gustavo Duarte
INKS: Bill Sienkiewicz
COLORS: Pete Pantazis
LETTERS: Tom Napolitano
COVER: Gustavo Duarte with Pete Pantazis
VARIANT COVERS: Kyle Baker
32pp, Color, $3.99 U.S. (August 2015)

Rated “E” for “Everyone”

“America: Part 6”

Bizarro is a supervillain that first appeared in Superboy #68 (cover dated:  October 1958).  Created by  writer Otto Binder and artist George Papp, Bizarro was meant to be a “mirror image” of Superman, but he is also an antagonist of the Man of Steel's.

DC Comics' “DCYou” publishing initiative includes the launch of several new series, some of them are “all ages” titles.  One of those is Bizarro, a six-issue miniseries written by Heath Corson; drawn by Gustavo Duarte and Bill Sienkiewicz; colored by Pete Pantazis; and lettered by Tom Napolitano.

Bizarro #1 (“America: Part 6”) opens with Superman's pal, Jimmy Olsen, and Bizarro on a road trip.  It is all part of plan to get Bizarro to Canada and then, convince him that this foreign country is really “Bizarro America.”  Along for the trip is Bizarro's pet, Colin the Chupacabra, and alien visitors!  Plus, Regis “King Tut” Tuttle just wants to sell cars to Smallville.

The highly stylized art of the team of Gustavo Duarte and Bill Sienkiewicz is one good thing about Bizarro #1.  Anything else good about it, you might ask?  Well, Bizarro #1 is mildly amusing, but I did not enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed the other “DCYou” six-issue all-ages miniseries, Bat-Mite.

I can convince myself that Bizarro has potential.  I don't know if I can convince myself to prove that by reading another issue.

C+

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux


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


Thursday, January 5, 2012

I Reads You Review: BATMAN AND ROBIN: Batman Reborn – The Deluxe Edition

BATMAN AND ROBIN: BATMAN REBORN – THE DELUXE EDITION
DC COMICS

WRITER: Grant Morrison
PENCILS: Frank Quitely, Philip Tan
INKS: Frank Quitely, Jonathan Glapion
COLORS: Alex Sinclair, Pete Pantazis
LETTERS: Patrick Brosseau
EXTRA ART: Grant Morrison, Frank Quitely, Philip Tan, J.G. Jones, Andy Kubert with Chris Chuckry, Tony S. Daniel with Ian Hannin
COVER: Frank Quitely and Alex Sinclair
ISBN: 978-1-4012-2566-7; hardcover
168pp, Color, $24.99 U.S., $29.99 CAN

I see the last 26 years of DC Comics as an onslaught of events, launches, re-launches, etc., especially the last 10 years. It seems as if the powers at DC and also the writers, artists, and editors who are looked upon with favor have been restarting, destroying, making-over, re-imagining, revamping, re-jiggering and remaking every corner of the DC Universe, every character in the DC catalog, and every page of comics ever published by DC Comics.

Out of the 2008-09 conflagration that was “Batman: R.I.P.,” Final Crisis, and “Battle for the Cowl,” came a new Batman comic book series, Batman and Robin. Bruce Wayne was no longer Batman. Bruce was dead/missing/lost in time and the Bat-mantle was picked up by the original Robin, Richard “Dick” Grayson, and the new Robin (#4) was Damian Wayne, Batman and Talia al Ghul’s lovechild.

The new Batman and Robin debuted in Batman and Robin #1 (cover date August 2009). The series was created by Grant Morrison and the first three issues were drawn by Morrison’s All-Star Superman collaborator, Frank Quitely. Like All-Star Superman and the other Morrison/Quitely joint, New X-Men, Batman and Robin was snazzy and jazzy compared to the dark-dark that has mostly been Batman since Frank Miller’s The Dark Knight Returns. The Richard Grayson Batman is light-hearted and more conscious about violence and the Damian Wayne Robin is more like the scowling, Dirty Harry Batman.

The first six issues of Batman and Robin (which was re-launched during DC Comics’ “The New 52), are collected in the 2010 hardcover, Batman and Robin: Batman Reborn – The Deluxe Edition. The book collects two storylines: “Batman Reborn” (#1-3) and “Revenge of the Red Hood” (#4-6); the latter is penciled by Philip Tan. The book also includes a 16-page section in the back of the book, entitled “Batman Redrawn” which includes art, character and costume designs, and some text about the creation, graphics, and design of the new series.

Originally, I only read the first issue of the series. I thought it was excellent, and it reminded me of the start-off-with-a-bang that was Morrison and Quitely’s New X-Men #114 (cover date July 2001). Rereading Batman and Robin #1 for the first time in over two years, I have to admit that I didn’t find it as sparkly as I did the first time. That surprises me because every time I reread New X-Men #114, which I do every few years, I love it as much as I did the first time. And boy, did I love it.

In “Batman Reborn,” the new Dynamic Duo takes on Professor Pyg, a villain with a predilection for changing people’s faces. He is the boss of an extreme circus based in Europe, but he is also a creator of and dealer in designer drugs. “Revenge of the Red Hood” pits Batman and Robin against rivals who want to replace them, Red Hood and Scarlet. The twist is that Red Hood was Robin #2, the tragic Jason Todd. Todd, who claims to want to really cleanup Gotham City, actually brings more trouble to the city with his antics.

Although it ultimately goes out with a whimper, the “Batman Reborn” storyline is imaginative. It’s not Morrison’s best work (The Invisibles), but it is some of the most colorful and inventive Batman comics, probably since the Batman comic books of the 1950s and 1960s. Quitely’s intricate line work in All-Star Superman needed color to give it texture and form. In “Batman Reborn,” ragged brushwork pushes Alex Sinclair’s colors aside, so that the color is just that – color. Quitely’s artwork would look lovely reprinted as a black and white comic book. The clotted blacks and scratchy lines give Batman and his Gotham City milieu a screwy, but unique neo-Noir touch.

“Revenge of the Red Hood” is hodge-podge of character conflicts that don’t interest me enough to analyze them. The art by the usually good Philip Tan is ugly. With that in mind, overall, I think of this collection, Batman and Robin: Batman Reborn – The Deluxe Edition, as being another DC Comics event that does not live up to the hype or to some readers’ expectations (like mine). This isn’t essential Batman or essential Grant Morrison, but Batman and Morrison fans will want to sample it.

B


Saturday, October 1, 2011

The New 52 Review: BLUE BEETLE #1

BLUE BEETLE #1
DC COMICS

WRITER: Tony Bedard
PENCILS: Ig Guara
INKS: Ruy Jose
COLORS: Pete Pantazis
LETTERS: Rob Leigh
COVER: Tyler Kirkham and Sal Regla with Nate Eyring
32pp, Color, $2.99

The superhero Blue Beetle first appeared in Mystery Men Comics #1 (cover-dated August 1939) from the publisher, Fox Comics. The original Blue Beetle was Dan Garret, a rookie police officer who used special equipment, a bulletproof costume, and a super-strength formula to fight crime. In Captain Atom #83 (cover-dated November 1966), Charlton Comics introduced the best known Blue Beetle, Ted Kord. Kord was a student of Dan Garret’s and also an inventor who used special gadgets to fight crime.

After DC Comics bought the rights to the Charlton characters, the Ted Kord Blue Beetle starred in several series for the next two decades. The most recent Blue Beetle, Jamie Reyes, debuted in 2006 and is a Latino teenager who uses alien technology. “The New 52,” DC Comics’ re-launch of its superhero line, gives Jaime Reyes a new comic book series. Blue Beetle #1 (“Metamorphosis, Part One”) opens a long time ago, as The Reach destroys a world in Space Sector 2. Readers will recognize that the soldiers of The Reach look like Blue Beetle. They are soldiers created by blue Scarabs.

Present day, the most important thing on Jaime Reyes’ mind is Brenda Del Vecchio’s party. However, the festivities are at Brenda’s aunt’s house, and Jaime’s parents don’t want their son in the home of Doña Cardenas. But a teen will do what a teen has to do, and Jaime is racing to the party with his pal, Paco. However, this car ride is heading to a date with super-villains and a certain scarab.

Simply put, Blue Beetle #1 is a top-notch superhero comic book and a great read. Writer Tony Bedard squeezes quite a bit of narrative into 22-pages, from the origins of the scarab that gives Blue Beetle his powers and uniform to the environment in which series star Jaime Reyes lives. Plus, Bedard includes two good battle scenes.

Bedard’s script allows penciller Ig Guara to show off his broad compositional and design skills in creating diverse settings: alien worlds, outer space battles, teen melodrama, and super-powered fights. These are four essential set pieces from the superhero comic book catalog, which Guara draws with a deft touch and captures with sharply defined emotion and explosive action. Blue Beetle should be a hit.

A-

September 21st
BATMAN #1
http://ireadsyou.blogspot.com/2011/09/batman-1.html
CATWOMAN #1
http://ireadsyou.blogspot.com/2011/09/catwoman-1.html
GREEN LANTERN CORPS #1
http://ireadsyou.blogspot.com/2011/10/green-lantern-corps-1.html
NIGHTWING #1
http://ireadsyou.blogspot.com/2011/09/nightwing-1.html
RED HOOD AND THE OUTLAWS #1
http://ireadsyou.blogspot.com/2011/09/red-hood-and-outlaws-1.html
SUPERGIRL #1
http://ireadsyou.blogspot.com/2011/10/supergirl-1.html
WONDER WOMAN #1
http://ireadsyou.blogspot.com/2011/09/wonder-woman-1.html