Check This Out! – Comics Pick of the Week: The Movement #2

June 10, 2013

movement 2The Movement #2

Writer: Gail Simone

Artist: Freddie Williams II

DC Comics

Amanda Conner sure can compose a nice cover. I love the way she captures that potent tension between insecurity, confidence, and ambition that’s so salient in teenage characters. It also maintains a nice ambiguity – are the characters pursuing a foe or being pursued? Notice also how no single character dominates the composition, but our eye is guided to each of them one by one as we try (futilely) to sort out where the threat is coming from. It takes some liberty with the actual narrative events in the issue, but it actually does a nice job of previewing what we can we expect from  a more tonal and thematic perspective.

From a cursory glance at the reviews after last month’s debut, critics seemed a little cold and indifferent to the series’ premier. I was mostly in agreement, if a little more optimistic. But with issue #2 the pieces seem to fall nicely in to place in a way that was lacking a month ago. For one thing, we get a much more complete sense of who this “movement” is, what they want, and how they’re organized. As the cover hints, the answer to the last question is: not terribly well. True to form, these kids are brash and impulsive and haven’t quite thought things through. They’ve kidnapped two crooked cops, locked them up in the abandoned garment factory that they, and a few dozen of the local homeless, are squatting, but they can’t agree on what the end game is.

Despite these shortcomings, however, we find ourselves admiring their passion, commitment, and empathy (to greater or lesser extents depending on the character in question) all the same. In issue #1 we never got up close and personal with any of the book’s main characters, largely because we were reading mostly from the perspective of the cops. In this issue we are brought down to ground level (or underground level, I suppose) with the movement, and each character is given his or her moment. One could argue that they are still set in one-dimensional molds, but even that begins to change as we see the characters start to second guess their actions. They begin to acknowledge the hypocrisy of holding the cops as prisoners against their will, and they start to question whether they belong in this group; each character has reservations borne out of their own unique values and sensibilities.

We get the sense that their may not be any clean and tidy resolution to this story; no matter what the outcome they will have to face responsibility for their actions and may have to answer to both the law and the public. This actually works as a nice contrast to the standard superhero stories in which an eventual victory (both physical and moral) is virtually inevitable from the start. The end result is an issue #2 that manages to be more dense and layered, but also more cohesive and unified than the first installment.

Gail Simone, in partnership with artist Freddie Williams II, also shows off some nice storytelling techniques that demonstrate a level of sophistication that hasn’t been as present in her work lately. She employs a parallel set of fight scenes that serve to illustrate the divided attitudes within the movement while building the landscape and cultural backdrop of Coral City. It may not be a groundbreaking structural technique, but it commands a high level of reader engagement, one of the ultimate goals of the medium in my opinion. I was also quite impressed with the way she uses Burden’s internal monologue. He is an interesting character to begin with, a kid who is tortured by the belief that his superpowers are actually the manifestation of a demonic possession. His neurotic wanderings, inserted through narrative captions seamlessly transition our focus away from the heated argument between the other characters, as he silently mediates on the relationship between violence and morality, forcing the reader to do the same.

I don’t remember being terribly moved by Williams’s artwork in issue #1, but here it struck me as intensely kinetic, whipping me in a whirlwind from panel to panel, while also being both emotive and expressive. It evoked the same reaction from me that Chris Burnham’s work has been achieving in Batman Inc. If this issue is any indication of the work to come on this title, than I will be a very happy reader.

Oh, and the new 52 debut of a Wildstorm character who shall remain nameless happens on the last page… just in case you needed any more incentive.

Leave a Comment » | Comics, entertainment | Tagged: , , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by tvgilbert

Check These Out! – Comics Picks of the Week: The Ladies of DC

May 20, 2013

This was a light week for my pull list, only four books – all DC titles, all ladies, and, for better or worse, all family dramas. To be fair, family dramas seem to be in right now, and not just with the women. Animal Man, Green Arrow, Aquaman, and Phantom Stranger, not to mention most of The Batman family books, all feature family oriented narratives these days. I’m quite alright with that, all of the books mentioned are among my favorites and there really isn’t anything like the complex nuances of familial bonds when it comes to heightening the emotional resonance of a storyline. Of course, like anything else, treatment matters a lot in terms of how potent, original, and meaningful the emotional fireworks manage to be. So how did Sword of Sorcery, Batgirl, Batwoman, and Wonder Woman make out this month? Read on to find out!

SoS8Sword of Sorcery #8

Writer: Christy Marx

Artist: Aaron Lopresti

DC Comics

 

Sword of Sorcery #8 claims the unfortunate dual distinction of being the only book on this list that was not part of the original launch of the New 52, and the only of these four books on its final issue. This book had quite a bit of potential from the get-go and ended up suffering, though not so much from the shortcomings of its creators as from its premature death. I’m not quite sure why this comic had to end before being really given a chance to find its audience but I do lament the fact that this cancellation, along with that of books like I, Vampire, Frankenstein, and the recently announced discontinuations of Demon Knights and Dial H, represents a movement away from a level of genre diversity and risk taking that got me excited about the New 52 almost two years ago.

This issue sees the conclusion of the showdown between house Amethyst of Gem World and the evil Eclipso. The story does manage to tie up all of the narrative strands that Marx put in place, but it does so without the level of complexity that I think the series could have exhibited. The power struggle between Lady Amaya’s mother and aunt over the bloodline of house Amethyst is resolved, as is the similar, but gender-opposite, one in house Diamond. I’m happy to have the closure, yet I can’t help but feel a little bit let down by the relative ease with which these transfers of power were facilitated, given the momentous ramifications they were meant to signify within this world. A prolonged series of twists, turns, betrayals, and role reversals would have been so much more satisfying.

But what’s done is done I suppose. On the positive side, Lady Amaya emerged as one kick-ass young hero whose transition from a reluctant teenager into a confident and powerful woman, at least, felt paced realistically enough to carry the emotional weight that it deserved to. Thanks for this are due in no small part to the emotive pencils of Aaron Lopresti, who captures Amaya’s strength in a handful of breathtaking splash pages. Together the team of  Marx and Lopresti managed to characterize a slew of relatable and inspiring women while avoiding the clichés that unfortunately still characterize many a heroic woman in comics. As an added bonus, they did so in an idiosyncratic and gloriously Labyrinth-esque style that at least this reviewer will miss.

 

Batgirl #20

Writer: Gail Simone

Artists: Daniel Sampere and Carlos Rodriguez

DC Comics

bgcv20jpg-acb968_640w

Gail Simone really started to hit her stride on this title with the Death of the Family tie in issues and, thankfully, she’s still running at that pace. This iteration of Batgirl hasn’t always been a family-focused drama, in fact, it was very much a book about Barbara proving to herself that she could make it on her own after recovering from the devastating spinal cord injury that, although somewhat revised, occurred during the Alan Moore penned Killing Joke story. That all blew up in her face when the Joker kidnapped her mother, and her psychopathic brother, James Jr., tried to kill her roommate.

Currently reacting to the fallout of those events, specifically the death of James Jr. at her hands, Babs is undergoing a pretty major crisis. She’s no longer sure she is even fit to wear her uniform. Meanwhile, a sinister new version of The Ventriloquist is unleashing havoc on Gotham and has Batgirl in her sights. The Ventriloquist is a fun character, thanks to  a simple but compelling origin story as an insecure misfit with a sociopathic streak turned reality show reject, and a drill bit wielding dummy rife with exploitation style excess.

But The Ventriloquist isn’t the only one after Batgirl, Commissioner Gordon (that’s right, her dad, though he has no idea) is out for blood to avenge the murder of his son. Yes, its simple. No, its not really original – but it works dammit, and I look forward to watching it play out.

 

BW_Cv20_g1tmquf2c3_Batwoman #20

Writers: J.H. Williams III and W. Haden Blackman

Artist: Trevor McCarthy

DC Comics

 

And then there’s Batwoman… As far as strong female comic book characters go, she is bar-none at the top of the heap. But saying that doesn’t do her justice; she holds her own against any character in comics, regardless of gender. Furthermore, its not just her tenacity and strength (which she does have in spades) that puts her at the top, but the complexity with which Williams and Blackman write her that really puts her over the edge.

Take Batgirl as a point of comparison. She is a great character, but relatively one dimensional, as most heroes tend to be. She is defined by a compelling mix of insecurity, resourcefulness, and bravery. While the contradictions in her nature make her interesting, they don’t necessarily make her complex. In contrast, when Batwoman interacts with in her various relationships, she displays attitudes and actions all across the emotional spectrum, lending her a nuanced realism that not only provides emotional impact, but keeps her story fresh and her readers surprised.

She is relentlessly bullish and stubborn, presenting her father with a cold and unforgiving face while her love for her Fiancé, Maggie Sawyer, is seemingly endless. Her tenderness and compassion for her recently returned sister contrast with her vicious sadism when donning cape and cowl. We are never sure which side of Kate Kane will emerge in any given situation, but each is beautiful because it is a part of her fascinatingly complex character.

Her relationship with Maggie gets its fair share of attention in the media because they are a lesbian couple, but, to echo my earlier statement, it is without a doubt the best drawn relationship in any mainstream comic book. Maggie is so much more than a plot device waiting to happen, in a way, she is able to draw together the diverse and nuanced aspects of Kate Kane, she loves her when she has no one else to turn to, and she puts her in her place when no one else can (as she does in this issue).

in the narrative strand that this issue kicks off, Batwoman is blackmailed by the D.E.O into unmasking Batman. Any other character and this story would be over before it started – no one in Gotham could stand up to Batman, but I’m guessing Kate will give him a run for his money. I’m also willing to bet that with Williams and Blackman at the helm, it won’t turn out the way we’re expecting.

Wonder Woman #20

Writer: Brian Azzarello

Artists: Goran Sudzuka and Cliff Chiang

DC Comics

tumblr_mhwyk7sQae1qhwq6io1_r1_500

From an artistic standpoint, Cliff Chiang, Tony Akins, and now Goran Sudzuka, have done a breathtaking job with Wonder Woman. She has poise, strength, and beauty. This incarnation of the character is allowed to exist as an A-lister without ever being forced into typically masculine archetypes or having her femininity objectified.

Wonder Woman’s strength, in particular, is on display in this issue, which largely consists of her battle with Artemis. It’s an epic, airborne affair in which Diana proves that even the gods have another thing coming if they try to mess with her friends, and their children. But the family narrative doesn’t simply follow the mother/protector archetype that it appears to at first glance. Diana’s relationship with her clan is much more complex than that. Yes, she does play the role of mother at various points, but she is also the General, and, at times, the child.

Its the way these characters relate to one another that makes the story so compelling: the way in which Hera learns compassion, War learns humility, and Zola gains confidence. Somehow this odd group of gods and demigods manage to bring out the best in one another. Wonder Woman isn’t so much the leader who draws it out of them, but the catalyst that allows them to find one another. As Zola says to her unknowing little boy in this issue: “you have a weird family. A weird, wonderful family.”

Both major publishers have taken a lot of slack for the underrepresentation of women in their comics, recently Bleeding Cool called DC out for only featuring two pages of lady-led books in their DC essentials catalog, but I can’t deny that these four titles, especially the latter three, represent some of the best books being written across the medium. From time to time its worth talking about how good some of lady heroes are. Of course we need more, but its not for lack of a model. Read these books and hopefully it will start to catch on.

 

Leave a Comment » | Comics, entertainment | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by tvgilbert

Check This Out! – Comics Pick of the Week: I, Vampire #19

April 28, 2013

I_Vampire_19_Full-1024x810I, Vampire #19

Writer: Joshua Hale Fialkov

Artists: Fernando Blanco and Andrea Sorrentino

DC Comics

Rather than writing about the Jupiter’s Legacy, the issue #1 that has the whole comics community abuzz this week, I’m going to write about a final issue that seems to have been largely, and criminally ignored. There’s nothing worse than the cancelation of one of your favorite series, but in an ideal world the creative team has enough time to send the series off properly. Fialkov and team do a bang up job of it in I, Vampire #19.

The series has taken more twists and turns and reversals of status quo in its year and a half of existence than virtually any book in the New 52 (with the exception of maybe Mieville’s Dial H, Azzarello’s Wonder Woman, or Morrison’s Batman Inc., but that list of names should tell you something). It has also featured some of the best executed cameos; I don’t think anyone has written the new universe version of John Constantine as well as Fialkov has and I would have loved to see him on the Constantine series. Most importantly, however, Fialkov made us truly care about his characters, with all of the family betrayals, ambiguous moral codes, and romantic tension derived from unrequited love and conflicting allegiances. As much as I would have loved to see these dynamic narrative elements play out over four or five years and dozens of issues, the best I really could have hoped for is a satisfying sense of closure that didn’t minimize the journey that got us there. Not only was I satisfied by how Fialkov tied things together, but I was pleasantly surprised by the way he did it.

It’s a little less fun to review a final issue because the whole spoiler thing forces more circumlocution than I prefer. What I can reveal is that the story returns us to the 16th century and the events following last September’s superb zero issue. If that story amounted to Andrew’s origin, then this one tells that of his evil ex-lover, Mary. Fialkov provides closure through the story’s beginning rather than through its end. It’s admittedly not an entirely original plot device, but it is one that’s somewhat rare in the world of serialized mainstream comics; it also fits remarkably well with the cinematic feeling that the series has cultivated throughout its run.

The only thing disappointing about the concluding issues of I, Vampire is that Andrea Sorrentino was stolen away for Green Arrow (which, in fairness, he is doing a fantastic job on). Fernando Blanco’s work demonstrates enough technical skill and moody atmosphere to be an acceptable replacement, but he lacks the nuanced rhythm and pacing that Sorrentino brought to the storytelling. I wish I Could have seen how Sorrentino would have handled Lucifer’s reveal in this issue (not a spoiler if it’s on the cover, even if it is a “surprise” gatefold). Sorrentino does, however, make a return for the five pages of flashback in issue #19, which are as beautiful as ever and make for a great exclamation point to the series.

I greatly admire the work that Fialkov did on I, Vampire, as well as his Image series Last of the Greats, but, unfortunately, he seems to be getting the short end of the stray when it comes to cancellations and editorial conflicts. I sincerely hope that he finds the success and readership that he deserves in the near future. I look forward to his next projects and plan to devour them with enthusiasm. So should you.

Leave a Comment » | Comics, horror, Sci-fi / Fantasy, Uncategorized | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by tvgilbert

Check This Out! Comics Pick of the Week: Animal Man #19

April 8, 2013

animal-man-19-coverAnimal Man #19

Writer: Jeff Lemire

Artist: Steve Pugh

DC Comics

 

In his relatively short career, Jeff Lemire has proven himself to be quite the versatile writer. He can do “real world” fiction (Essex County), superheroes (Green Arrow), horror (Animal Man), Indie sci-fi (The Nobody, Underwater Welder), even continuity oriented collaborative projects (Justice League Dark with Ray Fawkes), and  he’ll be getting the chance to really flex his muscles on the latter with Trinity War in a few months, which he will be co-writing with Geoff Johns. However, with indie and DC titles alike, he is at his best when he is really given full creative control.

As fun as his Rotworld crossover event was (a collaboration between Animal Man and Scott Snyder’s Swamp Thing), it didn’t always play to the strengths of Lemire or his artist Steve Pugh, trading the quieter character moments and brooding horror for grand super-heroics and gruesome splatter. Forgive me the cliché, but it really is a breath of fresh air to finally pick back up on the turbulent drama of the Baker household after what has been essentially a seven month hiatus.

While Rotworld signaled the end of Snyder’s Swamp Thing arc, it appears to have been only the beginning for Lemire’s Animal Man tale. Last month’s epilogue issue ended on a truly heartbreaking note, with the death of Cliff Baker at the hands of the Rot (sorry, but it doesn’t count as a spoiler if its on the inside of the fold-out cover). This event is a breaking point for the Baker family. Buddy and Ellen are both left devastated – something that Pugh conveys painfully well in a single split-panel page, and are left to cope in their own ways. Ellen turns to denial, pushing Buddy out of her life and ignoring the powers that her daughter Maxine will undoubtedly continue to manifest. Buddy, on the other hand, turns to rage. After bashing a paparazzo’s camera to pieces with some gorilla strength, he heads back into the heart of The Red, planning to tell off the totems, its mystic keepers, and quit the role of Animal Man once and for all.

This final sequence epitomizes what’s great about Animal Man; the story of Buddy Baker has so far been a tragedy, and one that embraces the emotive power of mundane family relationships more than any other title out there (except maybe Saga), yet the true weight of Buddy’s despair is driven home in  a surreal and grotesque fantasy world. Despite some of the familiar set pieces from Rotworld, Pugh is able to return to the masterful rhythm, rife with the counter-logical imagery of a surrealist nightmare, that he excelled at prior to the crossover. Here, the skin crawling, sinew and entrail laden mise en scene is more unsettling than gross and makes the funeral scene that the issue opened with feel oddly welcoming for all of its familiarity, compared to the hell that Buddy chooses to face afterwards.

But we haven’t gotten to the truly devastating part, that is to say, when Buddy is denied by The Red, cast out never to return unless called upon. Just like that, Buddy is completely lost in the world, without family, without purpose, and made to drag around the most painful guilt a father could carry: Lemire has brought Buddy Baker to his lowest possible low. I won’t speculate on what he has planned for Buddy, but watching him inevitably climb his way back out of this metaphorical pit promises to be a hell of a lot more epic than even Rotworld could have been.

Leave a Comment » | Comics, horror, Sci-fi / Fantasy | Tagged: , , , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by tvgilbert

Check This Out! – Comics Pick of the Week: Time Warp #1

April 1, 2013

imagesCAV137WCTime Warp #1

Writers: Damon Lindelof, Tom King, Gail Simone, Simon Spurrier, Toby Litt, Peter Milligan, Ray Fawkes, Matt Kindt, and Dan Abnett

Artists: Jeff Lemire, Tom Fowler, Gael Bertrand, Michael Dowling, Mark Buckingham, Victor Santos, M.K. Perker, Andy MacDonald, Matt Kindt, and I.N.J Culbard

Vertigo Comics

 

I’ve been a fan of the Vertigo anthology series that has been published with pretty dependable regularity over the last few years. I’ll admit, they have suffered occasionally from unevenness, and the stories don’t always perfectly reflect the themes conjured by the title. It’s fair to say that Vertigo is a little bit looser about what constitutes a “ghost” story or a “mystery in space” than, say, the editor of your typical genre short fiction anthology would be. One could argue that it’s a shortcoming of major publishers in the comic book industry that anthology collections are defined by the trademarked properties that  they own rather than a truly original theme or concept. Time Warp suffers from these same shortfalls in its own way, but despite these faults, I still found it to be the most satisfying Vertigo anthology yet.

In the interest of disclosure, I have to admit that time travel (along with other timey wimey tropes) is my favorite sci-fi convention, and thus hard to step back and evaluate on a critical level. The mere mention of alternate history, space-time paradoxes, or distorted timelines in a genre story and I am transported back to the a place of pre-adolescent glee. I guess some people might say that an “adult” imprint like Vertigo has no business publishing a comic that draws on childhood nostalgia. Needless to say, I’m not one of them.

Of the nine stories that make up Time Warp, four could be said to be, more or less, tales of traditional time travel, while the other five take the concept of a “time warp” to its more flexible limits. The collection begins and ends with its two pulpiest, and zaniest entries. The first, by Damon Lindelof with fantastic artwork from Jeff Lemire makes use of the DC Universe character Rip Hunter in a classic take on the “two versions of yourself in the same time paradox,” topped off with a few dinosaur chases for good measure. It is both as gleeful and convoluted as a time travel tale ought to be, while Lemire’s distinctive style helps the bring a human quality to the wacky landscape of the story.

The anthology ends with one of its two Hitler-centric stories (yes there are two stories that play with the “going back in time to kill Hitler” trope. It truly doesn’t bother me. Should it?). It’s written by Dan Abnett and illustrated by I.N.J Culbard, whose collaboration I loved on New Deadwardians and was thrilled to see again here. If you thought that series pushed the limits of acceptable kitsch, this story goes even further. Culbard’s artwork veers even closer to caricature, but the creative relationship that the pair has developed is clear when you consider how neat and tight this short episode reads. Their story, “The Principal,” plays with the idea of a futuristic time police, charged with preserving the appropriate time lines. The two protagonists draw on standard “buddy” flick paradigms: the experienced veteran shows a green recruit the ropes. Abnett allows for just enough ethical philosophizing to give the story enough weight to draw us in, while Culbard’s clipping pace and clever compositions pull us the rest of the way through.

Another standout story is Gail Simone’s “I have what you need,” which reads like a cross between Futurama and the Twilight Zone.  Somehow she manages to tap into the absurd humor of the former, and retain all of the ironic karma of the latter, while somehow infusing both with a tone that should be far too dark and weighty for either, but that somehow works perfectly.

The other entries in Time Warp have less thematically on point, but aren’t necessarily less enjoyable because of it. Simon Spurrier makes an unapologetic mockery of academia in his entry “the grudge,” while Matt Kindt and the team of Ray Fawkes and Andy MacDonald take on the relativity of time in intergalactic warfare in their respective stories. Peter Milligan’s story may have been more appropriate for the Ghosts anthology, but it is a chilling meditation of the idea of advanced information technology and the human consciousness, nonetheless. Toby Litt and Mark Buckingham’s second installment of their take on Neil Gaiman’s Dead Boy Detectives has perhaps the most dubious claim to the time travel genre, but it is a noteworthy improvement on the first installment in the last Vertigo anthology.

At $7.99, Time Warp puts more stress on the wallet than a single issue normally should, and if they were published monthly I might start to tire of the high price tag. Published a few times a year, however, and its a nice break from the continuity and drama of my regular monthly books, not to mention a great way to be introduced to some of the most creative and passionate writers and artists in the medium.

Leave a Comment » | Comics, entertainment, Sci-fi / Fantasy | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by tvgilbert

Check This Out! – Comics Pick of the Week: Batman and Robin #18

March 18, 2013

Batman-and-Robin_18-665x10241-300x461Batman and Robin #18

Writer: Peter J. Tomasi

Artist: Patrick Gleason

DC Comics

Page 1

Panel 1: Bruce Wayne’s cold empty eyes reflect a flickering flame. Despite the tangible warmth of the fire, the reflected quality of the image conveys a distance and a separation that powerfully evokes a sense of isolation and loneliness.

Panel 2: A shift in perspective faces us directly towards the fire. The prongs of the iron screen appear like teeth. In contrast to the near blackness of the rest of the panel it becomes a foreboding inferno – the abyss that Bruce is in danger of falling down.

panel 3: We zoom in on Bruce’s half-lit silhouette. His gaze is intense but undefined. Is it the fixed stare of a madman or the blank expression of depression?

Page 2

Splash page: The shot widens. We look down on Bruce from a slight angle. His face is visible and the, now gentle, light from the fire splashes out into the room, first across Damian’s orphaned dog, Titus, past his slippers, and finally, across his empty mattress.

From the moment we read the first expertly crafted pages of Batman and Robin, #18 it is clear we are in for a tear-jerker. This “silent issue” from writer Peter J. Tomasi and artist Patrick Gleason not only picks up on the nuances and banalities that made the relationship between Bruce and Damian so special, but it does it with a rhythm and stylistic flare that is rarely matched in mainstream comics today.

Thematically, the issue rides the line between physical and psychological loss as it explores both. This duality is developed exceptionally well in a sequence that mirrors one from the first issue of Tomasi’s New 52 run on the series. In the scene Bruce is sliding down the pole to the bat cave and glances over, imagining, or remembering a time when Damian was by his side, only to face Robin’s uniform, helpless behind its glass casing when he gets to the bottom. Later Tomasi and Gleason use a similar technique when a splash page of Batman and Robin swinging triumphantly between rooftops is contrasted on the next page by the empty reflection in an adjacent building’s facade.

The issue also explores the loss of robin from the perspective that death means not only the loss of an individual, but also the loss of who they would have become. Bruce thumbs through a sketchbook that Damian has left behind and finds, among fond sketches of animals and family members, a list of recommended movies, including Rebel Without a Cause, Cool Hand Luke, and To Kill a Mockingbird, with a note that reads “I’m sure you’ll enjoy them! – C.K.” (the C.K. presumably being Clark Kent). This page is set against an image of a tear-filled Alfred who looks at his unfinished family portrait, as if he is realizing just then that it will never be completed.

Elsewhere, Tomasi and Gleason partake in the age-old literary tradition of displacing emotional sentiment on to animals. Perhaps I’m just a sucker, but the scene in which a despondent Titus perks up at the bat mobile’s return, then rushes gleefully over to greet his master, is the most heart-wrenching moment of the issue. We know why he’s so excited, and that he will only be disappointed, but he can’t possibly understand.

On a technical level, this issue shows just what a creative partnership is capable of within the comics medium. Tomasi’s story beats are all poignant and moving and his narrative is so clean and fluid that we don’t miss captions or dialog for a moment. Gleason’s style is better suited to telling this type of story than most. His ability to shift between shadowy compositions and gritty detailed features and landscapes allows him to visually convey emotional complexities and contradictions that obviate the need for an internal monolog or a line of emotionally charged dialog.

It would be incorrect to say that this issue provides any sort of closure (what kind of closure can there be when a ten year old child is torn from his father, just as they were beginning to grow close?), but for heartbroken Damian fans, a group among which I count myself, this story at least dealt with the emotional fallout with a gravity that the loss deserves. Even those fans not firmly in Damian’s camp are sure to appreciate what this issue represents for the life of the Dark Knight, and for those closest to him.

In a comics climate so focused on trade paperback collections and continuity, beautifully crafted, self-contained issues are a rarity. Though I am truly saddened by Damian’s passing, it is at least some consolation to get what is easily the best single issue published by DC since the start of the New 52 as a result.

 

Leave a Comment » | Comics, entertainment | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by tvgilbert

Check This Out! – Comics Pick of the Week: Batwoman #17

February 25, 2013

BW_Cv17Batwoman #17

Writers: J.H. Williams III and W. Haden Blackman

Artist: J.H. Williams III

DC Comics

 

I need to start this review with a disclaimer – I like to use my pick of the week to feature books that are good jumping on points, and I could wait a month for a new arc to start in Batwoman #18, but I decided that I’ve gone far too long without telling my readers how awesome this series is, and issue #17 has easily been my favorite so far.

First, a few words about why Batwoman is so awesome. Batwoman is a character like no other in the DC Universe; she is so powerful and relentless – able to be terrifyingly violent and merciless one moment, but deeply human and sympathetic the next. As much as I love Nightwing and Batgirl, Batwoman is the only member of the bat-family who is a convincing A-list hero. I have no doubt she could be a member of the Justice League, if she wasn’t such a loner. In fact, she would fit right in on Geoff johns’ new Justice League of America, but even Amanda Waller couldn’t strong arm her into service, no doubt she would snub her like she did the D.E.O. in this issue.

And then there’s the art… the contributions of both J.H. Williams III and Trevor McCarthy to this series have been breathtaking on a consistent basis. Williams employs epic two-page spreads, making use of unconventional layouts and layered artwork to create stunning, fluid sequences, and he has encouraged McCarthy to do the same. Williams’s style was developed and refined during his work with Alan Moore on Promethea, but Batwoman proves that his style is just as effective on a visceral superhero comic as it was on a postmodern mystical fantasy epic. Williams’s hyper-detailed illustrations, coupled with Dave Stewart’s nuanced colors, is not necessarily the style of comic book art that I get excited about – I usually prefer a more stripped down, kinetic approach a la Cliff Chiang or Fiona Staples – and Batwoman‘s art does create a more passive reading experience, but the presentation is such that the passage of time is layered rather than sequential, and somehow it works all the same. The best illustration of Williams’s talent is perhaps the opening splash page in which a radiant Technicolor incarnation of CETO, the mother of all monsters, is ripping through the fabric of time, yet the scene is grounded in a solemn depiction of Gotham amidst the chaos. It simultaneously evokes a sense of grandeur and intimacy that a lesser artist could have spent an entire issue trying to achieve.

Issue #17 represents the final act of the third and final arc of the “mother of all monsters” storyline that Williams, Blackman and co. have been crafting since issue #1. It is a satisfying conclusion that nicely ties up all the loose-ends and then teases some exciting events for the future which will bring back a major character introduced in the Greg Rucka run from the pre-new 52 era. During this arc, Batwoman shared the spotlight with Wonder Woman, a move that never felt like a shameless cameo, but actually served to verify Batwoman’s A-list status. Their partnership feels refreshingly organic and their final moments together beautifully illustrate the respect that the two women (who arguably star in the two best current DC titles) share for one another.

Batwoman’s other relationship, her romantic one with GothamCity cop Maggie Sawyer, has also been rendered very well throughout the series. Upon my disappointment that the couple wasn’t featured in DC’s recent valentine’s day anthology, I realized that theirs is the only relationship (with the possible exception of Buddy and Ellen Baker) that I really care about in the DCU – Wonder Woman and Superman, Barry Allen and Patty Spivot, Batgirl and that hood she’s been recently locking lips with… all seem trite compared to the passion that comes across between Maggie and Kate Kane. I won’t spoil it for you if you haven’t read the issue, or seen the panel on another website already, but there is a major moment between the two that promises some emotional roller-coasters in the near future, and I couldn’t be more excited.

Next month promised to be a fantastic place for a new reader to jump on – I won’t urge you to pick up the trades now, but I am fairly certain that once you get a taste of the glory that is this comic, I won’t need to.

1 Comment | Comics, entertainment, horror | Tagged: , , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by tvgilbert

Check This Out! – Comics Pick of the Week: Katana #1

February 19, 2013

Katana #1katana

Writer: Ann Nocenti

Artist: Alex Sanchez

DC Comics

 

For all of the comparisons made between comics and film it’s actually fairly rare to see comics that explicitly borrow tropes and conceits that have their indigenous roots in the world of film, while film often borrows directly from the landscape of comics. Nocenti’s take on Katana, however, seems to exist very consciously within a Japanese exploitation film landscape.

I have a particular fondness for exploitation cinema of the 70s and 80s; though I’m much more thoroughly versed in the American and European variety, I do count the Lady Snowblood films starring Meiko Kaji among my favorite flicks. These films are memorable for a timeless aesthetic that occasionally borders on the surreal, stylized violence that defies practicality and often biology, and narratives that revolve around revenge as a primary subject, rather than a means to explore psychology or morality.

Katana #1, with its deadly female lead, its anachronistic San Francisco Japantown, and its unrelenting grudges revels in the hyperstylized world of Japanese cinema. Beyond this aesthetic, Nocenti  and Sanchez employ unconventional set pieces and devices that don’t necessarily drive the plot, but do serve to emphasize the themes and tone of the story. The central showdown of the issue is between Katana and Coil, a nemesis from her past, but as it plays out on the page, the real conflict is between the characters’ swords, Katana’s famous “soultaker,” and Coil’s “spiral sword,” which twists and twirls about to strangle its victim in a fashion that makes me squirm in recollection of the razor wire sequence from Suspiria. Sanchez’s art is a big part of the success of these scenes. His disorienting perspectives evoke anxiety and sympathy even though the dialog remains fairly straightforward.

Nocenti has made the uncomfortable, but endlessly fascinating, relationship between sex and violence central to this story, and potentially to the character in general. I was surprised that the editors at DC let her be so blatant in this respect, even to the point where it almost became too heavy-handed. For the most part, however, the delicate theme is explored quite elegantly.  Early in the story Coil berates the heroin with a misogynistic tirade. His desire to punish her for her gender establishes him as an archetypal male aggressor, which might seemingly set the stage for Katana to defeat him thus validating her status as a powerful woman. Later, during a dream sequence Katana recalls making love to her deceased husband. Her narration reads: “The first time my husband Maseo took me, it was in a cherry orchard. He said ‘let’s lie with these cherries so that our bruises stay with us.’ Does that sound romantic? No? Well it was.” That carefully crafted line establishes Katana as simultaneously passive and powerful.  Nocenti acknowledges this dichotomy as inherent to the character, a fact that in and of itself elevates her above the simple gender constructions that define Coil, proving that she is defined by anything but.

There is quite a bit of information in this issue, which is typical of first issues, and it does lead to some slightly bumpy pacing at times, which I hope the creative team will overcome moving forward. I have faith that as this series takes off and the creators get more comfortable any first issue awkwardness will start to lift away. Katana is a book that has a unique voice within the DC universe and I do hope it finds a readership because I want DC to feel comfortable giving more off-beat books a chance in the future, if for no other reason.

Leave a Comment » | entertainment | Tagged: , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by tvgilbert

Check This Out! – Comics Pick of the Week: Batman and Robin Annual #1

February 5, 2013

8858454-batman-and-robin-annual-1Batman and Robin Annual #1

Writer: Peter J. Tomasi

Artist: Ardian Syaf

DC Comics

Frankly, I’m a little surprised it has taken me this long into Peter Tomasi’s current run on Batman and Robin to make it my pick of the week. It’s probably due to a combination of the high quality of Batman and Batman Inc. which have been stealing the limelight and the fact that lately Batman and Robin has been bogged down by crossover’s with the other bat-books and hasn’t had a lot of opportunity to shine on its own. Still, crossovers and solo storylines alike have been consistently strong on this title and it has stood out as a unique voice among the bat-titles and the new 52 books in general. This Annual issue serves as a great way for the uninitiated to see what all the fuss is about.

In the past I have talked about my fondness for the Annual format. I love that it gives writers the opportunity to flex their storytelling muscles across a larger page count that’s much more conducive to a one-off story, and I like that stories can be a little removed the inexorably forward moving force of the regular DC continuity. The fact that many of the Annual titles have forgone this advantage to my chagrin and existed essentially as an extra issue makes Tomasi’s story that much more satisfying.

Since the first issue, the relationship between Bruce and Damian Wayne has grown stronger as both characters have begun, slowly but surely, to gain the other’s trust. In the Annual Damian makes what appears to be his most sincere gesture of goodwill yet by staging a transcontinental scavenger hunt for his father on his birthday. He leads Bruce from country to country on a search for an array of artifacts and trinkets revealing a variety of heartwarming moments in the history of the Wayne family. Tomasi effectively tugs at our heartstrings while humanizing Bruce and Damian in ways that are unfortunately few and far between in the Batman titles. Damian, as one may have suspected, has ulterior motives. While Bruce is away Damian takes it upon himself to don the cape and cowl in an attempt to prove to Bruce that he is good enough to be Batman.

I realize there are a handful of fans out there who are still anti-Damian, but it seems like an ever-growing portion of readers have found their way into the brash and bratty little assassin’s corner. To me, the character works well for two reasons: the first being the dynamic that writers have developed in which they let him act spoiled and ungrateful long enough for readers to just about give up on him, only to find some unexpected way to redeem him, and vice-versa; second is the fact that Damian is just damn good at what he does. If he were fundamentally lacking in some of the skills or prerequisites the way that Jason Todd was initially then his arrogance would be much less tolerable. But Damian is no joke, he can fight, he can detect, he can fly a batplane and he’s only ten years old. The clever dual narrative that Tomasi creates does a nice job showcasing Damian’s talents. Not only does he single-handedly take down an arson ring, making the Gotham PD look like fools in the process, but he proves that he is incredibly meticulous and resourceful by uncovering moments from the lives of Martha and Thomas Wayne that had been previously lost to time, unknown even to Bruce.

It’s unfortunate that I can’t praise the penciling of regular series artist Patrick Gleason who’s moody and fluid imagery I’ve always felt complemented the psychological and almost Freudian subtexts of the series, but Ardian Syaf still makes some nice contributions. His compositions are great for highlighting little details that add considerably to the themes and tone of the issue. Some of my favorite moments include Damian wearing Bruce’s monogrammed bathrobe as he gazes impatiently out a Wayne manor window waiting for the sun to set, and Bruce muttering Damian’s signature “tt,” presumably out of both defiance and respect, after solving one of the clues on his scavenger hunt.

The only weak point for me was the ending, which I could take or leave. It’s pretty minor as spoilers go, but if you don’t want the resolution revealed go ahead and skip to the next paragraph. It’s a feel-good ending in which it is revealed that Bruce knew what Damian was up to the whole time, but he forgives him because of how meaningful his gift was. It’s a little anticlimactic to see all of that tension between Bruce and Damian just dissipate. Still, there is another reading in which we can assume that Bruce forgives Damian on the assumption that this will never happen again, while Damian still holds onto his ambition of taking over the Batman mantle. With the Death of the Family crossover wrapping up Batman and Robin should get some room to breathe again and this could be an interesting route for Tomasi to explore, should he choose to take it. It only makes sense that having finally proven his worthiness as Robin, Damian would set his sights on the next prize.

Batman and Robin has been one of the most consistent titles of the New 52, preserving the same creative team throughout most of the run and delivering high quality work month to month. For now it looks like that will continue and I know I look forward to what Tomasi has in store for the future. Issue #17 next month will be a great place to jump on board.

Leave a Comment » | Comics, entertainment | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by tvgilbert

Check This Out! – Comics Pick of the Week: Demon Knights #16

January 20, 2013

originalDemon Knights #16

Writer: Robert venditti

Artist: Bernard Chang

DC Comics

 

The last issue of Demon Knights that I featured as my “pick of the week” was #13 in which I gleefully wrote: “I would love to see this series go on for a long time, especially with Cornell at the helm.” One can imagine my disappointment when less than a week later I heard the news that Cornell would be leaving the series. Then, not long after that news, I found out that Robert Venditti would be the replacement. Suddenly all was right in the world again. Venditti’s Surrogates is an underappreciated high water mark of the sci-fi graphic novel field and I was rather excited to see what he would do with a major publisher, especially on a book as unconventional as Demon Knights. Additionally, as the transition approached I was pleased to see this creative shift handled with rare tact and execution. With Issue #15 Cornell was able to wrap up what had become a healthy number of plot strands in a manner that was satisfying to readers who’d been with it from the start, while also giving Venditti a nice set up for a new run.

The tidy editorial work, combined with the unique historic setting of the title make issue #16 a perfect jumping on point for new readers, but one that doesn’t trivialize what has come before. It feels a bit like the second installment of an ongoing fantasy franchise, one that can be appreciated as a standalone, but will be richer and more rewarding to the already initiated. What could be effectively considered chapter one of book two starts 30 years after the events of the last arc (long enough for events around the world to change significantly, but basically just a quick nap for the immortal cast of the series). Al Jabr, the lone mortal character, and current ruler of the fantastic scientific metropolis, Al-Wadi, has reunited his former teammates and charged them with a task they cannot ignore: prevent the original vampire, Cain (who readers of I, Vampire will recognize), from taking the Amazon island of Themyscira and building a peerless army of warrior vampires. Simple? Yes, but compelling none the less.

This relatively straightforward plot may surprise readers who enjoy Venditti‘s work for its complexity and intrigue, but the book doesn’t lack complexity, it is simply derived from the character dynamics and broad and varied geographic settings rather than the narrative. Where Cornell’s series traversed a number of fictional localities, from the kingdom of Alba Sarum to Camelot, from Avalon to hell, and then back, the new arc is grounded in geographical, rather than literary, localities, so far including Saxony, Lusitania, Spain, and Gibralter. It’s not to say that there is a historical context that grounds the story, the times and places are altered to the whims of the author and the continuity of the DC universe, but the map that we begin to formulate as we are reading contextualizes the characters through their surroundings and provides a sense of impending doom faced by an entire continent, thereby elevating the stakes of the story from that of a simple monster hunt.

Venditti also breaks from the narrative style established in the first arc by employing smoother, and more plentiful, panel breakdowns. He even takes the liberty to employ a few well-constructed nine panel expository pages, a practice that has been unfairly maligned in mainstream comics of late. It’s true that this device can be rather bland (and a little lazy) when it only amounts to a page long conversation, but if it makes careful use of shifting perspectives, visual cues, and body language, it can be an incredibly effective way to provide information while also adding multiple subtextual layers to a story. Venditti and Chang use it in one scene to fill us in on the recent histories of Sir Ystin, Exoristos, and the Horsewoman, while also building the setting of Al-Wadi and exploring the volatile dynamic between the three women in a very economical single page. Later in the issue they employ it again to give us a glimpse at a very sinister Vandal Savage and a Jason Blood who is not in a good position.

Despite the many differences between this arc and the last, there is still a strong sense of continuity between the two and I don’t imagine that fans of Cornell’s work on the series will feel alienated by Venditti’s new approach. This fluidity is due in large part to Bernard Chang’s continued involvement in the series. The character designs and the broader visual style of the book remain intact and in some respects Chang’s work feels stronger than it has before. He is clearly very comfortable with the characters by this point, but I also believe that Venditti’s writing has given him the opportunity to build the world with more of a defined direction. The opportunity to draw an elderly Al Jabr lends a temporal weight to the world, while the contrast between the rural snow-swept Saxony and the luminous and idyllic Al-Wadir gives the world of Demon Knights a dramatic tension that it had perhaps been previously lacking. As much as I look fondly on Cornell’s work on the book and a part of me is still disappointed by his departure, I find myself fully committed to Venditti’s direction and I am more than willing to march forward with his new incarnation of the Demon Knights.

Leave a Comment » | Comics, horror, Literature, Sci-fi / Fantasy | Tagged: , , , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by tvgilbert

« Previous Entries
Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.

Join 410 other followers