Thursday, October 24, 2013

Review Superman / Wonder Woman #1


Two of the DC Universe's most powerful characters team up -- well, that's hardly news. Team-ups are a staple of comics. But rarely have the two involved parties been involved.

It's action-romance, and you're going to love them together.

Writer Charles Soule handles the characters first and then offers pulse-pounding action deftly presented by artist Tony S. Daniel. I reviewed it for Broken Frontier, and you can read it HERE.

Monday, October 21, 2013

Review Rocket Girl #1

Sorry it's been a while since I posted here. Fall is crazy busy, and I've enjoyed every minute. I recently reviewed Rocket Girl #1 from Image Comics, and you can read it on the Broken Frontier site HERE. The story of a teenaged cop traveling back in time piqued my interest. That 15-year-old Dayoung Johansson also has to navigate the culture of 1980s New York in order to save the day made this a must-read. Amy Reeder's art is instantly engaging, and for a first attempt at handling all of the art duties on a title (pencils, inks, colors) she's doing a brilliant job of presenting a cohesive story. The panel with Dayoung flying out the window and saying, "I am the police," will sell you on this character. Enjoy!

Tuesday, October 1, 2013

Broken Frontier Staff Picks 10-02-13

Two posts in one day! I contributed a couple of previews to this week's Staff Picks over on Broken Frontier. Green Lantern #24 and Marvel Knights: Spider-Man #1 look pretty good, read the article HERE and see what you think!

Review Batman 23.1

Sorry I haven't posted in a while, I'm still writing for Broken Frontier, and I hope you check the site each week for comics news and reviews with an indie focus. I tend to cover some of the bigger releases from DC and Marvel, as well. Can't help it, there are some great stories coming out of the big houses lately. I recently reviewed Batman 23.1, the Joker issue. The much-awaited glimpse into the origin of the Caped Crusader's nemesis received a whole lot of much-deserved pre-press hype. DC has never released an origin for Joker, and every Bat-fan has his/her own ideas about it. To quote my own review, the issue was "awful." It was. Read the review HERE and you'll see what I mean. I don't often write bad reviews. If I don't like a book, I generally choose to not review it. Sharing what I enjoyed about comics is usually more constructive, but I've made an exception with Batman 23.1. Why? Because I have had my own ideas about Joker's origins since I first read The Dark Knight Returns -- and the ridiculous story presented in Batman 23.1 was such a disappointment that I couldn't keep quiet about it. My idea: Joker and Batman have parallel origins. Both lose their parents in a robbery/murder, perhaps by the same criminal on the same night on opposite sides of Gotham. They experience identical tragedies and deal with the consequences by pursuing very different paths. You have to admit, it's a way better idea than the sadistic aunt and Joker raising a gorilla!