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THE MULTIVERSITY: THE MASTERMEN #1
Indie Jones presents AND THEN EMILY WAS GONE VOL.1
GREEN LANTERN BY GEOFF JOHNS OMNIBUS VOL.1
GRIMM FAIRY TALES PRESENTS THE LITTLE MERMAID #1
BATMAN & ROBIN #39
Indie Jones presents 321 FAST COMICS VOL. 1
THE MULTIVERSITY: THE MASTERMEN #1
Writer: Grant MorrisonArtist: Jim Lee
Publisher: DC Comics
Reviewer: Masked Man
Welcome to Earth X, or Earth-10 if you prefer--one of the rebooted Earths from the pre-Crisis days, although oddly enough (history lesson time) Earth X was only really featured in two issue of JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA, #107 and 108 in 1973. When the Freedom Fighters received their own comic book three years later, they had moved to Earth-1 (later Roy Thomas declared the Freedom Fighters were originally from Earth-2 and had moved to Earth-X; throw in a few mega-crossover events and typical wtf history ensued). Either way, the old Quality Comics superheroes are back in action in the New 52, with their own world again.
One odd thing about this issue is the lack of Freedom Fighters in it. The bulk of the book is, yet again, another version of Superman and the Justice League (something DC just can't get enough of these days). Let's spoil the plot now, shall we? The book starts, humorously enough, as Grant Morrison proves he's still in touch with his juvenile sense of humor, as a famous historical figure is working very hard to drop a deuce. Next an infant from Krypton arrives, yet instead of showing up in Kansas, it's Nazi Germany. 17 years later, and the Nazis rule the world. Jump to the present and Grant Morrison makes it clear that the FINAL CRISIS still happened (Morrison will not bow down to continuity mandates). As the New Reichsmen mourn the loss of one of their fallen teammates, Overgirl, terrorists attack. Regrouping, the League—err, Reichsmen--discuss the growing problem of these American terrorists. Overman, who has been growing a conscience over the past 60 years, wonders if this isn't just karma, as the Nazis have spent years building a utopia by killing anyone different. The Reichsmen disagree and are out for blood, especially of the suicide bomber The Human Bomb. Meanwhile, we learn Dr. Sivana (of the Legion of Sivana, seen in other MULTIVERSITY issues) has been building superhumans for the terrorist leader Uncle Sam. These Freedom Fighters are all minorities (black, gay, jew, etc.), the favorite targets of the Nazis. Next the Human Bomb pulls off a 911 attack (though much bigger) and Overman is left wondering where he actually stands in this battle (which we'll probably never see again).
Just like the other MULTIVERSITY issues, this is just filled with great ideas and great execution. The fact that Morrison believes in the underlying good nature of Kal-El, even when he was raised by Nazis, is very interesting and sets up very interesting conflicts (if DC even decides to continue with this concept). The Freedom Fighters being branded, and even acting like, terrorists is pretty interesting as well. To a degree, the Freedom Fighters are like a group of Native Americans demanding modern Americans pay for our past crimes. Also I like that Morrison is putting more of the MULTIVERSITY storyline in here as well. The bad taste in my mouth is still that MULTIVERSITY, as a whole, is just a collection of unconnected one shots. Relatively speaking, it's fairly easy to $h!t out story concepts--but carrying those concepts into a worthwhile piece of art, that's the real heavy lifting. Now while I totally believe Morrison can do the heavy lifting, the fact remains he's not doing any here. With two issues left, I really hope he starts doing some heavy lifting instead of just creating a six (or eight) issue long guide book.
As for DC Co-Chief Creative Officer (is it just me, or is that title somewhat offensive, as in, do we need a Chief Creative Officer?!?) Jim Lee does a good job here. I know many aren't happy with his new sloppy sketch style, but his underline drawing has actually gotten better over the years. Overall, as with the rest of THE MULTIVERSITY issues, this is a really great looking book (even though it took four inkers). Along with the work of the two colorists, the pages have a dark and harsh look, matching the underlining tones of the issue.
At worst, THE MULTIVERSITY is simply a collection of one-shots--a simple collection of great one-shots, that is.
AND THEN EMILY WAS GONE VOL.1
Writer: John LeesArtist: Iain Laurie
Publisher: Comix Tribe
Reviewer: Morbidlyobesefleshdevouringcat
Single issues of AND THEN EMILY WAS GONE have been previously dissected and explicated by BOTTLEIMP, and so it may seem slightly cumbersome to hash out the collected edition, but for posterity’s sake, and you know because it’s just way too good, I’m taking advantage of a collected trade release if only to get the chance to talk about it all over again.
AND THEN EMILY WAS GONE is good. It’s really fucking good. Not simply as a comic, but as a horror comic. I usually tend to stay away from the genre within the comics medium, as they tend to be few and far between--sometimes taking the risk of flipping through one is horror enough. With a foreword by writer Joshua Hale Fialkov (THE BUNKER, PUNKS), variant covers by Riley Rossomo (BEDLAM, PROOF), and of course a slew of previous amazing reviews, it’s no wonder why this comic was, and still is, continuing to make waves.
When young Fiona reaches out to Greg Hellinger, supposed mental case ex-detective, about her missing friend Emily, the two embark on an adventure combining elements of a child’s nightmare with the likes of Cronenberg and Lynch. In short: it’s incredibly disturbing.
There is so much jam-packed into five issues: three separate plot lines that intersect through varying times, and characters that change and alter naturally but without cliche or predictability. It’s a bit of a handful, this comic, and yet within these five issues there is no feeling of being rushed.
John Lees’ dialogue is sublime. Accents can be difficult to write, especially in comic format, but reading through AND THEN EMILY WAS GONE is far from that. The voices are as distinct as the characters that they belong to, and subtle nuances in these words can foreshadow an entire event or a change in characters. The way he is able to move the plot along without giving in to typical methods is refreshing and engaging. As awkward as it sounds, the anxiety this comic gave me only made me even more excited to flip the pages--if only to find out where these characters were going next.
But it’s Iain Laurie’s bizarre, unorthodox art style that really drives this comic home, and what forges the visceral experience that occurs. Perfect anatomy doesn’t exist here. It certainly doesn’t need to. Heavily emphasized facial features and thick inks create the perfect distorted reality that the cast live in. Pitch black, uneven shadows, and great use of negative space further the already grotesque world of AND THEN EMILY WAS GONE.
The other thing that really makes this comic great is the design. Each issue is introduced by a simple white wall with sticky notes summarizing the previous issue through questions. It reminds you somewhat of a detective’s wall, and you know that it’s freaky. Makes an eerie beginning.
AND THEN EMILY WAS GONE is a comic that fully encapsulates the macabre, the weird, and the incredibly odd . It’s a comic that throws punches, one that you will either hate or love, because there is no such thing as an in-between in this series--meaning it’s definitely worth leaving the house for.
GREEN LANTERN BY GEOFF JOHNS OMNIBUS VOL.1
Writer: Geoff Johns, Dave GibbonsArtists): Ivan Reis, Ethan Van Sciver, et al.
Publisher: DC Comics
Reviewer: Humphrey Lee
Flack towards DC Comics and their day-to-day operations seems to be pretty commonplace these days, and honestly with good reason. Their writing bullpen seems shockingly thin given their ambitions in maintaining their “52” line – particularly with CONVERGENCE on the horizon – and the 52 relaunch itself leaves a lot to be desired given a lot of readers’ nostalgic responses to what has come from it and what was left behind. Add onto that the all but locked future that when FABLES finally comes to its end that the Vertigo line – once the absolute stalwart for quality in the comic book medium – will essentially be dead given how thin that imprint has become, there’s not a lot of really high marks on which the company can hang its hat. Well, I’m here to give them a good bit of praise for something that they not only do well now, but also are probably even tops in the industry with, and that’s their Omnibus production.
Omnibus editions have obviously been around for a while now, but it feels like these big, hulking editions are relatively new stemming from Marvel really pushing them to reprint stuff like the early FANTASTIC FOUR and SPIDER-MAN as well as some of the hot runs of the time such as Morrison’s NEW X-MEN run. They innovated this format and were iterating on it with more forgiving, sewn binding before DC was even really getting their versions of these tomes up and running, and the difference was night and day between the two companies and their productions. But recently it really feels like the worm has been turning between the two, as Marvel has been becoming very cost and price conscious as the paper in their volumes has become thinner and the average price of these hefty volumes is usually around $125 these days instead of $100. Meanwhile, DC has reinvigorated their production line of Omnibuses by, well, by making them more like Marvel was about five years ago.
What we have here in this Geoff Johns GREEN LANTERN volume is an absolute (not to be confused with DC’s Absolutes) monster of a production piece. This bad boy weighs in at about 1200 pages and is just the first step in reproducing most (and hopefully all) of Johns’ LANTERN run since he brought Hal Jordan back from a decade of being a genocidal maniac turned Spirit of God’s Vengeance to being the square-jawed, universal police officer that readers grew up with once again. And boy, did he. Honestly, I myself was not a particularly big Green Lantern or Hal Jordan fan growing up because I was more a Marvel kid as a young comic book reader, and when I did read DC books Kyle Rayner was my ring-slinger. But I also recognized the actions that DC’s own Man Without Fear took on during that era were kind of ridiculously over the top in order to really drum up some heat by having such a brutal fall from grace for one of their centerpiece characters. That being said, after a decade of watching Geoff Johns doing his damnedest to return Hal to his former “guy’s guy” superhero glory (and a rereading of this material via this Omnibus collection) I’m still not really a person that sees the Hal Jordan appeal, but I am a definitely onboard with what his revitalization did with the idea of the Green Lantern.
Now, what I’m getting at with last line is this: despite and partially because of Johns’ best Hal redemption efforts, a good bit of the character’s personality traits fall flat on me because they’re honestly kind of flat or rote, but I LOVE the manner and stories with which he made the idea of the Green Lanterns so entrenched in the heart of the Universe. Between the REBIRTH miniseries itself and the GREEN LANTERN relaunch that followed, there was a push to just barrage you with both casual or screaming “Oh I miss Hal, Hal was the BEST GUY!!! even though he was tortured” commentary that it is kind of off-putting. I appreciate the hoops that Johns and crew went through in the actual redeeming process for sure, though; by taking the idea of the villain Parallax Hal became and transmuting him into a primeval force to not only mix into the lore of the Guardians of the Universe and their green power battery, but to create the emotional spectrum of power rings that has now defined that part of DC Universe for probably decades to come. But the contortionist’s act going on through pretty much any non-Batman character of extolling Hal Jordan’s virtues while kind of going through the motions of the whole killing a fuckton of people aspect of the situation was not exactly convincing, even though Johns made a convincing excuse for why Jordan succumbed.
What we then get post-REBIRTH is a “Best guy Hal” returned to being that guy who you want to go to get post-shift brews with and who will either go home with the prettiest girl at the bar or get slapped trying but with a bigger weight on his shoulders that characters seem to be douche bags for pointing out even though they’re both still right that his weakness caused a ton more pain but wrong now that it was not completely his fault. I feel it still kind of makes Hal Jordan a character to love for his personality because I’m not sure there’s much in there besides being courageous guy dealing with personal losses, but goddamn the antics he gets into are so fun. The Green Lantern Corps is just good, over-the-top and sometimes cheesy in a good way science fiction fun.
The adventures that Hal himself has after REBIRTH are just some good old superhero tussles. He gets himself into conflict with the original universal protectors of the Guardians - the Manhunters - this time with Hank Henshaw, aka Cyborg Superman, calling the shots; he tussles with Mongul, which has a call back to the “For the Man Who Has Everything” Superman story, and there’s plenty of other super-powered shenanigans involving extraterrestrial beings and ancient powers for any comic nerd to get excited about. Unfortunately, Hal also does dumb jocular things such as refuse to wear his ring while flying his beloved jets which gets him and two wing mates locked in a terrorist camp for a couple months in a painful attempt to make him more tortured and at sociopolitical commentary and he JUST CAN’T HELP HIMSELF when it comes to defying international laws, because real men say Fuck All Authority as it pertains to situations that could lead to treaty-violated wars while trusting their gut. Regardless, the good – i.e. the fisticuffs and the eons spanning lore that Johns and crew are building throughout – make these boneheaded occurrences that much easier to just glide by as you read.
The shame that happens here, though, is that since this is the “Geoff Johns Green Lantern” collection the best, non-SINESTRO CORPS WAR about this era that Johns architected – the GREEN LANTERN CORPS book and all those characters and stories – is only reprinted for the GREEN LANTERN CORPS: RECHARGE book that Johns wrote with industry legend Dave Gibbons, as well as the parts of the GLC book that were involved with the Sinestro War. As I’ve said repeatedly, the lore and just the cool-ass and off the wall concepts that just tend to explode onto the scene when Green Lanterns are concerned are easily the best part of this relaunch era. Having Guy Gardener and the not-so-chosen one anymore Kyle Rayner and Kilowog run some rookies through the meat grinder fighting an alien spider race collapsing suns to make a wormhole system via the Black Holes created is DECIDEDLY more fun than the miscreant adventures Hal finds himself in, enjoyable as they are for the most part. Hopefully we get a companion volume of those issues to really get the breadth of what the Green Lantern books meant on the stands at this point, as cosmic books were really making a comeback between these Lantern books and what Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning were accomplishing with their ANNIHILATION stories and what came after those.
Why I would also really like to see a collection of CORPS issues to run alongside this (and to segue back to the overall point of this review) is because these are just damn fine collections to behold on your shelf. As I noted earlier, 1200 pages of ring-slinging adventures are collected here and it’s astoundingly readable. Unlike Marvel, DC has not skimped on paper quality at all by making it micro-thin to save on costs, so the book feels as sturdy as you’d simultaneously expect from its size but would also be wary of unwieldiness due to that same girth. And there’s pretty much no such thing as gutter loss with the binding production, though that’s not so much a leg up on Marvel as they licked that problem, but that is something that absolutely deterred these productions for DC until they switched up their methods and then went balls out with them producing a 1500 page INVISIBLES slab that you can kill a Viking with. Despite all the heft in these new productions, these things lay miraculously flat in the middle resulting in almost none of the almost always sublime-looking art within these pages to get swallowed up in the margins. And the price point comparison is almost laughable, as DC is cranking out volumes like this and Johns’ JSA run at $125 while Marvel productions these days run between $100-125 MSRP but with about a third less content and at about half the size given the micro-paper (which also does not hold the ink as well as in these volumes and “pulls” at the binding a bit as they rest). But none of that aspect is surprising considering Marvel collections have been getting cynically underproduced and overpriced for years; what is shocking, though, is just how much DC has improved their wares and held the line on pricing, even in this aspect of their publishing line.
Funny thing now is that, even though by my little counter thingy in my Word document saying I’ve spent 1600 words extolling the virtues of this production to you, I’m not completely sure how to sell a person into a more than one hundred dollar purchase like this, as I am a three or four dollar one like we do each week here. I guess I can just finish this by saying that if you either missed the boat on this Johns opus as it was happening – as I did parts myself because of my wishy-washy feelings on Captain Square Jaw himself for the reasons I dissected above – or you just want something to immortalize it properly on your bookcase, then this is a no brainer purchase. The adventure quality is there to the point that I read through this entire volume in a weekend at a time in my life where I’m usually lucky to have read my weekly comic pulls by the time I go back into the shop for my next batch the following Wednesday. And of course the assembled product is worth the moolah, given the quality and quantity of the content within and the binding that keeps it all together; especially if you snag it up at one of those online vendor places you should always, always, ALWAYS be grabbing these through. So I guess “In Brightest Day, in Darkest Night, yadda yadda, Buy This Shit if You Can, it’s Quite the Enjoyable Sight.” Or something like that. Just buy the bloody thing, okay?!? Cheers…
Humphrey Lee has been an avid comic book reader going on fifteen years now and a contributor to Ain't It Cool comics for quite a few as well. In fact, reading comics is about all he does in his free time and where all the money from his day job wages goes to - funding his comic book habit so he can talk about them to you, our loyal readers (lucky you). He's a bit of a social networking whore, so you can find him all over the Interwebs on sites like Twitter, The MySpaces, Facebookand a blog where he also mostly talks about comics with his free time because he hasn't the slightest semblance of a life. Sad but true, and he gladly encourages you to add, read, and comment as you will.
GRIMM FAIRY TALES: THE LITTLE MERMAID #1
Story / Writers: Joe Brusha and Meredith FinchArtist: Miguel Mendonca
Publisher: Zenescope Entertainment
Reviewer: Masked Man
Our friends at Zenescope are at it again, updating classic stories with a modern flair, this time with the LITTLE MERMAID. Now before anyone gets high and mighty, I'll remind them that in the original tale, the Little Mermaid doesn't get the guy and even dies, so Disney messed with the classic just like anyone else can--its artistic merit is solely based on whether or not you like it. But before I dismiss the role of the critic altogether, there are still generally accepted attributes to any good comic book so that creators can achieve desired results. Hence my role as critic is still valid (pretty clever, huh?).
Anyway, back to the Little Mermaid, which is actually Zenescope's second go around with the character. Now I'm not sure who to give the credit to, Brusha or Finch, but this is an extremely well-constructed first issue. They guide you into the story so smoothly, filling you with back info, that being a first time read is no problem. They quickly give you the plot, show you what makes this Little Mermaid different than the typical Little Mermaids (aside from the squid lady being hot--from the waist up, mind you) and get you ready for more. Really, this is surprisingly well put together.
To get into the spoilers, our mermaid, Erica, has been captured by some crazy scientists who are all about learning everything they can about her, provided they don't talk, just experiment on her. Erica's two legged mom has no idea where Erica is and worries like any mother would. Enter the ol’ sea witch who wants Erica's mother to make a clearly Faustian deal with her, as she knows where Erica is. It's all done with enough believability, even if the logic isn't quite ironclad.
Artist Miguel Mendonca does a fine job of drawing everything. Together with Ivan Nunes’ colors, this is a fine-looking book. The storytelling is good and Mendonca does a fair job as a good girl artist, even though his style isn't that remarkable compared to cover artist David Finch (I'll let you joke amongst yourself on how Zenescope got him to do a cover).
I will confess, nothing here really floats my boat (I apologize for that), but there is nothing wrong with this comic either, and goodness knows you can't say that about many mainstream comics. So while they aren't on their way to winning any Eisner Awards, if you're curious about Zenescope’s Grimm Fairy Tales treatments, this is a nice book to give a test drive.
BATMAN & ROBIN #39
Writer: Peter J. TomasiArtist: Patrick Gleason
Publisher: DC Comics
Reviewer: The Kid Marvel
BATMAN AND ROBIN has been one of DC’s better series, and one that I know my fellow @$$holes have also enjoyed quite a bit. It also seems to be sitting in its own little world of storytelling and outside of current DC arcs, I think. Batman still seems to be in control of his wealth, and Alfred’s daughter Julia also doesn’t seem to be in the mix. My thinking means this happens pre-BATMAN ETERNAL and BATMAN storylines, but then why hasn’t Damian been present in those titles? Either Damian’s resurrection is short -ived or DC’s Batwriters aren’t communicating. While it isn’t a huge deal, it is something I’ve been thinking about ever since this storyline was set in motion, or at least getting some point of reference to the other story arcs currently happening.
Shifting into the actual issue, BATMAN AND ROBIN #39 further focuses on Damian’s new superpowers after being revived. He essentially becomes Superman, but with Batman’s personality. For example, he gathers a group of villains, including Killer Croc and Penguin among others, and drops them off in a dark room with a single light. After some confusion, Killer Croc attacks Damian, assuming he can easily take him and unaware of Robin’s new abilities. Damian easily overpowers Croc, deciding to tie up all the villains and fly them to the Karman Line, or the line between space and the last bit of Earth’s atmosphere, simply to spread the word about his newly acquired abilities. Obviously, Bruce doesn’t seem to approve of how Damian is handling his new powers, leading to an obvious bit of butting heads. By the second third of the book, Batman seems to be a little more understanding of Damian’s plight and brings him to Justice League Headquarters. Once on the JLA satellite, Damian is met by Superman and Shazam, with Shazam spending a large portion of his time asking Damian a multitude of questions. This goes on for a few pages until the League is called on a mission, with Superman assuming Damian will only be staying on the tower to observe, to which Batman surprisingly responds that he’s coming along too.
Overall, I thought this was an extremely solid issue. The various amounts of personalities present in the dialogue and the character dynamics were extremely varied and well put together, between the father/son dynamic of Bruce and Damian, the two very distinct personalities of kids the same age in Billy Batson and Damian, along with the villains, heroes and Alfred popping up along the way. The issue was fun. It had life and a soul. It feels like a comic book should feel, entertaining and like there is some heart behind the book. It also flows smoothly from each part of the story and doesn’t feel cramped up or over exposed, with all the locations and elements to the script. 39 is well written, well structured and just a well done book, from cover to cover.
As for BATMAN AND ROBIN #39’s art, I’ve got no complaints. The brighter and more cartoonish tone of the artwork really sets this apart from other titles. While it isn’t anything campy or corny, it does bring about a lighter-hearted vibe than the plethora of other Bat-related books, which are generally much darker and more serious. There’s plenty of emotional distinction in the characters’ faces, really illuminating their moods and the story’s dialogue. BATMAN AND ROBIN also has a multitude of environments and characters to work with, really creating such a wide range of visuals to enjoy.
I would 100 percent recommend this series to anyone. It’s such a fun read and really utilizes the DC catalogue of heroes and villains, encompassing a broad range of the publisher’s world. It also has heart, which a lot of times seem to be lost in big time comic series. The writing is on point, and the story is engaging and entertaining with artwork to match. I also feel like having Damian alive again and back in the DC world; helps to humanize Bruce and add a wider range of character to him when he’s written. I highly recommend checking this book out, or at least the series.
321 FAST COMICS VOL. 1
Writers: Felipe Cagno and friendsArtists: a whole lot
Publisher: Timberwolf Entertainment
Reviewer: Masked Man
Usually I don't like anthologies. They often seem poorly produced or produced by people who appear to hate mainstream comics, and their work shows it. Of course there are exceptions, and 321 FAST COMICS is one of them, for this is easily a good book made by people who get and love comic books, for anyone else, who loves comic books.
321 FAST COMICS is just jam-packed with so many pages of good comics. It's a collection of 21 three page stories plus some extras. While many of the stories were written by Felipe Cagno, each one has a different artist, one whose style often fits well with the story. Each story also has a twist at the end. Nothing major, like a TWLIGHT ZONE wannabe or something--just something to give each story an unexpected sizzle. I hesitate to mention that this is the work of Brazilian comic book creators, as this may give people an impression of the book before they have even seen it. But the fact remains they are Brazilians, and the book is as mainstream as any Image or Dark Horse comic.
Unfortunately, I can't say this book is a flawless gem. The cover itself does little to impress me. It just has the look of cheap digital painting. Thankfully, most of the interior art is superior to the cover.I could nitpick about some scripts not being as effective as they should be or artwork that could have better storytelling, so it too could be more effective, but each one is still well-made and fun to read. From pirate stories, to alpine skiing, to God vs Satan, to talking dinosaurs and samurai warriors, each piece has its own tone and feel, be that something dark, funny, sad or just exciting.
For extra fun, if you are a drinking person, each story comes with a drink mix recipe, as the anthology has a bit of a bar menu wrapping to it all.
Currently, 321 FAST COMICS is digital only you can get yourself a copy by clicking this link. They recently just competed a successful kickstarter campaign to get the book out in print; you can check it out here!
Overall, what makes this anthology so appealing is it's fun and it really celebrates what we all love about comic books. Pretty pictures, merged with words, telling a story in a unique way that a novel, TV show, movie, or video game can't match. And on top of being a good read, the quality and variety of artwork makes this a really nice book to flip through as well. I can't imagine any comic book fan not being fond of 321 FAST COMICS.
Proofs, co-edits & common sense provided by Sleazy G
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