AICN COMICS has a brand new sponsor: Things From Another World—also known as TFAW!
Please support AICN COMICS by clicking the Things From Another World banner and checking out all of their amazing collectibles! TFAW carries everything from comics to toys and any kind of collectible in between. You just might find something you can’t live without, like that breathtaking Margot Robbie Harley Quinn statue up there!
On with the reviews!
(Click title to go directly to the review)
DARK KNIGHT: A TRUE BATMAN STORY OGN
POWER MAN & IRON FIST #5
PENNY DREADFUL #2
DEADPOOL V. GAMBIT #1
JAMES BOND #7
DARK KNIGHT: A TRUE BATMAN STORY Original Graphic Novel
Writer: Paul DiniArtist: Eduardo Risso
Publisher: DC Comics/Vertigo
Reviewer: Humphrey Lee
If there was one word I had to use to sum up the world I spend each day working in, living in, and reading about, it would simply be “fear.” I literally cannot go more than a couple hours without reading about how Sally who lives in America’s breadbasket is terrified her kids may be victims of a mass shooting, or that James in Britain is afraid of some brown person coming to take his job so he voted “Leave,” or how pretty much everyone that lives here in the good old U.S. of A is afraid at any given moment they or someone they love may just get destroyed financially because someone in their family had the audacity to get a serious illness/injury. Not that I’m about to get political with this, but that is the brand of fear most being sold to the point it almost feels like I’m wearing a heavy coat of it any time I try to interact with society. And that’s just the most in your face variety of the emotion, let alone there are the typical “economy brands” on the shelves pervading everyone’s daily lives; fear of your career going nowhere, fear that no one finds you attractive, fear of paying for your child’s college (y’know, assuming they live past your fears of them getting shot in their schools before then) and on and on and on and on. Fear is an indiscriminate, menacing bastard that preys upon everyone. And while we all may not be able to eliminate it from our lives completely, finding our own ways to stare it in the face and not flinch when it goes “Boo!” goes a long way to enjoying our limited time on this whirling dirt ball in space we live upon. DARK NIGHT: A TRUE BATMAN STORY is a tale of just that, as experienced by one and depicted by two of the most talented names in the comic book industry.
As this autobiographical tale opens up, Dini makes it clear to us, the readers that fear has always been a little part of his life. As anyone who is above the age of, say, thirty-five would attest to, growing up introverted and obsessed with nerdy items back in the day was not exactly the badge of commonplaceness that is today. Billions of dollars were not being made off of tens of millions of people were not going to see Marvel movies at the theaters or lining up to get the hottest video game arrival of the year. So a youthful live in fear of bullies and being trepidatious in speaking with, well, anyone, set a young Dini upon a lifestyle and coping mechanism of essentially living with his childhood icons and seeing them, literally, as his friends. Which even Dini admits a little bit as probably being a bit unhealthy, but it was that coping with fear and embracing his imagination that put him on the path of working essentially a dream job in doing Warner Brothers animation and writing some of the characters that somewhat “shielded” him as a child while making him the man he was before his conception of the world was shattered as an adult.
There are two reasons why DARK NIGHT works so much as a story about the inner turmoil of this one man and creator, Paul Dini: Because of the frankness of the man telling it with his words and his co-creator of this piece, Eduardo Risso, and how amazingly he renders this highly personal tale. If anything, Dini is very upfront and forthcoming about his feelings and attitudes of life during his upbringing and then this harrowing experience he experienced; a brutal attack at the hands of two muggers one night on an angry walks home. It is this brutal honesty about himself and the analysis of how fear shaped his life growing up and then broke down his walls again as an adult that takes a work that on paper sounds indulgent – man who spends his life with “imaginary friends” feels betrayed by them in adulthood – come across as very genuine. I personally did a lot of identifying with what was poured out here on the page even though my circumstances with growing up a big nerd were pretty different. I’m a bit younger than Dini and grew up in the era where the “worm was starting to turn” so to speak and geeky things were becoming assimilated by the masses.
But there was still a similarity there I personally could attach onto, even if the circumstances weren’t identical. Bullying wasn’t exactly a thing I had to worry about because, as I said, geeky things were starting to move into the zeitgeist as exemplified by how guys you would classify as the “stoner athletes” I knew in both high school and college seemed more excited than almost anyone else by my day one Playstation 2 (yay baby). Plus it helped that I toed some clique lines by being in some sports myself over the years while I was wasting all my home hours playing Final Fantasy’s and sorting Magic the Gathering cards. Regardless, I just wanted to be left alone 99.9% of the time and rarely opened up to someone unless it was to talk character builds or timing rules, and I won’t lie in that kind of stunted my social abilities until, well now. That’s why I find Dini’s openness about admitting these almost paralyzing life experiences admirable because of how much they range from harrowing to, admittedly by him, just kind of downright embarrassing. It wasn’t all just school bullies and imaginary friends, but his hanging on to relationships with the opposite sex that really didn’t even exist because it seems like he wasn’t willing to own up to his sheltered tendencies as an adult. These socially awkward tendencies I guess will have different mileage with readers depending on their own inhibitions or outwardness, but as someone who has taken almost three and a half decades to very very analytical about and then finally not give any fucks about my tendencies to overcome them for the most part, I can applaud what is being put out there because it seems like Dini has landed there as well. Especially due to the overall execution and when it comes to handling the big, unfortunate yet life-altering moment of Dini’s victimhood in his mugging.
And let’s wrap up on that execution segue and talk about just what Eduardo Risso’s art brings to the table with it because it’s just as important as what emotions Dini is pouring out in the script. Because there are plenty of personal comics out there about artist pontificating about what makes them tick and even if Dini’s already brutally self-analytical rendition of that story type already sets this tale apart from a lot of those, Risso’s striking and unbelievably expressive art really puts it that extra step forward. Everything on these pages ooze atmosphere and emotion and that imagination that Dini says helped him hide from the world. Every cape wearing triumph as a kid to every punch landed in the attack he suffered as an adult feels shockingly real while being depicted by Risso’s pencils. This is absolutely one of the biggest selling points of this Original Graphic Novel because it is the valve on that heart Dini is opening up. It takes material that, like I said before, could be somewhat self-indulgent if presented in the wrong manner and channels all the right emotions of hopefulness to isolation to betrayal and back again that this story is really trying to instill in the reader. Ever since the instant classic 100 BULLETS put Risso on the map it feels like that made him the go to guy for dense and moody crime tales and this book shows how much more the talent the man is beyond just that genre within the medium.
DARK NIGHT: A TRUE BATMAN STORY is one man’s emotional tale about conquering fear at a time where it feels like the world is being crippled by that sensation. You will never fully rid yourself of the effects of fear in known and unknown quantities will do to you – hell, I’m sure Paul Dini himself will admit he’s still fighting it today after conquering a big helping of it in this story – but you can stare it down in your own way. Whether it’s using your imagination to abate your base fears, leaning on your friends and family to spread out the damage it can do, or finding solace in stories like this, that put a very personal touch of combating that emotional villain; you don’t have to let it rule your life. Dini and Risso in this DARK NIGHT story are saying all you really need is a little hand up and some acceptance, whatever forms those may take, even if it’s in the shape of your childhood icons watching over your shoulder. As just a personal tale of emotional triumph DARK NIGHT already succeeds greatly, but as an overall piece of comic book art depicting such a distinctive story, it’s downright masterful.
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.
POWER MAN & IRON FIST #5
Writer: David WalkerArtist: Flaviano
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Reviewer: Masked Man
Comedy in comicsbooks is pretty hard, as comicbooks lack timing and inflection, two very important elemets in comedy. One of the best and easily the best superhero comedy is Keith Giffen and J.M. DeMatteis (with Kevin Maguire, Adam Hughes and others) JUSTICE LEAGUE (INTERNATIONAL / AMERICA). While I’m not ready to say Walker has created something just as great, his POWER MAN AND IRON FIST is the next best thing for sure.
Getting into the spoilers of the issue, a radio show, The Yo Jimbo Show!, is talking about a new viral video of Power Man and Iron Fist fighting Manslaughter Marsdale. Callers into the show, include the boy who shot the video, the hotdog vendor in the middle of the fight, Manslaughter Marsdale who doesn’t appreciate the radio commentary, and Power Man and Iron Fist themselves trying to set the record straight. I won’t spoil it beyond that, as the issue is a lot of fun with different P.O.V.s of what happened. Jesse Jones even has a better appearance in this issue, being mortified by hearing her ‘boys’ on the radio.
Walker has crafted a great issue here. Funny as hell, and has plot points come in and out of the story for great pay offs- “Never thought I’d see the day where big, bad, unbreakable Luke Cage was worried about seat belts.” All in a single stand alone, almost time out, issue.
Based on the earlier talkbacks, I get the sense the series artist Sanford Greene has a lot of anti-fans. Well if you are willing to give PM & IF another shot, this issue has a fill in artist with Flaviano. He has a cartoony style that is somewhat in the vein of Greene’s work, but nowhere near as scratching or crazy. Mind you, a few of Iron Fist’s faces are a bit odd, but Flaviano’s overall style fits the story well and tells the story quite well. Seeing Power Man punched in the face, ala slow motion is pretty cool.
I can’t say enough good things about this issue; it’s just a hoot, a perfect single issue. I sure hope this is a sign of things to come, because if it is POWER MAN AND IRON FIST will be Marvel’s biggest hit since Warren Ellis’ MOON KNIGHT and Mark Waid’s DAREDEVIL.
PENNY DREADFUL #2
Writer: Krysty Wilson-CairnsArt: Louie de Martinis
Publisher: Titan Comics
Reviewer: Lyzard
There is a new appreciation to be had for this comic now that PENNY DREADFUL the TV series has come to an end. While Showtime could pick it up for a season four, the intended John Logan run is complete which leaves room for more PENNY DREADFUL stories to be told in order to satiate dissatisfied fans that just can’t seem to let the show go.
In my previous review I mentioned that the Titan comic had started off quite similarity to the initial episodes of the television show. However, it is in fact a prequel story. This wasn’t obvious on my initial read of the series. It made much more sense to me that it was a re-interpretation. The show never mentions any of the characters or events that appear in the comic, even in passing, which seems odd. And thanks to various scenes having such similar parallels to the pilot episode, it just makes the events appear redundant.
That being said, the second issue no longer features plot points that are analogous to the show and while the fate of several of the characters seems all too obvious now, it is much stronger than the first issue thanks in part to its major differences.
In PENNY DREADFUL #2, Jonathan Harker and Lucy reveal to Vanessa, Malcom, and Sembene the fate of Mina. She was corrupted by a monster, powerful enough as to erase any memory of his face or name. It is their intent to find Mina, but do not let on that by save they mean kill as to save her soul.
Frankly, PENNY DREAFUL #2 tells a damn good DRACULA story. Out of all the film, TV shows, and book adaptations I’ve suffered through (because let’s be honest, most are really bad) I’d put this comic in my top five variations of the tale. Wislon-Cains and de Martinis are able to integrate elements of the show, such as using the vampiric design set forth by makeup artist Nick Dudman rather than sticking to the literary figure’s description. Quincy Morris also makes a suitable replacement for Ethan as another gun-toting American.
I wasn’t blown away by the last issue, but like many fans I desire more PENNY DREADFUL. It may not have the same snappy dialogue Eva Green delivered so well, but it doesn’t suffer so much for lacking it. Wilson-Cairns and de Martinis clearly have respect for not only its namesake source material but the source material that influenced the show itself.
Lyzard is Lyz Reblin, a graduate student at the University of Texas pursuing a master's degree in Media Studies... which is just a fancy way of saying she plays a lot video games, watches far too many horror films, and then tries to pass it all off as "research."
DEADPOOL V. GAMBIT #1
Writers: Ben Acker & Ben BlackerArtist: Danilo Beyruth
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Reviewer: Lionel Putz
In writing these reviews, I often “dib” the right to review a certain book I’m excited about even if I haven’t yet read it. It’s part of our system to try to make sure that we don’t run to many “double-shots” every week. That said, sometimes I will claim a book, get it in my hands and read it, and then immediately think, “Dammit. I didn’t even like reading this… now I have to write about it?”
So guess what kind of book DEADPOOL V. GAMBIT is.
Submitted by writing partners Ben Acker and Ben Blacker (“The Adventures of Puss in Boots”, “Supernatural”, “The Thrilling Adventure Hour”), DEADPOOL V. GAMBIT—subtitled “The ‘v’ is for ‘vs.” in the cleverest joke offered—seems like yet another concept that maybe makes sense as a TV pilot, but utterly falls flat on the page.* Whatever comedic potential there might be between these two characters—both of whom are pure, uncut products of the ‘90s comic book boom—is sidelined in this first issue as the story flashes back to a previously-unseen history between Remy Lebeau and Wade Wilson as grifting partners, with the focus somehow shifting to Daredevil and Spider-Man almost immediately (and seemingly needlessly, as it only serves to distract from the pairing we came to see).
[*I examined the phenomenon of television writers pitching and writing comic books last summer with my review of the ill-conceived HANK JOHNSON: AGENT OF HYDRA. I think I’m against it. The only successful example of a TV writer writing a comic book I can think of is Joss Whedon and his runs on ASTONISHING X-MEN and RUNAWAYS, and I’m beginning to think he’s more an aberration; the exception that proves the rule. If you can think of any other successful offerings of this nature, please let me know in the comments.]
As we are told, Gambit and Deadpool were hired to steal some diamonds from a museum for a wealthy guy back in the day. They decide the easiest way to do impersonate Daredevil and Spider-Man (Gambit and Deadpool filling the roles respectively—Deadpool never misses a chance to be Spidey) in a staged battle rumbling through the city. This gets the attention of civilian Matt Murdock and Peter Parker, who are Sunday afternoon antiquing together nearby in Brooklyn when the disguised heist takes place. They fruitlessly pursue their rampaging doppelgangers, the trail running cold, while Gambit and Deadpool double-cross each other elsewhere while failing to realize they’ve already been triple-crossed by said employer. Back in the present day, the titular duo are approached by the same mysterious and triple-crossing man about a new opportunity as the issues closes.
You can kind of see the potential of the setup summarized above if you squint, but it just never comes together. The humor is largely labored and contrived, rarely flowing naturally from the story or the characters. It’s as though the writers conceived of a handful of jokes—many heavily steeped in very recent pop culture—and then just found themselves lurching unartfully from beat to beat to set up and execute them. Visually, the art is certainly passable, if unmemorable, with decent if somewhat undramatic penciling and slightly muted coloring from artist Danilo Beyruth and colorist Cris Peter, respectively.
Overall, this another example of a book that makes a certain kind of sense as a concept, but clearly has been fully fleshed-out or properly adapted for the medium in which it’s being presented. Maybe clever directing and good casting could salvage this, but it’s not a TV show or a movie, it’s a comic book—one with very little narrative cohesion. I greatly prefer Deadpool out of continuity and in these brief high-concept miniseries, but this one stumbles hard out of the gate. I might check back in with a review if it gets markedly better, but for now this does not need to be on your pull list.
Lionel Putz is a lawyer by day. He watched Matlock in a bar last night; the sound wasn't on, but he's pretty sure he got the gist of it. Email him at lionel.putz@gmail.com
JAMES BOND #7
Writer: Warren EllisArtist: Jason Masters
Publisher: Dynamite Entertainment
Reviewer: Masked Man
After a rather lackluster start to Ellis’ JAMES BOND, he kicks off the next story arc with a little more pep than before. Artist Jason Master is back as well, and I think he has upped his game as well. I don’t know, maybe it took six issues for them to get their sea-legs.
Getting into the spoilers of everything, James Bond has been sent to Los Angeles to pick-up an agent working at a Turkish Consulate. Just a boring account whose cover has been blew. Of course everything is bigger than it appears. As the ever-present CIA agent, Felix Leiter shows up and tells Bond to keep the exaction clear and quiet. Making Bond wonder why the CIA even cares. A new Bond villain appears, complete with crazy villain scars. And as Bond makes his pick-up, all hell breaks loose as a hidden connect to MI6 is being exposed. Bond is then trapped in Los Angeles with his ‘package’, as LAX is shut down because a terrorist threat. You can bet things are only going to get worse from here.
While this issue still deals with the rather boring topic of no gun zones (Ellis deftly makes fun of both sides), the adventure is much more interesting than the last one. It seems much tighter too, as we get a view of the villain, some CIA time, and decent sized action scene. Not as amazing as Ellis’ MOON KNIGHT, but still a good ride. The business of the no gun policy works better in this issue too.
Artist, Masters still has an over all style I’m not crazy about. As it appears he uses cgi models for backgrounds and objects. This can skew the relation between the cgi elements and hand drawn images, and it does happen every so often. Though as with Ellis, his work in this issue is tighter than before. His action scene still has some issues though. As there are a few panels that I have no idea what’s happening in them. Partly, because he wants panels to look like movie stills, which is often a bad idea for a comic books because stills are lifeless and are not meant to be viewed alone. Still, the artwork is better than the last six issues.
So if you walked away from JAMES BOND, you might want to stick you toe in again. I picked up this issue ready for it to be my last issue of Bond, but there was enough improvement here for me to keep reading.
Proofs, co-edits & common sense provided by Sleazy G
The next level of comic book excellence is a click away at BLACK MASK STUDIOS!
Want more in all things Geek?Check out our friends at PoptardsGo for podcasts, reviews, and more!
And if you still need more geek in your life, check out Part-Time Fanboy for more geeky goodness on comics, movies, and more!AICN COMICS has a new sponsor: Things From Another World—also known as TFAW!
TFAW carries everything from comics to toys and any kind of collectible in between. Show your support for AICN COMICS and TFAW and click the pic above. You just might find something you can’t live without such as Cullen Bunn’s excellent Southern Gothic Horror Tale from Dark Horse Comics!
Finally, check out AICN COMICS on Facebook and Comixpedia!
