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First off, my CONGRATULATIONS go out to Sidra and
Zack and their families. I've met Sidra and the
Roberts and I know Zack is a real lucky guy. I
wish the happy couple laughter and joy in the
coming years. Best wishes!
Next, I've never sought out to really pimp
anything, but now I have to make an exception. If
the recent big-screen Catwoman movie soured you,
check out this website . . .
http://www.catwoman-copycat.com/
This fan-flick is slated for a June 15 release
date (the same day as Batman Begins comes out),
but there's a trailer up on the site now. There's
also a gallery and a message board. Please check
it out and tell 'em what you think. They would
really love your feedback.
Now, on with the reviews . . .
Action Comics #827 (DC) -- Fan favorite writer
Gail Simone teams up with ex-fan favorite artist
John Byrne for a new Superman arc. Byrne is also
doing art chores on DC's Blood of the Demon and
Doom Patrol, too; where I think his artwork is a
bit more dimensional. I looked forward to seeing
this creative combo, but afterward felt a bit less
enthralled than I had hoped. I thought it was
just average. Oh, a new Daily Planet photographer
is introduced (ho-hum), and there's a "is he, or
isn't he?" mystery with the villain. There is
some undertones that Simone is trying to trying to
be a "new broom" and get Clark Kent back to the
Daily Planet. I'll stick with it, but I thought
this effort was just a little on the mediocre
side.
Batman: Dark Detective #2 (DC) -- The pros: I like
Engleheart's acknowledgment/references to past
Batman lore; telling us the giant penny in the
Batcave came from a case called "The Penny
Plunderers," (it really did) and, a picture of the
Kathy Kane Batwoman hanging on the wall of the
Batcave. Marshall Rogers & Terry Austin are
showing some flashes of great artwork.
The cons: In some other places, the artwork seems
less-detailed and rushed. The pacing of the story
is moving a bit too slow, and for each issue so
far, the main setting has only been one location.
Also, it's a bit creepy, even for Batman, to keep
one of Silver St. Cloud's shoe in a glass
showcase. Two issues in to this six-issue
series, I've accepted that I won't like this as
much as I had initially hoped. Still, for
nostalgia purposes, I feel compelled to go back,
even though you can't go home again.
Jon Sable Freelance: Bloodtrail #1 (IDW) -- Or,
can you go home again? Mike Grell's Jon Sable was
one of my favorite comics from the '80s with
timely stories and great art. Here, Grell is
still at the top of his game and hasn't missed a
beat. The artwork is absolutely stunning and the
story is off to a decent start, too. There's an
opening violent sequence with a usual two-page
Grell splash that's awesome and feels like you're
sitting first row in an action movie. The
supporting cast of characters is back too, as is
Sable's alter-ego, child's author, B.B. Flemm.
Good stuff.
Girls #1 (Image) -- And now for something
completely different. This is by the Luna
Brothers who recently did the interesting Ultra
series. My take on this was "Twin Peaks" meets
"Clerks." Our story opens in the small town of
Pennystown, with the main character, Ethan
starting his day masturbating to a magazine, and
his day goes down hill from there (maybe I
should've also included the movie "American
Beauty"). Ethan has huge communication problems
with women, the locals and a new one visiting from
out of town. His problems get worse after an
incident in a bar, and then, encountering a nude
woman on the side of the road on his way home.
From there, the story suddenly becomes a mystery.
The dialogue is sharp (but had a honest and real
feel to it) and there's a fair share of adult
language and content. Obviously, not recommended
for children.
Zorro #1 (Papercutz) -- But here's something for
kids. Papercutz has already dusted off the Hardy Boys
and Nancy Drew and now Zorro is getting resurrected.
Some of my online friends are huge Zorro fans,
mostly due to the reruns of the Guy Williams
series that reran late nights on the Disney
Channel. Like the other comics Papercutz puts
out, the artwork is manga-ish and the stories will
run over two or three issues. Don McGregor, who
wrote Zorro for Topps Comics, returns to write the
character here. I'm a mild Zorro fan myself. I
thought this was okay, but not great;
storytelling: decent, artwork: mildly
interesting. The $2.95 might be steep for kids,
but I suspect it's the older Zorro fans that will
go for this.
Green Lantern: Rebirth #6/Green Lantern #1 (DC) --
Okay, let's get one thing out of the way, NO ONE,
and I mean, no one, gets away with punching Batman
in the jaw.
Whew. That said, so Hal is back and all is well.
Well, almost. Coast City is a ghost town, and
some are treating Hal, well, like a ghost. I'm
still getting used to seeing Hal back to normal
and as a GL again. The shock of that was pretty
much how I felt reading these books. Van Sciver
is an outstanding and underrated artist. Still, I
didn't see much happening on the outset. There's
a new blonde pilot introduced as Capt. Jillian
Pearlman, which looks like a possible future love
interest.
Young Avengers #4 (Marvel) -- Ah, the old
"you-can't-go-back-in-time-cause-you'll-disrupt-everything" story.
Still, any Marvel book that has
Jessica Jones in it is a "must read" for me. And,
I've always had a soft spot for teen hero groups.
This was a way-too-fast read, but still enjoyable.
And I don't know which character is my favorite
because I like them all. The "homosexuals in
comics" debate is still going on in the letters
column.
Some bullet comments . . .
DC Special: The Return of Donna Troy #1 (DC) --
Glad she's back, didn't think she was really dead,
and shaping up to be a good "brought back from the
dead" story if they don't muck it up. The new DC
logo doesn't do much for me, but I suppose it was
due.
Omac Project #2 (DC) -- I wasn't a Sasha fan to
start with and with Batman deeply kissing her here
and Silver St. Cloud in Batman: Dark Detective,
Bats is getting around this month.
Solo (DC) -- It's a great showcase/anthology book.
Pricey, but well done.
DID'JA KNOW: DC mini series, Villains, United has
revamped Catman, a old Batman villain. Catman
first appeared in Detective Comics #311. His main
gimmick was an orange cape which magically gave
him nine lives.
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