Comic Book Wednesday #31

Comic Book Wednesday

Issue #31

Here's what I've been reading over the past three weeks. Some good, some great, some not-so-much.

IDW

The Cape #3

Written by Jason Ciaramella

Inspired by the short story "The Cape" by Joe Hill

Art by Zach Howard

This saga of misguided revenge gets even scarier this time around. Ciaramella cuts this tale up with flashbacks of a much more innocent childhood, giving the horrific scenes a harsh dichotomy. The story, while simple, is as riveting as it is batshit crazy (flying dude takes down a plane with a CHAINSAW), and it remains on the top of my pull list. The issue ends with the deranged Eric preparing for a showdown of sorts with his brother Nicky, who just happens to be the primary object of Eric's war on his family. Shit is going down, and I'm pumped to see how they end it all.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Microseries #2

Michelangelo

Written by Brian Lynch

Art by Andy Kuhn

I already covered this one in my Best of 2011 blog, but if you missed that... man was this good. Hilarious, witty, and just pure fun. Easily the best thing to come out of the consistently excellent TMNT series from IDW.

IMAGE COMICS

Whispers #1

Written and drawn by Joshua Luna

This is among the best first issues I've ever read. It's my first comic by Josh Luna (I bought the Ultra TPB at NYCC, but I haven't read it yet), and I'm stunned by how good it is. I read a preview of it last month, and I was intrigued by the depiction of OCD, but this... the whole story is just such a complete mind trip. Anyone who has even had even a slight case of OCD will relate, but this comic doesn't focus on just that. Sam, our protagonist, has recently discovered his strange ability to travel around town, incorporeal and invisible, visiting people he knows while he's asleep. It's a simple concept, but the execution is just... well, honestly, it's perfect. I can't recommend this enough. I bought this comic because I want to support creator owned books, but I'll keep coming back month to month because of how brilliant the writing and art is. Best book of the new year, so far.

DARK HORSE

Buffy the Vampire Slayer #5

Slayer, Interrupted

Written by Andrew Chambliss

Art by Karl Moline

Karl Moline is my favorite BtVS artist, so it was great to see him return for this issue. The story has been called both a sequel to Restless and Season 8's The Chain, but I liked this issue a lot better than either of those stories. While (in my opinion, of course), the former two tales got lost in the dangerous territory of style over substance, this issue delivered the awesome with dream sequences that delivered the wonkiness while still adding to the overall story of the season in a manner that is both clear and entertaining. There are some major developments here and, while I'm sure the internet is already pissed off about the end of the issue, Chambliss and Whedon are taking the series in a surprising direction that's already a hell of a lot more down to earth than Season Eight. I'm thoroughly enjoying this book.

Angel & Faith #5

In Perfect Harmony

Written by Christos Gage

Art by Phil Noto

I dig Phil Noto's covers, but his sequential art didn't do much for me in this issue. It was a fun, light issue - essentially, it's what you expect when you hear the concept. Harmony reaches out to Angel and Faith to investigate a particularly damning sex tape that someone is threatening to leak. There are some cool moments with Clem, who is always a joy to read, and some great Snarky!Faith lines, but man... Rebekah Isaacs was sorely missed.

DC

Justice League Dark #4

In the Dark part four: By the Light of the Moone

Written by Peter Milligan

Art by Mikel Janin

Dark and intriguing, JLDark is everything that it should be. Considering that this book is made up of the most interesting characters in all of DC coming together to fight the baddies too dark and nightmarish for the Justice League proper to face, that's big praise. Every beat of this slow boil story has been an immersive and mind-melting experience, and this issue brings this roller coaster of a book to its highest peak. Shit is about to go down, and I can't wait to see how these characters deal with it. Especially Constantine. Man, can Milligan write him some Constantine.

Green Lantern #5

Sinestro part five

Written by Geoff Johns

Art by Doug Mahnke

The fight to defend Sinestro's home planet from the team of villains that he created comes to a head. Geoff Johns creates the perfect balance of action and drama in this book, and Sinestro continues to be one of the most interesting protagonists in all of DC. Hal Jordan's romantic issues with Carole also gets resolved by the end of this issue, and that happens a bit too... easily. That plotline comes off as a bit "Let's give Hal some girl trouble," which feels a bit weak in contrast to the captivating relationship of Hal and Sinestro. I'm very glad that DC didn't just give Sinestro the Green Lantern title for a few issues for shock value - they're really going through with it, and the end product is as engaging as the idea is ballsy.

Aquaman #4

The Trench conclusion

Written by Geoff Johns

Art by Ivan Reis

Every bit as engaging as Green Lantern, Johns brings his first Badass Aquaman storyline to a conclusion. Oh, what? This series isn't called The Badass Aquaman? Could've fooled me. Johns is pulling out all the stops here to make Aquaman the badass that Grant Morrison already knew he was. The action is great, and double page spreads are used liberally, but not in a way that takes away from the content of the story. It feels like decompressed comics should feel... like you're watching a widescreen film. And this... well, this is that summer blockbuster that leaves you coming back for more.

Batgirl #5

A Candy Full of Spiders

Written by Gail Simone

Art by Adrian Syaf and Vincente Cifuentes

Best issue yet. The minor flaw of Simone's recent writing pops up here again... if you hadn't noticed, it's Batgirl's very occasional incredible lame quip. I had to stop reading when Batgirl kicked her opponent in the face and said "Kiss my rear end!" I mean, is she seventy-five now? Besides that jarring moment, this book is damn solid. We get a follow-up on Barbara's meeting with her mother, as well as a villain twice as interesting as Mirror was. The first part of this new arc has already blown the last one out of the water, and Simone has consistently kept this book on my pull list... and with the way I've been cutting, that's no small feat. The art is mostly good, though some anatomy issues (Batgirl's pose on the first page and Bruce's weird hand on the final page) pop up, and Barbara's mom could've looked a bit less like she was Barbara's age. Despite those issues, though, this remains among the strongest of DC's recent efforts. Get it get it get it.

Batman & Robin #5

Mutineer

Written b Peter J. Tomasi

Art by Patrick Gleason

If you've liked the first four issues, you'll enjoy this. It offers nothing incredible or new, but... well, it's a solid read. Damian ventures off with Ducard, Batman's latest nemesis, and I think it's pretty obvious that he's going to turn on him in favor of Batman. There have been moments, especially in the first and fourth issue, that awed me, but if I'm going to stick with this series something major is going to have to happen to keep me engaged... soon.

The Ray #2

Written by Jimmy Palmiotti and Justin Gray

Art by Jamal Igle

Jimmy and Justin, the writerly team behind Power Girl, deliver another really fun comic. Protagonist Lucien Gates breaks the fourth wall, telling us his story as he experiences it, and the action and monsters are highlighted with the human drama kept to a minimum. It has a certain darkness to it, but the darkness teeters on the edge, coming from the villain instead of from the hero himself like most modern superhero comics. In fact, as the Ray, Lucien is essentially a goofball. A goofball with the badass power of light, yes, but a goofball still. The comic is a quick and enjoyable read and, while it isn't as effective as the duo's other efforts, it's worth the spot on your pull list for the four issues it's going to last.

Action Comics #4

Rocket Song

Written by Grant Morrison

Art by Andy Kubert

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Baby Steps (back-up story)

Written by Sholly Fisch

Art by ChrisCross

Grant Morrison's main story in this month's Action is decent. As readers have come to expect from Morrison, it's pretty damn inventive; we see the destruction of Krypton and Kal-El's voyage to Earth through the mind of the spacecraft he flew in on. It loses steam once the craft lands, as it blends a bit of story from the first Action arc with something that seems to be set in the future. It's all a bit confusing and, while I'm sure it'll make sense with next month's issue, it makes for a rocky read considering the fairly straight-forward beginning. What makes the comic more than worth the cover price is Sholly Fisch's back-up story, which focuses on a recently wed Jonathan and Martha Kent. It's eight pages of well-written and drawn human drama, giving readers a real portrait of two people who are struggling to have a child. I've been a critic of ChrisCross's work in the past, but he does quite a nice job here... and Fisch's script is, beat for beat, perfect.

Detective Comics #5

Wheel of Misfortune

Written and drawn by Tony S. Daniel

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Russian Roulette (back-up story)

Written by Tony S. Daniel

Art by Szymon Kuranski

This is another book that, after this read, I'm going to follow through the trades. The writing isn't bad, nor is the art... it's just that nothing here is particularly strong. Batman watches over Gotham, Batman broods, Batman chases a villain, and then we reveal the Penguin - who was already featured on the cover. The back-up features Catwoman and the son of Hugo Strange teaming up to take on some Russian gangsters. It's not bad by any means, but I don't think it's a comic that I'm willing to shell out three bucks a month for.

Superman #4

Mind for the Taking

Written by George Perez

Art by Jesus Merino

The first issue of this series was great. It was journalistic, emotional, engaging, and simply a good Superman book. Everything that has followed failed to live up to the high standard the first issue set, and I'm sad to say I'm dropping this book because it's such an iconic title, but I got six pages into this book before I closed it, sighed, and put it away. The story hasn't gone anywhere since the first issue, and it doesn't seem as if that's changing this time around. Maybe the second half of this issue is stellar, but I just don't have the patience to get through it. I'll come back to this book later, but I'm clocking out of this storyline.

Supernatural: Caledonia #4

Emma of the Isles Part II

Written by Brian Wood

Art by Grant Bond

I've been a big fan of this series, but it peters off a bit with this issue. Emma meets up with Sam and reveals the reason she called him... evil siren/mermaid kind of creatures. The depiction of these beasties is cool, but the last third of the book is a bit jarring. Sam's behavior is confusing, as is some of the action. Sam witnesses something happening with one of the creatures (after already being dragged away by one and then saved by Emma) and then suddenly realizes how unsafe he is in his location... but he was only unsafe because he went to the beach, where he already knew the creatures were! Sam's fear and subsequent behavior (so scared, gotta wait for Dean!) struck me as a really weird moment in an otherwise stellar series. Hope the next issue gets things back on track.

NEXT TIME: Batman, Birds of Prey, Ghostbusters, Supergirl, Morning Glories, Legends of Oz: The Wicked West.

TMNT microseries Raphael Review

Comic Book Wednesday

Issue #30

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

MICROSERIES #1: Raphael

Written by Brian Lynch

Art by Franco Urru

IDW Comics

It feels like old times.

It seems like ages, but only four years have passed since I began reviewing IDW's ANGEL: AFTER THE FALL. It was the official continuation of Joss Whedon's epic show (my favorite of all time) written by Brian Lynch. I'd done coverage on my blog of Brian's previous work in the Buffyverse (two SPIKE miniseries), but it was ATF that made me realize how great a writer this guy is. Over the following years, my blog Buffyverse Comic Reviews covered all of his comic book work, and while it was honest and critical when I felt something was off, I found myself resorting to hyperbolic praise more often than not. Thing is, looking back at his work on IDW's ANGEL and SPIKE titles... those books, for my money, are more often than not... well, fucking brilliant.

I'm thrilled that Brian contributed scripts to this TMNT "microseries" (four spotlight issues focusing on each of the turtles), because not only did this franchise define my childhood, it's also one of this year's most enjoyable new series. So realize that I mean absolutely no offense toward the main TMNT series when I say that this is far and away the best IDW title I've read all year. And if you frequent this blog, you know I read a hell of a lot of books from them.

It's got the humor and snarkiness, but not as much as you'd expect. It shows a somewhat sullen Raphael; while he's no stick in the mud, and not even close to the sort of Frank Miller characters that the original comics were parodying, he's not crackin' wises in every panel. He's got some serious issues communicating, and his conversations with Casey, while seemingly light, speak volumes without really saying much. Brian, through a few well-placed lines, communicates that while Raph (who was missing until last week's issue) has grown to love his brothers quickly, it isn't nearly as easy as "Raphael is taken in by the others, everything is okay, copious amounts of pizzas are ordered." There are some serious issues here, but all of this serves to simply add texture to the comic, flesh out the characters, and give a nice context to the story being told.

And the story... holy whoa. A lot more major plot developments happened here than I expected. Things that I would have thought would be saved for the main title, so the element of surprise was extreme. In this issue, a run-in with a mutant fox (being chased by thugs who longtime fans will recognize as the pre-mutation forms of Beebop and Rocksteady!) leads Raph to the revelation that some dark and mysterious baddie wants to know where the turtles' hideout is. Turns out, that villain is...

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(If you don't like spoilers, see you tomorrow. This is too big to hold back.)

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The Shredder.

What.

Talk about a reveal. I'm not sure if each of these one-shots will build on the plot Brian whipped up in this one, or if they're saving all of that for the main series and this just served to give us an unexpected and exciting peek at the dangers we've been waiting for, but all I know was that this was an absolutely great read. Franco Urru, who collaborated with Brian on more than twenty-five Buffyverse comics, does art chores for this book, and he brings such movement to the action scenes. He also nails the quiet scenes, but if you want to read me carrying on about how Franco is the best artist working in comics, you can read any given ANGEL review on my Buffyverse blog. Seriously - you can keep your big Marvel and DC names. Can't beat Franco. And with colors by Fabio Mantovani, this makes for one beautiful book.

Reading Brian Lynch's ANGEL and SPIKE comics was what made me realize that writing comic books was something I'd be interested in doing for a living, and everything that made those books so wonderful is present in this comic. What more can you ask for?

TOMORROW: Supernatural, Action Comics, Detective Comics

New Stuff Coming Soon

Hey, readers of this blog. Yeah, you three. Stop texting, I'm talking.

This blog has been a lot quieter than I intended it to be, so I think I'm gonna loud this place up a bit. I don't think I'm capable of doing daily posts, but I do want to update as often as possible. And such updates will hopefully include exclusive comics, videos of plays I've done, movie reviews, links to other sites I'm working on, and news about publications/performances. Also, I'm going to whore this site out to other writerly friends of mine, because if there is one thing I am for certain, it's a pimp. Totally. I have the cup and everything.

And like all pimps, I love to read comic books. I'm gonna try to pull off a weekly column here called COMIC BOOK WEDNESDAY where--you'll never guess this--I review comics.

For now, if you're a Whedon fan--I'd wager most of you who know that I exist probably are Whedon fans--should check out these links. I just wrote this retrospect on Brian Lynch's stellar run on the Spike comic. Also, this article looks back on what Brian and many other writers have done with the on-going Angel title. Last but certainly not least, a good friend of my Scott Tipton co-wrote an awesome Illyria miniseries with Mariah Huehner. The art is by Elena Casagrade, who totally knocks it out of the park. The TPB collection just came out, so you can buy that here and read my review here.

As for my book, Angel: Yearbook comes out May 25th. A day after my birthday, so be sure to buy it as a gift and, when you open it up, sing sweet songs to me. Ask your local comic shop about the book, or order it here at a discounted price.

Also, I wouldn't say no to a nice cake. My address is printed on the bottom of Angel's shoe in the last panel.

HOP movie review

I’ve been anticipating a movie about the Easter Bunny for over a year now. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not like I’m some Easter enthusiast. I don’t go on daily egg hunts while stroking my strap on ears and fluffy cottontail. Okay, well, fine, I do all that, but I wasn’t looking forward to the movie because of the whole bunny thing. I’ve been anticipating this movie as much as probably every candy loving kid in the world because of the creative team. Brian Lynch co-wrote the screenplay. I love Brian Lynch. For those who don’t know of him, he wrote perhaps my favorite comic book of all time, Angel: After the Fall. In his various Spike spin-off series, he took the character to places that even creator Joss Whedon hadn’t. His creator owned stuff, such as the brilliant comic Everybody’s Dead and the always entertaining Angry Naked Pat, is every bit as good as his work on Angel. In short, his writing kicks ass in a way that is hilarious, emotional, and wholly original. Pair that with Russell Brand (one of the most brilliant comedians and actors of our time) starring as the friggin’ Easter Bunny (well, kind of; we’ll get to that), and you’ve got something worth getting excited about.

So. After a long, long wait, I found myself sitting in a theater next to my girlfriend, surrounded by what was either a clan of midgets on a popcorn high or a gaggle of excited children. Besides a few tired looking parents, we were the only people in the room who didn't actually believe in the Easter Bunny. Normally, we try to avoid situations that promise to include such a large amount of children, but for “Hop,” I’d stick it out. And man. Man man man. It was very worth it. It was even worth dealing with that one kid with the light up sneakers—which is saying a lot. It’s unfortunate that there weren’t more adults, because while the simple storyline and colorful eye candy (ATTACK OF THE TERRIBLE PUN!) is enough to keep the kiddies staring at the screen all oogly eyed, the script is dripping with that trademark Lynch snark that made me love his work in the first place. Russell Brand, who is known for his fluid, improvised humor, seems to have found his match in Lynch. I can’t count the times that I laughed out loud; I was making the children look like well-behaved little gentlethings.

The plot is simple. EB, son of the Easter Bunny, wants to play drums; his dad has other, decidedly more festive plans for him. EB is destined to be Easter Bunny. It’s just the way things are. However, in an appropriately punk rock move, EB flees Easter Island and heads toward his new home: the Playboy Mansion.

Despite EB's reasoning (he describes himself as a “sexy bunny,” and he heard that the Mansion houses that sort), he isn’t given admittance. He ends up with Fred (James Marsden), who is going through a struggle of his own. Fred is a bit of a slacker and his parents are more than a bit disappointed. The film then tells the wonky story of how Fred learns about responsibility through EB and ends up becoming the first human Easter Bunny. While I was a little dubious about the premise, the execution is nothing short of brilliant, as the script, for the most part, avoids cliché like an apt Frogger player avoids incoming cars. The only issue I took with the film was the interaction between the Fred and his father; their relationship seemed forced, both in the conflict and the resolution. Toward the end, when Fred’s father discovers that his son has become the Easter Bunny, his reaction is instant pride, instead of the sort of holy-shit-my-son-is-actually-the-Easter-Bunny. It’s a small moment toward the end of the film, and it serves to only slightly cheesify what is essentially the perfect family film.

It’s been Number One for two weeks in a row, so if you haven’t seen it yet… go and give HOP a third week on top. It’s a rare flick that little kids, teenagers, and even skeptical parents can enjoy.

Reviews for the New IDW Comics

A whole bunch of great Angelverse comics came out recently. Here's my review for the conclusion to the "Connorland" arc in the Angel book, the second issue of Brian Lynch's fantastic Spike series, and the epic first installment of Scott Tipton and Mariah Huehner's Illyria spin-off. It's a great time to be an Angel fan.

Illyria: Haunted #1: So, so very good. While IDW has given Illyria a lot of attention in the past (Fallen Angel: Reborn, Illyria: Spotlight, Angel: Only Human, etc.) this book gives us more insight into her perspective than we've gotten... well, ever. Since her arrival in Shells, she's been a mystery. We've seen her develop, change, grow... but she remains alien. Now, we finally get a good look at her thought process, and it's fascinating. Illyria has great conversations with both Angel and Spike that sheds light on all three characters in new and interesting ways. And that's really what good writing is. Developing characters in a way that makes sense considering their history, but keeping it all unexpected.Illyria: Haunted treads new ground, which is kind of ironic seeing that the plot is taking Illyria back to where she started: The Deeper Well. Read more...

Spike #1 review

The first issue of Brian Lynch's SPIKE series comes out today. It's a spin-off of IDW Publishing's ANGEL comic, and it's goddamn excellent. Here's my review.

The issue starts with some background stuff. We have Spike narrating a scene in Las Vegas that involves murder, mayhem, and bugs. Not giant bugs, though. Casino-bugs that do the whole swarm and eat tourists thing. Then, more Spike narration over a montage of his life. He gets sired, he arrives in Sunnydale, Buffy's fist makes its first appearance in an IDW comic by punching Spike, Spike gets a soul, and then Spike admits that Angel is better than him, much to the chagrin of a bunch of Spuffy fans. Actually, though, not at all. Read more...