Doctor Who #12 (IDW Vol. 3) - A Review

WARNING: The following review does contain spoilers for Series 7, Part 2 of the Doctor Who TV Series. It might also contain spoilers regarding the upcoming 50th Anniversary Special. Read no further if you wish to remain unspoiled and know that this comic is bloody brilliant and well worth reading, even if it is read a few months from now.


This month's issue of Doctor Who will be of interest to fans of the show for one reason above all others. A flashback at the start of the comic seems to confirm what, so far, had only been speculated - that the Time Lord we saw at the end of The Name of The Doctor was an incarnation of The Doctor from the time of The Time War.  One who refused the name of The Doctor and who fired the metaphorical bullet that removed The Time Lords from the universe. 


Ignoring even that factoid, there is much to admire in this issue.  Writers Andy Diggle and Eddie Robson have built upon Diggle's story The Hypothetical Man and created a villain truly worthy of The Doctor.  More, they give a depth of character - and dare I say, a level of sheer awesomeness - to Clara Oswald that she did not receive in the television program.



If this issue has a weakness, it lies in the artwork of Andy Kuhn.  Khun's style is good and a worthy fit for the Steampunk aesthetic of this story but his work in this final part of the Sky Jacks storyline does seem somewhat rushed and uneven at times compared to previous issues.  Still, the overall affect is a good one and this issue has more good than bad and a few parts that are honestly great. 

Doctor Who #11 (IDW Vol. 3) - A Review

Part Three of Sky Jacks continues smoothly from where Part Two ended, without pausing for a moment.  Trapped in a seemingly endless limbo on-board a steam-powered World War II bomber, The Doctor and Clara have solved the mystery of where they are and why they can't summon The Doctor's ship - The TARDIS.  Naturally, the answers (i.e. they're somewhere inside The TARDIS) just lead to further questions as our heroes quickly find themselves under attack and at the mercy of a new enemy. 


Fans of the show may complain that this story by Andy Diggle and Eddie Robson seems derivative of the second half of Series 7, with Diggle's new villainous mastermind seeming to be an ersatz copy of the main villain of that series.  While the similarities are there and this story has quite a bit in common with the episode Journey To The Center of The TARDIS, one can hardly fault Diggle and Robson for the similarities given that they must have had this story written months before the new series ever aired.  Taken on its' own merits, this is a crackerjack Doctor Who story with plenty of tension and humor to thrill and amuse the reader.


I've said before that I don't find the artwork of Andy Kuhn aesthetically pleasing.  That is not to say that it is bad - merely that as a fan I prefer cleaner, less-stylized art in my comics.  Yet I cannot deny that Kuhn's style with its' heavy inks and exaggerated characters is a perfect fit to the dirty, Steampunk aesthetic of Diggle and Robson's story.

Doctor Who, Series 3, Vol 1: The Hypothetical Gentlemen - A No Flying, No Tights Review

There’s this bloke called The Doctor. He’s smart and good and occasionally nice. He looks human, but he’s really an alien. He lives in a big blue box called The TARDIS. It can travel anywhere in space and time and, while it rarely takes The Doctor where he wants to go, it always takes him where he needs to be. He wanders the cosmos showing off the wonders of the universe to the various companions he picks up along the way and quite frequently saves the day, the night, the world, and the entire universe.

Doctor Who has been around for nearly five decades and there’s a fine tradition of Doctor Who comics stretching back nearly as long as the history of the show itself. It’s no surprise, then, that with the reemergence of the Doctor Who television series back in 2005 there would be new comic books, as well. IDW Publishing currently holds the license and has printed a number of mini-series and specials depicting the exploits of the enigmatic Doctor and his companions, as well as a monthly series that restarts every year or so.

This first collection of the third IDW series collects four issues and two whole stories. The first story, “The Hypothetical Gentleman,” centers upon The Doctor and his current companions (the husband and wife team of aspiring-model Amy Pond and nurse Rory Williams) as they travel to Victorian London. It is here they meet another young couple – Charles and Emily – who make a living putting on fake séances in order to capitalize on the growing belief in Spiritualism. While their shows are fake, Emily’s telepathic gifts are quite real, making her into a conduit for a disturbing intelligence. Naturally, this is just the sort of mystery to get The Doctor’s attention.

The second story, “The Doctor and The Nurse,” centers upon The Doctor and Rory reluctantly agreeing to have a “Boys Day Out” after Amy concludes that the two need some time to bond without her getting in the way. This is the only thing The Doctor and Rory agree upon, apart from the fact that neither of them is particularly interested in doing any male bonding. So while Amy wanders off for an hour to see the sights of London in 1814, The Doctor and Rory decide to “cheat” and take The TARDIS forward one hour so they can meet up with Amy later. Naturally The TARDIS winds up taking them elsewhere and elsewhen, while Amy has an adventure of her own fighting an unexpected alien menace.

Like the television series, the Doctor Who comic has attracted some of the best and brightest creators in its respective industry. This particular volume features writing by acclaimed author Andy Diggle, best known as the creator of the Vertigo series The Losers, and Brandon Seifert, creator of the independent horror series Witchdoctor. The art team is no less impressive, with Mark Buckingham of Fables fame and Phillip Bond – most famous for his work on Vertigo Comics’ The Invisibles and Tank Girl – lending their considerable talents to the proceedings.

In my professional opinion as a critic and my personal opinion as a Whovian, this volume would make a fine addition for any graphic novel collection. Like the show itself, there’s little here that would be unsuitable for younger audiences, but the language and ideas are complex enough that it might be best if an adult were on hand to assist younger readers. Place it in the Teen section as a compromise.

Doctor Who: Series 3, Volume 1: The Hypothetical Gentleman
by Andy Diggle, Brandon Seifert
Art by Mark Buckingham , Philip Bond
ISBN: 9781613775790
IDW Publishing, 2013
Publisher Age Rating: (13+)

Doctor Who #10 (IDW Vol. 3) - A Review

Picking up right where last month's issue left off,  Doctor Who #10 continues this dramatic steampunk storyline as our heroes find themselves trapped in a strange empty void with no ground and few safe zones.  The Doctor seems to have been trapped for slightly longer than Clara, claiming he has been working as "The Smith" who fixes all the broken things for about three years.  Of course that's a drop in the bucket for a Time Lord - he's far more concerned about the fact that his best efforts to find the TARDIS (let alone summon it) have proven unsuccessful. 



The script by Andy Diggle and Eddie Robson is full of the wit and humor one would expect of a story featuring the Matt Smith version of The Doctor.  More, there's an honestly engaging mystery at the heart of the main plot, to say nothing of the subplot involving the secret mission of the American pilots Clara befriended.  The fast pace of this issue more than makes up for the slow start last month, as we see The Doctor coping with the multiple mysteries as well as the hostile aliens who run the local Black Market.


Andy Kuhn's gritty art style matches the story perfectly in it's dirty but straightforward simplicity.  Best known for his work on the series Firebreather, Kuhn's artwork isn't pretty but it is full of detail and character.  That's not usually my cup of tea, but for this story it works.

Doctor Who #9 (IDW Vol. 3) - A Review

Whovians may find themselves confused at first by Doctor Who #9 - the first story in this comic series to feature Clara Oswald as The Doctor's companion.  There's quite a lot here that doesn't seem to match up with what we know of Clara from the second half of Series 7.  Chief among the problems are Clara's staying on The TARDIS over-night when the series depicted her only going on day-trips with The Doctor.  Also, the library of The TARDIS doesn't match its' recent appearance in Journey To The Center Of The TARDIS.


Thankfully, the fans who can work past these problems or think of a clever hand-wave (The TARDIS can easily have more than one library or the desktop could have changed) will discoverer a wonderful story with a steam-punk theme.  The focus is upon Clara along with a crew of WWII-era American Air Force pilots.  All of them have been stranded in the same strange pocket dimension, whose weaker gravity allows steam-powered engines to be practical. And where is The Doctor in all of this?  Spoilers. ;)  


The artwork by Andy Kuhn is simple but serviceable.  Kuhn's style is sketchy and highly stylized.  Normally, it wouldn't be the sort of art I'd enjoy but I think it fits the dark and dirty setting well enough.  It may not be pretty but it does set the mood effectively. 

Action Comics #19 - A Review

And now, a moment of silence in memorial for Andy Diggle's one-issue run on Action Comics and what might have been.

 ...


This was it.  This was everything we'd hoped for in a Superman comic in the New 52.  This issue was everything a Superman comic SHOULD be.  Not to disparage Grant Morrison's work on this title or disavow every positive thing I've said about it before, but having read this issue I see now the problem with Morrison's run that I sensed but could not put words to before.  Morrison's Action Comics was not about Superman as a character - it was about the world of Superman and what Superman represents.  Was it worth reading?  Absolutely!  Was it about Superman?  Not really. 


Diggle focuses upon the characters as characters and reveals everything you need to know about them in the span of a few pages.  Lois Lane is outspoken and tough as nails without seeming shrewish.  She may rib on "Smallville" but you still see the respect she has for Clark Kent.  Lex Luthor is appropriately diabolic - the sort of man who keeps a psychiatrist hostage to analyze him for any mental weaknesses, only to argue her diagnosis.  Diggle also explores how Luthor is Superman's totally opposite in the respect that both men perceive the problems with the world and wish to save it but Luthor's ends are not the same as Clark Kent's.  And Superman?  He is summed up as neatly as I've seen anywhere as a man who hates bullies and won't start a fight but will damn well finish it if he must.


Tony Daniel's artwork is as skillful as ever.  Reports say that he'll be handling the writing on this book as well, finishing the scripts based on Diggle's plots.  I wasn't a big fan of Daniel's Detective Comics run but I think I'll give this series one more issue to see if it can hold my interest.  As it is, this issue is well worth your time and money.

Doctor Who #6 (IDW Vol. 3) - A Review

Reviewing Doctor Who can be a challenge at times.  I frequently find myself feeling like a broken record, when my complaints and complements about one issue mirror my comments about the previous issue.  Such is the case with Doctor Who #6, which continues the trends set by Issue #5 for good and for ill.

The script by Andy Diggle blends various elements from stories involving the Ninth, Tenth and Eleventh Doctors as The Doctor takes the Ponds on a cruise in space.  It turns out that one of the other guests is Lady Christina De Souza - a cat burglar who crossed paths with The Doctor once in his Tenth incarnation and has somehow gained the ability to travel between planets.  What she's up to winds up tying into a most unusual heist where multiple thieves pursue differing ends and even The Doctor is not entirely what he claims to be.


As one might expect with Andy Diggle writing, this is all a rollicking good read.  Diggle explains everything taken from the show for those few who might be reading this comic without having seen all of the stories he refers to.  There's some honestly shocking twists and those who worry about the morality of The Doctor allying himself with an unrepentant thief who steals for the heck of it will find themselves pleasantly surprised.


The artwork continues to be this book's weak point.  Josh Adams' artwork isn't all bad but his character designs are still inconsistent from panel to panel, managing to make even the alien creatures that are meant to look distorted seem off-model.  The colorist chose a poor palette which leaves Amy Pond looking like Daphne Blake from Scooby Doo and Rory Williams grey before his time.

If you're a Doctor Who fan who enjoys a good story no matter what the medium, you should give this issue and the one from last month a chance.  It should be a must read for any Doctor Who fan.  Avoid this only if you are one of those rare few who absolutely cannot ignore some shady artwork for the sake of a crackerjack tale. 

Doctor Who #5 (IDW Vol. 3) - A Review

Looking back, the biggest problems I've had with with most Doctor Who comic book adaptations have always lain with the artists.  Talking with my fellow Wholigans, I find they're of a similar mind.  I don't know if it's because the characters' appearances are so ingrained in our minds because of the TV show that we judge any "off-model" artwork as utterly irredeemable.  What I do know is that Josh Adams' character designs are half-successful, at best, in capturing the essence of our heroes. 

There are some moments where Matt Smith's Doctor does indeed look like Matt Smith and other moments where he resembles Dick Van Dyke.  Rory Williams suddenly ages 20 years between panels, as his hairline recedes halfway up his scalp.  Colorist Charlie Kirchoff doesn't help matters, occasionally coloring Amy Pond's hair with the fiery red shade of Karen Gillan's locks and other times painting her as orange as Daphne from Scooby Doo!


Thankfully, while art issues are commonplace on Doctor Who, so are excellent scripts.  This issue proves no exception, as author Andy Diggle spins a tale that draws off elements of the Ninth, Tenth and Eleventh Doctor's tenures.  Having rescued The Ponds from a disastrous holiday that's left them stranded in a Spanish airport, The Doctor spirits them away on the maiden voyage of a cruise starship.  Surprisingly, The Ponds discover that the annoying rich woman bound for Utah who delayed their flight on Earth is somehow on the starship.  Even more astonishingly, The Doctor recognizes her as Lady Christina De Souza - the infamous cat-burglar who helped him save a bus full of people from The Planet of the Dead.  How did she wind up in deep space in the future?  The answers may lay in a mysterious vault in Utah, which The Doctor visited once before...


Diggle's story throws us several mysteries and long-time Doctor Who fans will appreciate the craft involved in mixing these previously uninvolved elements into a new story.  The issue also closes on a wicked cliffhanger that will leave you desperate for the next issue.  If you haven't given Doctor Who a chance in comic form and can deal with some jammy artwork, this would be a good book to cut your teeth on.

Green Arrow: Year One - A No Flying No Tights Review

 
SOURCE: Green Arrow: Year One

With the possible exception of Tony “Iron Man” Stark, I don’t think any superhero has suffered from mischaracterization in the Modern Age of Comics more frequently than Oliver Queen. The Green Arrow I was a fan of growing up was chivalric to a fault and his most frequent point of argument with long-time girlfriend Dinah Lance (a.k.a. Black Canary) lay in how possessive and over-protective he was. Granting that at one time he was a womanizing billionaire playboy (more Bruce Wayne than Bruce Wayne), his taking on the role of a hero changed that. That was what I always admired most about Oliver Queen as a character – the idea that a man could recognize his faults and honestly change for the better.

Unfortunately, this idea got lost somewhere along the way due to sloppy research. As a result, Oliver Queen was routinely portrayed as a flirtatious buffoon, even after becoming a superhero, for the better part of a decade. This idea of Green Arrow as a womanizer became so prominent that his rape at the hands of the assassin Shado was held up as an example of his “chronic” cheating on Dinah Lance by several writers!

I mention all of this to provide historical context as to what a breath of fresh air Green Arrow: Year One was at the time of its’ release. Here was the Green Arrow I’d loved as a kid, though somewhat rougher as a result of author Andy Diggle’s attempt to modernize Oliver Queen’s origins. Amazingly, Diggle’s modernization of the character only helped to make Oliver Queen’s transformation from idle-rich lay-about into a defender of the weak more plausible.

One way in which Diggle did this was by subtly addressing the main problem with Green Arrow’s backstory in a realistic universe. Namely, how does a billionaire playboy with no experience as an outdoorsman survive being shipwrecked on a deserted island? Diggle neatly explains this away with a scene before the infamous shipwreck occurs in which we learn that Oliver Queen is an extreme sports enthusiast, who base-jumped the Grand Canyon and dived the Titanic wreckage before leading an expedition to the North Pole.

Other scenes showcase Oliver’s hatred of hypocrisy and social injustice, his love of Robin Hood myths as a child, and – in a nice nod to the Mike Grell Green Arrow series – his training in archery as a child with real-world stunt-man and master archer Howard Hill. Given all of that, Oliver’s survival in a hostile environment does not seem at all implausible. Nor does his transformation into a real Robin Hood figure after he learns that a drug cartel has enslaved the local natives and put them to work on a poppy farm seem contrived.

The artwork by Jock perfectly captures the exotic appeal and primal energy of Diggle’s script. Famed for his use of shadows and heavy inks to establish mood, Jock alternates his usual style with more traditional, lighter panels. The effect is not unlike viewing stills of an action movie in sequence, the entire book having a cinematic aura to it.

If you’re a fan of the new Arrow television series and looking for a good place to start in learning about the character of Oliver Queen from the comics or are just a lover of good survival-based suspense, I recommend this book highly. The book is rated 12+ by DC Comics, but I would recommend it to slightly older audiences merely because I don’t think most middle-school students are worldly enough to appreciate this story fully. Content wise, there’s a fair bit of violence and drug use, including one scene where Ollie’s drunkenness is played for laughs and a more intense sequence in which Ollie is forced to take opium as a pain-killer after being severely injured. Both scenes are realistic in their portrayal of drug use, however and do nothing to glamorize it.

Green Arrow: Year One
by Andy Diggle
Art by Jock
ISBN: 9781401217433
DC Comics, 2008
Publisher Age Rating: 12+

Doctor Who #2 (IDW Vol. 3) - A Review

If you're a comic fan who knows quality creators, I shouldn't have to do anything to convince you to pick up Doctor Who beyond mentioning who is working on it now.  The script is by The Losers and Green Arrow: Year One author Andy Diggle.  The artwork is by Fables artist Mark Buckingham.

You need to know more?  Oh, okay.  I guess I can write a proper review.  But it really isn't necessary.  The book really is that good!


Continuing the action of the first issue, our story opens upon The Doctor and The Ponds investigating a mysterious device constructed by a pair of Victorian spiritualists.  Unlike their seances, the device is quite real, quite dangerous and responsible for paralyzing several people... including Rory!  Concluding that the frozen people are having time stolen by a hypothetical being, The Doctor finds himself fascinated by a wonder he's never encountered before.  Amy, of course, is less interested in the metaphysical implications of a man who isn't there forcing himself into existence and more interested in how the heck she's going to get her husband mobile once more.


Andy Diggle's script is as good as any found on the TV series, perfectly capturing the voice of the regular cast while establishing some interesting original characters.  Diggle does a particularly fine job of playing up The Doctor's arrogance and hubris, becoming more concerned about exploring a mystery than saving lives.  You truly feel like you're reading an actual episode - a surprisingly rare feeling with many Doctor Who comics!  Mark Buckingham's artwork perfectly matches the script, going far beyond merely caricaturing the actors from the show.  Those who only know Buckingham for his work on various Vertigo Comics series may well considering picking this book up purely for his artwork, even if they aren't Doctor Who fans.

I've said it before and I'll say it again - this book is amazing and a must read for all Whovians and anyone who enjoys a good yarn.

Whither Constantine? - My Thoughts On The Hellblazer Cancellation

SOUIRCE: DC Cancels Its Longest Running Series, Hellblazer, And Replaces It With New 52 Title, Constantine

Am I upset?  Yes, but it's the same, muted sadness you get when an elderly relative who has been dying a slow death of cancer finally passes on.  You've already seen the worst and accepted the inevitable, so there's nothing left but the moving on.

I've already been accused of being a heartless bastard and a DC Comics apologist once over this point.  So really, there's no harm in my refuting all the whining I've seen over this point this morning.



They're replacing it with a PG version!

As of this afternoon, the only person I've seen saying this is Warren Ellis.  And unless there was a revolution I missed this morning, Warren Ellis is not in charge at DC Comics or Vertigo.

If Constantine is part of the New 52 line, that means it will be a PG-13 equivalent, at worst.  I think it far more likely Constantine will be a T+ title aimed at 16 years old and up.  Which, I will say as a librarian and comics fan of some years, is probably the age at which most comics fans start reading Vertigo titles.  No less a luminary than Andy Diggle said he first read a John Constantine title at the age of 15.



They can't possibly do the same things in a New 52 title that they could with a Vertigo one!

This point is true in one respect.  They'll probably have to bleep out the swearing and cut the nudity.  But if that's what you're reading Hellblazer for, let me blow your mind - you can see real tits, asses and dicks for free on the Internet EVERYWHERE!   Those of us who just want to read a story about a smart-arse, lower-class mage dealing with magical weirdness can imagine what is happening just off-panel just fine.

Seriously, Animal Man and Swamp Thing are a part of the New 52.  And they're just as disturbing and messed-up as ever.  I think John will be fine, particuarly with a writer like Robert Venditti at the helm.



How Can They Cancel It?  It's The Flagship Title Of Vertigo Comics!

Perhaps in the minds of British comic fans, Vertigo = Hellblazer.  As an American who worked in the comic-selling business, I can confidentially say that Fables has been ruling the roost at Vertigo for some time now and that most long-time comic fans are more likely to name Sandman as the title that defined Vertigo Comics rather than Hellblazer.   In all honesty, the Vertigo shared universe hasn't really existed outside the pages of Hellblazer since Lucifer came to an end.   In recent years, Vertigo has been more of a creator-owned imprint than an adults-only line.  And with DC Comics' new ratings system, having an entire adults-only-only line isn't quite as neccesary as it once was.



It's Disrespectful To The Rich History Of The Character To End The Book!

In my opinion, the legacy of John Constantine has been disrespected for a while now. And judging by the most recent sales figures on Hellblazer, most of his fans agree.  The sales have been dropping steadily for a while now.

196 - HELLBLAZER (Vertigo)
09/2007: Hellblazer #236 -- 12,938
09/2008: Hellblazer #247 -- 11,851
09/2009: Hellblazer #259 -- 10,813
09/2010: Hellblazer #271 -- 9,851
----------------------------------
09/2011: Hellblazer #283 -- 9,597 (+2.4%)
10/2011: Hellblazer #284 -- 9,608 (+0.1%)
11/2011: Hellblazer #285 -- 9,500 (-1.1%)
12/2011: Hellblazer #286 -- 9,404 (-1.0%)
01/2012: Hellblazer #287 -- 9,368 (-0.4%)
02/2012: Hellblazer #288 -- 9,553 (+2.0%)
03/2012: Hellblazer #289 -- 9,363 (-2.0%)
04/2012: Hellblazer #290 -- 9,472 (+1.2%)
05/2012: Hellblazer #291 -- 9,426 (-0.5%)
06/2012: Hellblazer #292 -- 9,533 (+1.1%)
07/2012: Hellblazer #293 -- 9,247 (-3.0%)
08/2012: Hellblazer #294 -- 9,396 (+1.6%)
09/2012: Hellblazer #295 -- 9,143 (-2.7%)
----------------
6 months: - 2.4%
1 year : - 4.7%
2 years : - 4.6%
5 years : -29.3%

To put the above numbers in perspective, the last issue of the recently canceled Resurrection Man sold 16,672 copies. Even at it's lowest, it was still selling just over 13,000 a month.  It's honestly a miracle Hellblazer has been allowed to go on so long as it has.

I personally stopped reading the book back in October of 2009, precisely because I thought Peter Milligan was ignoring the rich history of the character so that he could promote his own love interest for John and do whatever the hell he wanted with the rules of magic in John's universe.  Besides that, John stopped aging and should- by all rights - be looking 70 years old if the plan to age him in real time meant anything anymore.  At this point, closing out the door on this version of John is a mercy killing.
 

Four Books For Arrow Fans New To Comics

I was recently asked by a friend who had seen a trailer for The CW's Arrow what comics I might recommend to someone unfamiliar with the character of Oliver Queen who wanted to read more.  It's a difficult question.  Can I rattle off a list of good Green Arrow stories?  Of course.  Are most of them going to be easily available?  Sadly not.

Unlike Batman and Spider-Man, Green Arrow doesn't have a lot of stories collected in TP format to begin with.  And with the New 52 revamp of the DC Comics Universe barely a year old, most of the Green Arrow stories that are collected and available don't really fit in with the current on-going series.  Thankfully, a digital Arrow comic based on the show with art by Mike Grell and a script by the show's writers will be release tomorrow along with the first episode of the TV series.  That should give Arrowheads old and new alike something to look forward to.

Still, the question remains - is there anything I can recommend to those new fans who are both brave and bold enough to delve into the past of The Emerald Archer?  Yes.  Yes there is.  Here are four comics collections that I can recommend to new readers with few reservations.

#1 Green Arrow: Year One.  Written by Andy Diggle.  Art by Jock.

WHY THIS BOOK?: First, because it's the most recent complete origin story we have for Green Arrow.  Next, because it isn't just a great origin story - it's a great story.  Ollie is established early on as a screwed up man but one whose heart is ultimately in the right place - the kind of protagonist you want to see succeed in spite of himself.  Finally, this book served as something of a series bible for Arrow and what little we know of Ollie's origins on Arrow so far match up with the story we see here.  We know that China White - the drug lord Ollie fights in this story - will be showing up in at least one of the flashbacks depicting his time on the island, played by Kelly Hu. 

   

#2 Green Arrow: The Longbow Hunters. By Mike Grell

WHY THIS BOOK?:  Mike Grell redefined Green Arrow for a generation with his now legendary run on the second volume of the Green Arrow series and it all began with this three-part story.  This story brought Ollie into the real world, as he abandoned Star City for Seattle and gave up his trick arrows and Robin Hood hat in favor of a more realistic yeoman's garb, complete with a longbow and cloth-yard shafts.  The whole series is worth tracking down but the original mini-series is all that has been collected in TP format.  Left to his own devices, with relatively few crossovers from the main DC Comics universe, this issue truly explored the idea of low-powered vigilantes in a way few stories had before or have since.  And like GA: Year One, much of the visual aesthetic and base concept of Arrow seems to have come from this series.  Incidentally, Grell apparently did some of the artwork for the pilot (he drew the police sketches of The Arrow) and he will be doing that covers and some interiors for the upcoming Arrow comic.

#3 Green Arrow: Quiver.  Written by Kevin Smith.  Art by Phil Hester.

WHY THIS BOOK?: For my money, this is the greatest comic series ever written by Kevin Smith.  Yes- the same Kevin Smith who wrote and directed Clerks, Chasing Amy and Dogma.  What's most miraculous about this story is how effortlessly Smith is able to explain away several years of back-story through natural dialogue as he spins the tale of how Green Arrow has returned from the dead.  The opening chapter, in which we learn all about what sort of man Oliver Queen was through the remembrances of those closest to him should be required reading for any aspiring comics writer wanting to learn how to tell an effective origin story without requiring the presence of the main character.  And being as this is a Kevin Smith script, there's a lot of good humor to go with the action and drama.

#4 JLA: Year One.  Written by Mark Waid.  Art by Brian Augustyn. 

WHY THIS BOOK?:  While not technically a Green Arrow story as such, Oliver Queen plays a pretty big role in the action, showing up at several key points and proving himself worthy of being the first person outside of the original five founders to gain a membership in The Justice League.  I can't say much more for fear of spoiling a bit of the story but trust me - this story is something all Green Arrow fans should read if only for the "romantic" moments with Black Canary.  If nothing else, this issue is a good introduction to the DC Comics universe at large for people who want to get into comics in general if not Green Arrow in specific.

Doctor Who #1 (IDW Vol. 3) - A Review

If IDW Publishing had set out to find the perfect creative team to bring me back to the Doctor Who comic, they could not have done a better job than selecting Andy Diggle and Mark Buckingham.  Diggle, best known for his original series The Losers, has been a favorite of mine since his run on Hellblazer and the Green Arrow: Year One mini-series.  Mark Buckingham, an Eisner Award winning artist with a list of credits longer than a gorilla's arm, is perhaps best known for his work on Fables.  Two quality creators who deliver unto us a quality book.


Our story centers upon Charles and Emily - a young Victorian Era couple who have been forced by rough circumstances into earning a living as charlatan mediums, capitalizing on the booming interest in spiritualism.  But while the shows they put on are fake, Emily's talent for telepathy truly exists.  In addition to allowing her to read the minds of their customers to find out what they want to hear, Emily's power also has made her a receiver for a mysterious intelligence that sketches fantastic machines through Emily's hands.  Mysterious devices which have attracted the attention of The Doctor...

Diggle's script tackles a fairly standard Doctor Who trope (i.e. alien intervention/technology being mistaken for magic) but the presentation of the story is hardly standard.  Emily and Charles are well established as sympathetic characters who dislike being dishonest but are unable to think of any other way to utilize Emily's gift as the pursue what they see as holy work.  The regular cast is also well portrayed in their brief scenes together before the action starts.  And I want to shake Mr. Diggle's hand and thank him for presenting Rory Williams properly, with all of his earthy wisdom intact and in all of his sarcastic glory.


Buckingham's pencils are as strong as ever, though he does falter somewhat in depiction of The Doctor, Amy and Rory at some points.  He does some phenomenal portrait-quality sketches (see the above scan of Rory, looking out at the reader) but this only serves to make his less-detailed far-shots (see The Doctor above) seem more off compared to the close-ups where he gets it right.  It isn't bad - just odd.

If you're a Doctor Who fan, you'll want to pick this book up.  It's a must read for all Whovians.

New Arrow News From Director David Nutter

SOURCE: Legendary Director David Nutter Talks About Launching Arrow

And suddenly my worries about the show are fading again. In brief...

* The show is definitely going to be more mature than Smallville.

* The pilot is DEFINITELY inspired by Green Arrow: Year One. - “The entire sensibility of the show is really based on Green Arrow Year One. We kind of took it from that as our perspective, in some respects, and the look of that opening sequence is one that I wanted to really mix it up. I wanted to make you feel like you’re a part of it...”

* Regarding Other DC Comics characters showing up - “You will be seeing DC Universe characters and Green Arrow characters in the series for sure, but it’s really going to be a ‘peel of the onion’ situation, and you’ll see them in a realistic light. They’ll be real people. They won’t be walking in the episode in a crazy outfit or something. We want to make this as grounded as possible, and make it as believable as possible..."

* On that note, apparently Deadshot will be showing up in the third episode.

SDCC: 'Arrow' Panel News!

My friends at Green Arrow TV on Twitter were on the floor for the Arrow panel at San Diego Comic Con. Through them, I got the following good news and a few spoilers for those who haven't read Green Arrow: Year One. For those who haven't, stop reading this and go read it.



* The panel started with a screening of the pilot. It was very well received, with people clapping and cheering even before the ending.

* The pilot is apparently based on Andy Diggle's Green Arrow: Year One even more closely than we realized from the previews (i.e. general look of Ollie on the island) and we will actually get to see the incidents that caused Ollie to become a hero.

* To that end, Kelly Hu will be playing the drug lord China White, whom Ollie defeated in his first case in Green Arrow: Year One.

* Apparently Mike Grell drew a police sketch (presumably of Ollie as Arrow) that is seen in the pilot.

* Regarding Dinah Lance eventually becoming Black Canary on the show and wearing the fishnets, Katie Cassidy said she would "if that's what the costume will be, and if it happens"

* Andrew Kreisberg then said that Dinah WILL become a woman of action. "Not as soon as you'd want, but sooner than you think."

* There's a good interview with Stephen Arnell here, where he talks about the challenges in playing Ollie Queen.

* Finally, for those of you Arrowheads out there, who were upset that everyone in San Diego was getting a preview comic based on the TV show, DC Comics has made the comic available as a free digital download. I'll be doing a review shortly.

Daredevil: Reborn - A No Flying No Tights Review

SOURCE: Daredevil: Reborn
 
   

Blinded as a child by an accident that exposed him to radioactive chemicals, Matt Murdock was empowered by those same chemicals and gifted with enhancements to his other four senses that more than made up for the loss of his sight. Obsessed with justice after his father’s death at the hands of gangsters, Matt would grow up to become a lawyer and fight crime as the vigilante Daredevil. But all that is behind him.

Having abandoned New York City following the latest in a long line of difficulties, Matt Murdock is a man on the run. From the law. From his enemies. From his own past. When his wanderings lead him to a small town in the American Southwest, it doesn’t take a blind man to see that the sheriff is crooked and the local land baron/gang leader Calavera is the real law in town. With his own life and liberty threatened, Matt would be content to move on and leave the town behind. But when he learns that innocents are endangered, including the blind son of the former sheriff, Matt will have to choose between the peaceful life he longs for and the heroic destiny he’s long denied.

Author Andy Diggle is an old hand at this kind of high-action story with low-powered superheroes and his Green Arrow: Year One is a personal favorite of mine. One thing I must note is that this volume is a wonderful jumping-on point. Unlike many recent Marvel Comics, this volume is easily accessible to new readers who might not have read a Daredevil story before. This was something of a relief to me, as I hadn’t read Daredevil for several years myself and wasn’t up to speed on current events.

The plot is fairly standard stuff but Diggle makes it seem fresh and new. With the Southwestern background, a boy in need of a hero, and a story based around Murdock’s internal conflict between a desire for normalcy and his personal sense of justice, comparisons to the classic western Shane are inevitable. But Diggle’s tale avoids any cliché romance with the blind boy’s mother. And Matt’s final battle against the corrupt forces running the town come down to the battle of one man against many rather than a war between two factions.

Many Daredevil artists drown their artwork in ink, trying to physically convey the literal and figurative darkness of Matt Murdock’s world. This style is one of the hallmarks of long-time Andy Diggle collaborator Jock, who produced the cover art that separates each chapter of this volume. The cover of this trade paperback is particularly noteworthy – a glorious piece which depicts the slums of Manhattan in black and grey, the darkness broken only by white-hot lightning strikes. Above it all, traced with Daredevil’s famous custom nunchucks, lies the outline of a dead man.

While Jock’s style would be effective for a story set in the alleys of Hell’s Kitchen, it might be ill-suited toward a story set in the American desert and interior artist Davide Gianfelice is wise enough to limit his own inks accordingly. With the character-design skills of John Romita Jr. and a style that evokes Michael Lark without being quite so muddy, Gianfelice was a good choice to handle the pencils and inks of this book. Colorist Matt Hollingsworth also deserves praise for his choice of palette.

One content note – this book earns it’s T (13 and Up) rating. There’s a goodly bit of ultra-violence, bloodshed, and some subtle language indicating that the former sheriff’s widow has turned to prostitution to make ends meet. Still, there’s nothing that I believe would mark this volume as unsuitable for most teen graphic novel collections.

Daredevil: Reborn
by Andy Diggle
Art by Davide Gianfelice, Matt Hollingsworth
ISBN: 978078515133
Marvel Comics, 2011
Publisher Age Rating: T (13 and Up)

An Interview With Ollie Queen (With all apologies to Chris Sims)

Click Here to read the inspiration for this feature.



Hey Ollie. Good to see you back in action this week after getting killed last week. Seems like you cheating death is becoming a regular thing, huh?

Well, that's good to hear.

Green Arrow: Year One has been getting rave reviews. Do you think everyone should be reading Andy Diggle's work, even if it doesn't involve you?

Well, sadly we'll be limited to Hellblazer after next month.

So tell us... if you manage to survive your "death" in the opening arc of the new Green Arrow/Black Canary book, do you plan to find a new appreciation for life and the simple things? Telling Dinah you love her every day, for instance?

Good to know.

Finally, are you going to beat the ever-loving snot out of Judd Winick for what he's done to you, Dinah and the all of your family and friends in your comic over the last four years?

Good on you, sir!

The Long Awaited Review of Green Arrow: Year One #1

I double checked with my comic shop and yes, they DID sell out of the book.

Even though I had to go to THE OTHER comic shop to get it, I'm not too upset.

It's the first time a Green Arrow book came even close to selling out that I heard of in recent memory.

So what did I think of it?


GOOD PARTS

Neatly modernized Ollie from industrialist turned hippie into an adventure-seeking playboy, ahead of his time in the extreme-sports craze

Establishes Ollie having a social conscience even before he lost his fortune.

Establishes Ollie being willing to tell off the fat-cats (albeit after a few drinks)

Neatly reestablishes the Howard Hill connection (Howard Hill was the archer who did all the stunt work on the Errol Flynn Robin Hood picture) first created by Mike Grell, albeit Ollie now buys his infamous longbow at a charity auction rather than recieving it is a gift. Still, a young Ollie apparently did take archery lessons from Howard Hill as a boy.

Establishes another Errol Flynn connection with Ollie being an avid sailor - a vocation that Flynn enjoyed before he achieved stardom and a hobby he enjoyed afterward.

Estatblishes that Ollie is a bit of a spoiled brat and a jerk... but that there is a nice guy trying to get out.

Despite all his faults, Ollie actually is a likeable character in this.


BAD PARTS

Only three more issues to go.

Jock and Diggle aren't taking over the Green Arrow/Black Canary book in four months.


Overall? Best book all week.

Looking To The Stars - The Week In Reviews For 04/23/07

My comic shop didn't get a few titles, so this isn't quite a complete review of everything I wanted to read this week. But it is a complete review of everything I did read this week.

52 #50
Company Name: DC Comics
Writer: Geoff Johns, Grant Morrison, Greg Rucka, Mark Waid
Artist: Various

The book that managed to be everything that World War III wasn't. Which is ironic, as World War III was meant to be everything that 52 wasn't.

52 was meant to explain away exactly what happened to everyone during the missing year between the end of Infinite Crisis and the start of One Year Later. It didn't, and World War III was created, in part, to answer all the questions that 52 left open.

It didn't do that either. So what exactly did 52 accomplish?

Well, it was entertaining more often than not. And quite honestly, I'm a lot more interested in the various mad scientists and what the heck Rip Hunter and Booster Gold are up to than I am resolving just how the new Firestorm got unscrambled from Cyborg and started connecting with Firehawk.

Also, I'm somewhat pleased to see Power Girl taking a major role in taking down Black Adam here as opposed to in World War III where the job of tackling the big heavy is limited strictly to a group of powerful male characters. I'm just saying.

Grade: B



Birds of Prey #105
Company Name: DC Comics
Writer: Gail Simone
Artist: Nicola Scott & Doug Hazlewood

Okay. So you have the Birds. And they rock.

And you have The Secret Six. Well, technically The Not So Secret Five, but why quibble? And they rock.

And you have Nicola Scott's artwork. Which rocks in socks.

And you have Gail Simone writing and bringing Ice back from the dead. Which rocks foxes in socks.

How - HOW do they make this comic rock even harder?

Two Words: Harley Quinn.

Seriously, we need to bring Dr. Seuss back from the dead so that he can create a letter to go before A in the alphabet, so that I have a better grade to give this book every month. Alas, it shall have to, as usual, settle for an A. Again.

Grade: A



Conan #39
Company Name: Dark Horse Comics
Writer: Timothy Truman
Artists: Cary Nord & Rafael Kayanan

And here is another book which is testing my ability as a writer to continue to say original kind things about it. Honestly, there's not a lot I can say about Truman's writing I haven't said before - how he has kept the tone of the book consistent with that of Kurt Busiek before him to the point that I had to double-check and make sure the book had changed writers. I've already said, many times, that his work is done in a style and format to do Robert Howard proud. And even with a fill-in artist this month, I can't complain about the artwork as it is still quite good, despite Kayanan having a different style than Nord.

You know what? Since I have nothing really new to say about Conan, I'm going to bring in a substitute reviewer. That's right - I'm going to take the lazy route this time. I'm going to quote the beloved Chris Sims of Chris' Invincible Super-Blog and what he had to say about this issue.


Conan is one of the rare books that's managed to maintain a consistent, high level of quality not just for the past three years, but even through the change of writer from Kurt Busiek to Tim Truman, so it's often pretty difficult for me to think up something new to say about it. Really, once you've reviewed one issue, you've reviewed them all: "Conan acts like a badass, kills a bunch of dudes, and it's really, really good."


That just sums it up perfectly.

Grade: A



Hellblazer #230 & 231
Company Name: Vertigo Comics
Writer: Andy Diggle
Artist: Leonardo Manco

Somehow, I missed the first issue of Andy Diggle's Hellblazer last month and now that I got it and his second issue this month, I am kicking myself furiously. I had been looking forward to it so much, after all, having enjoyed Diggle's work on Lady Constantine and his all too brief run on the new Swamp Thing series. And with Diggle penning the upcoming Green Arrow: Year One, I was a little anxious to see how he handled my favorite anti-hero before handling my favorite hero this summer.

Without giving too much away, the plot of these two issues centers around John finding himself in a rock and a hard place, ready to take the fall for a gang-related murder of a notorious London gangster's daughter. Of course the real murderer is the thug charged with the task of seeing that John gets what is coming to him and the first half of this story ends with John tricking up a magical solution to his problem.

The second half shows John dealing with the consequences of his solution and trying to do the right thing, only to wind up having things go pear-shaped. All par for the course for John Constantine, naturally - but in these two issues Diggle manages to capture the essence of the character completely.

Is he a bastard? Of course he is. But Diggle argues, as Ennis, Jenkins and Carey did, that John has become a bastard by necessity and that deep down he's still the 20-something punk who is trying to do something to make the world a better place by using his magical power against all the bastards, mortal and immortal, who abuse the power they were given by birth and not by right. As much as he may deny it, there is still a good person in John Constantine trying to get out. And that good person is seen here, trying to do the right thing by the ghost of the daughter of an old friend only to have it all go wrong with John able to do little more than apologize.

Diggle has proven himself to be a masterful Hellblazer scribe and has found the perfect balance of "total bastard" and "sad bastard" to John's character. The artwork by Leonardo Manco is dead perfect too.

Grade: A



Justice League of America #8
Company Name: DC Comics
Writer: Brad Meltzer
Artist: Ed Benes and Sandra Hope

I've said it before and I'll say it again. I love Brad Meltzer's character moments, even if I hate his plots.

There is just a certain amount of brilliance to little scenes here.


Batman: Clark has him listed as a Level 15 fighter.

Black Lightning: Is that good?

Batman: Put it this way. Clark has me listed as a 12.


This leads to a scene in which a time-displaced Karate Kid jumps Black Lighting, dispatches him easily, Batman easily blocks the attack aimed at him and then thinks to himself about how much he enjoys proving Superman wrong.

So there's that. The three-way chess match between Hal Jordan, Mr. Terrific and Black Canary. The war games between the various JLA and JSA members. And the splash-page full of conversations with everyone... especially the conversation between Batman and Power Girl regarding the collecting of first edition war journals and Doctor Midnite's attempt to hook up with Black Canary again yielding the same answer.

"I'm not selling." Classic.

That being said, the actual plot of the story - involving time-displaced Legion of Superheroes members (who aren't related to the current incarnation of the Legion of Superheroes, oddly enough) - is somewhat flat and uninspired in comparison to what the characters are doing in their down time. This is a bad sign in a comic that is nominally a high-action adventure book.

Roger Ebert had a good rule about judging the inherit goodness or badness of a movie's story; if your idea for a movie is less exciting or amusing than the idea of a movie about your actors having lunch together, it's probably a bad idea. That seems to be a good appraisal of Brad Meltzer's comic work so far. In fact, I'd love to see him write something akin to Geoff John's old "JLA/JSA Thanksgiving dinner" stories rather than write a story involving missing heroes from the Future.

Grade: C



World War III #1-4
Company Name: DC Comics
Writer: Keith Champagne
Artist: Various

Why were these comics collectively called World War III?

Because Shakespeare already holds the copyright on Much Ado About Nothing.

That's a crap joke, I admit. I know Shakespeare is long dead and his works are in the Public Domain, so logically the joke makes no sense. And yet, if you're the pedantic sort to argue this point while missing the point of the joke - that World War III was "much ado about nothing" - then you're probably the target audience for this book.

A little back story for those of you who read this column to keep up on the comic news without actually reading comics; a little over a year ago, DC Comics had most of their books jump forward One Year in time following the Infinite Crisis storyline. They created a new weekly title, 52, that was meant to cover everything that happened during the missing year.

This allowed the writers to start their books over with some completely new and interesting premises meant to encourage reader interest, if only by confusing them into reading more just to understand what had happened. In some cases, such as Birds of Prey and Detective Comics, it worked. In other cases, the results were confusing and turned off more readers than it brought in. Such was the case with books like Aquaman (aka Conan of Atlantis), Greg Rucka's Supergirl and Nightwing (aka OH GOD THE BURNING!)

The problem is that right now we're on Week 50 of 52 and there's still a LOT of big mysteries that haven't been touched. Enter World War III which tries to explain away some of those mysteries away. To be fair, some of the big mysteries are seemingly clarified in these four books. One of these involves J'onn J'ozz and his sudden "badass" attitude in his new solo title. This is, I think, explained away here as being the result of J'onn having been telepathically connected to Black Adam when he got pounced by the JSA. Somehow, the connection made the highly empathic J'onn more like Black Adam.

The problem is that there are a lot of mysteries that aren't even touched and there are quite a lot of things that are even more confusing once they are explained.

The destruction of Atlantis and salvation of Sub Diego, for example. Now, I haven't been reading Aquaman but I knew that basically part of San Diego was sunk and that the people there mysteriously developed the ability to breathe underwater before OYL started. Well, just as suddenly, according to this book, they were being slowly killed by the ocean and this had something to do with the ancient Ocean gods being pissed about surface dwellers being in their domain. So Aquaman wound up using his own magic, saved the people of Sub Diego and turned himself into Davy Jones from Pirates of the Caribbean.

You heard me.

Also, Supergirl - who disappeared during a Zeta Beam explosion during Infinite Crisis - apparently didn't return until Week 50... which leaves her two weeks to hook up with Power Girl, get some Kryptonian power suits and then decide to go into the Bottle City of Kandor, fighting crime there... for some reason... at the start of HER book One Year Later.

And despite being elected mayor and not having been seen for over a year ANYWHERE according to his own book, Green Arrow is among the heroes assaulting Black Adam as he stages a one man invasion of China. So is Black Canary, who was supposed to be in a rice field somewhere in Southeast Asia training with...

You know what? Forget it. It's not worth going into any further. It sucks. Don't buy it. Just read 52 #50 and whatever books you want and you won't miss a thing.

...

And when are they going to explain when Babs and Dick broke their engagement?!?!?

Grade: F

Hellblazer Special: Lady Constantine #4 - A Review

Written by: Andy Diggle
Penciled by: Goran Sudzuka
Inked by: Goran Sudzuka
Colored by: Patricia Mulvihill
Lettered by: Robert Solanovic
Editor: Will Dennis
Publisher: Vertigo Comics

Maybe it’s because I had high hopes after the disappointing “Bast” mini-series that concluded last week. Maybe it’s because I’m a student of mythology. Maybe it’s because I love every other story featuring the main character, but ignoring the rather slow penultimate chapter (which I reviewed last month), I don’t really have any complaints about this series save that it mainly targeted at fans of Hellblazer, The Sandman and students of Mythology.

Diggle’s plot is simple: Johanna Constantine, ancestor of John Constantine, is a con-artist and magician of some note who has been promised a title and lands by the British government in exchange for retrieving a box of dark magical purpose. The box is also sought by Lady Blackwood, who has some magical powers of her own and an army of undead at her beck and call.

To tell more would be to tell the tale. But fans of Hellblazer and the Sandman will greatly enjoy this story, as common themes and subplots from both series are explored. Johanna’s results in her loosing friends as she strives for power and the plot threads are woven for a story that many Sandman fans will find familiar.

But just because I’m harping on the story, don’t think the artwork isn’t just as good. Sudzuka’s artwork IS very good. His style reminds me a bit of Tony Harris but not quite as heavily lined or shadowed. His characters all look unique and even his demons look different from one another; a welcome change from some Vertigo artists who just do one or two variations on Cthulu when asked to draw demons

All in all, this is the best Vertigo mini-series to come out in a while and I look forward to seeing more work by everyone involved.