Detective Comics #982 - A Review

Trapped in the darkest tunnels under Gotham City, Batman seeks a missing homeless man. What he finds is a conspiracy organized by a frightening new cult and an old enemy... older than Gotham itself.
Detective Comics #982 seems less like a Batman comic and more like a Hellboy story that was hurriedly adapted into something Batman-themed. Doubtlessly this may be because of the artwork by Sebastian Fiumara, best known for his work on Lobster Johnson and Abe Sapien. Yet with a supernatural villain at its heart, this story still seems atypical for the sort of serious, mystery-based tales we usually see in Detective Comics.

That being said, this is far from a bad book. Indeed, this is perhaps the most noteworthy use of Deacon Blackfire I've ever seen in any story, though that is damning with faint praise as I've always found the character less than compelling. Yet Michael Moreci's script makes him compelling and the artwork by Sebaastian Fiumara and Dave Stewart drives the story at full tilt into the deepest, darkest parts of Gotham. There's also some great font work by Clem Robins, who crafts text that seems to cut at the balloons that contain it.

The Final Analysis: 10/10. All in all this is a solid one-shot Batman story. 

Aquaman Annual #1 - A Review

With his plans for an embassy with the surface world dead in the wake of a terrorist attack by Black Manta, Arthur Curry has begun to seek another way to unify the two worlds. Enter Crownspire - a city built between surface and sea which will, in time, house Atlanteans and humans in peace and harmony.

Flash forward to a glorious day when Crownspire is no longer a dream. When Aquaman and Mera are gladly retired from heroism. When their son is schooled alongside human children. And when an unseen enemy seeks to destroy what they have built...



Albert Einstein once said that the secret to creativity is learning how to hide your sources. This proves true of Aquaman Annual #1, which does a poor job of hiding its connection to a more famous and better written story involving a hero's perfect world. Despite this, Phillip Kennedy Johnson's story is not wholly without merit and his portrayal of the older Mera and Arthur is an engaging one.

The artwork is similarly mixed. Much of Max Fiumara's artwork seems vague and unfinished. He draws fantastic sea-creatures but his humanoid figures look alien and strange. The colors by Dave Stewart, however, are fantastic.

The Final Analysis: 5 out of 10. A serviceable but ultimately forgettable annual. 

The Sandman: Overture #6 - A Review

The multiverse is ending! Destiny turns toward the last page of his book as Death provides final moments of comfort to all those that perish. Yet Dream of The Endless - now sailing an impossible ship with a crew of improbable beings - seeks a way to save all that is.


Trying to describe this book seems a folly to me, as I review this, the last issue If you haven't been reading it, nothing I can say is likely to sway you now. And if you have been reading it, you are probably - like me - an avid fan of the creators involved and well aware of how indescribably good this book has been.


No words I write can do justice to the glory of this series. If you have yet to experience the wonder that is The Sandman, speed thee hence to the closest library or bookshop and correct that misfortune at once. Because if you haven't read the original series, nothing I can say about Overture will be of any help to you. Except, perhaps, this.

Neil Gaiman, J.H. Williams III and Dave Stewart have crafted the perfect conclusion to The Sandman. As well as the perfect beginning. And if that doesn't make sense to you, believe me when I say that it is a most worthy continuation of the original saga, wherever one places it.

The Sandman: Overture #5 - A Review

The good news is that Dream of the Endless has managed to manipulate himself into being precisely where he wants to be. The bad news is that his estranged mother is ill-inclined to let him go now that he is in her realm. Salvation may be found but it will come from a most unexpected source.


The artwork on this issue is nothing short of phenomenal. I had a hard time picking which pages to offer up as samples because the two-page spreads are so gorgeous I felt guilty breaking them apart.  Praise be to J. H. Williams III and Dave Stewart for a splendid job!



As for the script, there is little I can say that will be a revelation.  Fans of Neil Gaiman's previous work will love it, as I do. And those who haven't read The Sandman are advised to read the original series first, despite this tale being a prequel of sorts.

Conan/Red Sonja #4 - A Review

Thrown into the arena and warned that they must fight to the death or see their respective homelands destroyed, Conan and Red Sonja are in dire straits. The dread wizard Thoth-Amon seems to have the two barbarians at his mercy. But there is little the two will not do to save all of Hyboria from the otherworldly menace of the Bloodroot plant. Such is the path which turns mere warriors into heroes.


Gail Simone and Jim Zub have spun one hell of a ripping yarn with this series. And this issue proves an epic and satisfying conclusion to the tale. And yet... it isn't satisfying at all. I want more tales of Conan and Sonja together. I want this to be a monthly series. Like Thoth-Amon starring into the Outer Dark, I must see more!


Randy Green and Rick Ketcham deliver some truly great artwork through this issue. There are individual panels that are reminiscent of the layouts of John Buscema and the creature designs of Barry Windsor-Smith. And yet, the artwork is still its own unique creation for all its welcome familiarity.

Conan/Red Sonja #3 - A Review

Circumstance and the will of a revenge-hungry nobleman have forced Conan and Sonja together again. The mad king and his minions are quickly dispatched, but it is a battle Conan takes no joy in. And as Sonja seeks the source of the once boisterous barbarian's sorrow, another old enemy watches and waits for his own chance at revenge upon the two warriors...


This issue sees the team of Randy Green and Rick Ketcham take over the penciling and inking duties respectively.  The style is different than that of Dan Panosian, who provided the artwork for the first two issues, but no less enjoyable.  Green's figures are well drawn and his panel placement well thought out.  And Ketcham perfectly shades and defines the original art.


I am fast running out of ways to praise the writing of Jim Zub and Gail Simone. This issue featured a number of honest surprises and at least one moment I am unashamed to say left me howling in disbelief. If I say nothing else, let me say this much -  This is the Conan and Red Sonja team-up the fans have been waiting for!

Conan/Red Sonja #2 - A Review

It has been six years since Conan of Cimmeria and Red Sonja of Hyrkania crossed paths and much has changed in that time. Now, Conan answers to the name Amra the Lion and sails the sea alongside the pirate queen Belit as Sonja sails against slavers with Black Annisia - her cell-mate in the gladiatorial slave pits of Zamora. And fate has thrown these four adventurers together at an auspicious time, for the evil that once united Sonja and Conan has risen again on a deserted island...


The script by Gail Simone and Jim Zub is a strong one that fully takes advantage of the Hyborian setting as well as past tales of Conan and Red Sonja.  Indeed, this story is notable in that it adds some much-needed definition to the character of Black Annisia, whose past with Sonja remained something of a mystery during Simone's run on Red Sonja. And it is telling that Sonja and Conan seem to share a true heroic impulse that their respective soul-mates lack.


The artwork by Dan Panosian and Dave Stewart is truly epic.  Panosian adopts a rough, visceral style worthy of the setting.  And Stewart's color choices are, to pardon the pun, picture perfect, with various levels being used to depict differing levels of light in subtle fashion.

The Sandman: Overture #4 - A Review

The most interesting aspect of The Sandman: Overture is the paradox of the title. As this story is set immediately before the start of The Sandman, it would seem a fitting name as an overture is "an introduction to something more substantial." But this story is just as substantial as Neil Gaiman's earlier series. And as far as introductions go, readers who have yet to discover The Sandman (presumably there are still some out there somewhere in The Dreaming) would be better served to get to know the original series before introducing themselves to Overture.


As The Sandman: Overture #4 opens, we find Dream of the Endless continuing his journey to save all of reality. Accompanied only by a lost child and another aspect of himself in his guise of the Lord Of The Dreams of Cats, Dream must travel far and further still. He will seek the wisdom of his father and journey to the legendary City of Stars. While this story is interesting as an abstract tale, it will mean far more to those readers well familiar with the story of The Sandman who will know the significance of The City of Stars or why Dream recalls the tale of the first time he had to kill in the line of his duty.


The artwork by J. H. Williams III is as wondrous as one would expect the artwork for any chapter of The Sandman to be. Indeed, I fear I do Williams' contribution to this collaboration a disservice with my choice of scans to share. The best bits of the artwork involve intricate two-page spreads that my scanner could not manage. And a composite image would fail to capture the scale and grandeur of the artwork.  So please believe me when I say that Williams' art matches Gaiman's script in eloquence and splendor.

The Sandman: Overture #3 - A Review

Reviewing The Sandman: Overture is quickly becoming a difficult task.  Not because I have any difficulty articulating my feelings about the book but because it is impossible for me to find good images I may use to showcase the artwork of J.H. Williams III.  Most of the artwork in this volume is spread across two glorious pages and the layout of my blog does not lend itself well towards such dimensions.  Thankfully, there are some pages with an even break between panels, so I can share some of this excellent work with you as I speak on how great it is.


This particular volume offers much that will please long-time fans of the series.  The Three Graces (or Fates or Furies or whichever mask they wear at this moment) make an appearance and a few references are made to other aspects of the series lore.  Perhaps the most exciting of these involves us discovering the origins - or at least one version of the origins - of Dream's sometimes=seen but rarely mentioned lost-love Alianora.


The only reason one might have for not reading this series is having not already read Neil Gaiman's Sandman before now.  If that is the case, you would do well to travel to your closest library or bookstore and make arrangements to get a copy as soon as possible.  Then, once you are all caught up and have ceased thy wailing about how foolish you have been to have lived so much of your life without experiencing such bliss, you can read this series.

The Sandman: Overture #2 - A Review

The Sandman: Overture #2 continues neatly from where the first issue ended some many months ago, with Dream of the Endless finding himself.  Or its selves, since many of them are female or beyond the normal definitions of gender.  Regardless, ill omens have summoned forth these Dreams and it will fall to them to deal with a looming disaster that threatens all reality.


Those who enjoyed Neil Gaiman's previous work on The Sandman will find more of the same here.  Those who have not would do well to either track down a copy of Preludes and Nocturnes to catch-up with the rest of us or have themselves committed to some manner of psychiatric hospital.  I say this because anyone who has read The Sandman and not enjoyed it needs to be committed immediately because they are clearly insane and have no place in polite society.


The same could be said of the artwork of J.H. Williams III.  I was no great fan of the Batwoman book but I cannot deny the beauty of Williams' artwork.  There is a majesty and power to every page of this issue that seems a perfect match for Gaiman's writing style.  The final presentation combined is gorgeous.  Really, the only thing about this book that is bad is the wait-time between issues.

Conan The Barbarian #24 - A Review

It would be fair to say that I haven't been enjoying the monthly Conan The Barbarian title of late. Indeed, Dark Horse Comics's adaptation of the final portions of Robert E. Howard's Queen of the Black Coast left me feeling largely bored.  That has changed with Conan The Barbarian #24.  Now I am royally cheesed that I spent money on this final story arc.


The artwork by Riccardo Burchielli has gone to hell in a hand-basket.  Whereas in previous months the pencils were competent, Burchielli's figures this month are so misshapen and over-detailed as to defy all the laws of basic aesthetics.  His hyenas look less like slathering hell-hounds and more like a watercolor of a dog where the colors ran and mixed together into a brown misshaped mess. 


Bad as the artwork is, I still find it preferable to the story.  I said several months ago that Brian Wood's scripts butchered the original Howard text like Conan himself slashing through a horde of Stygians.  I was too kind, for the term butchery implies some level of skill and precision. 

What Brian Wood has done here is hack work.  For he is a hack of the highest order.  A butcher would have cut apart Howard's original text willy-nilly.  Wood has completely missed the point of the story, removing the teeth and claws from one of Howard's most powerful and memorable heroines!  No more does Belit defy death itself to save her beloved with a spectral attack on the same beast that killed her..  Now she just appears before Conan - a vision of loveliness to inspire him, with no sword in hand nor fight in her eyes.

This comic sucks.  It holds no value save offering further proof of Brain Wood's misogyny.  Please read the original story or Roy Thomas' much better comic book adaptation.  Avoid this, whatever you do! 

Conan The Barbarian #22 - A Review

Conan The Barbarian #22 proves that any work - no matter how good - can be completely destroyed in translation by unskilled adapters.  If it weren't for the fact that this is the final arc on this book for this creative team, I'd consider dropping the title completely.  As it is, this issue inspired nothing within me save a desire to reread the old Roy Thomas Conan comics to see it retold properly.


Brian Wood does not adapt Robert E. Howard's original text - he butchers it, like Conan chopping his way through a horde of Stygians!  While the dialogue in this book does capture the basic gist of Howard's original story, much of the original passionate dialogue is gone.  For instance, Conan's famed musings on the nature of reality and how it matters little if life is an illusion so long as he is part of that illusion is cut completely.  Curiously the only text Wood leaves intact is the written descriptions of things that could be more clearly conveyed in the artwork.



Then again - considering artist Riccardo Burchielli - Wood may well have good reason to trust the text over the art.  Burchielli is not a bad artist but his sense of cinematography is odd.  Many is the conversation where we cannot see the characters talking, being instead treated to a far-shot of the ship or the surrounding environment.  When the characters do appear, they are often turned away from the reader - the better for Belit to flash her half-bared backside to the reader!

The Sandman: Overture #1 - A Review

Reviewing The Sandman: Overture may well be superfluous on my part.  Doubtlessly there are many lost souls who have yet to be exposed to the wonders of Neil Gaiman's writing in general and The Sandman in particular.  Just as there are certainly - even allowing for certain primitive tribes yet undiscovered by "civilized" man - some unfortunates who have yet to learn the glory of J.H. Williams III's artwork  What are the chances that my words of approval will be the catalyst to change them from heretics to disciples?

Probably next to nothing, but hell - we're already here.


Those who are already familiar with Dream, Lucien, Merv Pumpkinhead, The Corinthian and company will view this book as a homecoming.  Those who are not familiar with the world of The Sandman will find  a warm welcome waiting for them.  The book is easily accessible to new readers, being set - as it is - before the start of the original series.  So if you have yet to read the original Sandman, worry not - this is a good place to jump-in.      


Unsurprisingly, the artwork is stunningly beautiful.  One can barely believe that this is Gaiman and Williams' first collaboration together as they get along like a house on fire.  Colorist Dave Stewart and Letterer Todd Klein - equally responsible for much of the artistic look of the original Sandman - lend their expertise as toward the proceedings as well.  The final result is breath-taking.


Bottom Line: If you are a reader of comics, a lover of art and above all else a dreamer, you should be reading this book.

Conan The Barbarian #21 - A Review

Anticlimactic is the most succinct way to describe Conan The Barbarian #21  I can say little more than that without spoiling the whole book.  I can say that little is made of last issue's cliffhanger, which saw Belit possessed by some spirit/deity and declaring her love for the evil sorceress whose cult has been hounding Conan and Belit for the past two issues.  Brian Wood's script tries to inspire the unknown horror of a Lovecraftian mystery cult but fails to provide enough details to evoke the proper mood.


Another problem with this issue is its' treatment of Belit, reducing her to a damsel in distress role and only allowing her true personality to emerge in the final pages.  Even then she has no dialogue!  The only sequence that truly works depicts Conan escaping his pursers by showcasing the Cimmerian's hereunto seen ability to make friends with wolves.


The artwork of Paul Azaceta and Dave Stewart continues to be this book's weakest point.  The sequences in the wolf caves are quite effective and Azaceta's tendency to over-ink and Stewart's dark palette work well in this context.  The rest of the book, however, looks dark, dull, drab and lifeless. 

Conan The Barbarian #20 - A Review

As in last month's issue, Conan The Barbarian #20 proves to be a lackluster affair.  The best moments are the quiet ones between Belit and Conan at the start of the issue.  Brian Wood has done a fine job of developing the relationship that Robert E. Howard - by virtue of the format he had to write in - was barely able to hint at. 

The love between the two warrior thieves is obvious but not perfect.  We see this when Belit fails to find amusement in the Cimmerian children's tale Conan tells when she asks for a story to ease her worried mind.  True to form, she notes with dark sarcasm - given their current problem with being hunted in a dark forest by crazed cultists - that Conan seems to have failed to learn the lesson of his own story. 


It is once we move past these quiet moments and into the action of the issue that things fall apart.  Paul Azaceta is a good penciler but his work seems too stiff and posed for a high-action series like Conan.  Dave Stewart's dull palette doesn't help matters, with most of the colors being muted greys and off-whites.


Wood's story almost makes this worth reading but the book still struggles against its' own static artwork  As it is, this series can only be tolerated by the most devout of sword-and-sorcery readers.  Go read Red Sonja if you seek gigantic mirth to go with your gigantic melancholies.   

Conan The Barbarian #19 - A Review

If I had to pick one word to describe Conan The Barbarian #19, it would be uninspired.  The story, centering around Conan and Belit's efforts to ransom a stolen holy object back to its' owners, is as uninspired and lifeless as the book's artwork.  Paul Azaceta's artwork is far too static and posed for what is mean to be an action & adventure book.


The script by Brain Wood seems more like an H.P. Lovecraft story than a Robert E. Howard one.  There's precious little action and far more weird babbling by strange priests about dark secrets than there is honest bloodshed.  Hell, the most exciting moment of the comic comes when Belit stabs a man who asks Conan about buying her.



Dave Stewart's muted coloring is another strike against this book.  His muted palette made sense in the issues set in the gloomy land of Cimmeria but it seems dull and drab here.  There are splashes of color here and there, primarily in the few moments of action.  While it's an interesting stylistic choice, it would have been far more effective for the artist to make the action scenes exciting rather than trusting the colorist to define everything. 

Conan The Barbarian #18 - A Review

Fans of action and high-adventure, rejoice!  Brain Wood's yellow lotus psychodrama has reached it's conclusion after three months.  And I for one couldn't be happier to wake-up from "The Nightmare Of The Shallows". 


Did you ever want to read a story about Conan having kids, growing old and dying after living a peaceful existence with Belit on a deserted island?  If so, then congratulations!  This issue has been written to your incredibly specific tastes.  For the rest of us, this issue has little to offer.  Wood is generally a good writer but this issue lacks the punch of the first two chapters as we only see things from Conan's perspective this time and there is precious little thrill in a story we know to be the result of a dream. 


At least the artwork of David Gianfelice and Dave Stewart continues to impress.  Gianfelice is an excellent visual storyteller and what little action there is in the issue is choreographed well.  Stewart's palette gives everything a vibrancy that defies the dream-like nature of the sedate story.  With any luck they'll have a chance to illustrate something more exciting in future issues. 

Conan The Barbarian #17 - A Review

Conan The Barbarian #17 continues the tale of Conan and his lover, the pirate queen Belit, sharing a vision while strung out on Yellow Lotus.  Their shared vision is lavishly illustrated by artist Davide Gianfelice and colorist Dave Stewart.  The later paints a vivid palette across the intricate designs of the former, giving us visions of Conan and Belit's past that are both horrible and beautiful in equal measure. 


The script by Brian Wood focuses a bit more on Belit this time around, showcasing her own internalized fears and personal conflicts in the wake of recent events.  Wood deserves high praise for devoting so much of this series toward showing things from Belit's perspective.  Of course the tale is Conan's and it is his name in the title of the book but we already know well of Conan's thoughts and feelings of his time with Belit based on the original Howard story Queen of the Black Coast.  And while Howard did write a fair bit about Belit's perspective and thoughts (Indeed, Belit is easily one of Howard's most well-developed heroines) the fact remains that Conan dominated their time together on the page, despite their relationship clearly being one of equals.  


My comments on last month's issue remain equally valid this month.  The artwork by Davide Gianfelice and Dave Sewart looks amazing but your enjoyment of the story will be entirely dependent on your ability to enjoy psychodrama in the realm of Hyboria.  Those who can get past the fact that this story takes place entirely with the realm of dreams and feelings will find their blood-lust sated, for this issue has action and adventure aplenty.  It just happens to also have Conan and Belit trying to work past their relationship problems at the same time.

Conan The Barbarian #16 - A Review

Your enjoyment of this month's Conan The Barbarian may be dependent on your feelings on psychodrama in a sword-and-sorcery story.  Those who have disliked Brain Wood's more spiritual take on Conan in recent months will find little to like in this month's issue.  Similar to recent issues which had our heroes experiencing psychic dreamscapes and prophetic dreams, the focus of this issue is upon Conan and Belit - currently at leisure in the Ophirean equivalent of Plato's Retreat - deciding to drop yellow lotus together and experience a shared dream. 


Whether it's because Dark Horse Comics refused to show something positive coming of recreational drug use or because a comic showing two stoned barbarians dry-humping each other while having a shared erotic dream would be rather difficult to keep within the parameters of a 16+ series, things do not go smoothly.  Conan starts having a bad trip, including visions of the zombie corpses of the companions he betrayed to join Belit's pirate crew.  And that's just the first of many waking nightmares for our favorite Cimmerian as the issue progresses.  Wood's script is well-written but I suspect that many Conan fans would like to see Conan and Belit face a foe of flesh and blood, who cannot be outwitted or bargained with.  Let us see the blood and thunder a story set in Hyboria should have - not another psychodrama!


Thankfully, the artwork of Davide Gianfelice is enjoyable even if you are sick of these story-lines based around battles in the mind.  The artwork is a perfect complement to Wood's script.  I enjoyed Gianfelice's work on Daredevil: Reborn and his work here is similarly dark and atmospheric.

Personally, I found this to be an enjoyable issue of Conan The Barbarian.  I dare say this would be a good jumping-on point for new readers, though I would warn away those who turn to Conan expecting mindless action stories.  There's very little action to be had in this issue and there's nothing mindless about it.   

Conan The Barbarian #15 - A Review

Last month, I wrote a fair bit about Robert E. Howard, his view of women and the thin line between chivalric Romanticism and sexism.  This was inspired, in part, by a story that centered upon the character of the pirate queen Belit without really involving her directly in the action.  Conan The Barbarian #15 is a similar beast, despite Belit being directly involved in the action of the story.


Brian Wood tells a tale of two romances in this issue.  These romances are, perhaps, not worthy of the name by modern terms and the characters involved lack the words to describe their emotions in those terms.  Hyboria is not a land that inspires sweet words of woo but it is a classically Romantic place, where passions run wild and the power of nature and natural things is greater than any civilization.  It is a place where love is forged amid lust when a pirate queen watches a barbarian rogue fight her men to a stand-still single-handed.  It is where love blossoms where a slavegirl is purchased by a warlord's son with more gold than sense, to be freed rather than to be used.  This later story, we find out later, is the origin of Belit's parents but it offers echos of Conan and Belit's own romance later on, when Conan meets Belit's father and discovers why Belit has returned to the Shemite fortress where she was born.  I've never thought of Conan as a romantic hero, in either sense of the word, but Wood's dialogue firmly establishes Conan as both.


All of this is lovingly illustrated with equal boldness by Andrea Mutti, Pierluigi Baldassini and  Dave Stewart.  Mutti's pencils are detailed without being dirty and Baldassini's inks offer just the right amount of definition and shade.  Stewart's color palette, while being largely a collection of greys and browns, proves quite rich and visually inspiring in spite of that.  This book is as visually amazing as it is well-written and if you aren't reading it now, you should start immediately.