Descender #13 - A Review

With the exception of its last few pages, Descender #13 is almost entirely a flashback. This time the action focuses on Telsa - the UGC officer tasked with retrieving TIM-21. A born warrior held back by her General father's desire to keep her safe at any cost, this issue tells the story of how she sought training behind his back and eventually adopted a new identity in order to live the life she wanted.

My fondness for this series is growing increasingly faint.  Lemire is a great writer and Nguyen's artwork is as wonderful as ever. Yet the continual flashback issues have killed the momentum of the main plot and I'm starting to wonder if Lemire is padding things out to buy himself time to think of where the story goes from here. I think this story may ultimate read better in a single sitting rather than as a monthly comic.

Descender #12 - A Review

TIM-21 was overjoyed to find another TIM unit like himself among the robot resistance fighters known as The Hardwire. That joy turned to horror after his new "brother" became monstrous and tried to kill him, fearful that he would be replaced by the new TIM! How did TIM-22 become so twisted? The answers lie in this flashback tale...



Three months since the last issue of this series and Descender #12 still feels like filler. It's very well written filler with fantastic artwork but there's still a sense that this story didn't need to be told. It doesn't help that the trials and tribulations that TIM-22 went through in his past seem even more derivative of the movie A.I. than the base concept of this series, with a lost robot boy trying to find his family. Lemire managed to keep things fresh and interesting until now and one hopes the book will pick-up again in future issues.

Descender #11 - A Review

Tim-21's organic allies are starting to grow fearful of their prospects for survival once the rebel robots of The Hardwire are done probing Tim's memories for proof of a mechanized afterlife - a server where the memories of all dead synthetic life go!  Meanwhile, Andy and his party of Tim-21's friends have troubles of their own dealing with they cyborg cultists known as The Between.


I can't say enough good things about this series. Jeff Lemire puts a unique spin on story elements that might otherwise have been sci-fi cliches and the introduction of robotic religion in this issue is another idea I have seen done before but not so well as it is done here. And Dustin Nguyen's artwork continues to be as individual and memorable as Lemire's scripts.

Descender #10 - A Review

Transported to the secret Machine Moon that is home to the robotic resistance, TIM-21 and his friends are anxious to continue the search for Andy. But the robots of the The Hardwire would study TIM-21 first, for they believe his "dreams" of a robotic afterlife may be transmissions from a real place! Meanwhile, Andy will seek answers regarding where to find his robotic brother from the one person he least wants to talk to - the ex-wife who left him to join a cyborg cult.


It is no surprise to those who have read his work that Jeff Lemire is skilled at world-building. What is surprising, however, is how easily and subtly he expands upon the world of Descender even now. While cyborgs are nothing new, Lemire's concept of "The Between" is a unique take on the concept.


The artwork of Dustin Nguyen matches Lemire's scripts, beat for beat. There is a natural grit to Nugeyn's style that is perfectly suited to the grim world of Descender.Even the scenes on brightly-lit, well-cleaned spaceships seem to have a natural darkness to them!

Descender #9 - A Review

Tensions rise between Tim-21 and his rescuers in the the robotic resistance group known as The Hardwire. Meanwhile, Andy arrives on the planet of Gnish in time to witness the crowning of the new king.  Not surprisingly, he vows to double the planet's efforts to hunt down and destroy all robotic life... particularly those responsible for the death of the previous king.


Jeff Lemire is slowly building the drama of Descender. Not much happens in this issue in terms of pure action - the sole fight sequence involving the robot Driller's continued fight for survival in the arenas of Gnish. Still, there are a lot of the quiet, enjoyable character moments which Lemire excels in writing.


Dustin Nguyen's art continues to impress. The rough, sketchy appearance here is a good match for the gritty universe of Descender. Few dystopian comics have visually captured the feeling of a great empire descending into darkness as well as this one.

Descender #8 - A Review

Scrappers - the bounty hunters charged with hunting down rogue artificial intelligences - are scouring the whole of the galaxy searching for the robot boy TIM-21. But one scrapper in particular is hunting for TIM-21 a little bit harder. His name is Andy and decades earlier TIM-21 was his brother!


Jeff Lemire continues to impress with Descender. This issue tells two different stories, alternating between Andy's past and his present. Lemire maintains a difficult balancing act, yet also manages to expand upon the unique mythology of this universe while developing Andy's character.


Dustin Nguyen manages the same trick with slightly less subtlety.  The flashback scenes are rendered in monochrome while full colors are used for the present-day scenes. It's a typical trick but Nguyen renders it effectively and the artwork in both stories works well.

Descender #7 - A Review

TIM-21 has been saved from the robot-cullers of Gnish, thanks to the timely arrival of some rebels from the militant robot resistance known as The Hardwire. Unfortunately, TIM-21's saviors care little for his mission to find his lost brother or his desire to save his friends!  Elsewhere, another robot bounty hunter has taken up the search for the galaxy's most wanted robot - one with his own reasons for wishing to find TIM-21.


This series is a wonder of modern science-fiction. The script by Jeff Lemire puts unique spins on several classic tropes and every issue so far has found at least one way to surprise me. And the artwork by Dustin Nguyen is brilliant in its subtlety.


If you haven't given Descender a chance yet, this is the perfect jumping-on point.  This issue is the first part of the second story arc - Machine Moon. And a handy blurb at the front of the book tells you everything you need to know. I'd still suggest tracking down the first six issues or picking up the TP collection, though.

Descender #6 - A Review

The sixth chapter of Descender takes us into the not-too-distant past of the great robotics expert Dr. Quon. Or rather - the NOT so great Dr. Quon. For this flashback issue reveals the lie of his life and that all of his revolutionary ideas came about because of an ancient artifact stolen from his mentor - evidence that ancient civilizations had robots so advanced as to seem like organic life!


This issue beautifully builds upon last month's shocking cliff-hanger. It is a credit to Jeff Lemire's skill as a writer that this issue manages to be so gripping despite a lack of action until the final pages. Such is the tale that Lemire is spinning.


The artwork by Dustin Nguyen continues to impress.  Nguyen's style is uniquely streamlined yet simultaneously packed with detail.  The final scenes showcase Nguyen's talent for character design as we see even more uniquely modeled robots.

Descender #5 - A Review

The Luddite planet of Gnish is not a pleasant world and it is doubly worse if you're a robot. Or someone who is responsible for creating robots. Or a member of the United Galactic Council. It is here that TIM-21, Dr. Quon and the rest of our heroes find themselves, with half our heroes scheduled for dismantling or questioning while the other half are thrown into the planet's famous battle pits, where robots are made to fight to the death!


Dustin Nguyen continues to amaze with the artwork on this series. There is a certain simplicity to Nguyen's designs that is simply enchanting. Yet he also brings amazingly intricate levels of detail to the proceedings.



I cannot praise Jeff Lemire's skill as a writer enough. While the individual components of this story are Classic Science Fiction 101, Lemire somehow finds a way to make even the most solid of tropes seem brand new. Simple put, this is one of the best books on the market right now and a must read for all comic fans.

Descender #4 - A Review

Tim-21 has been recovered and proven most agreeable to helping Captain Telsa and her team in uncovering the origins of the deadly Harvester robots. But their troubles are far from over. For another team of Scrappers - the bounty hunters who track and kill robotic life-forms like Tim-21 - is hot on their scent and ready to claim their prize!


This issue of Descender has a much slower sense of pacing than the previous ones, with all of the action coming at the end. Still, this proves a welcome change as the conversations between our cast - now together for the first time - prove as riveting as any fight scene. And the down-time allows the character of Captain Telsa to be given some much-needed character definition.

Dustin Nguyen continues to amaze with his artwork. He can make even the most staid conversation interesting to look at. And it goes without saying that the action sequences - once they come - are exciting and well-done.

Descender #3 - A Review

Robotic youth companion TIM-21 has been left badly damaged by the attacks of the scrapper team that detected his illegal reactivation. Fortunately a United Galactic Council science team, including his creator Doctor Quon, is on their way to save him. But what will they make of the revelation that the robot boy has begun to dream dark visions of the deadly Harvester robots that lay waste to the UGC home worlds, when everyone knows that androids do not dream - of electric sheep or otherwise?


I commented before that Jeff Lemire's story for Descender borrowed heavily from a number of classic science-fiction stories and tropes.  This issue brings forth a twist that owes a clear debt to the works of Philip K. Dick.  Despite the homage being apparent, the tale Lemire tells here is wholly original while seeming wonderfully familiar.


Dustin Nguyen's artwork is as original and compelling as Lemire's story. Nguyen's aesthetic is oddly minimalist and sketchy while simultaneously possessing subtle detailing.The final product is a perfect fusion of art and writing and I would highly recommend this series to anyone who is not already reading it.

Descender #2 - A Review

Ten years ago, robot armies decimated the core worlds of the United Galactic Council. Since then over 90% of the sentient robots have been destroyed by the bounty hunters known as Scrappers. All of this is news to Tim-21 - a robotic child companion who went dormant ten years ago, only to reactivate on an abandoned mining colony. Unfortunately, his awakening has summoned The Wreckers...


This new series by Jeff Lemire and Dustin Nguyen borrows from a lot of classic science-fiction. The story combines elements of Astro Boy, Blade Runner and A.I. while the artwork is reminiscent of Robotech and the films of Miyazaki. Yet the combined aesthetic is entirely original and uniquely memorable.



Descender has proven to be one of the best new series of 2015. It's a must read for all fans of good comics as well as sci-fi genre enthusiasts. If you haven't picked up the first issue, do so immediately.

Batman #39 - A Review

As Joker's madness-inducing virus spreads over Gotham and a raid on the Batcave yields trophies for a macabre parade, Batman will be forced to make an equally mad choice.  With his allies and resources limited, he will turn to the rest of his rogue's gallery for help fighting The Joker.  But will even they be enough to tip the balance of power in Gotham City?


Scott Snyder's story continues to spiral out of control. Whether that spiral is going up or down remains to be seen but the ride is an enjoyable one so long as you don't worry too much about the sudden stop at the end.  Greg Capullo and Danny Miki's artwork continues to be a real treat - the ice cream on the pie that is Snyder's script.


The best part of the issue, however, may come at the end.  James Tynion IV's twisted take on The Canterbury Tales - where a number of Arkham inmates related how Joker had told them all the REAL story of how he became The Joker - has been a fairly amusing tale so far. But this issue - in which we learn the doctor's story and "the truth" that The Joker gave her - takes this story to a whole other level.  And the artwork by Dustin Nguyen and Derek Fridoles makes this conclusion even stronger.

Batman Eternal #4 - A Review

Batman Eternal #4 proves to be the first misstep in this series' run.  That misstep is not due to the art team., despite Dustin Nguyen and Derek Fridoles having a far different style from Jason Fabok who drew and inked the first three issues.  Nguyen's light, almost Mangaesque pencils offer a unique, angular look and Fridole's inks - with some exceptions - are kept light and restrained, allowing the original pencils to shine through.


No, the biggest problem with this issue is the script.  Specifically, the dialogue.  John Layman's take on Batgirl and Batman don't ring true to me.  Even with her father in danger, I can't see Barbara Gordon acting as rashly as depicted here.  Nor can I see Bruce Wayne being so quick to dismiss Barbara's desire to investigate a suspicious figure she spots on the security camera footage of the crime scene, because they have no reason to suspect said figure save that he spent three hours hanging around the crime scene before anything happened!  Particularly when Bruce freely admits to having no better leads himself.


Despite this forced dialogue, the story is still a strong one.  The plot involving the corruption of the GCPD continues apace.  There's also an interesting twist in the subplot involving Stephanie Brown that marks a major departure from the original comics in which she appeared.  This comic is still an enjoyable read, if you just get past some of the words that the characters are saying.

Batman #28 - A Review

I fear this review of Batman #28 may seem like a broken record to my regular readers.  And this is odd, because while I've made the same complaints I am about to make in regards to other DC Comics series of late, this is the first time I've had to say these things in relation to Scott Snyder's Batman.

In the same way that the on-going storyline of Batgirl was subverted for a month to bring us a tie-in to the Gothtopia storyline, this month sees Scott Snyder's Zero Year put on hold to bring us what the cover calls "a secret glimpse into Batman: Eternal".  So what is Batman: Eternal?  I have no idea, apart from the fact that it depicts a Gotham - possibly an Elseworlds or possibly a not-too-distant future - where Snyder's creation Harper Row is now a vigilante called Bliebird, who fights alongside Batman in a world where one "Kingpin of Crime" (not Wilson Fisk) is ruling the entire Gotham underworld. 


I should note that this isn't bad by any stretch of the imagination.  Snyder and co-author James Tynion IV do their usual fine jobs on the script.  The problem is that I don't want to read the first chapter of Batman: Eternal.  I want to read Scott Snyder's Batman - just a regular Batman book that doesn't require me to be reading any other titles besides Batman.  Alas, that is becoming increasingly impossible across every DC Comics line, especially in the Bat-family, where everything is a crossover with something else.

And yet, I can forgive everything simply because of how this issue ended.  Normally, I'd avoid giving you all a major spoiler.  But Snyder has beaten me in revealing the biggest spoiler of them all...



The art team of Dustin Nguyen and Derek Fridoles prove able replacements for the book's usual penciler and inker.  Nguyen's style is more streamlined than Greg Capullo's, with thinner, more angular characters.  This, coupled with Fridoles' light inks gives the book a Mangaesque quality that makes for an interesting change of pace.

In the end, this book is definitely worth checking out.  The story is engaging, the art is excellent and the ending will excite a lot of fans.  Just don't expect this story to continue on next month.