Red Sonja/Conan #4 - A Review

Before I review Red Sonja/Conan #4, I do need to take a moment to discuss an artist who I haven't mentioned in my previous reviews of this mini-series - Ed Benes.

For those who aren't familiar with Ed Benes and his oeuvre, Mr. Benes is an artist who specializes is a style that has earned him a certain amount of derision. It is not that Mr. Benes is incapable of drawing male characters or action scenes. It's just that he's rather more famous (and infamous) for his covers and posters featuring female characters in a pin-up style.

To give you some idea, here are two of Mr. Benes' previous works involving Red Sonja.


She looks... cheeky.

Ed Benes did the main covers for every issue of Red Sonja/Conan and, if I may be charitable, they have not been his best work. Even ignoring the cheesecake angles in the above artwork and the unlikeliness of Sonja posing thus while in the middle of combat, at least it looks like she is holding her weapons properly with her feet firmly planted, Not so in this cover, where it appears that Sonja is lying on her left side while still being upright, her sword arm twisted at a weird angle. Conan's stance with his dagger twisted around the wrong way in his right hand is little better, looking equally off-balance and forced.


Seriously. Put Sonja on her side and picture her saying "Draw me like one of your Aquilonian girls".

I mention all of this to lend you perspective when I reveal a frightening fact.

This - all of this which you've seen before this sentence?

It is better than any artwork in this book's interior.


Has anyone reported this to Eschergirls yet?

Yet even this is not the worst aspect of this comic!  The grim irony of Red Sonja/Conan #4 is that Sonja is nothing but a supporting player in this book, despite getting top billing this time around. The action of the script by Victor Gischler remains firmly focused on Conan. And with the exception of the final blow against Toth Amon (a sneak attack while Conan attacks from the front), Sonja is mere eye-candy who serves no purpose for most of the issue other than to praise Conan.


At least, Sonja would be eye-candy if the artwork made her look at all attractive.

Artist Roberto Castro has no business working in professional comics. I have seen a better grasp of anatomy in the margin doodles of junior high-school students. And that is not hyperbole - remember this critic works with junior high-school students in his day job!

Castro's figures manage to look sketchy while still seeming over-inked. His take on Sonja is as cartoonishly elongated and emaciated as Aeon Flux. And I find it hard to believe that any professional editor would accept artwork where Red Sonja's left arm is growing out of her left breast! Yet here we are...


Chuck Norris has a third fist under his beard. Red Sonja has a third sword-arm under her bra.

At this point, I can safely say that Red Sonja/Conan #4 is the worst thing to feature the character of Red Sonja in 2015. And to give you some idea of how damning a statement that is, consider that the final chapter of the utterly horrible Red Sonja: The Black Tower just barely came out in 2015. For all the troubles that mini-series had (and there were many!), at least the artwork was good.

Here, the artwork and story are terrible. This mini-series is a disgrace to both Conan and Red Sonja. If you want a good Conan and Red Sonja team-up book, track down the excellent Conan/Red Sonja series by Gail Simone and Jim Zub. Accept no substitutes!

Batgirl #16 - A Review

Batgirl #16 concludes Gail Simone's contribution to the Death of the Family storyline and it is every bit as eerie and disturbing as we could have hoped for.  With her mother's life placed in danger, Barbara Gordon has little choice but to play along with The Joker's latest sick scheme.  A scheme which, for some reason, requires her to marry him!


Simone's script is full of psychological torment, as Barbara finds herself pushed to her limits and beyond.  An opening flashback (with a cameo by Dr. Andrea Letamendi of the wonderful Under The Mask blog) sets the stage, showcasing Barbara's understandable anger at The Joker for what he did to her.  The theme continues into the later part of the book, as Barbara is given a chance to act upon her anger and does not freeze up.  Indeed, she finds herself with no reason at all to hold back and is oddly unfrightened by this!


The art in this issue is all-around amazing.  Indeed, if I hadn't looked at the credits page to see that this book had two separate art teams, I never would have guessed it!  Ed Benes pencils and inks the first half of the book with his usual skill and an amazing (for him) lack of fan-service.  The team of penciler David Sampere and inker Vincent Cifuentes close the book out with equal skill. 

I have nothing else I can say about this book, save it is great.  Just look at the sample scans above (I included one from each team) and I think you'll agree Batgirl is one of the best-looking books on the market as well as one of the best written.  Batgirl is a must read for all fans of quality comics!

Batgirl #14 - A Review

Batgirl #14 starts fast and doesn't slow down for a moment.  It all begins with Barbara Gordon getting a call in the middle of the night from a figure with a disguised voice.  The man on the other end knows all about the night in which Barbara Gordon was paralyzed - all the fine details, like how three men were there when it happened.  He warns Barbara that three such men took her mother away earlier in the evening and that they are on the way for her now.  After an epic ass-kicking ensues, Barbara goes after the only person who could be responsible for all of this and the man who put her in a wheelchair for three years... The Joker. 


Gail Simone's script can only be described as intense.  For the first time, we see Barbara truly frightened and get some insight into the sheer scope of her trauma.  Yet Barbara is no shrinking violet and when her fight-or-flight response kicks in, the only things flying are her fists and feet.  Any who still doubt that this is the same Barbara Gordon from Birds of Prey who once said she could easily kill The Joker without remorse if given the opportunity would be well advised to reconsider that assessment.  Barbara Gordon is a woman to be reckoned and make no mistake about it.

I also love Simone's take on The Joker, who is just as creepy here as in this week's new Batman comic.  In fact, I dare say he's creepier here because Simone has captured the one aspect of The Joker that so many writers miss out on - spontaneity.  Written properly, you should never be exactly sure what The Joker will do in any given situation.  Comedy is all about the unexpected, after all, and first and foremost The Joker should be a comedian.  It may be the dark comedy of the man falling down an open manhole and dying but his main motivator is still playing to an audience and provoking a reaction.  That's why I loved the final pages of this book - because they honestly surprised me and The Joker's actions, seemingly nonsensical, make a paradoxical sense on that level.


The artwork by Ed Benes and Daniel Sampere is equally as good as the scripts, though made somewhat uneven in its' inking.  The first part of the story has a Mike Grellian aspect, with the inks heavy and blending into the blacks of the dark room.  The later half of the comic, inked by Vincent Cifuetes, outlines the figures a bit too much in my estimation, with Barbara looking as if she used a Sharpie marker as a lip-liner at one point.  To my mind, the middle pages linking the two halves of the story (inked by Mark Irwin) find the right balance of light and shadow.  Sadly, they only amount to two pages.

Despite this quibbling over the fine details, I have no reservations about declaring Batgirl a must-read comic.

Batgirl #13 - A Review

With Batgirl #13, Gail Simone has not only given Barbara Gordon a worthy arch-foe in the form of the vigilante Knightfall - she has proven beyond any doubt that the Barbara Gordon we loved as Oracle still exists.  Much of the issue is devoted to an extended fight scene between Babs and her new nemesis.  And in what will be a surprise to no one, save those who still somehow illogically insist that Babara Gordon's worth as a character is tied to whether or not she's in a wheelchair, Barbara proves as canny as ever.  She  uses her wits more than her fists to triumph over her enemies, such as one moment early on in which she plays possum to set up a sneak attack. 


This issue also sees Simone introducing a surprisingly logical but frightening concept.  In the real world, some evidence exists that sentencing juvenile offenders as adults and confining them rather than attempting rehabilitation makes them more likely to commit criminal offenses in the future.  Simply put, treating a child like a criminal will cause them to act like a criminal.

Simone takes this concept as a truth and takes it to its' logical conclusion within the context of Gotham City, as we discover that Knightfall purposely put herself into Arkham Asylum to learn the ways of the madmen held there.  It's long been believed by most Bat-fans that Arkham causes more problems than it solves but the idea of it being a school for criminals is a chilling twist.  Perhaps even more chilling than the epilogue in which it appears someone is forming a Batgirl Revenge Society.


Ed Benes's artwork looks as amazing as ever.  Apart from one bit near the end where Babs is lounging in her underwear and a man's shirt, Benes avoids his usual levels of fan service and even the one pin-up style page that we have does not seem completely exploitative.  Praise must also be given to colorist Ulises Arreola, whose colors highlight Benes' pencils and inks in a most fascinating and delightful way.

If you're a fan of comics and superheroes, you should be reading Batgirl.  It's just that simple. 

Batgirl #0 - A Review

With Batgirl #0, Gail Simone has crafted the definitive origin-story. This issue exists not only as an origin story for Batgirl but the definitive "how-to" for creators needing a template for how to introduce a superhero character. It is not enough to simply show off the character's skills and powers and how they came to put on a costume. You also have to show us who the hero is deep down. That is what separates this issue from so many of the other Zero Month comics thus far. Not only does it tell the story of how Barbara Gordon came to take on the cape and cowl but it tells you everything you need to know about Barbara Gordon as a person.


Longtime readers hoping for details as to how Barbara recovered from her injuries at the hands of The Joker and whether or not she was ever Oracle in the time between then and now may be disappointed. This issue is firmly set in Year One, when Barbara Gordon is still a wide-eyed college freshman with a crush on the mysterious Batman. The main action of the issue focuses on Barbara's encounter with a charismatic criminal - a cult-leader and would-be prophet who plans to recruit Barbara for his harem/army of "wives". His actions press Barbara to move beyond her girlish dreams of white knights and dark knights and goad her into taking up the hero's sword herself.

Simone's long-time collaborator Ed Benes takes over the art duties with this book and he proves a welcome addition. Famous for over-indulging in cheesecake during his time on Birds of Prey, Benes keeps himself under control this time around, though Barbara's civilian garb does skirt the edge of decency at times. Still, Benes's artwork shines throughout this issue - literally, as his light inks coupled with the palette used by colorist Ulises Arreola make this one of the brightest Bat-books in recent memory. The effect triggers feelings of nostalgia and youth, with some pages looking like something an artistic teen would sketch in their notebook and then color-in with map-pencils.



If you've never read a Batgirl comic before, this is the perfect one to start with. It is with no hyperbole at all that I declare Batgirl #0 the best book I've read this week. Indeed, it may be the best book I'll read all year.

Thursday Night Comic Con News Round-Up - Part Two

* Joker will be returning in a big way in "Death Of The Family" - a crossover spanning most of the Bat-Family books. Scott Snyder, Tony Daniel and Kyle Higgins all agree that their respective contributions are by far the most disturbing things they have ever written. (Batman: Beyond The Night Of Owls Panel)

* Lady Shiva will make her first appearance in a New 52 title in Nightwing #13. (Batman: Beyond The Night Of Owls Panel)

* Ed Benes will be taking over as the regular artist on Batgirl with Issue #13. (Batman: Beyond The Night Of Owls Panel)

Red Lanterns #1 - A Review

When I first heard that a team book devoted to The Red Lanterns was one of the New 52 titles, I must admit to being confused. While Geoff Johns’ invention of an emotional electromagnetic spectrum, where different emotional states can be tapped to generate energy, was a brilliant conceit The Red Lanterns did not strike me as being a group who could be readily tapped for a mini-series, let alone a monthly series. For Red is the color of Rage, and those who possess a Red Lantern ring become possessed themselves, berserkers who turn their uncontainable fury upon everything around them. They are a group in name only, not given to teamwork nor coherent thought.

Peter Milligan masterfully explains all this for new readers, with the focus of the issue upon Red Lantern founder and leader Atrocitus. Atrocitus was one of Johns’ greatest creations in Green Lantern and Milligan conveys the characters voice perfectly in this issue. Milligan also concisely recounts the recent events of the War Of The Green Lanterns storyline in explaining Atrocitus’ current malaise and his eventually decision about what he must do now that the revenge that he sought is unattainable.

Ed Benes is probably better known for his work as a pin-up artist among the general comics-reading public but he proves to be an excellent choice for the art duties on this book. Drawing a book centering upon a non-human protagonist can be a difficult task for some artists but Benes rises to the challenge, depicting all of the various alien creatures – humanoid and non – with equal ease.

Green Lantern fans will likely see this title as a welcome edition to their pull lists. New readers who enjoy good space-opera stories or books with anti-hero protagonists will likely enjoy it as well. I know I plan to keep buying this one.