Green Arrow Annual #1 - A Review

It's Christmas time but visions of sugar-plums dancing aren't filling the heads of the people of Seattle. Count Vertigo has come to town seeking revenge and uped his game, trapping Team Arrow and the rest of Seattle in their worst nightmares! Only Black Canary remains unaffected to save the day.



There's a lot to like about Green Arrow Annual #1. How Benjamin Percy develops a new yet wholly logical secondary super power for Black Canary. The return of Count Vertigo with a new yet logical extension of his powers.The dream and nightmare sequences, illustrated so well by Eleonora Carlini. The beautiful colors by Hi-Fi. This is one Christmas special worthy of the name.

The Final Analysis: 10 out of 10. 

Batgirl #12 - A Review

Batgirl doesn't usually take requests when it comes to her work. But when a local family recreation center finds itself besieged by a seemingly spectral figure, the threat to the community and the mystery is too much for her to resist. Of course Barbara Gordon doesn't believe in ghosts but can she get to the bottom of things with a clicks-crazy ghost-hunter getting in her way?


Batgirl #12 is easily the best one-shot comic I've read in recent memory. Hope Larson spins a riveting ghost story and it's an interesting twist to put Barbara outside of her comfort zone - both in operating publicly and throwing her against a seemingly supernatural threat. Still, Barbara's character comes out in subtle ways and the same idealism that made her seek training as a librarian to serve her community comes into play in this story.

Eleonora Carlini's artwork proves the perfect match to Larson's script. I've greatly enjoyed Carlini's previous work on other series and her work here is up to her usual high standard. Colorist Cris Peter does a fantastic job varying the palettes based on location and time of day. A shame they aren't sticking around for next month but I hope these two are paired together again soon.


The Final Analysis: 10 out of 10. A perfect entry point for those who have yet to give this amazing book a chance.

Green Arrow #20 - A Review

Green Arrow #20 works perfectly on multiple levels. It satisfies as a thrilling action story in the vein of Dennis O'Neil and Mike Grell, but this is the least of Benjamin Percy's accomplishments as a writer. The most impressive part of this issue is the redemption of Roy Harper.


As I mentioned in my review of the previous issue, Roy's background in The New 52 reality was left largely undefined. The flashback sequences in the past three issues have done much to restore Roy's past and, in doing so, define his current character. Some cosmetic changes have been made - such as the name of Roy's adoptive Native American father and what tribe they were part of - yet all of this, curiously, has helped to restore Roy to his Golden Age roots as an orphaned boy-adventurer.

Another aspect of Roy's past that is finally explored in detail is his history of drug abuse. Given Roy's new status as a homeless youth, this makes sense, with the real world statistics regarding homeless teenagers and drug use being depressingly high. Percy does not go for shock value in this, however, and if there is any justice the same people who gave the atrocious The Rise Of Arsenal an award for its depiction of drug use will give the same award to this story arc.


Another change of note that will interest long-time Arrow-heads is Percy's revamp of Count Vertigo. As with Percy's new take on The Clock King, the changes here are largely cosmetic and limited to a brilliant - but logical - twist on a classic character's modus operandi. In this case, Vertigo uses his powers to help a withdrawn Roy Harper get his fix by simulating a heroin high, in order to convince the young hero - recently abandoned by Green Arrow - to work for him.  On that note, the story also does a fair bit to redeem Oliver Queen for his reactions to his young ward's habit while still leaving Oliver firmly in the wrong.


I must not forget to praise the art team in all of this. Both Eleonora Carlini and Mirka Andolfo do a fantastic job of illustrating this entire story arc. The colors by Arif Prianto are perfectly chosen throughout. Quite frankly, if this story arc doesn't see a few Eisner and Harvey nominations, I will be very surprised!

Bottom Line: If you are any kind of Green Arrow and Arsenal fan, you need to read these last three issues.

Batgirl Annual #1 - A Review

My Wednesday morning comic shop was shorted on Batgirl Annual #1. So I didn't get a chance to pick it up when it came out last week. Thankfully, it proved more than worth the wait!


The first story, by monthly-series writer Hope Larson, is a team-up with Supergirl worthy of the name World's Finest Comics.The plot centers on Kara Zor-El seeking Batgirl's help in quietly sneaking inside a CADMUS facility, where she believes another Kryptonian may be held hostage.

The story is definitely more in Supergirl's territory than Batgirl's, but Larson does a fine job explaining things for those, like me, who don't read Supergirl. More importantly, the chemistry between the two heroines is strong and the artwork by Inaki Miranda and Eva De La Cruz is fantastic. I've never seen their work before but I'll be sure to seek it out after this impressive showing.


The back-up story by Vita Ayala is a more thoughtful piece, set back during the Burnside era. This story's main purpose is answering a question that has bothered long-time readers for a while - why did Barbara's best-friend, Alysia, disappear from her life for so long?

While the real-world reasons are well-known, Ayala's story gives a good in-universe reason for the sudden distance between the two friends and has the two reconnecting as Barbara tries to deal with the reemergence of an old enemy without blowing her secret identity. It's a fun bit of farce and the artwork by Green Arrow artist Eleonora Carlini and colorist Mat Lopes does not disappoint.

Green Arrow #19 - A Review

While many characters suffered from poor characterization and a lack of development in The New 52, it's hard to think of a complex character who underwent greater devolution than Roy Harper. Raised Native American and a proud single-father, his history was scrapped in favor of a vague backstory that hinted at his being a homeless petty criminal whose employment and subsequent falling-out with Green Arrow was never explained... until now.

The story of Green Arrow #19 alternates between flashbacks showcasing the Green Arrow/Speedy relationship and action sequences in the modern day. It is here that Roy Harper and Oliver Queen have crossed paths again, with Roy having come home to aid the tribe that raised him and Oliver tracking the latest crimes against humanity being perpetuated with his company's resources - i.e. building an oil pipeline across sacred Native land.


In just two short issues, Benjamin Percy has done much to negate the damage dealt to Roy Harper. Roy's Native roots have been reaffirmed, though the details of how he came to be adopted have yet to be divulged. And Percy has rebuilt the friendship between Dinah Lance and Roy Harper, albeit under different circumstances than in the original universe. The "big sister looking out for little brother "vibe is there again, even if this Dinah didn't check this Roy into rehab.


Despite there being two separate teams at work in this issue, there is no discontinuity between the pages. Both Eleonora Carlini and Mirka Andolfo utilize a style based around detailed pencils and light inks, so the two complement each other to the point that I'm not entirely certain that one did the flashbacks and the other did the modern day sequences!  Well, whoever did what, the artwork in this issue is fantastic!

Green Arrow #14 - A Review

Green Arrow has the assassin who has been framing him for murder cornered. Unfortunately, it's at the site of the latest killing and there's an angry mob of sports fans that is all too aware of the Emerald Outlaw's presence. Black Canary has problems of her own, having been dragged into the manhunt for Green Arrow while in the middle of raiding the Seattle PD Evidence Locker for proof of his innocence!


This is the first issue of Green Arrow post-Rebirth that I can honestly say was disappointing. There's no one simple reason for this- rather a culmination of smaller factors.

The issue's artwork - usually a high point, as it is handled by one artist - is horribly inconsistent this time around, due to three artists working on the pencils and inks. Had they been artists with similar styles, this might not be so bad. Unfortunately, the depths of the inks and the quality of the line-work are continually shifting and the visual disorientation does not aid the flow of the story at all.

I can't blame Ben Percy for the "twist' regarding the assassin in this issue. Doubtlessly he's having to make the best of a bad situation, with Green Arrow history in the modern era being a total mess thanks to the efforts of Scott Lobdell and Judd Winick. I can forgive Percy for the mess that has effectively "cloned" one character for the sake of continuity and reaching out to the Arrow fans.

I cannot, however, forgive the fact that everyone in this comic is required to act like an idiot for the plot to work. This includes the assassin attacking people in front of witnesses who can attest that someone else was putting green arrows into people other than Green Arrow and the police captain who notices Black Canary's hair not conforming to the SPD dress-code yet doesn't think that's at all suspicious.

Doctor Who: The Tenth Doctor: Year Two #13 - A Review

A quick trip home has done little to sooth the nerves of The Doctor's current companions. Cindy is still reeling from the death of her first love and Gabby is coming to realize the emotional cost of being a time-traveling saver-of-worlds like The Doctor.

Unfortunately, their rest is cut short by unfinished business. Anubis, last of the Osirans, has grown impatient waiting for The Doctor's help in joining with the last of his people. And an old enemy may be ready to strike against them all!


The only real flaw with this series at this point is that it has become as complex in terms of continuity as the original Doctor Who show! The most recent issues - drawing off of several previous story lines - are inaccessible to new readers. It is a minor point, but one I have to consider as a critic when pondering Stan Lee's dictum that every comic should be written as if it was someone's first. A synopsis on the title page helps but the sad truth is that new readers won't get as much out of this book as those who have been reading since the first issue.

That being said, as a Doctor Who fan who has been reading since the first issue, Doctor Who: The Tenth Doctor is easily the best of the monthly books Titan Comics has produced since winning the license. Writer Nick Abadzis has crafted characters and continuity as rich as any to be found on the original television series. He's perfectly captured the spirit of David Tennant's Doctor, giving him scenes where he revels in the simple pleasures around him - such as Gabby's mom telling his fortune. And he has effortlessly utilized aspects of the original show - such as the Ancient Egypt inspired Osirians from Pyramids of Mars - making them accessible to those younger Whovians unfortunate enough to have missed the Tom Baker era, even in reruns.


Abadzis' scripts are backed by some equally impressive artwork. Though this issue is light on action, things never seem dull or slow-paced. This can be attributed to the dynamic pencils, light inks and vivid colors utilized by the art team, which give this issue an energized feeling throughout.

Doctor Who: The Tenth Doctor: Year Two #9 - A Review

Traveling on The TARDIS for the first time, Cindy Wu was disappointed when the magnificent time-ship deposited her, her best friend Gabby Gonzales and The Doctor at a paranormal book fair in Dewsbury. She'd been hoping for an adventure. And she found it after the witch who haunts the local well attacked her with a psychic blast that's left her worse for wear, along with the other inhabitants of Dewsbury. But there's more to the "witch" than meets the eye. And even The Doctor may not be able to stop it before everyone in Dewsbury gives the monster a piece of their minds. Literally.

Sadly, this is one of the few disappointing Doctor Who comics I've seen since Titan Comics took over the license. The artwork of Iolanda Zanfardino renders the story nearly unreadable, with off-model characters and contrived poses proving the norm. It's a shame because Nick Abadzis' script delivers an amazing twist ending but readers will likely lose patience navigating the twisted panel placement and disjointed characters before they get to that point.

Doctor Who: The Tenth Doctor: Year Two #8 - A Review

Gabby Gonzales has been traveling with The Doctor for a while now. Until recently, Gabby's best friend, Cindy Wu, had to content herself with the letters and drawings that Gabby was sending her detailing their adventures. Recent events forced them all together, however, and Cindy is now excited to be going on her first real adventure in The TARDIS!

Pity it's to some supernatural book fair in Dewbury.

Of course Gabby welcomes the down-time and is anxious for a rest after her recent tribulations. And The Doctor is happy to have a few days to browse old book stores and complete his comic collection. But thankfully for Cindy (if not the town of Dewbury), there is something dwelling in the old town well...


Eleonora Carlini is usually a great artist and her work on this series has always been enjoyable. It's still good, for the most part, but her design for the old-salt Randall (who warns The Doctor and his companions about the wicked witch in the well) is distractingly cartoonish relative to the rest of the artwork. Ignoring that, the issue looks great and the colors by Arianna Florean are perfectly chosen.
The story by Nick Abadzis is wonderful. The plot is a fairly standard hook for classical horror and Doctor Who, but Abadzis' script moves quickly enough we don't have time to ponder the cliches. What really makes the story work, however, is the conflict between the adventure-hungry Cindy and the more sedate Gabby.

Doctor Who: The Tenth Doctor: Year Two #6 - A Review

Somewhere else... somewhen else... a band of motley travelers have united. Most of them know they knew each other before they came here but they have no memory of how they came to be there. There is one other thing they remember - they must find the wise man.... the sage... the healer... if only they could remember his name!

Nick Abadzis brought together all of his on-going story arcs in a most unexpected way in this issue.  Continuing the tale from the perspective of our heroes post-amnesia is a bold choice but it pays off quite well And it's always fun to see Captain Jack Harkness in action, leading me to wonder if a Torchwood on-going comic might be in the future of Titan Comics' output?


The artwork for this series continues to maintain its usual high standard. Elonora Carlini does a fine job of depicting the various strange aliens and not-so-strange aliens - always an important thing for a Doctor Who artist.  Arianna Florean's colors prove the perfect conclusion to Carlini's original art.

Batgirl #47 - A Review

Someone is illegally using Barbara Gordon's research and all signs point to the GCPD. When asking her father for information doesn't pan out, Barbara recruits the other mystery women who protect Gotham City to pull a daring heist on the police department's network. Yet the answers Babs seeks may lead to more questions...

The best thing about last month's issue was its inclusion of The Spoiler. The addition of Bluebird and focus on the heist aspect of the story offers an additional enhancement of the book. I wish we had more high-action issues like this one, finding them infinitely more entertaining than the endless scenes involving Barbara's roommate drama or her relationship with Lucius Fox's son.
Regular artist Babs Tarr is replaced by two artists this month. Eleonora Carlini - most recently seen on Doctor Who: The Tenth Doctor - proves capable of matching Tarr in terms of quality.  Moritat, on the other hand, appears to be trying to ape Tarr's style, crafting sloppy artwork that is serviceable but ultimately forgettable.

Doctor Who: The Tenth Doctor: Year Two #2 - A Review

The world of Wupatki is in peril! A musical virus has infected the sentient songs known as The Shan'Tee and now the first human has been infected by the deadly plague. As The Doctor ventures into space to track the source of the disease, his companion Gabby Gonzales must help to find a cure... even as the city around her begins to crumble!


What Nick Abadzis has done with this series is nothing short of a miracle. This is the essence of The David Tennant era of Doctor Who made manifest. This story is one of the most imaginative and creative I've ever seen told with The Doctor, perfectly capturing the spirit of the show and taking full advantage of the comics medium.


Abadzis' scripts are aided in this miracle by some amazing artwork. Eleonora Carlini captures David Tennant's likeness. More importantly, she perfectly portrays such amazing concepts as sentient synthensia sensations. Try saying that three times fast!

Doctor Who: The Tenth Doctor: Year Two #1 - A Review

Many years and a few regenerations ago, The Doctor once told a companion named Ace about how there were worlds with "people made of smoke and cities made of song." Today, The Doctor has taken his companion Gabby to the world of Wupatki, where the reverse is true - where the people are songs and the cities are made of air! Wupatki is also unique in that it is one of the few worlds where human colonists live alongside the native Shan'tee in peace and harmony. But a strange plague threatens that peace, as well as all the life on the planet and it will fall to The Doctor to make things better.


Doctor Who: The Tenth Doctor returns with style and proves to be as grand as ever. As in the book's first year, the scripts by Nick Abadzis continue to amaze and delight. Abadzis' greatest gift as a writer remains a prodigious imagination. In the opening pages of this issue, Abadzis throws out several complex concepts in his development of the world of Wupatki - any one of which could be the basis for one whole episode of the television series!


Also returning to the series is artist Eleonora Carlini.  Carlini's streamlined style proves a good fit for this story and she perfectly captures the beautiful weirdness of the Shan'tee. It should be impossible for an artist to depict invisible beings who manifest only as an abstract representation of another character's perspective but damned if Carlini doesn't manage to draw something that fits the bill!

All in all, this series continues to be a perfect simulation of the David Tennant era of Doctor Who and a must read for all Whovians!

Doctor Who: The Tenth Doctor #12 - A Review

The Doctor frequently told-off his companions for wandering off on their own but it seems he would have done well to follow his own advice! A quick trip to investigate a secret auction for alien artifacts led The Doctor and a mysterious woman named Cleo to the doorstep of an elderly actress named Dorthy Bell. Both of them sought the device purchased by Bell and her assistant, which was said to have the power to restore youth and health.

Now, Cleo has the device and she's used it to deage Dorothy Bell's assistant into a baby.  She tried to do the same to The Doctor, but the device has a different effect on Time Lords. While not degenerated into infancy, The Doctor has regressed into his Ninth Incarnation! And somewhere out in space, something ancient has awakened...


Nick Abadzis' script for this issue is something of a disappointment. The cliff-hanger from last issue - with The Tenth Doctor suddenly having the familiar face of Christopher Eccleston - proves sadly inconsequential and The Doctor and the assistant are both back to normal within the span of two pages. The action of the book is interesting but there's precious little introduction let alone explanation for the many events that occur.  We don't even get a name for the mysterious organization Cleo is a part of or any sense of its purpose.  Doubtlessly this will be forthcoming in a later issue but the structure of this story is all over the place.  It's not a bad read but the lack of exposition is frustrating.


Unfortunately, the artwork is similarly inconsistent.  Both artists on this book - Elena Casagrande and Elenora Carlini - are good artists and they've both done good work on this title before. But their styles aren't similar visually and their designs for some of the characters differ greatly. Cleo suffers the worst in this regard, going from model-thin to heavy-set and back depending on the page.

All in all, this is a lackluster issue of what is usually an excellent book. The work here isn't bad but it does feel rather rushed all-around.  Hopefully next month's issue will be a return to form.

Doctor Who: The Tenth Doctor #10 - A Review

Fresh from their latest adventure, The Doctor and Gabby Gonzales have returned to her home for a quick check-in with her friends and family. But peaceful homecomings never seem to be possible when The Doctor makes a house call and this trip is no exception. Mysterious bands of noise pollution seem to be traveling around New York City and what they signify could pose a threat to the entire Earth!


This issue brings us a new artist - Eleonora Carlini - who proves to be another fine creator in the line of great artists this book has possessed. Carlini's style is more streamlined than what we've seen in the past, but this proves to be a benefit given how very busy some panels become due to the sentient noise that is assailing New York City in the form of large letters. The inks are light, giving this book a brilliance that is enhanced by the colors of Hi-Fi.


Good introductory one-shot stories seem to be an increasingly rare thing in modern comics.  Too many comics are written as part of a larger epic and it's rare to have a single issue of a monthly series that can be handed to a potential new reader as a complete, one-shot tale that tells you everything you need to know.  This issue is one such comic and Robbie Morrison is to be commended for having written it.

Bottom Line: If you haven't ever read a Doctor Who comic before, this is a good one to start with!