Batman: Prelude To The Wedding, Part Three - Batgirl Vs. The Riddler - A Review

Having not been reading Tim King's Batman on a regular basis, I had been planning on giving the whole Prelude To A Wedding storyline a miss. Then I found out there was going to be an issue pitting Batgirl against my favorite Batman villain and... well, I had to see how it played out, having the real greatest detective in the Bat Family (by Bruce's own admission) go against Edward Nygma.


Naturally, the plot involves The Riddler setting up a test for Batgirl which involves murder and mayhem if she fails to answer his questions. The twist Tim Seeley sets up for why he is doing this is rather brilliant and I shan't say another word about it. Suffice it to say it takes a lot to impress me when it comes to The Riddler and this issue did not disappoint. While the endgame is obvious the execution is masterful.

Better than the story, though, is the art. This is the second special I've seen Minkyu Jung work on (the last one being Titans Annual #1) and the second time I wished he was working regularly on a series I read. Jung's grasp of composition and framing is fantastic and the action of the story flows smoothly throughout. Would that we could see Jung paired with Jose Marzan Jr. on Batgirl, as they prove to have a real flair for working with the character and each other here. The colors of Jordie Bellaire are sweet icing on a very rich cake and Dave Sharpe's letter-work is as astounding as ever.

The Final Analysis: 10 out of 10. A one-shot special that lives up to its name.

Future Quest #2 - A Review

In the depths of deep space, an unlikely alliance of fantastic heroes do battle with the other-dimensional menace known as Omnikron... even as it begins to emerge upon Earth! The weird energies of the vortexes separate the group, leaving the Quest family with the mystery of an alien girl to deal with and the agents of FEAR with an alien space-craft and a strange hostage!


Personally, I would have like to have seen more of the battle in space and less of Johnny Quest in this issue. But I can't quibble. You still get to see Space Ghost fighting a monster that is basically Cthulhu alongside The Galaxy Trio and The Herculoids. And I shouldn't need to say anything else about this comic's story to get you interested n it.

The artwork for this issue is perfectly blended throughout. I had no idea that three separate artists had worked on this issue until I was looking at the credits for the tags for this review. Chalk that one up to the excellent coordination of the creative team and the wonderful colors of Jordie Bellaire.

Future Quest #1 - A Review

I was just young enough to catch the reruns of many of the classic Hanna-Barbera cartoons on the USA Channel back in the 1980s. My favorites, unsurprisingly, were the superheroes - Birdman and Space Ghost! Naturally, when I heard DC Comics was planning to do a massive Crisis On Infinite Earths style comic book crossover between all these series, I was curious if it would hold up.

Future Quest does more than hold up. What might have turned into a written transcript of a group of kids fighting a war between all their action figures instead starts as a sprawling epic worthy of the legacy of Alex Toth. It was Toth's designs and character backstories (most barely referenced in the original cartoons) that made up the brunt of Hanna--Barbera's classic adventure cartoons. And the designs for this comic (overseen by the recently departed Darwyn Cooke) are slightly streamlined but still recognizable from the original cartoons.


The script by Jeff Parker perfectly captures the high-action content of these cartoons After an opening prologue in which we see all but one Captain from a Space Force unit destroyed battling a cosmic being called Omnikron (possibly the origin of Space Ghost?), we cut to Earth where Dr. Benton Quest is investigating a series of strange vortexes. His arch-rival, Dr. Zin, is also investigating this phenomena and has apparently begun working for the terrorist group, F.E.A.R..

This discovery leads Dr. Quest to contact the top-secret security agency Inter-Nation and their sending top agent Ray Randall, a.k.a. Birdman to help with the investigation. The issue ends with Jonny and Hadji - in the wrong place at the wrong time, as usual - discovering that the vortexes lead to other worlds beyond Earth's solar system and one famous face threatening to kill them.


The artwork has a decidedly retro feel, with a blend of 1960s comic elements throughout. The Tothian influence is obvious in the designs but some of the character posing is reminiscent of Jack Kirby. And the scenes with Dr. Zinn inspire favorable comparison to the work of Jim Steranko.

Bottom Line: If you enjoy classic comics and adventure cartoons, you'll love this book!

Plutona #1 - A Review

It is a world of super-heroes and super-villains. But this is not their story. This is the story of four pre-teens whose friendship (if it can be called that) is based more on proximity than common ground and the search for a lost younger brother that leads them to a horrifying discovery.


I must confess dissatisfaction with the above summary. It tells you about Plutona #1 in only the broadest of terms. Yet that is the only way I can describe this book without giving away the game. The only way to truly appreciate this book is to go in blind as I did. To say more, even in comparing it to a classic work of literature it demands comparison to, would be to deny you of one of the best reading experiences I've had in some time.


I can say this much.  What Jeff Lemire, Emi Lenox and Jordie Bellaire have created here is immediately and obviously special. And you'd be a damned fool not to pick this book up immediately.

Star Wars: Princess Leia #2 - A Review

With her new companion Evann and R2-D2 in tow, Princess Leia has set a course for Naboo.  Of course going to The Emperor's homeworld pretending to be an Imperial Auditor is a foolish thing. But Naboo is also home to a famous Aldereannian music group and a likely first target for the Emperor's wrath in the wake of The Death Star's destruction.



Mark Waid does a lot to build the new Star Wars universe with this issue, introducing the concept of Alderaan being The Planet Of Beauty and its artistic culture being its primary export to the galaxy. This is fascinating from a scholarly point of view. Alas, the story isn't nearly as enthralling.

Leia doesn't seem to be as smart and capable as she should be. Granting that she does avoid an obvious ambush at the last minute, she only does this due to the incompetence of the henchmen springing the trap. Her advisor - whom Leia doesn't actually listen to the advice of - sees what is coming a mile away when Leia just happens to run into an old friend of her father's after they set foot on the planet. Even R2-D2 seems to question this!


The artwork by Terry and Rachel Dodson shows why the Dodsons typically do comic book covers rather than book interiors. There is some very striking artwork in this book but those moments are few and far between. The close-ups and splash pages are divine but the actual meat and bones of the book - particularly the action sequences - are mediocre, at best.

Star Wars: Princess Leia #1 - A Review

The Death Star has been destroyed but the Rebel Alliance's victory came too late for the people of Alderaan. Now, The Empire hunts for the Alderranians who were off-world at the time of their planet's destruction. Princess Leia is determined to save them and prove her own worth to the Rebellion as more than just a figurehead, despite the considerable bounty now posted on her own head.


Thus far the new Star Wars books by Marvel Comics have attempted to answer some of the more nagging questions regarding the universe of the original trilogy.  This issue is no exception, as writer Mark Waid tackles two common questions - how can Leia be both a princess AND a senator and why did we never see her grieving over the destruction of her home world?

As the comic industry's top continuity cop, Waid is more than capable of answering these questions while simultaneously telling a good story. And while the answers to the first question prove easy enough - Alderaan has a Royalist tradition similar to what may be found in the United Kingdom today - the second question lies at the core of Leia's character and central conflict.

Leia was born and raised as a noble and reflexively tries to keep a stiff upper lip no matter what - a trait that does little to endear her to some members of the democratically-based Alliance. At the same time, her own populist leanings drive a wedge between Leia and Alderaanian royalists like Evaan - a pilot who proves to be Leia's most loyal subject and harshest critic. The interplay between the two characters is a highlight of the issue.


Unfortunately, the artwork doesn't quite equal the script. Terry and Rachel Dodson have done some fantastic work in the past but it seems unlikely this series will be counted among their triumphs. While there are individual panels that look quite good, the flow of story between those panels is erratic, Additionally, there are many moments where the characters go off-model and the detailing of panels focused on medium and far shots leaves much to be desired.