Some of the best Batman stories ever told came from the perspective of a character other than our Dark Knight Detective. Batman Annual #2 is such a story. Our P.O.V. character is Eric - an idealistic new orderly who has an encounter with both the legendary Batman and the first inmate Arkham Asylum ever housed on his first night on-the-job.
The script by Marguerite Bennett (co-plotted by Bennet with Scott Snyder) is wonderful on all fronts. The idea that Batman bears some responsibility for the creation of many of the villains he faces has been explored before but I don't recall any Batman story that proposed that his presence created a philosophical shift from treatment to punishment as the villain/victim of this piece suggests. Said victim/villain, The Anchoress, is a worthy addition to Batman's Rogues Gallery, with powers enough to be difficult for Batman to face in a direct fight and a psychological defect unlike anything we've seen in previous Batman baddies.
Would that the artwork of this issue matched its' story in quality! The pencils of Wes Craig (most recently seen in World's Finest) are skillful enough and his character designs are clear as are his depictions of the action. Yet with six inkers having worked on this issue, there is a certain lack of continuity to the artwork as the story progresses.
Thankfully, the artwork never looks bad - just uneven. Any who doubt the power an inker has to make or break a comic would do well to read this issue and observe the differences in inking technique on various pages. Regardless, the inking issues do not detract from the story itself and this comic was a most enjoyable read.
The plot thickens in Green Arrow #23 as we discover more about the mysterious group known as The Outsiders who have apparently been manipulating Ollie since birth and his family for generations. We also learn the full story of the mysterious assassin Shado and her relationship with Ollie's father. We even get another check-in on the crime bosses of Seattle, where it seems another classic figure from the martial arts world of the old DC Comics universe has finally made an appearance in The New 52.
It's odd how Jeff Lemire has taken a number of the trappings of classic Green Arrow and used them to forge something that is entirely new yet feels like the the classic Mike Grell comics of old. This version of Oliver Queen may not a perpetually pissed-off aging hippie and his relationship with Shado may be complicated in an entirely different way, yet the complication is still there. Shado is much the same as she was under Grell's pen, even if the son she would risk all for is now a daughter.
Andrea Sorrentino's artwork also reminds me of Mike Grell's work, yet Sorrentino has an aesthetic all his own. Like Grell, Sorrentino is a master at fitting the maximum amount of detail into some surprisingly small panels. Both artists are also skilled anatomists. Yet Sorrentino separates himself from Grell through some clever coloring choices that throw the realism of his character designs into sharp relief one panel at a time.
The tale of Zenobia is a literal rags-to-riches story. Born and raised to serve in the harems of royalty, she had a strength and fire that seemed incongruous to her position and upbringing. Despite this, Conan placed her in his affections as highly as his other great love - the pirate queen, Belit - and this issue of King Conan showcases precisely why a simple slave girl earned such fierce devotion.
What Tim Truman has written here in his adaptation of the classic Robert E. Howard story is a true romance in every definition of the word. Howard's writing is Romantic in the classical sense, with his reoccurring themes of Nature vs. Civilization, a focus on individuals over society and an emphasis on strong emotions (i.e. the "gigantic melancholies and gigantic mirth" of Conan). Yet this chapter also satisfies the modern definition of a romantic tale, with Conan cast as the bare-chested epitome of passionate manliness and Zenobia as the strong-willed heroine. Thankfully, the action of the story keeps the characters from slipping into cliche and the story does work on both levels.
The artwork by Tomas Giorello and Jose Villarrubia equals the quality of Truman's script. Giorello's pencils are naturally clear and he's a maste rat using his inks to obscure the visuals in just the right way to leave things appropriate moody and threatening without drowning the page in ink. Colorist Villarrubia offers a surprising subtlety in his palette, using brighter colors in his depiction of Zenboa relative to the rest of the art. Is this symbollic of the ray of light she brings to Conan in his darkest hour or merely a reflection of the colorful attire standard to her life? Either way, the visual is effective.
For all the hype Trinity War, Forever Evil and Batman: Year Zero have received, I think the only story DC Comics is telling right now worthy of the name epic is being told in the pages of Earth 2. The vast collection of New 52 titles read like disparate stories
forced together unnaturally into a shared universe. Earth 2 is different, making the reader believe they are being given a glimpse into a vibrant, preexisting world.
This month's issue may seem like a collection of unrelated super-powered
battles on the surface but writer James Robinson gives the material a
depth rarely seen these days. The plot of the issue deals with four
separate groups of heroes combating a second invasion by the
super-powered villains of Apokolips but Robinson's subplots and complex
characterization make the action all the richer. Robinson is one of the few writers I think who could balance such huge story concepts as the romance between Mister Miracle and Big Barda, the revelation that Gotham City is now a savage land roamed by dinosaurs and a battle with Wonder Woman's brainwashed daughter all together in a single scene.
Nicola Scott is similarly underrated. Her character designs for every character in this series have been gorgeous and unique, conveying the basic idea for some long-established characters while still remaining true to the basic concept Big Barda's armor, for instance, looks more like real armor than ever before yet the basic form of Jack Kirby's design remains intact.
Earth 2 is one of DC Comics best-hidden treasures. It's a great read if you like dynamic stories full of action and the artwork is always excellent. However, what will keep you coming back month after month is the relationships between the characters and the sensation you are truly peeking into another complex universe.
Avast, ye swabs! 'Tis clear to your Captain that ye be too stout of heart to be properly traumatized by the likes of Power Of The Valkyrie. 'Twas a bad comic, to be sure! Yet for all the problems that book had, at least it's characters looked broadly human - save for the ones that were demons, of course.
This next bit of swill has no such blessing. The Blackbeard Legacy be another cursed book from the dirty seas ironically named Bluewater Productions. The art be by a scurvy lubber by the name of Mike Maydak, whose artwork looks to have been hurriedly painted by a blind man. This might be crime enough, save Maydak also has a fondness for drawing womenfolk in scanty dress, yet seems to have never seen a woman before in his life.
And lest ye had any hopes that the story might be amusing though the art be bad, it be co-written by Captain Darren G. Davis. Captain Davis be the CEO and Publisher of Bluewater Productions and was half the creative team behind Power Of The Valkyrie. This time his First Mate on the writing duties be Scott Davis, who serves as Captain Davis' Media Manager. Two writers and no editor - a sign of doom as sure as red skies in morning!
Let's be to it, then! Spy yon the cover of the cursed book!
Not a bad sort of cover, in truth. Trying for a Luis Royo look, methinks. I'm a bit perplexed as to where this pirate wench's nipples have wandered off to, given the size of her chest and where her shirt be opened up. At least she looks human if a bit underfed. And lest ye think Captain be going soft in his old age, known I mean it looks decent only compared to the rest of this book. This cover be the best bit of artwork in the whole cursed thing.
Don't believe me? Behold the chapter page!
Insert your own joke about "booty" and "treasured chests" here.
Worry not about the tentacles in that first page, mateys! There be no Hentai in this work, though it may be as unpleasant as octopus rape by the time we reach the end of our journey.
Our first page opens by telling us what kind of tale this isn't going to be and also establishes our setting as Free Port Township of Grand Bahama in May 1718. That groaning noise you just heard came from a thousand pirate history scholars, who know that Free Port Township of Grand Bahama wasn't founded until 1955. Those who were hoping for a pirate story with some broad historical accuracy best turn back now. The seas only get rougher from here.
What does it say about Bluewater Productions that I'm not altogether sure if the sentence "Well, this ain't of them stories." is an honest grammar mistake (Methinks there should be a "one' in there somewhere) or if it's just the writer half-assing his pirate dialect Both possibilities are equally likely. I'll just assume it was a mistake - that's always the safest bet when Bluewater be involved.
With the turn of a page, we see our heroine for the first time... having freshly serviced some jaundiced specimen of what I can only assume to be humanity. His general shape and skin-tone suggests there may be a bit of Deep One in his ancestry. Or it would if we were in Innsmouth and not Free Port..
All appearances to the contrary, Hannah is no whore. Her only reason for making all cozy-like with this scum was to steal his logbook. Unfortunately for him, he wakes up in the midst of Hannah plundering his charts and he gets an amazing view before getting a headache, as Hanna brains him with a candlestick.
Hurriedly dressing and giving us a view of her ample ass-cleavage as she does so, Hannah thinks of her mother - who saw her get a proper schooling - and her father, who she says is an adventurer and pirate like herself. More of the pirate from what we've seen so far but she does show her adventurer roots as she goes downstairs to where all adventures begin - a seedy tavern.
And suddenly we find ourselves in a Conan The Barbarian comic...
Actually, this DOES look familiar... but it isn't Conan. Something pirate themed with a bunch of bizarrely misshapen characters with odd skin and eye colors? What does it look like?
... no. That looks more realistic. Even with the monkeybird.
Hannah is spotted - somehow - by a blind bounty hunter - an equally busty pirate wench sporting two cutlasses and a blindfold. Hannah convinces her that it would be more profitable to work for her since the log book she just stole leads to a fortune beyond imagining. Unfortunately it's at this point that the captain's minions notice what's happened and sound the alarm.
Now, I know I already warned ye about the artwork on this cursed book. And yet, even steeling himself, your Captain can't help be be astonished by this last page. Hannah's suddenly turned into a cyclops and it took your Captain about a minute of squinting to realize the odd panels were meant to be saying "KILL HER!"
The blind bounty hunter proves good at her craft, killing all the underlings. She and Hanna scamper for the docks as Hannah considers how the log book doesn't really lead to a treasure. It DOES recall everyplace the captain she stole it from had been and who he had met, which could be more valuable - at least to Hannah. This be all the explanation we get for the moment as Hannah busies herself with planning on how to overcome their next difficulty - stealing a ship with only two people to do the stealing.
Hannah sketches out the plan in the dirt, despite her new bodyguard pointing out she's blind and can't see it.. She also draws herself and the bounty hunter as stick figures with cartoonishly huge boobs, for no readily apparent reason other than so we know who they are.
Thankfully, Hannah's intricate and silly-looking plan proves unnecessary, as she comes to depend upon that noblest of all pirate traditions - greed winning out over good sense and loyalty always going to the highest bidder. Particularly since the ship she's taken a shine to - The Vengeance - belongs to the same captain she waylaid earlier in the evening and the crew on-board are anxious to find new employment.
Unfortunately, the current captain has recovered and somehow taken command of a fortress overlooking the bay. Fortunately for Hannah, his cannons are set up directly in front of a large collection of powder kegs. All it takes is one good shot with the canons to blow the fortress up in a display to make Michael Bay green with envy.
And so, with the loyalty of her new crew assured and their rivals blown to the four winds, this chapter of our tale ends as Hannah tells us more of her father.... and why she's questing in the first place.
Don't think this is so bad, me hearties? It gets worse. Much worse.
Insert your own joke about "booty" and "treasured chests" here.
