Tuesday, September 9, 2014
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Monday, September 8, 2014
The Flash: Season Zero #1 - A Review
Adaptations are a tricky thing in any medium. Readapting something into its original medium is even trickier on those rare occasions when it occurs. And yet, that is what we have with The Flash: Season Zero - a comic series based on an as-of-yet unaired television show that is itself based on one of the most famous comic book heroes of all time.
Thankfully, this first issue makes no assumptions as to the reader's familiarity with The Flash mythos. The script by Brooke Eikmeier and Katherine Walcazk (based on a story by Andrew Kreisberg) does a fine job of explaining everything for first-time Flash fans while keeping things interesting for those who know the DC Universe backwards, forwards and sideways.
We are quickly (no pun intended) introduced to Barry Allen and are shown how he gained the power of super-speed. This information is relayed to us in flashback, as Allen's life flashes before his eyes whilst in the middle of a fight with a super-strong bank robber. We are also introduced to the supporting cast from the show and learn a fair bit about Barry as a person as we see him at work in both his secret identity and as a superhero. For instance, he's definitely an animal lover and he tends to pets as well as people in the midst of a crisis.
The pencils for this first issue are handled by longtime Green Arrow artist Phil Hester. Hester's one of the best action-illustrators in the business and he perfectly captures The Flash's sense of motion on every page. The inks by Eric Gapstur are a little heavy at times and the darker look of these pages seems at odd with the usually bright aesthetic that is typical of a Flash comic.
That said, the artwork is still uniformly excellent and any newcomers to the world of The Flash will find this a most welcoming entry point. If you're planning on catching The Flash this fall, you should be reading this book.
Thankfully, this first issue makes no assumptions as to the reader's familiarity with The Flash mythos. The script by Brooke Eikmeier and Katherine Walcazk (based on a story by Andrew Kreisberg) does a fine job of explaining everything for first-time Flash fans while keeping things interesting for those who know the DC Universe backwards, forwards and sideways.
We are quickly (no pun intended) introduced to Barry Allen and are shown how he gained the power of super-speed. This information is relayed to us in flashback, as Allen's life flashes before his eyes whilst in the middle of a fight with a super-strong bank robber. We are also introduced to the supporting cast from the show and learn a fair bit about Barry as a person as we see him at work in both his secret identity and as a superhero. For instance, he's definitely an animal lover and he tends to pets as well as people in the midst of a crisis.
The pencils for this first issue are handled by longtime Green Arrow artist Phil Hester. Hester's one of the best action-illustrators in the business and he perfectly captures The Flash's sense of motion on every page. The inks by Eric Gapstur are a little heavy at times and the darker look of these pages seems at odd with the usually bright aesthetic that is typical of a Flash comic.
That said, the artwork is still uniformly excellent and any newcomers to the world of The Flash will find this a most welcoming entry point. If you're planning on catching The Flash this fall, you should be reading this book.
Sunday, September 7, 2014
Justice League United #3 & #4 - A Review
Through no fault of my comic shop, I somehow neglected to pick up the last two issues of Justice League United until this past week. And I find myself wondering how I could ever have forgotten this book, even with my busy schedule. Granting that it has been slow in finding its footing and in bringing its cast together, these two issues finally see our new Justice League united, including Jeff Lemire's creation Equinox and Alanna Strange - no longer a passive romantic figure but now a hero in her own right.
As always, the best parts of these issues are Jeff Lemire's grasp of these characters and his development of their personalities and the relationships between them. The key sequence of Issue 4 sees these characters - working together but not yet a team - paired off and made to play off one another. Green Arrow reaches out to Animal Man only to try and shrug off his olive branch with a joke. Supergirl proves as cool and and jagged as Kryptonian crystal when Stargirl tries - and fails - to make a similar gesture of friendship only to stick her foot in her mouth. And for the first time in a long while, we see the paternal side of J'onn J'onzz as he takes it upon himself to take charge of the newborn Ultra The Multi-Alien (long story) as well as the responsibility for failing to save an ally's life.
The book's weak point continues to be its artwork. Mike McKone is a competent penciler but the rotating team of inkers on this series do his work a disservice - particularly when multiple inkers are employed on a single issue and all hope of a consistent look is ruined. I've noted before that McKone also seems guilty of recycling his panels but these two issues bring us a new problem - that of the artwork not matching up with the script. Consider this panel in which J'onn asks for Green Arrow to accompany him, Stargirl and Supergirl only for Ollie not to be included in the away team. For the rest of the issue, Ollie is seen standing in the background with the other half of the team, not saying anything or doing anything. I blame the editor more for not noticing this problem before the book was printed but it is still a vexing point that takes the reader out of the story.
Despite this, the scripts are good enough that I can forgive the missteps in the art. And it is gratifying to see so many characters that I enjoy in their New 52 incarnations being given a chance to shine. So I shall be sticking with this book for a while longer.
As always, the best parts of these issues are Jeff Lemire's grasp of these characters and his development of their personalities and the relationships between them. The key sequence of Issue 4 sees these characters - working together but not yet a team - paired off and made to play off one another. Green Arrow reaches out to Animal Man only to try and shrug off his olive branch with a joke. Supergirl proves as cool and and jagged as Kryptonian crystal when Stargirl tries - and fails - to make a similar gesture of friendship only to stick her foot in her mouth. And for the first time in a long while, we see the paternal side of J'onn J'onzz as he takes it upon himself to take charge of the newborn Ultra The Multi-Alien (long story) as well as the responsibility for failing to save an ally's life.
The book's weak point continues to be its artwork. Mike McKone is a competent penciler but the rotating team of inkers on this series do his work a disservice - particularly when multiple inkers are employed on a single issue and all hope of a consistent look is ruined. I've noted before that McKone also seems guilty of recycling his panels but these two issues bring us a new problem - that of the artwork not matching up with the script. Consider this panel in which J'onn asks for Green Arrow to accompany him, Stargirl and Supergirl only for Ollie not to be included in the away team. For the rest of the issue, Ollie is seen standing in the background with the other half of the team, not saying anything or doing anything. I blame the editor more for not noticing this problem before the book was printed but it is still a vexing point that takes the reader out of the story.
Despite this, the scripts are good enough that I can forgive the missteps in the art. And it is gratifying to see so many characters that I enjoy in their New 52 incarnations being given a chance to shine. So I shall be sticking with this book for a while longer.
Doctor Who, Series 8 - Episode 3 - Robot Of Sherwood
THE QUICK, SPOILER FREE REVIEW
An enjoyable light and funny episode that is at its best when it isn't taking itself too seriously. Ironically - after two episodes of being a highlight - Capaldi's more serious Doctor is the weakest link in this episode. That's mostly due to a script by Mark Gatiss that leaves him acting more like Sherlock Holmes than any version of The Doctor we know but it's a minor point compared to the greater glory of a good story that will leave you wanting to believe that legends are real.
THE PLOT
Offered a chance to go anywhere and meet anyone, Clara asks if The Doctor can take her to meet Robin Hood. Impossible, The Doctor says. Robin Hood is a myth. He isn't real. He never was. Still, The Doctor is willing to take Clara to Sherwood Forest around 1190-ish AD to prove the point... only to be confronted by an ever-laughing blonde bloke in green leathers with an immaculate beard and perfect aim.
There's also a Sheriff in Nottingham who is enslaving the peasants and taking their gold but The Doctor is less concerned about this injustice than he is about proving that he's right. Yet even after The Doctor discovers a castle disguised as a spaceship and robots disguised as knights, he still can't disprove the existence of a flesh and blood Robert of Locksley. But in a time of impossible heroes, will it be The Impossible Girl who saves the day?
THE GOOD PARTS
* The casting for this episode's guest stars was perfect. Tom Riley is a picture-perfect Robin Hood and his Merry Men are all enjoyable for the all too brief moments we see them on-screen. Ben Miller is an amazing Sheriff of Nottingham, who plays the villain as a glorious ham of the same school as Anthony Ainley's Master but not quite so hammy as Alan Rickman's famous take on The Sheriff. One wishes BBC's most recent Robin Hood series had been more like this and one longs for a new Robin Hood spin-off to start with this cast.
* The script by Mark Gatiss is one of the most fun Doctor Who scripts we've had in a long time. We get all the classic moments one would expect in a Robin Hood story (the duel on a log over a stream, the archery contest with a golden arrow as the prize, etc.) and Clara proves a grand expy of Marian as she undertakes all the tasks usually reserved for Marian in a Robin Hood story (i.e. milking the bad guy for information to tell Robin what he's up against).
* More than any script so far this series, Robots of Sherwood defines The Doctor and how much he has changed after 1000 years in Trenzalore without resorting to contrivances such as The Doctor having to ask Clara if he is a good man or not. I believe most of the previous versions of The Doctor would be a bit more excited about meeting Robin Hood than they would be worried by the implications of his existence. Matt Smith would be jumping through the trees shouting "Geronimo!" in an instant. Tom Baker would smile and shake his hand vigorously excited at the honor of meeting such a great man. Even Jon Pertwee's more patriarchal Doctor would probably offer a polite greeting and inquire about a sparring match later on. This new Doctor is a skeptic and a scientist with little use for romance or fun.
* Clara has gotten far more development in these past three episodes than she ever did during Series 7. Here, Clara acts like - for lack of a better term - a real person confronted with their childhood hero. Jenna Coleman plays the fangirl angle well, without ever going overboard. And her attitude in handling The Doctor as he complains about her usual skepticism dropping in the face of an Impossible Hero is perfectly played.
* Along those lines, we see Clara acting like a school-teacher as Robin and The Doctor are acting like petulant schoolboys in the dungeon scene. There is much hilarity here, particularly in how Clara demands answers on exactly what their escape plans are in the same tone in which she might demand a particularly difficult student answer a problem at the blackboard.
* It's an interesting change of pace for an episode in that, for once, The Doctor is the one lagging behind everyone else in his search for answers. The Merry Men are the first to notice how odd it is that The Sheriff and his "men" are only interested in acquiring gold as opposed to any other valuable or rare objects. And Clara proves far more effective in getting to the bottom of the mystery of what The Sheriff's game is. Indeed, Clara is the one who saves the day, forced into action when her heroes are rendered inactive.
* This one is strictly personal, but The Doctor's duel with Robin Hood amused me for reasons beyond the writer's intent. This past summer, I ran a Doctor Who RPG for the teens at my local library. And one boy, informed that this was not the sort of game where you could arm yourself with all manner of guns or weapons and expect to win, asked if his character could always carry a spoon with him. I agreed to this. And circumstances contrived that this spoon would later prove to be useful in disabling a Cyber Controller. And me, playing The Doctor, told the companions "And let that be a lesson to all of us - always carry a spoon with you."
* A subtle reference to the Classic Series - The Doctor claims to have studied swordplay with Richard the Lionheart, Cyrano De Bergerac and Errol Flynn. The First Doctor met Richard The Lionheart in The Crusades and The Second Doctor met Cyrano De Bergerac in The Land of Fiction in The Mind Robber. It's also worth noting that - like any historical Robin Hood that might have existed - these three men are better known today by the stories of their lives than the reality.
* Another reference to the Classic Series and the Pertwee era - The Doctor speculates that they might be in a miniscope as he's trying to figure things out.
* There are a lot of great lines in this episode, but none so grand as the final magical moment between The Doctor and Robin, where Robin lays out the moral of the episode - that it doesn't matter if a hero is real or not if the stories of that hero inspire others to become heroes - and continues the season-wide theme of whether or not The Doctor is a good man or a hero and recognizing that there is a difference between the two.
THE PROBLEMS
* Capaldi's Doctor, for the first time, is a detriment to the story. His skepticism here seems largely arbitrary given some of the equally impossible things he has been confronted with before. This is a problem because as novel as it is for everyone else to be moving on with things around The Doctor, it is still worrying that he's digging for clues to prove himself right as everyone else is dealing with more pressing, serious issues. In this regard, Capaldi's Doctor greatly resembles William Hartnell's First Doctor, who was (in his first few appearances, at any rate) an academic more concerned with his studies than playing the hero. Of course Capaldi does finally play the hero but only after being convinced that not everyone around him are robots and that there is real danger to be found in the castle.
* On that note, The Doctor here seems to be written like Sherlock Holmes - more concerned with being right and solving a mystery than he is with saving lives or thwarting evil. While The Doctor enjoys a good mystery, it should never be at the expense of other people's lives.
* The dodgy sound effects strike again, with the Wilhelm Scream being used at one point.
* Again - a personal point. The archery stances and shooting techniques used by the actors are total crap. Arrow has spoiled me on this point, I admit, but it drives me crazy when archers don't pull the string back properly
THE FINAL VERDICT
"History is a burden. Stories can make us fly."
It is not without fault. But since the moral of this episode is that looking for fault in a story that inspires you is pointless and that a good heroic tale is worth the telling in itself, I shall say nothing more than this - Robot of Sherwood is a good, inspiring heroic tale.
An enjoyable light and funny episode that is at its best when it isn't taking itself too seriously. Ironically - after two episodes of being a highlight - Capaldi's more serious Doctor is the weakest link in this episode. That's mostly due to a script by Mark Gatiss that leaves him acting more like Sherlock Holmes than any version of The Doctor we know but it's a minor point compared to the greater glory of a good story that will leave you wanting to believe that legends are real.
THE PLOT
Offered a chance to go anywhere and meet anyone, Clara asks if The Doctor can take her to meet Robin Hood. Impossible, The Doctor says. Robin Hood is a myth. He isn't real. He never was. Still, The Doctor is willing to take Clara to Sherwood Forest around 1190-ish AD to prove the point... only to be confronted by an ever-laughing blonde bloke in green leathers with an immaculate beard and perfect aim.
There's also a Sheriff in Nottingham who is enslaving the peasants and taking their gold but The Doctor is less concerned about this injustice than he is about proving that he's right. Yet even after The Doctor discovers a castle disguised as a spaceship and robots disguised as knights, he still can't disprove the existence of a flesh and blood Robert of Locksley. But in a time of impossible heroes, will it be The Impossible Girl who saves the day?
THE GOOD PARTS
* The casting for this episode's guest stars was perfect. Tom Riley is a picture-perfect Robin Hood and his Merry Men are all enjoyable for the all too brief moments we see them on-screen. Ben Miller is an amazing Sheriff of Nottingham, who plays the villain as a glorious ham of the same school as Anthony Ainley's Master but not quite so hammy as Alan Rickman's famous take on The Sheriff. One wishes BBC's most recent Robin Hood series had been more like this and one longs for a new Robin Hood spin-off to start with this cast.
* The script by Mark Gatiss is one of the most fun Doctor Who scripts we've had in a long time. We get all the classic moments one would expect in a Robin Hood story (the duel on a log over a stream, the archery contest with a golden arrow as the prize, etc.) and Clara proves a grand expy of Marian as she undertakes all the tasks usually reserved for Marian in a Robin Hood story (i.e. milking the bad guy for information to tell Robin what he's up against).
* More than any script so far this series, Robots of Sherwood defines The Doctor and how much he has changed after 1000 years in Trenzalore without resorting to contrivances such as The Doctor having to ask Clara if he is a good man or not. I believe most of the previous versions of The Doctor would be a bit more excited about meeting Robin Hood than they would be worried by the implications of his existence. Matt Smith would be jumping through the trees shouting "Geronimo!" in an instant. Tom Baker would smile and shake his hand vigorously excited at the honor of meeting such a great man. Even Jon Pertwee's more patriarchal Doctor would probably offer a polite greeting and inquire about a sparring match later on. This new Doctor is a skeptic and a scientist with little use for romance or fun.
* Clara has gotten far more development in these past three episodes than she ever did during Series 7. Here, Clara acts like - for lack of a better term - a real person confronted with their childhood hero. Jenna Coleman plays the fangirl angle well, without ever going overboard. And her attitude in handling The Doctor as he complains about her usual skepticism dropping in the face of an Impossible Hero is perfectly played.
* Along those lines, we see Clara acting like a school-teacher as Robin and The Doctor are acting like petulant schoolboys in the dungeon scene. There is much hilarity here, particularly in how Clara demands answers on exactly what their escape plans are in the same tone in which she might demand a particularly difficult student answer a problem at the blackboard.
* It's an interesting change of pace for an episode in that, for once, The Doctor is the one lagging behind everyone else in his search for answers. The Merry Men are the first to notice how odd it is that The Sheriff and his "men" are only interested in acquiring gold as opposed to any other valuable or rare objects. And Clara proves far more effective in getting to the bottom of the mystery of what The Sheriff's game is. Indeed, Clara is the one who saves the day, forced into action when her heroes are rendered inactive.
* This one is strictly personal, but The Doctor's duel with Robin Hood amused me for reasons beyond the writer's intent. This past summer, I ran a Doctor Who RPG for the teens at my local library. And one boy, informed that this was not the sort of game where you could arm yourself with all manner of guns or weapons and expect to win, asked if his character could always carry a spoon with him. I agreed to this. And circumstances contrived that this spoon would later prove to be useful in disabling a Cyber Controller. And me, playing The Doctor, told the companions "And let that be a lesson to all of us - always carry a spoon with you."
* A subtle reference to the Classic Series - The Doctor claims to have studied swordplay with Richard the Lionheart, Cyrano De Bergerac and Errol Flynn. The First Doctor met Richard The Lionheart in The Crusades and The Second Doctor met Cyrano De Bergerac in The Land of Fiction in The Mind Robber. It's also worth noting that - like any historical Robin Hood that might have existed - these three men are better known today by the stories of their lives than the reality.
* Another reference to the Classic Series and the Pertwee era - The Doctor speculates that they might be in a miniscope as he's trying to figure things out.
* There are a lot of great lines in this episode, but none so grand as the final magical moment between The Doctor and Robin, where Robin lays out the moral of the episode - that it doesn't matter if a hero is real or not if the stories of that hero inspire others to become heroes - and continues the season-wide theme of whether or not The Doctor is a good man or a hero and recognizing that there is a difference between the two.
THE PROBLEMS
* Capaldi's Doctor, for the first time, is a detriment to the story. His skepticism here seems largely arbitrary given some of the equally impossible things he has been confronted with before. This is a problem because as novel as it is for everyone else to be moving on with things around The Doctor, it is still worrying that he's digging for clues to prove himself right as everyone else is dealing with more pressing, serious issues. In this regard, Capaldi's Doctor greatly resembles William Hartnell's First Doctor, who was (in his first few appearances, at any rate) an academic more concerned with his studies than playing the hero. Of course Capaldi does finally play the hero but only after being convinced that not everyone around him are robots and that there is real danger to be found in the castle.
* On that note, The Doctor here seems to be written like Sherlock Holmes - more concerned with being right and solving a mystery than he is with saving lives or thwarting evil. While The Doctor enjoys a good mystery, it should never be at the expense of other people's lives.
* The dodgy sound effects strike again, with the Wilhelm Scream being used at one point.
* Again - a personal point. The archery stances and shooting techniques used by the actors are total crap. Arrow has spoiled me on this point, I admit, but it drives me crazy when archers don't pull the string back properly
THE FINAL VERDICT
"History is a burden. Stories can make us fly."
It is not without fault. But since the moral of this episode is that looking for fault in a story that inspires you is pointless and that a good heroic tale is worth the telling in itself, I shall say nothing more than this - Robot of Sherwood is a good, inspiring heroic tale.
Saturday, September 6, 2014
Superman #34 - A Review
A quick comment upon the cover of this issue. I was less than enamored of the Selfie Variants that each DC Comics title had this month. I disapprove of variant covers as a general rule and felt that this gimmick did not work for a lot of characters. That being said, this one is damn good and a perfect send-up of the concept and the characters involved. Because Jimmy Olsen would totally do this in the middle of a battle.
Curiously, Jimmy Olsen and the rest of the Daily Planet crew are absent from this issue. The focus is once again upon Ulysses - strange visitor from another dimension, who has turned to Superman for guidance as he finds himself in what turns out to be the world of his birth. The first part of this issue continues on from last month's closing revelation - that Clark Kent was able to track down Ulysses' scientist parents and uncovered the truth of how they sent him away in circumstances that mirror what Clark's own birth parents did to save his life.
Geoff Johns is in fine form here and the better part of the issue is spent explaining Ulysses's background and exploring the growing friendship between himself and Clark. It is a slow story but it is still an enjoyable one and the reader feels Clark's subtle joy at having helped someone get the family reunion that he can never have. There's also a bit of humor in how Clark is still a more human person than Ulysses, who thinks nothing of coming into Clark's apartment at night to watch him sleep because he had a sudden bout of curiosity regarding why he didn't need to sleep when Clark does and whether or not Superman dreams as normal humans do. But worry not, action fans - the two heroes do team up against a new villain by the issue's end!
Unsurprisingly, the artwork by John Romita Jr.and Klaus Janson is as good as one would expect. The action, once it starts, is well displayed but JRJ is just as capable of rendering the softer, quieter moments that this script requires.. The coloring by Laura Martin is also praise-worthy, with a variety of palettes being used throughout to subtly indicate the story's multifarious settings.
Curiously, Jimmy Olsen and the rest of the Daily Planet crew are absent from this issue. The focus is once again upon Ulysses - strange visitor from another dimension, who has turned to Superman for guidance as he finds himself in what turns out to be the world of his birth. The first part of this issue continues on from last month's closing revelation - that Clark Kent was able to track down Ulysses' scientist parents and uncovered the truth of how they sent him away in circumstances that mirror what Clark's own birth parents did to save his life.
Unsurprisingly, the artwork by John Romita Jr.and Klaus Janson is as good as one would expect. The action, once it starts, is well displayed but JRJ is just as capable of rendering the softer, quieter moments that this script requires.. The coloring by Laura Martin is also praise-worthy, with a variety of palettes being used throughout to subtly indicate the story's multifarious settings.
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