Star Wars: Darth Vader #2 - A Review

In the wake of the Rebel Alliance's destruction of The Death Star, Darth Vader's own star within the Empire has fallen. Placed under the command of Grand General Tagge, the Sith Lord bristles at having his power mocked.  The added insult of being assigned a Lieutenant to watch over his every move proves to be the final straw and Vader will soon show that he is far more than a simple weapon to be wielded.


Kieron Gillen's script for this issue is a marked improvement. The awkward dialogue that plagued the first issue has vanished, though Darth Vader's sense of drama remains intact. And those who feared that we would not see Vader the warrior after the early emphasis on office politics in The Emperor's palace will be relieved to know that this issue features Lord Vader at his most treacherous.


As before, the artwork by Salvador Larroca and Edgar Delgado is good. The characters are well depicted, the inks are perfectly applied and the colors are wonderfully chosen. To borrow a line from Darth Vader himself, it is "most impressive."

Batman #39 - A Review

As Joker's madness-inducing virus spreads over Gotham and a raid on the Batcave yields trophies for a macabre parade, Batman will be forced to make an equally mad choice.  With his allies and resources limited, he will turn to the rest of his rogue's gallery for help fighting The Joker.  But will even they be enough to tip the balance of power in Gotham City?


Scott Snyder's story continues to spiral out of control. Whether that spiral is going up or down remains to be seen but the ride is an enjoyable one so long as you don't worry too much about the sudden stop at the end.  Greg Capullo and Danny Miki's artwork continues to be a real treat - the ice cream on the pie that is Snyder's script.


The best part of the issue, however, may come at the end.  James Tynion IV's twisted take on The Canterbury Tales - where a number of Arkham inmates related how Joker had told them all the REAL story of how he became The Joker - has been a fairly amusing tale so far. But this issue - in which we learn the doctor's story and "the truth" that The Joker gave her - takes this story to a whole other level.  And the artwork by Dustin Nguyen and Derek Fridoles makes this conclusion even stronger.

All New Invaders #15 - A Reflection

Keen-eyed readers may have noticed this article is dubbed "A Reflection" rather than "A Review". In truth, there is little point in my reviewing this book, as it is the last issue of All New Invaders. There is little I can say about the book itself at this point. Steve Pugh's artwork is, as always, excellent. And James Robinson offers some great insight into these characters in this final chapter, though the actual script reads like a transcription of an Oscar acceptance speech delivered by someone who was two seconds away from being played off by the band for over a minute.


I don't fault Robinson for this. It is clear in both the text of the issue and his comments at the end that he had so many plans for this book that never came to fruition. The plot involving The Kree and a weapon that could control Celestials?  Bucky Barnes working with the British Invaders on a secret mission involving Martian invaders from an alternate reality and the revival of Killraven?  Even the promise of a romance between the original Human Torch and the new heroine Radiance seems to have been rushed into life as a footnote in this issue, so great is Robinson's haste to show What Might Have Been and (hopefully) What Will Be.


Unfortunately, I can't say I'm as optimistic as Robinson.  Given the whole of time and space to play with, he created a great number of wonders in a very short time.  Alas, that doesn't seem to have been enough to satisfy The Powers That Be at The House Of Ideas. Books which portray Namor as the complicated character that he is seem to be out of vogue at the moment.  Then again, true anti-heroes tend to languish when all heroes are forced into an anti-hero's place, as seems to be the prevailing attitude in many of Marvel's titles heading into Secret Wars.

Still, we will see what we will see. And I will hope that Robinson is given the chance to tell the tales he wishes to tell. In another reality, if not this one.

Injustice: Gods Among Us - Year Three #23 - A Review

The battle between Trigon and Mister Mxyzptlk has grown ever larger, with wild magics now threatening both the House of Secrets and House of Mystery.  Thankfully, Dick Grayson - the (Dead)man with the plan - has an idea on how to save everyone.  But it will require Superman and Batman's teams to put aside their mutual distrust and work together. Can they do it after all that has occurred?  And what is the trickster mage John Constantine hiding even at this late hour?


Brian Buccellato's script for this issue is the definition of action-packed. Some may say that the script falters somewhat in dealing with some of the emotional relationships between the characters. Indeed, the matter of Damien Wayne being forced to confront the ghost of a man he killed is hastily brushed aside after a brief shot of a discomforted Robin looking at the ghostly Dick Grayson. Thankfully, the issue is not ignored completely and is brushed aside only because the characters - and by extension Buccellato - have bigger things to address.


As always, the artwork is well-done.  Mike S. Miller has created distinctive facial designs for each character, so there is no question who is who even in the close-ups where all we can see is part of a mask or an eye. J. Nanjan's inks do a superb job of enhancing the original pencils. And Wes Abbott offers a vibrant display of colors to bring the final artwork to life.

Arrow: Season 2.5 #14 - A Review

To save Felicity, Ollie has surrendered himself to The Church of Blood!  Roy has the means to track him but with Diggle helping The Suicide Squad overseas he's a little short on back-up. Thankfully, there is one ARGUS agent who is available to help but calling them an unlikely ally is the understatement of the year.


Meanwhile, in Nanda Parbat, student Mesi Natifah is brought before Ra's Al Ghul. The leader of the League of Assassins does not impress easily but the young woman's actions in troubled times have accomplished that deed. And now he's ready to make her a rare offer...



One would think it impossible for a comic set between the seasons of a TV series to truly surprise its readers - we already know what characters will survive to see Season 3!  Yet Arrow: Season 2.5 #14 managed to surprise me not once, but twice!  I won't say anything beyond that save this - if you're a fan of the Arrow TV series and you aren't reading this comic already, you should start. Now.