Conan The Barbarian #19 - A Review

If I had to pick one word to describe Conan The Barbarian #19, it would be uninspired.  The story, centering around Conan and Belit's efforts to ransom a stolen holy object back to its' owners, is as uninspired and lifeless as the book's artwork.  Paul Azaceta's artwork is far too static and posed for what is mean to be an action & adventure book.


The script by Brain Wood seems more like an H.P. Lovecraft story than a Robert E. Howard one.  There's precious little action and far more weird babbling by strange priests about dark secrets than there is honest bloodshed.  Hell, the most exciting moment of the comic comes when Belit stabs a man who asks Conan about buying her.



Dave Stewart's muted coloring is another strike against this book.  His muted palette made sense in the issues set in the gloomy land of Cimmeria but it seems dull and drab here.  There are splashes of color here and there, primarily in the few moments of action.  While it's an interesting stylistic choice, it would have been far more effective for the artist to make the action scenes exciting rather than trusting the colorist to define everything. 

Justice League Dark #23 - A Review

The artwork of Mikel Janin would be reason enough to pick up Justice League Dark #23, even if one had not read a single book in the Trinity War crossover before now.  Janin delivers a number of single-page splashes and double-page spreads that, on this rare occasion, do not feel gratuitous.  You welcome every glorious page, rejoicing at how clearly the action is depicted and how amazing everything looks.  


Jeff Lemire's script is equally impressive.  Commendably, he recaps the entire storyline thus far in the first few pages, not presuming for a moment that the regular Justice League Dark readers are reading the rest of the crossover.  As in the other Trinity War books, the best moments in this chapter have little do do with the combat over Pandora's Box and more to do with the interplay between the characters.  The greatest of these moments has the group of heroes being lead by Superman and Martian Manhunter learning just how far Amanda Waller went in her plans to pit the various Justice Leagues against one another.  Lemire's take on Superman, who is unwilling to put the lives of others before justice for himself, is particularly gratifying. 


I hadn't been reading Justice League Dark before this crossover.  I think I may have to reconsider that once it is over.  I've been enjoying Jeff Lemire's writing on other series and the artwork of Mikel Janin is some of the best on the shelves today.  That may change once the book goes back to more magic-based storylines but for now this is a must-read title for all fans of good superhero stories. 

Red Sonja Unchained #4 - A Review

Red Sonja Unchained #4 finds our heroine in dire straits.  Twice cursed by the demon Bhamothes, Sonja awakens to find herself trapped in his hellish domain.  It will take all her cunning and courage to win free of the demon's clutches and escape with her soul.  Can even Sonja's indomitable spirit win free of a realm of pure thought and will?


Peter V. Brett lends the proceedings the same drama and pathos he did earlier in the series.  His take on Sonja has been a powerful one and has offered some real insight into the character.  Brett's Sonja has survived much and made hard choices that she hates herself for but will not waste breath justifying.  Unfortunately, the final confrontation between the amazon and the demon seems somewhat rushed and one wishes there had been another issue to allow for a truly epic final battle.


The art of Jack Jadson seems oddly rushed as well.  Jadson's streamlined style - somewhat reminiscent of Bruce Timm - has been a fitting match for Brett's scripts so far.  Yet this issue has Jadson depicting far more detailed and disgusting violence than we've seen so far and the gore looks odd next to his lightly inked, cartoonish figures.  It doesn't look bad per say, but it seems at odds with what we've seen so far. 

Still, if you've come this far in reading this series, you'll want to see the conclusion.  And Red Sonja fans old and new would be well advised to give the whole of this story a try.  It is not the ending I had hoped for but it's not a bad one at all. 

Batman #23 - A Review

Batman: Zero Year continues to impress even as it renovates.  Curiously, this series is doing less to define the past and character of Batman than it is to explore the history and motivations of his rogues' gallery.  Then again, perhaps that isn't such a surprise given that Batman is defined as much by his enemies as he is by his history.

If there were any doubts that Scotty Snyder's new take on The Red Hood was intended to be The Joker before he became The Joker, they were eliminated with this issue as we learn the nihilistic philosophy behind The Red Hood's crimes.  I'm uncertain how to feel about how Snyder has tied The Red Hood's origins, albeit indirectly, to the same incident that inspired Bruce Wayne's war on crime.  I do, however, approve of Snyder's revamped Riddler, who begins his career as a consulting criminal ala Jim Moriarty in the BBC Sherlock series. 


The back-up story by Snyder and James Tynion IV is brief but memorable.  Another flashback tale of Bruce Wayne's travels around the world, this one finds Bruce Wayne learning the art of combat in what is meant to be a battle-to-the-death pit fight.  "The Queen" who oversees the arena means to teach Wayne a lesson in how one must be ready to kill to be a warrior.  Yet Wayne learns another lesson and teaches one of his own by issue's end.


The artwork is amazing in both stories.  Greg Capullo and Danny Miki give the greater part of the comic their usual stunning neo-Noir aesthetic.  American Vampire artist Rafael Albuquerque goes even darker for his flashback tale, which almost looks like it was taken from a Conan The Barbarian comic.  This book looks as well drawn as it is well-written and it should be required reading for all comics fans.

Doctor Who #12 (IDW Vol. 3) - A Review

WARNING: The following review does contain spoilers for Series 7, Part 2 of the Doctor Who TV Series. It might also contain spoilers regarding the upcoming 50th Anniversary Special. Read no further if you wish to remain unspoiled and know that this comic is bloody brilliant and well worth reading, even if it is read a few months from now.


This month's issue of Doctor Who will be of interest to fans of the show for one reason above all others. A flashback at the start of the comic seems to confirm what, so far, had only been speculated - that the Time Lord we saw at the end of The Name of The Doctor was an incarnation of The Doctor from the time of The Time War.  One who refused the name of The Doctor and who fired the metaphorical bullet that removed The Time Lords from the universe. 


Ignoring even that factoid, there is much to admire in this issue.  Writers Andy Diggle and Eddie Robson have built upon Diggle's story The Hypothetical Man and created a villain truly worthy of The Doctor.  More, they give a depth of character - and dare I say, a level of sheer awesomeness - to Clara Oswald that she did not receive in the television program.



If this issue has a weakness, it lies in the artwork of Andy Kuhn.  Khun's style is good and a worthy fit for the Steampunk aesthetic of this story but his work in this final part of the Sky Jacks storyline does seem somewhat rushed and uneven at times compared to previous issues.  Still, the overall affect is a good one and this issue has more good than bad and a few parts that are honestly great.