Category Archives: DC Comics

Comics, DC Comics

‘Justice League: Throne of Atlantis’ Remains One of the Greatest JL Stories Ever Told

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Perhaps the most complex and intricate Justice League story I’ve ever personally read, Throne of Atlantis is loaded with war, internal conflicts, deception and a number of twists you don’t typically take in through this specific medium. It’s a fast-paced piece that reads and looks amazing (as for the looks, I’ll be delivering my review of the animated film in the immediate future), and if you’ve never been a big Justice League follower, reading this tale – especially the beautiful hardcover collection that includes a DVD as well as a Blu-ray of the film – might turn you into a dedicated follower of the League.

As for the story, I’ll be as vague as possible and tell you that a naval test goes awry and a series of missiles plummet towards the bottom of the ocean. And deep beneath the sea, the army of Atlantis takes the arrival of explosives as a clear ignition point of a war they will not stand by idly and watch, nor will they lose. But as Orn, evil brother to Aquaman, makes his way to the surface to bring hell to those who walk on dry land, pieces of a different puzzle are coming together, and they all point to an accidental war that is anything but accidental.

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That’s all we can give you here, because believe this: you need to read this story. Geoff Johns’ epic tale is beautifully illustrations by Ivan Reis, Paul Pelletier, Tony S. Daniel and Brad Walker. All keep the look of the story cohesive, and all gift us some stunning background visuals. The characters themselves don’t always exist as the star of the show, although I must say I’ve never seen Orn look so menacing and intimidating. This story really gives readers an idea of how sharp, savage and downright entertaining Orn is. This is one severely underrated villain, for sure.

If you’re looking for an excellent storyline to hold your attention for a few hours, get your hands on the stunning hardcover/disc combo. It’s a must-have. It was a gift given to me for my 35th birthday, and I was more than pleased by the gift, I was certifiably stoked. And it all lived up to expectations. Throne of Atlantis makes for a marvelous book and an action-packed, gratifying film, as well!

Rating: 4.5/5

Comics, DC Comics, Review

Reliving the Death of Superman (Review)

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Back in the early 90s there were only a handful of books I could claim to truly love. Spiderman, Batman, The Flash and Superman made up my primary reading list. I adored those characters, each for different reasons. Batman channeled that dark side, Spidey captured the essence of youth perfectly, the Flash never slowed down for anyone, and Superman was a symbol of everything right in the world.

And then DC decided to kill Superman, shattering everything right in the world.

It was a tough pill to swallow, and it was a difficult story arc to make it through. Back then, before the story had been released as a collected graphic novel, we all waiting weekly for the next chapter in the destructive saga. And as each week passed, the feeling that Superman was doomed (pardon the… eh, screw it) grew. Superman’s demise felt imminent. No matter what he, or any member of the JLA threw at Doomsday, it didn’t faze him. The monster just… kept… coming.

Throughout the 150-plus page story we, the reader, break down as much as our once trusty heroes. Knowing that there’s something alive in this universe capable of completely obliterating the forces of good was jolting. Knowing that the men and women who occupied this fictional world were no longer safe left a dark cloud hovering over the masses.

Of course we readers faced no danger… or so we thought.

The real danger we faced, unbeknownst to us, was the loss of a legend. Was it really possible that DC could kill off the greatest superhero of all time? What could possibly fill the void left by the one and only Superman? The whole scenario seemed like a bad joke. But it wasn’t, and the DC crew would indeed decide to kill Superman.

Of course, the DC gang would find a way to bring the Kryptonian back to us in decent time. But that stretch in which Superman was nowhere to be found, was an uncomfortable stretch to say the very least.

Nowadays DC is running a different ship entirely, having rebooted essentially all of their major titles a few years back, labelling the project the “New 52.” There are ups and downs in the new system, just as there has always been, but it’s cool to see Superman still doing his super thing in 2016.

But whether Superman made a triumphant return or not, one can never forget the brilliant story written by Dan Jurgens, Jerry Ordway, Louise Simonson and Roger Stern. And I’d be mighty neglectful if I didn’t tip my cap to Jon Bogdanove, Tom Grummett, Jackson Guice and, again, Dan Jurgens who all illustrated this tale. And finally, respect to a gang of amazing inkers: Brett Breeding, Rick Burchett, Doug Hazlewood, Dennis Janke and Denis Rodier.

Without these sharp minds and hands, the Death of Superman could have been an epic misfire. Instead, it ended up being epic, just plain epic… and tear-jerking. Still one of, if not the greatest graphic novels ever to be published, The Death of Superman is mesmerizing, engaging, depressing and abysmal. It’s memorable and it’s infectious. There’s a brilliant hardcover release of the book which also includes DVD and Blu-ray copies of Superman: Doomsday, and it’s relatively easy to get your hands on the collection for under $20. It’s a purchase you’ll cherish.

Rating: 5/5

Death of Superman Cover

DC Comics, Movies

Superman and Batman: Public Enemies Review

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I’ll always be a sucker for three specific DC characters: The Flash, Superman and Batman. They’re all compelling characters with great depth, diverse personalities and an assortment of cool villains to tangle with. While we don’t get to see any crazy involvement from The Flash in Superman and Batman: Public Enemies, we get more than enough thrills from Supes and the Bat.

Knowing how much I adore these characters, this is hard to admit, but I get a morbid kick out of any opportunity to see both Superman and Batman made to look like true villains. You can bet with Lex Luthor having been recently elected as the president of the United States, these two are going to take a public shellacking. Lex Luthor doesn’t disappoint.

Luthor plays the manipulator here and gradually encourages the people of Metropolis, as well as every hero and villain alive to view these two in a different light. Obviously, Luthor wants to be done with Superman, and if he can take out the bat in the process, great. But it won’t be easy, even after recruiting every savage you can think of.

So who exactly wants to kill these two? Captain Atom, Captain Marvel, Solomon Grundy, Metallo, Gorilla Grodd, Starfire, Mongul, Lady Shiva and… well, the list just goes on and on. And that means that Public Enemies is really just a showcase for every awesome DC character on the roster. It’s a blast to see!

The script is solid, the artwork is beautiful and seeing Superman and Batman bond over tough times is good fun in my mind. The flick is non-stop action, which also holds some huge appeal. All in all, director Sam Liu did a bang up job of creating one of the more entertaining feature length Batman/Superman films.

If you’re a DC freak, this is a must-see!

Rating: 4/5

Comics, DC Comics, Reviews

Alan Moore, Brian Bolland ‘Batman: The Killing Joke’ Review

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When it comes to Batman and his lengthy history, there are a few must-read stories. Stories that altered the way we view and think of Batman, and some of his greatest foes. Alan Moore just so happens to be responsible for more than a single one of those stories. My personal favorite, however, is less about Batman and more about Joker than anything. It’s only appropriate that the book be titled Batman: The Killing Joke.

What we get here is no doubt the greatest Joker story ever told. It’s a bold thing to craft a Joker origin story. It’s far bolder to tell that story all the while pushing Batman’s greatest villain to depravities unknown even to this legendary monster. Never has the grinning one been so cutthroat and vile. Never has he pushed Batman in such fashion. Never has he been so frightening.

That’s another element of the book that steals my soul. This is a genuinely frightening Batman book, and that’s brilliant. While I adore the silliness that comes with some of the earlier Detective Comics issues, I’ve been much more keen on edgier tales (Shadow of the Bat was a brilliant run), and this fits the bill.

So, as we’re reading this issue, we find ourselves – for the first time in a long time – wondering if Batman will actually capture the Joker before he can slaughter an excessive amount of decent Gothamites. That’s a mystery we don’t typically get from Batman books, and it’s absolutely amazing.

What more can be said of this one other than major, major respect to the legendary Alan Moore and the master of cover art, and former boss of the insides, artist Brian Bolland. These two are mind bogglingly good together. These men don’t make comic books, they make very real, very respectful artwork that, as The Killing Joke proves, is truly timeless.

Rating: 5/5

batman the killing joke cover

Comics, DC Comics

Sweet Tooth #1 Review

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In Sweet Tooth we meet a frightened boy with a strange deformity. He’s got a nice pair of antlers growing right out of his melon (think Joe Hill’s Horns, and then think… nothing like that… really) and that’s quite obviously a problem with regard to fitting into society comfortably. His father is old and ill and he too is petrified by the thought of his son being forced to face a dangerous world.

It’s a melancholy setup. And then it heads straight for chilling, disconcerting territory. The boy’s father dies. He’s left to fend for himself, but he almost has that chance taken away one day when he wanders into the woods, smack dab into a pair of savage hunters who aim to slaughter the boy.

Moments before this sweet little lad meets his end, one of the hunters’ head explodes in a mist of blood, brain and bone. A stranger stands at the ready, prepared to make his next move. But what will that be, and will that gun of his see more immediate action?

While I’ve given you plenty of details, they’re really not spoilerish in nature. The details I’ve given you all really serve as a primer of sorts. This story clearly doesn’t begin barreling forward until issue two, so don’t sweat the info you’ve now read about the book.

Jeff Lemire’s far-out tale is magnetic, to say the very least. He’s gifted the masses a book that stands alone in an occupied field of creativity. It just doesn’t get much stranger than this. It doesn’t get much more addictive, either. The man has done what few ever manage, and that’s create an atypical, daring and unpredictable story that sucks in you from the first word. It’s genius.

I’ve already gone out of my way to beef my digital collection up with the first 20 issues, and you can bet it won’t take long to blow through those twice over. This is a book to chase down and clutch with all of your might.

Order it right here.

Rating: 5/5

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DC Comics, Movies

A Brand New Suicide Squad Trailer Electrifies

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Suicide Squad isn’t an outright horror film, but it’s got some amazing monsters under the spotlight and the action looks absolutely insane. A brand new trailer for the flick just landed, and it’s got a lot of unseen footage featured, including plenty of extra looks at Jared Leto’s Joker.

David Ayer writes and directs.

Suicide Squad stars Will Smith (The Pursuit of Happyness, Focus) as Deadshot, Joel Kinnaman (RoboCop, Easy Money) as Rick Flagg, Margot Robbie (The Wolf of Wall Street) as Harley Quinn, Jai Courtney (Divergent, The Water Diviner) as Captain Boomerang, Cara Delevingne (Anna Karenina, Pan) as Enchantress, Karen Fukuhara as Katana, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje as Killer Croc, Jay Hernandez as El DIablo, Adam Beach as Slipknot, Viola Davis as Amanda Waller, and Jared Leto as The Joker. There’s also mystery roles for Ike Barinholtz, Scott Eastwood, Raymond Olubowale, Alex Meraz, Jim Parrack, and Common.

The film arrives on August 5th.

Synopsis: A secret government agency run by Amanda Waller, named A.R.G.U.S creates a task force comprising super villains, the “Suicide Squad”. They are assigned to execute dangerous tasks in exchange for shorter prison sentences.

DC Comics, Movies, News

What We Want to See from Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice

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I haven’t made it over to see Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice yet, but it’s not for lack of trying. I drove by the theater 20 minutes before the day’s first showing. That crowd was as about as nasty as it gets, the line stretching the length of the theater and then some. It got me thinking, what in the world do I really hope to see from this movie? And, well, that simple thought leads me here, writing about a movie I should be watching right now.

A Prolonged Battle: The one thing I’d hate to see is these two comic icons duke it out for three minutes before they jump on the happy train by making up and joining forces, all a necessity to combat the wrecking ball that is Doomsday. Batman and Superman should be beating the snot out of each other for a solid 12-15 minutes if Snyder hopes to keep blood thirsty fans pleased.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=skubcomU0U8

Blood: We’re hoping to see this collision get a little bit bloody. In reality, Batman stands little chance against the physically superior Superman, and that should lead to a brutal beating, assuming Batman shows up to fight. We’re hoping Zack Snyder goes grimy and bloodies things up. In all actuality, there’s basically no way that Bruce Wayne walks away from this fight without looking like raw hamburger.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AgQrxGV7Brk

Let’s Make Doomsday as Tough as He Truly is: Doomsday is the absolute freak that once beat every last ounce of life from Superman. Literally, he killed our beloved hero. How Superman came to return to the spotlight is irrelevant, what is relevant is the impact that Doomsday has. He’s Batman’s Bane, Spiderman’s Green Goblin, The X-Men’s Magneto. Give him the respect he deserves, even it means we have to see at least one of these heroes revived in the inevitable follow-up film.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ky4mDwJW_ZA

Batman Deserves to Know: We all know, based on the footage we’ve seen, that Superman knows Batman’s identity (he’s Superman, of course he knows!) in the film. But I haven’t seen anything to suggest that Wayne knows Superman’s alternative identity. But he has to know. He’s basically the world’s toughest detective. And he’s good. Here’s hoping the writing crew responsible for the screenplay respect Bruce’s intelligence.

No Cliffhangers: We all know that DC is gearing up to make a serious run at Marvel. They’ve basically got the same plan in motion, hoping to create a cohesive DC universe. We don’t know if it’s all going to work out yet, but we know it’s happening, and that’s why we deserve a definitive close to this film. It doesn’t really need the sequel we’re all expecting. These two can meet up and handle any lingering difference in one of the Justice League flicks, or one of the many other planned films (tell me it wouldn’t be cool to see Aquaman attempt to break up a fight between Batman and Superman). Let’s avoid any cliffhangers and completely abolish the idea of a sequel. There’s enough room to handle business in future DC films, no doubt about it.

Comics, DC Comics, Reviews

New 52 ‘Batman – The Dark Knight #1’ Review

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The official inaugural issue of Batman – The Dark Knight sees Bruce being hounded by internal affairs, who aim to find out precisely why he’d co-sign a vigilante like Batman. Bruce is busy smooth talking his way out of the mess when we meet Jai Hudson, a lovely looker who manages to separate Bruce from his unwanted guest. Jai, for the record is a suave speaker who may just have something to hide.

Cut away to Arkham Asylum and we learn that hundreds of inmates have overthrown the facility and are breaking free. Then Batman shows up and things get very interesting. Batman theorizes that the violent outburst may be cover for the escape of Harvey Dent, better known as Two-Face.

When Batman does finally locate Two-Face he gets the surprise of a lifetime. This isn’t the Two-Face readers are accustomed to seeing. This Two-Face looks as though he’s been tapping into Bane’s Venom, and he looks furious. He also calls for a new moniker as he stares Batman down and declares, “You can call me One-Face now!”

Here’s a book that makes for a stellar read. Writer Paul Jenkins works up an edgy and dark tale with very little downtime and a grand finale. Meanwhile David Finch gives us supremely crisp illustrations with beautiful shading and diverse character looks. Alex Sinclair also warrants major praise for his often contrasting colors and stunning looks at the artificial police lighting as Batman descends on Arkham Asylum.

This is how I like my Batman books. Brutal and unforgiving, dark and aimed at a slightly older audience. Books like this refuse to pull punches, and Batman deserves that. The edge is reminiscent of the stellar Nightfall storyline. If you’ve been avoiding a lot of DC’s New 52 books, make sure this isn’t one of them.

Rating: 5/5

new 52 batman dark knight 1 cover

Comics, DC Comics, Review

New 52 ‘Batman – The Dark Knight #0’ Review

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The zero issue of the New 52’s Batman The Dark Knight doesn’t really give us anything refreshing to contemplate, as it serves as the foundation for the origin of Batman. We travel back in time to Bruce Wayne’s younger days, picking up immediately after Bruce’s parents were robbed and killed. We see Bruce grow to be a young man, constantly tracking the murderer until finally, very near adulthood, Bruce learns that it was Joe Chill who killed his folks. And he didn’t do it as a hired hand, he did it as a broke transient in need of fiscal stability. It’s not quite the revelation that Bruce had hoped for, although it does prime him to become a crime fighter.

The book reads well, thanks to writer Gregg Hurwitz, who has more than adequate skills to let the narrative pull readers from reality. And Hurwitz gets solid assistance from Mico Suayan and Juan Jose Ryp who do amazing work with the illustrations. Together the three deliver a book that should have Batman fans eager to leap into new territory for the Bat.

The book gives us some great insight into the poverty that’s beginning to swallow Gotham whole, which should line us up for some very compelling tales in future books.

There really isn’t much more to speak on. This one is as straight forward as can be, but the talent behind the book certainly instills some hope for future issues. We’ll see where this group leans us.

Rating: 3/5

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