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Billy Batson and the Magic of Shazam! #4 [Review]

Posted on April 6, 2009 by Walt

Words, Pics, Heart: Mike Kunkel
Letters: Steve Wands
Assoc. Editor: Adam Schlagman
Editor: Jann Jones
Cover: Mike Kunkel
Publisher: Johnny DC (DC Comics)

This issue sees the culmination of elements from the first several issues come to a head as Billy and Mary confront Theo Adam with the help of the Wizard. Of course, it’s no easy task since the 7 Deadly Evils are along as part of Black Adam’s gang, and Captain Marvel is seemingly outnumbered.

The art is at once an annoyance and a delight. It’s annoying because I’m not a fan of the exaggerations it embraces visually. At the same time, it’s a delight–it’s far from my usual preference, but this issue (and those before it) make me feel like I’m parked in front of a tv watching a fun cartoon.

The story itself is fairly simplistic on the surface, but carries a lot of deeper stuff if one cares to look deeper. Like a well-crafted cartoon, there’s plenty to be enjoyed here even by adult readers, while holding what presumably would be attractive to the younger crowd. SUre, there’s violence, and sure, there’s fighting…but there’s no cussing, the violence is “cartoon violence” rather than “realistic,” and I daresay one would find much more enjoyment sharing this comic with them than a half hour on the couch with any of a number of contemporary cartoons.

Most comics that I really enjoy migrate to the top of the stack when I sit down with new books. This one makes its way to the bottom–it’s a great “happy book” or “palate-cleanser,” and with all the little panels and dialogue and such takes awhile to read–a great ending to a stack of new comics that otherwise flash by far too quickly. What gets this issue its rating is the overall enjoyment that transcends simply looking at the art or the story/writing.

Highly recommended.

Story: 7.5/10
Art: 7/10
Whole: 9/10

Filed under: Billy Batson and the Magic of Shazam, Comic Reviews 2009, DC, Johnny DC | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment »

Battle for the Cowl: Commissioner Gordon #1 [Review]

Posted on April 6, 2009 by Walt

A Cold Day in Hell

Written by: Royal McGraw
Art by: Tom Mandrake
Colors by: Guy Major
Letters by: Sal Cipriano
Asst. Edited by: Harvey Richards
Edited by: Michael Siglain
Cover: Ladronn
Publisher: DC Comics

I came on way late with GOtham Central back in the day, though after reading the first hardcover realized it should have been tops on my list years earlier. Given the nature of that title, I had high hopes for this issue…hopes that weren’t entirely realized, but not really dashed, either.

We begin with Gordon prisoner of one of Batman’s foes, before flashing back a bit to show us how it is that he came to be in this position. It’s not long before Gordonrealizes that his confrontation with this foe comes down to just them–Batman’s “dead,” after all–and we see James Gordon the cop here, not just a figure calling in Batman with a spotlight on top of a building.

The story’s fairly straightforward here; nothing spectacular. But we do get a look at Gordon and how the GCPD is faring without Batman in town. This doesn’t strike me as a definitive Gordon story–but it’s nothing that seems to really counter anything that’s come before. In fact, it seems to affirm many of the elements of the Batman “universe” I enjoy.

The art’s pretty good, and fits the story. I particularly liked that it managed to in a few particular panels take my mind exactly where I think it was supposed to, invoking other comics and even the Batman animated series from the 1990s (a series that absolutely cannot be ignored in the staging of this issue).

All in all, this was a solid issue, but not really integral to anything. It’s a nice look at supporting elements, but it doesn’t seem likely to inform events of the core mini. Well worth it if you’re a fan of the character or want to see the wider scope of the Batman/Gotham “universe” but not something you’d need if you’re just along for the core Battle for the Cowl series.

Story: 7.5/10
Art: 7.5/10
Whole: 7.5/10

Filed under: Battle for the Cowl (Event), Battle for the Cowl: Commissioner Gordon, Comic Reviews 2009, DC, DC Universe | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment »

Oracle: The Cure #1 [Review]

Posted on April 6, 2009 by Walt

Home Again, Home Again

Writer: Kevin Vanhook
Pencillers: Julian Lopez & Fernando Pasarin
Inkers: Bit & Hi-Fi’s David Bryant
Colorist: Hi-Fi
Letterer: Steve Wands
Assistant Editor: Harvey Richards
Editor: Michael Siglain
Cover: Guillem March
Publisher: DC Comics

We open on a view from outside Barbara Gordon’s new apartment building, as residents all react to flickering availability of power. We then move into seeing Barbara interact with her father, some other allies, hacker contacts, and so on, showing us much of what makes up the life of Oracle as she adjusts to being back in Gotham City after being gone for quite awhile.

The story isn’t bad, though I’m not terribly enthused by it. Nothing really blows me away…in fact, a couple points actually strike me as extremely cliche. There’s a point that’s brought up several times throughout the issue that screams foreshadowing to me (and cliched foreshadowing at that). Additionally, what happens with one of Barbara’s hacker friends seems laughably unrealistic to me, like a plot point jammed in because there was no other way to have such a point occur otherwise.

The art’s not bad. It seems vaguely generic at points, but comes across smoothly for the most part. Aside from some…questionable angles…you could really find a lot of art in comics out there that is far less appealing. What we have in this issue works for the story, and fits.

The way the foreshadowing pays off in the next two issues will really inform how integral this series is to the Battle for the Cowl story as a whole. For now, this seems to be at least a nice tie-in that takes the context of the overall story and is telling a smaller aspect of that story with a particular focus that needn’t include the entire Bat-verse.

Could be much better, but not a bad read if you’re interested in the character or having all the tie-ins and such.

Story: 7/10
Art: 7/10
Whole: 7/10

Filed under: Battle for the Cowl (Event), Comic Reviews 2009, DC, DC Universe, Oracle: The Cure | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment »

More toys

Posted on April 2, 2009 by Walt

Continued inspiration struck today, so I’ve decided to share some of the other toys that I have scattered around my apartment.

First up are my Mighty Muggs. You’ll find these in the toy aisle at most Targets and Walmarts, and probably at some comic shops. Here are my Star Wars Mighty Muggs:. Obi-Wan, Yoda, Boba Fett, Darth Vader, and 1 (of 2) Storm Trooper.

Next are my Marvel Mighty Muggs–Thor, Captain America, and Iron Man on the heroic side, Galactus on the villains’ side.  Sharing the hanging rack (from left to right) are Chip Harvey (named by a friend), a Burger King Yoda; a McDonald’s (I think!) Batman. Then Elvis-inspired M&Ms minis found at a drug store. Then Mike and Sulley (Sulley’s from McDonald’s, I’m not sure where Mike came from). On Galactus’ other side, a BGSU (my alma mater) falcon, and a plush Care Bear I snagged from one of those claw machines, that never got given away.

Some more Mighty Muggs, these from the Indiana Jones line. That guy who did the thing with the heart; a couple of Cairo Swordsmen, and of course, Indy himself.  Sharing shelftop space is an M&Ms dispenser, and the Marvel Legends Sentinel with X-Men Origins: Wolverine 3.75″ Comics Wolverine.

These are my oversized Heroclix figures. Spectre, Galactus, and Dark Phoenix were convention-exclusives in ’04-’06. Anti-Monitor came out last spring; the Sentinels and Sinestro-in-Ring-Construct came out back in ’02 or ’03.

Fin Fang Foom was the oversized Heroclix convention-exclusive in ’07. Here he’s holding a GCPD officer from the DC Infinite Heroes 3.75″ line…they’re presently filling space on my Marvel shelf.

Kilowog fills the space on another shelf between my zombie series and TMNT/GI Joe/Disney volumes. I forget which line he’s from–but it’s one of the DC Direct. I’d like to eventually add Hal, Kyle, and Guy…but we’ll see.

Here’s an Akira figure I picked up years back. This sits on one of my manga shelves (appropriately enough).

Mongul is from one of the older DC action figure lines from a few years ago. I think I had a Superman and Bizarro from the line–never did manage to snag the Cyborg Superman or Steel…still would sorta enjoy locating the ones from the Death/Return of Superman line from DC Direct, though. He sits on a high shelf with the background he came with, next to my Harry Potter paperbacks.

Thor here is the sole Marvel Legends figure I purchased after the line changed hands. As a fan of the Thor: Lord of Asgard period with the comics, this was far too cool to pass up on at the time! (I might eventually dig out my classic Thor, which was the first-ever Marvel Legends figure I’d picked up–and offhand the figure that started me back into occasionally collecting such toys back in my college days).

These guys chill on a computer that’s been waiting to get fixed up…if/when I do anything new with non-book shelving, they’ll probably have top billing there. Robin’s from the DC Direct Teen Titans line; Batman and Nightwing come from the DC Direct Batman: Hush line. I also have Commissioner Gordon and Alfred from this line, though haven’t had room to have them out yet. Nightwing was a birthday/Christmas present; I later tracked down these other two to complete the “set.”

This Superman was given to me by a friend years ago. When attached to the cord he came with (or fishing line) and properly hung from the ceiling, you flips a switch under the cape, give him a push, and he’ll zoom in circles around the area until the batteries die. Right now, he guards the freezer/fridge in the kitchen for lack of better place to have ‘im.

And though not comic related, Red here hangs out on the couch along with his (not pictured here) buddy Yellow. Though not to a serious degree, I’m also a fan of certain M&Ms stuff (if not so much the candy itself).

So, that’s a quick look at some of the toys around this apartment. I also have a bunch of Ninja Turtles, primarily from the 2k3 series; a small handful of 3.75″ DC figures, and a whole slew of Star Wars and Marvel Legends that don’t currently have any place to be displayed.

Filed under: Uncategorized | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment »

Old toys–AND new!

Posted on April 1, 2009 by Walt

Inspired by a friend’s post.

I dug out my old Marvel Legends B-a-F Sentinel, and with my new Wolverine (from the “comics” subset of the X-Men Origins: Wolverine movie toys) wound up staging the following “scene” while experimenting with camera angles and no background/etc.

The sentinel has caught Wolverine…or so it appears!

What to do with this mutant, hmm?

Perhaps blast it with the hand-ray thingie?

…or perhaps not, as Wolverine’s craftier than to be done in like that!

Cut off an arm, get up here and then…

…bring it down. Victory for the mutant! (and that arm? Who needs continuity, anyway?)

Filed under: Uncategorized | Tagged: , , , | 1 Comment »

Watchmensch [Review]

Posted on March 22, 2009 by Walt

Writer: Rich Johnston
Illustrator/Letterer: Simon Rohrmuller
Cover Colors: Matthew Vega
Publisher: Brian Kirsten
Published By: Brain Scan Studios

I wasn’t sure what to expect of this going in, but found a rather amusing spoof of Watchmen–the second such spoof I’ve picked up in the last few weeks. Unlike Whatmen?! though, this one was more to my liking with less of the Family Guy flavor of spoof.

This take on Watchmen follows the spoof-versions of the characters as they deal with events unfolding as related to Watchmen being released as a movie despite the troubles between the author and the publisher of a lot of his work.

There are a number of fun sight-gags (I especially liked this take on the visual/reasoning of the Dr. Manhatten character’s appearance) “borrowed” from the source material. On the whole, the art works really well and I have nothing that jumped out as complaint-worthy to me.

The story was more engaging than in Whatmen?! and worked a lot better for me. While this is a take on Watchmen, it also has its own story to tell, issue to be brought to attention. Other than the writer’s weekly rumour/gossip column, I don’t believe I’ve read anything he’s written as far as actual comics go–having read this, I now plan to seek out some of his other work.

This issue felt rather thin, and so when I flipped through, I counted 23 story pages and 1 page of mid-story material. Normally I’d consider that unacceptable for a $3.99 book…however, having the pages in the 9-panel-grid made each page feel like it had loads more content than the average mainstream (DC/Marvel) comic and thus feels like a far better value despite the price. Additionally, I was rather disappointed that we only had that one page–I found myself reading it, and would have read another couple pages in its vein if they’d been included.

All in all, if you enjoy Watchmen, and know much of anything about the history of the DC/Alan Moore goings-on, this ought to be a fun issue for you…and certainly comes off as smarter than other spoofs I’ve seen.

Story: 8/10
Art: 8/10
Whole: 8/10

Filed under: Comic Reviews 2009, Watchmensch (Brain Scan Studios) | Tagged: , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment »

Tales of the TMNT #56 [Review]

Posted on March 22, 2009 by Walt

Full review posted to comixtreme.com.

Filed under: Comic Reviews 2009, cxPulp.com, INDEPENDENT/SMALL-PRESS PUBLISHERS, Tales of the TMNT (Mirage) | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment »

Supergirl #39 [Review]

Posted on March 22, 2009 by Walt

Who is Superwoman? part three: Ticking Clocks

Writer: Sterling Gates
Pencillers: Jamal Igle & Talent Caldwell
Inkers: John Sibal & Talent Caldwell
Colorists: Tom Chu & Nei Ruffino
Letterer: Jared K. Fletcher
Asst. Editor: Wil Moss
Editor: Matt Idelson
Cover: Joshua Middleton
Publisher: DC Comics

This issue picks up on and deals with the ramifications of the “reveal” regarding Superwoman’s point of origin last month. We see her retrieve Reactron (who was earlier menacing his ex), and leave a scene that shows Supergirl that the stakes are quite high in this conflict. Supergirl converses with her mother and with Lana as she ponders her current place in things, and we begin to see the reaction of those who expect Superman and “get” Supergirl instead. Finally, Agent Liberty’s killer seems to stand revealed, prompting Supergirl back into action.

I’m not a big fan of Reactron–newish character I’m not all that familiar with; I wasn’t reading this title when he was introduced. However, I am quite glad to see that we continue to have all parts of Kara’s series/continuity recognized and not simply discarded. Though not a fan of Reactron, I can see how this character can come to be quite the menace for Supergirl, perhaps even on an ongoing basis (depending on how all the New Krypton stuff shakes out, ultimately). It’s interesting to see the continuing relationship between Kara and Lana, as well as the development of Kara’s relationship with her mother of late. I have no real complaint in terms of the story itself.

The art for this issue comes from two sources, and while that’s often not a big deal with me, it was quite noticeable, which is something I’m not all that thrilled with. Neither batch of art is bad or anything; it’s just that each is different enough that it’s a bit of a distraction (especially in catching myself curiously looking to see how Caldwell draws characters’ ears, since ears are the only thing I’m not all that thrilled with from Igle’s art).

The issue’s story holds true to the characters involved, and continues to build on stuff not only from New Krypton but also from stuff going on in the other Superman books, and makes for a nice, satisfying read. You need not be following the other books to “get” this one as this series’ stories can work on their own. There’s a lot more to “get” and enjoy out of this with knowledge of the other books, and having this as just another part of the much larger ongoing story being told across all the Superman books.

Story: 7/10
Art: 6.5/10
Whole: 7/10

Filed under: Comic Reviews 2009, DC, DC Universe, Supergirl | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment »

Azrael: Death’s Dark Knight #1 [Review]

Posted on March 22, 2009 by Walt

Full review posted to comixtreme.com.

Filed under: Azrael: Death's Dark Knight, Battle for the Cowl (Event), Comic Reviews 2009, cxPulp.com, DC, DC Universe | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment »

Ender’s Game: Battle School #4 [Review]

Posted on March 22, 2009 by Walt

Creative Director & Executive Director Orson Scott Card
Script: Christopher Yost
Art: Pasqual Ferry
Color Art: Frank D’Armata
Lettering: VC’s Cory Petit
Story Consultant: Jake Black
Pasqual Ferry & Frank D’Armata:
Publisher: Marvel Comics

Beginning this issue, I feel like I’ve missed something. I’m not sure if I simply missed an issue…or if there was a story jump that’s alluded to in the opening text, or what–but I found myself wishing there was a bit of a recap page for this issue. I’ve read the novel this is based on, so know what’s happened…just no memory of seeing everything in this visual format.

We pick up with Ender having been transferred out of Bonzo’s army and into another army, which opens up different dynamics between Ender and the other kids. We move through the incident of the younger kids getting away from the larger bullies in the battle room, and finally to where Ender–in the computer simulation game–throws the snake through the mirror and is set upon by many smaller snakes.

On the whole, the art continues to be good and fairly stylistic. The visuals are different than what I have in my head for these events, but I can let that slide with no real trouble.

The story holds up as well–though again, I’ve read the novel and so can fill in any gaps that I’d otherwise find myself missing. This definitely continues to feel–both visually and the story–like an adaptation. Yost and Ferry do a good job of holding to the spirit of the source material, though, which is indeed a plus in that department.

For the point of the story we’re at 4 issues in out of 5, I can only assume that we are indeed going to hve a series of mini-series adapting the entirety of Ender’s Game. However, I wonder at the same time if we might get a longer series combining both Ender and Bean for the next segment, as it seems likely that this mini will end not long after the two are introduced.

If you’re not already familiar with Ender’s Game or interested in beginning with something that is an “adaptation of” the work, this probably isn’t for you–especially for the price. Otherwise, this isn’t bad, and one could do much worse than revisit the story in this format.

Story: 7/10
Art: 7/10
Whole: 7/10

Filed under: Comic Reviews 2009, Ender's Game: Battle School, MARVEL | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment »

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