It’s a series I’ve barely read, but damn does it get some great covers… The image above, by Juan Ferreyra, will be the cover for Constantine #20. The issue, due out on December 10th, is written by Ray Fawkes and art by Jeremy Haun. Here’s the mini-synopsis:
It’s hate at first sight when John Constantine meets his Earth 2 counterpart!
(Got to love a to-the-point synopsis…)
This December, 23 DC Comics will be available with Darwyn Cooke-created variant covers. Five of them in particular jumped out at me, so here they are…
Batgirl #37
Batman/Superman #37
Catwoman #37
Detective Comics #37
Superman #37
You can find the other covers here.
Writer: Scott Snyder | Art: Greg Capullo, Danny Miki, FCO Pascencia, Rafael Albuquerque
The New 52 origin of The Dark Knight delves into Bruce Wayne’s past with the Red Hood Gang and his run-ins with aspiring District Attorney Harvey Dent!
Before the Batcave and Robin, The Joker and the Batmobile, there was ZERO YEAR. The Riddler has plunged Gotham City into darkness. How will a young Dark Knight bring his beloved hometown from the brink of chaos and madness and back into the light?
Collects: Batman #21-24 (Vol.4); #25-27, 29-33 (Vol.5)
I’ve always had a soft-spot for origin stories, as I’m sure many fans do. In Zero Year, Snyder et al, have created a very good, more extensive and explanatory take on the origins of Gotham’s Dark Knight. Other stories and collections have touched up this period of Bruce’s development from spoiled rich kid to crime-fighting genius, but none have done it this well. If you haven’t been reading the New 52 Batman, then I’d strongly recommend you start – either here or at the beginning of Snyder’s run. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.
The New 52 Constantine series has been getting some really cool cover, lately. The piece that will grace the 17th issue – by Juan Ferreyra – is particularly cool, too, because it ties in with the centennial commemoration of World War I…
The issue – published on this week – is written by Ray Fawkes, with art by Edgar Salazar and Jay Leisten, and colours by Richard and Tanya Horie. Here’s the synopsis:
John Constantine is no stranger to death, but he’s never seen it on this scale – a spell gone terribly wrong has sent him back through time to World War I! Unfortunately, he’s not the only mage in the trenches… and where death has this much power, black magic couldn’t be more dangerous!
You can check out a preview of the issue here.
I haven’t been keeping up-to-date on single issues from any of DC Comics’ New 52 series for quite some time. I did, therefore, only just spot this piece, which graces the cover of Constantine #15. The artist is Juan E. Ferrevra. I particularly liked the silhouette effect.
The issue is written by Ray Fawkes, and internal artwork is by ACO, Richard and Tanya Horie.
Here’s the synopsis:
John Constantine witnesses the horrifying reach of magic when he meets the world's wealthiest mage – a woman who’s been draining all the good luck out of her home city of Hong Kong and benefiting from the suffering of millions.
Series continues strongly into its fourth collection
Writer: Gail Simone, Marguerite Bennett (#25) | Artist: Fernando Pararin, Jonathan Glapion, Daniel Sampere (#20), Carlos Rodriguez (#20), Vicente Cifuentes (#20)
Batgirl struggles to continue fighting crime after being emotionally drained by the death of her brother, James, Jr. With her relationships with Batman and her father strained, Batgirl face one of Batman’s most ruthless villains, The Ventriloquist, alone.
Collects: Batgirl #19-26, Ventriliquist #1
Gail Simone’s run on Batgirl has been critically acclaimed from seemingly all quarters. As, actually, has most of her work. This was the first series written by her that I’ve tried, and it has been a favourite of the New 52 titles ever since. That being said, though, I’m not really sure how to write about it. So, I’ll keep this brief and to the point… It’s really good. Ok, that was a bit too brief…
I just caught this over on iFanboy’s “Best of the Week in Panels… 03/20”, and it made me laugh. So, naturally, I’m sharing it here:
The story is written by the great Geoff Johns, with artwork by David Finch, Sonia Oback, and Rob Leigh. It’s always nice to see that some writers haven’t lost their sense of fun. Justice League of America #2 is out now.
Writer: Gregg Hurwitz | Artist: David Finch | Inks: Richard Friend (#10) | Colors: Sonia Oback
The Scarecrow has returned to Gotham City, but he’s no longer the meek punching bag Batman is used to. The villainous genius has always preyed on the worst fears of his victims, but has refined his legendary fear toxin to even greater effectiveness and deadlier consequences. As the Scarecrow’s origin is unfurled, Batman must find out not only how to conquer this dangerous psychopath, but how to beat his own worst fear.
Collects: Batman: Dark Knight #10-15
This story arc, the first from New York Times bestselling thriller author Gregg Hurwitz, is simply brilliant. It covers some familiar Batman-Scarecrow ground (and also back story), but with a more contemporary, sinister edge. Hurwitz has taken a very psychological approach to the story (there’s not as much action as many comic authors inject into Dark Knight tales), and he really pulls it off, delving into the mind and past of both the Scarecrow and Batman. I was hooked from the first page, and blitzed through this in one quick, satisfying sitting.
Finch’s artwork, Oback’s colors and Friend’s inks are absolutely superb. Everything works together to enhance the story in every way: from the wonderful, clever use of shadows, shading and especially the facial expressions, to the effectively silent pages. For example, these two, from the first chapter, which were particularly powerful and moving:
Overall, then (and excuse the short review – I don’t want to spoil the story), this is very, very good indeed. Hurwitz’s story is just all-round, dark brilliance: the writing, artwork, everything comes together perfectly. This is, without doubt, one of the best Batman stories I’ve read. The series is a keeper once again.
Original Series Covers
For the review, I read the digital editions of the single issues, bought from ComiXology.
Writer: Brian Azzarello | Artist: Cliff Chiang (#7-8, 11), Tony Atkins (#9-10), Kano (#10) | Inks: Dan Green (#9-) | Colors: Matthew Wilson
Wonder Woman goes to hell! After playing Poseidon, Hades, and Hera against each other, Hades strikes back by kidnapping Zola and trapping her in the Underworld. It’s up to Wonder Woman — with a little help from the God of Love and the God of Smiths — to break Zola out. But what is Hades’ real game, and once you get into the land of the dead, how exactly do you get out?
Collects: Wonder Woman #7-12
I rather enjoyed the first collection of Azzarello’s run on Wonder Woman. Chiang’s artwork is great, and Azzarello’s story has some surprises and is a pretty interesting interpretation of Greek Mythology. Where the first collection, “Blood” was strong, “Guts” didn’t live up to my expectations as much as I had hoped – mainly because there’s a bit of a weak middle-section. Otherwise, though, this is still pretty interesting and it does end on a strong note.
Writer: Peter Milligan | Artist: Ed Benes | Inks: Rob Hunter, Rebecca Buchmann, Mark Irwin, Sal Regla & Dave Meikis | Colours: Nathan Eyring & Rod Reis
The Green Lantern Corps have existed for millennia, using the power of their will to protect the Universe. But the Red Lantern Corps, bearers of the red rings of rage, are much newer, and their mission far more destructive. The deadly alien known as Atrocitus formed the Red Lanterns to take revenge on the evil Guardian Krona, who was responsible for the death of his family and his world. But now Krona is dead, and mindless rage is all the Red Lanterns have left.
Collects: Red Lanterns #1-7
This is one of those series I waited for a long time before trying. I read the #0 issue, and thought it showed a lot of promise, so I picked up this first book. I still don’t think I really ‘got’ all of it, but it’s certainly an interesting title, and I think it has a lot of potential. It’s also made me want to try out all of the other Green Lantern-related series… So, as I’ve already got my hands on a copy of Green Lantern Corps, expect some more Lantern reviews to start appearing in the near future. Red Lanterns is pretty dark, well-written, and was a very enjoyable read.
Writer: Scott Lobdell & Tom DeFalcon | Artist: R.B. Silva & Iban Coello | Inks: Rob Lean | Colours: Richard & Tanya Horie & Hi-Fi
This first volume of Superboy takes us to the labs of Project N.O.W.H.E.R.E., where the scientists thought he was just an experiment – and a failed one at that. But with the combination of Kryptonian and human DNA, the Clone turns out to be more than just a set of data when his stunning powers was revealed.
Collects: Superboy #1-6
The first comics I read that featured Superboy were the first few Teen Titans issues. After a misplaced hesitation to read any of the series (the “-boy” made me wonder if it might belong in the selection aimed at younger readers), I decided to dive into the collected edition. And I was very pleasantly surprised.
An assassin’s brutal quest to regain his reputation as the Baddest of the Bad
Writer: Kyle Higgins | Artist: Joe Bennet | Inks: Art Thibert & Vicente Cifuentes | Colours: Jason Wright
Slade Wilson once ranked as the world’s greatest mercenary. But when his reputation starts to slip, and when a mysterious briefcase enters the equation, the man known as Deathstroke decides to carve a bloody, gory swatch across the DCU in a quest to show the world what exactly makes him the best.
Collects: Deathstroke #1-7
I first read a couple of Deathstroke issues when they were first published in the initial months of DC’s New 52 re-boot, and I found it… not bad. I couldn’t get too excited about the series, despite thinking it had potential. Given the cost of each issue, I had to drop it in favour of other titles. But, when I found a discounted copy of this book, I decided it was a good time to give it another try. I’m glad I did, but this doesn’t rank among my favourite of the New 52.
So, in these final months of 2012, DC Comics has decided another shake-up of the New 52 line-up is needed. In order to keep things nice and tidy, and limited at 52 titles, four more series have been axed: Captain Atom, Justice League International, Resurrection Man and Voodoo. They join Blackhawks, Hawk & Dove, Men Of War, Mister Terrific, O.M.A.C. and Static Shock in the New 52 dustbin…
Following less than a year after the (admittedly successful) Night of the Owls Batman series event, DC Comics is unrolling yet another – and this one’s even bigger. It is, however, the return of the Joker, so it will undoubtedly be pretty epic (especially considering what happened to the psycho at the start of the New 52). Here’s what Scott Snyder told LA Times’ Hero Complex, when asked about the Joker’s relevance to the series:
“To me, he’s the greatest villain of all time, because what he does is he forces us more than any other villain in comics, and any villain I can think of in really any medium, to look at our own worst fears about ourselves. So that’s the power he has over his enemies, is that he looks at you with these very cold eyes, and he sees the things you’re most afraid of in yourself, the things you’re most afraid are true about yourself, and then he gleefully brings those things to life and makes a case as to why those things are the total of who you are, and why you’re no good. You know, we’re only as good as our villains.”
I’m not sure that all fans will be particularly happy with the extent of the series, and there will be inevitable moaning about “having to buy so many extra/more issues/comics”. Well, that’s true, if you must have all the issues. I’m sure (at least, I hope) the overall story will be written in such a way that it won’t be absolutely necessary to read every single one of the issues. I’ve included the publishing schedule below – although, the cover images available and included below may contain minor spoilers.
(Images of the Joker leaked months ago, much to the chagrin of Snyder and Capullo, so I figured because they were already out there – and also on DC’s website – it wouldn’t be a problem to include them in this post.)
The first collected book of issues from the New 52 series
Writer: Dan Jurgens | Artist: Aaron Lopresti & Marco Castiello | Inks: Matt Ryan & Vincenzo Acunzo | Colours: Hi-Fi
The UN brings together Batman, Booster Gold, Green Lantern Guy Gardner, August General in Iron, Fire, Ice, Vixen and Rocket Red – a new group of global heroes, called: Justice League International.
With the growing presence of super beings around the world, the JLI are charged with promoting unity and trust. Their first mission is to discover the mystery behind the giant alien Signalmen who are appearing all over the globe. But can they reach that goal without killing each other first…?
This series, I think, is a little bit more on the extravagant sci-fi side of the comics spectrum than I usually like from my super-hero comics. It’s big and it’s insane, and it’s all about Saving The World from Impossible Odds. Together! As a new and naturally dysfunctional disparate team of heroes! So yeah. It’s a little trope-heavy. But, that’s not to say it’s not fun or devoid of good moments.
[Warning. This was the fourth review I wrote in one evening, in quick succession. So I’m a little more sarcastic than usual…]
One final selection, I think. Dark Knight because I quite liked it to begin with (before it lost its way). But with a high-profile new writer, Gregg Hurwitz, I thought I’d give it a try. Green Lantern New Guardians because it was recommended by a friend (it was not what I was hoping for, though). And Teen Titans because the premise of the issue was interesting and far more Batman-related than the main series. And I’m a sucker for a good Batman story.
One more selection of DC New 52’s #0 issues, which I read on a bit of a whim. A broader mix, I think, with a couple more thus-far not read series. There were a couple of surprises and a couple of very promising issues that have managed to change my mind. As a result, there are now some more series I will be checking out.
Review: Aquaman, The Flash, Green Lantern Corps, Red Lanterns, Superman, Talon
Writer: Dan Didio, Keith Giffen & Jeff Lemire (co-writer #5) | Artist: Keith Giffen & Scott Kolins (#6 assists) | Inks: Scott Koblish | Colours: Hi-Fi
Kevin Kho has become an unwilling participant in a war between Checkmate and Brother Eye as he is transformed into the One Machine Army Corp known only as O.M.A.C.!
This is just a quick review of this book. I originally picked this up because I remember Ranting Dragon reviewing a few of the issues favourably, so when I saw that O.M.A.C. would be appearing in Justice League International (another series I’m about to try), and found the collection at the Strand for a very nice price, I thought I’d give it a try. I’m glad I did, but I’m also sad to say that the series didn’t really do it for me like I’d hoped it would.
Collects: Issues #1-8 (Complete Series)
A bit more of a targeted selection of comics. A lot of fun ones, too: a great reinterpretation of a classic villain; two “heroes” fighting in the face of an alien invasion; zombies want to eat the braaainz of geeks; clandestine military outfits; some weirdness; and the families of super-heroes deal with a post-battle situation. I’ve been pretty busy and distracted all week, so I’ve only written short reviews – this is probably advisable, actually, as some of these are now a good way into their runs, so I don’t want to spoil too much.
Reviewed: Batman Annual #1, Extermination #1, Fanboys vs. Zombies #3, G.I.Joe #14, Monocyte #4, Supurbia #4
Bold, brash, and ballsy – an intriguing sci-fi comic series
Writer: Paul Cornell | Artist: Miguel Sepulveda & Al Barrionuevo, | Colours: Allen Passalaqua, Alex Sinclair, Peter Pantazis & Chris Burnham
Jack Hawksmoor, Midnighter, Apollo, The Engineer and Martian Manhunter comprise a dangerous super human police force whose existence is kept secret from the world.
This covert team of sci-fi super heroes must battle the Earth’s moon itself and find a way to hide its monstrous metamorphosis from the rest of the Earth!
I only picked up these issues because I was enjoying Demon Knights so much, and this series is also written by Paul Cornell (who is now also writing the superb Saucer Country, published by Vertigo). I didn’t know anything about Stormwatch, except that it had connections with some of the other New 52 titles and who wrote it. As it turns out, it’s pretty good, and quite fun. However, I think I prefer the two aforementioned other series of Cornell’s over this one.
