Each week the frog bros will be bringing you news, views and general musings on what is happening in the comic and book worlds. Mainly from the mind of Miguel but with some juicy titbits thrown in from Keirone, do check back regularly to see what's popping!
Paul - 29/04/2011 - Behind The Tear Gas and Slaughter - Joker HC
Every time I watch Christopher Nolan’s Dark Night, I feel a little sad that Heath Ledger is no longer with us. Prior to seeing the film, I didn’t really care. I remember when the news broke, it was the non-stop gossip topic, replacing Big Brother for a week, of a lot of my female friends, but I didn’t really know who he was. “He’s the guy from 10 Things I Hate About You” - “Australian guy?” - “That’s the one, also in Brokeback Mountain”.
It was only then I grew concerned he was playing the Joker. Whilst there is absolutely nothing wrong with being gay, making a gay cowboy is on par with messing with the work of Robert De Niro….or Jack Nicholson. …so you can see where my concerns started.
However, after watching the film, it is my belief that now, the Joker character for film died along with Heath Ledger….at least for the next 100 years….so are we to turn to comics for a continuation of the work started by Ledger?
I have to say that carefully, as the Joker graphic novel and the Dark Knight film are very separate bodies of work, despite their similarities with the Joker character…I think it just proves there are the required amount of dark minds out there in the entertainment business to bring us the best work.
Written by Brian Azzarello, (known for 100 Bullets and Hellblazer to name a few), the novel is told by Johnny Frost, a unknown criminal who basically wants to become a household name for his crimes.
The story features Killer Croc, Harvey Dent, The Pengiun, Harley Quinn, The Riddler and of course, Batman., however the caped crusader only appears a couple of times. This is more a story of what Joker is usually doing when our attention is focused on Wayne’s alter-ego. However, those wanting to see a epic fight between Joker and Bats will not be disappointed.
Upon his release from Arkham Asylum, Frost is sent to collect Joker and drive him back to town. Since he has been away, Joker has become unhappy at the disrespect shown by the people that should have been caring for his business….and he is determined to get his business back, and make sure people know not to mess with him.
Popping pills, snorting lines, shots, blowing up bars and killing his way back to the top….the Joker is definitely out of Arkham Asylum…and with this graphic novel, it is almost like everything Nolan wanted to show the Joker doing but couldn’t due to the age restrictions on the film, and for me, regardless of meaning to be similar to Ledger’s character, it is a beautiful way to remember him, and provide the sequel he is unable to.
Azzarello has really captured the unstable side of the Joker and written a befitting story that had me from page one, that saw my girlfriend completely ignored until I had finished it. The artwork has been done by Lee Bermejo, and to put it in the simplest terms possible, it left me speechless…..which is a little unhelpful when it comes to reviewing it.
The dark nature of the writing has been captured perfectly, and the seedy undertone of Gotham’s worst has been given the light they should be shown in.
Still not convinced? Well, don’t just take my word for it – head down to Frog Bros and buy it! You HAVE to own this. Period. No arguing. If you want to argue FINE come find me….probably in Frog Bros….telling you you’re wrong…..
Paul - 29/03/2011 - Spooky Alaska - X-Files vs 30 Days of Night
There are only really a few full on sins in the world. George Clooney as Batman...and that whole series of Batman films, Superman, I mean really - waste of a Superhero and so unbelievably predictable. "Oh no, I've fallen, oh actually it's OK this rock isn't made of Kryptonite". Also, Mr Kent, you may have noticed that most of the evil underworld looking to take you and your super buffed up posse on, they mostly have PHDs SO, with that annoying dog of yours being called Krypto it doesn't take much for them to start thinking of links to your weakness DONT HELP THEM. God I hate Superman. Anyway. Oh yeas, and also X-Files series 9.
Throughout X-Files, regardless of everything she saw and experienced, Scully was never a believer. There was always the scientist inside her just screaming that side of rational explanation to make her counter whatever she had just seen. As soon as Mulder goes...."Oh, I believe". It is also clear, it was never the same without Mulder, which is why the majority of the fans were pleading for one more hit, one more fix of Mulder and Scully. That they got in the new X-Files film 'I Want To Believe'.
Whilst this satisfied some X-Files fans, for instance my buddy Jim who was mostly happy because he got to see Scully on a boat in a bikini at the end, it didn't quite hit the spot with all. For instance myself. Due to goings on in the series, they weren't really able to bring Mulder back as he was. So whilst it was Mulder and Scully, it wasn't 'classic' them. So this has always left me wanting more....
.......until now.....
From September 2010 to February 2011, IDW ran a six part X-Files comic series. With a clash of another Sci-Fi favorite. 30 Days of Night.
Writer of the cult film, '30 Days of Night', Steven Niles teamed up with one of the top metal guitarists of our time, whom placed ninth in Guitar World's Top 100 Greatest metal Guitarists, Adam Jones. Jones is regularly credited for a majority of Tool's music videos. Thus creating a partnership seemingly capable of delivering what perhaps the remaining unhappy fans were waiting for.
The artwork has been done by Tom Mandrake, you may recognize the name from Marvel's 'Call of Duty: The Precinct', and his techniques and talents have bought the gritty, evil work at hand in Alaska to life in brilliant form.
The story line is a tense thriller keeping you hooked and wanting to be able to pick up the next one very quickly and has a perfect level of gruesome horror to satisfy both 30 Days of Night and X-Files fans, with some wonderful art work on the....unfortunate endings of some...
Mulder and Scully have been captured in their best form throughout the comic. Forget the last film, throw away the last two series, around about then. That is the Mulder and Scully in this comic, back to their true form, sharp as ever with the 'Mulderisms' and investigating the kind of case that best suits their odd attraction as a team.
During the second week of darkness in Wainwright, Skinner sends the meddling duo in to investigate, and hopefully stop whatever is happening. Now, we all know thanks to the twisted mind of Niles, what is going on - but can Mulder and Scully find out and stop it before it's too late? There is only one way to find out.....that's right...get yourself down to Frog Bros and order all six issues now!!
And tell 'em I sent you!!
Got a face like a Jigsaw? Got a death wish? Wanna really annoy a crazy vigilante? Then you could take lessons, and the best place to start is when I review Marvel's five part series of 'Punisher: In The Blood next week!..
Paul - 24/03/2011 - who you gonna call? - Ghostbusters Infestation
911 can’t help you. You’ve no choice. Nowhere to run. Nowhere to hide. If you want help, it’s time to call 555-2368.
Dunnnnaddduunnnnaaaaddduuunnnnnaaaaadddduuunnnnnaaaaa dada dadala DA DA (repeat, hum, bounce, sing out loud……then come back to me and carry on reading)
With Columbia University far, far behind them, the geek inside all of us has been crying out for another instalment of those cheeky, troublesome, proton pack shooting scientists. The third film…well that’s basically never going to happen, with Bill Murray even saying they’re too old. The game though was another example of Dan Aykroyd an Harold Ramis as accomplished writers and although was a fantastic game, left us all disappointed at no film. This left something. Something needed. Something that geek inside will never rest until they get. And Erik Burnham has now bought us the answer.
Released through IDW, my hopes for the story of Ghostbusters Infestation dropped immediately when I saw it wasn’t written by Aykroyd and Ramis, but I was curious so I purchased volume one and scurried on home with it wrapped in my arms like a small and delicate baby protecting it from the nasty rain drops of Bournemouth.
Upon reading I decided, Burnham has either found a secret lab and injected himself with the sacred blood of a paranormal exterminator or, and possibly most likely, been captured so many times by the stream crossing gang, he has had time to research their styles.
The story has been impressively written and once you start reading you are lost in it so much it feels as though it is being acted out by the original crew right in front of your eyes. Each character has their persona captured as efficiently as a ghost in the Ecto-Containment Unit. For example, in volume two, Peter shouts “Ray, I told you, Egon does the math before we do the crazy things! I swear this is gonna be Coney Island all over again!” when Ray is excited about getting to use a new toy.
And what characters there are that turn up. As well as the usual gang of Egon, Ray, Peter and Winston, they are joined by charismatic receptionist Janine and the Marshmallow man to name a few.
Burnham’s work has been bought to life to your eyes by Kyle Hotz, famous for his ‘creepy style’ which has seen him previously illustrate such characters as Ghost Rider. The artwork is seriously something to keep you staring at each page of the comic for hours before remembering you have to read the rest of the story. Hotz has pulled off a fantastic portrayal of all the characters, whilst adding a slight, almost dark, edge to each of them, and for this story the art and script are perfectly matched.
So, what is it about then? The atmosphere is a little tense within the Ghostbusters camp as they have a hell of a lot of poltergeists….and nowhere to put them. With the amount of energy needed to contain them, there isn’t enough in the power so they’ve had to stay in the traps in the basement of an old fire station for the time being. This seems to be the least of the gangs worries though as, whilst they are arguing, soulless ‘men’ are starting to reign on their city and cause them no end of trouble. Just when things couldn’t get much worse a devil woman and a familiar, but not so friendly giant marshmallow turn up…but is there someone to take him on and has he finally met his match? To answer that question you wil simply have to buy both volumes.
The two part comic is a must have for any comic book fan, especially if you happen to combine that love with the paranormal exterminators (and I still don’t think I have met one comic book fan that doesn’t like the Ghostbusters). The writing is enough to make Aykroyd and Ramis consider adopting Burnham as their love child, and the artwork will keep you hooked and open up the comic fan within you once again to want to dust off the sleeves of the ones hiding under your bed and re-visit some of your favourite friends.
So come on, once, for me…..all together now….who you gonna call?
FROG BROS!
That is right my pedigree chums, get yourself on that blower – volume one was released on 9 March with volume two released today (23 March). Let’s be honest, the weather has been rather lovely recently…so go on…treat yourself…..
Now, one last question. What happens if you cross Mulder and Scully with 30 Days of Night? Come back for next week’s review to find out!
Miguel - 21/11/2010 - play it again Superman - Superman: Earth One
Ok, so anybody who has read previous reviews or knows me in the slightest knows that I’m not a massive fan of the big blue Boy Scout otherwise known as Superman. Why are you reviewing this I hear you all cry or at least the two of you that I know will read it, cheers mum!! Well, I guess it’s down to two things really. Firstly, as much as I hate to admit it a part of me wants to like Superman and all that he upholds. Those of you in my age group will no doubt remember growing up with constant re runs of Christopher Reeve Superman films being shown over and over at Christmas and I for one started dreaming of flying around the globe and saving the world as a result. The thing was that it wasn’t about being cool or impressing the ladies, I saved that for the teenage years, it was about doing the right thing, upholding ideals and being a stand up guy. Superman was always incorruptible and served a greater good than his own which I guess struck a chord in a very naive 8 year old boy who was pretending to fly around a room with a towel tucked into his t-shirt saving the world in my own little way. That very small part of me that is tucked away deep in me wanted to give this book a shout. Secondly, as others might know I am a huge JMS fan from his days on Babylon 5 all the way through to the immensely entertaining Thor books at Marvel so I felt I had to give it a shout.
For those of you that don’t know, the Earth One series are original graphic novels set on an alternative Earth and will serve as a re imagining of popular DC heroes. What’s that I hear you all cry? Is this meant to be like the Ultimate universe in Marvel? Haven’t DC tried this with the all star line? Well, actually, yes is the answer to both of those questions and when I had initially heard of this project I was very excited. Geoff Johns will be handling Batman and JMS has just relinquished his monthly hold of Superman and Wonder Woman to concentrate solely on OGN’s like this one and has indeed signed up to write more Superman Earth One. This is where the problems start for me, this was billed as a bold re imagining of Superman legacy but in fact it’s been nothing like that in my opinion. The book basically boils down to a young Clark trying to find his way in life after college whilst shying away from his destiny as seen by his folks until a common alien enemy threatens all which galvanises him into stepping into the red and blue. Yaaaaawn!! Superman versus alien threat?!! Where have I seen that before? Oh yeah, everywhere. That is the book in a nutshell. The main villain in the story has absolutely no depth or any pathos whatsoever unlike somebody like Luthor so you don’t care in the slightest what happens to him or his cause. As a bold re imagining it simply does not work at all. It doesn’t bring anything new and is no better than what you might get from Smallville which quite frankly is an embarrassment. I can imagine the Superman faithful hating this book because it strips so much of that unflappable moral fortitude Superman is famous for away from him and leaves him as a bit of an angst ridden cliché. All that being said I found some merit and a little potential in exploring this side. Clark exploring the fact that he could have all the material things he could ever want if he decided to use his talents for self gain even though he wants to do it for his mother so that she can have a comfortable life. What if he was just a bit of a knob that was self serving? Wouldn’t that be a fresh and different angle to approach things from? Also, Krypton was destroyed by a neighbouring species in the book which also brings up an interesting angle of vengeance. What if he was just an angry, self serving brat looking to find his way in an alien world? Ok, that’s not new in the world of comic books but it’s new for the big Boy Scout. Let’s give that a spin and see where you can take him.
All in all, given the level of hype surrounding this book I would have to say that it quite frankly does not deliver. I’m ordinarily a big fan of Shane Davis’ art work but even that left me a little cold. It wasn’t terrible and you can very much see the potential in his work but it simply does not seem to ever hit the heights. The story itself didn’t get me going in any way but has left the door slightly ajar for what could possibly be an interesting take on the Superman mythos. JMS, you have much work to do if you are to save this one.
Over to Geoff Johns and his re imagining of Batman on Earth One, please don't mess this one up!!
This month we're all pretty excited over here at frog bros HQ, not only has our wall art been started we've also got our very first GUEST REVIEWER - Take it away Sam...
Sam - 21/11/2010 - introducing a book by it's covers - identity crisis
Any fellow comic book comrades out there, who like me are only just experiencing the the mind exploding, tummy fizzing, squeal inducing excitement being introduced to the medium and the plentiful bounty of wonderment it has to offer, may agree the initial voyage into the maiden waters of the comic world can seam overwhelming.
It's hard to know where to start first on your journey to knowledge and enlightenment in the field of Superheros, and all the adventures they have embarked upon in their history together.
Although reading the new endeavors of our favorite characters still provides an all encompassing injection of adrenalin, I still feel I get a little more out of it after I have learnt a little about their past, their previous trials an tribulations, their nemeses, allies etc.
So it is my mission to provide some directional guidance towards landmark novels in comic history to those who at present, may feel somewhat lost.
However it's always good to have variety, so we can throw in some new titles to balance out the retro.
My first review will be Identity Crisis;
This was introduced to me by a very good friend primarily because of the covers Michael Turner did for the 7 installments.
Even after you delve past the tremendously beautiful work of Turner and immerse yourself into the story, the art maintains a high level of impact.
I went into this journey blind, with no idea of what the concept was about.
For me this heightened the whole experience so I don't want to say too much in a bid to extend to you the very same opportunity, all I'm prepared to divulge is that this story is fantastically written, offering a homicide (<--- Arghh I know! The suspense!!) crime thriller that keeps you guessing from beginning to end.
In me it induced a plethora of emotions, the twists and turns take you on an exciting ride keeping you in a heightened state of suspicion, I laughed, I whooped, I even shed a tear (...although that stays between us ya hear!)
This trade paper back gives you the opportunity to see another side to the heroes in the JLA and provides an intriguing insight into their opinions of one an other.
From the works I've read involving the league I've only ever seen them project a united front, so I found it really interesting to hear character assessments about my favorite Heroes from those who know them best.
Even more enlightening was the morally controversial actions they were forced to take in allowance for the personality foibles the mightiest of theses heroes posses, all in the name of the bigger picture.
This book covers some sensitive and difficult subjects with dignity and grace, balanced out within this gritty tale also lies heart wrenching displays of unconditional true love, friendship and unwavering loyalty.
Reading Brad Meltzer & Rags Morales dissection of the frame composition at the end took my breath away, that attention to detail explains why the world of which your reading about utterly engulfs you.
Also exposing why on several occasions I was forced to pause for thought, as we are all unique in our perception with individual interpretations of what we read and see, I believe each one of us will take something different from a truly great graphic novel, of which Identity Crisis can easily be categorized.
Just days after finishing it I found myself reciting a quote from this moving read, to successfully comfort a friend who was in a low place.
For me that epitomizes the impact and influence this electric medium provides us with when done well,
Comics...changing the world, one series at a time.
Sam 21/11/2010 - blinded by the lights - batwoman elegy
For me the only women in the narrow segment of the comic world of which I have been exposed to so far who excite me have been the good/bad indecisive's Harely Quinn and Poison Ivy.
The discovery of an actual heroine intriguing enough to grasp and sustain my interest is something that has evaded me in the year Ive been actively perusing my comic education....
Until now!
Batwoman was an unknown entity to me, and my word, Elegy was a perfect way to be introduced!
Greg Rucka provides us with a thorough knowledge of her history, where she came from and what drives her.
He weaves this into an intricately layered story of which J.H Williams lll expertly illustrates in mind bogglingly beautiful form, ingeniously laced with hints and references through out as to the next revelation this remarkable read is intending to blow your mind with, just as you think you've recovered from the last.
I can honestly say I will definitely read Batwoman Elegy again, for I know I will gain even more out of it the second time round.
But I would want to own this item irrespective of this fact purely to be in possession of such a awe inspiring, imagination firing, sexually charged feat of artistic accomplishment. Truly breath taking!
You receive the same dark Gothicy atmosphere I love about reading Batman, with an unexpected injection of Charles Lutwidge Dodgson magic which I found heightened the unhinged nature of the character Alice, adding an exaggeration to her already sinister air.
Just like Batman, Batwoman is portrayed to reflect the terrific endurance the human spirit is capable of, using tragedy which could easily have lead to a downward spiral of self destruction to fuel instead a journey of ultimate triumph. Epitomizing the limitless possibilities we are all capable of when our mind, spirit and body work together.
Upon learning more about the character I used to describe as "A glorified Inspector Gadget" this is a trait I have long since admired in Batman, and is one I now admire in Batwoman.
Never before have I felt so strongly drawn to a female comic character, but I can safely say in Kate Kane I have not only secured that long anticipated excitement for a heroine I have also found a character I can learn from and aspire towards.
I was moved particularly by the Relationship between Kate and her Dad, almost moved to tears by the obvious love expressed through support, mutual respect, loyalty and acceptance.
I have taken influence from her courage in the face of adversity and motivation from her physical achievements.
I'm not insinuating I will now be donning a skin tight bullet proof all in one and becoming a nocternal crime fighter (well, not yet at least) but this is what reading a well written story and creating an exceptional personality does to the reader, it evokes emotion, forces you to look within your self, use your own life experiences as a point of reference.
My belief is that a greatly portrayed Hero/heroine forces you to look within your self and want to be a better person.
A fantastic example of such a prospective lesson and one which reflects my own moral beliefs, comes from a quote within the story. It is initially disclosed to us in the introduction by Rachel Maddow;
"When you act wrongly, you have to answer for it.
Without hiding, without complaint...That's integrity, and it is the foundation of honor."
If the world lived by the same moral code as Batwoman there would be no more bad guys left to hunt, great for humanity... maybe not so great for comics.
Keirone - 02/11/2010 - WOW - sweet tooth, volume 1: out of the woods by Jeff Lemire
Unlike my Frog Bro Miguel I love comics that don’t have a superhero (obviously I love the superhero ones too, or I’d be in the wrong game) but books that don’t have an obvious costumed hero really rock my boat.
Sweet Tooth vol.1 is just such a story, beginning with a young boy who by some obvious mutation is part boy part deer, obvious? The kid has antlers, the X-Men this ain’t. Anyway the book begins with a monologue from the boy, Sweet Tooth the main character of the story. The monologue delivered in a touching way that immediately connects the reader to the character gives a good grounding into what has happened thus far into Sweet Tooth’s life and his worldly outlook. Because of Sweet Tooth’s mutation he has been sheltered from, well pretty much everything, and I mean everything, living with just his father, his dad’s face is the only human face he can ever remember seeing, except for a haunting face that comes to him in dreams, and Sweet Tooth and his dad have lived in a wooden shack deep in the forest for his entire life.
Inevitably, as there is a horrible disease attacking the human race, Sweet Tooth’s father dies, leaving our young boy to fend for himself and for the first time go outside of his wooden compound, thus breaking one of the 5 rules set by his dad. Sweet Tooth travels through a post apocalyptic landscape meeting an array of characters the main one being Jepperd, the hulking owner of the face from Sweet Tooth’s dreams.
What follows is a spooky, violent, eerie but overall touching tale with an ending that just breaks your heart in two. The art is perfect for the book but then as it’s drawn and written by Jeff Lemire I suppose it’s to be expected, never the less to have both aspects of this book working so well together he is to be applauded.
I came late to Sweet Tooth, the single issues are now at no.14 and I have literally just got up to date and I have to say the series continues to keep up it’s opening high standards and keeps on finding strings to pull I didn’t know my heart had.
For those of you who prefer trade paperbacks Sweet Tooth volume 2 is pencilled in to be released on 14th December 2010 and if you read Sweet Tooth vol.1 number two will be a must have.
sweet tooth - volume 1:out of the woods £7.50
Miguel - 07-07-2010 - highly RECOMMENDED – american jesus, book one: chosen by Mark Millar
I must admit I’ve always been more of a super heroes in comics kind of a fan, so reading a book like this is certainly not the norm for me nor would I devote any of my spare time to anything religious in nature. Having said that, I was very surprised at what I found when I picked this up. If you are aware of Mark Millar’s body of work, for example Civil War and Old Man Logan, it tends to centre around one big idea which often makes for a roller coaster of a ride without too much in the way of characterisation. However, with American Jesus, Millar delivers his usual big idea wrapped in controversy but all the while manages to make you identify and care about the characters involved and the journeys they are on. The story revolves around a 12 year old boy named Jodie who through a strange set of occurrences discovers that he is in fact the returned Jesus Christ. The most enjoyable aspect of the book for me is that a fantastic job is done of keeping things grounded and just how aware you always are that although this is a farfetched tale it is very much about a young boy's journey through life, and that boy is a very human boy who is just as prone to our trials and tribulations. He starts the book by bunking off school with mates so they can go scouring for “stroke mags”, not very Christian but very endearing and a reminder of what it’s like to be a 12 year old boy, not that I ever did stuff like that!! As the book continues I enjoyed watching him grow into his new role and responsibilities whilst struggling with the ramifications and his own hormones. What we have here is a very contemporary story that is not only intelligent but also very funny. I personally can’t wait for the next chapter to arrive and if the rumours are true for a film version directed by Matthew Vaughn ( Kick – Ass ).
Highly recommended and only a snip at £7.50
Miguel - 07-07-2010 - superman 700 – another milestone reached
Before I start I should get one thing off my chest – I really don’t like Superman, never have and I doubt I ever will. He’s always been too much of a goodie two shoes and his rogues gallery has always been pretty terrible. Before anyone moans, Lex Luthor is a great bad guy but that’s about it. He’s just too powerful and soooo boring. The only times I can handle Superman are when he’s in a group like the Justice League or serving as an opposite in Superman and Batman titles. Why would I write a review then I hear you all ask? Well the honest answer is J.Michael Straczynski. I’ve loved all the work that he has done over the years with Spider – Man and more recently with Thor. I was never a Thor fan but his work on there was awesome so I’m hoping to see the same on Superman.
Superman 700 is broken into three parts the first of which is James Robinson wrapping up his two years of work and serves as an epilogue to the New Krypton story line. Let’s face it, New Krypton was rubbish and was a complete waste of time and this epilogue serves as a perfect example of what I hate about Superman. The dialogue was filled with sentimental nonsense and it was basically a few pages of Lois and Superman re acquainting themselves. Absolute twaddle.
The Second part has Dan Jurgens telling a classic Dick Grayson as Robin meets Superman tale. I’ve always enjoyed the Superman Dick Grayson dynamic and this served as a nice trip down memory lane. Again, it highlights the Boy Scout element in Superman that I loathe but I could just about read it because of my fondness for the Robin character and Dick Grayson.
The Third part is the main event and serves as the beginning to JMS’ grounded story line which is exactly what he tries to do by bringing Superman literally back down to earth. It’s a bold direction that he goes for but I’m not overly convinced with the reconnecting with Earth. I liked the panels with Barry Allen and thought they were well thought out but the honest truth is that it’s too early to give any indications as to how good this will or won’t be. I really feel for JMS as he’s coming off the back of some pretty poor story telling so it’s going to be hard for a writer even as talented as he is to rescue this franchise. I’m hoping that it will be great but quite frankly it also has the potential to be awful.
This book will be a must for collectors but if you’re like me and you’re hoping for a radical improvement in the franchise you will be disappointed. I would give it a miss.
Check in to read a review of JMS’ first Superman book in August.
Miguel - 14-06-2010 - batman 700 - a milestone reached.
It’s finally here, Batman 700 has hit the shops and at the helm is Grant Morrison. Morrison’s work not only on Batman but in general has polarised many readers but for me I couldn’t have asked for a better writer to cover the milestone issue of one of the most iconic and loved comic book characters of all time. Not only is Morrison on the book, but also we have the art work of Tony Daniel, Frank Quitely, Scott Kolins, Andy Kubert and David Finch. It all ties together beautifully as a homeage to this long running character and pays its respect to past, present and future iterations of not only Batman but also the artists Morrison has used on his run. The symmetry of it all will not be lost on anyone who picks this book up.
The story itself is the normal fair for Morrison, take a loopy idea and run wild with it. To be honest the story gets a little bit lost along the way and can easily be summed up as typical time travel jaunt but that’s not the point of it all. The story is broken into three chapters and covers the main Batmen in the form of Bruce, Dick and Damien (see what I mean about past present and future) so there is something for everyone. Each chapter is drawn by a different artist which brings a different life and pace to things. I love all three as artists and think that even though they all differ from one another they do compliment the writing perfectly. Quitely’s art work is immense and I have sorely missed seeing it after he finished his introductory arc to Batman and Robin.
Morrison litters the book with lots of lovely little touches that again centre around the theme of past, present and future. Whether it’s the reverting of the joker to the more slapstick George Romero-esque character from the loved 60’s TV show rather than the more homicidal and sadist version he has used up until now, the continuing development of the Dick and Damian chemistry as a new team or finally the future Batman in the form of a cruel and bitter Damian Wayne. All of this centred around a silver age character in the form of Dr.Nichols. What more could you ask for? A cheaper price I hear you all say !! $4.99 is not cheap but I think it’s worth every cent.
Here’s to another 700 more.
Miguel - 01-06-2010 - my first comic
An introduction:
As this is my first time writing here (or any where in this fashion) I thought I would give you a insight as to how comics first grabbed me.
The first comic I ever bought was the 200th anniversary edition of Marvel Tales which was a reprint of a Spider Man annual 14 and I was hooked from that point on. It was written by Deny O’Neill and illustrated by the legendary Frank Miller. I couldn’t believe what I was reading, magical realms outside of our own ruled by an evil dictator whilst two gallant heroes, Dr. strange and Spider Man battled to save us from them. I was mesmerised by Frank Miller’s creations of hordes of headless fiends clambering all over Spidey. It transported an 8 year old boy to a place I didn’t know existed and I have made that journey many times ever since. Let’s face it, we all like a good bit of escapism from time to time and I’ve never found a better medium than comic books. They’re just not constrained by financial budgets or technology so your journey can be as realistic and gritty as you care for or you can take a ride to the furthest reaches of your imagination, all for a couple of pounds a month.
Hopefully you will check in with us on a regular basis to see what journeys we are making and pull up a seat.
The cover still gives me goose-bumps!