Reviews of the comics I checked out this week.
Whether inspiring or disappointing, I read them all.
Welcome to The Pull List.
Detective Comics #1
Writer: Tony S. Daniel
Art: Tony S. Daniel & Ryan Winn
Color: Tomeu Morey
Publisher: DC Comics
Price $2.99
You can either go big or go home and Detective Comics shows you don’t have to play it safe with an introductory title.
Tony S. Daniel sets a Dark Knight kind of tone to the book.
Lines such as “I AM GOTHAM” gave me that record scratch moment as I looked at the cover again to see if Frank Miller’s name was on the cover.
This is not a knock on the script at all. The art work depicting Gotham City had great color and is appropriately dark.
The formula is an oldie but a goodie. The Joker is on a killing spree and Batman is trying to stop him, while being chased by the GCPD. Gordon and Batman have a “working” relationship but not the full blown trust we are used to seeing. The Joker is now an unfamiliar foe to Batman and it was intriguing to watch him stress over the Clown Prince of Crime’s murderess motives. Batman had a better handle on him than anyone else before Flashpoint and now that understanding is gone. Alfred’s character has a makeover which is sure to be interesting and a new villain named Dollmaker, whose specialty is cutting off people’s faces, enters the fray and makes a lasting impact on the Joker and the Batman universe which is sure to make people come back for more.
***
Fear Itself: Wolverine #3 of 3
Writer Seth Peck
Art: Roland Boschi and John Lucas
Colors: Dan Brown
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Price: $2.99
The third act of this Fear Itself tie-in sees Wolverine down and almost out as he is chained to a nuclear warhead targeted for New York City.
S.T.R.I.K.E. team leader, Sutton, is losing the confidence of his team as he starts making insane decisions that have nothing do with the mission objective.
Sutton’s team uncovers a shocking discovery that reveals who they have been truly working for all along. Logan has to stop the warhead from reaching the big apple while trying to use a pending S.T.R.I.K.E. mutiny to his advantage.
I generally don’t read tie-in books in conjunction with a major cross over event because they often have no real impact on the main story. Wolverine’s Fear Itself tie in has no real impact either.
However, it’s an entertaining read and that is one of the main reasons why we read comics in the first place.
***
X-Men #17
Writer: Victor Gischler
Art: Jorge Molina & Norman Lee
Color: Guru EFX
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Price $2.99
Part two of “Betrayal in the Bermuda Triangle” shows The Future Foundation and X-Men stranded on a strange island with Dinosaurs, blue tigers and alien invaders with dangerous weapons technology.
Thing, Wolverine and Pixie run into Skull the Slayer who informs them he has been trapped on the island for three years while Cyclops, Emma Frost and Sue Richards stumble upon aliens called the Scorpius. The Scorpius Emperor has evil intentions on conquering world. The last page reveals a traitor within the ranks of our Marvel team up. No complaints with the art work and the dialog was just fine.
***
Swamp Thing #1
Writer: Scott Snyder
Art: Yanick Paquette
Publisher: DC Comics
Price $2.99
A terrible shrieking noise causes birds to fall from the sky in Metropolis, bats are bleeding out in the Batcave and fish are dying in Atlantis, which draws the combined attention of Superman, Batman and Aquaman.
Superman visits Dr. Alec Holland attempting to find answers on what caused this strange natural disturbance. Holland chalks up the occurrence as a morbid hiccup. Holland is also having a difficult time finding himself due to having memories of a past living as Swamp Thing, which he believes are not his own. A new environmental threat emerges that may force Alec to reconsider his position on things.
Snyder’s script was good but not great. The artwork on the last eight pages really stands out as the detail through the book is outstanding. Best cover of the week in my opinion.
This was my first time reading a Swamp Thing comic book. Hardcore fans will enjoy this very much but I wonder if this has the juice to keep a new reader like myself hooked long term. I think it’s worthy of second chance as most new books need to crawl before they can walk.
