Welcome back to Graphic Breakdown!
We are more than halfway through February so things are looking up!
Let’s talk about Comics shall we?
Batman #17
Written by Tom King
Illustrated by David Finch
Well, this is quite a book. Tom King has been mostly an okay writer on this title…until the latest storyline called “I am Bane.”
For some reason, this story is really working and it is quite cool.
Maybe he finally found his rhythm, this has been great thus far!
Barricading himself within the walls of Arkham Asylum still might not keep Batman and his allies safe from Bane’s assault.
Which one of Bruce’s loved ones will be torn from him next?
King finally has also found a good use for Bane (the first since the Knightfall saga) and it’s working. Finch also seems to have dug out of his slump and it’s a good book all around.
This is part two of the story…can’t wait for part three!
RATING: B+
Aquaman #17
Written by Dan Abnett
Illustrated by Scot Eaton
This was kind of a disappointment. After a string of good issues, we come this is one…which is painfully dull. I wish it had more traction to it, but this title sank to the bottom.
Hopefully next issue it picks up again.
An ambassadorial visit to New York City is cut short when Aquaman senses a malevolent telepathic signal coming from deep within the city. An investigation pushes Arthur into the clutches of Warhead, a ferocious monster awakened during Atlantis’ war with the surface.
The art by Eaton doesn’t help matters. Eaton is actually a decent artist, but here the art doesn’t flow. Ah well. They can’t all be winners!
This title can get good when it wants to be. I hope it gets back to that place.
RATING: C
The Wild Storm
Written by Warren Ellis
Illustrated by Jon Davis-Hunt
Remember those weird characters from the Wildstorm universe you knew were second rate but you tried liking anyway?
Well, they are back! It probably doesn’t sound exciting…until you add in the fact that Warren Ellis is writing the title.
Then, suddenly, it become a whole pile of awesome. And then inexplicably, it’s at top of your reading list.
A troubled woman, barred by her employer from continuing her research, walks miserably through New York City.
It takes her a moment to notice that everybody else is looking up.
A man has been thrown from the upper floor of the Halo skyscraper.
And that woman—Angela Spica, sick from the transhuman implants she’s buried in her own body—is the only person who can save him.
What she doesn’t know is that the act of saving that one man will tip over a vast and secret house of cards that encloses the entire world, if not the inner solar system. This is how the Wild Storm begins, and it may destroy covert power structures, secret space programs and even all of human history.
This issue resets the Wildstorm universe. Ellis does a great job getting it going again. And the art is just magnificent. This is the complete package. I look forward to seeing where this goes, and the twists and turns ahead.
RATING: A
Harley Quinn # 14
Written by Amanda Connor and Jimmy Palmiotti
Illustrated by John Timms and Khari Evans
Another in a line of comic books featuring Harley Quinn’s hijinks. There’s nothing really new here. It’s fun and all. But it starts to wear on you after a while.
Red Tool lives up to his name and Poison Ivy drops by as Harley investigates what is happening to New York’s disappearing homeless population! And that’s all there is to it.
The art by both Timms and Evans is quite good however, and brings this whole book up a notch.
Seriously, you can’t get better artists than the ones that work on this title. I just wish there was some direction for it. Anyway, if you’re a fan you’ll love it, if you’re not you’ll roll your eyes, but you’ll appreciate it.
RATING: B
Superman #17
Written by Peter J. Tomasi and Patrick Gleason
Illustrated by Sebastian Fiumara
Sebastian Fiumara is awesome! I have never heard of him. His art is quite fantastic. It’s dark and reminds me of the old horror comics. It really stands out and makes a good book even better.
And the story is top notch as well.
Jon and Cathy go deep into the woods of Hamilton to find a horror that hungers for the new Superboy!
What they find may surprise them…and the readers!
The writing is spot on in this book as well. Tomasi and Gleason make quite a pair and together they made Superman great again. I hope they stay on this book for a long time. This has been a fairly awesome run and quite a surprise.
RATING: B+
Nightwing #15
Written by Tim Seeley
Illustrated by Minkyu Jung
Things slow down a bit for Dick Grayson in this issue and that’s not necessarily a bad thing.
This issue is more character driven than previous issues and it gives us a little more insight of who Dick Grayson is.
In the aftermath of the “Blüdhaven” story, Nightwing has embraced his role as the city’s resident hero and met a new love interest, leader of the Run-Offs—but is a relationship between a hero and an ex-villain destined for anything other than heartbreak?
The art is quite cool on this but feels a little more manga. Seeley does a capable job on the script…it’s not thrilling but it’s solid. Not a bad book overall.
RATING: B
Raven #6
Written by Marv Wolfman
Illustrated by Diogenes Neves
This book has been a nice little nugget that has been coming out each month.
Not the top book at DC, but a quiet, character driven piece. It’s a shame that it is the final issue.
Even if Raven is ready to make the ultimate sacrifice to save the city, does she have the strength to pull off such a victory?
Marv Wolfman can write a story like no other. After all this time he still has it. The art by Neves was also very good. There were some nice nuances and I’ll be sad to see this title go.
Let’s hope it’s not long before we see Raven again…and the talents of Wolfman and Neves.
RATING: B
He-Man/Thundercats #5
Written by Lloyd Goldfine and Rob David
Illustrated by Freddie Williams III
This is my guilty pleasure each month.
And it is a pleasure indeed. The writing is fun and silly but man, the art is incredible. Freddie Williams III outdoes himself on this one and I’m truly impressed each and every issue.
When the Ancient Spirits of Evil—behemoths enslaved by Mumm-Ra and Skeletor—attack Castle Grayskull, the crown jewel of Eternia, it’s up to Man-At-Arms, Panthro, Tygra, Teela, Cheetara, Wilykit, Wilykat, Snarf, Orko and a whole host of Masters to protect the Power of Grayskull!
Again, the art is something else here. Williams puts so much passion into this, you cannot believe it.
The details alone are just amazing. Read it. Fill your 7 year old child with glee. This is what you’ve never known you were waiting for.
RATING: B
Mother Panic #3
Written by Jody Houser
Illustrated by Tommy Lee Edwards
This has been a strange, worthwhile trip these last three issues.
This look at a different heroine in Gotham City is one of the most intriguing books on the stands. I love it. Jody Houser is a writer that deserves a lot of credit for creating this strange, new world. It’s great.
Mother Panic is hot on the trail of the murderous artist Gala!
Only one person stands in her way…Batwoman?! Is there a place for Violet among the heroes of Gotham City, or will her quest for vengeance take her down a darker path?
This issue also features an original “Gotham Radio” back-up feature by Jim Krueger and Phil Hester which is really wonderful as well.
Tommy Lee Edwards does a great job on the art. He will be missed when he departs coming up. He frames the world incredibly well and I’m just enthralled by his artwork. Pick this up and take a peek at one of the best books on the stands.
RATING: A
And The Rest…
Green Lanterns #17
Written by Sam Humphries
Illustrated by Eduardo Panisica
The art in this book by Panisica is quite phenomenal. It makes up for the ho-hum story. Still, it’s pretty to look at. With a better writer? This could be a top notch title. Right now?
RATING: B-
Lucifer #15
Written by Richard Kadrey
Illustrated by Lee Garbett
The art again in this book is very good. The story is decent as well…Kadrey could be a writer to watch. Together, they weave a unique tale of mysticism. A decent book overall.
RATING: B
Teen Titans Go! #20
Written and Illustrated by Various
Published by DC Comics
My seven year old daughter Callie gives this comic book an A plus. The stories are fun and man, it feels like the cartoon is alive on these pages. Fun for all ages!
RATING: A +
Unfollow #16
Written by Rob Williams
Illustrated by Mike Dowling
This is the book that proves Rob Williams can write! This is hell of a book. Why can’t he write like this on Suicide Squad? Also, Dowling is a hell of an artist. Thumbs up.
RATING: B+
Trinity #6
Written by Francis Manapul
Illustrated by Emanuela Lupacchino
The writing on this book is soft. It’s another case though, of a comic with okay writing and beautiful art. Lupacchino is a talent that I would love to see on a stronger book with a stronger writer.
RATING: B-
