Batman #5: One of the Best Comics I’ve Ever Read

One of the great things about being a comic book fan is when you find the perfect book that completely captivates your attention from beginning to end.

Comic book nirvana has arrived as Scott Snyder puts Batman through the wringer in a story with the Dark Knight battling his own sanity. Bats has been trapped in a dark labyrinth by the Court of Owls for eight days without food, water, or rest. He hasn’t bathed or shaved, his costume is torn up, and the white left eyepiece is missing from his mask.

The missing eyepiece is excellent because it allows us to see Batman’s true emotions as he faces unspeakable peril. Over the years, I always wondered if a punch or a kick hurt more than he let on or how horrified he was, if at all, when he examined a crime scene.

At one point, the lights inside the labyrinth are turned on, and a stylish Owl-shaped water fountain is revealed. Knowing it’s drugged, Batman drinks the water without hesitation. The mind games begin to take shape as secrets are revealed, and the horror is unleashed.

As you read the book, you come to a page layout where you have to turn the book left-side up to make sense of it all. When you turn from that layout, the next page is upside down, which looks like a mistake.

You naturally turn it right-side up to examine the page, thinking you are correctly holding the book again. As you continue to read, it takes you a minute to realize that you’re reading the previous pages repeatedly, thus experiencing and sharing Batman’s mental madness.

The ingenuity of it all was simple and brilliant. The artwork is almost in sync with the story, more than any other comic book I have read in quite some time. Even this early in the year, Snyder’s number 5 has all the makings to be the single best issue of the year.

Grade: A+

Amazing Spider-Man # 677 Review

The Amazing Spider-Man #677 | Writer: Mark Waid | Art: Emma Rios | Colors: Humberto Rios & Edgar Delgado
Publisher: Marvel Comics | Price: 3.99

Dan Slott takes the month off as Mark Waid places a little Daredevil magic on to the pages of Our Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man.
Peter Parker is doing his superhero thing while being down in the dumps over being kicked to the curb by Carlie.
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My Digital Illumination

While Wednesday is just the middle of the week for most, It is new comic book day for those of us who live vicariously through 32 pages of color, action, and adventure. Yours truly lived in a galaxy far away at the local comic book shop when the average kid dreamed of being the next Babe Ruth at Little League. Hell, I still live in a galaxy far, far away while most spend their time being responsible adults. The Comic Book Shop is more than just its namesake. It’s a gathering for those who crave to escape from the everyday grind and socialize with others in the same boat. However, that may be coming to an end due to the rise of digital comic book sales. Continue reading “My Digital Illumination” →

Fatale #1 Review

Ed Brubaker’s Fatale combines 1950’s noir with the horror approach of H.P. Lovecraft to bring us a crime story. We begin at renowned author Dominic Raines’ funeral, coordinated by his godson, Nicolas Lash. As Lash leaves the gravesite, he bumps into an eye-catching woman named Jo, who reveals a connection to his family.

Later on, catastrophe enters Nicolas’ life going eighty miles an hour as car chases, explosions, attempted murder, a killer airplane, and lost body parts set the stage for a trip to the past that begins to unravel a mystery.

If you are looking for something besides the superhero thing, look no further because this is it! This is not a story you can simply skim through as you really need to read every word balloon and examine every panel to truly take everything in and enjoy. To drive the point home on how good of a tale this is, my wife is an avid book reader who never picks up a comic book.

She read this one and can not stop talking about it and feels February is too long to wait for part two to be released. I completely agree, and so will you if you pick it up.

Grade: A-

Daredevil #7 Review

Mark Waid’s run on Daredevil has been simply amazing, and lucky number seven is no exception. Matt Murdock takes some students from the Cresskill School for the Blind on a field trip that quickly turns into a quest for survival.

Harsh weather conditions render Matt’s powers next to useless, and the terrified children create some tense moments page by page. Waid’s script and Rivera’s complimentary artwork shows the gravity of a tense situation that makes you wonder how he will get them out of this one.

I also found myself thinking about how anyone could find success in that situation, considering the circumstances. This book will have you on the edge of your seat from beginning to end, which all great comic books accomplish.

Grade: A-

Star Wars: Agent of the Empire – Iron Eclipse #1 Review

Star Wars: Agent of the Empire – Iron Eclipse #1 | Writer: John Ostrander | Art: Julien Hugonnard-Bert & Stephanie Roux
Colors: Wes Dzioba | Publisher: Dark Horse Comics | Price: $3.50

One thing that is awesome about the Star Wars comic books is the ability to enjoy new adventures in the expanded universe. Most of them have the same theme of Jedi vs. Sith and Empire vs. Rebellion. Agent of the Empire is something I haven’t seem come down the pipe in a while. Worry not for those who fear change, you will absolutely scream “Now that was a Star Wars book!”
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WCW S.L.A.M. FORCE #1 Review

I can’t believe I forgot about this gem produced by World Championship Wrestling and released by Marvel Comics. S.L.A.M. Force (Secret Legion Against Monsters) was a group put together as a covert group to battle supernatural forces of evil. The members of this elite fighting forces is an interesting selection, to say the least.

Their first mission takes them to Antarctica where our warriors of the squared circle have to stop some bad guys from uncovering the missing link and using its powers for world domination. These comic books came with each purchase of a Slam Force action figure. The story is cheesy but it’s “Great Expectations” compared to the Ultimate Warrior’s comic book. Now, let’s meet our heroes.

sf_benoitcomic — Chirs Benoit: Kind of has a Wolverine thing going on. Makes sense since it was his nickname

sf_nashcomic — Kevin Nash: Has a rock & roll Thor type of character. The giant hammer is appropriate since he is in a Sledge Hammer match this Sunday and it can be used in burying people which he is an expert at

sf_gbergcomic — Bill Goldberg: “Hulk Smash” first & asks questions later. Makes an error or two for a poor lack of judgement in the book

sf_hartcomic — Bret Hart: Marvel gave him the Hawkeye treatment. No powers. Expert with an bow & arrow. Makes sense since his name is the “Hitman”. I just don’t know how we can expect him to fight the forces of evil with the guy who ended his career in Goldberg

If you would like to read the book in its entirety then click here

sf_stingcomic — Sting: They and made him Morbius. He is the leader of this pitiful little band.

Man of Steel vs. Faith of Man

In pop culture folklore, Superman is Earth’s greatest hero. Anyone can quote his mythological attributes of being faster than a speeding bullet, more powerful than a locomotive, and able to leap tall buildings in a single bound. Over the years, the last son of Krypton has taken a back seat to superheroes such as Iron Man and Batman.

Society’s disillusionment with Superman stems from a lack of realism in which he solves the world’s problems. Being able to jettison an aircraft carrier into outer space with the ease equivalent to us mere mortals throwing a roll of toilet paper is lost on people. Or, maybe our ability to suspend reality has been severely limited to the complexity of the times we live in today?

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HEART #2 Review

Oren “Rooster” Redmond has tasted the fight life, and he never wants to go back to the 9-5 grind ever again. The second installment of this mixed martial arts tale chronicles Redmond’s journey from amateur to professional fighter. We meet the entire cast of characters at the gym where he works out, and they all have their own little story.

The life of a professional MMA fighter is brutal as the training is some of the hardest in all sports. It’s something you need to be 100% committed to to be successful. Redmond doesn’t want to be another weekend warrior or some guy who likes wearing skin-tight Tap Out shirts. He wants to be a world champion, and he is going to enjoy the ride. We discover how Oren got the nickname “Rooster,” and we see him in his first professional bout.

If you watch G4, you know Blair Butler is a huge fight fan. Speaking as someone who has dabbled with MMA training, Butler’s approach is pretty authentic, and her insight shows in her writing. It was a smart move to only make this series a limited run. That’s not a knock at all. The story can become redundant since it lacks a little of that comic element that fans long for. Anyone who is a fan of MMA or looking for something different on Wednesdays will not be disappointed.

Wolverine #19 Review

I almost can’t put into words how good this issue was and how much I enjoyed reading it. I’m not going to say too much because you should just take my word for it and buy this book.

It was just one big adventure that has everything a comic book fan loves. Wolverine, Fat Cobra, and Gorilla-Man are hiding inside the stomach of three dragons, using them as a disguise to break into Jade Claw’s secret hideout.

If that doesn’t hook you, then I don’t know what will. The art and colors are wonderful, and one of the panels on the last page is a bar scene where one of the dragons poke their head in the window and takes a sip of Fat Cobra’s 24-ounce beer mug.

The conclusion shows an unknown group of people looking at various targets, and they get the word they have to take out our adamantium-clawed Canadian. These last few pages really put over how much of a badass Wolverine is. I’m done typing, please; just buy it right away. It is the must-read Wolverine book of the year!