Batman The Dawnbreaker #1 DC COMICS
Finally, a Dark Nights tie in that has something new and exciting. And while Bruce Wayne being given a Green Lantern ring is nothing new, the idea of young Bruce Wayne getting the ring just moments after his parents are killed is nothing more than inspiring. What young Bruce does with his new ring is amazing and raises a whole lot of questions. Young Bruce’s dialogs with Gordon are truly bad@## and his (brief) interaction with the Green Lantern Corps is wonderful. Special items of note … the fact that evil parallel earths have negative numbers, an appearance by the Black Lantern version of Thomas and Martha Wayne, and a full blown visit with the Batman who laughs. Sam Humphries has a fine grasp of his subject matter and Ethan Van Sciver is the perfect artist for this tale. I just wonder how many black markers Jason Wright went through to color this bad boy?! 8 out of 10 Grahams.
Hack/Slash vs Vampirella #1 DYNAMITE ENTERTAINMENT
An interesting team-up between 2 of Dynamite’s Femme Fatales starts off slow. Although the action begins minutes after Cassie and Vlad hit the strip and our two headliners run into one another, the pace just feels slow. However, Aldridge’s script does bring back one of my favorite Vampi villians, the Queen of the Blood Red Heart. And while I understand why Rapha Lobosco had to tone it down on a main stream book like this, I wonder what the presentation would have been if he had been allowed to go full blown 1970’s sexy Harris art on it. However, he does managed to capture one item of perspective that I find fascinating. And that is the height and build difference between Cassie and Vampirella. Check out the pages where Vampi lifts Cassie off the ground and you will see a wonderful example of artistic perspective. This is a title that has potential and worth checking out. 7 out of 10 Grahams.
Harley and Ivy meet Betty and Veronica #1 DC/ARCHIE COMICS
Sometimes you’ve got to throw common sense to the wind and say what the heck. Crossovers with the Archie universe are usually not all that great as you either have to change the Archie characters into darker versions of themselves or change their guests into more comical versions of themselves just to have everyone match up. Luckily, Paul Dini and Marc Andreyko have the talent to sidestep this issue and provide us with a very entertaining look into both sets of girls’ lives and come up with an interesting reason for their meeting. And while I am a bit confused by the new take on Archie (wasn’t a big fan of Smallville either) I enjoyed this. 8 Out of 10 Grahams.
Spirits of Vengeance #1 MARVEL COMICS
At one point in time, the Marvel Monster universe was a crowning achievement in the Marvel crown. But for years, it has been mismanaged and revamped until it was a pale version of its former self. However, this title seems to be trying to make all that right. Lets take a quick look at what Victor Gischler and David Baldeon got right. #1 – an unnamed threat of epic proportions to get the characters together. #2 – a mystery that needs to be solved to determine the threat. #3 – Johnny Blaze IS Ghost Rider and he rides a motorcycle! #4 – Son of Satan (Yes, I know and don’t care! Hellstorm is his name, not his title!) #5 – the return of Satana! #6 – a new Marvel stamp. (I got #31 Miles Morales but was hoping for a monster character!) This title is overwhelmed with potential. Hopefully, the storyline can keep moving forward. 9 out of 10 Grahams.
Iceman #6 MARVEL COMICS
Ok. Wow. The idea of having a Champions reunion to toast the Death of the Black Widow had me roped in from the word go. And this issue delivered everything it promised. And as I am not a regular reader of this title, it came as quite the surprise that Bobby Drake is gay. The subplot of the story of Bobby Drake trying to grasp what it is to be gay in real life. The subplot is handled well and shows another side to the super-human community as well. Now if I could just be able to look at this gimmick cover and not get dizzy. 9 out of 10 Grahams.
Dastardly & Muttley #2 DC COMICS
After the moral outrage had died down after issue #1, I decided to give this title a second chance. And this time I read it as a Garth Ennis story and not a revamp of one of my favorite cartoon spin-offs. And by doing that I found that is actually pretty good. The storyline is solid and I actually like the concept of the world changing around our heroes turning into some sort of Toontown variation. Even down to speech patterns and clothes. This is a title that is different and worth a look see. 7 out of 10 Grahams.
Charlton Arrow #1 CHARLTON/AC COMICS
Every now an then a title comes out that shoots me right back to a part of my past and thanks to the powerhouses of AC and Charlton Comics, I get that again. With a multitude of stories written and drawn by such famous names as Cuti, Staton, McKenzie, Butler, Kupperberg, Collins, Kennedy, Todd, and Torres. And with the return of such characters of E-Man, Michael Mauser, and Monster Hunter, I’m reliving the days of my youth! 10 out of 10 Grahams.
Before we leave you for today, I’d like to take a moment of silence for the late great Len Wein, who left us just recently. I only got the opportunity to briefly meet the man but he was very open and fun-loving and struck me as a fanboy who never truly grew up. To you, sir. You shall be missed.
