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Vibe #4 – Review

Posted on May 20, 2013 by Minhquan Nguyen

VIBE #4

By: Sterling Gates (story), Manuel Garcia (pencils), Fabiano Neves (art), Sandra Hope Archer (inks), Brad Anderson (colors)

The Story: It’s not every day you meet a cute girl while chasing after extraterrestrial travelers.

The Review: From the moment Vibe agreed to work with A.R.G.U.S., we always knew shis collaboration would end in bitterness and disappointment at some point.  No relationship can function without trust, and A.R.G.U.S. has never been upfront with Cisco about much of anything.  But once the truth comes out, as it inevitably must, what can he, the least experienced and most naïve member of the Justice League of America, do about it?

The title has done Cisco a favor by speeding up that inevitable conflict.  Given how obvious both Gunn and Waller have been in their deceptions, our hero would look pretty dumb if it took a couple arcs for him to catch on—especially with his brother, Kid Flash, and now a mysterious dimensional breacher (named Breacher, confusingly enough) all telling him A.R.G.U.S. isn’t to be trusted.
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The Real Thing – ft. Gur Benshemesh (Part 3)

Posted on May 18, 2013 by Minhquan Nguyen

SILENCE & CO. PAGE 2

Welcome back to the Real Thing and part three of our chat with Gur Benshemesh.  Today we talk about the the drug business in South America, and the sexual appeal of smart women.  Details of Silence & Co. will be discussed during the interview and may spoil parts of the story for those who have not yet read the work.

——-

The bulk of the story takes place in Columbia and you do a great job showing how pervasive and institutionalized the drug market is there.  You show these street gangs kind of taking over the roles that big drug cartels once had.  Does that reflect the actual situation on the ground over there?

I really like South America.  I spent a fair amount of time there and visually, it’s an amazing place.  It’s got a really amazing energy there, and I thought the story benefited from tapping into that energy, and contrasting it to New York.

In terms of the gangs, when I was at USC, I did a very interesting general education course all about urban street gangs and it was taught by a fascinating professor who was this little, nerdy, college professor-looking guy.  He had spent six years for sociology purposes with the Mara Salvatrucha, which is the most hardcore Salvadorian street gang in L.A—crazy, crazy guys who drive-by’s and stuff.  It was one of the most fascinating terms I had in college and it left me with a long-term interest in this topic.
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Batwoman #20 – Review

Posted on May 18, 2013 by Minhquan Nguyen

BATWOMAN #20

By: J.H. Williams III & W. Haden Blackman (story), Trevor McCarthy (art), Sandu Florea (inks), Guy Major (colors)

The Story: If you start thinking you can take the Batman alone, you need an intervention.

The Review: My favorite thing about this title is its willingness to allow all its characters to have a voice in the story, to make decisions and have a life that isn’t dictated by Batwoman’s actions.  That’s not to say the series doesn’t take on an additional burden with that.  The more rounded and independent characters you have, the more attention and development they demand.  By taking on a life of their own, they can shift the story in ways the writer didn’t intend.

While Williams-Blackman obviously have an interest in explaining how the D.E.O. came by Batwoman’s sister in the first place, I’m not sure that merited a six-page long, somewhat rambling narrative from Chase.  It really opens up more mysteries than it closes, as we don’t know how the Religion of Crime got their hands on Beth or even how she was revived.  Bones admits that where the sarcophagus in which she was found is concerned, “Hell, we still can’t figure out if it’s magic, or alien tech, or something else entirely.”
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Wonder Woman #20 – Review

Posted on May 18, 2013 by Minhquan Nguyen

WONDER WOMAN #20

By: Brian Azzarello (story), Cliff Chiang & Goran Sudzuka (art), Matthew Wilson (colors)

The Story: Diana versus Diana—round two.

The Review: I don’t believe I’m the first to compare the kind of intrigue that goes on in this title to that shared by any good mafia story, where family affections and attachments are ultimately subordinated to ruthless power plays, suspicion, and constant backstabbing.  This free-for-all is made even more interesting by the building of alliances, their eventual dissolutions, and the new ones that take their place.

In Wonder Woman, we’ve got a few set camps and their dear leaders: Apollo with Artemis and Dionysus representing the current Olympian regime; Hermes partnered with Demeter in a mission from some undisclosed higher power; Poseidon in cahoots with the First Born, who plans to retake Olympus for himself; and then Diana with her merry little crew.  Although all of these folks are related in some manner, only Diana’s group functions like a family—a “weird, wonderful family,” as Zola says.
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Avengers: The Enemy Within #1 – Review

Posted on May 17, 2013 by Minhquan Nguyen

AVENGERS: THE ENEMY WITHIN #1

By: Kelly Sue DeConnick (story), Scott Hepburn (art), Jordie Bellaire (colors)

The Story: It’s a pretty sweet life when you can call upon a god for lizard control.

The Review: I always find it rather irritating when instead of continuing a storyline in its own title, from which it originated and where it rightfully belongs, it carries over into a different title or into a new series altogether.  Seems like a mean way to force a reader to fork over some extra money to buy into books he wouldn’t ordinarily ever consider getting.  It’s only ever worth it if the story is truly big and critical enough to require extra page-time elsewhere.

At this point, it doesn’t seem like DeConnick’s story of Captain Marvel’s latest crisis fits that bill.  This issue doesn’t have any significant difference from a typical issue of Captain Marvel, either in tone, substance, or structure.  It simply follows from the events of Captain Marvel #12 and does little to expand the scope of the plot any further.  In fact, there’s no reason for Marvel to split this story into a mini besides taking advantage of the Avengers brand to boost sales and attention to an ever-weakening property (Captain Marvel ranked #120 in March, compared to #42 when it first debuted in July 2012).
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The Real Thing – ft. Gur Benshemesh (Part 2)

Posted on May 17, 2013 by Minhquan Nguyen

SILENCE & CO. PG 1

Welcome back to the Real Thing and part two of our chat with Gur Benshemesh.  Today we talk about the tension of having a moral compass in the mafia, and when killing your family may be the most sensible option.  Details of Silence & Co. will be discussed during the interview and may spoil parts of the story for those who have not yet read the work.

——-

When we meet Alexander Marazano, the protagonist of Silence & Co., he’s already pretty disillusioned by the work he does and yet he seems pretty committed to the work.  How do you explain that tension?

In terms of the character arc that I was trying to work with Alex, we meet him at a very interesting point.  He’s in his late twenties and he’s done the mob thing and the army thing and now he’s back [in the mob] and at the top of his game, but he’s starting to question it.  There is money, there is women, and there is power and there is big houses, but there’s always a cost to everything to being part of that world and maintaining that power.  He sees Vincent, his dad and this big mob boss, and Saul, his uncle and this rich and powerful mob figure, and he’s not sure whether he wants to follow in their footsteps and become the biggest and baddest name in the mafia, or whether it’s not for him and he wants to go off and find something on his own that isn’t a legacy from his family.

He sees that yes, there is power and money and it’s glamorous, but the day-to-day is simply not worth it.  That’s the discovery he makes, but every person has to make that decision for himself, right?  Donald Trump apparently still needs more money and more power and bigger hair and more hairspray.
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Star Trek: Into Darkness – Movie Review

Posted on May 16, 2013 by Minhquan Nguyen

STAR TREK: INTO DARKNESS

By: Far too many to list, of course.  IMDB it.

The Story: The U.S.S. Enterprise considers starting a tab a the repair shop. 

The Review: Hold on to your keyboards, because I’m about to make a pretty big confession, a shocking one in our proudly geeky world.  I like Star Trek better than Star Wars.  There—I said it.  Mind you, I’m not saying that one is better than the other.  For whatever reason, I just resonate more with the spirit of Star Trek and the values it embraces.  Corny as this sounds, I love that it tries to give us a vision of humanity at our very best, of a brighter future ahead.

The last movie, delightful and entertaining as it was, didn’t quite capture that spirit.  Instead, it went for balls-to-the-wall action, fueled by youthful energy, warm humor, and deeply touching emotions.  It was a great film in its way, opening the franchise to a wider audience than any Trek film could previously imagine, but in the process it minimized the higher calling and mission of the series.  The critical question for its sequel, then, is whether it will continue to capitalize on the spectacle that renewed its reputation or will it return to the principles that made the original premise culturally relevant.
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Arrow S01E23 – Review

Posted on May 16, 2013 by Minhquan Nguyen

ARROW S01E23

By: Greg Berlanti, Marc Guggenheim, Andrew Kreisberg (story)

The Story: Sometimes it feels like your whole world is tumbling down around you.

The Review: Phew.  Let me tell you: covering a TV series from start to finish requires quite a bit of commitment, and the task is made even more difficult by a show like Arrow, which is still, even here in its first season finale, trying to find itself.  It’s a show that’s got so many genres and elements mixed together that finding the right balance among them all could take another season or so yet.  But here, it proves itself worthy of investing in its evolution, however long it takes.

This episode works because while it has the same over-the-top energy that defeated the show’s credibility in other instances, it channels that energy in all the right places.  Malcolm’s speech to a trussed up Ollie starts as a drag of a villain’s monologue, crowing and condescending at the same time: “You can’t beat me, Oliver.  Yes, you’re younger, and you’re faster, and yet you always seem to come up short against me.”  But after all that’s out of the way, he reveals his choicest lines: “You want to know why?  Because you don’t know in your heart what you’re fighting for—what you’re willing to sacrifice.  And I do.”
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The Real Thing – ft. Gur Benshemesh (Part 1)

Posted on May 15, 2013 by Minhquan Nguyen

SILENCE & CO.

Gur Benshemesh, a native Londoner who now lives in Amsterdam, started his career in screenwriting.  His short screenplay, Morgan Street Watch Company, received critical acclaim and won prizes at several film festivals, including the Colorado Film Awards, the New York Screenplay Contest, and the Oregon Film Festival.  Now he’s venturing into the comic book world.  His first graphic novel, Silence & Co., follows Alexander Marazano, a member of an Italian mobster family, as he makes his name as an internationally renowned hit man.  Along the way, he comes to terms with the nature of his work and his own moral compass.

This interview has been edited and abridged for purposes of length.  Details of Silence & Co. will be discussed during the interview and may spoil parts of the story for those who have not yet read the work.

——-

Silence & Co. is your first graphic novel, yet you got some pretty big names to collaborate with you on the project.  Ron Randall, who does the art, is a mainstay at both DC and Marvel, and your letterer John Workman and cover artist Steve Lieber have both won Eisner Awards.  How did you get them to work with you?

Funnily enough, these things are sort of one step at a time.  I got talking to a couple of guys who put me in touch with Ron; they thought he’d be a good creative match for the project.  He read the script and reacted very strongly to it; he’s kind of into that action-y, hit man, secret agent type thing.  He did some test pages for us and they just looked fantastic.  Once the art started coming through, Ron, I believe knows John Workman through some other work they did together and he sent him a couple pages and John was really, really excited about the book.  Again, it was just a dream—it worked surprisingly smoothly.  From what I understand, Ron is a studio mate at Periscope Studios with Steve Lieber, so we got him to do the cover, which I think came out fantastically.
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WCBR’s Top Picks

Posted on May 15, 2013 by Minhquan Nguyen

Dean’s Top Picks

FF #7

Best of the past week: Batman #20 - Magical things can happen when you ask Greg Capullo to draw gloppy villains like Clayface.  Some artists draw the villain like a man dipped in oatmeal, some make him big an scary looking, but nobody does gloppy and oozy as well as Capullo.  Mix that together with a romp of a story and you’ve got a good issue that serves as a nice palate-cleanser before an 11-issue Year Zero storyline.

Most anticipated this week: 1). FF #7 – Honestly, I didn’t have much hope for FF when Matt Fraction took over as writer, but I’ve found FF to be really enjoyable.  Probably 95% of my enjoyment is due to the Mike/Laura Allred art team, but still, sometimes a smart writer simply stays out of the way.

2). Vescell #8 – It hasn’t been coming out regularly , so I don’t remember what the story in Vescell really was about beyond it involving a private investigator, his girlfriend who was banished to limbo and his sexy fairy partner who will lose her wings if they “you-know”.  I do remember enjoying the series though and in a very light week, that’s enough to be #2 on the list.

3). GI Joe: Special Missions #3 – Even though Paul Gulacy’s art has been really stinko, just read it fast and pay attention to the story.  Chuck Dixon rarely tells a lousy Joe story, so just don’t look too closely at the faces and you’ll enjoy yourself.

4). Dream Merchant #1 – It’s a new series by Nathan Edmondson from Image, so it’s worth checking out.  It also appears to have nothing to do with the military or the CIA, so it’ll be fun to see Edmondson stretch his legs a bit.

5). Age of Ultron #8 – AoU isn’t “great”, but it’s been generally enjoyable.  We’re close enough to the end that I’m curious to see what the point of it all was.  Wouldn’t it be funny if this was the series that “changed everything” since nobody is talking about it?

——-

Hugo’s Top Picks

FATALE #14

Pick of the week: Thor: God of Thunder #8 – Was there any other pick worthy of that spot? While there were some good comics released that week, none were as satisfactory as the epic story of time-travelling and god butchering of the god of thunder as told by Jason Aaron, Esad Ribic and Ive Svorcina. Whenever this title comes out, it makes for a good week for me.

Most anticipated this week: 1) Fatale #14 – A new issue of this title superbly written by Ed Brubaker and drawn by Sean Phillips? Yes please! With each issue seeing release, we get more mystery, more noir-writing and more references to the mythos of H.P Lovecraft, which this comic is really good at doing.

2) FF #7 – I dig Michael Allred’s art, as I really like the pseudo Kirby take he has on most of everything in this series. With Matt Fraction somewhat aloof, yet funny and honest writing, this series has been a joy to read and I am always eager to open up an issue featuring the replacement FF.

3) Bloodshot #11 – With this title still caught in the whole Harbinger Wars crossover event, it has still given us some good exploration of the character and action. With this issue here to further explore the Harada protocol introduced in the second issue of the main event, I am curious to see how they will show us this particular angle.

4) X-O Manowar #13 – This title had started as one of my favourite Valiant title, yet it has struggled a little bit ever since this arc has begun. It remains an enjoyable comic, yet I really would like to see the story and the narrative kicked up a notch. This issue will show us if such a thing is possible, to say the least.

5) Wonder Woman #20 – I like this title, yet I have to admit being disappointed in the use of Orion so far. The struggle between gods and the whole story revolving around the new born baby of Zola is interesting, yet I am always waiting for a cool moment with one of my favourite DC creation of Jack Kirby. If we get more with the Dog of War, I’d be mighty pleased.

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Katana #4 – Review

Posted on May 15, 2013 by Minhquan Nguyen

KATANA #4

By: Ann Nocenti (story), Alex Sanchez (art), Art Thibert (inks), Matt Yackey (colors)

The Story: No use crying over broken swords, Katana.  Don’t try huddling in a heap, either.

The Review: Have you ever read a comic and halfway through thought to yourself, I can write a better issue than this?  Yeah, me too.  It’s an inherently arrogant sort of thought, we can all agree; after all, we are basically throwing down with writers who are actually getting paid to have their work published—not to mention the fact that we just put down our own good money to purchase this product we’re now disparaging.

I don’t want to overstate my own writing abilities here, but I’m pretty sure if I had Katana on my plate, I could at least deliver a coherent, focused plot.  Nocenti, on the other hand, is all over the place.  There’s really very little excuse for that kind of distraction in this case; it’s not as if she’s obliged to tie in the title to any event or story arc going on elsewhere.  Yet these four issues have given us four rather different conflicts which have only the most tangential connection to each other and which Nocenti barely manages to develop before moving on to the next one.
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Demon Knights #20 – Review

Posted on May 14, 2013 by Minhquan Nguyen

DEMON KNIGHTS #20

By: Robert Venditti (story), Chad Hardin (pencils), Wayne Faucher (inks), David Curiel (colors)

The Story: Another day, another sacred quest for the relic to end all relics.

The Review: If you’re a fan of this series—and let’s face it, if you’re even reading this review, you must be a real fan of the series—you’ve already heard the news about its cancellation in three months.  Considering that in March, it ranked at #160 on Comichron, the fall of the axe isn’t too surprising, but it does signal the end of all sword-and-sorcery titles out of DC, making it an even less diverse market than it started out as after the relaunch.

When these things happen, I always wonder how much the creators knew before we did.  Venditti probably didn’t agree to sign onto a doomed title, so when exactly did the higher-ups spring the news on him?  If I had to take a wild guess, it was probably just before he finished writing the first arc.  As eventful as the battle against Cain was, it did feel a little straightforward and truncated, a sign that maybe Venditti was forced to accelerate his plot faster than he planned.
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Private Eye #2 – Review

Posted on May 14, 2013 by Minhquan Nguyen

PRIVATE EYE #2

By: Brian K. Vaughan (story), Marcos Martin (art), Muntsa Vicente (colors)

The Story: Lord help the mister who comes between a gal and her sister.

The Review: I have to admit, I do love reading a story written by a master storyteller, someone who’s a veteran at all the fundamentals of good narrative work.  Even when the story itself isn’t anything new, if you have someone at the helm with enough experience to get his points across efficiently and to switch up the pace at the right moment, then you’ll get a much more enjoyable read out of it.  Certainly it beats an interesting story poorly done.

With Private Eye, Vaughan displays how honed his chops have become over years of writing top-notch comics.  His first issue set up the series’ world, protagonist, antagonist, and premise in short order without overtly feeling like a set-up, as if Vaughan has gotten so used to this basic kind of work that he can drum it off without thinking.  Here he introduces supporting characters and scaffolds upon the foundation of plot he laid down last month, proving as adept at second issues as he is at firsts.
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Constantine #3 – Review

Posted on May 13, 2013 by Minhquan Nguyen

CONSTANTINE #3

By: Ray Fawkes & Jeff Lemire (story), Renato Guedes (art), Marcelo Maiolo (colors)

The Story: Constantine has always had an eye for choice magical relics—unlike some people.

The Review: Never having written any serial fiction, I can’t say I have any firsthand insight into the medium, but from the outside looking in, I’ve noticed one thing: once you get locked into certain habits, it’s very hard to course correct afterwards.  I imagine it’s a little embarrassing to do so, too.  Making radical changes early on clearly signals poor initial choices, and who would ever want to admit that?

Fawkes-Lemire better be careful, because they can easily fall into the same trap with these opening-page monologues of theirs.  Besides serving as less than subtle mini-recaps of previous events, they’re also strangely preachy.  This is John Constantine, after all; broodiness doesn’t suit him much: “Every single one of us is stupid enough to think we’re smarter than everyone else.  And how d’you think that works out for us?  On average.”
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Suicide Squad #20 – Review

Posted on May 11, 2013 by Minhquan Nguyen

SUICIDE SQUAD #20

By: Ales Kot (story), Patrick Zircher (art), Jason Keith (colors)

The Story: You will need to pay someone pretty well to head-shrink these folks.

The Review: It’s been ten issues since I Dropped this title, not so much from an egregious level of quality as for simply a lack of interest.  While Adam Glass had the right idea for the tone of this book, he seemed to lack a clear vision for the series and the characters never managed to take off under his pen.  For a cast criminals, each with their own psychoses, they were rather dull as a group.  Glass suffered more from a lack of inspiration than lack of talent.

So it’s pretty exciting to see what a new writer can do with the material, especially one who’s pretty new to the game.  Now, I’m sure Kot has his fans elsewhere, but as far as mainstream superhero goes, he’s definitely an unknown—so there’s always a chance you might get to witness firsthand what might be the start of a breakout run for the writer.  And from the get-go, things look very promising, as Kot displays an instinctive handle on the title’s unique qualities.
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Batman and Robin #20 – Review

Posted on May 10, 2013 by Minhquan Nguyen

BATMAN AND ROBIN #20

By: Peter J. Tomasi (story), Patrick Gleason & Cliff Richards (pencils), Mick Gray & Mark Irwin (inks), John Kalisz (colors)

The Story: You can’t expect the prodigal son to come back if you don’t show you care, Batman.

The Review: While some people hated Damian when he first appeared simply because the idea of Batman having a surprise-child out of wedlock sort of cheapens the character, I was concerned about the implications for his adoptive family.  It’s how I imagine adopted kids feel when they discover the parents who took them in are about to have a natural child of their own.  There’s that fear of being overshadowed, marginalized, set aside, a trade of a knock-off for the real thing.

Unfortunately, that’s exactly what’s been going on here.  Batman’s refusal to accept the finality of Damian’s death not only damages him, but it threatens the last remaining ties he has with the family he has left.  Last issue, we saw Tim Drake, still reeling from the revelations of Death of the Family, nonetheless come back to prevent his mentor-father from doing something he’ll regret.  For his pains, he gets cold-shouldered, straining their relationship even further.
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Green Lantern Corps #20 – Review

Posted on May 10, 2013 by Minhquan Nguyen

GREEN LANTERN CORPS #20

By: Peter J. Tomasi (story), Fernando Pasarin (pencils), Scott Hanna (inks), Gabe Eltaeb (colors)

The Story: Guy experiences his most excruciating trial yet—a sabbatical.

The Review: In addition to the anomaly that was Aquaman #19 amidst its #20 brethren, we have another bit of scheduling weirdness that resulted in the epilogue of Wrath of the First Lantern released before its final chapter.  I don’t begin to understand how or why this happened.  My best guess is that since Geoff Johns is the undisputed architect of this current era of Green Lantern stories, DC felt he should have the last word rather than Tomasi, his right-hand man.

This does result, however, in a few significant spoilers (alert), though probably none you couldn’t have predicted: Guy and Kilowog belching blood under Red Lantern influence, the appearance of Black Lanterns, and Sinestro in some slick armor killing one of the Guardians (it’s unclear whether it’s Ganthet or not).  Thankfully, Tomasi refrains from any hard information, and we know nothing of the First Lantern’s fate at all.
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Justice League of America #3 – Review

Posted on May 9, 2013 by Minhquan Nguyen

JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #3

By: Geoff Johns (story), David Finch (art), Richard Friend (inks), Sonia Oback (colors)

The Story: Catwoman is kind of like your coworker who likes to steal supplies from the office.

The Review: If there’s one thing the JLA definitely has going for it, something that puts them a step above their iconic peers, it’s a bubbling brew of personalities.  With the Justice League proper, you can tell there are differences between them, but very narrow ones, kept very tight to their characters.  The members of the JLA, on the other hand, wear their differences quite openly, allowing them to clash with a lot more abandon.

It all makes for a livelier read, even when not very much happens.  The JLA’s encounter with the robot-Trinity is only moderately exciting, as the fakes seem to have only the most basic abilities of the real thing.  You’re not inclined to see the JLA’s takedown of three mechanical imposters as the same as facing against all ten current members of the Justice League (soon to be eleven, with Zatanna slated to join—re-join?—the team).  That doesn’t stop Steve Trevor from remarking, perhaps naively, in wonder, “The Justice League versus the Justice League.”
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Arrow S01E22 – Review

Posted on May 9, 2013 by Minhquan Nguyen

ARROW S01E22

By: Drew Z. Greenberg & Wendy Mericle (story)

The Story: Every good mother-son relationship is built on honesty—even if you have to threaten it out of them.

The Review: Last night I was talking to a friend online and when I mentioned that I watched Arrow, he asked, “Oh, yeah—how is that?”  I told him what I felt was the truth.  “It’s a truly mixed bag.”  And it really, truly is.  There have been some standout episodes this season, and ones that I could very easily forget, but overall, the average showing of Arrow is usually an uneven combination of high points and low points.

For example, can we be spared the pointless and awkward exposition already?  Dinah meets with Ollie at his club, then proceeds to give him a recap of what happened between them last week, starting, unbelievably enough, by saying, “Last week, I told you that I wanted to get back with Tommy—that I needed you to go to him and explain to him that you didn’t still have feelings for me.  But instead, you told me that you did.”  She might as well have preceded the line with, “Previously, on Arrow…”
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WCBR’s Top Picks

Posted on May 8, 2013 by Minhquan Nguyen

Dean’s Top Picks

THE WALKING DEAD #110

Best of the past week: All New X-Men #11 – I didn’t think this was a great comic, but to win pick of the week sometimes you don’t have to outrun the bear, you just have to outrun your buddies.  Last week just wasn’t a stellar week for comics.  Still, it’s nice to give some love to All New X-Men which has been as good as any Big 2 superhero series that isn’t Batman.  Stuart Immonen’s art is fantastic!  He just keeps getting better and better.

Most anticipated this week: 1). The Walking Dead #110 - After a few calm issues (including last issue), I’m sure Robert Kirkman is about to turn up the heat again.  The action probably won’t explode in this issue, but we’ll probably start to glimpse the rough outline of the iceberg that our protagonists are headed towards.

2). Chin Music #1 - The idea of a hard boiled gangster dude being hunted by demons isn’t exactly the type of story I love, but have you seen the preview art from Tony Harris?  Holy hell!  It looks like it’ll be a lovely comic to stare at.

3). Batman #20 - Last issue of Batman was probably the first issue of the series that I haven’t really loved.  It just felt like a random Clayface story and that was kinda a downer after so many epic issue (or as close to epic as you can get with a ~70 year old character).  Now that my expectations are properly calibrated, I’ll bet I enjoy this issue a lot more.

4). Uber #1 - I really liked the zero issue because the emphasis was unique.  Uber does explore the non-novel concept of the Nazis developing superbeings during World War II, but the comic is much more interested in being a war story than any kind of “deconstruction of the superhero mythos.”

5). Creepy #12 - Always room for black-and-white horror anthologies on my list.  Creepy hasn’t had an issue that was aces in a while, but it’s always very solid because the creative talent is top notch.

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Hugo’s Top Picks

THOR: GOD OF THUNDER #8

Pick of the week: Dial H #12 – How can I not love this book? It’s got everything I’m looking for in a comic, with great characters, heroism, a sense of mystery and playfulness, amazing concepts and much more. Nelson and Roxie have really grown as characters and if the rumors about this series imminent cancellation are true. I’d be sorely disappointed. I want to know more about Open-Window Man and the fact that I just typed that sentence means a lot about the comic in general and its quality.

Most anticipated this week: 1) Thor: God of Thunder #8 – Was there any other possible choice for this spot? With Esad Ribic and Jason Aaron at the helm of this grand tale of heroism, divinity on a cosmic scale, I cannot stress enough the quality of this title. If this issue is as good as the rest, we’re in for quite a ride.

2) Suicide Squad #20 – I love this concept: Villains working as a team for the government to get out of prison. Having read John Ostrander’s initial run of this concept, I’d be glad to see Ales Kot get close to the brilliance of that author, as this title sorely need a shot in the arm. With Patrick Zircher on art, it will surely look good, but I really want a quality title that brings back the old days of this amazing concept.

3) Uncanny Avengers #8 – While it had a rocky start, this title really began getting good at issue #5. Now that Rick Remender has his entire cast, a regular artist and a direction for the title, I have to say I love it. With storylines that continues the excellent one from Uncanny X-Force, I am curious to see where it will all lead.

4) Justice League of America #3 – I want a quality title with characters like Martian Manhunter, Hawkman and the like. While I’m still not sure if this title will reach the height that Geoff Johns had reached with previous titles, I really want to see if he can achieve just that with a bunch of characters in sore need of a good spotlight.

5) Chin Music #1 – Tony Harris is a wonderful artist. Just for his art, I’d buy the book, but the concept in itself actually sounds quite neat too. Crime, mixed with magic and demons in the prohibition era. It would be really nice to see such a thing see some success and I am eager to see if the potential is there.

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Fairest #15 – Review

Posted on May 8, 2013 by Minhquan Nguyen

FAIREST #15

By: Sean E. Williams (story), Stephen Sadowski (pencils), Phil Jimenez (inks), Andrew Dalhouse (colors)

The Story: If you’re a Fable with an appetite for sex, India’s your kind of place.

The Review: As a real latecomer to Fables (my first issue being #104), it’s not surprising that I missed out on quite a lot of the series’ history.  I’m not just talking about major events, like everything to do with the Empire, either.  There are some characters whom I’ve heard of only in name and never actually go to see, as they were long dead by the time I got around to the series: Boy Blue, Goldilocks, and Prince Charming, to name a few.

Still, you’d be amazed how much familiarity and attachment you can develop for a character with a thorough reading of their Wikipedia entry.  So while longtime fans of the series may be far more enthused about the return of Charming (which I don’t consider a spoiler since it is only right there on the cover), I can honestly say I’m quite intrigued, too.  I’ve heard a great deal about the resilience of a Fable, even one that’s killed, so I’m very interested to see it in action.
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Earth Two #12 – Review

Posted on May 8, 2013 by Minhquan Nguyen

EARTH TWO #12

By: James Robinson (story), Nicola Scott (pencils), Trevor Scott (inks), Barbara Ciardo & Pete Pantazis (colors)

The Story: Up in the sky!  It’s a bird—it’s a plane—it’s—a green man in a fur-collared robe!

The Review: If you ever get into this reviewing business, you’re going to learn in a hurry that calling something “good” or “bad” just won’t cut it.  Like almost any other quality in the world, “good” and “bad” come in all kinds of different shades, each with its own unique effect on the person experiencing it.  The hardest part of this gig is trying to figure out how to describe those effects as accurately as possible.  That’s where experience comes in.

In my experience, I’ve read a lot of bad writing (quite as much and even more good writing as well, but that, unfortunately, is not relevant here), so over time, I’ve come to recognize some of the most common types.  Now, I’ve had plenty of complaints about Robinson’s work on this series before, but this issue really takes the cake as it possesses nearly every kind of bad writing I’ve ever run into.
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Green Arrow #20 – Review

Posted on May 8, 2013 by Minhquan Nguyen

GREEN ARROW #20

By: Jeff Lemire (story), Andrea Sorrentino (art), Marcelo Maiolo (colors)

The Story: It’s hard to hold your breath in a graveyard when you have to fend off an assassin.

The Review: I love seeing gradual improvement in a comic book—heck, in anything.  In a world where good things tend to get worse as time goes on (How I Met Your Mother springs quickly to mind),* anytime anything actually gets better, no matter how minimally, is worth some kind of praise.  Lemire’s Green Arrow definitely had a rocky start, but in the last couple issues, his story has slowly taken shape and gotten more confident.

The one thing Lemire really has to get rid of are these morose monologues of Ollie’s: “I could just let myself become that shallow, pampered, rich kid I always pretended to be.  Just give up.  But I don’t.  I keep walking.  Because I know now I’m not that man.  I’m meant to be something more.”  Even if they make sense in context of Ollie’s story of personal growth, they just feel self-serving, almost like a backdoor brag.  If he’s really someone worth investing in, then we should see it in his actions; we don’t need him to reassure us about it.
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Animal Man #20 – Review

Posted on May 7, 2013 by Minhquan Nguyen

ANIMAL MAN #20

By: Jeff Lemire (story), John Paul Leon (art), Timothy Green II (pencils), Joseph Silver (inks), Lovern Kindzierski (colors)

The Story: Step aside Daniel Day-Lewis—here comes Buddy Baker.

The Review: Every story, to a certain extent, tends to veer away from its original course somewhere along the way.  In most cases, this is a good thing; it’s a sign that creative energies are at work and the writer is not afraid to let them guide his work.  In some cases, however, a story can get so far off its path that it risks taking a completely different direction altogether, one that might lead it over a cliff.  In these cases, some course correction is necessary.

Animal Man’s problems may have started even before the Rotworld arc, but at some point, the series was no longer the deeply touching and horrifying title we fell in love with.  At some point, it became melodramatic, derivative, and gratuitous, all qualities better left to the raucous plots superhero books rather than one with potential for truly compelling and complex storytelling.  Lemire needs to regroup and center his protagonist once again, lest he totally loses our interest.
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Dial H #12 – Review

Posted on May 6, 2013 by Minhquan Nguyen

DIAL H #12

By: China Miéville (story), Alberto Ponticelli (pencils), Dan Green (inks), Richard & Tanya Horie, Allen Passalaqua (colors)

The Story: Don’t be fooled by the curtain he’s wearing for a cape—this guy means business.

The Review: Although the potential of this series has been there from the start, only in the last few issues has it really developed into something special.  Miéville has slowly tightened up his freewheeling writing style; Roxie and Nelson have grown quite admirably into their roles as dual protagonists; and the story of the dial itself has become more focused and comprehensible, revealing what untapped riches continue to reside within the concept.

For a while, this series ran almost entirely on the power of the dial’s mystery, but now that we’ve got a clearer picture of where it comes from and how it works, all that’s left is to put it to some interesting uses.  Roxie and Nelson had their fun playing hero, but Earth’s pretty well taken care of already by an ever-growing crowd of folks with dependably consistent power sets.  The strength of the dial is its endless variety, and it needs more creative challenges than the bread-and-butter criminals and villains of this planet can provide.
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