Comic Book Power Rankings – August 2015

Nobody here at Hush Comics loves sports metrics more than I do. A die-hard NBA fan, I frequently rank players, teams and track stats every night to see who I should be picking up on the waiver wire (a term I know, but still do not understand at all) in our fantasy basketball league. It’s not really to be the best, but largely because I love the processes behind it; I love spreadsheets and systemic processes in how I arrive at these decisions. I even made a House of Quality together in order to break down which qualities I value in comic book series. This was all inspired by the creation of our Best of 2014 Comic Books collection of articles (which you should check out! A lot of hard work from our team went into those articles), when I realized that we had not been keeping track of which books were the best throughout the year.

Below is a list of what I consider the Top 20 comic books of the previous month. The opinions of these rankings is solely mine (unless noted), although they are influenced by the weekly review grades that our team doles out. I’m no expert on the ins and outs of the comic book industry, and I admittedly can’t read every book out there, but as long as I have this awesome platform to force my opinion on readers, why not use it? As always, we LOVE sparking conversations about the things we love, or even the things we don’t, so commentary is encouraged!

Rank	Book Title	Publisher	Issues In	Previous	Movement
1	Hank Johnson: Agent of Hydra	Marvel	1	–	–
	He’s just a normal family guy, trying to cut it in the blue collar goon industry. Trying to place the normal within the insanity that is Battle World creates comedy gold.
2	Prez	DC	3	–	–
	As far as political satires go, Prez is hands down the funniest, and is so hyperbolic that the fact that it’s relatable at all is appalling. Root for the little guy in one of DC’s rare non-cape books.
3	Rasputin	Image	8	–	–
	Rasputin is my favorite comic at the moment. So far it’s the only book that’s compelled me to send fan mail. It’s a well written narrative, beautifully drawn, and spectacularly colored. I get something out if every issue I read and feel satisfied. Totally in love with this series. – Jené
4	Ms. Marvel	Marvel	17	–	–
	Although Kamala briefly got caught in the web that is Secret Wars, her last issue, a heart-warming team up with Captain Marvel herself gave this book a special place on my shelf.
5	The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl	Marvel	8	–	–
	Three of the top five books are led by young women. Coincidence? Hell no! Squirrel Girl is hilarious and relatable – which says a lot since… ya know, she’s a squirrel.
6	TMNT	IDW	49	–	–
	Not even shell-shock could stop Donnie! Things are getting heavy as a battle royale contest between the turtles and Foot knock down the door of the upcoming #50 spectacular.
7	Justice League	DC	43	5	-2
	This is the best JL story since Forever Evil, and the most desparate time we’ve seen the team in of all New52. Geoff Johns continues to write an amazing book.
8	Batman	DC	43	2	-6
	This is not the same book we read with Endgame. Bruce is in identity crisis mode and Gordon has taken over as Batman. Wacky story aside, Snyder/Capullo produce.
9	We Stand On Guard	Image	3	–	–
	With the right creative team, even Canadians can be interesting. Brian K Vaughan’s new title makes you hate America more effectively than Donald Trump’s presidential run.
10	Bizarro	DC	3	–	–
	Bizarro no am good book. Bizarro am very bad book. Book no am funny. Art is very ugly. Bizarro very normal, and Jimmy Olson (Bizarro’s worstest enemy) never wear disguises. Bizarro no am have hijinks. – Montgomery
11	Superman	DC	43	8	-3
	We finally learned how Lois spilled the beans about Superman’s identity, and it’s refreshing to see Superman fight an enemy he can’t defeat by punching.
12	Old Man Logan	Marvel	4	–	–
	While I love seeing an out-of-place Wolverine wander around Battle World in a confused rage, it’s Andrea Sorrentino’s panel layout that really keeps me engaged.
13	Groot	Marvel	3	–	–
	As much as I loved the recently-retired Skottie Young Rocket Raccoon book, Groot is just as adorable. It’s good for all ages, with feel-good lessons in friendship and kindness. Aww.
14	Deadly Class	Image	15	5	-9
	While the Remender/Craig tag-team reigns champion, I can’t get over just how scathingly manic-depressive this book got this month. It’s a downer for sure.
15	Nailbiter	Image	15	16	+1
	The deeper we keep falling into the mystery, the further the bottom seems to be. It’s a phenomenal book, but I feel just as lost now as I did at square one.
16	The Walking Dead	Image	145	4	-12
	I still look forward to this book every month, but the more I read it, the more I realize that Robert Kirkman is becoming George Lucas 2.0. There’s just too much TWD in the world for me right now. That being said, this new threat is gonna bring back the funk.
17	E is for Extinction	Marvel	3	–	–
	Thank you, Chris Burnham, for making unsexy comic books cool. His raw art is perfect for this post-Morrison, Morrison-style book, which is as awesome as it is awkward.
18	Giant Sized Little Marvel AvX	Marvel	3	–	–
	This book makes me feel like vomitting rainbows with each issue. It can be formulaic, but it’s just so darn cute – how could anybody not love this??
19	Postal	Image	19	11	-8
	Mark, the autistic one-man Scooby gang, is tearing this conspiracy wide open. Although, just because it’s getting bigger doesn’t mean it’s getting better…
20	Batgirl	DC	43	–	–
	It can be silly at times, but that’s part of the charm. Babs Tarr’s art has definitely grown on me. I’m fully on-board after some post-Gail Simone withdrawals.

Notably absent:

Most of the Secret Wars: I’m burnt out on Secret Wars. Marvel must be murdering DC in sales as of late, but their long game is tiring fans out.

Shutter and Birthright: For books that started as two of my favorite Image titles, the convoluted stories in both books have derailed their momentum significantly. I don’t expect that too last, though, as both books have the creative teams to handle it.

Wonder Woman: David and Meredith Finch have been a refreshing addition to the book, but the last couple issues have been noticeably lacking in substance or style. Plus, Donna Troy is completely one-dimensional and incapable of independent thought.

Retired books/ Hiatuses (Hawkeye, Saga, Bitch Planet, Sex Criminals): Some of the best books in the biz took the month off, making way for some newcomers to really shine this month!

SDCC 2015 – “iZombie” Co-Producer Wants to Pen Wonder Woman Movie

The world needs a Wonder Woman movie and “iZombie” and “Veronica Mars” co-writer and co-producer Diane Ruggiero-Wright wants to bring it to us. In a recent San Diego Comic Con interview with Comic Book Resource, Ruggiero-Wright expressed a desire to write a film for the super heroine.

“All I want to do in the world is Wonder Woman,” she said in the interview. Ruggiero-Wright is constantly bringing it up to DC Entertainment Chief Creative Officer Geoff Johns, trying to pitch him ideas in hopes that he’ll give her the project. “I staple him to things and I’m like, ‘Let me pitch you Wonder Woman.’ And he’s like, ‘You know it’s already happening. They’re filming it right now,’ and I’m like, ‘Yeah, yeah, yeah, but…'”

Though Ruggiero-Wright might not be able to pen the first film, there’s hope for her involvement in a sequel. Personally, I think she’d be a brilliant choice for the franchise. Wonder Woman is about as strong of a female character as you can get and if there’s anyone who can give us that, it’s Ruggiero-Wright. “iZombie” and “Veronica Mars” are just proof of what she can do and it would be nice to see a female writer behind the project, rather than Jason Fuchs whose only real claims to fame are “Ice Age: Continental Drift,” “Pan,” and “Flipper.” Not exactly female centric films. It’s exciting to see Wonder Woman’s film finally being worked on for a 2017 release, but having Ruggiero-Wright behind it would make it so much cooler.

While she might not be writing the film, Ruggiero-Wright is working on a Wonder Woman digital comic which will most likely be part of DC’s digital series “Sensation Comics Featuring Wonder Woman.” Only time will tell if Ruggiero-Wright gets more of the Amazon work she craves and the world deserves.

Chris Pine Joining the DCCU – but as Which Character?

His new name shall be Capatin Kirk Steve Lantern.

Do you like Chris Pine? Of course you do, everybody does. Well now you can prepare to see a whole lot more of him.

Not only has Pine signed on for a fourth Star Trek movie, but it seems the rumors about his place in the DCU had some truth to them. Last month there were conflicting reports, one that Pine would play Steve Trevor, Wonder Woman’s love interest in her upcoming movie. The other was that he was being looked at to play Hal Jordan in the Green Lantern… remake? Reboot? I’m going to go with Re-do.

Either way, it came out today he has apparently been offered both roles, and once he makes his decision, DC will plan accordingly. This is a very odd choice, it is rare that a studio wants an actor regardless of which character he will play and both roles will have such great and differing impacts on the DCU. Rumor at this point is that Pine is more keen on playing Hal Jordan, but we will keep you posted with updates as more news breaks.

What do you think about Chris Pine in the DC Cinematic Universe? Who would you rather see him play?

Source: birthmoviesdeath

Comic Book Power Rankings – February 2015

Below is a list of what I consider the Top 20 comic books of the previous month. The opinions of these rankings is solely mine, although it is influenced by the weekly review grades that our team doles out. I’m no expert on the ins and outs of the comic book industry, and I admittedly can’t read every book out there, but as long as I have this awesome platform to force my opinion on readers, why not use it? As always, we LOVE sparking conversations about the things we love, or even the things we don’t, so commentary is encouraged!

Rank	Book Title	Publisher	Issues In	Previous	Movement
1	Saga	Image	25	–	–
	There is a whole new danger afoot. I like the direction that this already-stellar series is taking our protagonists, even if it is head-first into danger.
2	Batman	DC	39	1	-1
	Joker has been playing with his food up to this point. With Batman up against the ropes, the Caped Crusader is getting desperate, and the Clown Prince of Crime is getting brutal.
3	Spider-Gwen	Marvel	1	–	–
	Who would have thought that one issue of a mini-series would launch such a cult following? Marvel really Hit the Jackpot with this one.
4	The Walking Dead	Image	137	4	–
	I’m as enthralled as I am disgusting with the eyeball-licking love session at the end of the last issue. I’m excited to see Carl grow, no matter the nasty cost.
5	Deadly Class	Image	11	6	+1
	Marcus isn’t out of the doghouse just yet. The last thrill-ride of an issue keeps the adrenaline flowing.
6	Suiciders	Vertigo	1	–	–
	There’s no better way to spend your time in a post-apocalyptic world than to see drugged up gladiators with cybernetic enhancements pummel each other to death.
7	Batman and Robin	DC	39	5	-2
	While it wasn’t as emotionally pleasing as the last issue, Robin getting a spot at the table with Batman and Superman is a big deal.
8	Superman	DC	38	16	+8
	The end of the last issue was so explosive that I’m surprised I was able to hold onto the page. In just six issues, Geoff Johns and John Romita Jr created history.
9	Amazing Spider-Man	Marvel	15	–	–
	Even though Spider-Verse winded down this month, Spider-Man has left behind a wake of Spider-lore that will continue to effect the Marvel U… until they reboot it all, anyway.
10	Bitch Planet	Image	3	–	–
	This book is extremely polarizing, but it has resonated with women in ways that no super-powered chick has. It’s very real and very original.
11	Postal	Top Cow	1	–	–
	I’ve got a fever for creepy mystery books, and this Norman Bates-ish post boy is the cowbell of creepers. After one issue, this is already among my favorites.
12	Detective Comics	DC	39	14	+2
	Anarky is afoot in Gotham, bringing an aspect to Bat-books that has been sorely missing. Add in amazing artwork and a Harvey Bullock back-story, and I’m sold.
13	Mortal Kombat X	DC	3	10	-3
	MKX is trying to build a cohesive backstory to the upcoming video game, and its doing a commendable job. Due to it being a digital first, the issues are a bit short, though.
14	TMNT: Mutanimals	IDW	1	–	–
	How can one mutant be on the same level of wicked awesomeness as Mikey? Mondo Gecko, along with Hob and the gang, are just as interesting as the TMNT – if not more.
15	Wonder Woman	DC	39	–	–
	David and Meredith Finch have done a fine job with Wonder Woman since taking over, but what has me geeked out is an inevitable showdown between Diana and Donna Troy.
16	Nailbiter	Image	10	18	+2
	Like this series could get any creepier… Finch is done doing the Hannibal Lecter dance with Nailbiter, and we are going to have quite an interesting arc coming up.
17	EI8HT	Dark Horse	1	–	–
	Time travel and dinosaurs have never NOT been a winning combination, and this new series is no exception. I haven’t enjoyed a new sci-fi series this much since Black Science.
18	TMNT	IDW	43	8	-10
	Everything is coming to a head with Shredder and Krang, but the confrontation between the two factions left more to be desired. A great book, but I wish it would stop teasing us.
19	Shutter	Image	10	17	-2
	Kate’s world has practically exploded in the last few episodes, and the epiphanies just keep on coming. I could do with some more Alarm Cat, but I’m still enjoying the ride.
20	Magneto	Marvel	15	–	–
	The Master of Magnetism got his mojo back, and he has a new scary focus that is all about his business. I bet Sabretooth is wishing he got the memo earlier.

Notably absent:

Birthright: Daaad! There’s something weird going on with Mikey! This fantasy book about a long-lost brother is really just now getting juicy, but there’s a dark secret lurking in here somewhere, and I’m not sure I like the path that Birthright is taking just yet.

Nameless: This book almost made the list this month if not just for the fact that two of my favorite creators are working on it (Grant Morrison, Chris Burnham). That being said, I have no idea what the hell is going on. Not even a little bit

Hawkeye: Bittersweet that one of the most underrated books in the whole industry is moving on after this month, but Matt Fraction and David Aja had such great chemistry. I can only hope we will be that lucky again.

Deathstroke: The Expendables of comic books, right here. I mean, maybe not really at all. The explosions and punny retorts are there, but this isn’t your father’s Slade Wilson. Beautiful panels by Tony Daniels don’t hurt, either.

The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl: The first book swallowed me up so wholly that I was feeling let down by the second book. There weren’t nearly as many jokes, and the set-up for the next arc felt kind of boring. I don’t expect that to last.

Throne of Atlantis Review

Source Material: Justice League #15-17, Aquaman #14-16 (2012-2013)

Original Creative Team: Geoff Johns (writer), Ivan Reis (penciller for Justice League), Paul Pelletier (penciller on Aquaman)

Movie Creative Team: Directed by Ethan Spaulding (Avatar: The Last Airbender, The Legend of Korra)

With a strong, unassuming name like Justice League: Throne of Atlantis, you would never guess that this was an Aquaman movie, right? Cringe! Poor Aquaman; after years of riding seahorses and chumming it up with the bottom-feeders, it has become a priority of DC Comics’ head-honcho and Justice League writer Geoff Johns to legitimize the Atlantean. Adapted from the third story arc in the New52 Justice League series, Throne of Atlantis is a serviceable version of the story that really gave Arthur Curry his mainstream love. However, the DC Animated team really plays it safe by relying on the entire cast to tell the story.

In itself, that is not a bad quality. I love that there are several different stories building up. It has been some time since the events of Darkseid’s defeat in Justice League: War transpired, and there was plenty of source material to feed into this new movie. Aside from Aquaman, who was noticeably absent from War, the story focused on: Superman and Wonder Woman’s newly kindled relationship, Cyborg’s acceptance of his new body, and a whole lot of Ocean Master (Aquaman’s brother, Orm) and Black Manta. All interesting storylines in their own right but seem to take too much attention from a movie that is supposed to be centered on Aquaman, which is a shame, because as a character, Arthur Curry is a lot of fun to watch. This version of our Aquaman is completely oblivious to his Atlantean pedigree. He meets his future wife Mera and dons his traditional armor for the first time. So, for a story that is essentially Aquaman’s origin story, neatly tied in a bow, it really shoots itself in the foot – repeatedly.

Let’s be honest – kids don’t read Aquaman by the masses. This film was supposed to be the introduction of Arthur Curry to a new generation of children, but holds itself back from being successful at that. The feature is littered with curse words and is just as brutal as Flashpoint Paradox – that may be attributed to director Ethan Spaulding, who contributed to great American anime Avatar: The Last Airbender (and Korra, too). Honestly, the fight scenes in Atlantis are some of the best I’ve seen in any DC Animated feature. At the same time, though, there are scenes in the movie that take you out of the moment by being too corny. It made it difficult to tell who the target demographic really was for this movie.

The movie isn’t all bad, no sir. The voice cast that DC Animated puts together gets more and more impressive each time. The core team from War is back, with Matt Lanter (Aquaman) and Samuel Witwer (Ocean Master), who coincidentally – or not so coincidentally – voiced Anakin Skywalker and Darth Maul from Star Wars: Clone, respectively, rounding out the already stellar cast. Other nerdoms represented here are Harry Lennix (Dollhouse’s Boyd Langton) as Black Manta and Cedric Yarbrough (The Boondocks’ Tom DuBois. The team has only been together for one movie, and there is already great chemistry. One of the best and most natural scenes was when Nathan Fillion’s Green Lantern gets braggadocios with Jason O’Mara’s Batman, capturing the bad guys without thinking the plan through. It embodied the entire state of the Super Seven, I mean Justice League, up to that point. There are also a couple neat Easter Eggs in there that, ahem, “Steel” the show. I slay myself.

One of the biggest risks Throne of Atlantis takes is toying with Aquaman canon. While War was tweeked just enough to mix things up, Atlantis was completely upheaved in the interest of re-introducing Aquaman to those who had not read about him in the comic books. In the long run, it pays off. Everything is tied up in a neat little bow, and Aquaman somehow becomes the hero. In many ways, it’s just too convenient to be believable. A lot of that is accredited to the fact that Aquaman feels like a side character in his own movie. That’s not to say that the movie is unenjoyable; I thought it was a very enjoyable watch, and the fight scenes here were even better than Son of Batman. However, a lot of the authenticity that made Aquaman an enjoyable character – no, seriously, is parodied even further by the movie’s lack of depth. We all know that Aquaman is nowhere near as cool as Batman, but if you’re going to have the balls to do an Aquaman movie, there’s no half-assing it.

SCORECARD:

Category	Explanation	Score
Plot	Team effort makes for an adequate mish-mash of an Aquaman origin.	7/10
Voice-acting	The cast is as strong as ever, and newcomers only improve upon that..	9/10
Representation of Source Material	I don’t know this story. Is it even an Aquaman movie?	5/10
Animation	Continued rugged animation style from JL: War is settling in. Action sequences are top-notch.	9/10
Sound Effects and Music	I do remember hearing sounds. Were they good? Sure. I did enjoy the underwater SFX in Atlantis.	7/10
Captivity	I enjoyed the movie for most of the ride, but often questioned what the heck was going on.	7/10
Overall awesomeness	Throne of Atlantis was not the Aquaman movie the people wanted, needed nor deserved.	6/10
Creativity	Whether you want to call it creativity or cop-out, there was a lot of tweaking to the source material.	7/10
Replayability	I would give this a second play-through, if only to see the fight scenes.	6/10
Special Features	Getting to know the history behind Aquaman’s most famous villains is the only gem..	5/10

IF YOU LIKED THIS, CHECK THESE OUT:

Batman: Brave and the Bold is an animated series in which Aquaman frequents. He may be a goof, but dude knows how to whoop some ass. Check out “Evil Under the Sea,” specifically.

The 2006 pilot for Aquaman (Mercy Reef), a CW series that was never picked up as a series; bad idea or just bad timing? It is available for download on iTunes and starred Justin Hartley.

Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox features an alternate version of Aquaman, one that becomes emperor of the seas, and engages in an apocalyptic war with Wonder Woman.

NEXT FOR DC ANIMATED:

With DC Animated decisive move to include more New52 continuity in their expanding universe, we will journey to a point right after the relaunch with Batman vs. Robin. Last year, we got quite a bit of Batman, but this next one is going to come in with very high expectations. In an unrelated but totally related sequel to Son of Batman, Batman and the newly minted Robin will be going through some growing pains as the new Dynamic Duo. What I am most excited for is the animated debut of The Court of Owls and the Talons. From the previews, it seems as though this will be some weird blend of Batman: Court of Owls and Batman & Robin: Born to Kill, the former of which features a killer who bonds with Damian by appealing to his time in the League of Assassins. Batman vs. Robin debuts on April 14th.

Written by Sherif Elkhatib

Comic Book Reviews 10-29-14

Review Scale:

The mythical A+: Classic comic book material. Belongs next to your copy of The Notebook and The Joy of Cooking.

A: Would definitely recommend to all comic book readers. Even more so to fans of the genre or characters

B: Enjoyable read. Fans of the genre or characters will especially like.

C: Non-essential read. Can be enjoyable for fans of the genre or characters, but likely for only one or two events in the books.

D: Unenjoyable book. Read at your own risk. Might find satisfaction if major flaws are overlooked.

F: Please don’t buy this book. Donate your money to a local comic book writer’s workshop instead to inspire future generations to write something better than this trash.

Pick of the Week:

Black Science #10 – A

What’s cooler than a laser beam spitting, flying hippo-dragon cruising into the horizon of multiple setting suns against the backdrop of the most geologically unfathomable mountain range you’ve ever seen?! If you somehow have an answer for that, you sure as Hell better tell me in the comments section below, because I can’t think of anything! Thanks again Matteo Scalera for making love to my eyes. The events in Black Science are building up to something dimension shattering – literally. Though it appears the formula is repeating itself, I’ve got a feeling that Remender is just leading us on. I wouldn’t be surprised if in the Dimensionauts’ next jump this crazy adventure gets turned up another notch. If nothing else, we’ll at least get to see the laser-ninja shaman in action again! – Taylor

Other Reviews:

Dark Horse:

Alien: Fire & Stone #2 – B

I’m surprised. The Fire & Stone storyline is already 6 issues deep and in each new release the plot deepens and new elements continue to pop up. Each issue has left me on the edge of my seat and slack jawed. I said it last time and I’ll say it this time: The Fire & Stone story is possibly the best interwoven multi-titled comic arch I’ve ever read. Each story element is solid in delivery. The characters are engaging, the intrigue and creepy factor are out of this world, there are twists galore, and… just… everything is great! There is plenty of this story left to tell and so many questions left to answer. It makes me so happy to know that this thrill ride isn’t even halfway over. – Taylor

DC/Vertigo:

Earth 2: World’s End #4 – B-

This issue finally kind of settled down and focused on two groups of heroes, giving little time to what else is going on. I appreciated this, as this series was starting to get a bit jumbled. We’re introduced to a new character and get to see Apokolips and his crew. I still have no idea why we’re getting Dick Grayson’s story as nothing really seems to be happening there. One thing I have learned in the last week is that the World’s End story is going to have huge implications for the Futures End story happening on normal Earth. I know, I know, I probably should have known this, but, I didn’t…this also explains a lot about why it has been so spastic until now. That being said, this series is definitely more enjoyable than most Futures End stories and hopefully it will bring something fresh to what has become very stale. – Cody

Wonder Woman #35 – C-

The epic finale of Brian Azzarello and Cliff Chiang’s Wonder Woman 35-issue arc is the least epic finale that I could have hoped for. Over the past three years, Wonder Woman has rewrote Diana’s lore as a bastard child of Zeus himself. She has transformed into the Goddess of War, slugged it out with the other gods and faced off with Zeus’ First Born. So it’s extremely disappointed that such a well-told and carefully-crafted could come to such a screeching halt. It’s hastily wrapped up and the overall message is convoluted with just a few pages in this issue. It in no ways taints my memory of the 34 issues that preceded it, but I’m not heart-broken that we get an all new creative team starting next month. – Sherif

Sinestro #6 – D

On its own, this month’s issue of Sinestro is pretty good. Sinestro and his fear mongering Corps. are still ruthless and very entertaining to watch in battle. The pencil and ink-work is still on point. Sinestro is still crazy powerful and super scary. The thing that killed it for me this month is the thing I dislike most about comic books – abrupt and total change in plot. I see this more often with the major publishers and with superhero characters. Story lines from other comic books work their way into “related” titles and (for me) it only serves as a major buzz kill and disappointment. What happened to Sinestro’s frozen brethren? Who is this lamely named warrior Goddess and where did she come from? Is Hal Jordan still pouting on that rock after getting his ass handed to him? I was really feeling Sinestro thus far, but I have hard time forgiving such grandiose inconsistencies. – Taylor

IDW Comics:

Cartoon Network Super Secret Crisis War #5 – B+

This series has continued to amaze me every week in how well they mix these character together and have them work so well. This week we see things finally moving forward for the good guys as the bad guys are not getting along and it seems to be breaking them apart. They are about to blow up one of the characters worlds which isn’t revealed until the end, but will the heroes be able to save this earth and all the other universes earths? Will any bad guys actually help the heroes? Well, in great Saturday morning cartoon fashion, we wont find out until the exciting conclusion next month but we get an idea of what may happen. This series is filled with nostalgia and nerdy humor for those who watched any of these shows and offers us more material from franchises we loved which we felt we may never see again. – Jacob

Image Comics:

Saga #24 – A-

(A) In all my years, I don’t think I have ever heard the phrase “stick it in my spinneret.” Saga continues to push the boundaries and introduce new and fantastical elements to an already complex and multi-faceted story. There has not been one moment where I’ve said to myself, “This is just like…” Dream team Brian K Vaughan and Fiona Staples introduce several new characters in this issue, as well as reacquaint us with several more, reminding us just how deep this story can be. Saga is a one-of-a-kind adventure that will have you laughing, gasping and losing yourself in, issue after issue. – Sherif

(B) Flip to page 17 of this month’s issue of Saga… Got that image burned into your brain? Good! Let this now everlasting burn be your eternal reminder of how great this series is. Contemporary media based entertainment nowadays much too frequently lacks originality and genuine creativity. Stepping outside the realm of comic books for just a second, think of the last 3 movies you went to see. I’m willing to bet my Saga collection that at least one of those movies was a sequel, remake, or a “based-on” work. Brian Vaughan and Fiona Staples are the antithesis to this notion. The story these two creative geniuses have put together rival any story (comic book or otherwise) I’ve experienced in the last 3 years – maybe more. I can’t urge strongly enough to those who haven’t been following this series the pure enjoyment and gratification waiting for you in Saga. If you appreciate originality as much as I do, then I command you to read Saga! – Taylor

Rasputin #1 – B

The use of red wine though the first panels is captivating and manipulates the eye to only look at what it wants you to look at. Red, overall, is used through the book to highlight certain moments in different way. Always, in one way or another a life force, the imagery holds fast. The is stark dialogue ramps up the emotional weight of the story. The images are rather jarring and have an intense punch to the gut. Much of the dialogue in the bubbles are replaced with images, such as, a skull in the dialogue bubble instead of words. The effect is haunting. I have always been utterly fascinated by Rasputin and glad someone is taking a crack at his story. If you like the occult and Rasputin like me, you’ll enjoy this book. – Jené

Roche Limit #2 – B

I love how this story goes back and forth between the scientist who set up this new world and the development of the story. Its one part existential crises, one part murder mystery. Cosmic and myopic in the same breath. And yet, both stories are the same and play off one another a sort of cosmic tapestry where all actions and reaction interplay with one another. One person story affects the larger level of the reality. I dig. Also, it’s just pretty, I get lost in the artwork still sometimes forsaking the story. Little less annoyed with the logistics of the story compared to the last book. It’s rounding out and I’m pulled in such a way I wish I had several books to binge read instead of the slow serial reveal. – Jené

Cutter #4 – F

Well, the Cutter miniseries has come to end and may I just say, thank god for that – what a cliché, unoriginal and overall unwelcome storyline. The conclusion in issue #4 offered literally nothing of interest and I kind of hate myself for reading it. What I’m sure was intended to be a shocking ending is extremely played out and I can think of at least three things off the top of my head that offer the same twist of a family member out for revenge for their victimized loved one (Prom Night, I Still Know What You Did Last Summer, basically every movie…) I feel bad being so harsh, but honestly the Cutter series felt way too drawn out (in only four issues, mind you), completely unoriginal and frankly boring. The characters were weak and easily forgettable and the writing felt phoned in. I’m not sure writers Robert Napton and Seamus Kevin Fahey even gave a shit what happened by the end of it. As a reader, I sure didn’t. Cutter felt lazy and like it was written by people that know nothing about horror and the conclusion of the story only confirmed that for me. Oh, and what I can only assume was supposed to be a “deep” final panel can kiss my ass. I get it, the cycle continues as long as there are people who are too weak to stand up for what’s right. Your social commentary isn’t scary and it only makes me hate you more. Overall, Cutter was worth avoiding, and a huge disappointment. – Keriann

Marvel:

Death of Wolverine: Deadpool & Captain America #1 – A-

Personally a Deadpool and Captain America team-up sounds wonderful, but then you add that it is the old Steve Rogers and it makes for the best thing to come out of the Death of Wolverine storyline and off shoots yet. In this we see Deadpool and Steve Rogers teaming up to collect any DNA of Logan/Wolverine so that nobody can clone him or use it for evil purposes. Although the underlying story is about this we actually get quite a good character study of both Deadpool and Captain America in this, showcasing sides of them only Wolverine had seen and helped them with. The ending of it had me a bit worried as to what will happen next, as I am sure any reader will understand and don’t want to give too much away, but I have a feeling it will all work itself out. Although the typical Deadpool humor is still there (seeing Steve Rogers respond to each joke Deadpool makes on whether he got the reference or not was quite funny) but we get a more drama heavy book here but with that we get a story that finally offers us something worthwhile in this never-ending Death of Wolverine saga. – Jacob

Death of Wolverine: The Logan Legacy #3 – C-

This week The Logan Legacy covers Sabretooth and his story about Wolverine, and oh, what a completely messed up story it is. Not much has come from the Death of Wolverine event that has been outstanding, even though I have enjoyed it all, but this does not change that as even though it is a entertaining story, it is one that ultimately seemed way off course and mostly just an avenue to show Sabretooth killing lots of people. This issue definitely gives you an idea in how fucked up Sabretooth really is as we see what he did right after Wolverines death and it was not very nice at all. The next issue is going to cover Lady Deathstrike and I have always felt she was one of Wolverine’s best villains, so hopefully we can get a worthwhile story from her and not be a rather unmeaningful story like the last two have been. – Jacob

Deathlok #1 – C-

As first issues goes, this book really isn’t all that impressive or captivating. Hays is living a double live as a secret operative and a single father. That was all that was really established in this book besides a lot of fighting bad guys that seem more like civilian casualties. Deathlok is being used to some nefarious ends he’s unaware of, or so it appears. Everyone needs some fluff in their life, but I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone. Still, I am curious about how the story will play out and the relationship between him and his daughter. At the moment the story is more action plot than character development. – Jené

All-New X-Men #33 – D

Between DC and Marvel, there is just too much “alternate universe” crap going on. Here, some mysterious all-powerful mutant girl got flustered, sneezed, and sent everybody to a different universe. Okay, where are the hidden cameras? Joke’s over guys… While the prospect of these guys ending up in different universes is intriguing, and the humor is on-point as per usual, I just can’t see this storyline being unique enough to wade through the whole thing for. Each issue keeps getting shorter, but it doesn’t help me stay interested. Best to just wait for this arc to end before jumping on the bandwagon. – Sherif

Axis: Revolutions #1 – F

I’m sorry folks, but this book did absolutely nothing for me. The first half was just some morality story as told by Spider-Man (ugh…) and the rest featured Doctor Strange (UGH….); all of the magic talk made him sound ridiculous and reminded me of Ron Burgundy on more than one occasion. Save your time! – Cody

Oni Press:

Ciudad #1 – D

What do you get when you take Denzel Washington from Man On Fire and Russell Crowe from Proof Of Life, mix them together and throw the character into the chaos of the drug-infested streets of modern day Mexico? Ciudad is what you get! Just in case the previously listed movies draw an involuntary “WTF?” from your lips, Ciudad’s main character is an extractor. A man with James Bond-like skills paid to return the kidnapped to freedom from those wicked and evil enough to attempt to ransom them off. Are you salivating yet? I wasn’t but, different strokes for different folks, right?! The first thing that grabbed me when I opened Ciudad was the art, which is, sad to say, downright poor. From it’s quality to it’s color (Ciudad is completely black and white) it’s leaves you with that lackluster feeling that only bad CGI in a B movie can engender. This is an issue that could have really benefited from color, and that’s not to say that there aren’t some panels that are breath taking (cause a few are magnificent), but the art as a whole takes away from the book. There’s nearly no character development, and what little there is leaves you wanting. Like a twinkie without the cream you’re wondering, where’s the filling? I will say, the action is well done. The language used is very immersive and the action keeps you engaged with brutal yet instinctive violence. It’s just not enough. Ciudad reminds me of Steven Segal. There’s not a lot of substance, and it’s not much to look at, but it can kick some ass from time to time. So open an issue if you’re feeling froggy but like the crime congested streets in Ciudad, enter at your own risk. – Zach

Funniest Panel:

Death of Wolverine: Deadpool & Captain America #1 funny panel — Death of Wolverine: Deadpool & Captain America #1

Panel with the Most Awesomeness:

Wonder Woman #35 Awesome panel — Wonder Woman #35

That about wraps it up for our reviews this week! Look for next week’s previews coming soon. Any comic books you didn’t see reviewed that you want reviewed? Any grades you didn’t agree on? Let us know in the comments!

All images taken from ComiXology app and the credit for them goes to the respective publishers; thanks to IDW Comics, image Comics, Dark Horse, Boom! Studios, Oni Press, Dynamite Entertainment, DC and Marvel for putting out great books.

Comic Book Reviews 07-23-14

Review Scale:

The mythical A+: Classic comic book material. Belongs next to your copy of The Notebook and The Joy of Cooking.

A: Would definitely recommend to all comic book readers. Even more so to fans of the genre or characters

B: Enjoyable read. Fans of the genre or characters will especially like.

C: Non-essential read. Can be enjoyable for fans of the genre or characters, but likely for only one or two events in the books.

D: Unenjoyable book. Read at your own risk. Might find satisfaction if major flaws are overlooked.

F: Please don’t buy this book. Donate your money to a local comic book writer’s workshop instead to inspire future generations to write something better than this trash.

Pick of the Week:

TMNT: Turtles in Time #2 – A

The second issue in this mini series is definitely much better as far as story goes, and the artwork in this issue is great as well. We see the Turtles travel forward in time from their last destination but it is still the past to them. This time they are in Japan and almost immediately after they get there and get clothes they help out a familiar man as he is getting attacked. We still don’t know much about Renet who is the cause of the time travel until later in this series or we may have to wait for the TMNT Annual coming out later this year where she is said to be introduced as a official character for the series.- Jacob

Other Reviews:

DC/Vertigo:

Batman #33– A

The end of Zero Year is finally here. The showdown with Edward Nygma comes to a close, and one of the best Batman stories of all time is over. The finale is every bit the culmination it was supposed to be, as Batman and Nygma engage in mental warfare, the fate of the city in Batman’s hands. The arrogance of Nygma is perfectly in sync with The Riddler mythos and it makes him a character that you love to hate. The main story is great, highlighted by some great panels that will define the arc, but the real prize are the subtle callbacks to minor Batman details. These range from past Zero Year issues to new aspects of Batman’s past, to the appearance of a newly-designed (and sexy) love interest of Batman’s past. When the debris clears, there’s no denying that Zero Year‘s decision to tackle uncharted territory pays off in a big way. – Sherif

Batman and Robin #33– A-

Although Robin Rises didn’t give us the result I wanted, it led to a much more epic journey. The “new” Robin is going to be Damian, and if the picture I’ve seen floating around the internet are any indication, Damian will be returning, but as a reanimated corpse. The issue even pokes fun at the ridiculousness of what is soon to come. As Batman fights the League when they try to stop him from going to Apokolips to recapture Robin’s body. To do so, writer Peter Tomasi reveals the Hellbat armor, which already deserve a spot on our Top Batsuits list. With the League not allowing him to go, what do you think he’s going to do? Whatever the hell he wants. I’m all in on this epic tale. – Sherif

Superman #33– B-

Batman has been hogging up much of the New52 spotlight, so it’s about due time that some of the biggest names in comic books saved the book. Writer Geoff Johns and John Romita Jr. have instant chemistry, and this new hero (?) is an instantly appealing character, and the mystery surrounding him drives the story without dragging on at all. The major issue I have with the tory so far is that there is a LOT of dialogue. The first few pages are almost half-way filled with words, which was hard to get through when there was no momentum to warrant such long story-telling. The use of the medium succeeds with good art and word chemistry, not pages of talking heads. It doesn’t last forever though; once the book progresses to show our new guest, we get an enthralling story that I look forward to reading again. – Sherif

Wonder Woman #33– C+

By now, word of Wonder Woman‘s new creative team has swept the internet. After this one, we only get two more issues of the amazing Brian Azzarello and Cliff Chiang before the reins are handed off to the Finchs. Until then, we get to live out the rest of this bittersweet journey knowing that it will be over soon. First born has captured Wonder Woman and has begun his assault on Themyscira. We have all the tellings of a good war tale, but this issue plays out kind of like a bad The Walking Dead issue, with not much development throughout the issue, and one cliff-hanger at the end. In the grand scheme of the finale, this was just collateral damage – the issue isn’t unenjoyable. – Sherif

IDW Comics:

X-Files #14 – B+

This issue reminds me so much of classic X-Files, I felt like I was watching the show. Again, with a lot of these TV to comic adaptations, I get a bit frustrated that I am reading a comic instead of watching these stories. However, this was a good moment for this series as it really connected to me as a fan with the writing and the art. Seeing Skinner, Krychek, Mulder, Scully, and the Cigarette Smoking Man all active and all involved in some huge conspiracy was amazing. I am sure it will all tie into a lot of the big events from the TV series. They have made references to a ton of cases and things that may come into play at some point. Although a lot has happened up to this point in the series, you should definitely try and pick this up if you are just getting started in the series or if you were a big fan of the show.-Jacob

Super Secret Crisis War Johnny Bravo One-Shot – B

This event at IDW has the child inside me having a brain aneurism because of over-excitement. This issue focuses on one of the robots from the previous Super Secret Crisis War #1 who invades Aron City, the home of Johnny Bravo, who is the famous Elvis looking and sounding, Zapp Branigann type of guy from his own cartoon. Johnny’s mom is missing and other various characters from the show, but ultimately it was a good story for the character development of Mr. Bravo and shows why he was not chosen as one of the main heroes kidnapped by Aku. If you have ever watched the Cartoon Network classics this is a must have, but since it is just a one shot, I am sure not getting it won’t effect you understanding of the main story. -Jacob

Image Comics:

Saga #21 – B

As much as I enjoy this book, it’s actually painful to watch Marko and Alana continue to drive a wedge between themselves. Alana is busy at work, but has taken on way more than a bigger role – she is on her way to becoming a drug addict. Meanwhile, Marko is rubbing elbows with a fellow stay-at-home parent and they seem to be getting uncomfortably close. There’s also the signature sex scene, which promptly follows the signature murder scene. I love the crazy robot janitor. His character is causing going to put a huge hole in everybody’s plan, and with no motive or backstory to understand what he is doing, he is even more frightening to watch. Saga remains my favorite book from Image, so to say that this issue didn’t strike me as amazing is still saying it’s one of the best books out. – Sherif

Marvel:

Deadpool Vs. X-Force #2 – B+

This monthly series of Deadpool is kicking the pants off of the Dracula’s Gauntlet weekly series and the main series at the moment! This issue has some pretty good writing and it is wonderful seeing Cable and Deadpool get to know each other during Civil War times. This series has definitely been enjoyable and has been a good break in the overdone and often story lacking series Deadpool has been involved in this year. – Jacob

Storm #1 – B-

This week, Marvel debuted its latest solo X-Men character, with Storm. To give you some background on my love affair with Ororo, when I was a child and all the other little girls were putting toilet paper on their heads to make a veil for Kindergarten weddings, I was using toilet paper to create tornadoes, and then I would control them while I was in the sky, a.k.a. the top of the stairs, and scream “I am STORM!”. With that being said, I was a little disappointed in this issue. The story gave some background into Storm, her capabilities, and where she is now. However, there was no background for the island she saves or the young defiant mutant who Storm takes back home to Mexico. I never felt connected with any character, including Storm or Beast. My predetermined bias forced me to give a high score on this book, but I won’t knock it until there has been more content. – Adrian

Original Sins #4 – C+

This miniseries and by connection the main series of Original Sin are about to come to a close. In this second to last issue of Original Sins we get to see stories about Doctor Doom, a overweight man playing Captain America in a parade ad of course the Young Avengers Story that has come with each issue. This series has been odd and I tend to be most excited for the stories that last two pages, which is usually something like Howard the Duck (whom I love). It was nice to at least kind of see what Doctor Doom is up to during Original Sin, but ultimately his story was about just some random loser who saw Doctor Dooms secrets. Overall this is definitely not a must have comic even for an Original Sin story line. -Jacob

Deadpool Dracula’s Gauntlet #3 – C-

We see the final battle between Blade and Deadpool and more story behind how Deadpool and Shiklah fell in love and got married. But although some of that may sound entertaining the way they dispatch of Blade is a very “No duh!” moment and the rest of the story just seems like it is a very unneeded prequel to Deadpool’s wedding and, of course, extra stuff to add to the whole Deadpool Gauntlet story. I will continue to read this series as I always find Deadpool entertaining, but maybe the constant barrage of stories for him has made him a predictable and boring character when not written in the right way. -Jacob

Funniest Panel:

Panel with the Most Awesomeness:

That about wraps it up for our reviews this week! Look for next week’s previews coming soon. Any comic books you didn’t see reviewed that you want reviewed? Any grades you didn’t agree on? Let us know in the comments!

All images taken from ComiXology app and the credit for them goes to the respective publishers; thanks to IDW Comics, image Comics, Dark Horse, Boom! Studios, Dynamite Entertainment, DC and Marvel for putting out great books.

Batman Day – Best Batman Girlfriends

DC Comics has dubbed today Batman Day. The Dark Knight has been fighting crime and serving justice for his 75th year since the 1939 debut of Detective Comics #27. Batman has been a big part of our lives, and was responsible for making us into the comic book fanatics we are today, whether it be through comic books and toys or television and movies. To show our appreciation for the man, the myth and the legend, we have compiled a plethora of Bat-themed lists. We hope that we can inspire you to read more about Batman and his legacy, or even give us some feedback if you agree or disagree with the lists. Sound off below! And click on the picture below to take you to all of our Batman Day articles.

So who are Batman’s best girlfriends? Do you know the name of his first girlfriend? Or that he hooked up with Lois Lane? Read our countdown of the top 15 women in Bruce Wayne’s life to find out more!

15: Pamela Isley

Poison Ivy and Batman get hot 'n heavy in The Animated Series. — Poison Ivy and Batman get hot ‘n heavy in The Animated Series.

Let’s face it, Pamela Isley AKA Poison Ivy and Batman have never been… together. Poison Ivy has had a strong physical attraction to Batman for a long, long time. This attraction has only recently been requited by Batman. Ivy has even saved Batman a few times, granted an antidote for her own poison, delivered by kisses. While the two have flirted, their relationship has never gone beyond coquettishness.

14: Lois Lane

Batman and Lois Lane in Superman: The Animated Series.

I know what you are thinking. Lane and Wayne rhyme, so of course their relationship would never work out. Rhyming names is just silly. Oh! How could I forget! Yeah, Lois is actually Superman’s girl. How douchey of Batman! In Superman: The Animated Series, Bruce meets Lois Lane while making a deal with LexCorp. The two immediately fall for one another and briefly date, much to the chagrin of Clark Kent. In just a few days, they get so close that Lois tells Clark that she will be moving to Gotham, and she and Bruce are practically engaged. After getting his cowl pulled off as Batman in front of Lois by a robot in the copy room of the Daily Planet (yeah), she finds out Bruce’s true identity, and Lois decides she can’t be with the Batman.

13: Jezebel Jet

Batman and Jezebel Jet share a kiss in the comics.

Jezebel Jet is the sexy model who Bruce dated right before Batman: RIP. They both are rich, they both lost their parents, and they both have their secrets. After some crazy tabloid rumors about a tryst in the mountains, the pair start dating. After they both get kidnapped by one of Dr. Hurt’s Bat Men, Jezebel deduces Bruce’s secret. He tell her the truth and takes her to his cave. Ooh, la la! But then it turns out she is a spy for the Black Glove, you know, the same guys who drive Batman crazy and buried him alive. As Jezebel is on her flight back to the African country she owns, her plane is ambushed by Talia Al-Ghul’s Man-Bat ninjas and murdered. Talia then gives Jezebel’s severed head to Batman during a battle. If it wasn’t for the fact she was an evil spy, ahem, and Bruce’s ex was slightly crazy, Jezebel Jet would have been a great gal for Bats.

12: Lorna Shore

In the Lovers and Madmen arc of Batman: Confidential, Bruce meets museum curator Lorna Shore. This happens during his second year as Batman. She happens to be the first person to make him happy since the murder of his parents. Because this is early in Batman’s career, he has yet to make many of his most famous enemies. When a man named Jack, soon to be The Joker, decides he wants to draw out the Batman, he kidnaps Lorna and slashes her stomach, leaving her in critical condition. She eventually recovers, but both she and Batman decide it is too dangerous for her to stay in Gotham City and she skips town, and their relationship.

11: Julie Madison

Batman and Julie Madison in Detective Comics during the 1940's. — Batman and Julie Madison in Detective Comics during the 1940’s.

Julie Madison. She ranks so high on this list because she is the first girlfriend of Batman. Debuting in 1939 in Detective Comics 31 (aficionados will know this is only 4 issues after Batman’s debut), Julie Madison is Bruce Wayne’s fiancé and chief damsel in distress. Julie is a wealthy socialite and actress. She also loves Bruce more than he seems to love her. Bruce can’t keep his second life out of his billionaire life, and often leaves Julie to fight crime as Batman. Eventually, Julie breaks off their engagement, claiming that Bruce isn’t ambitious enough. If she only knew. Julie Madison has made appearances since then, even once as an old woman recounting her time with Bruce Wayne. Even though they didn’t work out, Julie Madison will always be remembered as Batman’s first girlfriend.

10: Wonder Woman

The Amazonian Princess did have a thing for The Dark Knight. It’s true that the two haven’t always liked each other. They have had many a fight, but in the Justice League of America comic series, the two had a flirtatious relationship. At one point, they even shared a kiss before saving Aquaman. In JLA #90, Wonder Woman uses Martian Manhunter’s Transconsciousness Articulator and finds herself in a dream state of different scenarios of her life with Batman. To put it lightly, none of them end well. The couple decide to stay friends and nothing more, even though Wonder Woman still feels something for Batman. The two also had a relationship in the Justice League and Justice League Unlimited TV Series, leading to an infinite about of fan-fiction. This pair is really controversial, causing some awesome rifts on many a message board, but we personally think the duo are so strong, they are hard to beat.

9: Vesper Fairchild

Batman and Vesper Fairchild in a flashback in the comics.

Vesper Fairchild wasn’t Bruce Wayne’s girlfriend for long, but their relationship caused a major story arc in the Batman comic series. Vesper was a late night radio host in Gotham. After some prodding from Alfred, Bruce agreed to go to the radio show to boost his appearance as Bruce Wayne in Gotham. Vesper and Bruce form a romantic relationship. After the earthquake in No Man’s Land, Vesper leaves town. She returns and begins investigating Batman. At this point, Bruce feels she may find out who he really is and breaks ties with her. Unfortunately, Vesper is murdered in his home. Bruce is set up for the murder and sent to jail, the story of Batman: Murderer? and Batman: Fugitive. It turns out that Vesper was killed by David Cain, a prominent member of the League of Assassins. While it seems that Vesper and Bruce would never have worked out, their relationship perfectly explains Batman’s relationship patterns.

8: Rachel Caspian

Bruce and Rachel Caspian get in engaged in the comics.

Many a woman has been modeled off of Rachel Caspian, including other list-makers Rachel Dawes and Andrea Beaumont. Caspian was featured in the 4 issue arc Batman: Year Two, the daughter of Judson Caspian. Rachel and Bruce become very close, and he even proposes marriage and considers dropping his vigilante ways. But Rachel’s father turns out to be The Reaper, the original vigilante of Gotham. When Batman decides to go after the murderous Reaper, he enlists the help of the crime lords of Gotham, needing help against the man who used weapons to defeat his opponents. The crime lords comply, but only if Batman works with Joe Chill. Batman decides to kill Chill with the gun he used to kill Bruce’s parents in the same alley they were killed in, but The Reaper shoots Chill first. In a final battle, Batman realizes The Reaper is also Rachel’s father. He falls off a rooftop to his death and Batman swears off ever using guns. Rachel is so distraught she breaks it of with Bruce and becomes a nun. Ouch.

7: Rachel Dawes

Bruce played by Christian Bale and Rachel Dawes Played by Maggie Gyllenhaal in The Dark Knight. — Bruce (played by Christian Bale) and Rachel Dawes (played by Maggie Gyllenhaal) in The Dark Knight.

Rachel Dawes is Bruce’s childhood friend, the daughter of one of the house servant’s for the Wayne family. Rachel’s character only appears in the Christopher Nolan movie franchise in Batman Begins and The Dark Knight. Even though Rachel only appears in two films, she made an impact on many Batman fans. Rachel and Bruce used to play around Wayne Manor, but when his parents were murdered, Rachel and her mother left. As an adult, Rachel goes to law school and gets an internship at the Gotham District Attorney’s office. After talking to Bruce about Joe Chill and Bruce’s intention to murder Chill, Rachel tells him that his parent’s would be disappointed in him. It is this conversation that leads Bruce to travel the world and learn about the world of criminals. Upon his return, it is clear the two share a mutual love, but don’t act on it. At the end of Batman Begins, Bruce hints at his true identity. Rachel and he kiss, but she decides they can’t be together while he is the Batman. In The Dark Knight, Rachel is the girlfriend of District Attorney Harvey Dent. Rachel is eventually killed when The Joker makes Batman decided to save Dent or Rachel. Batman picks Rachel, but The Joker deceived Batman by switching the addresses where each victim is located. It is later revealed through a letter that Rachel never planned on choosing Bruce over Harvey Dent because Bruce would always choose to be Batman.

6: Silver St. Cloud

Bruce and Silver St. Cloud share a moment in the comics.

Silver St. Cloud not only has a really cool name, but she is also a really important piece to Bruce Wayne’s insanely complex puzzle. Silver was a rich socialite who dated Bruce. That’s not really why she is important. Bruce Wayne has a way with the ladies, especially rich ones. What set Silver apart (and it wasn’t her hair), was that she figured out his secret. It may not sound that hard, but Silver is one of few who figured out that her boyfriend was also Batman. Also, she is the first woman in the comics shown to bed the Bat. That may seem odd, but considering she was his 1970’s flame, it was a really big deal. Silver leaves Bruce because she couldn’t bear losing her lover while he was saving Gotham. In Justice League of America #159, Batman says he wanted a family with Silver. Awww.

5: Vicki Vale

Batman (played by Michael Keaton) and Vicki Vale (played by Kim Basinger) get ready to fly in Tim Burton's Batman. — Batman (played by Michael Keaton) and Vicki Vale (played by Kim Basinger) get ready to fly in Tim Burton’s Batman.

Face it, Vicki Vale is Batman‘s answer to Lois Lane. Introduced in 1948, Vicki Vale was a photojournalist for The Gotham Gazette. In the comics, Vale was a minor character and sometime love interest of Bruce Wayne until 1963. Throughout her run in the series, Vicki often suspects that Bruce and Batman are one in the same, but Bruce always fools her into thinking otherwise. She never finds out his true identity. Vicki is perhaps most famous for being Bruce’s girlfriend in Tim Burton’s 1989 Batman film, portrayed by Kim Basinger. She and Bruce get hot and heavy quickly, but The Joker takes an interest in the blonde beauty. After a horrific night at an art museum in which everyone is killed by The Joker except Vicki, Bruce decides to tell Vicki the truth. At the end of the film, Vicki waits at Wayne Manor for Batman to return home. While Vicki has never had a lasting impression on audiences, most fans know of her because of her portrayal on the big screen.

4: Andrea Beaumont

Picture Perfect couple Bruce Wayne and Andrea Beaumont.

Although Andrea Beaumont was introduced in a Batman animated film and only made a few cameos in other mediums afterwards, her legacy lives on over 20 years later. You may remember a little movie called Batman: The Mask of the Phantasm. Ok, it really is the most famous and popular Batman animated film in existence. Andrea Beaumont was Bruce Wayne’s first true love. They met while both visiting graves; her mother’s and his parents’. After having a serious relationship, Bruce proposes to Andrea and even decides not to go through with his plan to become a vigilante. When Andrea’s mobster father finds out he will be killed soon, he takes Andrea and goes into hiding. Bruce’s loss is what pushes him into becoming Batman. After some years later, and the death of Andrea’s father, she returns to Gotham to avenge his death, even donning a masked costume. The similarities between Andrea and Bruce are countless, but their difference is what sets them apart; Andrea is ok with killing people in order to gain peace. Eventually, Andrea figures out that Bruce Wayne is Batman, but it is too late for them to reconcile.

3: Talia Al-Ghul

Batman and Talia share a very steamy moment.

O.K. Here’s the deal. I am not going to sugar coat this one for you folks. Talia Al-Ghul is bat-shit crazy. In case you were wondering, the pun was totally intended, but I do use it in my every day vocabulary. To put it in a nutshell, Talia is the quintessential girlfriend who you never take home. When you break up, you may want to go into hiding, or even change your name because she will find you and you new lover and destroy you both. Also, don’t ever let her drug you. Talia is the daughter of Ra’s Al-Ghul, leader of the League of Assassin’s. Ra’s gets it in his head that he wants Batman to become his heir and tries to marry him to Talia. Even though Batman isn’t too down with the idea of going to the dark side, he still finds Talia attractive. This turns out to be a huge mistake. Talia and Batman have sex, and then she uses his goods to make a test tube baby, Damian Wayne. She is always on the fence about who to follow, Batman or her father, but in the end it turns out that her father always wins in her eyes. And let’s not forget that she plotted Jezebel Jet’s murder and brought her head back for Batman to see. C-R-A-Z-Y. So why is she number 3? Well, she is the mother of Batman’s child, so we have to give her some credit for that.

2: Justice, Itself

Justice. No, that isn’t the name of a girlfriend, but the actual idea itself. Batman loves Justice. It is what he lives for. In the 75 years that Batman has existed, only one lady has stayed close to his heart. Many of his lady lovers choose not to be with him because of his alter-ego, and the others he decides not to be with them for the same reason. It’s true that he really could give up the cowl. But women are not what Bruce Wayne lives for; justice is what Batman lives for. Sorry women of Gotham City, but the most handsome and richest bachelor in town will never love you as much as he loves the smell of Justice.

1: Selena Kyle

The Kiss by Jim Lee in Hush. Batman and Catwoman 4eva!

So maybe Batman does love Justice more than he loves Selina Kyle. But he really does love her alter ego, Catwoman. Unlike all the other lover’s Batman has had, Catwoman really understands him. And even though she has had her times of being the villain, the two have always had a thing for each other. From the original comics, to Julie Newmar, to Batman Returns, and to Batman: Heart of Hush, these two have been off and on for decades. There are even universes and parallels that suggest Bruce and Selina had a daughter together, who grew up to be Huntress. Perhaps Batman and Catwoman’s love affair works because they really get each other. It has long been known that Bruce Wayne considers his alter ego to be Bruce Wayne, and Batman is who he really is. Catwoman knows that, and feels that way about herself, too. Plus, their kiss in Hush is just too hot to deny. These two creatures of the night were absolutely meant for each other. Meow!

all photos are credit to DC Comics.

Denver Comic Con 2014 Interview – Yanick Paquette

We were just walking around Denver Comic Con, minding our own business, when Yanick Paquette decided to be the coolest guy in the world. About a month ago, we decided to spotlight our favorite guests at the convention, and Yanick was quite impressed with our research on his piece. When we met him at the convention, we saw not only his extreme talents, but his charisma at work. After chatting it up for 10-15 minutes at his booth, watching him draw a commission for Jean Grey, he asked us if we would like to interview him the following morning. YES! We tried to play it off cool, but we were really excited to meet him. One day and a full night of research later, we were ready to go. We discussed everything from Swamp Thing and Wonder Woman: Earth One to independent books and colorists. He is a full transcription of what went down when Robert and Sherif sat down to interview Yanick Paquette.

Click on the link to take you to all of our Denver Comic Con 2014 articles

Hush Comics: You just got back from an insane touring schedule in Europe. How does the comic book convention scene abroad compare to how it is in America?

Yanick Paquette: Well, a few years ago, in Europe, you would not charge for sketches and it was more about meeting the fans, I guess. The way I see it, the modern convention, the American structure where fans come and pay for sketches and fans interact, is really the model for everybody now. Except maybe France, who will always resist. In the U.K. for instance, the shows are getting bigger, better and longer. This is the case in the United States, too. Here, it is the third year in Denver. It is a pretty decent, huge show. In Montreal, I’m from Montreal, and there were little shows trying to pop up now and then and there were crappy shows and they didn’t last. We have a show in Montreal. I’m not sure how many editions there are, maybe the 5th edition. Now there is some traction.

I am doing a lot of shows, only because my schedule allows it. As I’m not doing a monthly book, I can agree to more. For instance, in August, I am going to Argentina. Eduardo Risso has a small show there. He’s invited just a few people. That is going to be fun. I’m doing Malta. I’m doing a few other shows abroad. [This weekend] it is Charlotte for me. I’m all over the place. It’s good. When I started doing comics, the idea was, ‘Can I get a living out of just drawing? That is good enough if I can get a living out of drawing. Not even a big living, just drawing and get some money.’ That was good enough. But it turned out it’s a way to travel now, so I am traveling all over the place. That was unexpected, but it’s great.

HC: Checking out your Twitter feed, we see that you do as much promoting of other creators as you do for yourself. Is there any work out right now that you feel that the world needs to know more about?

YP: There is Jeremy Bastian, over there. He has a booth here. He is doing something called Cursed Pirate Girl. His stuff is absolutely amazing. He is shy and gentle, and he works his thing. It’s, of course, not Marvel and DC, because it is way too good. He’s been doing his thing forever. Now he is getting some attention in Europe. Obviously that kind of material will work super well in France. I think he is getting there now. Everyone should be aware of this man’s existence because he is just a miracle.

Taken from Jeremy Bastian's Blogspot. Buy Cursed Pirate Girl here. — Taken from Jeremy Bastian’s Blogspot. Buy Cursed Pirate Girl here.

HC: A couple of months ago you expressed the need for DC to start trying to keep their elite colorists in their staple. Can you go into some detail about how much a colorist contributes to the work of the book?

YP: It is a massive contribution. I’m not going to give names, but I’ve been colored by people who have just destroyed my entire month of work. As you open a book, it is the first thing you see. You don’t see the story, because you have to read it. The picture takes some time to acknowledge, but the color is the first thing that is going to punch you in the face. A good colorist can help you with the story telling, can push forward the understanding of the page – the atmosphere and everything. I’m inking myself. I’m penciling and inking, and the only other guy on the team is the colorist. It’s a two-man operation. There’s a lot that I leave for him to do, and it’s truly a team effort. Back in the day, in the 80’s for instance, colorists could do 10 or 20 books a month. It didn’t matter because it was just flat, simple color. But now it is complex stuff. And when it is complex you can really screw it up. [Doing his best colorist impression] ‘I’m going to airbrush everything. I’m going to paint over things.’ Sadly, there are a lot of people in DC and Marvel, mostly at DC, that is part of the problem that will go into not-so-great coloring.

It is obvious that talent is required and talent has to be recognized and paid accordingly. I couldn’t say if DC pays the colorists less than Marvel. I think DC, in general, will pay more. We have overseas royalties. I think they treat the artist better, but the colorist’s stature is still part of the production department more than on the art team, which was the case for both DC and Marvel. Years ago, Marvel did change that structure. DC I’m sure will, sooner or later, follow into that legal structure with their colorists because it won’t make sense. They are always on the same bracket, but it has been a few years that DC hasn’t complied with that new definition of what the colorist should be. When you have your name on the cover and the little on the royalties, it’s not going to be huge money for anyone, but it is a symbol that you are part of team and that you are responsible for the success or the failing of the product. And we recognize that.

On that subject, when I went out and said that [referring to colorists getting paid], Bleeding Cool, spun the story saying that I’m challenging DC to pay. But it isn’t confrontational at all. I have total faith in DC to do it. If anybody needs to take a breath and play ball it is the writer and the artist. That world is a pie. DC allows a piece of the cover price to be split between the art team. I am asking to revisit the pie. Let’s take a bit of my money, of the writer’s money, and the inker’s money, and let’s share that with the colorist so he is part of our team. The challenge might be to get some of the writers and artists to give. It’s more the art team that I challenge to recognize the colorists.

HC: So speaking of colorists, are there any who you specifically love and would really like to work with?

YP: I’m working with Nathan Fairbairn for… He’s my man. We have been working together for a long time. He was working with me, and Chris Burnham, on Batman Inc. We work together because of our friendship, because we have been working together for a long time and because I trust him totally. We have a good working relationship of respect. He brought forward that it’s not so cool [colorists not being paid]. Especially, Wonder Woman: Earth One has a long shelf life. Who knows how much it is going to sell? It wasn’t so fun for him to come aboard on this and not get any piece of it. In part, it was for him that I came forward saying that we should change. I had a hard time to convince him to stay on Wonder Woman. ‘I need you! I don’t want to go onto 120 pages with someone I don’t know.’ It’s very intimate. My artwork is super intimate. I spend so much time and it is very personal. And you are inviting other people in your bed to share this thing with you, you don’t want someone that you don’t trust or that you don’t know who will screw this stuff up. When Nathan was not sure, I had two other options: Dave Stewart, who is absolutely a miracle, probably the best colorist there is, and Laura Martin. Laura is also an absolute magnificent colorist. I’m glad that we ended up working out something with Nathan for this. As I do a page, I feel confident that my man has my back if something goes wrong, and if he is there, the page is going to look good. He boosts my confidence.

HC: Perhaps your most notable signature your crazy panel layouts and how you split up the panels with different elements of the story. What was your inspiration to do this?

YP: It started a little bit before Swamp Thing. I did an issue of Wolverine: Weapon X called “Insane in the Brain” by Jason Aaron. The story goes that Wolverine is trapped in this asylum and he is getting pushed towards madness by this evil guy. Every panel in that book is crooked. It doesn’t look like it if you look at the book, but none of the corners align. Everything is slightly off balance. As you get crazier and crazier, the stuff gets more crooked. There are a few pages where he snaps out of it and he comes to his senses, and then everything is super straight. It is super-subtle. I’m pretty sure nobody really saw that, but they might feel it on the subconscious level.

When I do crazy stuff, it is for storytelling purposes. In Swamp Thing, the first script came in from Scott [Snyder], a great script, but pretty down to earth. It was a 10-page script and a guy talking. To me, when I thought about Swamp Thing, I thought of an Alan Moore crazy, wild thing. In my own relationship to Swamp Thing through the years, I discovered, my first artistic love was Berni Wrightson on Swamp Thing. And then I discovered my first love in writing was Alan Moore on Swamp Thing. And then I got to do Swamp Thing. For me it was something personal. It was like coming back home, almost like a full circle. To me, that book had to reflect my past, the past guys who were on Swamp Thing, and my own relationship to comics. I had to put their name in there and also part of their style. The script was very down to earth. So I figured that maybe just the panel layout could be enough to give you a sense that this is not going to be like other comics, it would be pushing forward in trying things in terms of story telling. So I made a code for everything that happened in that story. If the Green is acting on reality, if the Rot is acting on reality, if you are in the Green… When Abigail is there, the panels are not straight. They are more angular because she is more hard edge, now. All sorts of details like that. You can combine, or you can dial down the fact. But they are always aligned with what is happening in the story. It didn’t take that much time that every single thing in Swamp Thing was bizarre, so every single panel was bizarre. You give what you got. It was really freeing.

At first, I did that by doing something different to reflect what Swamp Thing should be. But I wasn’t sure if people would buy it at all. Maybe it was too confusing. There are things that are challenging. But people absolutely loved it. After 2 years, as I am doing my layout for Wonder Woman, I can’t do straight borders. It isn’t the same set of codes, because what I did on Swamp Thing was for Swamp Thing. It is harder to plan with Grant [Morrison] because [Wonder Woman: Earth One] is a long story. It is hard to see it in its entirety because I don’t have the script for the whole story. It’s hard to plan the element of design. But I try to do other things that I feel are cool.

HC: Your resume is full of work with fantastic writers, even before the New52. Are there any writers who you have worked with at your days with Marvel that you would like to reconnect with?

YP: When I worked with Jason Aaron, that was the absolute best. I’m talking to you Jason! That script was so intelligent. I had fun with Matt Fraction, too. I was lucky enough to do Uncanny X-Men, which was a self-contained story, so I really made that mine. It was very packed with emotion. There were impossibly deep emotional moments. In comics, you can end up having people fighting for 3 or 4 pages. I don’t care for violence; I don’t find it exciting. What I find exciting is these impossible emotions. In that issue of Uncanny X-Men, Dr. Nemesis goes back in the past. He has to meet his mother and father then sees his father dying. His mother is dying, too, but she pregnant, too. So he delivers himself out of his dying mother. He is always pristine white; he is like Mr. Perfect. But the last few pages, he is coming out of his mom’s bedroom with himself in his arms, his coat is full of blood. What are these moments? They are so intense. They give you goose bumps. Swamp Thing was full of those moments, too. There are huge sacrifices. It’s a love story. But it was crazy and weird at the same time with profound moments. I do comics for those moments.

HC: Let’s talk about Wonder Woman. How does it differ from the monthly series?

YP: First of all, it’s Earth One. So, you know the other Earth One’s, it’s kind of like Marvel’s Ultimates. There are no rules. You can reinvent stuff. Archetypes and elements can come back because they are expected by readers. Because of that, you can play with those. We have free-reign to do whatever we want. Outside of continuity we can do anything. Wonder Woman somehow has a hard time getting a movie for herself or attention beyond the T-shirts and lunch boxes and figurines; to get her to mainstream solo status like she was in the 70’s was very hard. You can do that with Batman or Superman, but not Wonder Woman. People were like, ‘You should do the regular series! She needs help now.’ I love Azzarello’s work. I think it is great. I don’t think she needs that much help in the New52. All the usual revolutions, the big changes for the characters, like Batman for instance, The Dark Knight Returns was not part of the continuity. It was a futuristic story, like an Elseworld. I don’t think Elseworlds existed in the time of Frank Miller. But that thing was so strong, it defined what Batman was. He is now the injured vengeance-ridden kid. Same for Kingdom Come that really rebalanced everything with the DC Universe. If you look at all the films of Marvel, it is not the Thor of the regular series, but it is the Ultimates. It is the Mark Millar work that makes it to the screen. But then again, these alternate stories were so efficient and make so much sense because they have the liberty to redefine what they are in the context of today. Now, even the regular books, which are not the Ultimates, are tainted with the stories of The Avengers, stories of Aaron, and they have all been Ultimate-ized. You almost can’t tell them apart anymore. It is a revolution for a character. Try it outside of the box, and if it is good enough, the box will absorb it.

HC: How does drawing for a script oriented like Scott Snyder on Swamp Thing differ from a writer like Grant Morrison?

YP: It is hard to tell, because I am really proactive as an artist. I’ll take a lot of liberty. I consider my domain to be more than drawing what they ask. I am going to claim some land, for creation purposes. In the case of Scott, at first I had a full script. OK, we are going to do concept drawing – like the panel borders. My job was to tell the story but also push my own graphic agenda. In the case of Grant, Grant will give you a script with very basic dialogue. He will think about the big chunk of concept and all the craziness. Sometimes he locks attention to the little detail. ‘In this scene, these guys need to walk to one place or another,’ just the physicality of the mundane story telling aspect. And you will give this to your artist to make it make sense. You need to trust your artist and to give them some rope. I figure that is why he is always working with the same 5 or 6 guys because he trusts us to bring the kind of script he is giving us to a place where he is satisfied on which he can do the last pass before printing. It is a trusting, touching moment that he gives me so much room. You have to trust him too to bring that ship to the port at the end, because sometimes I’m sending pages and I’m not exactly sure where it is going to land. I trust him the way he trusts me. Because he works with the art finished, he adapts himself to what he gets. In my case, he never asks for redrawing. If I make a decision to fix something that I feel will work better, he doesn’t mind. It is always a work in progress until the last minute. He is always able to react to the art and be creative. As I do a page, I know Grant will make something out of it.

HC: Your first monthly gig was Wonder Woman. The coolest thing I remember about it was the armor with the eagle head.

YP: I did not invent that costume.

HC: I thought I had seen an earlier armor version but not one with the American flag and the eagle helmet.

YP: It’s been a while. I know that in that run of Wonder Woman, I did invent the Fortress of Solitude with the huge flying coliseum with animals in there and armor galleries. It was the new Invisible Plane, because that thing could turn invisible also. I remember designing that. Maybe I updated the armor, but I wonder if it wasn’t Adam Hughes who did it for the cover. Or maybe it’s a spin on an Alex Ross design. It’s funny that today I get to do Wonder Woman again after all these years in probably the most different context possible. Back then, I didn’t know what I was doing. I was just trying to learn in front of everyone. A lot of those pages are like [he groans]. The idea was just to get the stuff done on time. That was the challenge of the day. Learning the craft. Getting my stuff done on time. There are a lot of pages in there that I am not proud of. But I was unknown, so that was the deal. Now I have the chance to represent the character, but with no deadline, and prestige format, with a massive writer. Now I know exactly what I am supposed to me. I am fully armed and geared for the process. I am going to redeem myself.

HC: DC Collectibles is releasing a Wonder Woman Art of War statue in the image of your Wonder Woman in October. Did you have a hand in the 3D design for that?

YP: Yeah, I did the design. So, I did the turnaround. Funny thing, though – that costume that I designed for Wonder Woman, not to spoil any of the story itself, but she came to the island with that design from the man’s world. Most of the story is a flashback from before that where she doesn’t wear that. I don’t know how that is going to play out. There are still a few pages to come that I have to draw still. It might very well turn out that the design for the statue is like two pages worth of what is going on in that book. She actually wears another costume. I designed that a long time ago, way before I had a decent chunk of script. If I had to redesign it again, I might have used the version I’m using in the book, which is a little different. But yeah, I did the turnaround. That was my first statue. I had no idea how to do it.

HC: It’s cool to see that you actually had a hand in designing.

YP: Because it is a statue, they ask the artist ‘Can you figure out a pose? Can you figure out a design?’ Action figures [are different]. They did a huge Swamp Thing with the wings. It is a massive toy. They sent me a box of those that made me pretty happy. But that, I had nothing to do with. All the design is obviously mine. There is a page in Issue #8 when he is coming down at the Rot with the wings. It is a massive toy. It is bigger than everyone. It is part of the New52 set of toys. I don’t know the scale, but Swamp Thing is just a monster so he goes in the massive monster box.

HC: I know everyone is asking you when the book is coming out. Can we assume that since the Wonder Woman statue is coming out in October, there might be something around the corner?

YP: No. I haven’t done all the pages. I have good chunks of stuff to do. I feel like October might come a bit too soon. Maybe DC’s promotional department might want to gather a bunch of Earth One’s together for a big event. I know Gary [Frank] has another Batman [Earth One] going and there’s another Superman going. I think it is in their ballpark. They will find a way to sell that thing at an appropriate moment. I have a feeling that it might be at the very beginning of 2015. My goal is to finish it this year. I have been on it too long. I over-think. Working with a flexible deadline, I am doing my best. At the end of the day, the extra perfection that I have managed to put in there is the one that takes the most time. Without it, I would have totally done the book super fast and nobody would recognize there is a little… If I would just give it up, nobody would care, except for me. I could make that book super fast. That’s the problem with a long deadline, I want to do the best and then it takes even more time.

HC: Working on a non-monthly book, it must allow for a more balanced lifestyle. We were wondering what hobbies you have on the side?

YP: I do travel a lot. I do a lot of conventions. That’s what I do. I used to do a lot of music. I write music and record it. There is some stuff online.

HC: I actually fell asleep to the Swamp Thing soundtrack last night.

YP: The Swamp Thing is a more orchestral film soundtrack. When I write serious stuff it’s mostly string quartets. But I’ve been writing a long time. With convention schedules, you travel and then come home and then I’m exhausted. Then I have to do two or three pages. It’s just a lot. Honestly, I don’t think I’ll say yes to too many people in terms of shows this year. But I will survive and I will take it as a warning.

HC: How did you get into writing music?

YP: It was a hobby when I was a kid, reading and writing music. In my teens I would write stuff. The things I really enjoy, there is no market. Classical or Baroque music – nobody cares for that. I went into Biology first and then I had a reality check and figured it wasn’t what I wanted to do. I considered Music for about an hour and half and then I went into comics instead. I may have ended up doing a movie score or having an orchestra. But there are so many good guys in movie scores; it’s such a huge market. I didn’t want to do jingles for advertising. I figure I will keep my music as pure as I want with no compromise. I’ll do my own thing for myself. I don’t need the public for that. I’ve posted it online because people have said, ‘You should post it online. It’s funny.’ But it’s for me really. And with the comic aspect, I’ll play ball a little bit more. And I did at first. Now I’m pickier with what I want. And maybe because I can do whatever I want in comics, I don’t feel the need to write music anymore.

HC: You have worked on a lot of established franchises. We wanted to know if you had any interest in doing something creator owned for an independent publisher or are you with DC forever?

YP: Honestly, I am looking for a creator owned in a very serious way. As I look at the industry now, DC and Marvel, every book you do, you can rest assured that the next book, even though you do your best the book is going to sell less. They are never going to sell more unless you kill a character or you put Jim Lee in the book. Every book will sell less than the one before. That trend has been going on with every single book of DC and Marvel for the past 5 or 10 years. The only places where I actually see growth is in the independent. Granted they start lower, so they have room to go up, but they do. They offer something different, something fresh. A few years ago when people would come in with a portfolio who were prime for DC, I would push them to try Image or do something independent and then come back to DC with that name. Now I am seeing the opposite. Get to DC or Marvel and make a name for yourself, then go to Image and cash in. Do something you own. From that point of view, if I would do something at Image and sell five times less, but do more money and do whatever I want. I don’t have anything against spandex and superheroes. I’ve done it a lot and enjoyed it as a kid. But it is a limited a genre. After a while you have told the story you wanted to tell. Spandex guy punching another spandex guy. I have done all the angles. I want to tell other kinds of stories. In other media, in movies or books, you get all different stories and they sell to different markets. But comics have been trapped into one mainstream, one little type of fiction. It makes no sense. But now Horror is coming again, I may not want to do pure Horror stuff. I won’t tell what I am looking into because I am not sure myself. I think the typing is good with miracles like The Walking Dead. Which is a fluke. You can’t say, ‘[In his best American accent] Oh! I’m just gonna do The Walking Dead. That seems like a profitable business plan.’ It’s a fluke! It’s something weird. But what happened is that people in the mainstream, and when I say mainstream, it’s not comic mainstream. This is not mainstream. This is a little bubble of weird geeks. The true world realizes that The Walking Dead came from a book. They enter into a comic book store with no geek preconception about qualities of DC and Marvel and the rest are amateurs. They don’t care for that. They’ll look and maybe by Chew or Saga. The readership has expanded. That is why The Walking Dead and some of these independent books are getting good numbers because it is fresh readership. It is fresh blood. It is people from the outside world coming and seeing that we are doing something that kind of makes sense.

HC: Our wrap up question is, what can fans except to see you in soon and where is the best place to reach you?

YP: I’ll be Charlotte this coming weekend. I’ll probably do New York. I will be in Portland this year, too. I will be in Malta for the Italian people who may read this. I’ll be in Argentina. There is a show in Montreal. I’ll drop by there and say hello. I am fairly easy to reach over Twitter and Facebook. I am pretty well-versed in the Web 2.0. [Also check out his DeviantArt page to see some of his beautiful commissions!]

Comic Book Reviews 06-18-14

Review Scale:

The mythical A+: Classic comic book material. Belongs next to your copy of The Notebook and The Joy of Cooking. A: Would definitely recommend to all comic book readers. Even more so to fans of the genre or characters B: Enjoyable read. Fans of the genre or characters will especially like. C: Non-essential read. Can be enjoyable for fans of the genre or characters, but likely for only one or two events in the books. D: Unenjoyable book. Read at your own risk. Might find satisfaction if major flaws are overlooked. F: Please don’t buy this book. Donate your money to a local comic book writer’s workshop instead to inspire future generations to write something better than this trash.

Pick of the Week:

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #35- A

I am loving this story arc and where it is taking the turtles. I have had problems in the past with Santolouco’s art design for the turtles, but he is by far my favorite artist for humans in the series. But the more he does I feel the better he does as Slash in this issue looks amazing! I feel this series just keeps getting better and better to me and having a Slash centered issue was great and opened up so many opportunities for the series. – Jacob

This issue is going to open up so much! The mutagen is the key to everything. Does this mean a war with Krang and Hob’s army? Or will the turtles be able to stop the madness before it gets out of control? My money is on the former because I love Old Hob’s character; he’s like the Magneto of TMNT. I also really appreciate the development of Casey Jones, who is no longer the one-dimensional tough guy goof off he has been in other mediums. There’s a reason this was my favorite book last year, and it continues to amaze. – Sherif

Other Reviews:

Dark Horse Comics:

Serenity: Leaves on the Wind #5 – B

Things are wrapping up for this Serenity series sadly. In this second to last issue we see the normally great art for this series and it is always good to see Wash, even if it has to be from the past. This is definitely the issue the climax of this series and we see everything set up for the last issue next month and does it well. It has been a great series and hopefully we will get more once everything finishes. – Jacob

DC/Vertigo:

Wonder Woman #32 – B+

If this cover isn’t the new poster for feminism, I don’t know what is – Wonder Woman fighting a manly bull warrior with two swords and a baby strapped to her back. The war for Olympus is waning, and there aren’t many left to oppose the First Born. Diana and a small team of gods try to make a last stand. We even get to see a new rendition of Wonder Woman’s armor, which looks gorgeous in modern colors. The story is dwindling down, but it’s not that it’s getting boring; I mean, how many arcs do you know that last over thirty issues? This series has just enough momentum for a ridiculous send-off – let’s just hope it gets there without being predictable. – Sherif

Supergirl #32 – B-

Luckily it seems as though we only have one more issue to deal with the Red Lantern version of Supergirl. She has been kicked outta the corp and on her way back to Earth she is attacked by another worldkiller. The scenes of her battling the Diasporians are pretty cool and really the only reason to check out this episode. I am glad this story arc is at its conclusion but with the events of Superman Doomed affecting her ability to live on planet Earth, I am afraid we are going to be stuck with more space adventures for the time being. I hope I am wrong but that seems like the direction they are going to take. – Robert Batman Eternal #11 – C I really don’t know where they are going with this book anymore but now they are rehashing characters from the original Batman Inc. comic. I am curious to see if they manage to add Julia to the Bat family or if she will move on at the end of this arc. This issue was beyond filler and I cant think of one thing that happened to move the story forward this issue. I am also not a fan of the way the art changed an issue or so ago. I has an amateur look about it that I can’t get over. – Robert

Batman and Ra’s al Ghul #32 – C

We’re just one issue away from the finale of this long series of guest features. It has brought Batman across the world to confront the Demon’s Head and take back the bodies of Talia and Damian, choosing to lay them to rest and keep Ra’s from resurrecting them to rule the world under his control – typical Ra’s. The issue was supposed to be a major milestone, but the epic showdown was interrupted by something far more worrisome. I’m not a huge fan of how this is turning out, but I think that fact that I have no idea what’s going on now is a good thing. Who is the new Robin going to be?? Find out next month. – Sherif

IDW Comics:

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles in Time #1 – B+

Here we go folks another TMNT micro –series! This time referencing many past incarnations of the turtles. Obviously the name takes us back to Super Nintendo days battling through time in the game with the name of this series. The time travel devise looks an awful lot like the one in the film Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 3, and of course there are going to be tons more. This first issue doesn’t have the best art; well at least it doesn’t fit the series well since it looks an awful lot like the animated series running now on Nickelodeon. But since the artist is changing in each issue it is hard to complain. I look forward to seeing the whole story here (which is highly connected to the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Annual 2014 coming out in December.) and the ever changing art, and if they are planning on referencing past properties in the process, this is a must read for long time fans. – Jacob

Samurai Jack #9 – B+

We have another issue where there is hardly any dialogue besides the odd robot language and one thing from Aku. I love that the style of the show can work so well in comic form because it definitely makes me love the show and the series that much more. I hope if this series ever ends we get the send off it deserved on television because so far it is one of my favorite monthly comics. – Jacob

Image Comics:

Sex Criminals #6 – A-

It’s been three months since the last issue of the most pleasantly lewd book in the industry came out, but issue #6 is here, and I can plainly say that it was worth the wait. John and Suzie have escaped the sex police – to those of you just now hearing about the series, yes the Sex Police are real – but they are still left fearing orgasms will be their end. The once fiercely passionate couple are in quite a rut, and Chip Zdarsky’s art highlights the changes perfectly. There are even bigger plot points around the corner, though, as this instantly shot back up my list of favorites after the hiatus, which creatively did the book service. – Sherif

The Wicked + The Divine #1 – A-

Gods live among us. Not only that, but they perform at concerts and are so purely awesome they make us ejaculate in our pants so hard that we pass out from the impact. There’s a lot more to that, but if that first sentence didn’t at least grab your attention, you might not care for this book. Tired of being viewed at as phony entertainers out to exploit the entertainment crowd, one of the gods makes a brash decision, landing her in big trouble. Aside from the fact that gods can also flick their fingers and make people’s heads explode, I really didn’t walk away from the issue knowing anymore more than I did when I picked it up. I know that the story flows, and I know that the art is beautiful. Image Comics has a great track record, so I can’t wait to see where this goes. – Sherif

Marvel:

Daredevil #4 – B

Matt Murdock’s stay in San Francisco hasn’t exactly been my favorite story, and Mark Waid having to follow up his own tremendous run on the series that just ended doesn’t make it any easier not to compare the two. This new frenemy that Daredevil has made is interesting enough to carry the story and interest me in reading more, but I’m already an invested Daredevil’er. I can’t see the current pace or story really grabbing any new fans. I could always be wrong, but I think Waid is going to have to kick things into high gear if he wants to recapture the magic he had in the last run. – Sherif

Elektra #3 – C+

What is with this guy chasing Elektra around trying to eat her brains? We get that Elektra is messed up in the head but I don’t see how they have managed to squeeze three issues outta this. I don’t see this story going anywhere exciting at all. The art is interesting but I would like something a little clearer as some of the pictures and coloring look a little confusing. – Robert

That about wraps it up for our reviews this week! Look for next week’s previews coming soon. Any comic books you didn’t see reviewed that you want reviewed? Any grades you didn’t agree on? Let us know in the comments!

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That about wraps it up for our reviews this week! Look for next week’s previews coming soon. Any comic books you didn’t see reviewed that you want reviewed? Any grades you didn’t agree on? Let us know in the comments!

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15: Pamela Isley

14: Lois Lane

13: Jezebel Jet

12: Lorna Shore

11: Julie Madison

10: Wonder Woman

9: Vesper Fairchild

8: Rachel Caspian

7: Rachel Dawes

6: Silver St. Cloud

5: Vicki Vale

4: Andrea Beaumont

3: Talia Al-Ghul

2: Justice, Itself

1: Selena Kyle

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That about wraps it up for our reviews this week! Look for next week’s previews coming soon. Any comic books you didn’t see reviewed that you want reviewed? Any grades you didn’t agree on? Let us know in the comments!

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