Let's see what you've won!
(Or what I got this week.)
Justice League: Rise and Fall (hardcover)
Written by J.T. Krul; art by various; published by DC Comics.
The current run of JLA stories hasn't exactly been "wowing" me, but I've heard some rather... interesting reports on this one.
Marvel 1985 (paperback)
Written by Mark Millar; art by Tommy Lee Edwards; published by Marvel Comics.
After Nemesis, I wanted to read something by Millar that was a little bit on the lighter side, and this story of a young boy in the "real" world who discovers that Marvel villains are breaking through sounds delightful.
Girl Comics (hardcover)
By various writers and artists; published by Marvel Comics.
Those crazy broads; what are up to now? A showcase of some wonderful female creators working on Marvel characters. I just hope they got paid the same...
That's our show, goodnight everybody!
Thursday 24 February 2011
Wednesday 23 February 2011
My Top Ten Justice League Episodes by Dwayne McDuffie
Writer, editor and founder of Milestone Media Dwayne McDuffie sadly passed away last Monday.
McDuffie had done a great deal of work for both Marvel and DC as well as writing several animated television programmes, including Justice League and Justice League Unlimited. He was a very talented writer in all fields, and an all-round great person too, but it will be those two shows that I best remember him for.
Bright, fun, action-packed, and filled with captivating human drama, the Justice League animated shows are the best adaptation of comics I have ever seen, and a lot of their greatest episodes were penned by Mr. McDuffie.
In tribute, I thought I'd share some of my favourite episodes by Dwayne McDuffie. Indulge me, won't you?
10) Clash
One of the many strengths of this show was its highlighting of various DC characters in their own episodes, and in this one it was Captain Marvel. Initially portrayed as something of a simpleton who is just happy to be anywhere, he eventually stands up to the League, calling them out on some of their bad decisions.
This episode also featured not only a sensational fight between Superman and Captain Marvel (mirroring a scene in the comic book Kingdom Come) but a particularly vile Lex Luthor too, as he lures the innocent Marvel to his side.
9) The Brave and the Bold
The friendship between the Flash and Green Lantern is one of the cornerstones of DC's more lighthearted side, regardless of who might be filling those roles. This episode shows a more begrudging respect between Flash and John Stewart, who is somewhat more stoic than Hal Jordan or Kyle Rayner. But it still works.
We are also introduced to supervillain Gorilla Grodd, voiced by the awesomely named Powers Boothe. He is superbly megalomaniacal and ridiculous all at the same time, in a plot that's just ape.
8) Wake the Dead
A sequel of sorts to Marvel homage episode "The Terror Beyond", Solomon Grundy is resurrected into an even more violent and powerful zombie and must be stopped by Dr. Fate, Amazo, Aquaman and Hawkgirl.
Not only is this show's rendition of Amazo amazing, but they actually made me manage to care about Hawkgirl too, and this episode is the best case for that. They also redeemed Aquaman's unjust public persona as a useless fish whisperer.
7) Starcrossed
More of that Hawkgirl stuff, this time in an earlier episode where her race invade Earth for a good cause. This was the first time (but not the last) we saw all Hell break loose for the League, as they become hunted on the streets, and torn apart from within.
It is also full of excellent character moments, including the sharing of secret identities, Batman and Wonder Woman's little moment together, and the final fate of Hawkgirl. A damn good example of this show's strengths, and the point at which it reallt took off.
6) Dead Reckoning
Maybe it's just cause I like Deadman, maybe it's the hilarious plot (once again masterminded by Grodd), maybe it's the tragedy of Batman using a gun, but I always think of this episode quite quickly when I think of JLU.
Their version of Black Manta (here called Devil Ray) is wonderfully amoral, and Luthor's "at last" usurping of Grodd was a long time coming too. A good villain episode all round.
5) Question Authority
One of the most popular supporting characters in this show was the conspirciy theorist, The Question, voiced by the splendid Mr. Jeffrey Combs, and this episode is his tour de force. Uncovering an evil plot that ties to Lex Luthor, the Question attempts to bring him down alone, knowing the League cannot be culpable. But things don't quite go down that way.
Fellow Charlton Comics character Captain Atom also gets his chance to shine here, going toe-to-toe with Superman, who, even after winning the fight, still tends to the Captain because "He's Justice League."
4) The Great Brain Robbery
One of the funniest episodes of the whole show, where the Flash and Lex Luthor switched bodies. It was a slight joke at the fact that Michael Rosenbaum, who voiced the Flash, also played Luthor on the TV show Smallville, but it really took off from there into its own thing.
Lex's attempts to escape the Watchtower provide some classy action, and seeing him outsmarted by Mr. Terrific is satisfying (super-speed is useless in zero gravity), but it's all down to the Flash-as-Luthor scenes. How he bluffs his way through villain meetings and conversations is priceless.
3) Divided We Fall
The culmination of an entire season-worth of build-up, the storyline about the League's name getting dragged through the mud sees its end in a showdown with an amped-up Lex Luthor. After a stunning, all-action episode featuring just about every character at their disposal, it was great to see the original seven strutting their stuff and beating the bad guy.
And the moment with the Flash at the end? Gets me every time. And Green Arrow's speech is second only to Superman's in...
2) Destroyer
Darkseid brings Apokalips to Earth in a big, honkin' battle that sees heroes teaming with villains against the God of Evil in the last ever episode of the show. Batman has some awesome moments, Lex Luthor has some awesome moments, but who would have thought we'd ever see Superman deliver the baddest of bad-ass speeches as he schools Darkseid up and down Metropolis?
Some say that the show could have gone on longer, but considering the perfect final scene (and line), I can't think of a grander finish.
1) The Once and Future Thing, Parts 1 & 2
When I saw that McDuffie had written this episode, I just knew it was going to be number one on this list, and it is indeed my favourite. A time-travel adventure as Batman, Wonder Woman and Green Lantern chase bad guy Chronos across the old west and into the future, meeting some classic DC characters along the way, and crossing over with Batman Beyond too.
I honestly cannot think of a more enjoyable episode of this show, or a greater testement to Dwayne McDuffie's talents. He will be sorely missed, but in the meantime, I'm gonna go watch this episode. Excuse me.
And the adventure continues...
McDuffie had done a great deal of work for both Marvel and DC as well as writing several animated television programmes, including Justice League and Justice League Unlimited. He was a very talented writer in all fields, and an all-round great person too, but it will be those two shows that I best remember him for.
Bright, fun, action-packed, and filled with captivating human drama, the Justice League animated shows are the best adaptation of comics I have ever seen, and a lot of their greatest episodes were penned by Mr. McDuffie.
In tribute, I thought I'd share some of my favourite episodes by Dwayne McDuffie. Indulge me, won't you?
10) Clash
One of the many strengths of this show was its highlighting of various DC characters in their own episodes, and in this one it was Captain Marvel. Initially portrayed as something of a simpleton who is just happy to be anywhere, he eventually stands up to the League, calling them out on some of their bad decisions.
This episode also featured not only a sensational fight between Superman and Captain Marvel (mirroring a scene in the comic book Kingdom Come) but a particularly vile Lex Luthor too, as he lures the innocent Marvel to his side.
9) The Brave and the Bold
The friendship between the Flash and Green Lantern is one of the cornerstones of DC's more lighthearted side, regardless of who might be filling those roles. This episode shows a more begrudging respect between Flash and John Stewart, who is somewhat more stoic than Hal Jordan or Kyle Rayner. But it still works.
We are also introduced to supervillain Gorilla Grodd, voiced by the awesomely named Powers Boothe. He is superbly megalomaniacal and ridiculous all at the same time, in a plot that's just ape.
8) Wake the Dead
A sequel of sorts to Marvel homage episode "The Terror Beyond", Solomon Grundy is resurrected into an even more violent and powerful zombie and must be stopped by Dr. Fate, Amazo, Aquaman and Hawkgirl.
Not only is this show's rendition of Amazo amazing, but they actually made me manage to care about Hawkgirl too, and this episode is the best case for that. They also redeemed Aquaman's unjust public persona as a useless fish whisperer.
7) Starcrossed
More of that Hawkgirl stuff, this time in an earlier episode where her race invade Earth for a good cause. This was the first time (but not the last) we saw all Hell break loose for the League, as they become hunted on the streets, and torn apart from within.
It is also full of excellent character moments, including the sharing of secret identities, Batman and Wonder Woman's little moment together, and the final fate of Hawkgirl. A damn good example of this show's strengths, and the point at which it reallt took off.
6) Dead Reckoning
Maybe it's just cause I like Deadman, maybe it's the hilarious plot (once again masterminded by Grodd), maybe it's the tragedy of Batman using a gun, but I always think of this episode quite quickly when I think of JLU.
Their version of Black Manta (here called Devil Ray) is wonderfully amoral, and Luthor's "at last" usurping of Grodd was a long time coming too. A good villain episode all round.
5) Question Authority
One of the most popular supporting characters in this show was the conspirciy theorist, The Question, voiced by the splendid Mr. Jeffrey Combs, and this episode is his tour de force. Uncovering an evil plot that ties to Lex Luthor, the Question attempts to bring him down alone, knowing the League cannot be culpable. But things don't quite go down that way.
Fellow Charlton Comics character Captain Atom also gets his chance to shine here, going toe-to-toe with Superman, who, even after winning the fight, still tends to the Captain because "He's Justice League."
4) The Great Brain Robbery
One of the funniest episodes of the whole show, where the Flash and Lex Luthor switched bodies. It was a slight joke at the fact that Michael Rosenbaum, who voiced the Flash, also played Luthor on the TV show Smallville, but it really took off from there into its own thing.
Lex's attempts to escape the Watchtower provide some classy action, and seeing him outsmarted by Mr. Terrific is satisfying (super-speed is useless in zero gravity), but it's all down to the Flash-as-Luthor scenes. How he bluffs his way through villain meetings and conversations is priceless.
3) Divided We Fall
The culmination of an entire season-worth of build-up, the storyline about the League's name getting dragged through the mud sees its end in a showdown with an amped-up Lex Luthor. After a stunning, all-action episode featuring just about every character at their disposal, it was great to see the original seven strutting their stuff and beating the bad guy.
And the moment with the Flash at the end? Gets me every time. And Green Arrow's speech is second only to Superman's in...
2) Destroyer
Darkseid brings Apokalips to Earth in a big, honkin' battle that sees heroes teaming with villains against the God of Evil in the last ever episode of the show. Batman has some awesome moments, Lex Luthor has some awesome moments, but who would have thought we'd ever see Superman deliver the baddest of bad-ass speeches as he schools Darkseid up and down Metropolis?
Some say that the show could have gone on longer, but considering the perfect final scene (and line), I can't think of a grander finish.
1) The Once and Future Thing, Parts 1 & 2
When I saw that McDuffie had written this episode, I just knew it was going to be number one on this list, and it is indeed my favourite. A time-travel adventure as Batman, Wonder Woman and Green Lantern chase bad guy Chronos across the old west and into the future, meeting some classic DC characters along the way, and crossing over with Batman Beyond too.
I honestly cannot think of a more enjoyable episode of this show, or a greater testement to Dwayne McDuffie's talents. He will be sorely missed, but in the meantime, I'm gonna go watch this episode. Excuse me.
And the adventure continues...
Monday 21 February 2011
Where Do I Start With... Westerns
Wh-- Huh?
Taking a break from the usual format to remind y'all that comic books aren't just about superheroes. Sometimes they're about ordinary men (and women, but mostly men) taking the law into their own hands with naught but their guns and their wits.
And westerns are just as classically American as superheroes are; set in the last years of the wild frontier when the world was getting smaller and the outlaws getting meaner. Westerns received something of a resurgence in late 60s/early 70s mainstream cinema, and comics jumped on the bandwagon too. Even today there seems to be yet another cultural love affair with the Wild West, proving that, like superheroes, they just won't go away.
Okay, so where do I start?
Taking a break from the usual format to remind y'all that comic books aren't just about superheroes. Sometimes they're about ordinary men (and women, but mostly men) taking the law into their own hands with naught but their guns and their wits.
And westerns are just as classically American as superheroes are; set in the last years of the wild frontier when the world was getting smaller and the outlaws getting meaner. Westerns received something of a resurgence in late 60s/early 70s mainstream cinema, and comics jumped on the bandwagon too. Even today there seems to be yet another cultural love affair with the Wild West, proving that, like superheroes, they just won't go away.
Okay, so where do I start?
Thursday 17 February 2011
The Weekly Trade #13
I'm not here right now, but please leave a message after the beep and I'll try to get back to you. Beep.
Here's what I got this week.
Nemesis (hardcover)
Written by Mark Millar; art by Steve McNiven; published by Icon Comics.
Read some of this in CLiNT magazine a while back and loved. Another action-packed spectacular from Millar.
Superman/Batman: Torment (softcover)
Written by Alan Burnett; art by Dustin Nguyen; published by DC Comics.
The hardcover came out ages ago,but I'll be damned if I can find it. Should be good, but I'm not as big a fan of Nguyen's art as everyone else is.
Beep!
Here's what I got this week.
Nemesis (hardcover)
Written by Mark Millar; art by Steve McNiven; published by Icon Comics.
Read some of this in CLiNT magazine a while back and loved. Another action-packed spectacular from Millar.
Superman/Batman: Torment (softcover)
Written by Alan Burnett; art by Dustin Nguyen; published by DC Comics.
The hardcover came out ages ago,but I'll be damned if I can find it. Should be good, but I'm not as big a fan of Nguyen's art as everyone else is.
Beep!
Wednesday 16 February 2011
Shadowland (Review)
Writer: Andy DigglePublisher: Marvel Comics
Collects: Shadowland #1-5; X-Men: Curse of the Mutants Spotlight
I'm not entirely sure if the "mini-Event" label is accurate. On the one hand, Shadowland did not have the same "everything must change!" impact that most Big Events have. On the other, it was nice just to read a good story for the sake of reading a good story. On the third hand, while many may decry the unrealistic plot points -- the Hand buys Hell's Kitchen and turns it into a fortress, complete with dungeon -- this is proportionally equal to the much grander scale plots found in regular Events.
WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD!
Friday 11 February 2011
The Flash: The Dastardly Death of the Rogues (Review)
Writer: Geoff JohnsArtists: Francis Manapul (main story) and Scott Kolins
Publisher: DC Comics
Collects: The Flash #1-7; The Flash: Secret Files and Origins 2010
I said in my last review, for The Return of Bruce Wayne, that Batman is the poster boy for the "grim and gritty" superhero archetype. If that's true, then the Flash is undoubtedly the best representative for the opposite, which, despite many protests, is just as plentiful in comics.
The Dastardly Death of the Rogues is an excellent example of just how much fun both the Flash and his series can be, without sacrificing gravitas. I usually dislike using the term "Silver Age-y" to describe stories like this (because they should not be seen as something long past) but this is like a Silver Age story for the modern day. An outlandish time-travel murder mystery wrapped around some not-too-heavy drama and lovable character moments.
Thursday 10 February 2011
The Weekly Trade #12
The good stuff is starting to roll out as of last week. Here's hoping it continues (as long as my wallet lasts).
Here's my swag this week.
DC Universe Online: Legends #1 (issue)
Written by Marv Wolfman and Tony Bedard; art by Howard Porter, et al; published by DC Comics.
Although I'm not normally an issues man, I thought I might as well try this new mini-series that ties into DCU Online.
The Flash: The Dastardly Death of the Rogues (hardcover)
Written by Geoff Johns; art y Francis Manapul and Scott Kolins; published by DC comics.
YES! It's finally here! As a huge Flash-fan, I have been hotly anticipating the next instalment from this amazing creative team.
Shadowland (hardcover)
Written by Andy Diggle; art by Billy Tan; published by Marvel Comics.
I'm also mildly curious to see what's in store for Daredevil and others in this street-level "mini-Event".
See you next week!
Here's my swag this week.
DC Universe Online: Legends #1 (issue)
Written by Marv Wolfman and Tony Bedard; art by Howard Porter, et al; published by DC Comics.
Although I'm not normally an issues man, I thought I might as well try this new mini-series that ties into DCU Online.
The Flash: The Dastardly Death of the Rogues (hardcover)
Written by Geoff Johns; art y Francis Manapul and Scott Kolins; published by DC comics.
YES! It's finally here! As a huge Flash-fan, I have been hotly anticipating the next instalment from this amazing creative team.
Shadowland (hardcover)
Written by Andy Diggle; art by Billy Tan; published by Marvel Comics.
I'm also mildly curious to see what's in store for Daredevil and others in this street-level "mini-Event".
See you next week!
Wednesday 9 February 2011
Batman: The Return of Bruce Wayne (Review)
Writer: Grant MorrisonArtists: Chris Sprouse, Frazer Irving, Yanick Paquette, Georges Jeanty, Ryan Sook, Pere Perez, Lee Garbett
Publisher: DC Comics
Collects: Batman: The Return of Bruce Wayne #1-6
As we found ourselves growing to like the former Boy Wonder more and more with each new adventure, Bruce's return became less and less anticipated. Yet it still loomed on the comic book horizon, and we felt a strange sense of dread and shame as it approached.
But we cannot put off the inevitable any more. This is comics, after all, where nothing lasts forever and nothing ever ends. And so, The Return of Bruce Wayne, as its title suggests, has our eponymous and amnesiac hero trapped in the past, jumping ever closer to the present and to his former position, all the while trying to solve a millennia-old mystery and recover his memories in the process.
Thursday 3 February 2011
The Weekly Trade #11
I'm home today, but will be away again shortly. Might get out a review tomorrow, might not.
In the meantime, here's what I got this week.
Batman: The Return of Bruce Wayne (deluxe hardcover)
Written by Grant Morrison; art by various; published by DC Comics.
Given how much I've enjoyed the adventures of Dick and Damian as Batman and Robin, I'm not so interested in Bruce getting back as I am in where the heck he was.
Superman: War of the Superman (hardcover)
Written by Sterling Gates and James Robinson; art by various; published by DC Comics.
This is it: the thrilling finale to the New Krypton saga. I can't wait!
Catwoman: When in Rome (softcover)
Written by Jeph Loeb; art by Tim Sale; published by DC Comics.
Yet another book I had always meant to read by one of my favourite creative teams. Movie hype? What movie hype?
Until next week... Yeeeeeeeeeeah!
In the meantime, here's what I got this week.
Batman: The Return of Bruce Wayne (deluxe hardcover)
Written by Grant Morrison; art by various; published by DC Comics.
Given how much I've enjoyed the adventures of Dick and Damian as Batman and Robin, I'm not so interested in Bruce getting back as I am in where the heck he was.
Superman: War of the Superman (hardcover)
Written by Sterling Gates and James Robinson; art by various; published by DC Comics.
This is it: the thrilling finale to the New Krypton saga. I can't wait!
Catwoman: When in Rome (softcover)
Written by Jeph Loeb; art by Tim Sale; published by DC Comics.
Yet another book I had always meant to read by one of my favourite creative teams. Movie hype? What movie hype?
Until next week... Yeeeeeeeeeeah!
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