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?

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!

Shadowland (Review)

Writer: Andy Diggle

Artist: Billy Tan
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Collects: Shadowland #1-5; X-Men: Curse of the Mutants Spotlight

As I understand it, Shadowland was conceived as a street-level equivalent to big, cosmic, universe-threatening comic book Events, and was born out of Andy Diggle's run on Daredevil in which the Man Without Fear became the leader of the Hand, an ancient alliance of powerful ninja. Daredevil thought he could turn the Hand towards good, but things didn't quite turn out that way.

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!

The Flash: The Dastardly Death of the Rogues (Review)

Writer: Geoff Johns

Artists: 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.

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!

Batman: The Return of Bruce Wayne (Review)

Writer: Grant Morrison

Artists: 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

When Bruce Wayne appeared to shuffle off this mortal coil at the end of Final Crisis two years(!) ago, most of us who had been reading superhero comics for a while knew it was only a matter of time before he returned. What we didn't know was how much we would come to enjoy Dick Grayson's career as Batman in the meantime.

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.

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!