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Post by hondobrode on Dec 31, 2017 12:53:16 GMT -5
Are those the Armor Hunters that Vendetti introduced awhile back or a different group altogether? I think these are new ones. I no longer have that run of X-O so I can't check. I donated a box of comics a few months ago. These are not the same Armor Hunters.  This is a different group of assassins.  # 10 wasn't all action as it introduced these new characters Maw-Tech, Bat, Rawn and esp Hednis.  Here's the solicit :  Wanted dead or alive by the galaxy’s deadliest band of mercenaries!One does not rise to power without making enemies along the way...and for X-O Manowar, the armored emperor of the planet Gorin, those enemies’ grievances have now come due. To end his reign, Aric of Dacia’s adversaries have paid a blood-fueled bounty to a ragtag assemblage of the cosmos’s most feared undesirables and cutthroat killers – alien beings whose viciousness is matched only by their greed. And their hunt starts…now. Meet the most feared band of trackers the Valiant Universe has ever known right here as New York Times best-selling writer Matt Kindt (ETERNITY, Mind MGMT) and blockbuster artist Renato Guedes (DIVINITY #0, Wolverine) present a bruising, standalone interlude for the year’s most acclaimed comics epic!  I thought it was a good issue as it helped to set up the bad guys here who are going to take a shot at killing Emperor Aric. |
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Post by thwhtguardian on Dec 31, 2017 20:34:16 GMT -5
Batman: Creature of the Night #2Written by Kurt Busiek Art by John Paul Leon Lettered by Todd Klein Summary: Young Bruce Wainwright comes of age and learns that some things are too good to be true...even Batman.
Plot: Man, after years of loving Busiek's excellent Superman: Secret Identity and waiting for its Batman focused sequel I can't believe I missed the first chapter but now having gotten my hands on the first two installments I can say it was well worth the wait. I loved Secret Identity when it first came out, and it's a favorite of mine to this day; it's just the perfect origin for Superman for modern readers because it's concept of "How would Superman operate in real life?" makes it resonate with our time. When it was announced that there would be a similar them done with Batman I was initially excited but then skeptical; it doesn't bother me in the comics but the idea of doing a realistic take on Batman seemed wildly improbable as I think a regular human would succumb rather quickly to the injuries associated with fighting crime. Don't ask me why I can believe in an alien with super powers and still think of it as realistic due to the setting but I can't accept a guy in a batsuit who doesn't die from gunshot wounds, but that's the score and I was wondering how Busiek would pull it off...and he does it by going in an entirely different direction.
Unlike Secret Identity, which was a pretty straight forward Superman story only happening to a "real" person, this isn't the story of a young boy whose name is similar to Bruce Wayne training to become the Batman in the real world after suffering a similar tragedy. It has that same set up but side steps the whole inability of a regular person to learn every type of kung fu in the world, become a master detective, a master chemist, and a master mechanic in a few short years by making Batman instead a legitimate creature of the night. Bruce's cry for justice at the death of his parents is some how answered by some dark spirit that animates a colony of bats to fight crime. Yeah, I know, the concept isn't Batman in the real world in that sense anymore but the questions being explored still fit that idea and it's brilliant. Does Boston really need a vigilante running around at night? How does his presence effect the prosecution of cases? If he's already outside of the law, how far is too far? What are the checks and balances against a guy like Batman? It's dark and complex...and just beautiful. I loved Secret identity but Creature of the Night is head and shoulders above it.
Art:Another element that really elevates this book above Secret Identity is the fantastic art by Leon. It's wonderfully atmospheric, the action is clear and the characters emotions are wonderfully clear. Beyond that what's really fun is the way he incorporated the stylistic elements of both golden age and atomic age Batman comics into the book as the character talks about the books he's reading and I'm thinking that those elements will progress as we had golden age panels in the first issue, and atomic age feel here. It's just a fun meta-textual layered look that is really exciting as a fan of comics.
Lettering: This isn't a normal section in my reviews but it was definitely necessary to mention the work of Todd Klein and his contributions to the overall feel of the book with his distinct font types for each character. These fonts not only gave us a clear visual cue to who was monologing but the styles also managed to say something about the character which was fun. The best example was the change in font from young Bruce in the first issue to his font in this issue as a young adult; as a child there would be slight tilts occasionally at the ends of his lines, as if he was getting tired of writing but as an adult it's a much clearer though still hand written look. That attention to detail is just really fun and shows just how much love went into this project from every level of production.
Grade:10/10 |
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Post by thwhtguardian on Dec 31, 2017 22:28:42 GMT -5
Doomsday Clock #2 - by Johns and Franks Well, it's official now, Watchmen has crossed over into the DCU proper with the arrival of Adrian, Rorschach, Mime, and Marionette in Gotham City as Adrian fitfully tracks Manhattan to this universe. We see a flashback featuring Mime & Marionette's last crime which was halted by Dr. Manhattan during his brief time as a costumed hero. Adrian offers up hints as to how the unusual interaction between the trio at that moment may be a key to changing his mind about saving the world once they find him. Meanwhile, Adrian and Rorschach split up to confront the two smartest men on DCU Earth (three guesses on who that duo is eh?) to try and gain their help in searching for Manhattan. Adrian's visit doesn't start off too well (their reaction upon hearing Adrian's previous plan made me giggle) while Rorschach follows in his predecessor's footsteps by discovering the hidden secrets of his target. But the surprise return of one certain character seems to have thrown an impossible wrench in Adrian's plans. I thought this issue was more enjoyable than the first. Yes, we got the big elephant out of the room by finally bringing Watchmen characters into the DCU. The hints of the differences (and similarities) between the two universes was interesting. Johns layers in quite a number of references to DC history also, from the Outsiders to Invasion! to Nathaniel Dusk of all characters. And while it's still unclear what, if any, influence Manhattan has had upon the DCU, the idea is suggested that he may be hiding in plain sight after all. The text pages at issue's end offers up more explanation for certain scenes as a new conspiracy theory is being given heavy credence, a reaction that may invoke a similar type of backlash for DC's superheroes that the Watchmen heroes received. The new Rorschach continues to be my new favorite here, his conversations with Adrian tinged with the right amount of apprehension and accusation. His actions near the issue's end, upon visiting the home of his target, were wonderful. I never knew that I'd want these two characters to ever meet till right now and I'm looking forward to seeing what's next. Again, your mileage may vary given your stance on the sanctity of Moore's work, but for me, this was 8/10 I thought this was another decent chapter, I'm still not sure what the story is trying to "say" or what it's purpose is beyond bringing the Watchmen to the DCU but the tone, characterization and pacing are all on point so I'll still be reading for the foreseeable future. |
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Post by hondobrode on Jan 1, 2018 1:28:10 GMT -5
Batman: Creature of the Night #2Written by Kurt Busiek Art by John Paul Leon Lettered by Todd Klein Summary: Young Bruce Wainwright comes of age and learns that some things are too good to be true...even Batman.
Plot: Man, after years of loving Busiek's excellent Superman: Secret Identity and waiting for its Batman focused sequel I can't believe I missed the first chapter but now having gotten my hands on the first two installments I can say it was well worth the wait. I loved Secret Identity when it first came out, and it's a favorite of mine to this day; it's just the perfect origin for Superman for modern readers because it's concept of "How would Superman operate in real life?" makes it resonate with our time. When it was announced that there would be a similar them done with Batman I was initially excited but then skeptical; it doesn't bother me in the comics but the idea of doing a realistic take on Batman seemed wildly improbable as I think a regular human would succumb rather quickly to the injuries associated with fighting crime. Don't ask me why I can believe in an alien with super powers and still think of it as realistic due to the setting but I can't accept a guy in a batsuit who doesn't die from gunshot wounds, but that's the score and I was wondering how Busiek would pull it off...and he does it by going in an entirely different direction.
Unlike Secret Identity, which was a pretty straight forward Superman story only happening to a "real" person, this isn't the story of a young boy whose name is similar to Bruce Wayne training to become the Batman in the real world after suffering a similar tragedy. It has that same set up but side steps the whole inability of a regular person to learn every type of kung fu in the world, become a master detective, a master chemist, and a master mechanic in a few short years by making Batman instead a legitimate creature of the night. Bruce's cry for justice at the death of his parents is some how answered by some dark spirit that animates a colony of bats to fight crime. Yeah, I know, the concept isn't Batman in the real world in that sense anymore but the questions being explored still fit that idea and it's brilliant. Does Boston really need a vigilante running around at night? How does his presence effect the prosecution of cases? If he's already outside of the law, how far is too far? What are the checks and balances against a guy like Batman? It's dark and complex...and just beautiful. I loved Secret identity but Creature of the Night is head and shoulders above it.
Art:Another element that really elevates this book above Secret Identity is the fantastic art by Leon. It's wonderfully atmospheric, the action is clear and the characters emotions are wonderfully clear. Beyond that what's really fun is the way he incorporated the stylistic elements of both golden age and atomic age Batman comics into the book as the character talks about the books he's reading and I'm thinking that those elements will progress as we had golden age panels in the first issue, and atomic age feel here. It's just a fun meta-textual layered look that is really exciting as a fan of comics.
Lettering: This isn't a normal section in my reviews but it was definitely necessary to mention the work of Todd Klein and his contributions to the overall feel of the book with his distinct font types for each character. These fonts not only gave us a clear visual cue to who was monologing but the styles also managed to say something about the character which was fun. The best example was the change in font from young Bruce in the first issue to his font in this issue as a young adult; as a child there would be slight tilts occasionally at the ends of his lines, as if he was getting tired of writing but as an adult it's a much clearer though still hand written look. That attention to detail is just really fun and shows just how much love went into this project from every level of production.
Grade:10/10 This looks really good, and how could it not be, with Kurt Busiek and John Paul Leon at the helm ? Thanks for the review t hwhtguardian |
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Post by thwhtguardian on Jan 1, 2018 10:46:31 GMT -5
Batman: Creature of the Night #2Written by Kurt Busiek Art by John Paul Leon Lettered by Todd Klein Summary: Young Bruce Wainwright comes of age and learns that some things are too good to be true...even Batman.
Plot: Man, after years of loving Busiek's excellent Superman: Secret Identity and waiting for its Batman focused sequel I can't believe I missed the first chapter but now having gotten my hands on the first two installments I can say it was well worth the wait. I loved Secret Identity when it first came out, and it's a favorite of mine to this day; it's just the perfect origin for Superman for modern readers because it's concept of "How would Superman operate in real life?" makes it resonate with our time. When it was announced that there would be a similar them done with Batman I was initially excited but then skeptical; it doesn't bother me in the comics but the idea of doing a realistic take on Batman seemed wildly improbable as I think a regular human would succumb rather quickly to the injuries associated with fighting crime. Don't ask me why I can believe in an alien with super powers and still think of it as realistic due to the setting but I can't accept a guy in a batsuit who doesn't die from gunshot wounds, but that's the score and I was wondering how Busiek would pull it off...and he does it by going in an entirely different direction.
Unlike Secret Identity, which was a pretty straight forward Superman story only happening to a "real" person, this isn't the story of a young boy whose name is similar to Bruce Wayne training to become the Batman in the real world after suffering a similar tragedy. It has that same set up but side steps the whole inability of a regular person to learn every type of kung fu in the world, become a master detective, a master chemist, and a master mechanic in a few short years by making Batman instead a legitimate creature of the night. Bruce's cry for justice at the death of his parents is some how answered by some dark spirit that animates a colony of bats to fight crime. Yeah, I know, the concept isn't Batman in the real world in that sense anymore but the questions being explored still fit that idea and it's brilliant. Does Boston really need a vigilante running around at night? How does his presence effect the prosecution of cases? If he's already outside of the law, how far is too far? What are the checks and balances against a guy like Batman? It's dark and complex...and just beautiful. I loved Secret identity but Creature of the Night is head and shoulders above it.
Art:Another element that really elevates this book above Secret Identity is the fantastic art by Leon. It's wonderfully atmospheric, the action is clear and the characters emotions are wonderfully clear. Beyond that what's really fun is the way he incorporated the stylistic elements of both golden age and atomic age Batman comics into the book as the character talks about the books he's reading and I'm thinking that those elements will progress as we had golden age panels in the first issue, and atomic age feel here. It's just a fun meta-textual layered look that is really exciting as a fan of comics.
Lettering: This isn't a normal section in my reviews but it was definitely necessary to mention the work of Todd Klein and his contributions to the overall feel of the book with his distinct font types for each character. These fonts not only gave us a clear visual cue to who was monologing but the styles also managed to say something about the character which was fun. The best example was the change in font from young Bruce in the first issue to his font in this issue as a young adult; as a child there would be slight tilts occasionally at the ends of his lines, as if he was getting tired of writing but as an adult it's a much clearer though still hand written look. That attention to detail is just really fun and shows just how much love went into this project from every level of production.
Grade:10/10 This looks really good, and how could it not be, with Kurt Busiek and John Paul Leon at the helm ? Thanks for the review t hwhtguardianYeah, it's pretty amazing. I thought it was going to be hard to top Secret Identity but they really knocked it out of the park. |
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Post by Deleted on Jan 3, 2018 23:38:45 GMT -5
Hawkman Found by Jeff Lemire with art by Bryan Hitch Ang Kevin Nowlan: I haven’t been following Dark Nights Metal And not sure how this ties in. Hawkman finds himself a prisoner in a purgatory style world where he can’t quite recall who he is. He fights man hawks daily and has nightmares of flying and falling. There is a ship that he makes his way to and begins to remember who he is and even mentions a character I thought long forgotten!
The art fits Carter Hall/Hawkman. Not sure what DC has in store for Hawkman, but if this team put out a regular Hawkman comic, it’d be on my pull list. Lemire gets Hawkman and seems poised to make sense of the character’s very messed up past. No resolution to the mystery in this issue and it continues in the Metal series. Still, I loved this book, the art, and the colors. Bring back A classic Hawkman and Hawkgirl, DC!
9/10
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