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Post by thwhtguardian on Mar 16, 2021 17:27:04 GMT -5
OFF THE RACKSReal Readers, Real Reviews  |
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Post by thwhtguardian on Mar 17, 2021 8:28:55 GMT -5
Superman: Red and Blue #1Written by Marguerite Bennett, Wes Craig, Brandon M. Easton, John Ridley, Dan Watters Art by Wes Craig, Clayton Henry, Steve Lieber, Dani Strips, Jill Thompson Summary: Following in the footsteps of Batman: Black and White, the Man of Steel get's his own(and fittingly colored) prestige anthology. Feelings: Anthologies live and die by the strength of the creative teams, if the creators aren't great or they aren't given enough slack the book is going to fail but when you have a collection of strong talents and you let them swing for the moon? Well, as the saying goes even if you end up missing the moon you'll still land in the stars and that sentiment doesn't ring any truer than here. While not everyone of these features was a hit with me, the range and creative freedoms allowed here made the book feel truly special even with the feature I didn't care for. The stories weren't just tales of Superman's prowess, but stories with real messages to them and those messages were surprisingly varied from stories like Ridley's about dealing with mental trauma, to drug use and the importance of teaching kindness in children. And while Easton's story on drug use did come across as a tad preachy for my taste, and the lesson a little too unrealistic to expect from a superhero that it was given space in this book at all really speaks to the quality DC is aiming at for this book and that really does deserve to be applauded. This is a book that is not only experimental in its art, but is really striving to deliver a deep dive into not just what you can do with Superman but also with comics in general. Grade:10/10
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Post by majestic on Mar 17, 2021 14:17:50 GMT -5
RECOMMENDED:
Nightwing #78. Tom Taylor and Bruno Redondo.
A "new" start. Dick finds out he is the sole heir of Alfred and is very wealthy even without access to the Wayne fortune. This issue sees him return to Bludhaven. A new Zucco is Mayor. Barbara Gordon visits. He adopts a dog. And Blockbuster is the crime boss. Yeah this issue checks off all the reasons Dick is one of the best heroes ever. It tugged at the heartstrings when Dick reads Alfred's final letter to him. It was well written with great art and captures the character of Dick Grayson so well.
Thor #13. Donny Cates and Nic Klein.
Cates has been writing some of the best Thor stories in recent times with nice art by Klein. This is the penultimate issue in this arc that has the return of Donald Blake and he is PISSED! He wants revenge on Odin for giving him a shadow of a life. He has been tracking down others that once possessed Thor's power and killing them. This one has Jane, Beta Ray Bill, Throg, Sif. And the return of Odin. The last page has a great cliffhanger!
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Post by thwhtguardian on Mar 18, 2021 5:58:56 GMT -5
RECOMMENDED: Nightwing #78. Tom Taylor and Bruno Redondo. A "new" start. Dick finds out he is the sole heir of Alfred and is very wealthy even without access to the Wayne fortune. This issue sees him return to Bludhaven. A new Zucco is Mayor. Barbara Gordon visits. He adopts a dog. And Blockbuster is the crime boss. Yeah this issue checks off all the reasons Dick is one of the best heroes ever. It tugged at the heartstrings when Dick reads Alfred's final letter to him. It was well written with great art and captures the character of Dick Grayson so well. Thor #13. Donny Cates and Nic Klein. Cates has been writing some of the best Thor stories in recent times with nice art by Klein. This is the penultimate issue in this arc that has the return of Donald Blake and he is PISSED! He wants revenge on Odin for giving him a shadow of a life. He has been tracking down others that once possessed Thor's power and killing them. This one has Jane, Beta Ray Bill, Throg, Sif. And the return of Odin. The last page has a great cliffhanger! I just finished reading Nightwing and I have to say it was easily the best Batman book I've read in a while! The characterization of Dick was fantastic, from the flashback to the first time he met Babs and his conversation with Alfred, to the scene with Blockbuster under the bridge and the reveal about Zucco it was all picture perfect. The action, though in both cases pretty small stakes, was fast and fun and as you said the reading of Alfred's will had a real emotional punch. I still think that killing Alfred was among the dumbest decisions in the history of comic books...but this was by far the best way the fall out has been dealt with. 9/10 |
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Post by majestic on Mar 18, 2021 9:27:49 GMT -5
Actually I like Dick Grayson as a character more than Bruce Wayne. He probably is my favorite DC character. I loved him as Batman paired with Damian. I have not read any Nightwing for several years because DC routinely screws the character over (along with any of the original Titans). So this was awesome to read.
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Post by thwhtguardian on Mar 18, 2021 9:34:10 GMT -5
Actually I like Dick Grayson as a character more than Bruce Wayne. He probably is my favorite DC character. I loved him as Batman paired with Damian. I have not read any Nightwing for several years because DC routinely screws the character over (along with any of the original Titans). So this was awesome to read. Morrison's run with Dick as Batman was for me the last time the bat-books were consistently great so it was great to get that level of energy and fun again. I really liked the Grayson book from a few years back as well. |
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Post by wildfire2099 on Mar 19, 2021 22:58:42 GMT -5
Totally agree with you guys on Nightwing ... this is definitely the Dick Grayson I want to read about. Looking forward to see how the series develops.
Other stuff this week:
Abbott '73 #3 : I still think this would be better without the supernatural bits... a reporter taking on the establishment in 1973 is quite enough. Not that it isn't good, I just don't think the supernatural bits add anything.. almost like the writer thought the book wouldn't sell without the hook.
Iron Man #7 : Weird interlude where there's alot of philposphizing while Tony and co. chase Korvac into space. Kinda a weird issue... some interesting bits about religion in there, but doesn't really fit the story. I mean, sure, Korvac wants to be a god, but that's tenuous at best.
Superman: Red and Blue #1 : Definitely some good stuff, but not sure they can do this type of story over and over and have it work. The one with colors being gone was neat. And did Superman REALLY spend 8 months in a prison camp in the 80s? That's totally insane...must be written by Haney. Definitely made me want to check out those World's Finest.
Trial of Ultraman #1 : Follows right after the other series (Not sure why it's not just 1 series, but I guess marketing?) Sets the new status quo after the Kaiju are set free, and brings things out in the open. Looks like they may be setting something up with Shin's father, maybe?
Jimmy's Bastards vol 2 : Not as good as the 1st half.. just takes the jokes from there to their logical conclusion. The psych wards of all the former double 0's was definitely the highlight.
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Post by thwhtguardian on Mar 20, 2021 10:17:30 GMT -5
Totally agree with you guys on Nightwing ... this is definitely the Dick Grayson I want to read about. Looking forward to see how the series develops. Other stuff this week: Abbott '73 #3 : I still think this would be better without the supernatural bits... a reporter taking on the establishment in 1973 is quite enough. Not that it isn't good, I just don't think the supernatural bits add anything.. almost like the writer thought the book wouldn't sell without the hook. Iron Man #7 : Weird interlude where there's alot of philposphizing while Tony and co. chase Korvac into space. Kinda a weird issue... some interesting bits about religion in there, but doesn't really fit the story. I mean, sure, Korvac wants to be a god, but that's tenuous at best. Superman: Red and Blue #1 : Definitely some good stuff, but not sure they can do this type of story over and over and have it work. The one with colors being gone was neat. And did Superman REALLY spend 8 months in a prison camp in the 80s? That's totally insane...must be written by Haney. Definitely made me want to check out those World's Finest. Trial of Ultraman #1 : Follows right after the other series (Not sure why it's not just 1 series, but I guess marketing?) Sets the new status quo after the Kaiju are set free, and brings things out in the open. Looks like they may be setting something up with Shin's father, maybe? Jimmy's Bastards vol 2 : Not as good as the 1st half.. just takes the jokes from there to their logical conclusion. The psych wards of all the former double 0's was definitely the highlight. The story referenced was in World's Finest #192 and #193 from 1970, and it was Haney! The trauma shown in the concentration was no where near as realistic as it was presented in the feature in Red in Blue, think of more as Hogan's Heroes version of a concentration camp versus the depiction in Life is Beautiful, but it was still a good story, especially for its time. |
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