The Dark Knight Returns: The Last Crusade is finally out on the shelves! Co-written by Frank Miller and Brian Azzarello and penciled by John Romita Jr, it follows the death of Jason Todd. Todd was the second Robin, and the reason for the Dark Knight’s retirement in the original Dark Knight Returns.
Many comic book fans, Batman fans especially, have a soft spot for The Dark Knight Returns. The story, written and penciled by Frank Miller, inked by Klaus Janson and colored by Lynn Varney, brought the comic book medium into a respected field of literature. This is on top of returning Batman back to his dark and Gothic roots.
One of the elements making this work so profound is the specter of Jason Todd’s death. Despite occurring before TDKR, this event haunted both Batman and Alfred constantly. In an unpublished page of the story, Batman thinks of his fallen friend while recovering from his fight with the Joker.
What I like about the story is the portrayal of Batman. We’re all used to seeing him as a man who is in perpetual youth. So seeing him dealing with the inevitable of age is profound. He’s constantly trying to come to grips, even when his methods are not healthy.
Of course, how he’s dealt with his parent’s murder would not be considered healthy either. But that’s just my opinion.
There is a hint of tragedy between Bruce and Selina Kyle in their relationship as she tries to convince him to hang up the cape. Knowing what becomes of them only adds to impending doom of their romance.
It is also nice to see the Joker simply sit back and slowly work his way out of the Asylum. Not once does he actually strike, shot, or stab a person. He’s able to convince others to do his dirty work.
The one element of the story needing some more TLC was the gradual victim of the book, Jason. Though he is in all of the action sequences, and shows incredible competency, we don’t get to know him. There seems to be an assumption for the reader to know of Jason’s fall in DC’s main canon, which is a crime to the character in the book.
There is a lack of emotion when the bloody end arrives. And personally I would’ve liked to have seen Batman when he learns of Todd’s death.
I enjoyed the book as a companion piece to The Dark Knight Returns. It hits most of the marks in the story and dialogue and the artwork by John Romita Jr. aids the story beautifully.
Last Saturday’s episode of Outlander, “Prestonpans,” contained some long-awaited action. The battle scene, full of smoke and indistinct shapes, gave viewers a sense of what being involved in this early-morning raid may have been like. A couple of characters introduced in Season One didn’t make it through the battle. Fergus‘s mental health is at no risk of spontaneously improving, having just gotten a taste of what being involved in a Highland charge is like. It was bloody. It was gory, check out my recap …
“Prestonpans” – My Recap
“Prestonpans” started with Claire pausing by the corpse of a slain Highlander. She contemplates the pointlessness of the man’s death, trying to determine how many dead men she’s seen during her involvement in two wars. Claire decides that however many she’s seen it’s been far too many; she’s broken from her reverie by Jamie demanding she hurry up in taking a “pish.” Demonstrating wartime frugality, Claire takes the dead man’s axe and heads back to the group.
The quartermaster and lieutenant argue over which is the better move, O’Sullivan favours a speedy attack but the battle-seasoned Murray favours a well-planned offensive that will involve the fewest casualties for their side. Stuart, on the other hand, suggests a diplomatic resolution but O’Sullivan accuses him of being too tender-hearted. Jamie brings up that a frontal assault would likely prove deadly for their side since a bog stands between them and the British force. Jamie warns that if they get stuck in the mud they’ll become easy targets for the British muskets that have a range of up to 100 yards. The officers’ meeting devolves into a shouting match and Jamie tells the other Scots to continue to await orders.
The meeting finished, if not resolved, Stuart follows Jamie outside and asks him if Claire will be assisting at the Scottish field hospital. Jamie replies that she will be. Charles requests that Claire ensure that British soldiers be seen to first, before his own men, in order to promote Stuart’s message of British unity: he wants it known that the British aren’t being hewn down by a bunch of Scottish savages. Jamie says he doesn’t think Claire will obey that order. Stuart shows his ignorance of the Frasers’ marriage arrangement when he requests that Jamie order Claire to see to the British first. Jamie takes his leave of the Royal personage.
We see Dougal napping by a fire: Ross, Kincaid, Murtagh, Angus, and Rupert are also there, and Angus is spitting ale at Kincaid. A scuffle ensues and Angus draws his blade. Murtagh threatens to make Angus taste his blade from the other end and the disturbance wakes Dougal from his nap. A passing Jamie defuses the situation by ordering Angus’s blade down and asking Dougal for a private conference.
Careful not to order Dougal to do anything, Jamie suggests that it would be helpful if someone were to ride into the bog separating them from the British force in order to see if infantry could make the crossing. Jamie suggests that his uncle should come out unscathed so long as he keeps his distance from the British at about 125 yards. This minor prodding from Jamie is more than enough to get a bored and glory-hungry Dougal on his horse and on his way to the bog.
A typically disobedient Dougal gets stuck about 100 yards from the British. His hat gets shot off and he’s forced to dismount in order to turn his mired horse around. His retreat, however, meets with great cheering and a hug/beard tug combo from an awkwardly thankful Stuart. Dougal has proven that it would be impossible for either side to cross the bog without sustaining heavy losses, but he did it at the cost of his clean pair of pants. As Dougal heroically proclaims, “The hero of the hour has shat his pants.”
At the field hospital, Claire delegates various healthcare tasks to the volunteers. Fergus is being a bit of a pest but Claire is intent upon keeping him in the hospital with her and off the battlefield. It seems that the Scottish and British forces are at an impasse until a resident of the area surrounding the battlefield informs them of a secret path through the bog. They decide to strike soon and plans get underway.
We see Ross and Kincaid being very genuine with one another, each promising the other that should he die in battle the other should consider his property the other’s inheritance. Ross and Kincaid also make promises to take care of their fallen comrade’s family. Angus and Rupert have a less heartfelt exchange but Angus succeeds in telling Rupert that Rupert should take his sword should Angus fail to return from battle. Angus also offers Rupert the hand of a prostitute he frequents but Rupert reminds Angus she’s not his to offer, turning down Angus’s proffered spit-shake.
Jamie and Murtagh also exchange some, much headier, thoughts on the upcoming battle. Murtagh admits concern about the futility of dying in war. How can one man’s death mean anything in a force of 2000 men? Jamie’s out of words of comfort, telling Murtagh that he did all he could to stop the rebellion but failed. Murtagh reminds him that they both failed.
Jamie checks on Claire and finds Fergus begging to accompany the men on their attack. Jamie instructs Fergus to remain behind in order to protect Claire, and just before the Fraser family achieves an actual moment of familial bliss, Murtagh, Angus, and Rupert walk in and tell Jamie it’s time to head out. There’s a typical pre-battle goodbyes scene and Angus is able to secure another kiss from Claire. Rupert requests no goodbye, promising instead to drink with them upon his glorious return from battle. Jamie is the last one to offer his farewell to Claire. His kiss is a bit more passionate than the one Claire shared with Angus, but eventually Jamie also takes his leave of Claire.
I dinna’ like yer coat, ye ken?!
Amazingly, the incredibly fortuitous information about the trail through the bog is true and the Scots set up for a surprise attack on the unprepared British. Stuart shows a great deal of courage in demanding he lead the charge but Jamie asks that Stuart stay back and let the warriors do the fighting. Stuart protests but stays back with Lord Murray. The battle of Prestonpans begins.
Kincaid doesn’t make it, I guess Ross will have to figure out how to take care of Kincaid’s six children, even though Ross is able to get Kincaid’s body back to the field hospital. Fergus, who sneaked out of the field hospital to fight with the men, gets knocked over almost as soon as he enters battle and covers his head in his hands. We see a Redcoat chop down Rupert. We cut back to Claire’s field hospital and see Angus rush in supporting his chopped up pal. As Claire sets to stitching up the gash in Rupert’s side, we hear Rupert ask Claire if Angus was blown up by a cannon. A flashback shows us that Angus was hit by debris from a cannon blast after gunning down the Redcoat who sliced Rupert.
Claire admits that she’s done all she can for Rupert. She hopes that no infection sets in. She asks to take a look at Angus who says that he’s fine as long as he can continue to watch Rupert breathe. Jamie comes in and announces that they’ve won the day. The British are in full retreat and the attack took only fifteen minutes. After a healthy amount of kissing, Claire asks after Fergus, and Jamie says that Fergus is alive, having seen him outside of the hospital. Claire finds the lad sitting on his own. He tells her he thinks he killed a Redcoat and cries. Claire comforts him.
Cutting back to the battlefield of Prestonpans, we see a determined Dougal trudging through the bodies stabbing any British unlucky enough to survive. Dougal comes upon a familiar Redcoat, Lieutenant Jeremy Foster who, in Season One, escorted Claire and Dougal to a meeting with Captain Randall. Foster begs Dougal to take him to the field hospital but Dougal refuses, saying he has more work to do on the battlefield. Foster wonders at Dougal’s bloodthirstiness and says that, though they won today, the Scots have no chance of defeating the British. Dougal obviously doesn’t appreciate Foster’s warning, and he runs him through with his dagger as soon as the words finish leaving Foster’s mouth.
Checking in again on the folks in the field hospital, Claire finds a hoof print on Jamie’s back and demands that he provide a urine sample. A British officer challenges Jamie to fill the pint glass from a yard away. Jamie takes the challenge and as he does Charles Stuart makes his post-battle appearance (bad timing!). Stuart gives the battle-weary men, Scot and Brit, a pep talk, saying that they’re all brothers and that the British have just as much place in his new Britain as the Scots do. Dougal, full of the lust of battle, interrupts this moment of diplomacy as he rushes into the hospital, grabs a wench, and before long has threatened to kill the British wounded.
Stuart, affronted by Dougal’s behaviour after giving his rousing speech about unity, exiles him and dismisses him from the Jacobite rebellion. Jamie, though, convinces Stuart to give Dougal a promotion. Dougal becomes the leader of the new Highlander Dragoons: this will keep him away from Stuart. After Stuart has left, Dougal congratulates Jamie on being able to simultaneously champion and exile him, saying that this is a plan worthy of Colum.
Angus appears overcome with exhaustion but as Claire realizes too late, he is suffering from internal bleeding. After some fitful breaths and gurgling noises, Angus collapses and suffocates in his own blood. It appears that cannon blast was worse than he let on. With Angus lying dead, Rupert climbs from his recovery bed, hobbles over to Angus, and takes the dead man’s sword, a callback to Claire’s taking the axe off of the dead Highlander at “Prestonpans’s” opening.
Later that night at the post-battle campfire, Claire reminds Jamie and Murtagh that since her prediction of a Scottish victory at the Battle of Prestonpans came to pass, she believes it’s likely that her prediction of a Scottish defeat at the Battle of Culloden will also come to pass. We hear a drunken Ross and Rupert singing “Down Among the Dead Men” and we see the full cost of the Scottish victory at Prestonpans written on their somber faces.
“Prestonpans” – My Critique
“Prestonpans” succeeded in showing viewers the chaos of warfare, specifically that of the 18th century. The battle sequence cinematography was excellent: it didn’t rely on gimmicks, mostly just smoke and explosions.
Romann Berrux did well in “Prestonpans.” I thought his portrayal of a shell-shocked child soldier was strong and that this episode’s events added some more much-needed complexity to the French orphan. That isn’t to say that the others did poorly in “Prestonpans.” This episode was full of great performances from the leads on down to the cameo appearance from Tom Brittney as Lt. Jeremy Foster. Commendations go to Stephen Walters who showed viewers a death scene both horrifying and touching, and Andrew Gower who portrays Charles Stuart with sympathy while making him seem like the biggest fop in history.
Outlander is on a dark path right now. It’s steaming ahead to its imminent and bloody second season conclusion, the Battle of Culloden. As any viewer who’s been on board since the beginning of Season Two knows, the Scottish must lose. Claire will come back through the stones to the 20th century no matter what happens in the next few episodes. With episodes like “Prestonpans,” though, there are still plenty of reasons to keep watching.
The Greatest American Director is Rolling Right Along
Steven Spielberg will be 70 in December, but the legend doesn’t seem to be ready to slow down. At all. In fact, Spielberg has an astounding number of plates in the air, from his upcoming family film The BFG, to the Ready Player One adaptation, and a staggering number of upcoming producing credits.
He’s also working on Indiana Jones 5, and if that weren’t enough of a schedule filler, he is re-teaming with his Bridge of Spies squad for a biopic on legendary newsman Walter Cronkite. According to the report at Deadline, the project will account Cronkite’s coverage of Vietnam and subsequent influence in the turning of the tide surrounding the conflict. Let’s hope he still includes Cronkite’s coverage of the Kennedy assassination. At least in a prologue.
As for Indiana Jones 5, Steven Spielberg has assured everyone he has no plans to kill off the character. Talking to The Hollywood Reporter, Spielberg says he is excited for the film and has no intention on killing off the archeologist. Hopefully the film won’t kill off everything we once loved about Indy.
The Conjuring had its own spin-off, the abysmal cash grab Annabelle, about the demonic and appropriately creepy doll from the original film. And now, it seems a crucial character from The Conjuring 2 will have her own spin-off.
That’s right, the evil demonic nun (was it Dalak?) who winds up being the underlying motivation behind all the wickedness in James Wan’s sequel, will have her own moment in the sun. Or the shadows.
New Line is developing a bad habit. Fresh off the success of The Conjuring 2, the film company is spinning off the villain of the supernatural thriller, the demonic nun, into her own movie.
David Leslie Johnson, who co-wrote Conjuring 2, has been hired to pen what is being titled The Nun. James Wan, who directed the Conjuring movies, and Peter Safran, who produced them, are reuniting to produce the spinoff.
So there you have it. The Nun is on its way. Easily the creepiest entity from The Conjuring 2, the nun is a clear choice for the spin-off treatment. Mostly because she’s the best part of a middling sequel, an outstretched effort that stays afloat under the sure handedness of Wan.
Marvel Studios dropped a very interesting tweet mere moments ago, indicating they may have found their new Ghost Rider:
This has to mean… Henry Rollins is Ghost Rider? Right? There can’t be any other reason for this tweet. Maybe he’s playing a villain in the film. Maybe it means absolutely nothing, which is always a possibility. Still, it seems like a random misdirection to associate these two without any substance.
Of course, The Rollins Band did have a song “Ghost Rider” on The Crow Soundtrack, so there’s that. (Shrug emoticon).
Update: It looks like that tweet has been deleted. Truly a weird sequence of events over at the Marvel Entertainment Twitter page…
Here is the link to the original tweet:
https://twitter.com/Marvel/status/743174998228111360
Season seven of AMC’s ‘The Walking Dead’ introduced the biggest villain since the Governor in the final minutes of the season finale. Negan will change the dynamic of the show for the next two to three seasons as ‘All Out War’ looms over on the horizon. Since the introduction of Negan in issue 100 of the comic book, the Internet buzzed with speculation on who will or should be cast in this dynamic role. The part eventually when to Jeffery Dean Morgan.
Musician and actor Henry Rollins auditioned for the role, Rollins finally opened up about the audition to Simon Thompson of Forbes.
“Since I didn’t get the part I can tell you this. I was up for the role of Negan because Charlie Adlard, who worked on the comic book, based that guy on me and so I was a shoo-in for an audition. The internet was wild with speculation because in the upcoming season they were going to introduce the character,” said Rollins.
“A woman that works in my office put my name and the character’s name into an internet search, and all this speculation came up. I went for the audition, and there were five pages of really cool dialogue with all these curses, and it was beautiful, but I didn’t get it. I later saw a photograph of the guy who did get it, and he looks almost exactly like the comic book rendering. The woman at my office watched the episode where he turns up, the dialogue that I auditioned with was in the show, and she said, ‘It should have been you.’ Obviously, it wasn’t, or this conversation would be very different, but that happened. I had to sign one of those documents where you can’t talk about it, but now it’s over and done with… so yeah, I was up for that part. I get great auditions, I auditioned for stuff like Narcos too, but rarely does anything come my way,” said Rollins to Forbes.
What do you think Walking Dead fans, who would make a better Negan? Rollins or Morgan
Rollins next film, ‘The Last Heist,’ hits theaters and VOD Friday.
Each week here on Monkeys Fighting Robots, we are looking at every DC Rebirth title and tracking its progress. Books will be rated on a scale of “Buy It”, “Borrow It” or “Bin It”. Batman #1 (Tom King, David Finch and Matt Banning) The Caped Crusader’s new run begins in earnest as he attempts to play Superman and prevent a plane from crashing into Gotham City. With the establishing shots, one can’t help but feel there is a whiff of Year One symbolism emerging from the panels. King not so subtlety references the Dark Knight Returns and the now infamous “this would be a good death” series of monologues. This is quite the interesting move for a series that is prima facie attempting to address, both thematically and literally, the darkness that crept into the DCU post-DKR/Watchmen. Unlike the original work, however, these speech is less an act of defiance and more an acceptance of his own mortality. This is a compelling piece of introspection in how Bruce Wayne, a man who has walked between plains of existence, has come to understand death, as if it were an old friend. This is a series that understands it’s own legacy and is using that to propel itself into a new era. With new heroes intent on replacing him, Bruce Wayne may yet have to come face to face with his own history and impact on Gotham City.
Recommendation: Buy It.
Superman #1 (Peter J. Tomasi, Patrick Gleason and Mick Gray) Ostensibly, this is a book about the Man of Steel, but not so. This is a book about a frightened little boy as he tries to deal with power beyond his imagination. Jonathan; the son of Clark Kent and Lois Lane, isn’t happy. His family secret has been thrust upon him at a young age, forcing him to live an relatively isolated life and to lie to anyone he meets. This in and of itself would be enough to torment the young lad, but the added pressure of his uncontrollable powers adds a new layer of pressure as Johnathan quickly discovers their potentially deadly consequences. The child’s perspective means that some of the reality of the act events are somewhat skewed, giving it a Twilight Zone-esque feel from time to time. It’s an interesting way to take the core Superman book, but it may alienate certain readers and was perhaps a story-line best saved for the Super Sons title launching later this year. It’s frustrating that once again Lois Lane is given very little to do. The series is not lacking in potential, but it’s unclear if there is enough of a draw for this story-line to take flight.
Recommendation: Borrow it.
Green Lanterns #1 (Sam Humphries, Robson Rocha and Joe Prado) I’ll admit it, I’ve never been a Green Lantern person. I appreciate that Geoff Johns had a long-run on the character that revolutionised the series’ mythos and is widely regarded as an excellent series, but it’s just not for me. I tried to engage back when Blackest Night came about, but I decided that my time was better spent elsewhere. Green Lanterns hasn’t done much to change that opinion. It’s set-up as a buddy cop comedy-drama akin to Lethal Weapon, but it’s pretty . It’s lore heavy, but not in the way that you want to learn more about it. It acts more like a barrier to engagement, than an invitation to their world. Jessica Cruz is an interesting character, a woman who recently overcame her chronic agoraphobia becoming a Green Lantern in the process. Her partner, Simon Baz is less interesting here, though I do understand that race and religion played a big part of his character arc, reflecting the US’ Islamophobia post-9/11. If we see more of those elements shining through, then maybe this series may bounce back, but as is stands it’s a lot of space, but very little opera.
Recommendation: Bin It.
Green Arrow #1 (Benjamin Percy, Otto Schmidt and Juan Ferreyra) Okay, how many times can we do the “people think Green Arrow is a hypocrite from being a socialist despite coming from a background of privilege” story-line? I don’t know, but perhaps in the current age of activism and hyper-aware politicos, this was a book that was needed. Indeed, Oliver Queen is more relevant to the modern young person than he has been in years. Something is rotten in the state of Queen Industries as evidence suggests the higher ups that actually run the company may be involved in an underground trafficking ring. There is nothing new here, but it gets a lot of the basics right. It feels like those brilliant episodes of Justice League Unlimited that starred Green Arrow. The development of Oliver Queen’s relationship with the Black Canary helps in someway make up for the loss of Dinah’s brilliant solo book, but it gets less attention than it deserves in this issue. The character is the trust version of himself in this series, but a paint by numbers story-line holds it back from being truly brilliant.
Recommendation: Buy It
Titans: Rebirth (Dan Abnett, Brett Booth and Norm Rapmund)
Out of all the books being launched as part of DC Rebirth, this was the book I was most excited for. Not only did its creative team have an amazing body of work, but it was to feature the return of the original Titans; one of my favourite teams. This issue does what Titans comics do best, focusing on the relationships between the Titans as they each re-awaken to their past with Wally West; the former Kid Flash. It is done very well, giving a whistle-stop tour of the team’s history and their dynamics. Nothing major is revealed about the mysterious manipulator behind the curtain, but this series would appear to be the linchpin of the Watchmen meta-narrative. It’s required reading if you want to follow the grand plan. It also gives us our first real glimpse at Nightwing’s new/old suit which is a nice bonus. Rapmund still draws some of the best superheroes stuff on the shelves. The Titans are the centre of the DC Rebirth. Has DC has been reading my Christmas list?
Recommendation: Buy It
This week was a much better showcase of the potential of the DC Rebirth than the previous outing. The underlying meta-narrative wasn’t as all-consuming and it allowed some genuinely touching and insightful stories to be told. Book of the week goes to Titans: Rebirth for returning the series to its roots and finally giving the team the respect it deserves. The dishonourable mention goes to Green Lanterns which for a series about the emotional spectrum has very little heart. Next week looks to be a calmer week, but with Wonder Woman and The Flash on the ticket, it’s sure to be a good one. Until then, happy reading.
Why Didn’t ‘Finding Dory‘ Live Up To Its 13 Years Of Hype?
Having to follow up 2003’s ‘Finding Nemo‘ was undoubtably going to be tough. While I didn’t hate ‘Finding Dory‘ by any means, I can’t help to feel underwhelmed by the final product. Is it Disney fatigue as they have 9 films in 2016 alone? Maybe the magic of Nemo’s world has faded but I couldn’t fall in love with Dory’s solo outing.
To further clarify, the film was still a fun adventure with familiar faces and tons of new ones. Returning for starring roles was Nemo (Hayden Rolence) and his father Marlin (Albert Brooks); they’ve now built a family with Dory (Ellen DeGeneres). Rounding out the starring cast are Hank (Ed O’Neil), an octopus with a missing tentacle & Destiny (Kaitlin Olson), a whale shark who is Dory’s childhood friend.
They embark on a story that is fairly simple. Everyone’s favorite forgetful fish Dory is on the search for her mother and father in order to complete her family. Along the way, it started to feel like a children’s version of 2000’s ‘Memento‘; we’d get clues during Dory’s adventure which would trigger vivid flashbacks.
With only minor tweaks to the original formula, Dory’s journey to find her parents feels almost too similar to the search for Nemo in 2003. In order to pad its short running time, we are dealt with another split search as Dory is searching for her parents while Nemo and Marlin search for Dory inside Monterey Marine Life Institute.
“Just Keep Swimming”
-Dory
While ‘Finding Dory‘ followed the usual Disney/Pixar structure, the characters and visuals we saw along the way made up for any negative attributes. Visually, the movie shined when the camera would pull back and we take in the gorgeous aquatic scenery that was created. Each set piece we traveled to was distinct and filled with specific sea creatures.
All the characters introduced at a plot destination really made the film flow while providing laughs. It has to be noted that the rock scene featured the sea lions & a bizarre looking bird named Becky is my personal favorite. Also, Sigourney Weaver playing herself as the voice who greets guest at the Marine Life Institute was genius. Every time her voice rang over the P.A., we knew Dory was in safe hands.
Another interesting note is the movie has no clear villain. Very rarely does a Disney film not provide a bad guy to challenge the heroes. Maybe nature was the bad guy in the film as that’s what kept Dory and her families apart.
Last but not least, the new Disney/Pixar short ‘Piper‘ that played before the film was stunning. Stripping away the cartoonish feeling of ‘Finding Dory‘, ‘Piper‘ was a far more realistic looking piece with just as much heart.
Are you seeing ‘Finding Dory‘ this weekend? Let me know in the comments below!
Entertainment Weekly debuted the new trailer for Jack Reacher: Never Go Back, the sequel to the mildly successful thriller back in 2012. This time around, Cruise’s title character teams up with Cobie Smulders, replacing Rosamund Pike in the female lead.
Here is the trailer. It’s all cluttered up with Entertainment Weekly prod value. Surely a cleaner version will be out later today:
And here’s your basic synopsis: “Jack Reacher returns to the headquarters of his old unit, only to find out he’s now accused of a 16-year-old homicide.” It’s based on the novel of the same name this time.
Director Christopher McQuarrie was too busy directing Tom Cruise in Rogue Nation to direct Tom Cruise here. So Ed Zwick (who directed Cruise in The Last Samurai) is at the helm for Jack Reacher: Never Go Back.
I personally enjoyed the first film much more the second time I saw it. Initially, something felt flat about the whole endeavor, but another look and things really fell into place. The characters felt richer, and the suspense palpable. This one looks to explore a little more of Reacher’s past and what appears to be some PTSD issues.
Jack Reacher: Never Go Back hits theaters October 21.
This issue moves fast. It’s often hard to keep up. Marty’s actions cause him to start to fade so he and the Doc have to fix it. They stop his Grandpa from getting killed but this results in a future where Hill Valley is now under Tannen family control, again. Man those Tannen’s really know how to send things to hell in a hurry. They work to fix things but end up creating a new timeline in the process
This comic was originally based on a game and it shows as the storytelling keep moving from problem to problem without any real breathing room. Yes it is supposed to be an adaptation and needs to faithful to the original game but it starting to feel like the story would benefit from the characters wandering around for a while talking with Non Playable Characters who keep spitting out repetitive dialogue which is may or may not be helpful.
Artwork
The art is still good and captures the look and feel of the game and original movie very well. Alan Robinson was able to provide some very visually pleasing actions scenes in this issue. The ghost effect as Marty starts to fade away is replicated spot on.
Conclusion
The issue is fun but it really seems like the story is rushing without taking a break. Hopefully with another new timeline to explore in the next issue there will be some moments where the characters will be able to look around and appreciate what is happening to them.
Batman #1 (Tom King, David Finch and Matt Banning)
Superman #1 (Peter J. Tomasi, Patrick Gleason and Mick Gray)
Green Lanterns #1 (Sam Humphries, Robson Rocha and Joe Prado)
Green Arrow #1 (Benjamin Percy, Otto Schmidt and Juan Ferreyra)
Titans: Rebirth (Dan Abnett, Brett Booth and Norm Rapmund)
