Issue: Batman: Earth One Writer: Geoff Johns Pencils: Gary Frank Publisher: DC Comics Release Date: 7/4/2012
From GEOFF JOHNS and GARY FRANK, the acclaimed team behind SUPERMAN: SECRET ORIGIN and the SHAZAM! stories in JUSTICE LEAGUE! In the tradition of SUPERMAN: EARTH ONE, this spectacular original graphic novel gives new insight into BRUCE WAYNE’S transformation into BATMAN and his first year as THE DARK KNIGHT
Story: 7/10 • Artwork: 9/10 • Overall 8/10
“Batman: Earth One” is a new take on an old tale. No, not really. It feels more like a reboot in the New 52 than a game changer of the “Earth One” universe. J. Michael Straczynski raised the bar with “Superman: Earth One.” In turn I hold DC Comics to a higher standard with the “Earth One” universe. I hope you do to.
Geoff Johns is a game changing writer, just look at the rainbow over in the Green Lantern titles. The Penguin as the mayor of Gotham City is not a game changing move, did Johns forget that Lex Luthor was president once. What “Batman: Earth One” was, is a very good Batman story with minor tweets to his origin. Bruce’s parents still get shot and die, and Bruce becomes Batman to fight the corrupt Gotham politicians. This sound like every other day for Batman, doesn’t it?
What John’s does will is develop supporting characters in the story. Alfred is a badass! Who doesn’t want to see Alfred running around with a shotgun? Also, John’s develops the characters just enough to where you want to see more of them by the end of the book. Harvey Bullock, James and Barbara Gordon are setup beautifully in this book. Johns even puts a twist on the Dents.
Gary Frank’s artwork is fluid in his storytelling and spectacular in his splash pages. Frank slows down the reader with his detail so that the reader can enjoy every panel. Frank draws action on level that only few have reached.
The problem with this book is that it’s not bold enough to be called an “Earth One” book. Johns needed to be bolder with Batman’s origin. You could have changed the meaning of the “no gun” rule or not killed his parents. That would have been bold or you could have killed them in a different way or killed someone else. If you killed Jim Gordon, that would have been bold.
The question that every person in a comic book shop should ask, is do I want to pay $22.99 for an average Batman story with great artwork? The answer is no, wait a month and buy a used copy for $10.
Amazing Spider-Man #689
Writer: Dan Slott
Art: Giuseppe Camuncoli [Pencils], Klaus Janson [Inks], Frank D’Armata [Colors]
[HEY, READ THIS FIRST! If you haven’t read Amazing Spider-Man #688, this review will spoil some key plot points, and that’s no fun for anyone.]
In the first part of “No Turning Back,” Spider-Man and Morbius, along with a team of Horizon Labs scientists led by Max Modell, hunted down the Lizard in the sewers and “cured” him of his condition. Now Curt Connors once again, the nightmare is seemingly over…or is it?
Amazing Spider-Man #689 begins in Morbius’ lab at Horizon, with Spider-Man and Modell assisting him in running tests on Connors. Seeing that his “cure” worked, Morbius begins making preparations to make a batch tailored to his own DNA in order to cure him of his “living vampire” condition. Unfortunately, Morbius has other problems to worry about–namely, answering for robbing the grave of Curt Connors’ dead son Billy, who was eaten by the Lizard during 2010’s “Shed” story arc, in order to produce a cure–and Curt Connors isn’t exactly purged of the Lizard.
As hinted in the end of the last issue, only Connors’ appearance has changed. Still the Lizard on the inside, he spends this issue cleverly buying time alone in Morbius’ lab in order to distract Spider-Man and the others long enough to transform himself back to his reptilian form. Taking advantage of Morbius’ growing hunger, Connors releases the scent of blood into the building’s ventilation system, prompting the living vampire to lose control and feed on one of the Horizon Labs brain trust members, Sajani.
Of course, this leads to Morbius’ prompt exit and Spider-Man chasing after him, leaving everyone else alone with Connors.
Dan Slott delivers yet another phenomenal issue of Amazing Spider-Man here, even going so far as to point out the history between Spider-Man, Morbius, and the Lizard dating back to issue #101. Seeing Connors with the Lizard still in control of his psyche is also a nice twist on a Lizard story, and everything that happens as the issue winds down sets up some pretty high stakes for the story’s conclusion next issue.
Camuncoli’s art somehow looks even better than last issue, and I’d even put some of the facial expressions and action panels he draws up there with John Romita, Sr. Klaus Janson and Frank D’Armata’s inks and colors make the art pop that much more.
This is another must-buy issue with a great cliffhanger ending in the mighty Marvel manner. I can’t wait to see how it ends in two weeks.
The Comic Vault wishes you a great 4th of July. Enjoy your BBQ, comics and America!
Captain America is a fictional character, a superhero who appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Captain America Comics #1 (cover-dated March 1941), from Marvel Comics’ 1940s predecessor, Timely Comics,[1] and was created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby. As of 2007, an estimated 210 million copies of “Captain America” comic books had been sold in 75 countries.[2] For nearly all of the character’s publication history, Captain America was the alter ego of Steve Rogers, a frail young man who was enhanced to the peak of human perfection by an experimental serum in order to aid the United States war effort. Captain America wears a costume that bears an American flag motif, and is armed with an indestructible shield that can be thrown as a weapon.[3]
An intentionally patriotic creation who was often depicted fighting the Axis powers of World War II, Captain America was Timely Comics’ most popular character during the wartime period. After the war ended, the character’s popularity waned and he disappeared by the 1950s aside from an ill-fated revival in 1953. Captain America was reintroduced during the Silver Age of comics when he was revived from suspended animation by the superhero team the Avengers in The Avengers #4 (March 1964). Since then, Captain America has often led the team, as well as starring in his own series.
Steve Rogers was purportedly assassinated in Captain America vol. 5, #25 (March 2007), although he was later revealed to be alive. The comic-book series Captain America continued to be published,[4] with Rogers’ former sidekick, James “Bucky” Barnes, having taken up the mantle, and keeping it at the insistence of Rogers, who upon his return began operating as an intelligence agent in the Secret Avengers title, and in the limited series Steve Rogers: Super Soldier, before resuming the identity after Bucky was killed in the line of duty.
Captain America was the first Marvel Comics character adapted into another medium with the release of the 1944 movie serial Captain America. Since then, the character has been featured in several other films and television series, including Chris Evans’ portrayal in Captain America: The First Avenger, released on July 22, 2011, and The Avengers, released on May 4, 2012. Captain America was ranked sixth on IGN’s Top 100 Comic Book Heroes in 2011.
Let’s go ahead and clear the air here. I didn’t like the Sam Raimi Spider-Man movies. That’s not to say he isn’t a great director–I still love the Evil Dead trilogy. I just didn’t care for his interpretation of Spider-Man.
I couldn’t buy Tobey Maguire as the type of guy who cracks wise in the face of death (and his Peter Parker/Spider-Man really didn’t do much of that at all), Kirsten Dunst never struck me as a supermodel/soap star, and the interpretations of the villains were more-cheesy-than-menacing. His first Green Goblin looked like a Power Ranger (and suffered from the lack of the infamous plot thread from Amazing Spider-Man #121) and the second was a sky-surfing paintball ninja. I can’t even make it through any of the films in that trilogy anymore without cringing and turning them off.
At the time, I just sucked it up and moved along–reboots weren’t en vogue until a few years later with Christopher Nolan’s masterful Batman Begins–trying to find contentment in the fact that a Spider-Man film franchise even existed.
And then Marc Webb came along.
Webb’s The Amazing Spider-Man isn’t just a good movie, it’s better than all of the installments in the previous trilogy combined. Sure, the origin story is rehashed a bit here, but it feels more natural, more 21st Century. The comics have always featured a perfect balance of lighthearted humor, the drama between Peter and his supporting cast, and intense moments of suspense, and Webb brings all of that to the table.
Andrew Garfield’s Peter Parker is more in line with the nerdy outcast of today. There aren’t that many “poindexter” types left, and Pete became much “hipper” early on in the comics anyways. Plus, this Peter Parker displays the genius and smart ass nature of his comic counterpart. This is a guy capable of building devices that shoot synthetic webbing from his wrists, and the previous films, with all of their organic webbing, didn’t point that out enough.
I’ve said in many a geek conversation that if the Spider-Man franchise was ever rebooted a la Batman Begins, they should focus on building up the tragic story of Gwen Stacy in the first two or three films. Emma Stone really makes Gwen grow on you throughout the film, and the ending sets up her story in the most logical way. Webb uses a different villain to get there than I would have expected, though, and in better ways than I ever could have imagined. Rhys Ifans brings the Lizard to life in the most menacing portrayal of any Spider-Man villain yet while still allowing the humanity of Curt Connors to show through when it counts most. Plus, you never feel like he’s going to cheesily demand that other characters say a prayer.
The film’s core plot line focuses more on the history of Peter Parker’s parents–something that was taken care of in the first few years of the comic. Spider-Man has one of the most well-known origin stories in comics, so there’s no much you can change there, but Webb’s film ties Peter’s parents to Oscorp. Richard Parker was a scientist who worked with Dr. Curt Connors on biological experiments meant to use cross-species genetics to help a variety of patients self-heal their medical ailments. Connors, for example, was focused on using reptilian DNA to regrow his missing arm. Somewhere along the line, some issue arose with Parker’s research (it’s never fully revealed here what it was) and Richard and Mary leave young Peter with his aunt (Sally Field) and uncle (Martin Sheen), never to be heard from again because they die soon after in a mysterious plane crash.
Years later, Peter uncovers his dad’s old briefcase, discovering some of his lost research and a photo of his father and Connors. Looking for answers, he seeks out Connors and later helps him fill in the missing pieces of the research. During this time, Peter is bitten by a genetically-engineered spider (developed by his dad, no less) and Irfan Khan’s Dr. Ratha pressures Connors to complete his research, as it isn’t just important to the public but to Norman Osborn, who is apparently dying. This last bit of subplot is surely a teaser for the new franchise’s Green Goblin origin. Connors eventually resorts to testing his serum on himself and becomes the Lizard before attempting to weaponize it as a gas that would transform all of New York into lizard people.
It’s a cool twist on several classic bits of Spider-Man lore, but there are still little things with The Amazing Spider-Man that bug me. (See what I did there, even though spiders are arachnids and not bugs?) First and foremost, as many times as Peter removes his mask in full public view or displays his powers out of costume, it’s a wonder nobody catches an image or video of him–especially if modern New York City is as full of photo-happy hipsters as I’ve been led to believe–or puts two and two together. He just seems a bit too identity-reveal-happy in general. Additionally, this film is noticeably lacking in the J. Jonah Jameson department (J.K. Simmons was by far the best casting choice of the previous trilogy and it would not bother me at all to see him reprise his role in this series). To Webb’s credit, The Daily Bugle does get a cameo and Pete’s photographic ingenuity is displayed during a sewer fight with the Lizard. Here’s hoping we see jolly Jonah in the next installment.
Aside from those minor details, The Amazing Spider-Man is the film that should have been made a decade ago. Despite my two minor complaints and some minor changes to some of the supporting characters and story, the film is a fitting adaptation that gets it right where it counts. Here’s hoping they avoid giving the sequels boring numbers and instead name them after the various Spider-Man series that have existed over the years.
Rick Remender sets things into motion this issue with Ms. Marvel acting as the narrator to the events that unfold. The Kree and Captain Marvel have finally had their minds restored after Minister Marvel and his son had manipulated everyone to stay put as sacrifices to the oncoming Phoenix Force. The Secret Avengers fins out where Minister Marvel is hiding and are dead set on stopping him.
I like that Remender created a memorable villain in such a short amount of time. The Minister is unpredictable as he descends deeper into his own insane mind. While most people would assume this would turn into one giant brawl Remender has other plans in mind and creates something larger and worth while.
This leaves the team with the ungodly task of stopping the Phoenix Force from devouring Hala. Remender has fun using some of the heavies this issue. Both Thor and Captain Britain have great moments together. In the end though Remender goes back into Carol Danvers history and creates one the most fun and off the wall moments for the character.
Renato Guedes artwork continues to impress me. His pencils are hyper detailed and manage to convey many layers of emotion . The action is clean and easy to follow and aside from a few character design choices ( Beast and Thor I’m looking at you) his characters work is amazing. Id like to see him stay on this book for the foreseeable future with Remender.
At the end of the day this is a story about Captain Marvel and Remender does a good job reinforcing that he was a fearless hero who managed to make the tough decisions when the time came. In fact this is a nice companion piece to the Death of Captain Marvel and manages to set itself apart from the other A vs X tie ins due to the fact that it not only tells its own story in Captain Marvel but give good explanation why Carol would want to become the next Captain Marvel. This series continues to be an engaging and fun book full of great character moments and gorgeous art. Add it to your pull list.
Issue: Steamcraft #1 Writer: David Hutchison Artist: David Hutchison Publisher: Antarctic Press Release Date: June 2012 Price: $3.99
“With strange eons, even death may die, unleashing ancient horrors upon our world. They rise from the abyss or descend from the stars, caring no more for our existence than we care for the random atoms about us. Yet there are those who dare to strap on their brass and leather, shoulder their plasmotic rifles and stoke up the boilers to their super-cannons, land crawlers, submersibles and airships. Steam WILL save the world!”
Dying Breath: 4.5 out of 5
What an amazing combination of 2 things I want to know more about. Steamcraft #1 blends together Lovecraft and Steampunk in a way that I would have never guessed, and it turns out oh so perfect. The artwork in this book was the biggest shock to my system. I honestly expected to see something that played on the fun aspects of both topics, something vivid and highly animated. Instead I was treated to a visual gem, that fit so well into playing on the Victorian aspects of Steampunk. The page layouts were just something I can’t get over. A journal style of story telling, meaning the lettering is presented in a script typeface, on top of artwork that comes across to me as highly detailed sketches. The combination of these two elements sets the visual tone so well. At the start I did have a little trouble reading the font chosen, but as the issue went on I had no issues. The story itself is something that should easily please fans of both genres. I really enjoyed the pacing and the surprise ending. If anything I thought that the one more page should have been added, because I really wanted to see what was going to happen to Barrier. But I have to leave that up to my imagination. I loved this issue and can not wait for more to come, there is more coming, right? This company does horror right book after book, and I really hope that this title can expand to more issues in the future. A fantastic read that will easily appeal to anyone reading this review.
Artwork: 4.5 out of 5 • Story: 4.5 out of 5
If you would like to buy or know more about Steamcraft you can find it at http://www.antarctic-press.com
Issue: Kung Fu Satanist #1 Writer: Simon Sanchez Artist: Dean Juliette, Don Marquez, Sammy Gomez Publisher: Trauma Comics Release Date: 2012 Pages: 24 Price: $3.75
“Debut issue! Kung Fu Satanist is on the trail of a deadly serial killer named the “Headhunter.” Can you guess why he is called the “Headhunter?” Arthur Brown dabbled in black magic and lost his soul. To stop his descent into hell, he hunts down criminals and sacrifices their souls to his Dark Lord. “
Dying Breath: 4.0 out of 5
Crime doesn’t pay when you have the hands of demons and the feet of the devil! Trauma Comics is back to bring you Kung Fu Satanist #1, and it is a delightfully sinful treat. The artwork in this book is great. I really like Juliette’s style, because I think it fits the main concept so well. The colors at times were a little too dark, but it doesn’t take anything away from the book. I loved the scene with the head spinning around. The story itself was nicely done. Sanchez does a great job throwing the reader right into the action and then slowing things down to build what is to come. The book has a real grindhouse influence to it, and it shows on all levels. From the dialogue to the great fight/horror scenes, the team does a great job of capturing it all. This book is a fun read, something you can easily sit back and just enjoy without worrying about layers and layers of drama being poured down your throat. Check it out, I know I’m glad I did.
Artwork: 4.0 out of 5 • Story: 4.0 out of 5
If you would like to buy or know more about Kung Fu Satanist#1 you can find it at IndyPlanet.com
Issue: Gore #6 Writer: Alex Crippa Artist: Emilio Laiso Colors: Alessia Nocera Publisher: GG Studio Release Date: June 2012 Price: $2.99
“Demons invade the Carnival at Venice. These horrible nightmare-reflections of beloved fairytale characters are determined to tear a hole from their twisted world to ours. Demon Hunter Gabriel must force the demoness Cinderella, monster Little Mermaid, and countless others back through the portal before the last night of Carnival – else no one will live happily ever after!”
Dying Breath: 4.5 out of 5
Once upon a time there was a comic book that took your typical Fairy Tale characters and turned them into horrible killing machines, welcome to Gore. This series kind of reminds me of a video game, in that every issue has a “boss” battle, or in comic terms, a bad ass mother $&^#% fight scene! The artwork by Laiso and Nocera in this issue is fantastic, but you can probably tell that from the cover. They really won me over with the decapitation scene, but that is to be expected. The panels are always consistent and the pages shine. This is just a GORE-Geous book (that is the first time that ever worked on 3 levels)! The story in this issue is paced just right. Yes you get a great action scene, but you also get a lot of build taking place. This is the middle of the series and I can tell things are about to take a really good turn. The dialogue though does have one or two moments of confusion, but you have to keep in mind that this is being translated, so that can happen. Overall this issue just adds more great depth to this amazing series. I wish I could go back and review each and every single issue, so you have to take my word for it. There have been some great death scenes in these issues that need to be seen by horror fan eyes. I can easily recommend this book for all fans of horror.
Artwork: 5.0 out of 5 • Story: 4.5 out of 5
If you would like to buy or know more about Gore you can find it at http://www.ggstudiodesign.com
Issue: The Awakened #1 Writer: Ivan James Artist: Tim Jensen Release Date: 2012
“Gabe had a late night craving for some Taco Stix®. His usual order was a sack of Taco Stix® and a large Cola Pop® with lite ice. So he was quite surprised when the universe added a hip hop spell caster and a demon who wants to kill him as well. He should have realized beforehand that satisfying his hunger meant enlisting in an adventure of biblical proportions. He probably would have eaten somewhere else…”
Dying Breath: 4.0 out of 5
So what can really go wrong with ordering some Taco Stix®? Apparently a lot, and The Awakened is here to explore just that. Let’s start off simply with the colors, man do they POP off of every single page. I guess in the near future this creative team thinks we are going to be all neon, and well it makes this book so visually attractive. Jensen’s cast looks amazing from panel to panel. I really enjoy the look of the demons, as they come across as almost a half vampire half crazy albino. There are some scenes where things did get a little muddied up, but overall this book looks great. The story was an action packed horror/hero blast that was like a straight punch to the face. James’ writing never slowed down, and it left me on the edge of my seat throughout. I honestly was okay with how the issue ended, because it left me wanting more. So the actual writeup of what is taking place, or the back story, was just icing on the cake (it came at the end of the issue). On every level this book was a winner. It captured my attention and ran with it for a good 20 minutes. I can not wait to see what comes next, lets just hope that issue gets here soon.
Artwork: 4.0 out of 5 • Story: 4.0 out of 5
If you would like to buy or know more about The Awakened you can find it at http://ivan-james.com/theawakened/
Amazing Spider-Man #688
Writer: Dan Slott
Art: Giuseppe Camuncoli [Pencils], Klaus Janson [Inks], Frank D’Armata [Colors]
Coming off of the devastating loss of Silver Sable in the final chapter of “Ends of the Earth,” Spider-Man is desperately needing a check in the “win” column. It doesn’t matter that he just saved the entire world and that Silver Sable’s sacrifice was only one life in comparison–Peter made a vow after the murder of Marla Jameson that, while he’s around, no one dies.
Of course, nobody can live up to that sort of statement, and Mary Jane tells Peter this herself at a party she throws in his honor (cleverly disguised as a “Hey, Horizon Labs helped stop the world from being destroyed by Doctor Octopus!” party). Regardles, Pete doesn’t have much time to let this sink in and relax before his other ex, CSI detective Carlie Cooper, phones him to let him know that Billy Connors’ grave has been robbed.
If you remember, Billy Connors is the son of Dr. Curt Connors, who became the Lizard after a failed experiment with reptile DNA meant to give humans the ability to regenerate lost limbs. Last time the Lizard took over Curt Connors, he decided to destroy his former self once and for all and devoured his son.
Anyways, it turns out Billy’s body was stolen by a certain Horizon-employed vampire/scientist who has found a way to change the Lizard back to Curt Connors again. Is this the win Spider-Man is looking for…or is it?
Jumping back and forth between the present and the hours leading up to that moment, Dan Slott delivers an engaging start to a well-timed story starring the two main characters of The Amazing Spider-Man (in theaters next week!). Instead of feeling like it was just thrown together to tie into the movie by featuring Lizard as a villain, it builds on the Lizard’s character developments from the past two years and feels like the logical place to move on to the character’s next step.
Despite a few faces taking an extra look or two to get used to, Giuseppe Camuncoli, Klaus Janson, and Frank D’Armata hit the ball out of the park in the art department. The Lizard here feels as vicious as ever, if not more so with Spider-Man’s tattered costume displaying the savage consequences of the battle.
Morbius’ involvement here is sure to be the wild card in this darker Spider-Man tale, as the vampiric scientist’s control over his hunger has often been unstable in the past. I’m not sure where Slott’s taking this after the final page, but it’s sure to be a wild ride if the past is any indication.
Issue: Batman: Earth One
