There were many highly anticipated spin-off stories to come out of Marvel’s 2015 Secret Wars event, but AMAZING SPIDER-MAN: RENEW YOUR VOWS (2015) #1 rocked the comics landscape unlike any other. Released in June of the same year, the inaugural issue paid service to Spidey fans by presenting a married version of Peter Parker and Mary Jane Watson, along with their daughter Annie. However, the the disappearance of the world’s superheroes led Peter on a fact-finding mission to protect his world and family.
Story
Our friendly neighborhood hero finds himself living the dream. With his marriage to Mary Jane, this narrative gives Peter the life he’s always wanted. But it’s not all pie in the sky. The interactions between the family is just what readers would expect in a Spider-Man marriage: arguments over Peter’s responsibilities.
Dan Slott presents readers an engaging portrayal of family life in one of the most popular comic couples. We see the highs, lows, and all-round average days anyone would expect. However, as their version of New York happens to find itself in Battleworld from the Secret Wars event, their peace cannot last for long. And readers find it begins with missing superheroes.
Peter finds himself unraveling this mystery while trying to be present for his new family. But when one of his most ferocious villains threatens their safety, will be cross a line in order to protect them?
Artwork
Pencils and Inks: Adam Kubert’s penciling and John Dell’s ink work work beautifully together in this issue. The details of Peter and Mary Jane pay homage to their classic designs over the years.
Colors: Justin Ponsor’s coloring work fits well with the tone of this book. The tones of even our colorful heroes are darker, reflecting the harsh realism revealed as the story progresses.
Letters: VC’s Joe Caramagna’s lettering helped frame the scenes of each panel, giving readers a place to focus their attention.
Conclusion
AMAZING SPIDER-MAN: RENEW YOUR VOWS (2015) #1 was one of the most beloved alternate Spidey stories. Seeing Peter and Mary Jane in a happy marriage once again is enough to encourage fans to pick this one up!
Did you enjoy seeing Peter and Mary Jane as parents? Let us know in the comments below!
Electric Soup #14 cover
Credit: Electric Soup Press/John Brown Publishing
Frank Quitely is a recognisable name in the comic book community. He has a distinguishable style of highly detailed caricature. Over the year’s he has won a number of awards, including an Eisner Award for his work on We3. He has worked on The Authority, Batman and Robin, All Star Superman, and JFK: Justice? F**k Knows.
Read that list again as there’s one title that isn’t as well known.
JFK: Justice? F**k Knows was a two page parody strip published in the Scottish adult humour magazine Electric Soup. The Comic was Quitely’s slip road into the super fast highway of his career and those early parody strips are the foundation that he has built his style around.
The most popular, and regular, strip that he produced for the magazine was The Greens, itself a parody of another comic strip The Broons. However, the most interesting out of the 17 issue run, and the one that was a taster for the work he was to produce, was called Batnam Retorts. Published in 1992, it riffed off of Tim Burton’s second caped crusader movie and highlighted Quitley’s flair for humanising superheroes.
BATNAM RETORTS from Electric Soup #14 Credit: Electric Soup Press/John Brown Publishing
Scottish Broth
After being thrown out of the Glasgow School of Art, Quitely picked up a number of freelance illustration jobs, creating nightclub posters and drawing people’s pets. However, it was getting a regular strip in Electric Soup that started his comic career.
He wrote and illustrated one and two page cartoon stories that were often filled with cheesy gags and Glasgow humour. However, surrounded by more traditional humour magazine artwork and underground comic styles, Quitely’s work stands out. It has unique, thinly inked defining lines and an eloquent dynamism that flows from panel to panel.
In The Greens episode for issue 12, the children try to play a prank on their Granpaw that results in a slapstick journey across Glasgow for the unconscious old man. Quitely draws the sleeping figure in a number of uncomfortable positions as he is ricocheted from panel to panel. The flow of the story is fed by the exaggerated actions of the old man’s body and the corresponding motion lines. Across the two pages Quietly controls the reading direction and the pace of the narrative with obvious skill.
THE GREENS from Electric Soup #12 Credit: Electric Soup Press/John Brown Publishing
I’m Batnam
Quitley has said that it is his job to ‘make the illustrations provide a dynamic visual narrative’ and that is clear from his earliest work. In Batnam Retorts it isn’t a physical dynamism that Quitley aims for, although there is one panel that uses slapstick humour. The focus is on the contrast between the superhero characters and the civilian counterparts.
Forming the foundation of the overall joke for the strip, the interaction between the Tim Burton superhero archetype and, what can be considered as, real people is a theme that the artist takes with him throughout his career. He creates a visual contrast between the outlandish characters and the office dwelling police force. One row has an opening panel showing the bulky, black form of Batnam, gadget in hand and a grimace on his face (see below). This is juxtaposed with a panel of tired, coffee drinking men slouched at their desks. The backgrounds in both panels are bare but the contrast between Batnam and the Commissioner is clear.
Across the two pages of art this distinction between Supers and Ordinary is clearly displayed. The group of villains in their over the top outfits stand out against the street scene of everyday Glasgow folk.
BATNAM RETORTS from Electric Soup #14 Credit: Electric Soup Press/John Brown Publishing
All Star
If you compare this strip to some of his later works, such as All Star Superman, the contrast between the super and the ordinary is still there, just on a larger scale. Quitely imbues his version of Clark Kent with all the humble, bumbling nature that made Christopher Reeve’s performance so memorable in the 1978 movie. The journalist is a true everyman, as uncomfortable in his suit and tie as everybody else. He then becomes an almost unstoppable force when he changes into his superhero costume.
Some of the contrast is down to the coloring by Jamie Grant who uses browns and greys for the ‘ordinary’ world and bright, garish colors for the super elements. However, Quitely illustrates Superman in a way that instantly gives him a superior air. The flat, energy absent scenes of Clark Kent fade away next to the dynamic visuals of the Man of Steel. In the comic Superman is trying to reconcile his life, preparing for his impending death, and Quitely is using the visuals to demonstrate how difficult that is. There are two distinct sides to Superman and they are worlds apart.
All Star Superman #2 Art Credit: DC Comics
The Batman Link
One thing that stands out from the Batnam Retorts comic strip is Quitely’s understanding of the dynamic between Bruce and Alfred, the human element of the Superhero story. In the movie, Batman Returns, Burton portrays the relationship as an aging father and unruly, awkward son. Quitely clearly picks up on this and uses it, however in just three panels he is able to tell you everything you need to know about both characters.
In his future career, Quitely goes on to draw Batman and Robin for DC comics and the relationship he illustrates between Dick and Alfred is the same. On a page from issue 3 (below), there is an exchange between the two characters that is almost a retelling of one panel from Batnam. In it Alfred helps Dick get ready as Batman, handing him his costume and giving him a pep talk. The exact same situation is portrayed in panel 4 of Batnam Retorts.
The way that Aflred looks at Bruce is the same in both comics. Even the butler’s appearance is very similar with an oval, wrinkled face topped with very little hair. Dick is different, but that jokey snarl at the bottom of the page mirrors the concentrating, tongue out, face of Bruce from Electric Soup.
The space that Quitely has to tell the story is different for both strips however he creates the same pacing and invokes the same character narration.
Batman and Robin #3 Credit: DC Comics
Forever Forward
Frank Quitely has come a long way from his early days in Glasgow. Not physically, as he still lives and works there. And not technologically, as he still produces a lot of his work with ink on paper. However, his design work and page layouts have become almost as legendary as the characters he has drawn. With each new project Quitely pushes himself and his art to get the most out of a medium he clearly loves.
He recognises that comics are different from other mediums and uses different skill sets to tell a story. He also loves doing the unexpected, pushing the reader to accept more. Not only does he have control over his pencils and layouts, but he has complete control over the reading experience. This is something that is evident in the superb We3 but has been a part of his work from the very beginning.
The strips in Electric Soup may see like simple throw away gags but captured within them are the seeds of Frank Quitely’s greatness.
THE COMPLETE WITCHBLADE, VOL. 1, available from Image on September 2, 2020, the collection includes WITCHBLADE #1-19, THE DARKNESS #9 & 10, and TALES OF THE WITCHBLADE #1/2-3 from writers such as Warren Ellis, Brian Haberlin, David Wohl, Christina Z., and David Finch. The stories are original, the art is stellar, and the style is so 90’s you expect M.C. Hammer to make a cameo appearance wearing his signature parachute pants.
Writing
There’s a lengthy list of writers contributing to the volume, so we’ll focus on the creation. Witchblade, created by Marc Silvestri, David, Wohl, Brian Haberlin, and Michael Turner, is the story of an NYPD cop who bonds with an ancient weapon. The Witchblade’s origins are never clearly explained. It could be magic or alien or something else entirely. What the characters do discover is the Witchblade has been instrumental in many of the great conflicts throughout history, and it only bonds with women.
The Witchblade never explains why it chooses its host. Unlike Green Lantern and the rings of OA, there is no defining characteristic(s) that stand out. Sara Pezzini spends some time trying to figure out what the Witchblade wants from her, but the larger story arc is focused on high-level criminals that want to take the Witchblade for themselves. When competing gangs run into each other, gang wars break out, and Pezzini must fight to keep the peace.
The dialog between characters is fairly strong. Conversations felt authentic, and the writers succeeded in making sure every character had a distinctive voice. When you look at the collection as a whole, it’s easy to see how this could translate (with the right budget) into a film. Despite a few unresolved plot points, this is a comic story you’ve never seen before. High marks for pure originality.
Pencils/Inks
The volume spans a lengthy art team, including Marc Silvestri, Tony Daniel, Nathan Cabrera, David Finch, and Billy Tan. For this review, we’ll focus on the collective result.
First, the art on practically every page is spectacular. You could remove a single panel from any part of the volume, and it would stand on its own as a work of art. The artist’s lines are super-refined, giving a hyper-realistic level of precision to every character, object, and background.
When the action happens, it’s big, loud, and dynamic. The artists hit the mark with storytelling that moves. You never feel like the story drags, and every page has so much detail during fights, you could spend days trying to notice everything.
The time and detail it must have taken to draw the Witchblade armor is impressive. The armor is a cross between alien and demonic, with copious amounts of claw-like edges and appendages. Even on Pezzini’s slim frame, the armor is both impressive and imposing.
There’s one area in the art that may not work for you, depending on your taste. The artist’s really, really, really want Sara Pezzini to dress as skimpily as possible or be naked as much as possible, to the point of absurdity. When the Witchblade activates, it feels the need to shred almost every bit of Pezzini’s clothing. You could argue it’s very consistent with the style of the ’90s, but you could also see how this volume would be Exhibit A in the male gaze argument.
Coloring
The artists succeeded in an equally stellar job coloring this volume. When you consider the ultra-high level of detail, it must have taken a massive amount of effort to color within the lines. However, what stands out most is a small coloring choice in the super-criminal costumes. The artists combined deep red and gold in either the costume trim or an accessory. It’s not overt, but the subtle highlight of color gives the costumes a regal quality that makes the criminals seem more imposing.
Lettering
Even the action boxes and inner monologue boxes have exceptional detail in this volume. Rather than separating voices with different fonts or different box shapes, the letterers keep voices separate with distinct font and fill colors in each box. It’s a lot of work and color, but it pays off artistically. The Witchblade’s voice (Yes, it talks!) has a mood and tenor due to the color choices, and that gives every word emotional impact.
Conclusion
THE COMPLETE WITCHBLADE, VOL. 1, is a prime example of Image Comics at its creative height. The story is wholly original, and the art team’s output is awe-inspiring. If you’re not put off by the VERY 90’s aesthetic and salacious costume choices, this collection is worth your time.
Author’s Note: Local Comic Shops (LCS) are going through a tough time right now with the pandemic outbreak of COVID-19. Comics fans of every flavor that care about his or her LCS should try to do what they can. So, here’s my part:
If you’re in Northern Delaware, South East Pennsylvania, or Southern New Jersey area, please take a moment to visit Captain Blue Hen Comics in Newark, DE. Say ‘hi,’ pick up a book, order a book (they’re on Comichub.com), and let them know you support them.
If you’re nowhere near that area, please find YOUR LCS using Comic Shop Locator and lend your support.
Longtime Hulk fans may remember one unsolved mystery from the classic storyline Future Imperfect: What is the secret origin of the character called Maestro? Now, after 30 years, the answer is about to be revealed.
With the current Immortal Hulk series going strong, and with the character’s newfound popularity courtesy of the MCU, Marvel has chosen to return to Future Imperfect. Writer Peter David — recently seen in Marvel Comics #1000 — will team with artists Dale Keown and Germán Peralta to finally tell the untold story.
David says,
“I had no idea that when I first created the Maestro for Future Imperfect, that he would have the kind of popularity and staying power he has now. Until now, I’ve only been able to allude to his origins, so I was thrilled to have the opportunity to explore them in this series, and I can’t wait for fans to see all the artwork that’s been coming in!”
The official description is below, along with the main cover and variant cover by George Perez.
The Earth will tremble under his jade fist! Almost 30 years after the landmark story FUTURE IMPERFECT, legendary INCREDIBLE HULK scribe Peter David returns to the far-future version of the Hulk known as Maestro – the master of what remains of the world. With astounding art from HULK veteran Dale Keown and rising star Germán Peralta, MAESTRO will answer questions that have haunted Hulk fans for years – and inspire some new ones along the way.
You can head over to Marvel for the full press release. Maestro #1 crashes into comic stores this August.
“Management Sucks” continues to set up the season plotline that was established in the first episode.
Kenny has been killed and his death has been declared a suicide, despite Eve (Sandra Oh) and Carolyn (Fiona Shaw) knowing better. Both Carolyn and Kenny’s employer (Danny Sapani) attempt to bring Eve in to help investigate Kenny’s death and Carolyn has information that could entice Eve: the return of Villanelle (Jodie Comer).
Villanelle has returned to working for The Twelve and has been promoted to the role of Keeper. But the role has extra responsibilities and when she gets assigned to a job she has to mentor a young assassin.
The previous episode, “Slowly Slowly Catchy Monkey”, showed what happened to Eve, Villanelle, Carolyn, and Kenny after the events of Season Two. This episode’s job was to bring Eve back into the fold despite her protests. “Management Sucks” does this effectively with its trademark wit and drama.
The episode opens with Kenny’s funeral and Eve was in a depression, drinking her way through it and avoiding Carolyn. A powerful moment in the episode was when Carolyn tries to talk to Eve as she to leaves the funeral. That moment combined comedy and drama with a drunk Eve struggling to open a door and then snaps at a grieving mother. Kenny’s death being covered up as suicide was similar to what happened with Gemma and like Niko, Eve objects to this. Eve, Carolyn, and the website Bitter Pill were all fighting against their own intelligence services as well as a shadowy organization.
Villanelle’s half of the story was filled with dark humor. Villanelle had todo something that she has proven to not be good at: working with others. In the episode, she has to go on an assassination assignment with an apprentice and there were issues fans would expect. Villanelle interacting with kids is always hilarious. “Management Sucks” has some of the most memorable moments from the Season Three trailer like Villanelle doing an operatic roar whilst wearing a blue dress and Villanelle disguising herself as a clown. The end of the episode had a world-shattering revelation.
The first two episodes of Season Three mirrors the start of the previous two seasons. All of them had a murder or message that indicates that Villanelle was active and starts up the cat-and-mouse game between Villanelle and Eve. It’s a demented relationship.
The first two episodes of Killing Eve‘s does a fine job setting up the storylines, characters, and mystery with its unique style of humor. I am hooked, again.
DC Comics is dropping The Joker War news left and right this week, the latest is a first look preview of Nightwing #71 as the Countdown to The Joker War continues.
About the issue: “War for the Mind”
While Batman continues to battle The Designer and Gotham’s deadliest rogues for control of the city (Batman #92, “Their Dark Designs,” also on sale June 9), the Clown Prince of Crime pays a visit to Bludhaven for a little coffee and conversation with a still-amnesiac Ric Grayson.
If dealing with escaped super-villains isn’t enough for Ric to deal with, imagine being forced to have a chit-chat with the Harlequin of Hate! The Joker knows everything about who Ric really is, and is going to tell him, whether he wants to hear it or not! And that could mean big trouble for Nightwing, his girlfriend Bea and especially the Dark Knight!
“Oh, Ricky-Dicky Doo… I know more about you than you know about you.”
Nightwing #71 is written by Dan Jurgens, with art by Ronan Cliquet, Nick Filard, and Andworld Design. Cover by Travis Moore and Nick Filardi, with a variant cover by Alan Quah.
Nightwing #71 hits your local comic book store on Tuesday, June 9.
How excited are you for The Joker War? Comment below with your thoughts.
DC Comics Friday morning, dropped two new variant covers by Jorge Jiménez for the Joker War crossover hitting the Batman Universe this summer.
About Batman #96: Reeling from the effects of the worst Joker toxin attack ever, Batman is on the run through Gotham City, pursued by the dark shadows and voices that haunt his past and present! As The Joker’s plan materializes, the only person who can save Batman from the brink of true madness…is Harley Quinn?! Plus, who is the mysterious new figure known as Clownhunter?
The book is written by James Tynion IV, with art by Jorge Jiménez, the main cover by Guillem March, variant cover by Francesco Mattina, and a card stock variant cover by Jorge Jiménez. Batman #96 hits your local comic book shop on August 4.
About Batman #96: The Joker’s army is growing hour by hour, with weapons beyond anything the Clown Prince of Crime has ever used before. Batman must hold his mind together so he can strike the final blow and take back his city—but how can he heal the rifts he’s created in his life to get the help he needs? And while all this is happening, the villains of Gotham City are waiting out the carnage Joker has unleashed—and Catwoman assembles an army of her own!
The book is written by James Tynion IV, with art by Jorge Jiménez, the main cover by Guillem March, variant cover by Francesco Mattina, and a card stock variant cover by Jorge Jiménez. Batman #97 hits your local comic book shop on August 18.
Are you excited for Joker War? Comment below with your thoughts.
Marvel Comics announced Friday morning, Mark Waid and Neal Adams will join forces for Fantastic Four: Antithesis coming out in August, and from the cover, the Silver Surfer doesn’t look to be doing so well.
About the book: Who or what is the Antithesis, and will the combined might of the Fantastic Four, the Silver Surfer, and Galactus himself be enough to defeat it?
“Working with Neal Adams has been a dream of mine since I was a kid. To share the page with a man of his talent is an honor. The story begins with the Fantastic Four struggling to prevent an extinction event on Earth and just goes more cosmic from there. We all know of Galactus, but until now, no one has met his Antithesis,” said Waid via Marvel Comics.
Fantastic Four: Antithesis is written by Waid, with art by Adams, Mark Farmer drops the ink, and Laura Martin will handle colors.
Are you excited for this book? Comment below with your thoughts.
DC Comics Publisher and Chief Creative Officer, Jim Lee is on a mission to help struggling comic book retailers during the COVID-19 pandemic by drawing 60 sketches over 60 days, beginning in April and going to the end of May. The sketches have been auctioned off on eBay here, and after 37 sketches, Lee has raised more than $340,000.
The proceeds go to the Comicbook United Fund. The Book Industry Charitable Foundation (BINC) manages the relief fund to enable struggling stores to apply for no interest grants to help keep his or her businesses open and operating.
Today, Monkeys Fighting Robots will reveal sketch 38 of 60 below, BLACK MASK:
The hint of red and Batman in the background gives this sketch crazy good depth and detail. How much do you think it will auction off for? Comment below with your guess.
Lee has recruited some of his friends to contribute artwork as well; David Choe, Philip Tan, Marc Silvestri, Bill Sienkiewicz, Shane Davis, J. Scott Campbell, and Lee Weeks, to name a few.
You can check out all the artwork, as well as bid on any currently open auctions here.
DC Comics dropped a ton of information about Dark Nights: Death Metal Thursday morning. The biggest news, apparently, there’s a Dark Knight who is also a killer robot dinosaur, WTF?!
Other news – Dark Nights: Death Metal is now seven issues, and there will be a skip month planned for September. Two one-shots were also announced for August, Dark Nights: Death Metal Guidebook #1 and Dark Nights: Death Metal Legends of the Dark Knights #1.
About Dark Nights: Death Metal Legends of the Dark Knights #1:
In this collection of short tales where demons dwell and reality is overrun by monstrous versions of the Dark Knight, learn the terrifying secrets of the new Bats Out of Hell and other creatures of the night like Robin King, whose origin is unimaginable! Plus, read about the secret buried beneath Castle Bat, the sentient Batmobile, and…how did Batman turn into a killer robot dinosaur?
The book comes out on August 25. Tony S. Daniel designed the cover and this one-shot features stories from DC’s Dark Multiverse by Scott Snyder, James Tynion IV, Joshua Williamson, Peter J. Tomasi, Warren Ellis, Garth Ennis, Daniel Warren Johnson, Frank Tieri, Tony S. Daniel, Jim Cheung, Joëlle Jones, Riley Rossmo, and Francesco Francavilla.
About Dark Nights: Death Metal Guidebook #1:
The stories in this one-shot showcase the new factions of Earth and explore the mystery of what happened to the Justice League after their battle with Perpetua.
As Wonder Woman, Superman, Batman, and other heroes fight to survive in the strange new landscape of an Earth turned upside down and shrouded in a realm of darkness; one cloaked figure has been observing from the sidelines, creating a guidebook to this new world and its evil leaders. Find out how Wonder Woman became the queen of Hell! Discover how Batman finds the Black Lantern ring! And see what happens when Harley Quinn takes charge of the Wasteland, finding love in the process! All this and more in this jam-packed issue exploring the new world order.
The book comes out on August 18. Yasmine Putri designed the cover, and this one-shot includes stories by Scott Snyder, James Tynion IV, Joshua Williamson, Becky Cloonan, Vita Ayala, Chip Zdarsky, Christopher Priest, Doug Mahnke, Dan Panosian, Eduardo Risso, and Khary Randolph.
About Dark Nights: Death Metal:
This new series spins out of the events of Scott Snyder’s Justice League run and the Year of the Villain: Hell Arisen miniseries by James Tynion IV. The Earth has been consumed by Dark Multiverse energy, having been conquered by the Batman Who Laughs and his evil lieutenants, corrupted versions of Shazam, Donna Troy, Supergirl, Blue Beetle, Hawkman, and Commissioner Jim Gordon. Some heroes, like Wonder Woman and the Flash, have made compromises as they negotiate to keep humanity alive in this hell-born landscape. Others, like Batman, are part of an underground resistance looking to take back control of their world. Superman is imprisoned, cursed to literally power Earth’s sun for eternity.
But a mysterious figure provides Wonder Woman with vital information she might be able to use to rally Earth’s remaining heroes to resist the Batman Who Laughs. Can the Justice League break away from the Dark Multiverse and defeat Perpetua?
Dark Nights: Death Metal #1 hits your local comic book shop on June 16.
