DoctorFinger
11-30-2008, 11:36 AM
Welcome to Week Seven of the Official Colony of Gamers Comic Book Reviews
Remember, these are NOT spoiler-free reviews.
Colony of Gamer’s Weekly Comic Book Reviews – Year 1 – Week 7
Batman #681
Reviewed By: Michael "Doctor Finger" Chauvet
Publisher: DC Comics
Writer: Grant Morrison
Penciller: Tony Daniel
Inker: Sandu Florea
Colorist: Guy Major
Letterer: Jared K. Fletcher
Editor: Mike Marts
$3.99
http://colonyofgamers.com/images/comics/Batman-681.jpg
Batman RIP, Part 6 - Hearts of Darkness
What. The. Fuck?!?
Those three words are the best possible way to describe the conclusion to Batman RIP, Grant Morrison's trippy ode to the Caped Crusader.
The story begins where most other stories end, with Batman buried alive in a casket (while also locked in a straitjacket). Batman relives the aftermath of hisThogal, the month-long meditation he underwent in Nanda Parbat to create a back-up personality in case his mind ever comes under attack. You see that's Morrison's vision of Batman, he's not the strongest, or the fastest, and he doesn't shoot icylaser beams from his nose. Batman's superpower is preparation: the almost inhuman drive to be ready for any eventuality. That is the Batman you see here. He more or less power lifts his way out of the ground, ready to confront his tormentors: The Black Glove and it's leader, the mysterious Doctor Hurt. Who is Doctor Hurt? That's the million dollar question, isn't it? Clues and red herrings have been laid down since the first panel of the first page of Morrison's run, but even in this issue we don't really get firm confirmation of his identity, but it's clear he's The Devil. The Font of all Evil. Oh he claims to be Bruce's father, and Batman himself thinks he the actor Mangrove Pierce, the star of the film "The Black Glove" and a duplicate of both Bruce and his father. But his ultimate goal is the corruption of the Batman, and that type of Faustian deal is classic Deviltry. In the end it comes down to a confrontation inArkham between Batman and Doctor Hurt, with Robin, Nightwing , the Club of Heroes, Talia, Alfred, Damien and the Joker all playing a part. The Joker here is particularly fun, more a Greek Chorus than a character, he stands there and tells the Black Glove exactly how Batman is going to beat their asses. Which of course he does, with the help of his allies. Batman and Hurt fight on a chopper as he tries to escape, with Hurt threatening to defame the memories of his parents and family unless Batman agrees to serve him. Request refused, and the choppercrashes into the river in a ball of flame. All that's left is the cape and cowl, cursed by Hurt just before the crash. The book ends six months later, with the sequence we saw at the start of the story of a new Batman and Robin. We also learn the origin of the 'Zur en Arrh' phrase which played so prominently in this story (which was actually first used in a 60's era story, which formed the foundation of so much of this); it's a corruption of Thomas Wayne's last words before they're confronted in that alley by Joe Chill (now possibly an agent of the Devil) "Zorro inArkham", "Zur en Arrh".
A book like this is tough to review for one simple reason: it's impossible to separate the hype from the story. Had this been touted as just another important Batman story, I would have adored it. It had everything I like in a story, tension, drama, humor, character building, and a whole host of "oh Shit!' moments. But the hype machine branded it the most important Batman story of this generation, a story which will change. everything. you. know. And ultimately knowing that the story would end with Batman or Bruce Wayne dead, it lessened the impact of what is the most mundane of comic book tropes: presumed dead, but no body was found. It also doesn't help that the aftermath is frankly so far away. We'll be getting stories from PaulDini, Denny O'Neill and Neil Gaiman over the next few months but they're more tributes and reflections than moving forward. I should mention Tony Daniel here. He improved as RIP progressed, but he's still a better artist than storyteller at the moment. Some of the panels and pages were really unclear and borderline confusing. I'm not sure who should bear the blame in that case, Daniel or the man telling him what to draw, but for the most part I'd consider the art on this book and this story more of ahindrance than a help.
Bottom Line:
A story undermined by the overwhelming hype, but still a great Batman story.
CoG Says: "Love It!" (4 out of 5 Cogs)
http://www.colonyofgamers.com/images/CoG4.png
The Umbrella Academy: Dallas #1 (of 6)
Reviewed By: Michael "Doctor Finger" Chauvet
Publisher: Dark Horse Comics
Writer: Gerard Way
Artist: Gabriel Ba
Colorist: Dave Stewart
Letterer: Nate Piekos
Editor: Scott Allie
$2.99
http://colonyofgamers.com/images/comics/UAD-1.jpg
The Jungle
I have to admit: I didn't pick up the original Umbrella Academy series mostly because I thought it was a vanity project by a celebrity. Little did I know that this book, written by My Chemical Romance front-man Gerard Way, would be touted as the sleeper hit of the year. Gone was the perception of The Umbrella Academy as a vanity project by anEmo rocker, in was the realization that this is exactly the sort of indie book I'd love.
The Umbrella Academy is the name of both the team of heroes and the home they (used to) live in. According to the recap page, a renowned scientist adopted seven kids, and raised them to best use their powers. This man was brilliant, but cold and unloving. Of course the kids grow into screwed up young adults, some of which are pretty obvious parodies of theEmo subculture. In the wake of the last series, one of the seven is dead, one is depowered , one is crippled, and the rest have fractured apart. We get glimpses of all of the kids in their glory days, including a fight with the Lincoln Memorial which ended in a manner very familiar to fans of South Park, but mostly we see a bunch of unhappy people. Number 5 - perpetually a 10 year old physically, but mentally an unstable adult - loses all of his money at the track and is attacked outside by a whole squad of TEMPS agents. He kills them, in acacophony of blood and gore, but one agent manages to call for reinforcements. The names of the reinforcements - Hazel and Cha-Cha - horrifies the supremely confident Number 5.
Is this book as good as all of the critics say? Yes and No. Yes, it's very well written and paced, with engrossing action and super-science. The super-scientist as unloving father theme is familiar to fans of things like The Venture Bros, but taken a lot more seriously here. All of the kids are screwed up, but each in their own way. The fight with the possessed Lincoln Memorial was short, sweet and funny. Ba's art style has a little bit of MikeMignola in it, with the dark lines and weight to everything, sort of like his brother Fabio Moon (Casanova). Everything is kinetic and well defined, and he manages to make all of the faces expressive at the same time. The one flaw to me lies in it's recap. The recap page is a wall of text, but still seems a bit light on info. Because there are 6 team members to juggle, and a flashback, we get very little time with most of the team members; only a page or two for most. And I still don't know who the TEMPS are supposed to be (although I think that will likely be addressed in later issues). Ultimately it's more a minor gripe than a deal breaker.
Bottom Line:
A top notch indie book which is just a more extensive recap/backstory away from being great.
CoG Says: "Love It!" (4 out of 5 Cogs)
http://www.colonyofgamers.com/images/CoG4.png
Quick Hits
Wonder Woman #26 - Overall I've been a little disappointed in Gail Simone's Wonder Woman, but this story introducing the new villain Genocide has been the best of the bunch (although it could have used more talking albino gorillas).
X-Force #9 - A bloody good time, although you need a PhD in X-Minutiae to really get the whole package.
Transhuman #4 (of 4) - Moar Hickman plx!
Remember, these are NOT spoiler-free reviews.
Colony of Gamer’s Weekly Comic Book Reviews – Year 1 – Week 7
Batman #681
Reviewed By: Michael "Doctor Finger" Chauvet
Publisher: DC Comics
Writer: Grant Morrison
Penciller: Tony Daniel
Inker: Sandu Florea
Colorist: Guy Major
Letterer: Jared K. Fletcher
Editor: Mike Marts
$3.99
http://colonyofgamers.com/images/comics/Batman-681.jpg
Batman RIP, Part 6 - Hearts of Darkness
What. The. Fuck?!?
Those three words are the best possible way to describe the conclusion to Batman RIP, Grant Morrison's trippy ode to the Caped Crusader.
The story begins where most other stories end, with Batman buried alive in a casket (while also locked in a straitjacket). Batman relives the aftermath of hisThogal, the month-long meditation he underwent in Nanda Parbat to create a back-up personality in case his mind ever comes under attack. You see that's Morrison's vision of Batman, he's not the strongest, or the fastest, and he doesn't shoot icylaser beams from his nose. Batman's superpower is preparation: the almost inhuman drive to be ready for any eventuality. That is the Batman you see here. He more or less power lifts his way out of the ground, ready to confront his tormentors: The Black Glove and it's leader, the mysterious Doctor Hurt. Who is Doctor Hurt? That's the million dollar question, isn't it? Clues and red herrings have been laid down since the first panel of the first page of Morrison's run, but even in this issue we don't really get firm confirmation of his identity, but it's clear he's The Devil. The Font of all Evil. Oh he claims to be Bruce's father, and Batman himself thinks he the actor Mangrove Pierce, the star of the film "The Black Glove" and a duplicate of both Bruce and his father. But his ultimate goal is the corruption of the Batman, and that type of Faustian deal is classic Deviltry. In the end it comes down to a confrontation inArkham between Batman and Doctor Hurt, with Robin, Nightwing , the Club of Heroes, Talia, Alfred, Damien and the Joker all playing a part. The Joker here is particularly fun, more a Greek Chorus than a character, he stands there and tells the Black Glove exactly how Batman is going to beat their asses. Which of course he does, with the help of his allies. Batman and Hurt fight on a chopper as he tries to escape, with Hurt threatening to defame the memories of his parents and family unless Batman agrees to serve him. Request refused, and the choppercrashes into the river in a ball of flame. All that's left is the cape and cowl, cursed by Hurt just before the crash. The book ends six months later, with the sequence we saw at the start of the story of a new Batman and Robin. We also learn the origin of the 'Zur en Arrh' phrase which played so prominently in this story (which was actually first used in a 60's era story, which formed the foundation of so much of this); it's a corruption of Thomas Wayne's last words before they're confronted in that alley by Joe Chill (now possibly an agent of the Devil) "Zorro inArkham", "Zur en Arrh".
A book like this is tough to review for one simple reason: it's impossible to separate the hype from the story. Had this been touted as just another important Batman story, I would have adored it. It had everything I like in a story, tension, drama, humor, character building, and a whole host of "oh Shit!' moments. But the hype machine branded it the most important Batman story of this generation, a story which will change. everything. you. know. And ultimately knowing that the story would end with Batman or Bruce Wayne dead, it lessened the impact of what is the most mundane of comic book tropes: presumed dead, but no body was found. It also doesn't help that the aftermath is frankly so far away. We'll be getting stories from PaulDini, Denny O'Neill and Neil Gaiman over the next few months but they're more tributes and reflections than moving forward. I should mention Tony Daniel here. He improved as RIP progressed, but he's still a better artist than storyteller at the moment. Some of the panels and pages were really unclear and borderline confusing. I'm not sure who should bear the blame in that case, Daniel or the man telling him what to draw, but for the most part I'd consider the art on this book and this story more of ahindrance than a help.
Bottom Line:
A story undermined by the overwhelming hype, but still a great Batman story.
CoG Says: "Love It!" (4 out of 5 Cogs)
http://www.colonyofgamers.com/images/CoG4.png
The Umbrella Academy: Dallas #1 (of 6)
Reviewed By: Michael "Doctor Finger" Chauvet
Publisher: Dark Horse Comics
Writer: Gerard Way
Artist: Gabriel Ba
Colorist: Dave Stewart
Letterer: Nate Piekos
Editor: Scott Allie
$2.99
http://colonyofgamers.com/images/comics/UAD-1.jpg
The Jungle
I have to admit: I didn't pick up the original Umbrella Academy series mostly because I thought it was a vanity project by a celebrity. Little did I know that this book, written by My Chemical Romance front-man Gerard Way, would be touted as the sleeper hit of the year. Gone was the perception of The Umbrella Academy as a vanity project by anEmo rocker, in was the realization that this is exactly the sort of indie book I'd love.
The Umbrella Academy is the name of both the team of heroes and the home they (used to) live in. According to the recap page, a renowned scientist adopted seven kids, and raised them to best use their powers. This man was brilliant, but cold and unloving. Of course the kids grow into screwed up young adults, some of which are pretty obvious parodies of theEmo subculture. In the wake of the last series, one of the seven is dead, one is depowered , one is crippled, and the rest have fractured apart. We get glimpses of all of the kids in their glory days, including a fight with the Lincoln Memorial which ended in a manner very familiar to fans of South Park, but mostly we see a bunch of unhappy people. Number 5 - perpetually a 10 year old physically, but mentally an unstable adult - loses all of his money at the track and is attacked outside by a whole squad of TEMPS agents. He kills them, in acacophony of blood and gore, but one agent manages to call for reinforcements. The names of the reinforcements - Hazel and Cha-Cha - horrifies the supremely confident Number 5.
Is this book as good as all of the critics say? Yes and No. Yes, it's very well written and paced, with engrossing action and super-science. The super-scientist as unloving father theme is familiar to fans of things like The Venture Bros, but taken a lot more seriously here. All of the kids are screwed up, but each in their own way. The fight with the possessed Lincoln Memorial was short, sweet and funny. Ba's art style has a little bit of MikeMignola in it, with the dark lines and weight to everything, sort of like his brother Fabio Moon (Casanova). Everything is kinetic and well defined, and he manages to make all of the faces expressive at the same time. The one flaw to me lies in it's recap. The recap page is a wall of text, but still seems a bit light on info. Because there are 6 team members to juggle, and a flashback, we get very little time with most of the team members; only a page or two for most. And I still don't know who the TEMPS are supposed to be (although I think that will likely be addressed in later issues). Ultimately it's more a minor gripe than a deal breaker.
Bottom Line:
A top notch indie book which is just a more extensive recap/backstory away from being great.
CoG Says: "Love It!" (4 out of 5 Cogs)
http://www.colonyofgamers.com/images/CoG4.png
Quick Hits
Wonder Woman #26 - Overall I've been a little disappointed in Gail Simone's Wonder Woman, but this story introducing the new villain Genocide has been the best of the bunch (although it could have used more talking albino gorillas).
X-Force #9 - A bloody good time, although you need a PhD in X-Minutiae to really get the whole package.
Transhuman #4 (of 4) - Moar Hickman plx!