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REVIEW: ‘Batman’ #31

(DC Comics, 2014)

Written by Scott Snyder
Artwork by Greg Capullo
Color Artwork by FCO Plascencia
Lettering by Steve Wands

Scott Snyder has gone to great lengths to humanize Batman and in so doing he has created a flawed hero who rises above those flaws to become stronger; it is, in fact, those flaws that go on to define the hero. It could be said that Batman was born the moment Continue reading

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REVIEW: ‘Batman’ #30

(DC Comics, 2014)

Written by Scott Snyder
Pencils by Greg Capullo
Inks by Danny Miki
Color Artwork by FCO Plascencia

This issue begins the climactic chapter of the Zero Year story entitled “Savage City” with events that were first glimpsed in the opening pages of the epic arc. However now, when viewed in retrospect these images are so much more momentous, not just for the sheer weight of the events but for the calamitous consequences resulting from them that we have now seen unfold. Continue reading

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REVIEW: ‘Translucid’ #1 (of 6)

(BOOM! Studios, 2014)

Written by Claudio Sanchez and Chondra Echert
Art by Daniel Bayliss
Covers by Jeff Stokely and Ming Doyle

Which reality is the one that we believe?  Is it the one where super villains plot great and intuitive schemes against those nemeses that have plagued them for their entire lives?  Or is it the one where a boy draws on lined paper in his bedroom, imagining the things he wishes he could do and creating those very villains from everyday things? Continue reading

REVIEW: ‘Batman Eternal’ #1

(DC Comics, 2014)

Written by Scott Snyder, James Tynion IV
Ray Fawkes, John Layman, Tim Seeley
Artwork by Jason Fabok
Color Artwork by Brad Anderson

The new weekly series Batman Eternal boasts a stellar crew of writers headed up by Batman proper scribe Scott Snyder.  The rest of the team consists of some of DC’s most popular and prolific writers including James Tynion IV, Ray Fawkes, John Layman and Tim Seeley and these guys do not waste a single panel before getting the action started. Continue reading

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REVIEW: ‘American Vampire: Second Cycle’ #1

(Vertigo/DC Comics, 2014)

Written by Scott Snyder
Artwork by Rafael Albuquerque
Color Artwork by Dave McCaig
Lettering by Steve Wands

Skinner Sweet and Pearl Jones, the undead stars or Scott Snyder and Rafael Albuquerque’s epic horror story American Vampire, are back after an extended hiatus and having just read the first issue of the second cycle, I can tell you it is worth the wait. Continue reading

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REVIEW: ‘Moon Knight” #1

(Marvel Comics, 2014)

Written by Warren Ellis
Artwork by Declan Shalvey
Color Artwork by Jordie Bellaire
Lettering by Chris Eliopoulos

To me, Moon Knight has always been Marvel’s Batman, or at least the closest approximation to the Dark Knight they had to offer. In the hands of the right creative team, like for instance Bendis and Maleev, Moon Knight is definitely worthy of the comparison Continue reading

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‘The Weekly Bat-Signals’: Episode #24

Greetings once again fellow Gothamites and welcome to the meeting of Bat-Fans we like to call The Weekly Bat Signal, where we the faithful gather to get all the Gotham gossip and converse about our very own caped and cowled crime fighter, The Batman. From Hollywood to the local comic book shops, we uncover all the latest details on The Dark Knight and discuss them in depth here Continue reading

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REVIEW: ‘Sidekick’ #5

(Image Comics/Joe’s Comics, 2014)

Written by J. Michael Straczynski
Artwork by Tom Mandrake
Color Atwork by Hi-Fi
Lettering by Troy Peteri

The deconstruction of a super hero is not a new concept; it has been done to great acclaim by the likes of Alan Moore, Mark Waid and Grant Morrison to name a few of the stand-outs. Now, with his engrossing and intriguing series Sidekick hitting its stride, it seems we can add J. Michael Straczynski’s name to that list. Continue reading

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REVIEW: ‘Punisher’ #1

(Marvel Comics, 2014)

Written by Nathan Edmondson
Artwork by Mitch Gerads
Lettering by VC’s Cory Petit

Frank Castle has returned from many things that would keep lesser men dead; he’s been shot, stabbed, bombed, taken more shrapnel than most platoons, he’s been cut apart and put back together as “Frankencastle”.  He’s donned Captain America’s patriotic colors and he has even killed Continue reading

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REVIEW: ‘iHero’ #1

(Obscure Reference Comics, 2013)

Written by Luke J Halsall
Artwork by Graeme Kennedy
Lettering & Publshing by Gary Chudleigh

‘iHero’ has a premise I’m surprised I haven’t seen elsewhere.  The idea is simple: an amazing tool has been invented and released to the public - the iHero.  This device gives the user access to a large range of superpowers such as flight, teleportation, and super-speed, all of which we see right off the bat. Continue reading

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REVIEW: ‘Justice League 3000’ #2

(DC Comics, 2014)

Review by Shawn Warner

Written by Keith Giffen & J.M. DeMatteis
Artwork by Howard Porter
Color Artwork by Hi-Fi (Brian Miller)
Lettering by Sal Cipriano

The first issue of Justice League 3000 was conspicuously light on humor especially for a Keith Giffen and J.M. DeMatteis book. However it was still a really well written, exciting and entertaining first issue (you can read all about it in my review of issue #1) albeit a slight departure from their more comedic fare. Continue reading

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‘The Weekly Bat-Signals’ with Shawn Warner, Episode 21

Greetings on this auspicious anniversary of the first appearance of our revered Dark Knight Detective.  The year was 1939, the publication was Detective Comics volume one, number twenty-seven and the co-creators were the brilliant Bob Kane and Bill Finger. Little did these two mild mannered cartoonists know that they had touched eternity with their creation and in so doing they had given a gift to the ages Continue reading

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‘The Weekly Bat-Signals’, Episode 19: Year End Wrap-Up

Greetings fellow Gothamites and welcome to the final episode of The Weekly Bat-Signal for 2013. The city is abuzz getting ready to ring in the New Year Gotham style which means lots of garish pageantry and drunken disorderly conduct in the streets, from the lowest of Crime Alley miscreants to the stratosphere of Gotham’s high society the parties will rage on well into the first morning of 2014. Continue reading