Tag: Image Comics

Graphic Bits: A+X, Bedlam, Ghosts, Lot 13 and More!

Don’t have time for full reviews of comics? Then check out Graphic Bits: bite sized chunks of comic book goodness designed to get behind the panels and into your hearts.

This week (31 October 2012), it’s all about the spooks and scares with new comic book day falling on Halloween. New series and one-shots Bedlam (Image Comics), Ghosts (DC/Vertigo) and Lot 13 (DC Comics) bring the scares, while its annual time for Avenging Spider-man and Action Comics. Plus A + X (Marvel) brings the 616 equivalent of Brave and the Bold, Fatale (Image Comics) continues to explore 1970s Hollywood, Mark Millar kicks less ass in Hit-Girl (Icon Comics), Doctor Who (IDW) keeps going through time and space and Grant Morrison simply keeps us Happy.

A+X #1 – Marvel, Dan Slott, Jeph Loeb (writers), Ron Garney, Dale Keown (artists)

Despite Marvel’s “quirky” Q & A explanation at the start of this first issue, A + X is a pretty simple concept. Like DC’s Brave and the Bold or even Avenging Spider-man, it teams up two members of the Marvel Universe who unite over a specific task. The gimmick here is that it is building on the promo of Avengers Vs. X-Men, although it takes great pains to tell us that it’s not directly related. Here we get two short stories, the first is self-contained and by Dan Slott, seeing Captain America and Bucky make the anachronistic discovery of a X-Men slaying Sentinel in the Second World War. Their attempts to take it down are aided by the sudden appearance of the time-travelling Cable, and an unlikely partnership is born. It’s a lightweight but fun little story, and maybe a good indicator of where this series should be at. The second half pairs Hulk and, of course, Wolverine in a chapter by Jeph Loeb. It wouldn’t be a new series without Wolverine in it somewhere. In fact there are two, with old Hulk and Logan coming back from the future to destroy someone or something. It’s another fun coupling, and the running gags (Hulk likes cake) mask the twist ending that reveal a villain from the future. The ongoing enjoyment of this series is really going to depend on which characters get paired up, including next month’s wacky three-way of Iron Man, Kitty Pryde and Lockheed.

Bits Rating: ★★★½

Action Comics Annual #1 – DC Comics, Sholly Fisch, Max Landis (writers), Cully Hammer, Ryan Sook (artists)

With the news that Grant Morrison will be leaving the title shortly, this annual offers us not only a glimpse of what a Grantless Action Comics will look like but also at what some good old-fashioned Supermaning looks like. Actually, it’s two stories. The first, by Fisch, is called “Vulnerable” and is set sometime after the events of Action Comics #5. Clay Ramsay, who believes Superman was the cause of the loss of his wife and child, gets pimped out by a government program wishing to develop a failsafe for the potential “Superman problem”. It leads to a smackdown with a Kryptonite powered villain, and Luther advancing his knowledge of Supe’s weaknesses. Some of the best moments in the chapter are between Superman and Dr. John Henry “Steel” Irons, as they talk about what motivates them. The second half is “Anchiale”, a reference to the Greek goddess of heat and warmth. In a completely dialogue free story, screenwriter Landis and Sook tell the tale of an academic losing his mind through a physical transformation, and essentially acts as a super villain origin. The final page promises we will see more of this character in 2013, and from this brief introduction, it will certainly take the book to interesting places under the guidance of new writer Andy Diggle, who joins Action Comics with #18 in March. Sook’s art is also quite eye-catching, telling the story in a cinematic fashion, in keeping with Landis’s sensibilities. A solid example of what an annual should do: provide some one-off stories while teasing things to come in the monthly title.

Bits Rating: ★★★½

Avenging Spider-man Annual #1 – Marvel, Rob Williams (writer), Brad Walker (artist)

Avenging Spider-man spun out of Spider-man joining the Avengers, but this title is a firm reminder that Peter Parker is just an everyman with powers trying to make his way in the big city. Stricken with money woes, Parker attempts to make his way across the city without using his expensive web fluid, but meets with the ire of the New York public. As tensions mount, it becomes apparent something else is going on, as two bumbling crims stumble upon an alien device in Central Park that causes everybody around them to suddenly act on their aggressions. This leads to a series of circumstances that results in Spider-man coming face to face with Fantastic Four’s Thing, first fighting and finally kissing the big lug. Don’t ask. It’s a fun throwback to a simpler form of comic book storytelling, and that (as writer Williams reminds us in an editorial) “It’s not such a cynical world when Spider-man’s around”. The slightly-longer-than-usual story moves along at a brisk pace, and is genuinely laugh-out-loud funny at times, with Walker’s art keeping things energetic and vivid. His Thing, dealing with a group of kids who are more interested in his workman’s crack than whatever he is teaching, is a gentle giant and Spidey is once again the fragile “kid” burdened with great power and responsibility. In a year of goliath arcs and crossovers, this is just a nice one-shot for lovers of good character-driven superhero stories.

Bits Rating: ★★★★

Bedlam #1 – Image Comics, Nick Spencer (writer), Riley Rossmo (artist)

What if the Joker was real? That’s kind of where this solid series debut from Image begins. Madder Red is a masked villain that has been terrorising the city of Bedlam for years. With a bloodlust that would make Gotham’s clown prince proud, and thousands of notches on his belt, Madder Red has even developed something of a cult following in the town. Madder Red’s seeming swan song sees the death of hundreds, mostly children, before an explosion in the police station reportedly ends his life. A decade later, he seems to be back on the streets, ‘cured’ of what ails him, with flashbacks telling us how he got there. This is a long debut, taking 48 pages to get us to where we need to be for the ongoing saga, but we suspect this patience will pay off in later months. Riley Rossmo, who impressed recently on Harvest, is given a more subdued palette but also a chance to make it darker, as well as using two distinct styles between the flashback and modern settings. This is taking the concept of the Joker to its logical extreme, if DC could cut loose and really make the character the monster that mainstream comics sometimes falter with. However, the book also follows many of the same tropes as familiar serial killer dramas, and there is a chance that this could be more Dexter than Mr. J. We’ll definitely come back next month though.

Bits Rating: ★★★½

Doctor Who #2 – IDW, Andy Diggle (writer), Mark Buckingham (artist)

As we patiently wait for the Christmas Special next month, Diggle and Buckingham nicely fill the void in the concluding chapter to a classic adventure in time and space. Featuring the current version of The Doctor, accompanied by the recently departed Amy and Rory, the first part last month felt more like a classic serial from the 1970s. The second chapter continues this vibe, introducing a mysterious new foe for The Doctor, albeit one that seems to know him even if the Time Lord is yet to recognise his opponent. Perhaps the only niggle with Diggle is that the second issue wraps things up incredibly quickly, although this is hardly a problem isolated to this comic. The new series of Doctor Who does occasionally suffer from not having three or four serial episodes in which to tell a story, and this comic series could have taken advantage of that format a little more. However, this is counterbalanced by a frenetic pace, one that takes advantage of the 11th Doctor’s youthful energy. Buckingham’s art is gorgeous, and is almost photorealistic, completely capturing the likeness and essence of the three main characters. We look forward to seeing more of this series, although with Diggle off to more mainstream prospects in the near future (namely, the aforementioned Action Comics), we will see Witch Doctor‘s Brandon Seifert and Tank Girl‘s Philip Bond on the title next month. Geronimo!

Bits Rating: ★★★★

Fatale #9 – Image Comics, Ed Brubaker (writer), Sean Phillips (artist)

We’ve been maintaining that this is one of the best debuts of the year, and very little has happened to change that notion nine issues in. Still in 1970s Hollywood, Miles and Josephine continue to search for ‘Suzy Scream’, as Miles finds himself hopelessly enveloped in Josephine’s presence. Now four issues into this arc, Brubaker never feels as though he is treading water for a minute in this story’s penultimate issue. The combination of noir and Gothic horror has always been a great combination, and this issue in particular highlights the Brubaker/Phillips team’s mastery of both. They’ve also chosen not to use the ‘interlude’ sections featuring modern-day Nicolas Lash, an interesting organic development resulting from the book’s upgrade from limited series to ongoing no doubt. The tragic tale of Suzy opens the book, followed by some more hard-boiled investigating, before giving way to a relentlessly paced issue that spills more bood per square inch than most books on the market. Yet at the same time it is a restrained book, aimed at keeping the audience off-balance enough to effectively pull the rug out from under us at an inopportune moment. We are always several paces behind the main characters, which is an impressive feat given that Miles never quite feels as though he is sure what is going on. As Josephine promises to reveal more next issue, Fatale makes the month between issues an excruciating wait.

Bits Rating: ★★★★½

Ghosts #1 – DC/Vertigo, Various (writers/artists)

It’s great to see so many one-shot anthology books on the market at the moment, and Vertigo’s Halloween release of Ghosts was one of the more curious ones. There’s some top-flight talent here, and a few names to watch, yet as with most anthologies there’s also a bit of a grab-bag of quality. Thankfully, the good outweighs the forgettable in a series of stories that all dwell on ‘ghosts’, both literal and the emotional kind. There are nine stories in total, ranging from a piece about a man haunting himself (“The Night After I Took the Data Entry Job I Was Visited By My Own Ghost”) through to a tale of a demonic bowl of chili (“A Bowl of Red”). The latter, by Neil Kleid and John McCrea, is actually one of the more delightfully batty tales, an extreme pseudo-parody that sits right inside of Vertigo’s dark comedy lines. Gilbert Hernandez’s “The Dark Lady” is another standout, flipping the script on a simple tale of childhood fascination with a “dark lady”, beautifully illustrated in clean black and white lines. Some of the others border on Twilight Zone episodes (Geoff Johns and Jeff Lemire’s “Ghost For Hire”), but are nevertheless fun. Amy Reeder’s art is inspiring on the delicate “Wallflower”, a tender tearjerker by Cecil Castellucci. Less successful is Paul Pope’s “Treasure Lost”, a space-born tale of revenge and loss, which tries to cram too many of its fascinating concepts into a short space. Of course, Neil Gaiman’s The Dead Boy Detectives star in a story by Toby Litt with layouts by Mark Buckingham (Fables), and the various styles from dark to cartoony make this one of the book’s centrepieces. It will continue on in the next Vertigo anthology, whenever that may be. We just hope we don’t have to wait another year!

Bits Rating: ★★★½

Happy #2 (of 4) – Image Comics, Grant Morrison (writer), Derek Robertson (artist)

When Grant Morrison is firing on all cylinders, it is an insane potpourri of weirdness. The first issue of Happy did a “great job of building a tangibly sticky world before pulling the rug out from under us”, and the second issue keeps up the pace and increases the violence if possible. Narrowly escaping having “salami slices cut from his penis”, thanks in part to the small winged blue horse only he can see, Nick Sax cuts a bloody path out of the mob hospital before using Happy Horse to win a poker game. Even though we are not much closer to rescuing Hailey at this point, and indeed Nick shows little interest in the kidnapped girl, Morrison does a great job of setting up the rules of the imaginary friend and also introduces the ultimate villain of the piece. We get a sense of what kind of man Sax might be, and Robertson’s art continues to great the sticky, sickly world that he inhabits. Morrison works best in these shorter stories, and at the halfway mark, Happy continues to be one of the best mini-series of the year.

Bits Rating: ★★★★½

Hit-Girl #4 (of 5) – Icon Comics, Mark Millar (writer), John Romita Jr (artist)

By the penultimate chapter of Hit-Girl, Millar has once again begun to run into the same problems he had with Kick-Ass 2: the inability to sustain momentum over the course of a fairly straightforward tale. With Hit-Girl, the problems are compounded by knowing how this chapter of Mindy’s life is going to turn out, giving this issue in particular a sense of inevitability. While Millar and Romita Jr’s action sequences are still superb, something that they can never be criticised for, the repetition in bloodletting is getting quite tedious four issues in. Indeed, there is no real reason that this particular mini-series had to stretch out this long, and really should have been included in the original pages of Kick-Ass 2. Much of Mindy’s character development is missing here, with her once again playing a game of cat and mouse with her father. However, when trouble brews close to home, it is difficult to get too invested, as we know exactly where this ends up. We suspect this series will work best when read in conjunction with the two Kick-Ass series, and as fodder for flashback sequences in the upcoming film sequel.

Bits Rating: ★★★

Lot 13 #1 (of 5) – DC Comics, Steve Niles (writer), Glenn Fabry (artist)

The combination of horror veteran Steve Niles and artwork by Preacher cover artist Glenn Fabry are more than enough reasons to have a look at the first issue of a new mini-series from DC. It’s the sort of book that would normally debut in the Vertigo line, and the release of this ‘M-rated’ book in the main DC imprint is perhaps indicative of the main line starting to get a little experimental again after the first year of the Newish 52 has settled. The story begins in the New World in 1670, with the trial of an already dead family that have been victims of a murder-suicide, a crime under the laws of Louis XIV. Flash forward to the present day, as Ron and his family move house. Strange supernatural occurrences begin, including the appearance and disappearance of a bloody victim on the highway. Creepy, intriguing and filled with beautiful art, Lot 13 may not have the most original premise, but it is another one to watch from a month of creepy debuts.

Bits Rating: ★★★½

November 4, 2012
Graphic Bits: Wolverine MAX, Talon, A-Babies vs X-Babies, Ghostbusters, Madame X, Punisher War: Zone and More!

Don’t have time for full reviews of comics? Then check out Graphic Bits: bite sized chunks of comic book goodness designed to get behind the panels and into your hearts.

This week (24 October 2012), it’s baby versus baby in A-Babies Vs. X-Babies #1. Marvel MAX returns in Wolverine MAX #1, and the Punisher gets all blowy-uppy in Punisher War Zone #1. The epic saga Debris comes to a close, and DC’s Newish 52 – Wave 3 continues with Talon #1 and National Comics: Madame X #1. It’s almost Halloween, and IDW gives us a Ghostbusters 100 Page Spooktacular, and Dark Horse Presents #17 is another fine anthology installment.

Don’t forget to listen to Behind the Panels, our comic book podcast, as well.

A-Babies Vs. X-Babies #1 – Marvel, Skottie Young (Big Boy Words), Gurihiru (Pretty Pictures)

After the biggest event of Marvel’s year, what else to do but go smaller? In the quiet suburb of Marvellous Meadows, somewhere along Xavier Way, Baby Steve Rogers has lost his favourite Bucky Bear. In fact, it has been stolen by a Baby Scott Summers just across the road. So it’s on for young and very young as virtually every character gets shrunk down to chibi size for this mash-up parody of a series that was in dire need of some fun-making. Skottie Young has been known for his art on the Wizard of Oz series with Eric Shanower, or the plethora of variant covers seen lately. Stepping up to provide some “big boy words”, this is a darling little book that is of little consequence, but wonderfully charming nonetheless. Baby Hulk deserves his own series, if for no other reason than the line “Hulk like bear. Him keep bear forever”. We also never realised how much we needed to see Baby Galactus suckling on the moon. Japanese team Gurihiru provides the perfect art of this outing, guaranteed to spawn a line of bobble heads. Collect them all.

Bits Rating:  ★★★★

Batman Incorporated #4 – DC Comics, Grant Morrison (writer), Chris Burnham (artist)

Bizarre, confusing, and at times brilliant. All those things could equally apply to the majority of Grant Morrison’s work, but perfectly describe the fourth issue of this renumbered continuation of Morrison’s free-range approach to the Bat-world. Batman Incorporated puts on a united assault on Talia’s League of Assassins, and does a pretty tidy job of it. At least as far as we can tell, with some of the more trippy inclinations of the writer unable to be restrained. While Bat-Cow fails to make an appearance, everything else including the Bat-Sink* is thrown into the mix. It’s not that a change from thousands of pages of cowling and scowling isn’t welcome, and this is the preferred approach for those of us who dream of small blue pieces of cloth attacking us with pens. However, as strange as it may sound, some restraint might be in order to make a cohesive story rather than simply a series of “things”. To his credit, Burnham does a great job in keeping up with Morrison’s distinctive pace, and provides the single reason you need to keep picking up this title. We are glad this book exists, but sometimes its a tough love. The twist at the end of the book is sudden, hence being a “twist”, and gives us the hook for issue 5. Who knows if it will be linear, but we mostly hope not. Squirrel.

*metaphorically

Bits Rating:  ★★★½

Dark Horse Presents #17 – Dark Horse, Various (writers), Various (artists)

The award-winning anthology series, as the introduction by editor Mike Richardson points out, bucks the conventional wisdom that it’s all going digital. The beautiful 80-page volume is what comics were made for, exploring unseen worlds, introducing us to stories outside the mainstream and acting as a showcase for some of the best writers and artists in the business. This month’s curation has a few standouts, including the concluding chapters to John Layman’s Aliens: Inhuman Condition with stunning art by Sam Keith, and Tony Puryear’s Concrete Park. Phil Stanford’s Crime Does Not Pay Presents City of Roses is shaping up to be an intriguing noir, with Patric Reynolds gritty art oozing with urban menace. The standalone stories are quite good this month as well, including an adaptation (by Richard Corben) of Edgar Allen Poe’s The Sleeper. Gothic to its core, the only downside is its brevity. There’s also a nice little story from Michael Avon Oeming (The Sacrifice), and some stunning art on Colin Lorimer’s second chapter of UXB. We might be witnessing the future of comics, both in format and content, right here.

Bits Rating:  ★★★★

Debris #4 (of 4)  – Image Comics, Kurtis J. Weibe (writer), Riley Rossmo (artist)

Debris has been, without a doubt, one of the most impressive limited series to debut in 2012. So it is a shame that it comes to an end so abruptly in this concluding chapter. Having found the promised land of her search, Maya must convince the tribe she has discovered that they are not a threat so that her people and the other survivors can coexist in peace. Rossmo’s art has been building up to the epic finale, in which Maya fights something a little bigger than usual, and a refrain about the last bullet comes full circle. However, an unfortunate by-product of this short series is that it all wraps up too quickly. The last stand could have really taken up most of this issue, with an additional chapter to flesh out the aftermath of the event and the fascinating narrative that would follow. Perhaps Weibe has that planned for another book, and regardless, Debris comes to a mostly satisfying conclusion here. From the beginning, we have long maintained that this the 21st century equivalent of the classic Hayao Miyazaki manga/film Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, and this final issue definitely delivers on that promise. Taking the four issues together, Debris is still one of the strongest and most original mini-series we’ve seen in a while. What will be especially good will be the inevitable trade collection, where all of this saga can be read in its cinematic whole. The lack of a prolonged ending should be a minor quibble, and perhaps it is simply that we didn’t want this series to end so soon. The only thing to do now is go back to the beginning and soak it all up again.

Bits Rating:  ★★★½

Ghostbusters 100 Page Spooktacular #1 – IDW, Various (writers), Various (artists)

A great anthology to get people like us into this ongoing Ghostbusters series, even if the collection leaves a little bit to be desired. Having never read any of the previous Ghostbusters books, despite being a huge fan of the original films, what is surprising is the range and high quality of the stories and artwork. The opening shots (Ghostbusters: The Other Side #1 and Ghostbusters: Displaced Aggression #1) showcase more traditional art from Tom Nguyen and Ilias Kyriazis, while the work from Kyle Hotz on Ghostbusters: Infestation #1 has a horrifying and creepy nature that wouldn’t look out of place in Animal Man or Swamp Thing. The only real problem is that these are all sample-sized pieces, issue #1s of longer pieces that were once sold separately. They are all quite good, covering everything from gangster hits, to time travel and zombie attack. However, just as they get going, the story abruptly ends, leaving us hungry for more. Thankfully, there is an advertisement (only one of three, and all contained to the back pages) for an omnibus containing the lot. The most satisfying stories are the two shorts “What in Samhain Just Happened?!” (by Peter and Kathleen David) and “Guess What’s Coming to Dinner” (by James Eatock). Both are drawn by Dan Schoening, and feature a more cartoony look that suits the flippant nature of the stories (one of them features a possessed turkey). At $7.99, there’s a lot of value here for a 100 ad-free pages in a nice cover, but only if you don’t have the first three issues. For newbies like us, we know who we’re gonna call for future Ghostbusters issues.

Bits Rating:  ★★★

National Comics: Madame X #1 – DC Comics, Rob Williams (writer), Trevor Hairsine (artist)

Having recently divorced from Professor X…scratch that. Madame Xanadu has appeared in the pages of Justice League Dark and Demon Knights, two books we confess that it’s just been too easy to overlook. With this one-shot, the last of its kind in the Newish 52’s Third Wave, Rob Williams rebrands her as Madame X in a scenario that is pretty much TV’s Medium by way of DC/Vertigo’s Dominique Laveau: Voodoo Child. It’s been a bit of a theme for DC over the last year or so, with “The Dark” section of the Newish 52 doing reasonably well for itself, even without any real headline grabbers (Animal Man/Swamp Thing sagas notwithstanding). Here former celebrity psychic Nima (aka Madame X) can read the future with her tarot cards, and is occasionally hired by a law firm to assist on cases. Brought in to solve the seemingly voodoo related murder of one of the prominent citizens of New Orleans, her powers are put to the test when she reveals there is more than meets the eye. Trevor Hairsine’s art gives the book an appropriate look, and while his vision of New Orleans doesn’t seem radically different to previous ones, it also feels authentic. Williams gives us enough to set up this world in this introductory chapter, and we’d love to see more. We don’t know if any of these National Comics one-shots will spawn series, but this is one character than seems fleshed out enough to justify it.

Bits Rating:  ★★★★

Punisher: War Zone #1 (of 5) – Marvel, Greg Rucka (writer), Carmine Di Giandomenico (pencils), Matt Hollingsworth (colour art)

Let’s do the time warp again! Having Deadpool kill the Marvel Universe took us back to when the Punisher did it years ago, and this feels like it is taking Garth Ennis’s splatterfest and flipping it on its dark head. Here The Avengers, and specifically Spider-man, decide that Frank Castle is really a problem that needs to be stopped. One of the most intriguing aspects of this story is the initial reluctance of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes to get involved with a petty thug, mirroring some of the great arguments back in 1968’s Justice League of America Vol. 1 #66’s rift between the super powered people and those just wearing spandex. In fact, a few of the Avengers just come off as dicks at the mid-point of this introductory issue, making the cover’s promise of their imminent demise all the sweeter. Tony Stark, for example, is a bit of a douche. However, if you are yet to read Rucka’s The Punisher, you are a fool, but this is also the perfect finale to his world. A brief intro contextualises this event within that run, and then we’re off and racing. Di Giandomenico’s art doesn’t always suit the darker edge to the story, but Hollingsworth’s colours give this a consistency throughout. Even though this is another superhero smack-down, coming so soon after another major event, we’re in for the long haul. We expect to see some bloodshed, and there will be tears before bedtime.

Bits Rating: ★★★★

Talon #1 – DC Comics, James Tynion IV and Scott Snyder (writers), Guillem March (artist)

Last month’s Talon #0 stood out as “easily one of the best new titles from the whole New 52 and a great example of how to spin-off a series from a hugely popular title”. Tynion and Snyder literally plunge back into Gotham, a place that former Talon Calvin Rose has every reason to avoid. Yet in the aftermath of the Court of Owls, he believed that it was safe to go back: he was wrong. Now with the help of Sebastian Clark, someone who effectively have an Owl Cave somewhere under Gotham, they are out to take down what’s left of a very angry Court. As with the “pilot issue”, the art and pacing are all impeccable, with Calvin one of the most interesting characters to spin out of the pages of Batman in a long time. There is some danger that this could be simply replicating what has come before, replacing Batman with Talon as a convenient proxy, but for the moment this is one of the most intriguing new titles since DC’s reboot.

Bits Rating:  ★★★★½

Wolverine MAX #1 – Marvel MAX, Jason Starr (writer), Roland Boschi and Connor Willumsen (artist)

Once the playground of Punisher and outstanding original series like Alias, rumours of the death of Marvel’s mature MAX line were apparently greatly exaggerated. The overexposed Wolverine is actually a great way to revive this line, fans needing to satiate their bloodlust on something more than outings with Doop and various members of The Avengers. Set somewhere outside the mainstream Marvel 616 universe, Logan is journeying West to find himself but crash lands in Japan. Unaware of who he is, all he knows is that he has claws for hands and his severed legs grew back. Boschi and Willumsen’s art is at times beautiful, especially during the flashback sequences that use a rougher look than the other pages. Jason Starr wastes no time in throwing in a few mandatory “fucks” in Logan’s thought bubbles, the MAX equivalent of a HBO sex scene, but his direction seems to have more substance than that. While it is difficult to find a new direction for Wolverine these days, perhaps this new series will allow Marvel the flexibility to tell some new stories without outraging continuity police.

Bits Rating:  ★★★½

October 26, 2012
NYCC: Wrap Up and Highlights

While we sadly couldn’t make the New York Comic Con this year, being all the way on the other side of the world, it certainly didn’t stop us from enjoying the amazing amount of news that came out of the event. NYCC distinguished itself from its big brother San Diego Comic Con by actually focusing on news about comic book releases, the west coast festival having become notorious distracted by film events, gaming and spectacle. There were a few TV announcements and film reels played, but here is some of the stuff that caught our attention over the last few days. Who said there were no surprises left to be had in the comics world?

Joss Whedon confirmed that his S.H.I.E.L.D TV series, spinning out of the events of The Avengers and the Marvel Cinematic Universe, will see the return of Agent Phil Coulson (Clark Gregg). Via video, Whedon and Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige addressed the crowd. “There was never going to be a ‘S.H.I.E.L.D.’ show without Agent Phil Coulson!” said Feige, who apparently appeared behind Whedon in the video, wearing a “COULSON LIVES” shirt. “He’s headlining the S.H.I.E.L.D. show and always was.” said Whedon.

Marvel thrilled fans of their cosmic universe series of comics by announcing that a Guardians of the Galaxy book will re-launch in February 2013 from Brian Michael Bendis and Civil War artist Steve McNiven, alongside a Nova series by Marvel Head of Television Jeph Loeb and Ed McGuinness. Not sold yet? Iron Man also joins the Guardians. ‘Nuff said. Full details here.

Another massive title with writers from the world of film and television seems to be David S. Goyer‘s (Batman Begins) return to comics, collaborating with Geoff Johns. Goyer commented to CBR: “I have plans to do something with Geoff Johns that’s been on the drawing books for a while. Basically, [we’re] just looking for the time to plot it out. DC is holding the space for it, it’s an event that we’re going to do, it’s a 13-issue thing. Hopefully, we’ll start plotting it out this fall.”

Andy Diggle (Green Arrow: Year One, Rat Catcher) and artist Tony Daniel (Detective Comics) will take over from Grant Morrison and Rags Morales from Action Comics #18. This will please fans who have been worried about Morrison’s inconsistencies, timeline jumping and insane amount of alien storylines that have graced the flagship book’s pages.

Speaking of Superman, the powerhouse team of writer Scott Snyder (Batman, American Vampire) and artist Jim Lee will launch a new Supes book in 2013. Given that Snyder has given us one of the greatest arc in comic book history in the Court of Owls this year, we’re excited to see what he can do with another iconic character. It’s rumoured to be called Superman: Man of Steel, which makes sense given a film of the same name is due out next year.

Still on Snyder, he won’t be giving up his awesome Vertigo stylings either with The Wake alongside Punk Rock Jesus maestro Sean Murphy. Snyder told CBR that it’s “a blend of science fiction and horror on an epic scale. It has a post-apocalyptic element too, which I’m also really excited about”. It’s also underwater.

Another Vertigo title due out is the intriguing Trillium. It’s a new 10-issue limited series that’s partially set 1,784 years in the future in 3797, and also set 92 years in the past in 1921. This one will be written and illustrated by Jeff Lemire, who is currently doing epic things on Animal Man.

Justice League of America is coming to DC. Another Justice League book, you say? It’s the powerhouse and incredibly busy teams of Geoff Johns and David Finch. The team will consist of Green Arrow, Katana, Martian Manhunter, Baz the Green Lantern, Stargirl, Vibe, Hawkman and Catwoman. This all comes to a head from the decline of Justice League International, with the above team presumably being a more government focused group. Unlike the previous efforts, we have a few heavy-hitters on this team, no least of which is Martian Manhunter and the new Green Lantern. Plus, Green Arrow is on the team, instantly making this the great group ever. We will fight anybody who questions this.

Image will continue its amazing run in 2012 with a new series called Snapshot by the all-star team of Andy Diggle and Jock, where a comic book fan accidentally picks up a hitman’s phone. There’s stack more sci-fi, a genre Image has owned in the last year, with Lost Vegas by Jim McCann and Janet K. Lee, and the one we love the sound of the most, East of West, by Jonathan Hickman and Nick Dragotta, western where the four horsemen of the Apocalypse decide to hunt down and kill the President of the United States. Could this possibly sound more brilliant? Hickman has also promised an original graphic novel called Feel Better Now, about some psychiatrists who start messing with their patients for fun. There’s also Sex Criminals by Matt Fraction and Chip Zdarsky. Believe.

Finally, Kevin Smith promises a return to the old-school DCU with all but two issues of Batman: The Widening Gyre Part 2 penned. Promised for late 2013, the cliffhanger at the end of the first six issues is too much for us to bear the weight. Can we get a hint now?

October 15, 2012
Graphic Bits: Batman #13, AvX Consequences, Uncanny Avengers, Point of Impact, Halloween Eve and More!

Don’t have time for full reviews of comics? Then check out Graphic Bits: bite sized chunks of comic book goodness designed to get behind the panels and into your hearts.

This week (10 October 2012), Batman #13 begins a new saga with the Joker, we get not one but two immediate spin-offs from Avengers Vs. X-Men as Marvel NOW! launches with AvX: Consequences #1 and the highly publicised Uncanny Avengers #1. Image tricks and treats us early with the oversized holiday one-shot Halloween Eve, and robots versus vampires in Transfusion! Plus a bunch of other titles that have grabbed our attention this week.

Don’t forget to listen to Behind the Panels, our weekly comic book podcast, as well.

AvX: Consequences #1 (of 5) – Marvel, Kieron Gillen (writer), Tom Raney (artist)

If you are going to take on the Phoenix Force and blow up cities, there will be consequences. This series is something of an anomaly, being a direct continuation of the events of Avengers Vs. X-Men, but also serving as a supplement to this week’s Uncanny Avengers (see below). It’s a solid opening, and it touches on those elements you’d actually want to see: Wakanda’s devastation and newfound hatred of mutants, Cyclops becoming “just another prisoner” thanks to a new mutant control technique, Hope finding meaning in her life, especially good scenes between Captain America and Wolverine working things out and the hunt for the remaining mutant fugitives. It also sets up the broader implications of a sudden resurgence in the mutant population. Should be a great mini-series, but it could have also served as a backup story in the pages Uncanny Avengers.

Bits Rating:  ★★★½

Batman #13 – DC Comics, Scott Snyder and James Tynion IV (writers), Greg Capullo (artist)

Snyder and Tynion already have our vote for the best crossover event of the year, and this is one of the few instances where we welcome another crossover almost immediately following. After a brief and excellent character piece in #12 (See: review), and the origins of #0 notwithstanding, the dynamic writing duo bring us into the next big Bat-event of 2012 with the return of The Joker. The wider arc, which will mostly run through the #14s and #15s of the Batman titles, is called “Death of the Family”, and the implication is that it will be taken up a notch from the infamous Batman: A Death in the Family arc of 1988-1989. With the Joker absent from the Newish 52 since the debut of Detective Comics #1 in September last year, the body count could definitely pile up with an even more sinister Joker making an appearance here. Some of the best moments come in the conversations between Batman and Jim Gordon, both admitting to an unshakable fear that they can’t allow their comrades to see. Weaving in elements see in Suicide Squad‘s Harley Quinn, Capullo’s art continues to be one of the book’s other strong points, here conveying the bloody mayhem of Joker without actually showing him very much. A good thing too, as he seems to be running around with his face strapped on with a belt. If you could judge a book by its cover, then the latest issue is the best book ever if the gatefold Joker mask cover is anything to go by. Pick this up just because it reeks of cool.

Bits Rating:  ★★★★½ – PICK OF THE WEEK

Halloween Eve #1 – Image Comics, Brandon Montclare (writer), Amy Reeder (artist)

We really should have more comics like this one. Just a simple one-shot that tells an equally simple tale of finding oneself on the eve of All Hallow’s while working in a costume shop. Image Comics have proven all year that they are willing to take a chance on new properties and concepts, be it through mini-series or great successes in Saga and Fatale. Riding on the cache of and Batwoman, Reeder’s art and Kickstarter campaign may have got this book off the ground, but it’s the kind of evergreen story that tends to find its way into comic stores seasonally. Monclare’s (Fear Itself: Fearsome Four) lightweight The Wizard of Oz inspired story is a delight, with the feisty character of Eve a bit of echidna: prickly on the outside, but adorable once you get to know her. Her magical transformation border on rom-com territory, but it’s a welcome reprieve from capes and sagas, especially for those who don’t feel as though they’re ready to submit to Archie just yet. At the $3.99 (US) price point, it’s a really high-quality glossy 36+ page affair that comes complete with sketches and other commentary. Worth a look.

Bits Rating:  ★★★½

The Phantom Stranger #1 – DC Comics, Dan Didio (writer), Brent Anderson (artist)

Last month, DC dropped The Phantom Stranger #0 alongside several other titles that effectively form the Third Wave of the New 52 in just over 12 months. After the contrived origin story in the zero issue, following on from his Judas Iscariot introduction in the New 52 FCBD book, Didio gets stuck into the meat of his recipe this time out, and it is far more satisfying. One of the central issues that Didio will have to face over the coming months is the fact that the titular Stranger is a bit of a dick. He’s cold and emotionless, dragging the runaway daughter of the demon Trigon back to his waiting arms because it’s supposed to be good for her. Yet Didio also shows early promise by using this preconception to his advantage, and pulling the rug out from under us in the final pages with a shocking reveal. The character is a hard sell, certainly due to the heavy religious connotations of The Voice and the instructions from above, but the promise of more information about Pandora (the mysterious woman in red) might mean that this is one of those books we just have to read to find out what is behind this whole Newish 52 shockwave. Anderson’s artwork is bang-on too, distinguishing itself with its atmospheric realism. We’ll check back next month, which we guess is the ultimate test.

Bits Rating:  ★★★

Point of Impact #1 (of 4) – Image Comics, Jay Faerber (writer), Koray Kuranel (artist)

Jay Faerber has been in the comics industry since the late 1990s, working with at least every major publisher along the way, and with this Image Comics mini-series he aims to make a name for himself in the crime world. Reminiscent of the early work of Brian Michael Bendis, a style that has seen a resurgence in books like Andy Diggle’s Rat Catcher, it’s a beautiful black and white saga that also happens to be a very twisty mystery. It begins with the apparent suicide of a woman, but it soon looks like murder. Faerber then follows the three interconnecting lives of people who have been immediately impacted by her death: her husband, an investigative reporter; her lover, an ex-soldier; and her friend, a homicide detective. In this first issue alone, each of them have uncovered some major events, and we suspect it isn’t over yet. With three issues to go, how will this ever wrap up in time? Kuranel’s stark art is perfect for the story, something that Faerber lets shine with a minimal intrusion from speech bubbles or dialogue boxes.

Bits Rating:  ★★★★

Transfusion #1 – IDW, Steve Niles (writer), Menton3 (artist)

Vampires versus robots. They’ve finally done it. Found the one of the few places vampires had yet to travel and exploited it. The nice thing is that it’s actually pretty good. Coming from Steve Niles (30 Days of Night), it is a relentlessly bleak vision of a future where robots that run on human blood have taken over, and so do the vampires that run amok. There are no frills to this story, and for the moment, it seems like it will be a straightforward survival story. What distinguishes the book is the artwork from menton3, a minimalist and nightmarish vision of the future that finds a depth of colour within its greys, browns, blacks and naturally, some splashes of red. It’s a chilling spectacle to behold, and once again there is a solid foundation being built here. There isn’t quite the depth of world-building that we would like to see at this early stage, but this looks like one that will reward patience. We’ll get back to you this time next month.

Bits Rating:  ★★★

Uncanny Avengers #1 – Marvel, Rick Remender (writer), John Cassaday (artist)

The massive flagship of the Marvel NOW! campaign, launching the latest era of Avengers and X-Men goodness. Perhaps the whole campaign was an excuse to put Wolverine in another book, but this is as strong an opening as Justice League was for the Newish 52. As we’ve said, it’s a companion to AvX: Consequences, but it’s more about team-building. Following the funeral of Charles Xavier (how many is that now?), Captain American attempts to recruit Alex Summers into The Avengers, while Rogue and Wanda have a catfight for much of the rest of the issue. This all leads to a pretty major villain reveal in the final page. It’s a terrific start, and exactly the sort of book that Marvel needs to sell this renumbering/re-evolution as something more than a marketing gimmick. The A-List team of Remender and Cassaday bring their A-game here, instantly making this a must-read for the foreseeable future. There are several variant covers for this too, and our hands-down favourite is Skottie Young‘s ‘Baby’ cover. She’s the queen of Marvel kawaii.

Bits Rating:  ★★★★

October 12, 2012
Graphic Bits: AvX, Daredevil End of Days, Doctor Who, Non-Humans, Minimum Carnage and More!

Don’t have time for full reviews of comics? Then check out Graphic Bits: bite sized chunks of comic book goodness designed to get behind the panels and into your hearts.

This week (3 October 2012), a saga comes to a close in Avengers Vs. X-Men #12, but not before opening the door to another one. Marvel kills off Daredevil in Daredevil: End of Days #1, and DC should probably do the same in Green Arrow #13. Amy and Rory live again in Doctor Who #1 from Andy Diggle, Image brings our toys to life in Non-Humans #1 and Minimum Carnage: Alpha #1 recreates the ’90s!

Don’t forget to listen to Behind the Panels, our comic book podcast, as well.

Avengers Vs. X-Men #12 – Marvel, Jason Aaron (script), Adam Kubert (pencils)

So at last it comes to an end, and like Avengers: X-Sanction before it, this was simply a setup for the Uncanny Avengers relaunch and another series in Avengers vs X-Men: Consequences. As was destined from the beginning, this comes down to a big fight between Dark Cyclops and the combined forces of the X-Men and the Avengers. So Avengers/X-Men versus X-Man really. Out of nowhere, the deus ex machina of a Wanda/Hope team-up becomes their only chance for success. Really? Much of it has been dropped in hints before, and Hope finally becoming Phoenix has been signalled for the last year really. Yet the fact that the Phoenix is taken down in a half an issue, when it took the sacrifice of Jean Grey last time around, is a bit of a let down in the grand scheme of things. It’s been a long series of highs and lows, and realistically could have been half as long. That’s not to say it doesn’t have some amazing action moments, including the sudden appearance of the new Nova for a brief save. Even this is forced, as if someone remembered that he turned up in Issue #1, but was subsequently forgotten. What is ultimately disappointing is that this is the kind of stunt event that really only sets up the Marvel NOW! reboot/relaunching/re-evolution/refresh/redux, with the consequences being a group of mutants on the ‘most wanted list’, even though that were seemingly captured or actually aided them in the final fight. It dismisses the power of the Phoenix Force as just another monster of the week, and that undermines all the hard work of writers gone by. Indeed, the last few pages are all about plugging future titles, Wanda even commenting to Hawkeye that Cap’s new Avengers team is “something a bit more…uncanny”. As a single issue, it’s a great grudge-match, but it leaves far too many loose ends to satisfactorily wrap up the series.

Bits Rating: ★★½

Daredevil: End of Days #1 – Marvel, Brian Michael Bendis, David Mack (writers), Klaus Janson, Bill Sienkiewicz (artists)

Daredevil is dead. At least, that’s where a dream team of past DD creators begin their tale. In the tradition of The Dark Knight Returns, and of course Marvel’s own series of ‘The End’ books, Brian Michael Bendis and David Mack start with the final fight between Matt Murdoch and one of his greatest adversaries, Bullseye, and go backwards from there, taking reporter Ben Urich on a journey through Daredevil’s past, present and future. It’s a dark tale, not just because of its subject matter, but because this takes us into aspects of Murdoch’s personality that he’s often flirted with, but resisted until now. Urich’s innermost thoughts are shown in typeface thought boxes, but Bendis and Mack are careful to spell out that this is not his story, but Murdoch’s. Veteran artists Klaus Janson and Bill Sienkiewicz fill the pages with gritty realism, catching us off-guard with unconventional pages in the midst of an amazing run. Witness a spread of 32 individual panels highlighted by Hawkeye‘s colourist Matt Hollingsworth, or classic Sienkiewicz in the first wide panel of the Kingpin. This isn’t elseworlds, it’s an in continuity canonical tale of Daredevil’s last days. It’s also a frightening vision, but impossible to look away from. We can’t wait to see how it all comes together.

Bits Rating: ★★★★½ – PICK OF THE WEEK

Doctor Who #1 – IDW, Andy Diggle (writer), Mark Buckingham, Charlie Kirchoff (artists)

Amy Pond and Rory may have left the TV series with The Angels Take Manhattan, but they live on in more adventures from IDW. Andy Diggle, who has impressed us with Green Arrow: Year One and Rat Catcher, returns to his British roots with the debut issue of this new series of adventures inspired by the Eleventh Doctor (played on the box by Matt Smith). Diggle, as head writer of this “third volume” of comics, completely captures the vibe of the show, and it does feel like you are watching a weekly episode. Yet while the shop-front is the 2012 series, structurally it bears more of a resemblance to a classic 1970s serial format. The two-part “Hypothetical Gentlemen” posits itself in 1851, where a pair of charlatan mystics actually have access to a world beyond their own. Combining classic Victorian horror with the pace of the current series, the book is beautifully illustrated by Buckingham with a wonderfully watercoloured finish from Kirchoff. Fans can miss Amy and Rory no more as this rollicking adventure kicks off in style. If you somehow miss out on picking this up, ensure you find a TARDIS to go back and order it in time. We’re going forward to check out the next chapter!

Bits Rating: ★★★★

Green Arrow #13 – DC Comics, Ann Noncenti (writer), Freddie Williams II (pencils)

Oh, Green Arrow. Wherefore art thou, Green Arrow? Not to sound like a broken record, but the rebooted Oliver Queen is a book without a compass. In a month when DC (via the CW) is launching the new live-action Arrow TV series ostensibly based on the book, the comics division has Ollie fighting undead grandparents in China. Frustratingly, this comes off the glimmer of hope from the first issue of this arc. Noncenti doesn’t have the follow-through of her own ideas, collapsing in a whole slew of new elements in this conclusion to the Chinese arc. The introduction of Suzie Ming is a worthy partnership, and with any luck we’ll see her return in future issues. The artwork is also marked improvement over the odd look of Harvey Talibao, and at least that is a winning factor in this otherwise uneven issue. With Noncenti failing to deliver yet again, we now have over a year’s worth of lacklustre Arrow. The final pages tease next month’s crossover with Savage Hawkman, dragging the Thangarian War into these pages. Mike Grell, during his historic 80+ issue stand on the character, recognised the strengths of Ollie were in his family and in isolation of the DCU. With the story problems still evident after a year, crossovers are just smacking of desperation at this point.

Bits Rating: ★★½

Non-Humans #1 (of 4) – Image Comics, Glen Brunswick (writer), Whilce Portacio (artist)

An intriguing premise, in which a virus has brought inanimate objects to life, throws us into the middle of a world of Brunswick’s creation. Sort of Who Framed Roger Rabbit? by way of Blade Runner, a genre that is poised to sweep the nation, the Non-Humans of the title have become a part of daily life. Like the ‘toons, they have their own area called Plastic Town, and human/Non-Human couplings and interactions function on the illegal and not-so-kosher levels. Detective Oliver Aimes is a badass cop, recuperating from the murder of his partner and now on the hunt for a killer of Non-Humans. He is a bit of a bigot when it comes to the NH population (see, we’re using the slang already), and not helping matters is the relationship his son is having with a former Victoria’s Secret store dummy. While Aimes isn’t completely sold as a convincing character, the world is a holistic one, including the death of entertainment media, a virus-curbing drug and a ‘NH mafia’ that will play out over the next few issues. Portacio’s art is solid, capturing the gritty ‘reality’ of this neo-noir world, albeit nothing spectacular either. We’ll come back to this one next month and see how the world is doing.

Bits Rating: ★★★

Minimum Carnage: Alpha #1 – Marvel, Cullen Bunn, Christopher Yost (writers), Lan Medina (pencils)

If there was ever a doubt that the ’90s were back in force, another Spider-arc kicks off this week. Having been out of the whole symbiote loop for a while, this first issue of the new crossover event is a mixed bag. Updating and playing on the 1990s series “Maximum Carnage”, we see Carnage back on the loose after being sprung from the clink by some very tiny co-conspirators. Agent Venom, now an Avenger, is on the case and it crosses into Peter Parker clone Kaine’s territory in Texas. The first meeting of the two heroes is less than successful, but we suspect some team-ups in the near future. Interestingly, Bunn and Vost split the writing between Venom and Scarlet Spider/Kaine, resulting in very different styles for the very different characters. Medina’s clean art gives this event series an easily accesible shop-front, mirroring a cinematic layout, with enough splash moments to satiate the fanboys and girls. This will ultimately weave through Venom and Scarlet Spider for two issues a piece before returning to Minimum Carnage: Omega (geddit?). Now if only we can get variant foil and holographic covers going, we don’t need Doctor Who to time travel this week.

Bits Rating: ★★★

October 6, 2012
Graphic Bits: Happy, Talon, Batman Inc and Debris

Don’t have time for full reviews of comics? Then check out Graphic Bits: bite sized chunks of comic book goodness designed to get behind the panels and into your hearts.

This week (27 September 2012), the march of the DC Comics Zero Month continues as we look at Batman Incorporated #0 and the spin-off series Talon #0. Grant Morrison appears for a second time with his new mini-series for Image called Happy, and this is one you’ll be sad to miss out on. Finally, we catch up with the third issue of Debris to see if it is still as strong as its launch issues.

Don’t forget to listen to Behind the Panels, our comic book podcast, as well.

Batman Incorporated #0 – DC Comics, Grant Morrison (writer), Frazer Irving (artist)

One of the stranger aspects of this line-wide series of zero issues is that they have been applied universally. Even those series that are wrapping up, or in the case of Batman Incorporated have only been around for three issues, are getting the origin treatment. Before the New 52, Batman Incorporated only had 8 issues and a one-shot, so this retelling of the origin of Batman Incorporated is somewhat bizarre. As a result, this issue frustratingly puts the forward momentum of the current series on hold to go back and (re)tell the origin of the global network of Bat-people. This doesn’t mean this is a bad issue in any sense, but a prime example of company mandate dictating the flow of a fast-paced series. Indeed, Morrison has said that he has consciously paced this often off-the-wall Bat-book as a series of short, tight arcs, and this issue just as rapidly will bring new readers up to date with the reasons behind the move. There’s some nice moments in the Wayne Industries boardroom, and it is great to see some of these characters such as Knight and Squire back on board. No sign of Batwing, but that can only be a good thing. We only hope the main Batwing title can be as discreet and quietly disappear for us. Frazer Irving fills in for Chris Burnham, and provides a similarly pleasing light take on these dark characters, while losing none of their edge. Now hurry up October, so we can get back to our regular programming.

Bits Rating: ★★★★

Debris #3 (of 4) – Image, Kurtis J. Weibe (writer), Riley Rossmo (artist)

Have we mentioned how much we love this book? Yes, repeatedly and it’s a shame this is only a mini-series, for Weibe has created such a rich a deep world in only a handful of issues. What’s particularly impressive is that he’s done it with a minimum of dialogue, all the while keeping it grounded as much as possible within this sci-fi/post-apocalyptic world. From the opening pages in which we see an Umbra on the attack, through to the surprising conclusion, Weibe’s script holds us firmly glued in place, demanding the maximum of our attention. We learn that her goal of Athabasca is not only a real thing, but it is filled with things that she could not possibly understand. One of the worst things you can say about this book is that it’s the penultimate chapter, which means there’s unfortunately only one to go. As such, some things feel a little rushed in the last half of the book, especially given the first half is partly occupied with an exposition filled flashback sequence (nicely tinged blue by artist Riley Rossmo). Yet Rossmo’s art here ensures that every square inch of the page is filled with enough detail to adequately convey the wonders Maya is seeing for the first time. From the majestic rolling hills of green, to the roasting rabbit on a spit (something Maya is unable to identify), we view the familiar through the eyes of someone who is effectively a newborn in a strange land. One of the most compelling new titles of 2012, we just don’t want this one to end.

Bits Rating: ★★★★

Happy #1 (of 4) – Image, Grant Morrison (writer), Derek Robertson (artist)

The first word in Grant Morrison’s Image Comics debut is “Unreal” and this is perhaps the best place to start for a book that drops in a “cunt” not once, not twice, but thrice in the first page. The gritty realism of the mob-led world that Morrison leads us through in the first half of this issue is full of surprises, not least of which is a woman fellating a man in a roach costume. “Now I’ve seen everything,” our protagonist Nick Sax wryly observes, but he (and by extension we) ain’t seen nothing yet. Following a self-ordered hit that goes understandably wrong, Sax wakes up in a mob hospital a little unsure on how to proceed, especially given the appearance of the book’s second revelation: a small blue winged pony called Happy Horse, who apparently only Sax can see. Drawn in buck-toothed, cartoony glory, the character sits in stark contrast to the bloodbath realism that surrounds it, but Morrison and artist Robertson somehow manage to balance these contradictory elements into something not just readable, but compelling. Just as Harvest did a great job of building a tangibly sticky world before pulling the rug out from under us, so too does Morrison in this fully realised creation that is sure to keep us on our toes in the coming months. We really have no choice but to listen to the horse.

Bits Rating: ★★★★½

Talon #0 – DC Comics, James Tynion IV and Scott Snyder (writers), Guillem March (artist)

When we eventually look back at the best comic arcs of 2012, Scott Snyder’s Court of Owls story in Batman and the introduction of the Talon will be close to the top of the list. Crossing over the entire Bat-line of books, DC breathed new life into Gotham City with a very old group of assassins. With this issue #0, one of four books not tied directly to an existing series in the Newish 52, we get to revisit that world through the eyes of a new characters. Tynion, co-plotting with Snyder in a flip on their Batman partnership, gives his character of Calvin Rose a terrific first outing. Abused and abandoned as a boy, the former escape artist taken in by the Court of Owls from a young age, but when we meet him he has had enough of that life and strikes out on his own. Cleverly weaving Hayley’s Circus into the narrative, extensively explored in the recent issues of Nightwing, this is easily one of the best new titles from the whole New 52 and a great example of how to spin-off a series from a hugely popular title. Guillem March, who copped some flak over his Catwoman #0 cover, is perfect in this world, bringing the right level of seedy Gotham and action framing necessary to propel this series further. We look forward to next month’s debut of the new series, even if it does mean adding a 13th title to the bulging Bat Universe. When they are this good, it hardly matters.

Bits Rating: ★★★★½

September 28, 2012
Graphic Bits: Archer and Armstrong, Gambit, It Girl and the Atomics and More!

Don’t have time for full reviews of comics? Then check out Graphic Bits: bite sized chunks of comic book goodness designed to get behind the panels and into your hearts.

This week (8 August 2012), Valiant Comics favourites return in Archer and Armstrong #1, Scott Snyder follows up the Court of Owls in Batman #12, somebody else has a go at the character in Daredevil Annual #1 and Marvel continues to relaunch characters with Gambit #1. It’s also pop-at a-go-go in It-Girl and the Atomics #1, we see if Punk Rock Jesus #2 is as good as the debut issue and Thun’da #1 gives us a blast from the past. Plus our regular grab-bag of other stuff we’ve been reading.

Don’t forget to listen to Behind the Panels, our weekly comic book podcast, as well.

Archer and Armstrong #1 [Valiant Comics, Fred Van Lente (writer), Clayton Henry (artist), Bits Rating: ★★★★]: Valiant Comics reboots these classic characters with a whole new take on the saga, and boy is it an epic. Opening in ancient Mesopotamia (on a Tuesday), the first few pages show us the destruction of the Earth. Flash forward to many centuries later, and a young Archer is released from a sect that secretly dwells within a Christian amusement park, where dinosaurs and cavemen exist together in a fun-filled educational wonderland. Going out into the “festering isle of corruption and criminality” (New York), he eventually encounters the ancient Armstrong in a bar fight, before the unlikely duo are whisked off to a secret dwelling of an all-powerful sect. So begins anew the adventures of these favourite characters. If, like us, this is your first journey with the dynamic duo, then it appears to be a terrific place to start. What is immediately disarming is just how funny this book is, filled with terrific dialogue, visual gags and spins on the comic format itself. The artwork is gorgeous to look at as well, perhaps making this Valiant’s must-read debut of the year.

Batman #12 [Scott Snyder, James Tynion IV (writers), Becky Cloonan, Andy Clarke (artists), Bits Rating: ★★★★½ – PICK OF THE WEEK]: So how do you follow-up one of the biggest events of the year in the book that formed its backbone? You don’t, if you’re Scott Snyder. Helped out for half-a-dozen pages by James Tynion IV, who co-wrote the Batman Annual #1 and the backup stories of the last few months, we get a old-school character piece that reminds us why we love the goddamn Batman. The focus of the story is new character Harper Row, one of the best new additions to the book in years. Living below the poverty line, she and her brother are dealing with regular trouble from local toughs. While Harper attends a gala party she ‘won’ a place to in honour of Bruce Wayne’s redevelopment of her neighbourhood, the Batman also helps her with her problems. From Harper’s point of view, we get a sense of how deep Wayne’s love is for the city, and how the smallest of his actions can change the lives of everyday citizens of Gotham. This is more than just a palette cleaner, prior to next month’s #0 origin story and the return of the Joker in #13, but is rather an essential tale of the city which Wayne has fought to protect all of these years. We hope to see more of Harper Row in the future.

Daredevil Annual #1 [Marvel, Alan Davis (writer/artist), Bits Rating: ★★★½]: Mark Waid, and Matt Murdoch, is given a break from Daredevil with a plus-sized issue that takes us back to a simpler, happier Manhattan, “some time ago”. Alan Davis writes and draws a beautifully illustrated book that is a throwback to the one-shot DD stories of a bygone era. There is certainly noting essential about this particular book, but it is a fun story nonetheless. Involving the sexy seductress ClanDestine, it’s a game of cat and mouse across the city as Daredevil and another figure chase Plastoid. We told you it was a blast from the past! With an appearance by none other than Dr. Strange, the oversized special may be something of a cash-grab from the cats at Marvel, but fans of the character are unlikely to be disappointed with this lovingly compiled story. Special mention needs to be made of Javier Rodriguez’s colouring, as it makes Davis’s artwork pop all the more. Regular readers can rest assured that Mark Waid will be back on board for the exciting but far less upbeat story in the pages of the regular book.

Gambit #1 [Marvel, James Asmus (writer), Clay Mann (artist), Bits Rating: ★★]: In March’s Astonishing X-Men #48, Gambit returned to the X-Men fold, and with the first issue in this new ongoing series, we see the return of another one of his roles: Gambit the thief. A fan favourite throughout much of the 1990s, and still a figure with a great cult following. Here, Rémy LeBeau is bored with his life, so he decides to go and star ripping off some socialites, but is soon drawn into a bigger adventures with mobsters. And there’s a girl. From the opening slash fic shots of Remy in the shower, this is merely pandering to the masses. The story is the kind of barrel-scraping monotony we came to expect from a simpler time, with Gambit being “bored” not really enough of a motivation to keep this book sustained over one issue, let alone a whole story arc. Mann’s art is serviceable, and at times quite handsome, but he doesn’t really have anything to work with in Asmus’s underwhelming story. For a better example of how to spin-off a purple-clad hero into his own ongoing series, see last week’s Hawkeye.

It Girl and The Atomics #1 [Image Comics, Jamie S. Rich (writer), Mike Norton (artist), Bits Rating: ★★★★]: Originally created by Mike Allred, and spinning out of the pages of his seminal Madman, Jamie S. Rich (Spell Checkers) takes the groovy hipster chick and makes her his own. If any man can truly make that claim. With the Atomics boys off on a space adventure with Red Rocket 7, It Girl has been left to defend the city by herself. Getting back into the swing of things, she confronts The Skunk, who killed her sister. During this issue, we also see Dr. Flem’s new space-time experiment that he “volunteers” It Girl for in Madman’s absence. Rich manages to introduce the characters in the book as though they were brand new, quickly establishing the state of play for newcomers or those of us who have been away from the world for a while. The incredibly busy Norton, who is doing amazing things with Revival as well, uses cover artist Allred as a starting point, rather than trying to ape his style. An incredibly satisfying start to what we hope is a long series full of cheeky humour, retro fun and groovy wibbly-wobbly timey wimey bits.

Punk Rock Jesus #2 [DC/Vertigo, Sean Murphy (writer/artist), ★★★★½]: When we looked at the first issue last month, we commented that Punk Rock Jesus was “might become a must read for the year”. There isn’t a single thing in this second issue that has dissuaded us from that notion. Six months on from the birth of Chris, the genetically engineered clone of Jesus Christ, we learn more about the hysteria the various religious groups have whipped up outside the secluded island, and just how far the J2 Project has gone in ensuring the public buys into the ratings of their TV series, and their perfect version of events. This is taking its toll on Gwen, the mother of the child, although all of this seems to be a part of their plan as well. Toughman Thomas now becomes our eyes and ears in this world, his natural investigative instincts and desire to protect overriding any loyalty he has to the company, leading up to a spectacular conclusion to this issue. It’s also great to see Vertigo putting faith in the black and white art of Murphy, which sells this world. We are now only a third of the way into this tale, and we literally have no idea where it is going.

Thun’da #1 [Dynamite, Robert Place Napton (writer), Cliff Richards (artist), Bits Rating: ★★★]: Now this is a retro revival. Thun’da: King of the Congo was originally created Frank Frazetta back in 1952, and here writer Napton follows the same basic story in this opening issue. Restoring the prehistoric elements that original editor Ray Krank once asked Frazetta to remove from the book, Dynamite drops the subtitle but keeps the jungle setting. In this version, a soldier crash-lands in a remote jungle, initially unaware of his surrounds or who he is. He is rapidly set upon by dinosaurs and other anachronistic critters, forced to rely on instinct to survive. It is an intriguing set-up, and may lead into a high-concept adventure series, but we question whether this has more than a few issues in it before it starts getting repetitive. That said, Napton’s internal monologue in the first few pages is somewhat original, displacing the reader as much as he displaces his protagonist. Artist Cliff Richards (no, not that one) is capable, but like the story itself, it is hardly something you will pondering after you turn the final page.

Also Reading:

Fairest #6 [DC/Vertigo, Bill Willingham (writer), Phil Jiminez (artist), Bits Rating: ★★★½]: This issue brings the first arc of this newish series, and the tale of Ali Baba, Sleeping Beauty (Briar Rose) and Lumi the Snow Queen, to a close. It’s all a bit of fun because none of it has to end in any consequence, being distinct from the large and complicated Fables stories. The Phil Jiminez artwork may be reason enough to pick up this book, giving these familiar characters a sparkling new sheen.

Space Punisher #2 [Marvel, Frank Tieri (writer), Mark Texeira (artist), Bits Rating: ★★★]: Having run out of things to do with the character, the turn to sci-fi has actually been partly successful for Frank Castle. In the second issue, they allow themselves to cut loose a little bit more, strapping a multi-legged Doc Ock to the front of a spaceship, and adding a surprising ending that may take this in directions we didn’t expect. Artwork is gorgeous, occasionally tipping their hat to Timothy Bradstreet but mostly retro 50s poster fantasy. Also: Space Hulk SMASH!

Spider-Men #4 [Marvel, Brian Michael Bendis (writer), Sarah Pichelli (artist), Bits Rating: ★★★★]: “Nice” is the most apt description for the fourth issue of this surprisingly good event. After the emotional punch at the end of the third issue, this fourth outing deals with the teary consequences of that meeting. However, while this issue takes the time for some nice character moments – some of the best in the series – the misstep in the timing of Issue #2 means that the final issue next month will have to cram a lot in.

August 12, 2012
Graphic Bits: Deadpool Kills the Marvel Universe, First X-Men, Harvest, Hawkeye, and More!

Don’t have time for full reviews of comics? Then check out Graphic Bits: bite sized chunks of comic book goodness designed to get behind the panels and into your hearts.

Has it really been a year since DC’s New 52 launched? This week (1 August 2012), Action Comics #12 and Green Arrow #12 turn 1 with mixed results, the fight continues in Avengers Vs. X-Men #9, and we look at no less than five series debuts in Marvel’s Deadpool Kills The Marvel Universe, First X-Men and Hawkeye and Image’s Harvest.

Don’t forget to listen to Behind the Panels, our weekly comic book podcast, as well.

Action Comics #12 [DC Comics, Grant Morrison (writer), Rags Morales, Cafu, Brad Walker (artists), Bits Rating: ★★]: Oh how the mighty have fallen this month. Grant Morrison’s usually strong take on the big league superheroes slips badly one year out. Although offering us glimpses of what a multiverse Superman might have looked like, this issue is primarily a big ol’ fight with a fairly uninteresting villain. It is typical of Morrison’s run to date, all about psychic entities from beyond and Earth-shattering consequences. None of them pay off in this mish-mash of panels and new information that pushes the book into the playground of the preposterous. Superman can learn medical surgery in five minutes and perform it with his thumbnail. He can read a flash drive without plugging it into a computer. He isn’t the only god here, with Batman arriving with a last minute deus ex machina that might restore the Clark Kent status quo faster than we think. All this does is negate the rare but genuine character moments, such as firemen complaining about having to clean everything up. Three artists on the issue actually works out OK, with the panels feeling consistent throughout. It is just a shame that this issue, nor the story arc it belongs to, can claim the same.

Avengers Vs. X-Men #9 [Marvel, (writers), (art) ★★★★] – This is more like it. It’s no secret that we’ve not been enjoying AvX at all, as t has simply felt like a precursor to another event. However, after several months of water-treading and in-fighting, we get the powerhouse issue we should have seen two months ago, one that balances character and smackdown action in a way we’ve been sorely missing. Spider-man is the focus of this issue, and what better example of “with great power comes great responsibility” than one of the ‘smaller’ Avengers standing up and taking his place. Through Peter Parker, we see just how bad things have gotten for the Avengers camp, but what is more intriguing is how things are unravelling for what is left of the Phoenix Five. This is the darkest chapter of the saga to date, and it is an epic issue that actually moves the story along at an amazing pace, something sadly lacking from the previous entries. Peter’s musings on what makes a hero to Hope, along with a much-needed dose of humour, means that this book isn’t taking itself quite as seriously as it has been for the last few months. Adam Kubert really steps up to the plate on the art too, matching the pace inch-for-inch and giving us some glorious splash pages this time around. It’s still not perfect, but another three of these and the event will end much better than it started!

Daredevil #16 [Marvel, Mark Waid (writer), Chris Samnee (artist), Bits Rating: ★★★★½]: We never have a bad word to say about this Eisner Award winning run on Daredevil, and the latest issue gives us no cause for concern. Last issue, Waid took away Daredevil’s senses temporarily, and here he lets somebody else – namely Hank Pym The Giant Man (aka Ant-Man) – literally get inside Matt Murdoch’s head, with Tony Stark and Dr. Strange also making cameos. The mostly personal journey manages to still pack in some decent action as well, but the net result is a better understanding of what makes both Pym and Murdoch tick. The personal and super drama finally take their toll on Matt’s relationship with Foggy, which comes to a head in the final pages of the book. This is simply compulsory reading. While it is bad news that Paolo Rivera is leaving the book as regular interior artist, and his work has literally changed the way Daredevil views the world, the equally amazing Chris Samnee is remaining, and his work on this issue means that this is a cause for joy. If Hawkeye hadn’t come out this week, with its similar focus on character in the big bad New York City, then this book would have been our Pick of the Week. Let’s call it a tie then, shall we.

Deadpool Kills The Marvel Universe #1 (of 4) [Marvel, Cullen Bunn (writer), Dalibor Talajić (artist), Bits Rating: ★★]: Oh hai! We’ve met before haven’t we? Almost forgotten, Punisher Kills the Marvel Universe was Garth Ennis’ take on the mass slaughter of our favourite Marvel heroes, but it was only when he returned to the character with Welcome Back Frank that it came to light again. The concept isn’t even new to Deadpool, with Evil Deadpool floating about for some time. This alternate universe imagining has some nice moments to be sure, and the opening pages are actually some of the most atmospherically paced panels we’ve seen for some time. Yet where Ennis played it (mostly) for laughs, Cullen Bunn plays this purely for menace, something that is solidified by Dalibor Talajic’s incredibly dark artwork. Deadpool’s multiple voiceovers sell his insanity, but rather than providing Frank Castle’s emotional reason for wiping out the Marvel Universe, something that led to a touching conclusion with Daredevil in that book, it merely provides fodder for fanservice and mass carnage. If this had a target audience, it is mid-1990s fan boys who yearn for a return to foil holographic covers. Let’s hope that Deadpool sees himself as part of the Marvel Universe and ends this quickly.

The First X-Men #1 [Marvel, Neal Adams and Christos Gage (writers), Neal Adams (art) ★★½] – Having run out of places to sandwich in Wolverine in the current continuity, this book takes us back to the heyday of Harlem, “many years ago”. Effectively retconning the history of the X-Men, this supposes that Logan drags Sabretooth along as he sets out to help young mutant kids get off the streets and into the warm and fuzzies. To this aim, he approaches a young Charles Xavier at Oxford, still denying his mutant abilities and on the cusp of marrying Moira (who is full of “Och, loves”). If you can put this continuity gaff aside for the moment, it is hard to reconcile this Logan with the wildman loner who was only tamed by the X-Men. As with this week’s Hawkeye (below), this is a case of comics imitating the films, with the retro style surely aimed at those who loved X-Men: First Class. Sadly, the great Neal Adams’ old-school style doesn’t gel with modern comics, with Wolverine looking blocky and awkward, a lumbering giant rather than a killing machine. The rest of the art is fairly inconsistent, visuals often garbled. The series nevertheless has promise if you can ignore half-a-century of continuity, which is occasionally a good idea when fresh stories are needed.

Green Arrow #12 [DC Comics, Ann Nocenti (writer), Harvey Tolibao (artist), Bits Rating: ★★½]: – One year on, and three writers later, Green Arrow remains without a distinctive voice of its own in the New 52. Here Nocenti gives us a graphic version of the Wikipedia entry to the People’s Republic of China, throwing in as many cliched cultural references as possible as a substitute for depth. It reads like a pale imitation of some of Gail Simone’s best work on pre-Flashpoint Birds of Prey, and it is becoming increasingly clear that DC are shaping Arrow to be more in line with whatever his television counterpart will be come October. This story has become quite ridiculous, with Oliver Queen stranded in China and relying on a series of increasingly outlandish gadgets (including a holographic arrow gun of some kind) with which to kick ass and take names. At many points, Nocenti resorts to explaining what we can already see on panel, making this a throwback to the Silver Age without the corresponding quality. Tolibao is the fourth artist on the series in the last 12 months, which is perhaps another reason why this title can’t find its way, and it simply doesn’t suit the character. The final page promises an origin story next from Judd Winick, before the “Chinese adventure continues” in #13. We know which one we are looking forward to.

Harvest #1 (of 5) [Image Comics, A.J. Lieberman (writer), Colin Lorimer (artist), Bits Rating: ★★★★]: Without a doubt, this year has belonged to Image Comics. From the debut of Fatale in January, Saga in March, Mind the Gap in May and last month’s Revival, they have consistently proven that they have what it takes to gather a roster of writers and artists who can instantly draw in audiences week after week. So too is the case with Harvest, which is undoubtedly the strongest debut in a week of strong debuts. Lieberman’s story time jumps in the best Christopher Nolan cinematic tradition, giving us a view of protagonist Doctor Dane as he seemingly reaches the end of his tether. Our “hero” is an alcoholic drug-addicted surgeon, whose vices lead him into a seedy black market. The story promises all manner of twists and turns, and we are spun about several times over in a first issue that wastes no time in plunging us into the deep end. Yet Lorimer’s art is the star here. Noir in its style and muted colours, he simply has a different way of looking at a scene to most artists, unafraid to take his “camera” to vantage points we don’t normally view in sequential art and tripping us out completely on whatever Dane is taking. The only disappointment is that there are only four more of these left in the coming months.

Hawkeye #1 [Marvel, Matt Fraction (writer), David Aja (artist), Bits Rating: ★★★★½ – PICK OF THE WEEK] – Superhero reboots/debuts aren’t that uncommon, but good ones are often few and far between. With a renewed fan-base, thanks to that little indie film The Avengers, Hawkeye gets his first solo series in a while. Just as Mark Waid crafted a version of Daredevil that is wholly familiar yet completely new and fresh, so too has Matt Fraction with the underused Hawkeye. Yet the strength here is that Fraction doesn’t concentrate on the Avenger but the man who has come up from the streets and has to work every day at being good. This was touched on recently in an issue of Avenging Spider-man, and with the exception of the first page and a half, this book is about Clint Barton in civvies doing his bit for the neighbourhood. Aja’s artwork is magnificent artwork is unquestionably perfect, suiting this gritty world of the New York streets. You can almost smell the same air Barton refers to on panel. Matt Hollingsworth’s subdued colour palette must also be commended for making this feel like a lived-in world. DC’s archer should take notes on this one.

August 4, 2012
Graphic Bits: Avengers, Debris, Irresistible, X-Treme X-Men and More!

Don’t have time for full reviews of comics? Then check out Graphic Bits: bite sized chunks of comic book goodness designed to get behind the panels and into your hearts.

This week (25 July 2012), the fight continues in The Avengers #28, the controversial Batman Incorporated #3 is released in some places, we search through the Debris #1, Hit-Girl #2 fights back, Zenescope Entertainment is simply Irresistible #1 and X-Treme X-Men #1 does little to push the envelope.

Don’t forget to listen to Behind the Panels, our weekly comic book podcast, as well.

The Avengers #28 [Marvel, Brian Michael Bendis (writer), Walt Simonson (artist), Bits Rating: ★★★½]: In the midst of all this seemingly never-ending Avengers Vs X-Men madness, Bendis delivers a story that is all about character. A single character, in fact. Focusing on Red Hulk, the issue is largely an internal monologue, laid out in a largely dialogue-less format that continues to play with the format, just as Bendis did with the Fear Itself issues last year. He touches on a very simple idea, that the team only trusts him because Captain America tells them to. Ironically, as General Ross he outranks the Cap, and this issue explores not only his years of experience, but the ability to make the life and death decisions that Steve Rogers can’t, or perhaps won’t. It is still somewhat hamstrung by the bigger AvX picture, but who would have thought that Red Hulk would be one of the most intriguing characters of the year? Walter Simonson’s art is naturally distinctive, making this issue a nice island in the stream as this arc continues for another few months.

Batman Incorporated #3 [DC Comics, Grant Morrison (writer), Chris Burnham (artist), Bits Rating: ★★★★]: The recent events in Aurora have given a number of studios pause for thought, and this week’s issue of Batman Incorporated was actually requested to be held by DC for a month out of respect for the tragedy. However, some issues were released while others got out internationally. Either way, the offending panels are below, and you can either judge it for yourself now, or wait a month until it hits stores. Sadly, eBay has taken advantage of this and is selling this for around $30, with the recalled variant upwards of the $100 mark. Madness. Just wait a month people. Anyways, with the return of Batman’s alter ego Matches Malone, a Sherlock Holmesian disguise to infiltrate the underworld, Morrison continues to prove that there is still room for a detective comic at DC. Filled with the same offbeat humour that has characterised his work to date, and with wonderfully vivid art from Burnham, this also marks a turning point for Robin. Nightwing rather flippantly refers to him as “the new dead Robin”, in front of Bruce no less, but that is what makes this book work. It also features, to our great delight, the return of BatCow, who seems to have been tended to by Alfred this whole time. Said Cow also contains a vital clue.

Debris #1 (of 4) [Image Comics, Kurtis J. Weibe (writer), Riley Rossmo (artist), Bits Rating: ★★★★ – PICK OF THE WEEK]: Image are knocking them out of the park this year with new debuts, and the new mini-series Debris is no exception. The Earth is a wasteland and giant creatures called Colossals rise up out of the debris to attack the settlers. Only one woman, Maya, has the gumption to face them as she searches for a source of pure water. Yes, it may be similar to the classic Hayao Miyazaki manga/film Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, but such a comparison warrants attention. For such a short series, Weibe does a terrific job of establishing the boundaries of this world, language and its characters, with Maya potentially one of the best female heroes in a long time, exhibiting an uncertain strength in this first outing. Rossmo’s distinctive art compliments Weibe’s scope nicely, from the character close-ups to the massive splash pages of organic-industrial monsters that terrify as much as intrigue. Weibe has set the direction early for this new series, and we want to know more about this world.

When trash attacks – Debris #1 (Image)

Hit-Girl #2 [Icon, Mark Millar (writer), John Romita Jr (artist) – Bits Rating: ★★★½]: “The Best Just Got Better,” proclaims the cover, and for the most part they are right. We were as surprised as anybody to find that not only did Hit-Girl exceed our expectations, it has made us completely forget about Kick-Ass 2. Actually, that’s not entirely accurate, as this series warrants a re-reading of that second volume in light of the character development found in this interstitial series. Indeed, this gap-filler series actually adds new depth and meaning to that series, as Mindy continues to struggle with fitting in at school and training Dave. Some memorable moments of Dave training to swing through windows provides comic levity reminiscent of the first volume, especially as Dave messes up his killer catchphrase. The only problem with this is that we feel as though we’ve already been here before, but the bonding moments between the dynamic duo more than make up for any sense of the familiar. We also start to get a sense of the development of the “Justice Forever” team. Romita’s art is still deliberately gritty, but it comes together as whole with greater clarity here. Definitely worth a look, and a must-read for fans of the series.

Irresistible #1 [Zenoscope Entertainment, Raven Gregory (writer), Derlis Santacruz (artist), Bits Rating: ★★½]: If there was ever a comic book that knew its target market, then it is Irresistible. After successfully sexing up Alice in Wonderland in his Wonderland Trilogy and Grimm’s Fairy Tales, Gregory turns his attention more directly to getting laid. The basic premise revolves around a down-and-out guy getting over a bad break-up 18 months prior, only to find himself on the receiving ending of a gypsy curse/blessing that makes him irresistible (yes, just like the title!) to all women. It’s a “be careful what you wish for” fable, and those who wished for a comic full of soft-core T & A where the protagonist is going to have lots of sex may have just bit off more than they can chew. Sanatzcruz’s art is smooth and sexy, pitched at the lighthearted tone of this book, and Franco Riesco’s colours can be largely attributed to its success. it’s just a shame that this first issue is so dialogue-heavy that is obscures the lovingly rendered art at times. There’s some great one-liners though, and while the first issue may read like a wet-dream, there is the promise of comedic situations to come in future issues. We’ll give this one another look next month.

X-Treme X-Men #1 [Marvel, Greg Pak and Stephen Segovia (writers and art), Bits Rating: ★★½ ]: Chris Claremont’s X-Treme X-Men finished its 46 issue run back in 2004, and we may have been the only people to miss it. This rebooted series comes out of Astonishing X-Men, featuring the parallel Earth characters of Captain Howlett (or Alt.Wolverine if you prefer), Kid Nightcrawler, and Emmeline Frost, the floating head of Professor X and the rock stylings of Dazzler travelling to inter-dimensional places. They have 10 mega-Xaviers to find and destroy before they do something or other. It’s a very cool idea, of course, but it’s all been done before. By DC no less. Bearing more than a passing resemblance to the Countdown (2007) series in which Donna Troy, Jason Todd and Kyle Rayner toured the Multiverse, this promises all the fun of quantum-leaping through the various versions of the Marvel U with a similarly mismatched group. The artwork is incredibly patchy, and the alternative cover by Salvador Larocca only makes us yearn for the past. Plus, can somebody tell Dazzler the 1990s ended over 20 years ago? The series is careful to not take anybody important out of the Marvel 616, but the potential is here for some incredible fun over the coming months. For now, this is X-tremely disappointing.

July 30, 2012
Podcast: Behind the Panels – Issue 34: Fire

Hosted By: Richard Gray & David McVay

In this issue, it’s Marvel NOW! and we pay later. DC back on top andDinosaurs Vs. Aliens. THEN Spidey gets a trilogy, Marvel delays Cinematic Universe and Hellboy goes to hospital. All our latest reads PLUS our kick-ass pick of the week: Fire by Brian Michael Bendis.

Our next reading assignment: Batman: Knightfall.

Behind the Panels is a continual work in progress, help us craft this show (via email and feedback) into the finest comic book podcast on the market. Make sure you subscribe to Behind the Panels on the link below.

Your Show Notes Follow:

Vintage Clip of the Week

Marvel Super Heroes – Namor the Submariner – Dr. Doom’s Day (1966)

Latest in Comic Releases

Graphic Bits
https://www.thereelbits.com/2012/07/08/graphic-bits-avx-batman-earth-one-before-watchmen-green-arrow-and-more/

Comic News

Marvel NOW! Relaunches Line with Uncanny Avengers, New Titles Every Week Until February.
https://www.thereelbits.com/2012/07/06/marvel-now-relaunches-universe-with-uncanny-avengers-from-october/

DC Retakes Market Share from Marvel.
http://www.bleedingcool.com/2012/07/06/dc-retakes-unit-market-share-from-marvel-thanks-to-before-watchmen/

Sonnenfeld and Morrison reveal Dinosaurs Vs. Aliens Trailer.
http://screen.yahoo.com/dinosaurs-vs-aliens-trailer-29893027.html

Movie News

Our thoughts on The Amazing Spider-man film.

The Amazing Spider-Man to be a trilogy.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2012/jul/06/the-amazing-spider-man-trilogy?newsfeed=true

Marvel’s second 2014 film pushed back to August.
http://www.comingsoon.net/news/movienews.php?id=92199

Ron Perlman visits child in hospital…as Hellboy!
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/ron-perlman-make-wish-hellboy-346196

Competition

All this and a The Walking Dead Season 2 Giveaway.
https://www.thereelbits.com/2012/06/25/win-hopscotch-the-walking-dead-season-2-dvd-and-blu-ray-giveaway/

The Rest…

Have you got something to say? We want to hear from you, send email to comics@geekactually.com or drop us a voicemail at 02 8011 3167 (Skype ID: geek actually) and we’ll play it on the show.

If you are an iTunes user, subscribe for free here and please leave us feedback. The next two or three issues will also come out on the Geek Actually and Film Actually feeds to get things started.

Make sure you check out our other fine podcasts Film Actually and Film Actually News for the latest in cinema reviews and news.

Join us on our new Facebook Fan Page, follow Geek Actually on Twitter @geekactually and follow David on Twitter @davidmcvay Find more by Richard Gray by visiting TheReelBits.com or follow him on Twitter @DVDBits

Make sure you check out our new range of Geek Actually swag at cafepress.com.au/geekactually

Nicholas’ Lego animated films can be found at youtube.com/nickymcvay

The music used for this episode is “Fire” by Jimi Hendrix and “Light My Fire” by The Doors.

July 10, 2012