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Rating: *** 1/2*
Another great issue by Geoff Johns with this month’s issue of Adventure Comics. Our story opens with the U.S. military being attacked by Brainiac’s ship. Inside the ship we see Brainiac and Lex Luthor. Brainiac wants revenge on Superman for their recent altercation and he’s teamed up with Luthor to help him do just that. In return, Luthor is promised control of the Earth.
Luthor was in prison and he was under the watchful eye of General Sam Lane, the father of Lois Lane. General Lane viewed the recent arrival of the Kandor Kryptonians as a threat to Earth and was using Lex to create weapons to defend Earth. On Brainiac’s ship, we see one of those “weapons” in a human being floating in a tank. This project is called Project: Alien Farm which Luthor says is a personal one - “it’s a about family,” he says. Could Lex Luthor possibly be cloning another Superboy? Is he using Conner’s DNA again or is he using DNA from another Kryptonian? If it’s another Conner it should make things very interesting.
Click to continue reading DC Comics Review: Adventure Comics #2
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Rating: ***
I wasn’t thrilled that Damian Wayne would be replacing Tim Drake as Robin, but with that disappointment came the revelation that Tim was now the new Red Robin. In my reviews of this series so far, I haven’t been all that thrilled with the writing or the artwork for this series. The first two issues were okay, but the last issue was not very good and I began to think that maybe it was time to drop this title. This month’s issue was able to prevent that decision from being made. Writer Chris Yost has written a good issue - maybe the best in the series so far, but Ramon Bachs artwork is still weighing things down which prevents me from giving this book a better rating.
Our story picks up with Tim in Iraq. The members of the League of Assassins that we’ve seen in the previous issues are there waiting for him to assist him with his mission in locating Bruce Wayne. It dawned on me in this issue that these three members of the League of Assassins don’t look like people Ra’s al Ghul would normally have in his League. The lead member in this trio is a black man who fought against Tim and the other members of the Bat Family as a ninja when Ra’s was being resurrected. Normally I picture Middle Eastern assassins with Ra’s, but at this point it doesn’t really matter.
Click to continue reading DC Comics Review: Red Robin #4
Marvel Comics Review: Marvels Project #2
Posted by David Torres Categories: Reviews, Marvel Comics,
Rating: ****
The work that’s been done by James Robinson and Geoff Johns at DC over the past 10 years with the DC Golden Age characters has been amazing. These men took these characters and have told some great stories. Well, thanks to Ed Brubaker, it looks like Marvel has their own guy to work some magic with their Golden Age characters. I know very little about Marvel’s Golden Age when they were then known as Timely Comics. Other than Captain America and the Invaders (then known as the All-Winners Squad) I really didn’t know much about anyone else. So when Ed Brubaker introduced the character of Thomas Halloway, The Angel in the first issue of the Marvels Project, I had to back track and do a Wikipedia search for the character to find out more about him. In this second issue, Halloway dons a costume and begins fighting crime as the Angel.
Other Golden Age characters make their appearance as well and begin fighting crime including: Fiery Mask, Mister E, and the Phantom Bullet.
Click to continue reading Marvel Comics Review: Marvels Project #2
Weekend Reading: Paul Levitz, David Small, Gus Grimly, and Alan Grant!
Posted by Tom Mason Categories: Editorials,
So, anything weird happen this week? Oh that! As you well know, Paul Levitz has stepped down from DC Comics, the company’s now called DC Entertainment and Paul’s going to be writing comics again. You don’t need me to link to any of that, it’s all over the news. But my favorite bit of speculation comes from Rich Johnston over at Bleeding Cool. He ponders the future of the direct market now that one of its major champions - and strong retailer advocates - has stepped down.
David Small: My old pal Tom Heintjes is the editor and guiding hand behind Hogan’s Alley, one of the best magazines about comics published today. In between issues, he regularly posts content on the internet and sends out email newsletters to subscribers. The latest newsletter has a terrific interview with David Small discussing his graphic novel Stitches.
Click to continue reading Weekend Reading: Paul Levitz, David Small, Gus Grimly, and Alan Grant!
DC Comics Review: Blackest Night: Batman #2
Posted by David Torres Categories: Reviews, DC Comics,
Rating: *** 1/2
Blackest Night: Batman continues this week as Batman, Robin, and Deadman battle the Black Lanterns in Gotham City. I really like what Peter Tomasi is doing with this story. My only problem is again the way he writes Damian. Compared to the way Grant Morrison is writing Damian it’s like they are two different people. If you get past that, it’s a fun story.
Batman and Robin break into the Gotham National Guard Armory to get some weapons to battle the Black Lanterns. At first Damian wants to grab a gun, but Dick tells him no and that they have to honor Bruce’s memory to not use a gun. Not sure why in this case since everyone they’ll be fighting is dead already, but it’s the thought that counts I guess.
Click to continue reading DC Comics Review: Blackest Night: Batman #2
Comic Book School With Denny O’Neil? Cool!
Posted by Tom Mason Categories: Editorials, Dark Horse Comics, Marvel Comics,
Denny O’Neil probably needs no introduction—he’s been an editor at both Marvel and DC and written many memorable and award-winning stories. He also wrote some of the best Batman stories ever (and it certainly didn’t hurt that a great number of them were illustrated by Neal Adams and Dick Giordano).
Denny knows more about writing comics than pretty much anyone in the business. He even wrote a book about it called The DC Comics Guide to Writing Comics.
Coming up at the end of this month—September 30 in fact—Denny’s going to be schooling a new generation of Dennyites. If you’d like to learn at the feet of a master of the form, that opportunity awaits you. Denny’s teaching a 10-week course at New York University’s School Of Professional & Continuing Studies, right there in New York City.
Click to continue reading Comic Book School With Denny O’Neil? Cool!
Read More 
| NYU via Comic Book Resources
Female Force Series Includes JK Rowling and Stephenie Meyers
Posted by Robin Paulson Categories: Editorials, Independent,
Bluewater Comics recently announced a JK Rowling edition of their Female Force series, set for a December release.
Unfortunately for Harry Potter fans, Twilight creator Stephenie Meyers is ahead of that curve, having her own biographical issue released in November.
While I have not had the privilege of reading the Hilary Clinton nor Sarah Palin issues, I just can’t bring myself to give the series a chance. Maybe it’s the awkward art, or perhaps it’s just the title, Female Force—whatever it is, I can’t imagine as to why either sets of fanatics will be willing to shell out money for it. Let’s see if the Potterheads and Twihards prove us wrong.
Read More | E! Online
In the wake of the $4 billion purchase of their nemesis, Warner Bros. has decided to restructure its own comic book branch.
“This is the structural iteration of what we have been trying to accomplish for a long time. We think it is important for Warner Bros. to exercise appropriate control over these properties, because they are highly valued assets of our company,” said Warner Bros. Chairman Barry Meyer.
Diane Nelson, brand manager of the Harry Potter franchise, will be in charge of restructuring the now-named DC Entertainment unit.
Most DC comics fans are surprised at this new surge of energy for the company. Considering characters like Wonder Woman, the Justice League, and the Flash have been cooped up in who-knows-where, it’s amazing to think that Warner Bros. has had DC for forty years.
Click to continue reading Warner Restructures DC
Read More | LA Times
A day in the life of the newly-unemployed comic book president.
9am: Launch new blog: FormerDCPresident.blogspot.com.
9:15am: “Office of Paul Levitz. Paul speaking.” “Hi, it’s Paul.” “This is Paul.” Practice answering own phone.
9:30am: Conference call with Jemas, Alessi, Jeanette, Shooter and Rosenberg. Make plans for regular poker game.
9:45am: 3 emails from Mark Millar. Not my problem. Delete-delete-delete.
10:20am: How’s this iPhone thing work again?
11am: Drop by DC. Place Carlin in charge of E. Nelson Bridwell’s ashes.
11:15am: Talk to Bob Wayne. Get added to comp list.
11:30am: Human Resources…inhuman resources…could be title for new mini-series.
Noon: Lunch with Diane. Try to explain all the different Robins and Batgirls to her. She keeps getting Streaky the Supercat and Comet The Super-Horse mixed up. Should I even mention Beppo?
Click to continue reading PAUL LEVITZ’S DIARY
Doc Savage, Lester Dent and Hard Case Crime
Posted by Tom Mason Categories: Editorials, Reviews, Independent,
You might already know Lester Dent. He’s the creator of Doc Savage (which he wrote under the pseudonym of Kenneth Robeson). Doc was a very successful pulp hero (and later star of a line of equally successful paperback reprints of his pulp adventures). Sadly, the magical success of Doc in the pulps has never transitioned well to neither comics nor the movies.
What you may not know is that Dent also wrote a hard-boiled crime novel called Honey In His Mouth. It doesn’t star Doc Savage.
One of my favorite publishers, Hard Case Crime, publishes hard-boiled crime paperbacks. Some of them are new, but some are reissues of old classics that are worth rediscovering again. Their backlist of stuff is incredible and includes works by Lawrence Block, Richard S. Prather, David Drake, Max Allan Collins, Roger Zelazny and Donald E. Westlake. All their books feature great cover paintings that recall the classic hardboiled style of paperbacks from a couple of generations past.
Click to continue reading Doc Savage, Lester Dent and Hard Case Crime
Read More | Hard Case Crime
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