Join the forum discussion on this post - (3) Posts

So this website has been up for about a month now, and so far I am getting some great feedback from all of you! Thanks for that. But one portion of the website doesn’t seem to be getting the attention that I hoped it would, the forum.
So without further ado, I am posting this to let all of you know that a contest is officially under way! Here’s what you do:

1. Click “Forum” on the menu above.
2. Register for the forum (make sure to include your correct email address)
3. Click on any one of the three forums listed under “Contests”
4. Post your opinions on the topics that I posted

Me and three other anonymous posters will choose one post out of the three forums (one winner, not three) that we considered to put forth the best argument. The winning post can be a long reply to the original question, a long reply to another poster, or even a short and pithy reply to either. You do not have to agree with the judges to win, but you do need to be on-topic to be considered. You may post as many times as you would like, but do not double post or spam as that would be grounds for disqualification. So what are you doing this for?

The Prize

A Comic Book Review and Monkey Lightning are going to be working together to ship a 6” collectible Flash action figure directly to the address of the winner! Because the figure is going to be shipped from Kentucky, I must stipulate that contestants must have an address in the US or Canada. My apologies to those of you have been visiting the website from other countries, but I just don’t have the money for the figure AND international shipping. Make sure you visit Monkey Lightning and see what they have available (including a copy of the scrapped Justice League tv show pilot!) and thank them for their generous support. Good luck to all of you who plan to enter the contest!

The Contest will end on Sunday, July 26th at 11:59pm. The winner will be notified via email (once again make sure your registration email address is accurate) by the following weekend.

Please email any questions or concerns to sam@acomicbookreview.com

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Join the forum discussion on this post - (1) Posts

Last month, the Green Lantern Corps 35 cover was all about Sinestro (the cover shown below is a variant), and this month it’s all about the word “riot”. As far as I’m concerned, the covers should have been swapped, as we don’t get to see too much of the riot and we see a whole lot of Sinestro. Are you excited yet?

The past few issues of GLC have been all about buildup, which all boiled to a head last issue when the prisoners broke free from the sciencells and Sinestro uttered the word “daughter” to Soranik Natu on the final page. With issue 36 we are finally getting some considerable bits of action, information, and excitement. Luckily for me personally, the Guy Gardner aspect is toned down as he only appears on one page and speaks not a single line. Goody! Not so good for those of you who are fans of Gardner.

At the outset, Sinestro explains the claim he made on the final page of issue 35 to Soranik. It doesn’t quite equal the emotional impact of the similar moment in The Empire Strikes Back, but it certainly does pack a hearty punch. From there we get a flyby of the riot taking place on Oa. Not a whole lot of information or action to be gained here, but it does look pretty dope, especially seeing Kilawog stomping on baddies with no regard for the enemy latched to his back. Finally, we are placed on Daxam, where I guarantee you will see one of the coolest battles you have seen in comics lately. Amazing!

With this issue, I am really starting to get some hints at Peter Tomasi’s visionary style of story-telling. When I say visionary, I don’t mean prophetic but am referring more to fore-sight. The bore of the last few issues really came together in this one and blew my socks off. I won’t take back what I said about the previous issues though, because an issue should be able captivate its readers each month. All of the captivation is densely packed into this issue and probably will overflow into next month as well. Unfortunately the predecessors didn’t get their share.

Another aspect of this series that is coming to light for me is the placement of Pat Gleason as the artist. His work with emotions isn’t exactly his strong suit, but I’ll tell you what is. Action! The type of action sequences that the Green Lantern franchise demands are high-energy, fireworks type of scenes. Now that I have read this issue, Pat Gleason is going to have a special little place in my mind reserved for those who depicted the best battle sequences. A Green Lantern running shoulder-first into a herd of bright yellow rhinos is truly a sight to be seen!

All-in-all, I really appreciated this issue for what it finally brought to the table. Reading this story arc from issue to issue has really been a roller coaster, but with the inclusion of this issue and probably the next one, the TPB is sure to be a blockbuster.

(4/5)

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Join the forum discussion on this post - (2) Posts

Just before Comic Con last year, Batfans were hit with some of the hardest news we have ever faced, the release of the Batman R.I.P. titles. We read Paul Dini and Dustin Nguyen’s Heart of Hush and saw Batman once again take down his fiercest new villain, and we believed that he was as unstoppable as ever. We read R.I.P. by Grant Morrison and Tony Daniel and saw Bruce go down with a flaming helicopter, but we still didn’t believe it. We read Final Crisis and saw him fried to a crisp and sizzling in Superman’s arms, and we still had hope. Even after reading Battle for the Cowl, I found myself still clinging to the idea that Bruce Wayne would have some miraculous return. Dick Grayson as Batman would have been impossible just a year ago. If I told you then that this would happen now, you would have laughed in my face. Now I have been to the other side, I have read Batman and Robin issue 1; and I sit here today and write to report to you that…all hope is lost!

Honestly, this book is cool. I saw some really neat artwork by Frank Quitely and some cool storytelling by Grant Morrison; I got my three dollars worth. Now I know that there is plenty of hate for Morrison spread throughout the comic book community, but I think some of us are forgetting that the man can tell a kick-ass story. Final Crisis and R.I.P. certainly are not his best credits, but they honestly kept me engaged and excited month after month. What we are getting with Batman and Robin is pretty much the same: a cool comic with a whole lot of let down.

My coworker and I noticed the first big problem only two turns of the page into the book, Damian. Damian just isn’t quite the right fit for Robin. For a guy who witnessed the tragic fall of Jason Todd, Dick Grayson sure made a hell of a choice with the new Robin. It just doesn’t make sense in terms of lessons learned. On the other hand I suppose that was part of the idea of Robin; to take a hopeless jerk of a kid just like Damian and turn him into a healthy member of society with values and standards. Right now we are only witnessing the beginning, so I suppose things could still change.

The artwork by Quitely tip toes the border of cool and cheesy, but in my opinion I think he made it to the side of the former. Using sound effects as a part of the picture rather than an exclamation is a ballsy move, but I think it’s executed pretty well and adds to the lightheartedness of the issue. It wouldn’t work if the comic was more dark and gritty, but the brighter style of everything really makes little touches like that shine.

I just noticed that I haven’t given you much of a clue as far as what goes on in this particular story, but I think it’s better that way. Rest assured that you will be entertained just as much as you will be disappointed. Most of everything for this new Batman is different and new: new gadgets, new car, new villains, and even a new cave. Most of it seems pretty cool, but it just isn’t what I wanted. I want Bruce Wayne, the Joker, a slick roadster, the same old utility belt, and a dark cavernous base of operations. I’m not going to get it any time soon am I? Help me Blackest Night, you’re my only hope.

(3.5/5)

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Most of the characters and ideas presented in Final Crisis were completely new to me, but of few of them weren’t. I had barely met the Tattooed Man in some of the other stuff I was reading when he was brought to us in Submit, a Final Crisis one-shot starring Black Lightning. In Submit, Black Lightning help the Tattooed Man and his family excape the clutches of the zombie-esque mob inflicted with the anti-life virus. Along the way, the Tattooed man realizes some of the better points of heroics over villainy and helps the Justice League by tattooing vital schematics onto his body. But all of this has passed.

In Ink we get a reformed Tattooed Man who has developed a knack for stopping criminals rather than acting as one. The problem is that money is getting tight, and his son may not have taken all that his father did from Black Lightning. To top it all off, someone else is now running around Liberty Hill and killing innocents in the same way that our new hero used to do. Now Mark Richards is going to have to save his son from gang life, pay the bills, and clear his name before he loses hope and returns to a life of crime.

This first issue adds up to all of that, basically an introduction into what Mr. Richards will be going through throughout the next five months. Eric Wallace writes the story well. He merges typical comic book plot with real world issues like inner city violence and social inequalities. One thing I would have liked more would be if he made Chief of Police Halstead a normal guy who distrusts a former criminal rather than douchebag cop who thinks to highly of his own authority. I think the political themes running throughout the issue would have been much more intense that way.

The artist/colorist teamup here (Fabrizio Fiorentino and Michael Dimotta) is nothing short of fantastic. Picture a tattoo coming to life. Chances are you imagined exactly what these two men were able to accomplish on the page. Everything is very dark and moody until those tattoos come to life and explode the pages into colorful glowing brilliance. I can’t imagine this done any other way!

Overall, this is my second favorite title (below Dance) so far in the Final Crisis Aftermath quartet. Origionally, I had planned to only buy Run; but I am glad that I decided to go with Ink and Dance. Escape still has something to prove in my opinion. Ink is one of many representatives of my favorite type of comic book. Firstly, a comic book should be created because it can do things and go places that no other form of media can accomplish. Check! Secondly, it should at least attempt to say something of value about the real world. Check! Lastly, it needs to have a kick-ass story. Check! Pick this one up, folks.

(4/5)

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