Panels of the Week- 10/26/11

The last week of October was packed full of entertaining panels. Whether you were looking for spectacular art or just a good chuckle, last week's books had plenty to offer. It wasn't easy to narrow it down, but here's what we think are the top 10 panels of the week.

10. FF #11

Explaining jokes is always comedy. Alex Power kinda looks like a palette swapped Striker.

9. Astonishing X-Men #43

I don't want to live in a world where robots aren't taught about twirly mustached men.

8. Justice League Dark #2

Thanks for reminding us why you're awesome, John. Mikel Janin's art looks great here.

7. Gladstone's School For World Conquerors #6

This entire issue was full of great single panels, but I think this was my favorite moment.

6.  New Mutants #32

The best answer is often the one that makes you want to sigh.

5. All-Star Western #2

I love these two together. I can hear this exchange in my head perfectly. Beautiful facial expressions from Moritat.

4. Daredevil #5

When I see panels like this I feel like hugging my comic. Such great art on this book.

3. Green Wake #6

It's incredibly simple, but it says so much. Riley Rossmo is amazing.

2. Journey into Mystery #630

I was already considering picking this book up, but now I'm completely sold. The panel after this one is great too.

1. The Flash #2

This issue blew me away, and this panel was a big part of that. There's so much going on here, but it never feels overly complicated. If you want to know why Francis Manapul is one of my favorite artists, just take a look at this.

By Marceline with No comments

Review: Justice League Dark #2

The magic side of the DCU is my sweet spot, and the first issue of Justice League Dark hit it full force. From showing off what made some of my favorite characters great to introducing a truly terrifying supernatural threat, the first issue of the comic delivered a great story and showed a lot of promise for issues to come. It goes without saying that I was only expecting bigger and better things from issue 2. The solicit mentioned world destruction. The cover promised Zatanna and Constantine burning witches. How could it be anything but awesome?

While Justice League Dark #2 lacked the witch burning featured on the cover, it was still a thoroughly entertaining comic. It looks like we're getting into some of the things Peter Milligan really excels at here- screwed up relationship dynamics, unexpected plot twists, and some really terrific character work. I missed seeing Shade the Changing Man this issue, but characters like Deadman, Dawn Granger, and John Constantine made great use of their increased panel time. In many ways, the conflict between Deadman and Dove was the driving force behind the issue, and there were some big developments for other members of the book's cast. I'm still anxious to see the whole team assembled together, but I don't mind the process being drawn back as long as we keep getting great character moments. Everyone but the yet to be seen Mindwarp has had a chance to shine, and I'm sure he'll get his spotlight soon.

Once again, the art by Mikel Janin is absolutely fantastic. His facial expressions are especially strong- he really helped sell Dawn's hurt, frustration and anger throughout the course of a book, and the little smirk that a bloodied Constantine wore tells readers just what they need to know about the character. The twisted spread near the beginning of the book is incredibly detailed, and I spent a long time looking at the destruction littered across the page. Milligan asks for a lot from Janin here, requiring him both the sweet and the gruesome, and Janin always delivers. Colorist Ulises Arreola adds in some nice little details, like the red glow around Deadman, that really compliment Janin's work.

Milligan promised that this series would be emotionally dark, and it's this issue that's really given an idea of what that will mean. At times, some of the series main characters feel downright unlikable, but their actions still ring true to me. What really makes their behavior work for me is that it feels like a natural result of the situation that they're in, not jerkishness for the sake of angst. Even when they're not facing the incredibly powerful Enchantress, it doesn't look like the Dark crew will have an easy go of it, and I'm looking forward to seeing where Milligan takes some of these characters in the issues to come.

While I've already recommended this title to fans of Vertigo and DC's magic cast of characters, I'd also suggest that Dawn Granger fans give this a try. I think her portrayal here is much stronger than it is in Hawk and Dove, and it looks like she's going to be sticking around for a good long while. Justice League Dark remains a solid supernatural title with beautiful art. It doesn't quite feel like a team book yet, but I'm sure it will soon, and I look forward to seeing the adventures that this motley crew will have. This remains one of my favorite DCnU titles, and I can't wait for issue 3, witch burning or not.

By Marceline with 5 comments

52 Review's Source Wall - Episode 2: The Deadman's Chest

And we're back ladies and gentleman! After a bit of a delay, Eric Holodnak and Bobbinette Carey return with a slightly Halloween themed episode of The Source Wall (formerly just the 52 Review). Several suggestions were taken into an account, some changed were made now, some have to be made later, and some (like me being replaced with someone less annoying) were just not touched upon.

On this episode, we go over several demon and monster based books. Demon Knights, Justice League Dark, Frankenstein: Agent of S.H.A.D.E. and, because no one demanded it, I, Vampire. Then we talk about if it's possible, in a world like DC's, to have an actually effective horror line. Join us won't you?

And, as always, feel free to comment with suggestions and niceties.

THE FOLLOWING PROGRAM MAY CONTAIN HARSH LANGUAGE

VIEWER DISCRETION IS ADVISED

Part 1:

Part 2:

Part 3:

And if you want to just watch the full version because you've got that sort of time:

(VIDEO COMING SOON)

Changes in the works:

We are aware that it's still a little rough. We're working on a new location that doesn't have the atrocious echo so, bare with us. For now, I hope you can still enjoy us in the rough, as it were.

By Electric Nerd with 4 comments

Panels Of The Week - Week Of 9/28/11

This was another week of strong art for the new 52. My favorite moment of the week would have to be the origin splash page in The Flash #1, but there were plenty of great single panel moments too. From John Constantine getting the chance to appreciate London, to Geoff Johns challenging our preconceptions of Aquaman, here are our top 5 panels of the week!

5. Justice League Dark

In a book that was often dark and creepy, this panel was so much fun. I can't think of anything more perfect for Constantine to have been teleported into. Milligan's been writing Constantine for a long time now, and obviously he has a good handle on the character, but it was still great the way I heard the character's voice in my head as I read this.

4. Green Lantern: New Guardians

Most days of the week, Guy Gardner is my favorite Green Lantern, but Kyle "Manga Nut with a Power Ring" Rayner will always win in the constructs department. Even though a good chunk of the issue involved a recap of Kyle's origin and the various other lanterns of the universe, Kyle still got a few chances to show off what makes him great. The smile on his face is terrific.

3. All-Star Western

This panel summed up so much of what I loved about All-Star Western. The expressiveness and energy of Moritat's art, Gabriel Bautista's rich and atmospheric colors, and most of all, the Sherlock Holmes-esque vibe between Arkham and Hex. Clearly Arkham is the Watson in this equation, but I feel a little weird calling Hex Holmes. Still, you can't fault his detective work. If punching guys is good enough for Batman, it's good enough for Jonah Hex.

2. The Flash

Like I said in my Flash #1 review, little moments like this are why I love comics. Well executed onomatopoeia is always appreciated, but Francis Manapul's beautiful, intricate artwork really takes this to the next level. Water is something that's drawn badly a surprising amount of the time, so this splash looking perfect really highlights how great Manapul is.

1. Aquaman

I bet that Geoff Johns was giggling to himself when he scripted this one. The line is the sort of thing that might've appeared in a "stuff Aquaman would never say" thread not that long ago, and the image of him sitting at the booth in his full costume is a terrific one. I always appreciate superheroes wearing their costumes like they're the most normal things in the world. This was my favorite panel of the week, and I'm really looking forward to more moments like this as Aquaman continues.

By Marceline with 1 comment

Review: Justice League Dark #1

I've always loved the magic side of the DC universe, and as might be expected, I was pretty excited when Justice League Dark was announced. It didn't hurt that the book's line-up was awesome. Zatanna! Constantine! Shade the Changing Man! But with high levels of excitement come high expectations, and every once in a while, I'd get worried that this book wouldn't live up to the hype. It didn't help that this was one of the last numbers ones to be released, and by the time I had this book in hand, I was feeling pretty nervous. But by the time I was a few pages in, I knew I'd had nothing to worry about.

Writer Peter Milligan does a great job establishing most of the main cast. Even John Constantine, whose appearance in the book was unfortunately brief, was established enough to give readers a feel for his personality and his history with a certain backwards talking girl. Although it's Madame Xanadu's creepy and foreboding narration that guides us through the issue, it was Zatanna who was the standout for me. She comes across as witty, brave, and clever enough to get past Batman himself. Fans of Shade will be happy to know that Milligan still has a strong handle on the character, and seems interested in incorporating elements of his Vertigo series in this new title.

Artist Mikel Janin is a relative newcomer to comics, but he makes it clear that he was the perfect choice for this book. He's able to bring softness and sweetness to characters like Dawn Granger and June Moone, but where he really shines is during the book's more horrifying moments. His Enchantress is twisted and inhuman, and he finds ways to make even simple moments feel a little more terrifying. There's some fantastic background work that really made a few scenes for me, like the little royal guard bear we see when Constantine crash lands into a pile of souvenirs, or the beautiful stained glass window behind Madame Xanadu. Janin's style feels very modern, but Ulises Arreola's colors help give it more of a 90's Vertigo feel that suits the book well.

While I think this title is fairly accessible to new readers, I don't know that they'll appreciate it on the same level long time fans of these characters will. You don't need to know who June Moone or Kathy are to follow the book, but certain scenes will be much more powerful if you do, and there occasionally seems to be an assumption that the reader knows certain details. On the other hand, I was a little annoyed to see Superman seemingly unaware of his weakness to magic, but I think it was an important thing to establish for those less familiar with the DC universe. It highlights the need for the Justice League Dark, and what makes this crew of characters so special.

The story Milligan is spinning here feels really ambitious, and I can't wait to see it come together. There are elements of things like Morrison's Doom Patrol and Swamp Thing here, and I'm excited to see where some of the weirder concepts in this book go. He seems to be bursting with ideas, from cows birthing meat slicers to envelopes that can compress time. The descriptions in Madame Xanadu's narrations are both creative and unsettling, and really set the tone for this book. In the line of titles like Justice League and Demon Knights, this is a "building the team" book, but there's enough going on in this issue that the book doesn't feel overly compressed. The issue's conclusion is fairly dramatic, and is going to make it hard to wait a month for the next issue.

I'd recommend this to Vertigo readers, fans of magic based characters, and to anyone looking for a less conventional team book. There are some very funny moments, but I'd advise against this one if you're looking for a more lighthearted read. There's some pretty disturbing imagery, and Milligan seems to be holding true to his promise of keeping the book emotionally dark. There was the occasional clunky moment, but overall, this is an intriguing first issue, and I think it's only going to get better once the set-up is out of the way. There's a vast selection of magical characters to use in this title, and Milligan clearly has the imagination to create compelling new ones. I'm looking forward to seeing what his twisted mind comes up with next.

By Marceline with 3 comments

The Best of DC's December Covers

DC recently finished releasing their solicits for December, and there are quite a few gorgeous covers in there. I think the power of good cover art is often underestimated, and I always want to take the time to spotlight a great looking cover when I can. It wasn't easy narrowing them down, but here are my top 10 DC December covers.

10. Batwoman #4, by J.H. Williams III

At this point, I'm pretty sure J.H. Williams III is incapable of making a cover I don't love. This one is especially cool to me because of the way it recalls some of the Batwoman logos DC ultimately decided against. I love the contrast between Bette's muted colors and Kate's deep rich ones, and I'm fascinated by some of the imagery there at the bottom. Having read the first issue of Batwoman, that hook makes me think that we might see more crimes inspired by urban legends in some way. The feathers floating up by Bette's hand is a nice touch- one of those little details that you might not notice the first time you look at it. There's also a very cool variant cover for this issue courtesy of co-artist Amy Reeder. I'm looking forward to seeing how the current logo looks on a cover not done by Williams, and I'm even more excited to see how the images on these two covers wind up fitting together.




9. Captain Atom #4, by Stanley Lau

Stanley Lau's been doing some really nice covers for Captain Atom, but none of them have caught my eye in the way that this one did. I love the blur of colors trailing behind and below him, and the terrified expression on the face of the soldier at the bottom. I'm not sure if Stanley Lau colored this or if it was Jose Villarubia, but the whole color scheme is so striking, and uses the recommend "blue and orange" elements without looking like everything else on the stands. It's a good match for Freddie Williams II's new art style, and shouldn't leave readers feeling disapointed when they check out the interiors. There's nice detail all over, even at the top of the page, and it's a shame some of that's going to be obscured by the book's logo. Captain Atom is a tougher sell than many of the other new 52 books, but this is the sort of cover that could convince someone to give it a shot. Here's hoping this issue is a good jumping on point.




8. Justice League Dark #4, by Ryan Sook

Man, that Ryan Sook can draw! And while you might think he'd be getting sick of drawing Deadman right now, he seems to be full of ideas. This is a beautiful cover that really gives you a feel for the sort of book Justice League Dark is. There's a lot of negative space here, but he still manages to fit in a fair amount of the book's cast- I believe that's June Moon and Enchantress along with Deadman. I get more bothered than I should by nice deals being obscured when the cover goes to print, so I always appreciate a cover like this, in which almost nothing will be covered up. Justice League Dark may not make its debut until Wednesday, but this cover has me more excited to read the title than ever before. While I love all of Ryan Sook's covers, I hope we get to see the book's interior artist, Mikel Janin, take on a cover in the months to come.




7. Batman and Robin #4, by Patrick Gleason and Mick Gray

During Batman and Robin's last run, my favorite comic artist, Frank Quitely, turned out cover after cover for the series. While this cover is very obviously not drawn by Quitely, I feel like it appropriates a lot of the things that made his covers so cool, and such a great fit for the title. I love the image of Damian breaking free of Batman, with both of them breaking free of the city below, while Nobody lurks beneath them, and something sinister reaches out for them. It's a lot going on without looking crowded, and makes me really curious about what's going on plotwise. This is another cover that seems to have been designed with the book's logo in mind, and I think all those bats might actually look cooler when it appears that they're pouring out from beneath the Batman and Robin symbol.





6. Stormwatch #4, by Chris Burnham

There have been elements of this style in some of the other Stormwatch covers we've seen, but Sepulveda's never gone cartoon-y in this way. I absolutely love it. It's a joy to see this sort of take on the Stormwatch crew, and I would love to read an entire issue drawn like this. It's filled with wonderful facial expressions, from Adam One's look of panic to the reaction image worthy look on Midnighter's face. It also makes wonderful use of Martian Manhunter. When you really pay attention to it, this is a pretty gory cover, but the bright colors and overall fun look of the image distract from that. I keep looking and looking at this and spotting new details every time. There's some detail that will sadly be lost when the logo gets added, but I'm actually really curious to see how the standard Stormwatch logo looks against an image like this.





Edit: It looks likes the solicit was incorrect, and this cover was actually drawn by Chris Burnham. In that case, I'd love to see him fill-in for an issue or two! Thanks to commenter Jill for pointing this out.





5. Batman #4, by Greg Capullo

Greg Capullo's Batman covers just keep getting better and better. This cover has a few similarities with the next cover on the list, but it's so eyecatching that I couldn't help but include both of them in my top 5. The bleeding image of Gotham at the bottom of the page is so striking, and gives me so many ideas about what this story might be like. Capullo's Batman feels as though he's in a completely different world from everything else in the image, and I absolutely love it. We haven't gotten a look at the new owl themed Batvillain, but I have a feeling this image will only become cooler when we do. The gold against the black looks fantastic, and that's really a beautiful coloring job. I hope the silver of the new Batman logo is changed to gold for this issue- it'd look really striking with the rest of this cover. With the way these covers have been improving from issue to issue, I can't wait to see what Capullo has for us next.




4. Swamp Thing #4, by Yanick Paquette

Yanick Paquette isn't doing the covers for this issue, but he still managed to turn out an incredibly creepy and eye catching cover. I love all the symmetry in this image- the design at the bottom looks like something you'd see on a greeting card in hell, and that creature lurking behind the diver is the stuff of nightmares, That the image of Swamp Thing isn't symmetric makes him feel a little more real than everything else on the page- a very cool effect. There's been an awful lot of green in Swamp Thing covers past, and I like that this still heavily incorporates the green (hee) without it feeling so overwhelming. This is one of my favorite books of the relaunch, and seeing a cover like this just cements that.






3. Wonder Woman #4, by Cliff Chiang

I saw this cover before I had a chance to read the fantastic first issue of Wonder Woman, and while I thought it looking great, I didn't quite get how well it encapsulates the vibe of this books. It's hip and it's different, it's sometimes brutal and sometimes loud, and Diana herself feels a little separated from everything else in the comic. She's a presence, someone intimidating in both the world of man and the often terrifying world of the gods. I am so glad they changed the Wonder Woman logo before it went to print- this one looks perfect with both covers I've seen it on. This is the sort of comic that I really wish DC could get on newstands, because I have the feeling this cover could help drawn in a brand new audience. I never thought I would say this, but this is an image that would get me to hang a Wonder Woman poster on my bedroom wall.






2. Frankenstein, Agent of Shade #4, by J.G. Jones

Even without taking the book's leading man into consideration, Frankenstein is a title very clearly inspired by the Universal monster movies of old. To play tribute like that is awesome, and I love seeing this side of J.G. Jones' style. Frank looks like a real movie hero here, and not just like a monster. Working that title (which uses a great font) into the cover is also a clever idea. While those who've read the solicits have known about monster planet for a little while now, this sells the concept to anyone who might be browsing what's on the shelf. This really doesn't look like a DC book, and I think that's a good thing. Fans of indie titles, horror comics, and more are going to be picking this one up, and I have a feeling they'll like what they see. This issue will take place in the middle of a storyline, but I definitely think Jeff Lemire is the kind of writer who understands that every issue is someone's first.





1. The Flash #4, by Francis Manapul

Francis Manapul said he didn't expect DC to let him play the book's logo like this, but I'm so very glad they did. Everything about this cover is visually interesting, from the bullet traveling panel to panel Frank Quitely style, to the way the bridge in the two panels near the bottom comes together, to the flip-book like effect on the book's right hand side. Manapul uses a color scheme like this in a lot of his work, and it always looks fantastic. There's so much action going on here, but there's still this softness to the image, something that makes you want to pause and soak up all the details. This isn't just one of the best covers of December. I can already tell you this'll be among my top covers for the year, and maybe even one of my top covers of all time. I'm tremendously excited to read Flash #1 this Wednesday, and one look at this image should tell you why.

By Marceline with 2 comments

New Justice League Dark Trailer

Artist Mikel Janin has put together a very cool trailer for the upcoming Justice League Dark. I'm a huge fan of DC's magic based characters, and this comic is one of my most anticipated titles. For more tidbits about Justice League Dark, check out Mikel Janin's DeviantArt, and be sure to check out Justice League Dark when it comes out on September 28th!

By Marceline with 1 comment