TITLE: Batman Incorporated, Vol. 1: The Demon Star
AUTHOR: Grant Morrison
PENCILLERS: Chris Burnham, Frazer Irving
COLLECTS: Batman Incorporated #0-6
FORMAT: Hardcover
PUBLISHER: DC Comics
PRICE: $24.99
RELEASED: April 8, 2013

By Rob Siebert
Editor, Fanboy Wonder

Batman Incorporated is like The Walking Dead, in the sense that it’s much better to read as a trade than in single issues. Unlike a lot of mainstream superhero comics, Batman Incorporated doesn’t take any time to recap things on a month-to-month basis. These days, most of Marvel’s books dedicate at least a paragraph on their title/credits page to reminding readers what’s going on. That’s not to say Batman Incorporated is obligated to do so, but it makes it tougher to simply pick an issue up from the shop and read it. But when you read issues #1-6 one after the other, it’s pretty damn good.

More or less picking up where the previous volume left off (It’s the New 52 now, so Stephanie Brown, Cassandra Cain, and certain other characters aren’t there anymore.), Talia al Ghul has been revealed as the leader of the terrorist group Leviathan. She has placed a bounty on the head of her son, Damian, a.k.a. Robin. Batman benches Damian just as Leviathan strikes Gotham City. But even the Dark Knight doesn’t know how deeply Talia’s insurgents have penetrated the city, and Damian isn’t about to stand by and watch Gotham be torn apart. Though in the end, it will cost him dearly…

Readers should take their hats off to Chris Burnham for this one. His characters look very vibrant, expressive, and well defined. The various Robin alums actually look like different people, as opposed to a bunch of dark haired clones of varying ages. Plus, he makes the Brett Booth Red Robin costume look kinda cool. Even Brett Booth couldn’t do that. One might argue that his Damian looks a bit too young. He’s supposed to be 10, right? This one looks like he might be seven or eight. Even so, it’s one of the better Damian renderings I’ve seen. He actually looks and acts like a child.

I think one of the reasons the Batman Incorporated concept works so well is because it makes a certain amount of sense. Looking at it from an in-story perspective, Batman has so many partners, associates and stringers that to not expand like this is almost a waste. Some fans argued that the concept takes too much away from the character’s dark and shadowy mystique to be worthwhile. I understand that notion, and I’m certainly glad we’ve ditched the  pre-reboot “bat light” suit. But from a character standpoint, it fits with the whole “war on crime” theme, doesn’t it? Putting aside suspension of disbelief, if you’re a man whose crusade against crime has been reasonably successful for several years, why wouldn’t you attempt to do that kind of good on a grander scale? If you buy into the idea of Batman, it makes sense.

Unlike the first volume of Incorporated, the events we see here take place primarily in Gotham City. Pre-New 52, the series sent Batman to places like Japan, Argentina and France, as he recruited new heroes for the group. This portion of the story feels more focused, and more of an emotional core to it, what with the father-mother-son dynamic. I say this portion of the story, because I can only assume this is more or less where Grant Morrison was taking things before the reboot happened. He and Burnham have had to adjust accordingly, but the basic plot is intact. So it doesn’t seem to be a matter of Morrison downplaying the international elements of Batman Incorporated, but rather this being the next chapter in the story. Either way, the events of Demon Star are better than the “recruitment drive” we saw in the first book.

In truth, the international characters in this book are surprisingly pushed to the side in favor of the “usual suspects,” i.e. Nightwing, Red Robin, even Jason Todd. Granted, there’s a milestone moment in the lives of Knight & Squire. But in the context of this book, characters like Batwing and El Gaucho are interchangeable with any other DC hero who has ties to Batman. I find that odd considering Batman Incorporated is supposed to be a global network of heroes.

The Demon Star calls upon just enough of Batman’s rich history to add something extra for longtime fans, while not alienating new readers. Characters like El Gaucho and Hood were hidden gems before Morrison dug them up for Batman Incorporated. But he and Burnham also revisit Talia’s entire backstory, and to their credit, they don’t muck it up and “modernize” it like so many creators did with the #0 issues last September. They add their own unique and intriguing elements, but they also incorporate the classic Denny O’Neil/Bob Brown material from her first appearance in 1972′s Batman #411, and allude to some of the classic Neal Adams stuff. Heck, there’s even an allusion to Villains United. It’s nice to see this kind of thing, considering these days DC is going out of their way not to mention it.

All in all The Demon Star builds very well. In that sense, it’s one of the better Bat-books we’ve seen since the New 52. It’s also a very effective set up for what we know lays ahead for Damian, and is a fitting next chapter in the romance-turned-rivalry between Batman and Talia. For Batman fans, it’s a can’t-miss.

RATING: 9/10
Front page image from newsarama.com. Image 1 from superheroes-or-whatever.tumblr.com. Image 2 from author’s collection.
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TITLE: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Vol. 5: Krang War
AUTHORS: Kevin Eastman, Tom Waltz
PENCILLER: Ben Bates
COLLECTS: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #17-20
FORMAT: Softcover
PUBLISHER: IDW Publishing
PRICE: $17.99
RELEASE DATE: May 8, 2013

Need to catch up on your TMNT? Check out the previous four volumes: Change is Constant, Enemies Old, Enemies New, Shadows of the Past and Sins of the Fathers.

By Rob Siebert
Editor, Fanboy Wonder

The Ninja Turtles have always had their share of cosmic adventures, dating back to the original books Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird did. It’s as much a part of their mythology as anything else. That being said, I’ve always preferred my TMNT stories to be more on the Frank Miller side of things. I like my Turtles to be stealthy, rooftop hopping shadow dwellers, as opposed to laser dodging, spaceship flying, alien-fighting adventurers. But even if you come in with that mind set, Krang War is a pretty good Ninja Turtles story.

When the Turtles, April O’Neil and Casey Jones decide to investigate Stockgen further, they shockingly discover that April’s former co-worker Chet is actually the Fugitoid, a robot from Dimension X. Fugitoid contains the consciousness of Honeycutt, a scientist who once warned the high council of the planet Utrominon of their world’s imminent destruction due to their overuse of one of it’s natural resources. But the council refused to heed his warning, and the planet was doomed. Thus, the Utrom warlord Krang is determined to manipulate Earth’s atmosphere to make it a new Utrominon. In the meantime, Krang’s forces have invaded the planet Neutrino. When forces from Neutrino come to Earth and retrieve Chet/Fugitoid/Honeycutt to help them build a weapon, the Turtles are drawn into their war. But how does all this, and the ensuing battle, involve the Shredder’s daughter Karai?

I have very little complaining to do about how well Waltz and his various collaborators have brought elements from the original cartoon show into the modern era for this series. Krang War is no exception. Children of the ’80s will recognize the Neutrinos, Kala, Zak and Dask. King Zenter and Queen Gizzla are also there, though in name only. Eastman, Waltz and Bates do a fine job of re-interpreting them for a universe that’s a bit more mature (though not too mature of course). The high-registered, lingo spewing teenagers driving souped up flying cars, replaced with battle-hardened soldiers with familiar hairdos. Krang’s rock soldiers from Dimension X look good too.

Ben Bates’ art is a definite improvement over Andy Kuhn’s in the last volume. Kuhn’s art is fine in it’s own right, but Bates is a much better fit for the Ninja Turtles. He does a great job giving us the cartoony expressions and humor, in addition to the more serious drama and action. In a way it’s a meld of a lot of the great TMNT incarnations through the years. I can see Eastman and Laird, the 4Kids animated series, as well as traces of the current animated series. He brings the pencilling back up to the level it was when Dan Duncan was on the book. Sadly, this book contains his entire four-issue run.

I liked the way Karai was worked into this story. Although, there was a weird scene between she and the Shredder in issue #19 where they’re sitting at a table eating while they’re in full combat gear. But on the whole, her presence in the story was a nice way to keep the Foot Clan involved in the proceedings without actually making the story about them. By the time we close the book, we also have something that could finally prompt a meeting between Shredder and Krang. I don’t necessarily see that happening until autumn at the soonest. But I’m guessing it’s in the near future.

IDW’s Ninja Turtles series has had a fairly hit-or-miss existence. They didn’t pay off Raphael’s early separation from his brothers in the first book, and things took a tumble in the third book with the team’s first confrontation with the Shredder. But things have gradually been on the uprise since then. In truth, this is the best the series has been so far. Perhaps it’s a matter of Eastman, Waltz and the creative team finally getting comfortable in their skin as far as this new continuity is concerned. Either way, my hopes aren’t high that things will stay this good. But after 20 issues, at least our creators have a little more experience on their side.

RATING: 7.5/10

Front page image from dadsbigplan.com. Image 2 from comicbookresources.com. Image 3 from tumblr.com.
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By Rob Siebert
Editor, Fanboy Wonder

I’m calling you out, Felicia Day.

Oh, don’t look at me like that. Don’t give me the innocent “Who, me?” look. Don’t try the adorably quirky smile, either. And don’t try to geek your way into my heart like you’ve done to so many others with your work on The Guild. You certainly can’t melt me with your singing, which we saw in Dr. Horrible’s Sing-a-long Blog. None of that’s going to work this time. It’s time for you to face the music. I’m going to expose you…

What? No. This isn’t a creepy fanboy thing. Just relax, you’re going to be fine. But I am going to expose you for the usurper of justice that you are. I’m going to tell the world about the travesty that you committed in Chicago at C2E2 this weekend. And most importantly, I’m here to tell you how you ruined my life.

It all begins with me and my people skills.

I like to think I’m pretty good with keeping my cool around famous people. Through my jobs, this web site and various comic book conventions, I’ve been fortunate enough to talk to or interview a lot of people with different levels of celebrity. From Justin Timberlake to Ernie Hudson to Peter Mayhew (the guy in the Chewbacca costume) to Jared the Subway guy, I’ve mingled with my share of stars. I even got a quote from President Obama during his senator days.

Then there was the time I made Lance Bass laugh. It was an ‘N Sync meet and greet (Shut up. I was in middle school.), and I said I “did not know there were so many teenage girls in the state of Illinois.” Alright, so it wasn’t brilliant. And it was only later we learned he was gay. But he laughed, so I’m calling it a win!

In essence, I always do my best to keep my cool and not freeze up around famous people. Awkwardness and embarrassment torture me. It’s an anxiety thing I’ve got. So when I get the opportunity to meet somebody famous, I take pride in being able to talk to them like they’re regular people, and not stammer or get star struck. I’d like to think they appreciate that on some level.

But this weekend, my non-awkwardness/embarrassment streak was broken. At C2E2 in Chicago’s McCormick Place convention center, one man finally broke me. He gave me a bumbling fumbling star struck brain freeze, and left me stumbling across my mental landscape to pick up the pieces of my shattered dignity…

It was Burt Ward. Robin from the 1960s Batman show. That’s right, folks. The man who would become America’s first black president didn’t get to me, but the Boy Wonder did. If that doesn’t illustrate what a hopeless fanboy I am, I don’t know what to tell ya.

As most people know, from 1966 to 1968 Adam West and Burt Ward defined the Batman mythos for a generation (for better or worse, depending on who you ask), as they POW, WHAM, and ZAPPED their way through Gotham City’s rogues. In the process, they became American icons and staples of popular culture.

I’m sure I’m not the only one who can cite the Batman TV show as my “gateway drug” into comic books. Burt Ward helped me find something that I’m passionate about, and gives me a lot of joy. Not only that, but his unwavering exuberance in everything he did on that show accounted for much of what made it great. As great as West’s performances as Batman were, he couldn’t have sailed that ship alone. Ward deserves just as much credit for making that show what it was. So imagine my excitement when I heard Ward was attending C2E2, which is practically in my back yard!

I arrived at C2E2, anxiously awaiting the meeting of Boy Wonder and Fanboy Wonder. After combing much of the convention floor, spending way too much money on action figures, and getting autographs from the likes of Brian Wood, Ethan Van Sciver, Peter Tomasi and Patrick Gleason, the time had arrived. I’d given myself a few hours before approaching the entertainment guest tables, so my subconscious could whip up something charming and witty to say. We were going for another Lance Bass chuckle, ladies and gentlemen. Oh yes, we were.

This is where Felicia Day comes in…

When I reached the guest tables, I saw that Robin had found himself an adversary in none other than Felicia Day. With her two million Twitter followers and uncannily crushable geek goddess appeal, Day had a line that dwarfed our hero’s. That is to say, she had between 50 and 100 people, and Ward had about five. It was still fairly early in the day, but I’d say this was a fair indicator of where the fans were going.

I met Felicia Day at Wizard World Chicago a few years ago. She’s a nice girl. I liked her in Dr Horrible, and I got her autograph for my girlfriend. I’ve got nothing against her. But with that in mind I say…who the hell is Felicia Day??? After all he’s done for our geek subculture, and American culture in general, Burt Ward should be carried into comic book conventions on one of this big…uh, throne thingies. He shouldn’t have to sit there like a chump while fans furiously flock to the fiery follicled Felicia! This was blasphemy! Where was the justice?!? Someone tell me!

So in that moment, I became justice personified. I handed my back pack to my girlfriend, made sure I had my $50 for an autographed 8X10 (I know, it is pretty steep…), and marched my way up to Burt Ward’s table. He and his agent/publicist/handler guy were just finishing up with a fan. I got up there, greeted them both, and happily asked if I could have an autograph.

In response, agent/publicist/handler guy said: “Well gee, there’s a big line right there…”

And suddenly, it was all clear. I’d made a huge mistake. That huge line I’d seen wasn’t for Felicia Day! It was a line of anxious fans waiting to meet the Boy Wonder, and pay tribute to him for his contributions to geek culture! All was right with the world!

There are a great many questions I could have asked myself to avoid what happened next. I’m going to list the top three.

1. This agent/publicist/handler guy seems like a sociable dude. Is it possible he could be joking?
2. There are a lot of 8X10s sitting there at the table. Is it possible they haven’t had many visitors?
3. If the line is for Burt Ward, why are they all standing in front of Felicia Day’s table? (This one probably would have helped the most.)

But no, none of those light bulbs went on. Instead I apologized and walked halfway back the way I came. Then I noticed no one else was stepping forward to take my place. I immediately looked back, and saw Ward and agent/publicist/handler guy laughing and waving me back.

I’d gotten a chuckle, but it certainly wasn’t for my wit.

To his credit, Ward was pretty cool about the whole thing. Agent/publicist/handler guy gave me two signed 8X10s for just $10 more. I think he knew an embarrassed sucker when he saw one, and went for the easy sale. Ward seemed to pick up on it too, and kindly asked me if I had any questions for him. I blurted something out about how it felt for Bat-Mania to have lasted this long, to which he modestly said something about it being “crazy.”

At that point I went into recovery mode. We talked a little bit about how Adam West was supposed to have been there, but pulled out due to some herniated discs in his back (ouch). I was able to stick the ending a little bit, when I told him I was disappointed by West’s absence, but his presence still made the day worth it. Later, I was able to get a photo with him.

It all worked out in the end. But the fact remains, my witty celeb encounter streak is now broken. And it’s all Felicia Day’s fault. Her adorable, geeky, entrepreneurial presence at C2E2 completely threw my game off, and now Burt Ward thinks I’m a gullable sucker. So you live with that Felicia Day. Live with yourself knowing what you did to both the Boy Wonder and the Fanboy Wonder. Think about that the next time you’re on one of your fancy schmancy Hollywood sets.

Then again, Felicia Day’s line would eventually be eclipsed by the line for none other than Jason David Frank, who you might remember as Tommy from Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers. Heh. Maybe justice isn’t dead after all…

Front page image from wallpapers.co.uk. Image 1 from last.fm. Image 3 from fuckyeahdickgrayson.tumblr.com. Image 4 from tvsluts.blogspot.com. Image 5 from thebrotherhoodofevilgeeks.com. Images 2 and 6 from author’s collection.
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TITLE: Ghostbusters, Vol. 4: Who Ya Gonna Call?
AUTHOR: Erik Burnham
PENCILLER: Dan Schoening, Tristan Jones
COLLECTS: Ghostbusters #13-16
FORMAT: Softcover
PUBLISHER: IDW Publishing
PRICE: $17.99
RELEASED: March 20, 2013

By Rob Siebert
Editor, Fanboy Wonder

This volume of IDW’s Ghostbusters series was the first to disappoint me. It’s still one of my favorite books on the stands. But this volume was supposed to pay off a sub plot that had been building since early in the series, and what we got was largely a let down. I’m not sure if Burnham, Schoening and the creative team were under pressure to transition into the New Ghostbusters book, or if certain other factors were at play. But either way, the results we get here are subpar.

When the Ghostbusters return to New York after their trek across America, they find they don’t have the giant customer waiting list they were expecting. As it turns out, a new group of paranormal eliminators, the Ghost Smashers, have moved in on the boys’ turf while they were away. This new team is led by the cocky Ron Alexander, a schemer who has created his own technology based on schematics stolen from the Ghostbusters. This “smashing” equipment apparently leads to the outright destruction of paranormal entities, as opposed to their capture and containment. Together with his team of supermodel-looking partners, Ron is successful in undercutting the majority of the Ghostbusters’ business. Little do our new “heroes” know that they’re doing more harm than good. In the end, it’ll be up to our boys in grey to step in and clean up the mess. Plus, Winston takes a big step forward in his personal life. But his duties as a Ghostbuster don’t exactly make things easy.

The name Ghost Smashers very much keeps with the tone Burnham and the creative team have set for this series thus far. Dan Aykroyd’s original draft for Ghostbusters was indeed called “Ghost Smashers.” Conceived as a vehicle for himself and Jon Belushi, Aykroyd’s story had our heroes traveling from dimension to dimension to fight ghosts, one of which was the Stay Puft Marshmallow man. Obviously, the story was eventually reworked into what we know and love today. What we see from Ron Alexander’s team isn’t reflective of what Aykroyd conceived all those years ago, but attaching the name to a competitive team is still a pretty cool idea. To an extent it makes you wonder what might have been.

The problem I have with the Ghost Smashers story arc is that it was too short to be an effective pay off for something that’s been built up since issue #3. We’d had over a year’s worth of build up for this, and then we didn’t even get a full four issue story arc out of it. Granted, Ron Alexander isn’t going away. He’s featured quite prominently in The New Ghostbusters, IDW’s current GB book (which Burnham, Schoening and Jones are also on). But there was so much more than could have been done with this alternate team idea. For instance, Burnham and Schoening play with the idea of Ray falling for one of the Ghost Smashers. A love interest for Ray is something that has seldom, if ever been done before. And having that love interest be on an opposing team of paranormal eliminators? That’s an amazing idea! But it gets cut short before it goes anywhere. There was so much potential for good, funny storytelling here, and it goes unfulfilled.

The climax to the Ghost Smashers story is resolved by way of a character we met at the end of the last book, which I wasn’t thrilled about. I think in a perfect world, this book would have collected issues #12-15, as oppised to #13-16. Structurally, it would have made more sense that way. The closure we get to that whole subplot is a bit rushed, but it’s still fulfilling.

Still, the story has its high points. Remember Egon’s big “Your mother!” outburst from Ghostbusters? Burnham and Shoening play off that moment, and give Egon a nice hot temper moment with Ron. It’s always fun to see a typically reserved character lose his mind a little bit. (Right Hulk?) The way the boys go about defeating the big evil is pretty cool, and shows off a some new GB tech. And of course, Burnham’s trademark wit and Schoening’s cartoony art go perfectly together. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: These are the best Ghostbusters comic books I’ve ever seen. They’re likely the best the industry has ever produced. This one is of a lower quality than the others, but it’s still better than all of the other stuff we’ve seen over the years.

Issue #16 is a Winston story. It’s not perfect, but it’s pretty good. It’s the holiday season, and Winston is on his way to getting a law degree. To top it all off, he proposes to his girlfriend. But things take a nasty turn when a figure from Winston’s past comes back to haunt him, literally! To make matters worse, his career as a Ghostbuster seems to be putting a strain on his fiance. This issue does a nice job playing up Winston’s regular guy appeal. That’s really who Ernie Hudson’s character was in the movies. Ray and Egon were the brilliant geniuses, Peter was the wise ass, and Winston was the everyman. You could even call him a point of view character, there to ask the questions and say the things we as the audience would want to ask and say. As such, it’s easy to feel for him when we see what’s happening to his relationship. I think I’ve got a pretty good idea where this story is inevitably headed. Hopefully the creative team will be able to capitalize on it, so Winston’s character and IDW’s Ghostbusters line as a whole will benefit.

Officially, Ghostbusters ends here. But the book sets us up for The New Ghostbusters series, using Janosz Poha, Peter MacNicol’s character from Ghostbusters II. I can’t say the events of The New Ghostbusters warranted the start of an entirely new series. But hey, whatever brings readers in. We also see the rookie character from Ghostbusters: The Video Game in this book. For obvious reasons he isn’t given a name. Characters like these don’t have to be included, obviously. But it’s great fan service, and one of he reasons I love this series so much as a life long Ghosthead.

This first volume of Ghostbusters was great. But after reading this book, I think the shake up we see in The New Ghostbusters might very well have been a justified one in terms of keeping things fresh. After all, one can’t rely on nostalgia forever.

RATING: 7/10

All images from author’s collection.
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TITLE: Nightwing #19
AUTHOR: Kyle Higgins
PENCILLER: Brett Booth
PUBLISHER: DC Comics
PRICE: $2.99
RELEASED: April 17, 2013

By Rob Siebert
Editor, Fanboy Wonder

Pre-New 52 Nightwing was one of my absolute favorite characters. But these days? Not so much. Not only has the novelty of his red costume worn off, but this Dick Grayson feels like he’s been robbed of so much of his depth and intrigue. He feels like just another one of Batman’s stringers, as opposed to a man who decided to forge his own path. While he’s moved to a new city, this is hardly a fresh start for our hero.

After learning that Tony Zucco, the man who murdered his parents, is still alive and in Chicago, Dick Grayson relocates to the Windy City. But in the DC Universe, Chicago has a strict “no capes” policy. This means Nightwing is as much an outlaw as the criminals he’s pursuing. As our hero works to track down Zucco, a masked villain called the Prankster wreaks havoc, and is undoubtedly on a collision course with the former Boy Wonder.

I’ve had it out for Brett Booth for a couple of years now. I’m completely and utterly sour on the direction he helped take Teen Titans in when the reboot happened. It’s going to take a long time for me to forgive him for the mess that is Red Robin’s costume. He does alright this issue despite having to draw Dick with the red costume. The opening sequence with him running from the police across the rooftops is fairly reminiscent of the way Justice League #1 opened. But I do have a question: In the shot you see on the right here, why are Nightwing’s legs wide open like that? This issue dedicates a two-page spread to our hero assuming a position that’s often seen in the adult film industry. He’s supposed to be jumping across a rooftop, right? That hardly seems aerodynamic…

The Prankster we see here is a revamp of a classic Superman villain. The last time we saw him, he was a game show host-looking Joker knocking off with a green suit and a goatee. This Prankster is much more menacing, with a black and yellow outfit, a long coat, and a mask not dissimilar to the white ones we’ve seen the Court of Owls wear. His pranks are cruel, but he apparently has a sense of social justice about him. He could prove to be an interesting friend or foe for Nightwing.

As a Chicago native, I’m not sure what I expected this issue to be from a “Hey, that’s where I live!” standpoint. The Willis Tower (remember, it’s not the Sears Tower anymore) is prominently on display, and some of the architecture looks vaguely familiar. But the art doesn’t scream Chicago. I wonder if this is how New Yorkers feel when they read Spider-Man or Daredevil…

Since the reboot, I’ve actually come close to dropping Nightwing from my pull list a couple of times. It’s not necessarily Kyle Higgins’ fault. With the New 52, he company forced ALL its characters to drop some of their baggage, but as such they also lost a lot of the depth and backstory that made them interesting. I wasn’t enamored with Dick coming back to the circus either. We’ve seen that story a bunch of times. I was hoping Nightwing #19 would start the character down a path that would freshen him up a bit. But despite its strong points, I’m not sure this issue gave us that.

Front page image/image 1 from comicbook.com. Image 2 from darkknightnews.com.
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TITLE: Uncanny Avengers, Vol. 1: The Red Shadow
AUTHOR: Rick Remender
PENCILLER: John Cassaday, Olivier Coipel.
COLLECTS: Uncanny Avengers #1-5
FORMAT: Hardcover
PUBLISHER: Marvel
PRICE: $22.99
RELEASE DATE: April 24, 2013

By Rob Siebert
Editor, Fanboy Wonder

John Cassaday. If you’re a comic book buff, that’s really all you need to know about Uncanny Avengers: The Red Shadow. Sure, it’s got a fairly interesting story about humans and mutant heroes coming together after the events of Avengers vs. X-Men. But from a fanboy perspective, or at least my fanboy perspective, this book is all about John Cassaday getting to draw Marvel’s big guns again.

We open the book at Charles Xavier’s funeral. As the X-Men and the rest of the mutant community mourn the loss of their greatest visionary, Captain America laments not doing more to help mutants. He and Thor approach Alex Summers, Cyclops’ brother and the hero known as Havoc, about leading a team comprised of both Avengers and X-Men as a public display of unity. Meanwhile, Red Skull mysteriously returns from the grave and does the unthinkable: He desecrates Xavier’s grave, and then grafts a portion of Xavier’s brain on to his own, effectively giving himself telepathic powers. He uses these new powers to incite human-on-mutant violence, bringing the two races further apart than ever. Caught in the line of fire are Rogue and the Scarlet Witch, two women who most certainly do not get along.

I once read a reviewer describe Cassaday’s portrayal of Marvel’s characters “instantly iconic.” That really hits it on the head as far as I’m concerned. Something about the way he draws these characters seems to cut to their very essence. Whether it’s that southern toughness of Rogue, the mythic grandeur of Thor, or the terrifying mercilessness of Red Skull, it’s all on display here. I was particularly a fan of his Scarlet Witch. Her shame in what she’s done to the mutant race is displayed in a brilliant, and to an extent subtle way. Her scenes with Rogue are particularly well done. It’s a bit odd to see him draw Captain America in his movie style garb, as opposed to his more traditional look. But that’s a nitpick.

This isn’t to speak ill of Oliver Coipel’s work of course. His scene between Cap and Scarlet in the training room is very well done, as is the moment with Rogue and Havok in the elevator. He does a great job of quieting the story down before he and Rick Remender really stick the ending. But simply put, Cassaday’s the star here.

From a story standpoint, this book has a nice “united we stand” feel to it. There’s an obvious real world metaphor happening here, especially when Alex makes his speech at the end about how “we are all human” and refers to “the m word” as being too divisive. Remender actually caught some flack for that one IT’s not the most moving stuff you’ll ever see in a superhero comic, but it’s effective. You certainly have to admire the intentions behind it.

My favorite scene in the book is in issue four, when Red Skull uses his telepathy to show Cap his vision of America’s golden age (basically the ’50s)/ We then see his vision of America today: “Violent monsters doused in antibiotics to offset their diet of sugary sweet drink and mounds of carcinogenic cow flesh! This is what you fight for!” In a book about unity and overcoming differences, you really can’t ask for a better antagonist than Red Skull.

In issue #5, the Wasp, Wonder Man and Sunfire are added to the roster, which feels a bit abrupt considering none of them were seen or mentioned in the book until that point. The pros and cons of having them on the team have yet to reveal themselves, though I’m sure it’ll be at least somewhat interesting.

I’m not entirely convinced Uncanny Avengers has a long life in front of it, considering how quickly a series can come and go in this day and age. But Remender, Cassaday and Coipel lay a nice foundation here, and give us some compelling comic book drama. Long time Marvel Universe fans will likely enjoy what they see here.

RATING: 7.5/10

Front page image from cdn.com. Image 2 from insidepulse.com. Image 3 from xmensupreme.blogspot.com.
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TITLE: Batman & Red Robin #19
AUTHOR: Peter Tomasi
PENCILLER: Patrick Gleason
PUBLISHER: DC Comics
PRICE: $2.99
RELEASED: April 10, 2013

By Rob Siebert
Editor, Fanboy Wonder

Lose a Robin? Eh, don’t worry. You can always pull one from an alternate universe.

Indeed, Batman & Red Robin #19 (different characters like Red Robin and Batgirl will apparently be revolving in and out of the series every month now that Damian is gone) introduces us to someone I’m not sure we’ve ever met before: A canonical version of Carrie Kelley. Most comic book readers know Carrie as Robin from Frank Miller’s iconic story The Dark Knight Returns. In this issue, Carrie is introduced as Damian’s former tutor, unsure of where he’s vanished to. Meanwhile, desperate to bring his son back from the grave, Batman frantically turns to Frankenstein, agent of S.H.A.D.E. But Alfred and Red Robin insert themselves into the situation to ensure he doesn’t do something he’ll regret.

Sticking Carrie Kelley in an issue is a nice way to tide us over until Damian either comes back, or more likely someone takes his spot. Carrie being around in the mainstream DCU obviously makes her a candidate to replace Damian. But I don’t see it happening, especially since we have Harper Row around. But just seeing her here makes this issue noteworthy. But my question is, what exactly what she tutoring Damian in? We never get a definitive answer. Carrie’s a film student, which might mean Damian was taking some sort of cultural studies or film school type lessons. But why? Damian never had much use for arts or recreation. He was pretty no nonsense. At the end we see her playing some kind of dance video game, which might imply he was taking dance lessons. But again, why? What does this version of Carrie have to teach Damian? I get the appeal of a renowned character like Carrie mentoring the current Robin in some way. But it just doesn’t seem to work with these two characters.

Batman’s abduction of the Frankenstein character to learn how to resurrect Damian is definitely a dramatic move, so much so that it borders on being out-of-character. Death and tragedy are such a huge element in Batman’s mythology, and we’re so used to seeing him grit, brood and bear it. But it’s rare that we see him actually try and cheat death, especially in such an emotional and violent way. He actually captures Frankenstein and takes him apart piece by piece, and in the process screams “I NEED my son back! And you’re going to help me — whether you like it or not.” If this weren’t a situation where Batman was grieving, and perhaps grieving as heavily as he ever has, this would have been too far. But here, I think it’s fine. All you have to do is imagine the pain a parent goes through when they lose a child, and I think it becomes understandable, though not necessarily justifiable.

Red Robin is in this issue, and is ultimately the one who forces Batman back from the brink. Gleason’s rendering of Tim Drake’s face in the panel at left is the only major artistic misstep of this issue, from where I sit. I have yet to warm up to New 52 Tim Drake at all, as most of the depth that made the character interesting in the old continuity seems to have evaporated. He plays his role fine, but frankly I almost wish it had just been Alfred who stopped Bruce.

Moving forward, it looks like we’ve got the Red Hood guest starring next month, followed by Batgirl, then Catwoman. I’m particularly anxious to see what Tomasi and Gleason do with Jason Todd. I’ve yet to be satisfied with the way the Bat books have addressed the fact that two Robins have now died. We’re two for four now, people. Those aren’t exactly the numbers you want when you’re talking about dead partners who are children. But I think as far as this issue is concerned, the bottom line is: Great emotion, flawed execution.

For more Batman & Robin, check out Batman Reborn, Batman vs. Robin, Batman Must Die, Dark Knight vs. White Knight and Born to Kill.

Front page image/image 1 from themarysue.com. Image 2 from whatculture.com.
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By Rob Siebert
Editor, Fanboy Wonder

Dark Horse Comics will release a comic book adaptation of The Star Wars, George Lucas’ unproduced screenplay, which later became Star Wars.

Via press release, Dark Horse calls the story “a tale of fantastic adventures, daring escapes, “lazer swords,” romance, and monsters. A story of Jedi Annikin Starkiller and General Luke Skywalker, an alien named Han Solo, and evil Sith Knights. The screenplay was titled The Star Wars!”

Lucas Books executive editor J.W. Rinzler will write the eight-issue miniseries, and Mike Mayhew will pencil. The first issue comes out this September

“While researching in the Lucasfilm Archives I’ve found many treasures—but one which truly astounded me was George’s rough draft for The Star Wars. His first complete imaginings were hallucinating to read—mind blowing,” Rinzler said. “While working with George on another book project, I once asked if we could adapt his rough draft. He was hesitant. Years later, with Dark Horse’s invaluable help, we showed him a few drawn and colored pages of what it might look like. He gave us the okay.”

Image from newsarama.com.
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TITLE: Batman, Vol. 2: City of Owls
AUTHORS: Scott Snyder, James Tynion IV
PENCILLERS: Greg Capullo, Jason Fabok, Rafael Albuquerque. Becky Cloonan, Andy Clarke
COLLECTS: Batman #8-12, Batman Annual #1
FORMAT: Hardcover
PUBLISHER: DC Comics
PRICE: $24.99
RELEASED: March 20, 2013

By Rob Siebert
Editor, Fanboy Wonder

I’ve never been as in love with Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo’s Batman stuff as other fans have. But I’ve got to admit, the Court of Owls make for a damn cool addition to the Caped Crusader’s already epic rogues gallery. And in the second volume of Snyder and Capullo’s run on the title, they take center stage again.

The Court of Owls has unleashed their Talons, their personal flock of deadly assassins, on Gotham City. Their targets are Gotham’s major city officials. But Batman is also in harms way, as the Talons take the fight directly into Wayne Manor! But as the Dark Knight wages war against this deadly alliance of evil, he’s painfully unaware of a revelation waiting in the wing, which could change his life forever. Also included in City of Owls are the revamped New 52 origin of Mr. Freeze, and the debut of a delightfully intriguing new character named Harper Row.

Before we get into the main story, let’s talk about Mr. Freeze. Initially, I wasn’t too pleased with what we got from Snyder, James Tynion IV and Jason Fabok. Firstly, why doesn’t he have sleeves? In the issue, a doctor says that if Freeze exposed himself to any kind of heat, he’d “boil alive.” So when we say heat, how hot are we talking about? Conventionally, historically, Freeze has had to stay in his cooling suit in order to survive in room temperature conditions. And yet in this issue, we see him outside a sub zero environment and he’s apparently fine, despite his skin being icy blue. His new origin also involves Bruce Wayne shutting down his experiments to save his wife Nora, which is a little too serendipitous for my taste.

But the whole thing was saved by a single line from Batman: “Victor, you and I both know that woman is not your wife.”

Indeed, in the New 52 continuity, Victor Fries apparently became fixated on a woman who was cryogenically frozen in the 1940s, whom he wrote his graduate thesis on. Batman emphasizes that Freeze loves the idea and illusion of Nora being his wife, as she’s wrapped up in “the only thing you’ve ever cared about…the cold.” I like this change because it makes Freeze a less sympathetic character. No one can deny how awesome Paul Dini’s Batman: The Animated Series episode “Heart of Ice” was, and how brilliantly it expanded on a character who was essentially a generic cold villain. But I think 20 years later, this makes for a nice twist.

Harper Row also has a great debut in Batman #12, and Becky Cloonan draws her with a wonderfully pseudo brash charisma. Sadly she doesn’t get to finish the issue, and Andy Clarke (no slouch in his own right) takes over. Harper’s bravery, her compassion for her brother, a gay man who is often harassed, and her devotion to Batman make her easy to fall for. But for her sake, I hope she doesn’t end up in a Robin costume…

There’s a lot of haunting imagery in this book that Snyder, Capullo and the creative team do very well with. The white owl masks we see the Court members wear are still very creepy. When Batman goes into Harbor House, Snyder gives us some talk about all the pieces of a mystery suddenly fitting together as our hero walks through this old, dusty, creepy mansion. Then later we go to the Willowwood Home For Children, an abandoned children’s hospital covered in wreckage, and occasionally an old wheelchair or gurney. It all creates this haunting aura of innocence being shattered by a menace that can’t be seen, but is constantly watching you.

I’ve never been a fan of Batman fighting in big robot suits, as he does in this book to protect Alfred and the Batcave from the Talons. There have been a few exceptions, but by and large I think it’s cheap, and to an extent it takes the character’s balls away. Batman is a character who strives to be at the apex of physical and mental perfection. But what good is any of that if he just wraps himself in a big robot suit and starts punching people?

We also get some supplementary content about Alfred’s father Jarvis Pennyworth, and his dealings with the Court of Owls when Bruce was a young child. I’m not sure how necessary it is in terms of the story. But at the very least, it gives us a bit more insight into Martha Wayne’s New 52 existence, as well as Alfred’s links to the Wayne family.

This book gives us a big twist ending, which I’ve discussed before. There’s not much to say at this point, as the true test of how that all works out will come when Snyder decides to follow up on it. But I’m definitely interested.

For yours truly, Snyder’s Batman stuff has its flaws. But by and large, there are more good ideas being put forth than bad ones. Frankly, the more I look at it, the more I’m impressed by Greg Capullo. I haven’t been a fan of some of his depictions of classic villains (Mohawk Riddler, Saggy Two-Face, and of course, Flappy Face Joker), but he compliments Snyder’s writing perfectly. At this point I think he’s cemented himself as the next great Batman artist. Here’s hoping he sticks around for awhile, as it appears Snyder certainly is.

RATING: 7.5/10

Front page image from dccomics.com. Image 1 from whatculture.com. Image 2 from apple.com. Image 3 from themartianmanhunter.blogspot.com.
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TITLE: Earth 2: The Gathering
AUTHOR: James Robinson
PENCILLERS: Nicola Scott, Eduardo Pansica.
COLLECTS: Earth 2 #1-6
FORMAT: Hardcover
PUBLISHER:  DC Comics
PRICE: $22.99
RELEASED: March 13, 2013

By Rob Siebert
Editor, Fanboy Wonder

This Earth 2 series is James Robinson’s crack at redemption.

Quick history lesson: In 2009, DC released a miniseries called Justice League: Cry For Justice. Written by Robinson and pencilled by Mauro Cascioli, it attempted to be an intriguing story about superhero ethics, and the question of whether to take a more proactive stance against evil. But all that was overshadowed by abhorrent dialogue and cheap stunts, namely the severing of Roy Harper’s arm and the killing of his young daughter Lian. Robinson followed that up with a mediocre and messy run on the ongoing Justice League book that deprived one of DC’s pillar title’s of almost all of its momentum. Granted, Robinson isn’t solely to blame for this. Cry For Justice was originally supposed to be an ongoing series, and he ended up having to condense it all into a mere seven issues. Then, most of DC’s big guns were left unavailable to him for his run on Justice League. But his name was still on a lot of sub-par material. That’s a pretty hefty disappointment considering this man was previously associated with works like Starman, JSA: The Golden Age, and the Justice Society of America ongoing series.

With Earth 2, Robinson is once again working with the Justice Society characters. But they’re different than the one he worked on in 1999. Set in on an alternate “New 52″ Earth, we see Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman die during an attack by Steppenwolf and his Parademons from Apokolips. Five years later, the world continues to remember their brave sacrifice. But new heroes are about to rise, as billionaire Alan Scott becomes Green Lantern after a freak accident, and young Jay Garrick is chosen by the Roman God Mercury to become the Flash. They’ll soon team with Hawgirl and the Atom to take on Grundy, servant of “the grey,” who may soon destroy all life on Earth if our new heroes fail to stop him. Meanwhile, Mr. Terrific has found his way to Earth 2, and he’s not getting a warm welcome.

While there’s a lot that I like in this book, right off the bat I need to address something that bugs the crap out of me: The Flash’s modified hat. I understand that character overhauls were the name of the game here, and there are probably a bunch of logical reasons why the classic Golden Age Flash hat wasn’t used. But the darn thing is such a grand piece of comic book superhero awesomeness, that it’s a damn shame not to have Jay wear it. Especially because it’s so closely identified with that character. It seems like the equivalent of changing Batman’s cowl. We do see the hat in this book however, and it’s on Mercury’s head. If it’s good enough for a dignified Roman God, why can’t it be good enough for Jay Garrick? Can’t we keep some of the classic JSA costume elements?

Thankfully, everybody else looks pretty good. Nicola Scott’s gorgeous art and Trevor Scott’s wonderfully vibrant colors certainly don’t hurt matters. Green Lantern’s costume is relatively simplistic, but it works. I like that they took the twin guns approach with Hawkgirl, as opposed to giving her a mace like Hawkman has. The Atom’s look has a militaristic feel that suits the character. Grundy, not to be confused with his pre-New 52 counterpart Solomon Grundy, has an anti-Swamp Thing/Nekron from Blackest Night thing going on, which serves the book’s purpose fine.

The Gathering has its share of superhero story cliches. We get not one but two “you’ve been chosen to be a hero” scenes, one between Alan Scott and spirit of the Earth, and another between Jay Garrick and Mercury. Alan is the hero motivated by tragedy, while Jay is the guy nobody believes in who gets to step up and help save the day. We also get a scene where one of our heroes has to stop a nuclear warhead (You all saw The Avengers, right?). Still, this stuff works as foundational material. Robinson does manage to do some decent world building in this book. We see how revered Superman, Batman, and the other “wonders” are revered after their deaths. Ever afraid of Steppenwolf’s return, the world’s governments have come together and formed a World Army, complete with their own self-created wonders like Hawkgirl and the Atom. Robinson alludes to a falling out of sorts between Hawkgirl and the World Army, but saves that story for later.

DC uses Earth 2‘s separation from their regular continuity as a chance to fill their diversity quotient. They certainly made a big fuss about Alan Scott being gay. Our new Hawkgirl is also black. The intelligence commander for the World Army is a Middle Eastern man named Kahn, who is a heroic figure despite having pissed off William Shatner. This is all nice I suppose. But as I’ve said before, diversifying the heck out of one monthly book, which is segregated from literally every other series you publish isn’t much to brag about. If DC had made Hal Jordan gay, that would have merited a frenzy. But Alan Scott? This Alan Scott? Meh. I’m not impressed.

Earth 2 isn’t amazing. But it’s a decent start to a series that, if we’re lucky, will go somewhere fun. What I really took away from this series is the hope that James Robinson has not completely lost his marbles, Hopefully he’ll keep this slow, steady world building process going until he’s made something worthy of some of his previous works.

RATING: 6.5/10

Front page image from simplydcu.wordpress.com. Image 1 from kennowen.blogspot.com. Image 2 from scifijubilee.com. Image 3 from gamefaqs.com.
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