Ann Nocenti's Catwoman Vol. 5: Race of Thieves is not as strong as the previous volume, Gotham Underground, which was itself somewhat troubled. On its face Race of Thieves should have the upper hand, being at least a Catwoman-style heist story, instead of Gotham Underground's weird fantasy milieu. But, despite not really being a "Catwoman story," Underground's bizarre subterranean tribes and villains made it an interesting read in general; Race's more generic supervillain theatrics combined with Nocenti's trademark, but sometimes off-putting, leaps in logic make for a confusing and not very engaging volume.
Review: Catwoman Vol. 5: Race of Thieves trade paperback (DC Comics)
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Thursday, May 28, 2015
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Review: Hawkeye vs. Deadpool trade paperback (Marvel Comics)
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Avengers,
Deadpool,
Doug Glassman
Wednesday, May 27, 2015
[Review by Doug Glassman, who Tumblrs at '80s Marvel Rocks!]
Various delays have led to the final issue of Matt Fraction's Hawkeye being released in July ... a few months after the debut of its replacement title, Jeff Lemire's All-New Hawkeye. While the Hawkeye vs. Deadpool mini-series would likely have been created without the long interruptions on one of its titles, its existence helped tide eager fans over while serving as part of a new Deadpool franchise extension. Bloat is always a worry when it comes to spin-offs and Deadpool had to pick up a bit of the slack left over from the lack of Wolverine. While Deadpool's Art of War was disappointing, the time-travel romp Deadpool vs. X-Force was fun and the Hawkeye vs. Deadpool collection is good enough to stand on its own merits.
Various delays have led to the final issue of Matt Fraction's Hawkeye being released in July ... a few months after the debut of its replacement title, Jeff Lemire's All-New Hawkeye. While the Hawkeye vs. Deadpool mini-series would likely have been created without the long interruptions on one of its titles, its existence helped tide eager fans over while serving as part of a new Deadpool franchise extension. Bloat is always a worry when it comes to spin-offs and Deadpool had to pick up a bit of the slack left over from the lack of Wolverine. While Deadpool's Art of War was disappointing, the time-travel romp Deadpool vs. X-Force was fun and the Hawkeye vs. Deadpool collection is good enough to stand on its own merits.
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DC Trade Solicitations for September/October 2015 - Multiversity Deluxe, Absolute Green Lantern/Green Arrow, Suicide Squad, Deathstroke Book and Mask
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Monday, May 25, 2015
Last month had a whole bunch of New 52 collections -- though I guess we almost can't call them that any more -- and now the September/October 2015 DC Comics hardcover and trade paperback collection releases (posted May 2015) have the opposite; almost no new collections, with an emphasis on reprint material. Not that there's anything wrong with that, but it makes for a sparse month relatively.
I would mention that while the Convergence collections aren't solicited yet, they are due in the same month as many of these collections, October, so that might help round out the month when all is said and done. But let's take a look at what we've got so far:
• New 52: Futures End Vol. 3 TP
• Multiversity Deluxe Edition HC
• Crisis on Infinite Earths Deluxe Edition HC
In a group of solicitations that doesn't have much in the way of brand-new material, most assuredly the star is the deluxe collection of all nine Multiversity issues plus the Multiversity Guidebook.
I'm glad the final volume of Futures End lands the month before (Futures End in September, Multiversity in October) so that I can read them "in order," so to speak. And no waiting -- the Convergence collections will also be along on October, so it's not a long wait to finish this whole story once the end is in sight.
Deluxe Crisis on Infinite Earths in the same month as the Multiversity and Convergence collections is a nice touch. Who could've predicted back in 1986 we'd end up here?
• Suicide Squad Vol. 1: Trial by Fire TP
No doubt meant to coincide with interest spurred by the new movie, Suicide Squad Vol. 1: Trial by Fire has the same contents as the edition of the same released in 2011. As we've discussed here before, that first collection of John Ostrander's Suicide Squad was meant to be followed by a second, The Nightshade Odyssey, but that book was canceled. I bought Trial originally so I'm disinclined to buy it again, but this has got to be one of those times that pre-ordering matters if we're to see more volumes of Ostrander's run.
UPDATE: A new edition of Suicide Squad Vol. 2: The Nighshade Odyssey has just become available for pre-order. Again, I know we've been burned on this one once, but I'm certain that if you want to see these reprints go through, pre-ordering is going to be your friend. (Hat tip to Hix -- check out his Waiting for Doom podcast.)
• New Teen Titans Vol. 3 TP
Three volumes in, and this third trade paperback is just now reaching the end of the first New Teen Titans Omnibus. At this point, it's going to be a heck of a long time before we discern whether these paperbacks will correct the mistakes of New Teen Titans Omnibus Vol. 3 or not.
• Deathstroke Book and Mask Set
I haven't yet read an issue of Tony Daniel's new Deathstroke series, so I can't comment whether it's good or not, but anecdotally I can also say that neither have I heard anyone else raving about it. Surely a Deathstroke series is a good and useful thing for the DC Universe (all the more so because however popular a present-day Deathstroke series is, that can only buoy collections of Marv Wolfman's 1990s Deathstroke series), and releasing a Deathstroke mask is obviously a good marketing decision.
I do question the claim of "new, hit series" in this solicitation, however, and wonder which inspired what in this set. Whereas the similar Joker mask was directly brought forth by Scott Snyder's Death in the Family storyline that was collected with the mask, here I have a sense the book is almost incidental (and could as easily have been, for instance, a copy of Identity Crisis, which for all its flaws has one of the top ten best Deathstroke fights).
• Arrow Season 2.5 TP
• The Flash Season Zero TP
I felt the first handful of Arrow digital comics dragged, basically just echoing the episodes or otherwise being too careful not to step on the toes of what the episodes might establish. I haven't read the Arrow Season 2.5 stories nor Flash Season Zero, but my sense is they're better in those regards, telling fresh stories to some extent off on their own. I'd be especially curious to check out the Flash book, which if I understand correctly takes place more or less before Barry is actually called "the Flash."
• Absolute Green Lantern/Green Arrow HC
Just to establish, this Absolute edition contains exactly the same material as previous Green Lantern/Green Arrow collections. That in no way lessens this collection -- and if you haven't read these staples of DC Comics literature, then you should -- but the first thing I look at when I see these kinds of reprint collections is whether they stuck something new in there, like a Kyle Rayner and Connor Hawke team-up or something. No dice.
New reviews later this week. Be sure to drop by the comments section and let me know what's on your to-buy list for September/October, and what you think of DC Comics's potential new trade dress examined last Friday.
I would mention that while the Convergence collections aren't solicited yet, they are due in the same month as many of these collections, October, so that might help round out the month when all is said and done. But let's take a look at what we've got so far:
• New 52: Futures End Vol. 3 TP
• Multiversity Deluxe Edition HC
• Crisis on Infinite Earths Deluxe Edition HC
In a group of solicitations that doesn't have much in the way of brand-new material, most assuredly the star is the deluxe collection of all nine Multiversity issues plus the Multiversity Guidebook.
I'm glad the final volume of Futures End lands the month before (Futures End in September, Multiversity in October) so that I can read them "in order," so to speak. And no waiting -- the Convergence collections will also be along on October, so it's not a long wait to finish this whole story once the end is in sight.
Deluxe Crisis on Infinite Earths in the same month as the Multiversity and Convergence collections is a nice touch. Who could've predicted back in 1986 we'd end up here?
• Suicide Squad Vol. 1: Trial by Fire TP
No doubt meant to coincide with interest spurred by the new movie, Suicide Squad Vol. 1: Trial by Fire has the same contents as the edition of the same released in 2011. As we've discussed here before, that first collection of John Ostrander's Suicide Squad was meant to be followed by a second, The Nightshade Odyssey, but that book was canceled. I bought Trial originally so I'm disinclined to buy it again, but this has got to be one of those times that pre-ordering matters if we're to see more volumes of Ostrander's run.
UPDATE: A new edition of Suicide Squad Vol. 2: The Nighshade Odyssey has just become available for pre-order. Again, I know we've been burned on this one once, but I'm certain that if you want to see these reprints go through, pre-ordering is going to be your friend. (Hat tip to Hix -- check out his Waiting for Doom podcast.)
• New Teen Titans Vol. 3 TP
Three volumes in, and this third trade paperback is just now reaching the end of the first New Teen Titans Omnibus. At this point, it's going to be a heck of a long time before we discern whether these paperbacks will correct the mistakes of New Teen Titans Omnibus Vol. 3 or not.
• Deathstroke Book and Mask Set
I haven't yet read an issue of Tony Daniel's new Deathstroke series, so I can't comment whether it's good or not, but anecdotally I can also say that neither have I heard anyone else raving about it. Surely a Deathstroke series is a good and useful thing for the DC Universe (all the more so because however popular a present-day Deathstroke series is, that can only buoy collections of Marv Wolfman's 1990s Deathstroke series), and releasing a Deathstroke mask is obviously a good marketing decision.
I do question the claim of "new, hit series" in this solicitation, however, and wonder which inspired what in this set. Whereas the similar Joker mask was directly brought forth by Scott Snyder's Death in the Family storyline that was collected with the mask, here I have a sense the book is almost incidental (and could as easily have been, for instance, a copy of Identity Crisis, which for all its flaws has one of the top ten best Deathstroke fights).
• Arrow Season 2.5 TP
• The Flash Season Zero TP
I felt the first handful of Arrow digital comics dragged, basically just echoing the episodes or otherwise being too careful not to step on the toes of what the episodes might establish. I haven't read the Arrow Season 2.5 stories nor Flash Season Zero, but my sense is they're better in those regards, telling fresh stories to some extent off on their own. I'd be especially curious to check out the Flash book, which if I understand correctly takes place more or less before Barry is actually called "the Flash."
• Absolute Green Lantern/Green Arrow HC
Just to establish, this Absolute edition contains exactly the same material as previous Green Lantern/Green Arrow collections. That in no way lessens this collection -- and if you haven't read these staples of DC Comics literature, then you should -- but the first thing I look at when I see these kinds of reprint collections is whether they stuck something new in there, like a Kyle Rayner and Connor Hawke team-up or something. No dice.
New reviews later this week. Be sure to drop by the comments section and let me know what's on your to-buy list for September/October, and what you think of DC Comics's potential new trade dress examined last Friday.
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Batman: Detective Comics Vol. 6: Icarus launches new DC trade dress
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Friday, May 22, 2015
Thanks to Collected Editions readers James Harvey-Richardson and Aleks Ivic (@thedeluxedition) for pointing out that the newly released Batman: Detective Comics Vol. 6: Icarus omits the "New 52" moniker and offers the first new trade dress for DC Comics collections since the start of the New 52 initiative.
Though labeled "Volume 6," Icarus is the first Detective collection by the superstar creative team of Francis Manapul and Brian Buccellato after their run on Flash. The issues collected within (#30-34 and Annual #3) were published within the New 52, as were the issues that will be collected in Batman: Detective Comics Vol. 7: Anarky (presumably issues #35-40) -- but, Manapul and Buccellato will remain as Detective Comics's creative team after Convergence in the new, post-New 52 DC Universe.
Which begs the question: Is this a special trade dress just to celebrate Manapul and Buccellato's arrival on Detective, or are we looking at the new trade dress for DC's post-Convergence collections, launched a little early and "grandfathering in" those books whose creative teams continue post-Convergence?
By my calculation, the next "main universe" series to see collection (excluding collections of older comics, etc.) is Grayson Vol. 1: Agents of Spyral two weeks from now in the first week of June (followed the next week by both the hardcover and paperback of Batgirl Vol. 1: The Batgirl of Burnside). Barring official word from DC, that'd be our next indication of whether this is a one-series or line-wide change.
Prior to the New 52, the DC Comics collections trade dress tended to have some commonality by series or storyline, but varied wildly from series to series. Front covers had logos and some image, back covers had images and text, but the spines might have little graphics of the characters at the top or middle, or not at all, and the character and book title broken up by an image or all together. About the only thing that was consistent, especially most recently, was the DC Comics logo that ran across the bottom of the books.
With the New 52, almost all DC trades had essentially uniform spines -- some block of color at the top, then a black background with the full book name, maybe the name of the creators, then the volume number, then the DC logo. As the images show, this allowed for a variety of different New 52 series to be lined up side by side and still more or less look "uniform."
The new Detective trade dress is certainly attractive, no doubt, and seems to take its cues from what came before. The volume numbers and DC logo still essentially line up with the New 52 volumes, but the fonts are different, the background color here is purple, and there's a character image (Batman here, in blue) at the top. Again, we'll have to see some additional volumes before we can determine how this will vary from book to book.
This would seem as much a matter of good timing as anything else -- the new Detective team, getting their first collection right now, gets the new trade dress, but Action Comics team Greg Pak and Aaron Kuder's first collection has the old trade dress (at least in hardcover), as will continuing series like Geoff Johns's Justice League.
Change isn't bad, I don't think, and I appreciate that DC's new trade dress, if that's what it is, resembles the old while moving toward the new. What do you think? Would you like the Detective Comics design to become DC's new trade dress going forward?
Though labeled "Volume 6," Icarus is the first Detective collection by the superstar creative team of Francis Manapul and Brian Buccellato after their run on Flash. The issues collected within (#30-34 and Annual #3) were published within the New 52, as were the issues that will be collected in Batman: Detective Comics Vol. 7: Anarky (presumably issues #35-40) -- but, Manapul and Buccellato will remain as Detective Comics's creative team after Convergence in the new, post-New 52 DC Universe.
Which begs the question: Is this a special trade dress just to celebrate Manapul and Buccellato's arrival on Detective, or are we looking at the new trade dress for DC's post-Convergence collections, launched a little early and "grandfathering in" those books whose creative teams continue post-Convergence?
Photo by Aleks Ivic
By my calculation, the next "main universe" series to see collection (excluding collections of older comics, etc.) is Grayson Vol. 1: Agents of Spyral two weeks from now in the first week of June (followed the next week by both the hardcover and paperback of Batgirl Vol. 1: The Batgirl of Burnside). Barring official word from DC, that'd be our next indication of whether this is a one-series or line-wide change.
Prior to the New 52, the DC Comics collections trade dress tended to have some commonality by series or storyline, but varied wildly from series to series. Front covers had logos and some image, back covers had images and text, but the spines might have little graphics of the characters at the top or middle, or not at all, and the character and book title broken up by an image or all together. About the only thing that was consistent, especially most recently, was the DC Comics logo that ran across the bottom of the books.
Photo by James Harvey-Richardson
With the New 52, almost all DC trades had essentially uniform spines -- some block of color at the top, then a black background with the full book name, maybe the name of the creators, then the volume number, then the DC logo. As the images show, this allowed for a variety of different New 52 series to be lined up side by side and still more or less look "uniform."
The new Detective trade dress is certainly attractive, no doubt, and seems to take its cues from what came before. The volume numbers and DC logo still essentially line up with the New 52 volumes, but the fonts are different, the background color here is purple, and there's a character image (Batman here, in blue) at the top. Again, we'll have to see some additional volumes before we can determine how this will vary from book to book.
Photos by James Harvey-Richardson
This would seem as much a matter of good timing as anything else -- the new Detective team, getting their first collection right now, gets the new trade dress, but Action Comics team Greg Pak and Aaron Kuder's first collection has the old trade dress (at least in hardcover), as will continuing series like Geoff Johns's Justice League.
Change isn't bad, I don't think, and I appreciate that DC's new trade dress, if that's what it is, resembles the old while moving toward the new. What do you think? Would you like the Detective Comics design to become DC's new trade dress going forward?
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Review: Batgirl Vol. 5: Deadline hardcover/paperback (DC Comics)
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Batgirl
Thursday, May 21, 2015
I've eulogized Gail Simone's Barbara Gordon work before when it seemed at an end, to the point where I'm disinclined to eulogize it again (at least overtly). Certain writers leave such indelible marks on characters -- Geoff Johns on Hal Jordan, James Robinson on Starman, Neil Gaiman on Sandman, Simone herself on Secret Six -- that it's hard to imagine them not returning to those universes at some point. And as Batgirl Vol. 5: Deadline marks the end of Simone's fourth or fifth act with the Barbara Gordon character, I have a suspicion there will someday be more to come.
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Review: Daredevil Vol. 2: West-Case Scenario trade paperback (Marvel Comics)
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Daredevil,
Doug Glassman
Wednesday, May 20, 2015
[Review by Doug Glassman, who Tumblrs at '80s Marvel Rocks!]
Mark Waid's Daredevil unfortunately loses a bit of momentum between its first two trades, Daredevil Vol. 1: Devil at Bay and Daredevil Vol. 2: West-Case Scenario. The Shroud is no longer present and the Owl looms in the background as part of the trade's unusual opening. Called "Issue #1.50," the first story celebrates the fiftieth anniversary of Daredevil's first appearance with three tales that don't quite click. Brian Michael Bendis and Alex Maleev reunite for a noir-inspired short story about the lethal nature of dating Daredevil. While the art is gorgeous, it revolves around a love interest -- and a marriage! -- that we've never seen before. After this, Karl Kesel writes and draws a short about Mike Murdock, the fake identity Matt created in the 1970s to convince people that he wasn't Daredevil. It's fun but unfocused; the framing story peters out halfway and the ending lands with a thud.
Mark Waid's Daredevil unfortunately loses a bit of momentum between its first two trades, Daredevil Vol. 1: Devil at Bay and Daredevil Vol. 2: West-Case Scenario. The Shroud is no longer present and the Owl looms in the background as part of the trade's unusual opening. Called "Issue #1.50," the first story celebrates the fiftieth anniversary of Daredevil's first appearance with three tales that don't quite click. Brian Michael Bendis and Alex Maleev reunite for a noir-inspired short story about the lethal nature of dating Daredevil. While the art is gorgeous, it revolves around a love interest -- and a marriage! -- that we've never seen before. After this, Karl Kesel writes and draws a short about Mike Murdock, the fake identity Matt created in the 1970s to convince people that he wasn't Daredevil. It's fun but unfocused; the framing story peters out halfway and the ending lands with a thud.
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DC Comics's Convergence collections solicited
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Tuesday, May 19, 2015
Thanks to Collected Editions contributor Hix* for the tip -- a number of online retailers are now listing collections of DC Comics's Convergence event for pre-order.
Based on these solicitations (which, please note, are preliminary and subject to change), it looks like Convergence and its miniseries will be collected in a total of nine collections -- one for Convergence itself and two each for the miniseries "eras" -- all paperback, and all arriving in October-November 2015. Each collection costs less than $20.
What looks good here, for me, is that all of these collections will be out relatively soon, before the end of the year. I am admittedly a tad surprised to see them all in paperback and not hardcover (though who knows, maybe there will be a Convergence Omnibus), but I guess when you're dealing with twenty issues per era, two competitively-priced paperbacks per era maybe makes sense.
One twist is that whereas I might expect the collections to be released in their publication order -- Flashpoint, Zero Hour, Crisis on Infinite Earths (or "Crisis," as the collections are calling it) and pre-Crisis (or "Infinite Earths") -- they're actually being released as listed above: Zero Hour, Crisis, Flashpoint, Infinite Earths. Granted I believe the miniseries eras are modular in terms of when you can read them, and again all of this is subject to change, but it struck me as odd.
Online retailers have these listed as coming out starting the week of October 11 and going into the first week in November, which I think means that your local comics shop should basically have these in each of the four full weeks of October.
No telling at this point exactly which of the miniseries will appear in which Book One/Book Two of their eras. However, if you missed it the first time, here's links to the Collected Editions guide to the Convergence miniseries and the trades that lead into each one:
So which Convergence collection are you most looking forward to?
*(Go nudge Hix about writing a new "Uncollected Editions" for us, won't you?)
• Convergence
• Convergence: Zero Hour Book One
• Convergence: Zero Hour Book Two
• Convergence: Crisis Book One
• Convergence: Crisis Book Two
• Convergence: Flashpoint Book One
• Convergence: Flashpoint Book Two
• Convergence: Infinite Earths Book One
• Convergence: Infinite Earths Book Two
• Convergence: Zero Hour Book One
• Convergence: Zero Hour Book Two
• Convergence: Crisis Book One
• Convergence: Crisis Book Two
• Convergence: Flashpoint Book One
• Convergence: Flashpoint Book Two
• Convergence: Infinite Earths Book One
• Convergence: Infinite Earths Book Two
Based on these solicitations (which, please note, are preliminary and subject to change), it looks like Convergence and its miniseries will be collected in a total of nine collections -- one for Convergence itself and two each for the miniseries "eras" -- all paperback, and all arriving in October-November 2015. Each collection costs less than $20.
What looks good here, for me, is that all of these collections will be out relatively soon, before the end of the year. I am admittedly a tad surprised to see them all in paperback and not hardcover (though who knows, maybe there will be a Convergence Omnibus), but I guess when you're dealing with twenty issues per era, two competitively-priced paperbacks per era maybe makes sense.
One twist is that whereas I might expect the collections to be released in their publication order -- Flashpoint, Zero Hour, Crisis on Infinite Earths (or "Crisis," as the collections are calling it) and pre-Crisis (or "Infinite Earths") -- they're actually being released as listed above: Zero Hour, Crisis, Flashpoint, Infinite Earths. Granted I believe the miniseries eras are modular in terms of when you can read them, and again all of this is subject to change, but it struck me as odd.
Online retailers have these listed as coming out starting the week of October 11 and going into the first week in November, which I think means that your local comics shop should basically have these in each of the four full weeks of October.
No telling at this point exactly which of the miniseries will appear in which Book One/Book Two of their eras. However, if you missed it the first time, here's links to the Collected Editions guide to the Convergence miniseries and the trades that lead into each one:
So which Convergence collection are you most looking forward to?
*(Go nudge Hix about writing a new "Uncollected Editions" for us, won't you?)
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Review: Batman: Detective Comics Vol. 5: Gothtopia hardcover/paperback (DC Comics)
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Monday, May 18, 2015
I've had some hesitation about reading Batman: Detective Comics Vol. 5: Gothtopia for a while, sensing correctly that the villain of the piece is fairly obvious to guess. I am not the biggest fan of "alternate reality" stories anyway, since they have a tendency to "run in place" while the character explores their new surroundings instead of moving the larger story forward -- and three issues for "Gothtopia" is a long time to spend navel-gazing. At the same time, the work John Layman and Jason Fabok have done recently on Detective Comics is the best we've seen on the title of late, and that gave me confidence to check out Gothtopia despite my misgivings.
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Review: Batman: Earth One Vol. 2 hardcover/paperback (DC Comics)
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Earth One
Thursday, May 14, 2015
The currency of the Earth One line as a whole is thwarted expectations; in Geoff Johns and Gary Frank's first Batman: Earth One, for instance, Harvey Bullock is a handsome television star instead of the slovenly, grizzled detective from the regular books. In Batman: Earth One Vol. 2, Johns elevates this tendency to the theme of the book itself, as what expectations the reader has and the other characters have for one another spiral into the book's mystery and ultimate denouement.
In some ways Johns's second Batman: Earth One volume reads too much like a Batman story instead of a young Batman story, and the story's throughway may be too familiar to long-time Batman fans in the vein of Year Two or Mask of the Phantasm. But it's overall a solid book, literate and smart, surprising and scary, and with well-choreographed action by writer and artist. Finishing volume two, it'd be hard to believe this book hasn't won itself a volume three.
In some ways Johns's second Batman: Earth One volume reads too much like a Batman story instead of a young Batman story, and the story's throughway may be too familiar to long-time Batman fans in the vein of Year Two or Mask of the Phantasm. But it's overall a solid book, literate and smart, surprising and scary, and with well-choreographed action by writer and artist. Finishing volume two, it'd be hard to believe this book hasn't won itself a volume three.
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Review: Avengers: Ultron Unlimited trade paperback (Marvel Comics)
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Doug Glassman
Wednesday, May 13, 2015
[Review by Doug Glassman, who Tumblrs at '80s Marvel Rocks!]
Here's how mismanaged Marvel was in the 1990s: prior to Avengers: Ultron Unlimited, one of the very few stories featuring him in that era ended with Daredevil decapitating the robotic despot with a stick. Another saw him as the drunken comic relief in a Vision mini-series. It was a far cry from Roy Thomas's arch-villain; someone had to bring Ultron back to his roots. Kurt Busiek and George Perez's reinvention of the character could be compared to what happened to Doctor Light: classic villains who went from joke to lethal in an instant due to an appalling act of violence. While Doctor Light never really made it big after Identity Crisis (even though DC tried), the recent blockbuster sequel to 2012's The Avengers shows how Ultron is one of the Marvel Universe's greatest threats.
Here's how mismanaged Marvel was in the 1990s: prior to Avengers: Ultron Unlimited, one of the very few stories featuring him in that era ended with Daredevil decapitating the robotic despot with a stick. Another saw him as the drunken comic relief in a Vision mini-series. It was a far cry from Roy Thomas's arch-villain; someone had to bring Ultron back to his roots. Kurt Busiek and George Perez's reinvention of the character could be compared to what happened to Doctor Light: classic villains who went from joke to lethal in an instant due to an appalling act of violence. While Doctor Light never really made it big after Identity Crisis (even though DC tried), the recent blockbuster sequel to 2012's The Avengers shows how Ultron is one of the Marvel Universe's greatest threats.
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Review: Superboy Vol. 5: Paradox trade paperback (DC Comics)
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Superboy
Monday, May 11, 2015
It's to the point where the Superboy title has been in sharp decline for so long that canceling it is probably a blessing; the cloned Superman character is probably better off in limbo or appearing just in the Teen Titans or another team title for a while to build anticipation for a new series sometime in the future.
But though Superboy Vol. 5: Paradox starts out very roughly, there's a moment halfway through when it gets markedly better, and I want to recognize at the outset this volume of Superboy's MVP, Action Comics artist and fill-in Superboy writer Aaron Kuder (with artist Jorge Jimenez). Paradox starts out borderline disastrous, and though Kuder and Jimenez's efforts clearly aren't enough to right this ship completely, they do at least save this book and send the Superboy series out on a higher note.
But though Superboy Vol. 5: Paradox starts out very roughly, there's a moment halfway through when it gets markedly better, and I want to recognize at the outset this volume of Superboy's MVP, Action Comics artist and fill-in Superboy writer Aaron Kuder (with artist Jorge Jimenez). Paradox starts out borderline disastrous, and though Kuder and Jimenez's efforts clearly aren't enough to right this ship completely, they do at least save this book and send the Superboy series out on a higher note.
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Review: Superman Vol. 5: Under Fire hardcover/paperback (DC Comics)
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Superman
Thursday, May 07, 2015
Superman Vol. 5: Under Fire, Scott Lobdell's final volume of his run, shows potential, but I fear that potential will be wasted with Lobdell's departure. Lobdell emphasizes Superman's supporting cast -- such to remind me, even, a bit of the Triangle Titles -- but the reader has no assurances that the next writers will pick up any of these threads. I can only hope Lobdell gets to wrap up a little bit of it, at least, in the parts of the "Doomed" crossover collected elsewhere.
For many of the positives in this book, I can also think of an equal negative, and it continues to be true that Lobdell's Superman will not appeal to everyone. At the same time, I like writers that take risks and do things differently with these long-standing characters, and Lobdell accomplishes that here even if it's controversial.
For many of the positives in this book, I can also think of an equal negative, and it continues to be true that Lobdell's Superman will not appeal to everyone. At the same time, I like writers that take risks and do things differently with these long-standing characters, and Lobdell accomplishes that here even if it's controversial.
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Trade Recommendation Guide for Marvel's Secret Wars Tie-In
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Doug Glassman,
Secret Wars
Wednesday, May 06, 2015
[Post by Doug Glassman, who Tumblrs at '80s Marvel Rocks!]
As realities collapse and merge and the Ultimate Universe makes its own stand against our heroes on Earth-616, Marvel is set to go through a massive change. Gone is the standard Earth-616 ... actually, all of existence is gone. The one place left in the universe is the Battleworld, a patchwork planet assembled from bits of remnant alternate universes. A slew of titles will take place on this strange new world and many of them have direct connections to older stories. I've created the following spreadsheet to track the announced Secret Wars tie-ins and to pair them with suggested trades to read beforehand. I owe IGN and writers Jesse Schedeen and Joshua Yehl for this constantly updated article that accumulated the many series announcements.
Before you look through the Google Docs spreadsheet, I have a few things to mention. Several titles won't be ending for Secret Wars and those have been excluded from the spreadsheet. These are the newer, more experimental and artistic titles, specifically The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl, Howard The Duck, Black Widow, All-New Hawkeye, Spider-Gwen, Ms. Marvel, and Punisher. (Yes, I just called a Punisher book "artistic." I'm surprised as well.) These books will have a "Last Days" arc as a tie-in to the big event instead, so the natural recommendation for all of these books will be their first trades.
The "Personal Interest Index" column is my own personal interest in a given title. These ratings are not indicative of Collected Editions as a whole, nor are they meant to be a definitive recommendation. For instance, you'll find it unsurprising that the one Rick Remender book, Hail Hydra, has a "1" rating on the PII while Siege, by the often controversial Kieron Gillen, rates a "5" from me. Feel free to leave comments about titles you're interested in or other trade recommendations, but please do so using the comment function and not by editing the spreadsheet itself.
Next week: Ultron Unlimited. I promise.
As realities collapse and merge and the Ultimate Universe makes its own stand against our heroes on Earth-616, Marvel is set to go through a massive change. Gone is the standard Earth-616 ... actually, all of existence is gone. The one place left in the universe is the Battleworld, a patchwork planet assembled from bits of remnant alternate universes. A slew of titles will take place on this strange new world and many of them have direct connections to older stories. I've created the following spreadsheet to track the announced Secret Wars tie-ins and to pair them with suggested trades to read beforehand. I owe IGN and writers Jesse Schedeen and Joshua Yehl for this constantly updated article that accumulated the many series announcements.
Before you look through the Google Docs spreadsheet, I have a few things to mention. Several titles won't be ending for Secret Wars and those have been excluded from the spreadsheet. These are the newer, more experimental and artistic titles, specifically The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl, Howard The Duck, Black Widow, All-New Hawkeye, Spider-Gwen, Ms. Marvel, and Punisher. (Yes, I just called a Punisher book "artistic." I'm surprised as well.) These books will have a "Last Days" arc as a tie-in to the big event instead, so the natural recommendation for all of these books will be their first trades.
The "Personal Interest Index" column is my own personal interest in a given title. These ratings are not indicative of Collected Editions as a whole, nor are they meant to be a definitive recommendation. For instance, you'll find it unsurprising that the one Rick Remender book, Hail Hydra, has a "1" rating on the PII while Siege, by the often controversial Kieron Gillen, rates a "5" from me. Feel free to leave comments about titles you're interested in or other trade recommendations, but please do so using the comment function and not by editing the spreadsheet itself.
Next week: Ultron Unlimited. I promise.
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Cancelled Trade Cavalcade: The Question: Falling into Place
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Cancelled Trade Cavalcade,
Question
Tuesday, May 05, 2015
Cancelled Trade Cavalcade -- where the Collected Editions blog looks at some trades that never quite made print. Today, we're looking at The Question: Falling into Place, which was announced as cancelled last week.
Guest blogger Brian Domingos will tell us more. Brian wrote for PopImage for nearly ten years. After a hiatus, he's back with a Tumblr, http://sustainedinterest.tumblr.com. He looks forward to getting back in the game. Take it away, Brian:
I got the notification from my retailer last week that June’s release of The Question: Falling into Place by Rick Veitch, Tommy Lee Edwards, and John Workman had been cancelled by DC Comics due to low preorder numbers. Dan DiDio confirmed as much on Twitter.
Guest blogger Brian Domingos will tell us more. Brian wrote for PopImage for nearly ten years. After a hiatus, he's back with a Tumblr, http://sustainedinterest.tumblr.com. He looks forward to getting back in the game. Take it away, Brian:
I got the notification from my retailer last week that June’s release of The Question: Falling into Place by Rick Veitch, Tommy Lee Edwards, and John Workman had been cancelled by DC Comics due to low preorder numbers. Dan DiDio confirmed as much on Twitter.
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Question


Review: Batman Vol. 6: The Graveyard Shift hardcover/paperback (DC Comics)
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Batman
Monday, May 04, 2015
I applaud the publication of Batman Vol. 6: The Graveyard Shift, even if the execution is necessarily somewhat hit or miss.
These are the issues that fit between the otherwise back-to-back epic events that have made up Scott Snyder's Batman run. Once upon a time, DC Comics would not have collected these at all, to the extent that they solicited a collection of the "Batman: Road to No Man's Land" issues some fifteen years after their original publication, and we still lack a collection of all of Greg Rucka's Detective Comics run. To be a trade-waiter doesn't mean that one only wants to read some issues or only the events; DC understood this, for instance, by the time we got the largely complete original collections of Geoff Johns's JSA.
These are the issues that fit between the otherwise back-to-back epic events that have made up Scott Snyder's Batman run. Once upon a time, DC Comics would not have collected these at all, to the extent that they solicited a collection of the "Batman: Road to No Man's Land" issues some fifteen years after their original publication, and we still lack a collection of all of Greg Rucka's Detective Comics run. To be a trade-waiter doesn't mean that one only wants to read some issues or only the events; DC understood this, for instance, by the time we got the largely complete original collections of Geoff Johns's JSA.
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DC Trade Solicitations for August/September 2015 - Batman/Joker: Endgame, Green Lantern: Godhead, Wonder Woman by Finch, Teen Titans by Pfeifer, Lobo
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solicitations
Friday, May 01, 2015
Not much outside the New 52 in DC Comics's August/September 2015 hardcover and trade paperback collection releases (posted April 2015); the focus this month seems to be more in completing titles' pre-Convergence runs than releasing any special or classic material.
One study in contrasts this month are the Batman: Endgame collections, which seem to nicely collect the main and tertiary stories in two trades with no overlaps, versus the Green Lantern: Godhead trades, which seem to collect certain parts in a special collection that otherwise overlaps with other books. More on that down below:
• Batman Vol. 7: Endgame HC
• Joker: Endgame HC
The final post-Convergence collection of Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo's Batman, collecting issues #35-40. I love long creator runs, and I'm thrilled that every time there seems to be a jumping-off point, i.e. Convergence, Snyder and Capullo keep on going. I hope Snyder's shooting for 100 issues, at least.
As with Death of the Family, the Joker collection includes the Endgame tie-in issues (backups from Batman #35-39, Batman Annual #3, Gotham Academy: Endgame, Batgirl: Endgame, Detective Comics: Endgame and Arkham Manor: Endgame. Some of the Bat-titles used Death of the Family better than others, but in all I kind of tire of these constant interruptions to the Bat-titles, and I don't mind at all that they went with specials this time instead. It also doesn't seem like any of the material here is being reprinted elsewhere, which I also like; I don't mind, for instance, the Batman backups being here so long as they're not also in the Batman book.
• Batman Noir: Hush HC
• Batman RIP Unwrapped HC
• Batman: The Dark Knight Returns Deluxe Edition HC
So you can have your Batman "Noir" (pencilled and inked, but black and white), or you can have your Batman "Unwrapped" (pencilled only). I guess I don't really have to ask what the difference is -- with "Unwrapped," you get the penciler's true, unaltered artwork -- though I do wonder what the benefit is of a black and white version of a "new modern" and "superheroic" story like Hush (I understand it a little better for Long Halloween). And does the thinking go that Batman equals "moody," therefore it's most suited to black and white? What about a Superman for All Seasons "Noir" or a Cliff Chiang's Wonder Woman "Noir"?
I guess we're not wondering any more why Dark Knight is suddenly getting a deluxe collection ...
• Constantine Vol. 4: The Apocalypse Road TP
The final collection of Ray Fawkes's Constantine before the series is rebooted post-Convergence.
• G.i. Zombie: A Star-Spangled War Story TP
No doubt Jimmy Palmiotti (with Amanda Conner) has struck gold with Harley Quinn, but the other side of the coin are the two war comics that Palmiotti has launched with Justin Gray in the New 52, both which were quickly canceled (three so far have come and gone in the New 52 if you include Ivan Brandon's Men of War). I didn't think enough of their "Unknown Soldier" story in GI Combat to pick up GI Zombie, though I appreciate that the writers are trying again with one story instead of an anthology series. My curiosity is mildly piqued by the Futures End story, but not enough to actually buy this on first release.
• Gotham By Midnight Vol. 1: We Do Not Sleep TP
Looking forward to this one, which I think would have maybe gotten a boost if the Constantine shows had done better and Corrigan could have been more prominent. My guess is Constantine might be back for a second season but not more than that (between Hannibal and Daredevil, clearly there's a template for a Constantine show done right, and so why they've chosen a format more akin to NCIS I don't know). Anyway, among minor hopes is that Gotham By Midnight makes cohesive some of the Spectre's disparate appeances in Constantine, Phantom Stranger, etc.
• Green Lantern/New Gods: Godhead HC
• Green Lantern: New Guardians Vol. 6: Storming the Gates TP
The final collection of Green Lantern: New Guardians, issues #35-40, including the "Godhead" crossover tie-in, and then also the bulk Godhead collection. Thus far no collection other than Godhead includes the Green Lantern/New Gods: Godhead #1 issue; DC's collecting Batman: Endgame right, but I hope the Godhead collection schema doesn't turn out as problematic as Superman: Doomed.
Godhead collects Green Lantern/New Gods: Godhead #1, Green Lantern #35-37, Green Lantern Corps #35-37, Green Lantern: New Guardians #35-37, Red Lanterns #35-37, Sinestro #6-8 and Green Lantern Annual #3.
• Justice League Dark Vol. 6: Paradise Lost TP
Final collection of Justice League Dark, canceled before Convergence. Collects issues #35-40 and Annual #2.
• Lobo Vol. 1: Targets TP
I for one don't mind so much this idea of a more character-based, less outrageous Lobo for the New 52 (Harley Quinn having inherited the 1990s Lobo's crown as chief parody-maker and fourth-wall-breaker of the DC Universe). I also like the meta-context of the "old" Lobo still existing in the New 52 and being in opposition to the new Lobo. I'll check this out eventually; good sign that it's still around post-Convergence.
• Secret Origins Vol. 2 TP
I found the first volume of Secret Origins too simplistic, basically rehashing what I already knew about the characters (more "origins" than "secret"). This second volume has some items of interest, however, including a Wonder Woman origin by Brian Azzarello and Cliff Chiang, and the much-discussed Batgirl origin by Cameron Stewart and Brenden Fletcher, so I'm probably in for this one. Final collection of the series.
• Swamp Thing by Scott Snyder Deluxe Edition HC
As I've said before I'd feel better about this one if it was accompanied by a deluxe edition of Jeff Lemire's Animal Man, too, but oh well. I am glad to see this collection has the relevant Animal Man issues in it, however, so it will be a complete reading experience in and of itself.
• Teen Titans Vol. 1: Blinded by the Light HC
Collects issues #1-7 of the Will Pfeifer/Kenneth Rocafort series. Troubled as Teen Titans series have been of late, I'm surprised DC is releasing this initially in hardcover, but I guess they've got high hopes for it.
• Wonder Woman Vol. 7: War-Torn HC
The first collection of the Meredith Finch/David Finch run, and the book's last collection before Convergence. Collects issues #36-40 and Annual #1.
That's what I'm looking at this month. Leave your picks down in the comments section.
One study in contrasts this month are the Batman: Endgame collections, which seem to nicely collect the main and tertiary stories in two trades with no overlaps, versus the Green Lantern: Godhead trades, which seem to collect certain parts in a special collection that otherwise overlaps with other books. More on that down below:
• Batman Vol. 7: Endgame HC
• Joker: Endgame HC
The final post-Convergence collection of Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo's Batman, collecting issues #35-40. I love long creator runs, and I'm thrilled that every time there seems to be a jumping-off point, i.e. Convergence, Snyder and Capullo keep on going. I hope Snyder's shooting for 100 issues, at least.
As with Death of the Family, the Joker collection includes the Endgame tie-in issues (backups from Batman #35-39, Batman Annual #3, Gotham Academy: Endgame, Batgirl: Endgame, Detective Comics: Endgame and Arkham Manor: Endgame. Some of the Bat-titles used Death of the Family better than others, but in all I kind of tire of these constant interruptions to the Bat-titles, and I don't mind at all that they went with specials this time instead. It also doesn't seem like any of the material here is being reprinted elsewhere, which I also like; I don't mind, for instance, the Batman backups being here so long as they're not also in the Batman book.
• Batman Noir: Hush HC
• Batman RIP Unwrapped HC
• Batman: The Dark Knight Returns Deluxe Edition HC
So you can have your Batman "Noir" (pencilled and inked, but black and white), or you can have your Batman "Unwrapped" (pencilled only). I guess I don't really have to ask what the difference is -- with "Unwrapped," you get the penciler's true, unaltered artwork -- though I do wonder what the benefit is of a black and white version of a "new modern" and "superheroic" story like Hush (I understand it a little better for Long Halloween). And does the thinking go that Batman equals "moody," therefore it's most suited to black and white? What about a Superman for All Seasons "Noir" or a Cliff Chiang's Wonder Woman "Noir"?
I guess we're not wondering any more why Dark Knight is suddenly getting a deluxe collection ...
• Constantine Vol. 4: The Apocalypse Road TP
The final collection of Ray Fawkes's Constantine before the series is rebooted post-Convergence.
• G.i. Zombie: A Star-Spangled War Story TP
No doubt Jimmy Palmiotti (with Amanda Conner) has struck gold with Harley Quinn, but the other side of the coin are the two war comics that Palmiotti has launched with Justin Gray in the New 52, both which were quickly canceled (three so far have come and gone in the New 52 if you include Ivan Brandon's Men of War). I didn't think enough of their "Unknown Soldier" story in GI Combat to pick up GI Zombie, though I appreciate that the writers are trying again with one story instead of an anthology series. My curiosity is mildly piqued by the Futures End story, but not enough to actually buy this on first release.
• Gotham By Midnight Vol. 1: We Do Not Sleep TP
Looking forward to this one, which I think would have maybe gotten a boost if the Constantine shows had done better and Corrigan could have been more prominent. My guess is Constantine might be back for a second season but not more than that (between Hannibal and Daredevil, clearly there's a template for a Constantine show done right, and so why they've chosen a format more akin to NCIS I don't know). Anyway, among minor hopes is that Gotham By Midnight makes cohesive some of the Spectre's disparate appeances in Constantine, Phantom Stranger, etc.
• Green Lantern/New Gods: Godhead HC
• Green Lantern: New Guardians Vol. 6: Storming the Gates TP
The final collection of Green Lantern: New Guardians, issues #35-40, including the "Godhead" crossover tie-in, and then also the bulk Godhead collection. Thus far no collection other than Godhead includes the Green Lantern/New Gods: Godhead #1 issue; DC's collecting Batman: Endgame right, but I hope the Godhead collection schema doesn't turn out as problematic as Superman: Doomed.
Godhead collects Green Lantern/New Gods: Godhead #1, Green Lantern #35-37, Green Lantern Corps #35-37, Green Lantern: New Guardians #35-37, Red Lanterns #35-37, Sinestro #6-8 and Green Lantern Annual #3.
• Justice League Dark Vol. 6: Paradise Lost TP
Final collection of Justice League Dark, canceled before Convergence. Collects issues #35-40 and Annual #2.
• Lobo Vol. 1: Targets TP
I for one don't mind so much this idea of a more character-based, less outrageous Lobo for the New 52 (Harley Quinn having inherited the 1990s Lobo's crown as chief parody-maker and fourth-wall-breaker of the DC Universe). I also like the meta-context of the "old" Lobo still existing in the New 52 and being in opposition to the new Lobo. I'll check this out eventually; good sign that it's still around post-Convergence.
• Secret Origins Vol. 2 TP
I found the first volume of Secret Origins too simplistic, basically rehashing what I already knew about the characters (more "origins" than "secret"). This second volume has some items of interest, however, including a Wonder Woman origin by Brian Azzarello and Cliff Chiang, and the much-discussed Batgirl origin by Cameron Stewart and Brenden Fletcher, so I'm probably in for this one. Final collection of the series.
• Swamp Thing by Scott Snyder Deluxe Edition HC
As I've said before I'd feel better about this one if it was accompanied by a deluxe edition of Jeff Lemire's Animal Man, too, but oh well. I am glad to see this collection has the relevant Animal Man issues in it, however, so it will be a complete reading experience in and of itself.
• Teen Titans Vol. 1: Blinded by the Light HC
Collects issues #1-7 of the Will Pfeifer/Kenneth Rocafort series. Troubled as Teen Titans series have been of late, I'm surprised DC is releasing this initially in hardcover, but I guess they've got high hopes for it.
• Wonder Woman Vol. 7: War-Torn HC
The first collection of the Meredith Finch/David Finch run, and the book's last collection before Convergence. Collects issues #36-40 and Annual #1.
That's what I'm looking at this month. Leave your picks down in the comments section.
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