Review: "Super Powers" #1

Not really knowing what it wants to be is probably Super Powers' biggest problem. Rated "E", writers Art Baltazar and Franco want the comic to appeal to children as well as to adults, but make the crucial mistake of imagining a children's story meant for grown-ups, instead of creating a proper one that can be enjoyed by older audiences as well. Ads for the comic that run even as recent as this week suggest the comic was supposed to have an entirely different story in some key areas. An assumption backed up by the comic's frequent lack of cohesion. 

The same, unfortunately, goes for Super Power's art. Although appealingly drawn by Art Baltazar, its simplistic style and crooked lines are again overtly self-referential and self-aware. There is still enough time for this six-part series to turn things around, but Super Powers needs to find a coherent tone and approach to convince.

4/10

Review: "Mother Panic" #1

The first time a new universe or protagonist gets introduced in a comic is always something special, for readers and writers/artists alike. What makes them special? How can they be differentiated from existing heroes/villains? 

DC's Young Animal's Mother Panic, written by Jody Houser and illustrated by Tommy Lee Edwards, has a lot of safety nets to fall back on to when doing all the above. Set in Gotham City, the comic has its environment and atmosphere already cut out for it. And what an environment that is. Edwards does an impressive job of capturing the claustrophobia and constant threat that permeates every bit of Gotham's architecture.

The sense of safety and familiarity also pervades the comic's protagonist and hero, Violet Paige. While it is certainly refreshing to see a rich female socialite for a change, she is still a Gotham socialite. While a fresh take on the concept could have still been interesting, Houser, unfortunately, relies too much on well-known stereotypes (including her family "situation) in her characterization of Violet.

A definite advantage for Mother Panic, though, is how clearly and entertainingly it establishes a storyline and villain, letting readers know what this will be about from the outset. It surely is the most straightforward and accessible of the "Young Animal" titles so far, and by adding a few tweaks for its protagonist could be even more compelling in the issues to come.

8/10

Last Weeks Comics, Ranked. (9/11/16)

Another highly subjective ranking of some of last week's comics. Get some of them while still on shelves.

1. "Daredevil" #13 - 9/10
2. "Wonder Woman" #10 - 9/10
3. "Mother Panic" #1 - 8/10
4. "All Star Batman" #4 - 8/10
5. "Doom Patrol" #10 - 8/10
6. "Poe Dameron" #8 - 8/10
7. "Power Man and Iron Fist" #10 - 7/10
8. "Captain America: Steve Rogers" #7 - 7/10
9. "Batgirl and the Birds of Prey" #4 - 7/10
10. "Action Comics" #967 - 7/10
11. "Detective Comics" #944 - 6/10

Review: "Poe Dameron" #8

Agent Terex wasn't necessarily a fan favorite among Star Wars comic readers. Poe Dameron's tight-lipped antagonist checked too many boxes of not just Star Wars, but Sci-Fi baddies in general. While writer Charles Soule managed to establish Poe Dameron as a somewhat distinct and layered character, Terex remained ironically bland at best. 

The more surprising (and definitely welcome) it is now that we get such a well-executed and entertaining origin story of the First Order agent, which even manages to tie in with some of the motives explored in The Force Awakens. The character goes through such a substantial and engaging transformation that one has to wonder why it took the comic eight issues to finally tell it. 

Poe Dameron was already the best Star Wars comic around, where intelligent storytelling, fresh characters and Phil Noto's wonderfully varied art make the galaxy feel truly alive. Now we got ourselves a credible villain as well.

8/10

Last Week's Comics, Ranked (2/11/16).

A highly subjective ranking of some of last week's comics, so get some of them while they are still on shelves.

1. Batman #10
2. Green Arrow #10
3. Cyborg #4
4. Catwoman: Election Night #1
5. Nightwing #8
6. Deadpool & The Mercs For Money #5
7. Justice League #8
8. Superman #10

Cover Watch #1: "Batman" #10

Mikel Janín cover for Batman #10 is quite remarkable in how it evokes notions of 18th and 19th century Gothic novels. The way the Fortress of Santa Prisca withstands the waves of a stormy sea, brilliantly captured in grey tones, will immediately remind readers of book covers such as Bram Stoker's Dracula or Horace Walpole's The Castle of Otranto. The grim looking Batman towers over everything here, further emphasizing the Gothic spirit of Janín's cover.

The only element here feeling a bit out-of-place is the cover's orange background, which unfortunately contrasts with the darker colour tones of the cover and disrupts its coherence.

All in all an excellent cover, which by the way comes with a comic that is an absolute blast as well.

Review: "Catwoman: Election Night" #1

Catwoman: Election Night has a lot of what you'd want from a Catwoman comic, or any comic at all in that matter: a compelling main character that combines brawn, brain and heart, an engaging story, a fitting villain, some relevant (albeit quite blatant) social commentary, and some absolutely astounding art by Shane Davis. 

The more disappointing it is then, that this all over in the blink of an eye. Although its light tone lends itself rather well to the one-shot format, the sheer potential of interesting ideas and story lines Meredith Finch creates will leave readers wanting more. What could have been an excellent 3 or 5-part series feels slightly rushed and incoherent at times, even though never as much as to confuse readers.

After all, this is still a highly recommendable and entertaining read, with a Catwoman that I definitely want to see more of.


7/10

PS: Definitely worth mentioning is Mark Russell's and Ben Caldwells mini story "Trigger Warnings", that has one of the funniest and most clever punch lines I have seen in comics recently. 

Retro Review: "Detective Comics" #514 (1982)

80's comics are a lot of fun, even though one can't deny that it's often nothing more than nostalgic irony that makes us come back to these issues. From the bubble gum ads to the amateurish classifieds, everything seems wonderfully antiqued, a time capsule that manages to capture the sentiments and images of this era. But would one have actually liked the comics?

The most apparent issue of almost every comic of that time is how little the writers actually trust and value the very medium they are creating. Afraid to let the art do some of the storytelling, every panel that doesn't feature dialogue instead features the narrator's voice in captions, only describing what you've just seen anyway. And oh, these captions. The constant urge to sound overly poetical does not only disrupt the flow and dynamic of the comic, but also lays bare another crucial issue. For many writers (and editors) of that time, high quality content could not be conveyed by art and dialogue, but had to come from text in a more classic and literal sense. "Hey, it's just a comic, but you know, we're using really fancy words and syntax here."

All this is even more unfortunate since the actual story of Detective Comics #514 is actually not bad at all. The premise makes for an entertaining Batman adventure (although he tends to be a righteous dick sometimes), and especially the titular Haven makes for an excellent deus ex machina/(anti-)hero, whose characterisation goes as deep as a single title story can provide. 

Comics have come a long way since then, and mostly for the better.