Review: "Batman: Annual #1"

What better way to celebrate the most wonderful time of the year than with a Batman Annual? And 2016's entry, written and pencilled by some of the finest Batman heads of recent years (King, Snyder, Dini, Finch, Adams) certainly looks like it could give us some of that renowned Gotham Christmas spirit.

By both delivering on the Annual's quintessential promise of telling another story (both narratively and visually) and effectively capturing the uniting, disarming spirit of Christmas, Batman Annual #1 ends up being cheerful and insightful, private and public, grand and intimate, all at the same time. Whether it's the emotional tale of a rescue dog, a road trip with an unlikely companion, the introduction of an altogether new villain or a virtuoso treatment of the unexplored niches and moods of the Batman universe by Scott Snyder, it's an instant Batman Christmas classic. Just like "Merry Christmas From The Joker", this will be another must see/read for many Christmases to come.

10/10

Quickfire Combo-Reviews: "The Hunt" #1 & #2 / "Black Widow" #6

"The Hunt" #1 & #2: It certainly looks the part, but even for someone who gets startled rather easily, this didn't do much in terms of scares or convincing atmosphere. Well established tropes en masse, and the decision to actually write out the Irish accent proves to be a doubtful one.

5/10

"Black Widow" #6: Even though the hinted at showdown with Iron Man did not really happen, and the revelation of the Weeping Lion is slightly disappointing, this still fully convinces with its spectacularly paced storytelling and breathtaking art style. 

7/10

Quickfire Combo-Reviews: "The Fix" #4 / "Black Widow" #5 / "Star Wars" #21

I need to catch up with my comics, so here's something new to get up-to-date relatively quickly. Enjoy!

"The Fix" #4: More Mac, more Josh, more Pretzels, more mayhem. Fun, entertaining, hugely disturbing, the surprise series of 2016 keeps impressing.

9/10

"Black Widow" #5: It's pace and relentless action reminds of the fantastic first issue, as Natasha feels the heat on her from everywhere. Still great, even though it lacks some of the magic we were getting used to.

8/10

"Star Wars" #21: Superbly narrated, as its art perfectly matches the comic's sombre atmosphere. Whether you love or hate the Stormtrooper special unit we get to know here, their appeal is unmissable. Marvel's darkest Star Wars comic so far.

8/10

Keepin' It 360: "Black Widow" #4

Samnee's and Waid's Black Widow is still at its best when narrated through the former's stunning art. Even though this homage to old spy movies (including some Soviet stereotypes) lets us finally dig deeper into the Weeping Lion's story and motifs, it's Samnee's ability to use arrangement, pace and composition to deliver another strong entry in the series.

8/10

Further Links:

Black Widow #2

Black Widow #3

Comic of the Day 7/5: "Black Widow" #3

It's terrific to see "Black Widow" returning to dense storytelling through art alone; a formula that made #1 so exceptional earlier this year. Especially when dialogues are not Chris Samnee's and Mark Waid 's forte here, with the very few verbal interactions feeling stiff and artificial. 

Whereas the first two issues mainly centered around sequences of relentless action, the focus shifted noticeably here. Samnee proves that his art is equally able to tell Natasha's more emotional and haunting backstory. He understands how to make her stand out on every single panel, with her lines drawn always a nuance sharper than those of her environment. Matthew Wilson's bright colors enhance this notion, while is overall choice of a brownish color palette adds some valuable grit. 

All this, paired with a first class cliffhanger and a full page panel that captures Widow's symbioses of ballet and assassin skill like nothing before, makes "Black Widow" #3 another outstanding read.

8/10

Further links:

"Black Widow" #2 Review