Batman and Robin #17

Batman and Robin #17
"Life is But a Dream"
Writer: Peter J. Tomasi
Artist: Patrick Gleason
February 2013
DC Comics


Holy exciting, heart-warming, creative, done-in-one issue, Batman! Batman and Robin #17 is a pseudo-epilogue to Death of The Family, although it is more of a character development tale about how Damian feels towards his father. I feel as though this issue was hand-picked to be released now, as to contrast the event coming in Batman, Inc. #8. I've done my best to avoid spoilers, but these days, with that damned place called the Internet, it's virtually impossible for anything to be kept a secret. Even DC released an interview with Grant Morrison spoiling the plot of B.I. #8 just days before the issues release! Seriously?! WHY DC?!? Ughh so stupid. It ruins the impact of the issue...

So like I was saying, I don't know for sure what happens in tomorrow's issue of Batman, Inc., but with all the buzz surrounding it, I think it's safe to say I'm going to be one upset comic book reader. For those who don't know what I'm talking about, consider yourself lucky. And now, onto Batman and Robin #17!

Batman and Robin #17 is a quick read, but don't let that fool you into thinking it's not an important and joyous one. Tomasi's script is quite minimal and that works wonders for this type of tale. The creative team mostly let the visuals tell the story, and every once in a while, that's fine by me! This story mostly takes place inside the dreamlands of Bruce, Alfred, and Damian, so it feels as though none of the events occurring on the pages really matter. However, I believe that the dream's of these characters reflect how each one of them feels about what's been going on in their world lately.

The artwork by regular series artist Patrick Gleason is fabulous as always. He has a knack for being able to create some creepy imagery while simultaneously pulling off some tender father/son moments between Bruce and Damian. Gleason's style is cartoony but it never feels goofy. This is one of the few books from the New 52 that has had the same writer/artist combo for majority of its run so far, and I certainly hope Gleason remains on B&R for as long as possible.

In regards to the script, it's nice to see the Tomasi and Gleason find such a level of synchronicity where the writer trusts the artist enough to let his art do the talking for him. Some comics I've read these days have too much forced exposition and not enough solid flow to the story. Sure, getting some facts about what the characters are feeling can be great, but too much of anything can spoil a story. Thankfully, team B&R nail this issue and it clearly shows. It's also a nice contrast to Snyder/Capullo's Batman #17 which was prose heavy (I'm not putting it down, I LOVED the issue), but sometimes it's more effective to show what you're trying to get across rather than have characters flatout narrate the action/events occuring before the readers eyes.

There are some more tender moments between Bruce and Damian, and I sincerely hope this isn't the last of them. There was also a freaking AWESOME splash page with Alfred. I won't spoil what it is, but it will surely have every Batman fan in awe over his actions. All in all, this issue was a different yet satisfying read. I'm really antsy to see what happens in Batman, Inc. #8. I feel as though this may be the last father/son bonding tale we can expect from Batman and Robin. I hope I'm wrong about this...


Story: 4.5
Art: 4.5

Bedlam #2

Bedlam #2
"Chapter Two: Everybody Wins"
Writer: Nick Spencer
Artist: Riley Rossmo
November 2012
Image Comics


Bedlam #2 digs deeper into the relationship between Fillmore Press (aka Madder Red) and "The Doctor." The story also enters some unfamiliar terrain in the opening pages, laying out the premise for what appears to be the first serial killer that Fillmore will attempt to apprehend. Detective Acevedo and her boss (unsure of his name) also make some progress by listening to the recorded call that Fillmore made back in the first issue. They believe that they have found the suspect responsible for all the recent murders that have been occurring in Bedlam and await to hear from him again. Luckily, they only have to wait until the next issue for that to happen.

The issue begins with a reunion of old friends who apparently entered AA or some form of rehabilitation together during a previous time. At any rate, what really matters about this scene is the tension that is built around the character known thus far as "Eric." He is a mysterious character who we soon find out is not all he's made out to seem. He appears friendly at first (striking up a conversation with his old buddy, and then inviting him to have a cup of coffee), but shortly shifts to being quite the opposite. There is a wonderfully disturbing splash page of Eric and Danny (the unfortunate friend who has now become the victim) in which we see Eric's true colours. I won't entirely spoil what is on the page, but it's not a pretty picture.

The story then shifts to Fillmore Press, and deals with both his present circumstance as well as his encounter with the good Doctor ten years prior. The layout of the next two pages alternates from one panel in the present, to the next in the past, contrasting the two different time frames until they meet up shortly hereafter. The reader discovers that the Doctor played a few mind games with our protagonist/anti-hero Fillmore back when he was presenting himself as Madder Red, and boy oh boy, it leads to quite the psychedelic double page splash. It's hard to tell exactly what is going on here, but it seems as though the Doctor is manipulating Fillmore and really getting inside his head (I had to say it...). But seriously, I can't tell exactly what is going on, and I think that's great. The mystery this series is creating is astounding.

Fillmore wakes up from a nightmare of sorts, to find the Doctor and his lovely assistants in his apartment. They have a lovely chat about what Fillmore has been up to, and how he should learn to be more careful so as to not get himself shot every time he tries to do a good deed. We learn that the Doctor instills an element of fear in Fillmore and that this is the one person who seems to scare him. I can only imagine bad things to come in future issues... So after clearing things up with Fillmore, the Doctor and his team leave Fillmore to continue his path of redemption. The reader gets one more glimpse of Madder Red's tarnished past, and he awakes to find himself in a bed alone, and screams out in what I can only imagine is pure terror. The story shifts back to the present again, and Fillmore hears a police siren outside. So what does he do? He leaves his apartment, follows the sounds of the sirens, and turns himself in to the police! What a case of risky business.

The artwork and storytelling in this series are both unique and work very well together. Sympathizing with an ex-serial killer is kind of a crazy thing to do (okay it totally is), but Nick Spencer, Riley Rossmo, et al. make it perfectly okay to do so. Bedlam is definitely in my top five favourites list, and I can't wait to find out what happens next (I named my freaking blog after the titular character of this series for crying out loud!). This series is reaching the top of my pile with each issue that comes out. Hurray for great independent comics! (Hurray!)


Story: 4
Art: 4


P.S.!

Here is the variant cover for this issue. I posted this way back when I started this blog, and it seemed appropriate to repost it right here, right now. Apparently this is an exclusive variant, as my LCS (which is a highly reputable one I might add) said that they had never heard of it. I looked it up on Comic Vine and apparently it's a "Phantom Variant." Not sure what that means, but long story short, I wasn't able to acquire this variant cover. I forgot to mention how madly in love I am with it. It is modeled after an image of the Joker from Moore/Bolland's "The Killing Joke," which is my all-time FAVOURITE comic ever. Both my favourite Batman comic and favourite comic book ever in existence. I like TKJ even more than Watchmen :/.

I'm still a little sad that I couldn't nab a copy of this gorgeous issue, but oh well. On the bright side, at least I can stare at it all I like on my computer screen... *sigh*

Justice League #17

Justice League #17
"Throne of Atlantis: Chapter Five (Conclusion)"
Writer: Geoff Johns
Artist: Ivan Reis
February 2013
DC Comics

This is the end of the fourth arc for this volume of the Justice League, and I've got to hand it to the new creative team for revamping my interest in the series. Ever since I heard about JL crossing over with Aquaman, I was actually fairly excited. I had stopped reading Aquaman for quite some time but was interested to give the character another chance. Let's just say, I've enjoyed this Atlantis-central story so much that I picked up all of the remaining Aquaman issues from my LCS... it was that much fun! Both JL and Aquaman have been great for the past couple of months, and I'm really excited to read both post-Throne of Atlantis. Anywho, let me get to why I enjoyed this arc/conclusing issue so much.

Justice League #17 feels very much like a bombastic superhero action film, and I mean that in the best way possible. This issue is action heavy but it doesn't solely rely on that to make it so satisfying. There are a few splash pages and double splashes, in which LOTS of individual battles are occurring. It's a lot to take in all at once, but upon rereading, it is rather enjoyable to examine all the little background fighting going on amongst the Trench creatures and the Atlanteans. There are also more intimate moments between Arthur and his brother Orm (aka The Ocean Master), in which their final showdown occurs. There are two pages that tie for my favourite splash page and the first one includes the Justice League booming onto the scene via Cyborg's boom tube contraption: the team looks so epic and ready for business. Ivan Reis' pencils and Joe Prado's inks are so luscious and extremely detailed. Not to put down Jim Lee or Tony Daniel, but I much prefer Ivan Reis as the penciller for this series. I certainly hope he stays for many issues to come! And the second splash page that really struck a chord with me is the one where Aquaman shouts out "I am your KING." There's so much intense imagery in this shot, from the lightning bolt striking the city and the frozen tidal wave in the background, to the harsh rain beating down against Aquaman and his fellow Atlanteans. Ugh, it's so beautiful!

The team develops their bond even further in this issue, and I've really been enjoying all the character building within the entire arc. From seeing Superman and Wonder Woman teaming up, to Cyborg saving the team, and to Batman and Aquaman finally putting their prides aside and working together, Geoff Johns has thoroughly captured my attention and created a team book in which the characters actually work together as a family unit. The march toward The Trinity War is coming, and I couldn't be more excited for it.


Story: 4.5
Art: 4.5

Bedlam #3

Bedlam #3
"Chapter Three: Let Him Have His Fun"
Writer: Nick Spencer
Artist: Riley Rossmo
January 2013
Image Comics


This is kind of a strange review, as I've read Bedlam #2 and have yet to review it, and I'm skipping ahead a bit by reviewing #3 first... Gotta keep things interesting somehow I guess. I'm not familiar with anything else Nick Spencer has written, but I've got to hand it to him, his writing has continued to pique my interest three issues in and I'm definitely here for the long haul. I love how the story is still fleshing out who Fillmore Press was when he donned the persona of Madder Red. There is hardly any dialogue used in this opening scene, proving that Spencer is capable of telling a story with just images and doing so in a stylistic fashion. Credit also goes to Riley Rossmo and team for bringing these images to life. The use of B&W colouring with the red accents further enhances the intensity of Madder Red's personality; the red stands out much more than it would if the entire environment had been coloured more naturally. The opening scene makes me wonder how many cats Madder Red killed in his seventy-nine day trial of "Companionship..." What a creepy character done right.

The story then jumps back to the present day, where Fillmore has managed to have himself arrested and awaits a confrontation with Detective Ramira Acevedo. (Sidenote: At the end of issue #2, I was confused as to why Fillmore confessed to being a murderer; now his motives become obvious). The two characters engage in conversation over the murders happening across Bedlam, and Detective Acevedo is under the assumption that Fillmore is indeed the man responsible for them. Fillmore claims that she and the rest of the homicide department require his assistance to catch the killer at large. This drama occurring between the two characters acts as a precursor to what I imagine will become a love/hate relationship for many issues to come. It feels almost as if Joker is conversing with Commissioner Gordon and Mr. J was trying to convince Gordon that he was turning a new leaf... it's just one of those situations where two people don't understand each other and probably never will...

Fillmore plays the card where he insists that there are many more murders that the police have yet to discover, and the only way for them to track them all down is with his help. There is a lot of tension building amongst these characters and Fillmore's zany personality makes me feel both uneasy and excited simultaneously. I can sympathize with Detective Acevedo cautionary approach, but at the same time, I can't help but want Fillmore to have his chance to redeem himself for his wayward past. This comic series feels like a mature version of "Batman;" not that Batman is immature by any means, but Bedlam feels a bit more grounded in reality, and the psychology of these characters reflects more serious, moral and ethical viewpoints than something like superhero comics tends to. This is obviously still fictional and retains a sense of the fantastic, but I'm definitely feeling connected to Fillmore and Acevedo much more than I do other characters in different comic series'.

The antagonist makes only a brief appearance in this issue (having taken a bigger chunk of #2's story, I think having him take a backseat is appropriate, so as to help build tension in his character as well as develop other aspects of the story), but that's okay! I imagine he will have a bigger role in issue #4. Without spoiling more of the story, I will conclude this review by stating that the end of the issue sees something very interesting happen that's given me an itch to open up Bedlam #4 ASAP. I shall go do that right now! (Well, I should probably upload this review first...) Bedlam is a fantastic story about a serial killer who has turned a new leaf and is seeking ways to redeem himself (or so it seems) by helping to stop/catch other killers. I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys both Dexter and the Joker; Fillmore Press is essentially an amalgamation of the two.


Story: 4
Art: 4

Mind MGMT #7

Mind MGMT #7
Writer/Artist: Matt Kindt
January 2013
Darkhorse Comics


What did I just read?










Story: 4
Art: 5

Revival #6 Review

Revival #6
Writer: Tim Seeley
Artist: Mike Norton
January 2013
Image Comics


So it's raining right now and I'm currently sitting on my bed by the window at home (my parent's house) as it is Reading Break for some university students. I figure, what better time than now to start getting back into logging my thoughts on some comics! I've just finished re-reading Revival #6. It's the start of a new arc (sort of...) and I'd like to get into the habit of reviewing this series each and every month from now on (and several others, which you'll see pop-up on the page in the near future). I read it last night just before bed, with the intentions of documenting my initial reactions to the issue, but it was too much of a brain buster for me to dissect at that hour so I played some Catan on my phone and called it a night.

So here we are. I'm awake, got some coffee into me, the blind's are up, and I'm ready to start the day right. Revival, for various reasons I'm sure, had a two month gap between the releasing of #5 and #6 (#5 released in November, and #6 in January). I imagine this is because of the trade coming out and Image wanted to recruit as many new readers as possible and give them time to get into the series. Anyhow, I also believe it's because it's sort a new arc. However, this series doesn't really seem to be set up in an "arc-based" type of storyline structure. I can't remember all of the events from the first 5 issues (a LOT happened folks) so there's a chance I'm wrong about this, but just from reading #6, it feels very much like it's still the same story continuing onward (I swear that I read something somewhere that Tim Seeley said that he's writing the book as one massive story arc, so there aren't really any good jumping-on points or places where the current story ends and then a new one begins).

Having read the issue a second time, I'm still not sure I comprehend everything that occurred on the 22 pages. The story begins with a news report on a television screen and it sort of recaps the general premise of the series. We get a tidbit about May Tao and her boss(..?); I'm not really sure who the character "Bogs" is, but I imagine she'll be fleshed out in future issues. May seems to be up to no good, and I can already feel some tension building amongst her relationships/interactions. Then we cut to a scene with a little girl and her grandpa who are attempting a prison break out of Wausau (the main city of the story that's been quarantined because of Revival Day). At the end of that 2-page scene, a new and important looking character is introduced. Nothing is revealed about him save that he's a "national hero." Looks like we'll be seeing more of him soon enough. Following this, we get a sort of pseudo-E.T. scene in which Dana's son Coop is talking about his action figures near a forest to that mysterious ghost/alien thing with the funky name that no one can properly pronounce (it's something like POJ XUUUUTJD...). We find out that Coop is trying to befriend the foreign creature. I felt surprisingly happy while I read this. Am I supposed to be feeling this way, or should I be scared that this alien being could potentially hurt the boy? Regardless, I can't ignore what I felt. This was probably my favourite moment from this issue.

Dana visits the house of the Hines' family, and we're introduced to a couple new characters. An older male detective named Jimmy Heckendorf appears to be some sort of antagonistic foil to Dana. Like most of the new characters introduced in this issue, we only get a vague snippet of their personalities, so nothing much can really be said about them yet. I fear he will try to get in the way of Dana doing the right thing, but I will have to wait and see what becomes of this guy. Dana's partner Ibrahaim Ramin has only a cameo in this issue, in which the two characters share a brief phone call together. Ramin reveals that there will likely be a further quarantine of the revivers themselves. I sensed Dana's discomfort with this idea (since her sister Em is a reviver) and I can only imagine that this will pose a huge problem in the future. Em herself is barely in this issue. The only scene with her is rather bare of any clear ideas/themes for the future of the series, which is obviously done on purpose by Seeley... he's building quite the mystery with all these characters. I imagine Tim has his characters' personalities mapped out somewhere (how could he not? I feel like he'd get lost and confused writing them if he didn't) and, being a cheeky writer that he seems to be, is only choosing to release minute details about them with each new issue. It's actually a brilliant way to bring readers like myself back in each and every month. So much mystery, yet so tantalizing!!!

The issue concludes with two elusive and unclear scenes (what else is new?). I won't say anymore about the story, but I'm definitely itching to find out what happens next. For a book that rarely (if at all) answers any direct questions, I can't say enough great things about it. Thankfully, I'm uber-late in reading/reviewing this issue, so late in fact, that issue #7 comes out tomorrow. The wait won't be so painful afterall...

If you're interested in trying something different and non-superhero/Big 2, I highly recommend picking up this series. It's mystery/horror/sci-fi all rolled into one beautifully crafted package. If you fall towards the squeamish side, than I'd say pass, but if you're anything like me... you should definitely check this out! (What am I like you may ask? Tandem with the series, I must leave you dangling with no clear answer...)


Story: 4
Art: 4