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Showcase: Green Lantern, The Man Who Laughs, and All-Star Superman

It’s official! I’ve been writing for Impulse Creations for 50 weeks now. Yeah paid freelancing milestone!

Anyway, this month’s Showcase article is up now, highlighting Green Lantern: Rebirth (thanks, Jill bot!), Batman: The Man Who Laughs, and All-Star Superman Vol. 1. Here are some teasers:

“… Green Lantern: Rebirth excels as a solid, entertaining read. It’s certainly not lacking of flashy explosions, that’s for sure.” - Green Lantern: Rebirth

“Mahnke’s sketchy art might not be for everyone, but it does a good job at presenting a gritty Gotham turned grotesque by the Joker. Not to mention the contrast of glaring yellows and whites against dark shadows and black capes on stormy nights never fails to impress.” - Batman: The Man Who Laughs

“With Frank Quitely’s uniquely colorful yet distinctly strange art to strengthen the tale, All-Star Superman sweeps in like a bird, a plane … no, Superman.” - All-Star Superman Vol. 1

Tags: All-Star Superman Vol. 1, Batman: The Man Who Laughs, Green Lantern: Rebirth
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Bat-Reviews: Batgirl #1

No more secrets. No more hiding. The first issue of Batgirl (written by Bryan Q. Miller) reveals the new Batgirl in Gotham and explains what happened to Cassandra Cain. So does the Bat-family have a new professional crime-fighter on their hands, ready to help clean up Gotham, or is the gig already blown?

SPOILERS!

How do you safe-guard a review when the warning is a spoiler in itself? That’s right, the latest Batgirl is none other than Spoiler, aka Stephanie Brown. Brown may have hung up the hood of the Spoiler, but that black and yellow symbol has an allure she just can’t resist. Living a normal life and going to college like people her age are expected to doesn’t exactly appeal to a girl who knows the thrill of flying high above Gotham and punching some thugs where it hurts.

Batman and Robin first notice they’re not the only ones taking up a different mantle when Brown makes a mess out of stopping a street racing group that’s been leaving tire marks on the pavement for weeks. Stephanie’s not the best at covering her tracks, and she knows it’s only a matter of time before she’s busted—either by her mom, the cops … or Gotham’s other costumed heroes. And what Batgirl-themed title would be complete without the inclusion of the iconic Batgirl, Barbara Gordon? Oracle has sunk into a dark place, and when Dick Grayson alerts her about the newest Bat on the Gotham scene, she’s not about to stand idly—especially after Brown haphazardly saves one of GPD’s rookies.

I wasn’t terribly impressed with Batgirl #1. Although I like the character—she does share my first name, after all, and therefore is cool in my book—it’s hard to get behind someone as reckless as her, especially when Brown’s nightly activities endanger others. Lee Garbett’s pencils, Trevor Scott’s inks, and Guy Major’s colors make a good combination for the comic, though. The almost simplistic, adventurous art style reflects the story well, and the shift to the flashback with Spoiler and Batgirl (Cassandra)—which I particularly enjoyed—acts as a well-illustrated contrast against the book’s present events. However, at this point it’s unclear where the comic will be going, and or if the character will take a perhaps much-needed change of pace.

Recommendation: Chow down on some waffles while you read this. It might make the book a little more substantial.

Tags: Bat-Reviews, Batgirl #1, Bryan Q. Miller, DC, Lee Garbett
Posted in Comics/Manga, Reviews | 4 Comments »

Bat-Reviews: Streets of Gotham #3

I asked, you answered: Some Bat-Reviews are coming your way!

Oh, Tommy Elliot … I just can’t quit you.

Paul Dini is making me one happy camper—and not to mention the Dustin Nguyen/Derek Fridolfs duo makes for drool-worthy art. Not only has Hush made his grand return in style ever since Heart of Hush, but now Zsasz is tearing up the scene, too? I’m either going to die happy or run away screaming, or both—and perhaps not even in that order.

The best thing, in my opinion, to come out of the mess that was Batman: RIP is nothing other than the new, not-so-improved Bruce Wayne … aka Tommy Elliot, aka Hush. The cunning, jealous childhood friend of Bruce turned Aristotle-quoting, dual pistol-wielding villain is putting on his most convincing masquerade yet, and it’s under the guise of Gotham’s resident billionaire playboy. But what appears to be a change of, ahem, heart for the city’s hottest bachelor—who now dishes out the family money to various charitable organizations and useless companies in a false act of philanthropy—is nothing more than an obvious act of mockery to those who knew the real Bruce Wayne.

Elliot relies on the knowledge that the new Caped Crusader, Dick Grayson, and his violence-happy sidekick, Robin aka Damian, can’t lay a finger on him without arising suspicion about their own connections to Wayne—but the Dynamic Duo have other plans in mind. With the help of some costumed friends, they’re going to be keeping a very close eye on the devious Mr. Wayne.

While the post-intimidation exchange about the nature of criminals gave me a good laugh that was unexpectedly refreshing, I can’t help—and I’m certain many feel the same way—but foster the concern that Damian is going to be the next Jason Todd, or worse … the Todd who lived. Erm … well, you know, in a “never died and thus never resurrected by the Lazarus Pit, but instead rebelled and became dangerous” sense. Okay, that made my brain hurt a little.

Meanwhile, Black Mask and Mr. Zsasz—oh yeah, creepy, good ol’ Zsasz—discuss the scarred psychopath’s role in the new Gotham. The city’s puppeteer is giving the killer a chance to dream up something bigger for himself in order to rain more terror down on the populace. I loved this issue of Streets of Gotham down to the very detail … except certain threads. I love Nguyen’s style, but I have to admit, I’m not exactly crazy about Zsasz’s new outfit. It doesn’t really fit his character in my mind, but then again, maybe that’s the point: out with the old, and in with the new. Guess we’ll just have to stick around and find out.

Streets of Gotham #3 also co-features “Under My Skin” (written by Marc Andreyko with art by Georges Jeanty and Karl Story), the continuation of the Manhunter secondaries that pits Kate against a skinless Jane Doe, who needs some new “threads” of her own, if you catch my meaning. The co-feature is a fun romp, but Buffy artist Jeanty makes Doe look like a female Warren.

Recommendation: Buy it! And while you’re at it, get Mr. Zsasz here a clean knife, would you?

Tags: Bat-Reviews, Batman: Streets of Gotham #3, DC, Dustin Nguyen, Paul Dini
Posted in Comics/Manga, Reviews | 1 Comment »

Batman: Arkham Asylum Interview Pt. 2

Kevin Conroy might stun with the awesomeness of his voice acting as Batman, but Paul Dini is someone many fans, including myself, admire. His creativity spans years and never ceases to be fresh and entertaining. I’ve interviewed Dini before, but never face-to-face, so it was a pleasure to talk to him about his storytelling in Batman: Arkham Asylum, which comes out this Tuesday. (Holy guano, Batman!)

Yeah, if Dini wrote it, you know it’s gonna be good. So rest assured, gamers.

You can read my interview with Paul Dini over at the Girls Entertainment Network. Part 3 with Rocksteady Studios developer Sefton Hill should be up on Monday.

Tags: Batman: Arkham Asylum, Paul Dini, San Diego Comic-Con 2009
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Batman: Arkham Asylum Interview Pt. 1

One of my life dreams has been accomplished—marked off the list of to-dos: I met Kevin Conroy. And interviewed him, no less! Hearing Conroy talk on recorded interviews, and even hearing his voice as Batman on television or in Batman: Arkham Asylum, doesn’t do the real thing justice. He truly commands a room, and his laugh holds so much authority and power, it’s almost intimidating.

You can check out my interview with Batman over at the Girls Entertainment Network.

Tags: Batman: Arkham Asylum, Kevin Conroy, San Diego Comic-Con 2009
Posted in Comics/Manga, Exclusives, Girls Entertainment Network, Video Games, Writing | No Comments »

SDCC09: Day 4 Wrap-Up

Last day in San Diego

My last day at San Diego Comic-Con consisted mostly of saying goodbye to a lot of great people: the GEN crew, David LeVack, Beau Ryan, Leo Camacho, Rick Basaldua, Archaia’s Mel Caylo, Top Cow’s Filip Sablik, and more. Joined by my friend Josh, I spent most of the day really exploring the floor and doing a bit of shopping—something I really never had a chance to do the days prior.

Although one of my scheduled appointments didn’t pull through, I did meet someone I’ve been talking to on Twitter for awhile now: Ryan Penagos, aka Agent_M. After the Marvel games panel—where games like Ultimate Alliance 2, Iron Man 2, and Superhero Squad were showcased (topped off with the adorable Little Big Planet announcement of Wolverine, Captain America, and Iron Man sackboys)—I met Ryan and we talked for a few minutes.

Ryan and I

Josh and I walked around some more, browsing through Artists’ Alley, where I met and got Scott Williams’ autograph and talked with Steve Ellis (who did a great werewolf sketch for me) earlier in the day. Mel Caylo introduced me to some Archaia creators, who were nice enough to give me some comics of theirs to check out. In addition to buying my first Mighty Mugg (Wolverine), I picked up the first issue of Mercy Sparx (from Devil Due’s Publishing) and the artist signed my copy. The floor closed a few hours earlier than usual, and dinner consisted of a spicy chicken sandwich and PinkBerry for dessert.

The GEN girls!

Tags: Archaia, Devil's Due Publishing, Marvel, San Diego Comic-Con 2009
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Dorsia Dinner Reservation under “Poser, Twitter”

Yeah, I know what you’re thinking. What happened to this week’s Sounds of Nostalgia and Bad, Comic, Bad? Well, I skipped them this week to have the time to write my first article for @RadNerd, owned by @BeauRyan and @LeoZombie, who kindly invited me on board. So what’s the article about? Well, if you like Twitter and/or Christian Bale … or hell, neither … you’ll probably get a kick out of it. At least I hope so.

You can read it over at RadNerd.com.

PS: Next week will feature the last Sounds of Nostalgia of the summer, since I’ll be going back to college at the end of the month. BCB, however, will continue.

Tags: Christian Bale, Twitter
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Pull-O-Rama: August ’09

This month’s Pull-O-Rama over at Impulse Creations features reviews of Batman #689, The Darkness #79, Berserker #2, and Blackest Night: Batman #1. Just for fun, here’s a teaser:

“Firefly set the city on fire, Black Mask destroyed Arkham Asylum and has its escaped inmates wrapped around his bony fingers, the Penguin continues to experience fishy humiliation, and Two-Face lingers in the background with an unsettling smile on his face.” - Batman #689

“Hester knows how to make The Darkness truly come alive—so much that you’ll consider sleeping with the light on.” - The Darkness #79

“Farris Jorn and Aaron Bural are two regular guys with loving girlfriends, and they have one very special thing in common: the superhuman ability to tear just about anyone into fleshy bits and pieces.” - Berserker #2

“Between fistfights and temporary amnesia, reanimated circus performers, and the cliché ‘God’s got nothing to do with this’ line, the comic only needs to replace ‘flesh’ and ‘rise’ with ‘brains’ and you’ve got a sizeable headache.” - Blackest Night: Batman #1

Tags: Batman #689, Berserker #2, Blackest Night: Batman #1, The Darkness #79
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