Comic Review: Dark Days: The Forge #1

DARK DAYS: THE FORGE #1
Written by: Scott Snyder and James Tynion IV
Art by: Jim Lee, Andy Kubert, John Romita, Jr., Scott Williams, Klaus Janson, Danny Miki, Alex Sinclair, Jeremiah Skipper, and Steve Wands
Published by: DC Comics

DARKNESS COMES TO THE DC UNIVERSE WITH THE MYSTERY OF THE FORGE! Aquaman, The Flash and more of DC’s pantheon of heroes suspect Batman of hiding a dark secret that could threaten the very existence of the multiverse! It’s an epic that will span generations—but how does it connect to the origins of one of DC’s most legendary heroes?

The great comics event of summer 2017 is about to begin courtesy of superstar writers Scott Snyder and James Tynion III and illustrated by a master class of comics artists: Andy Kubert, Jim Lee and John Romita Jr.!

Dark Days: The Forge #1 has finally arrived in stores, and it’s surprisingly good. co-written by Scott Snyder and James Tynion IV, with art from Jim Lee, Andy Kubert, and John Romita, Jr. Dark Days: The Forge #1 opens with Andy Kubert drawing the ancient Egyptian origins of Hawkman, before things jump to the present day.

From there, Dark Days: The Forge takes us from the Bermuda triangle, to the Batcave, to the Fortress of Solitude and even to the Lunar Batcave. And yes, you read that right: Lunar Batcave. Snyder and Tynion give readers little hints about what’s going on, but all these places are essential as we begin to unravel Batman’s latest secret. The mystery brings in characters like Lady Blackhawk, Immortal Man, Mister Terrific, and Mister Miracle, and even Carter Hall.

Snyder and Tynion tease what is to come, and definitely set this story up well. By the time I finished reading Dark Days: The Forge #1, I was left wanting more. I’m also glad the artists brought back some characters than don’t get enough of the spotlight at DC.

The art in this issue is killer! Jim Lee, Andy Kubert, and John Romita, Jr. all turn in stellar work, and the transition between artists is almost seemless. Every chapter in this book pops and is filled with little details, and the different setting give the artist a chance to try something new.

 

The whole “batman is keeping a secret from his friends” storyline has been done several times over the last couple of decades, so I was a little skeptical about heading down that road once again.

However, Dark Days: The Forge #1 is a fun comic that left me wondering what was coming next. I loved the story, and the art was just so damn good, it reminded me of why I started liking comics in the first place.

Dark Days: The Forge #1 score: A

Discovering Alterna Comics

I’ve mentioned several time on this blog that when I started collecting comics books, I could walk into a store with $10.00 and get 10 or more comics. Today, I can probably get two comics for the same amount of money.

I get that prices go up, but comic book prices have sky rocketed to such a point that I am now spending a small fortune each week for only 4-5 books. If comics weren’t so expansive today I’d probably be buying more titles and trying out different types of books. Luckily, there’s a company called Alterna Comics that is trying to help fans like me.

Alterna Comics is a company based New Hampshire Yay, New England!), and they publish creator owned titles printed on newsprint and with a cover prices of $1.99 or less. Seriously, they’re making affordable comics! Not only that, but Alterna is making REALLY GOOD cheap comics.

Last week I picked up the first issues of Alterna’s Mother Russia, Lilith Dark, and Trespasser. Each issue cost me only $1.50, I mean come on! You can’t beat that price. The last time I paid $1.50 for a comic book was probably 1994. Here’s what these comics are all about:

Trespasser #1

Written by Justin M. Ryan. Art and Cover by Kristian Rossi. After a devastating war ruins the air and food supply for most of the world, Hector and his daughter Maria struggle to survive. But when a strange visitor crash lands in the forest, Hector will go to unspeakable lengths to protect his child. Printed on newsprint! 32 pages, full color. Rated T.

Lilith Dark #1

Story, Art and Cover by Charles C. Dowd. Lilith Dark has no time for princess stuff; she’s far too busy fighting giant monsters and capturing unicorns… or at least that’s how she imagines things. But what if these imaginary beasties, creatures, and monsters were actually real? What then? Printed on nostalgic newsprint with a glossy cover! 32 pages, full color. Rated E.

Mother Russia #1

Story, Art and Cover by Jeff McComsey. One baby. One rifle. Two million zombies! As a zombie apocalypse breaks out in WWII, a Soviet sniper risks her life to protect an innocent baby boy. Created by New York Times-bestselling author and artist Jeff McComsey. The smash hit is now on newsprint! 32 pages, B&W. Rated M.

The price is indeed great, but the best thing about Mother Russia, Lilith Dark, and Trespasser? All three issues were page turners. I could not put any of them down, and all three issues were worth the price. Alterna also has several other titles I will be tracking down soon.

I’ve already added Mother Russia, Lilith Dark, and Trespasser to my pull list, and with those prices and quality storytelling, I will be checking out everything Alterna Comics puts out from now on.

I paid to see that: The Hand That Rocks the Cradle

During my early years living in Weymouth Ma, my go to place to see the latest movies was the Cameo theater in Columbian Square.

The Cameo is a tiny two screen theater that’s been around for over 75 years in the same location. I liked the Cameo, but I have to admit the place was notorious for its sticky floors. I never knew why they were sticky all the time, and never bothered to find out.

For several years, I lived in the apartments next door to the Cameo so getting there was easy enough. Also, matinees at the Cameo were cheap back in the day, so my friends and I saw a bunch of movies there when we were young. I saw stuff there ranging from “Who Framed Roger Rabbit” to “Fahrenheit 9/11.”

One of my most memorable trips to the Cameo came in early 1992. It was during our February vacation when Laneit and I decided we needed to see “The Hand That Rocks the Cradle” starring Rebecca De Mornay. I wish I could remember why we decided we HAD to see this movie, because I just tried re-watching it, and I could not get through it.

Anyways, I asked my mom if Laneit could sleep over and she said yes. And later that night we walked over to the Cameo for the late showing of the movie. When we tried to buy our tickets, the young lady at the counter told us we needed to be accompanied by an adult because “The Hand That Rocks the Cradle” was rated R.

Neither Laneit, nor I wanted to give up so easily, so we ran back to my apartment and I asked my mother to come buy our tickets. She was a little surprised by the request, and asked what was so different about this movie.

I had to think fast, and came up with something along the lines of “We’re seeing a violent Bruce Willis movie.” I think that popped into my head because the other movie playing at the Cameo that night was Bruce Willis’ “The Last Boy Scout.”

My mother agreed, and walked over to the theater with us. She got our tickets, and returned home. Laneit and I were down right giddy, and headed into the theater with our giant popcorn and drink. For the next 90 plus minutes, we laughed, rolled our eyes, and shouted “That’s the guy from Ghostbusters!”

“The Hand That Rocks the Cradle” was not a good movie to say the least, but Laneit and I did have a good time. Plus, I learned three very important lessons that fateful night:

• My mom would be buying our tickets for future R rate movies
• Julianne Moore deserved better material
• Matt McCoy is the most bland actor in Hollywood

 

 

Better late than never review: The LEGO Batman Movie

Possible spoilers ahead!

Yeah, I know “The LEGO Batman Movie” came out months ago, and I know this review is super late. But you see, stuff came up while the movie was playing in the theater. Stuff like a little car accident the wifey and I were in and took weeks to settle because the person who hit us lied to the police.

To be honest however, I think the main reason I didn’t see “The LEGO Batman Movie” on the big screen was because I really didn’t want to see the movie in the a room full of screaming children. But thanks to my old pal Laneit, I was finally able to see the movie from the comforts of home.

So what did I think of “The LEGO Batman Movie”? Keep reading to find out…

“The LEGO Batman Movie” stars Will Arnett as Batman and Michael Cera as Robin, Zach Galifianakis as The Joker, Rosario Dawson as Barbara Gordon / Batgirl, Ralph Fiennes as Alfred Pennyworth, and many, many more people. The movie is basically about Batman learning to work with others, and about his need for friends and family.

That was all fine and good, and the filmmakers did some clever stuff. I liked how they built upon the Batman mythos, and also poked fun at the character’s cinematic history. The first two acts of the film were solid, and had some nice story arcs. There were even some very funny bits like Batman wearing the cowl 24/7, Alfred reading a parenting book, and Superman throwing a party for the Justice League.

But by the third act, “The LEGO Batman Movie” had lost me. I just didn’t see the need to add King Kong, Sauron, Daleks, and a bunch of others to the mix. I get that this sort of thing worked in “The LEGO Movie,” but here it came off as an episode of “Robot Chicken.”

Easily the best part of “The LEGO Batman Movie” is the voice cast. Will Arnett as Batman gets to cut loose, and it clear he’s having fun doing this part. Arnett perfectly plays up Batman’s loner attitude and massive ego, but he does it in such a funny way you can’t help but still like this Batman.

The biggest surprise in the cast was Ralph Fiennes as Alfred Pennyworth. He was funny, sweet, and he even kicked some ass. This is one of the best Alfred performances in any Batman movie. But how this poor man put up with Bruce Wayne for all those years is beyond me.

Rosario Dawson was fine as Batgirl, but  I can’t stop thinking of her as Claire from the MArvel Netflix shows. Which is going to be a huge problem when she’s on “New Mutants” next year.

At the end of the day, there’s a lot to like in “The LEGO Batman Movie.” I still say that third act could have used some editing, but LEGO Batman is a worthy addition to Batman’s cinematic series, thanks to a great cast, and surprisingly meaningful storyline.

“The LEGO Batman Movie” score: B

Comic Review: Babyteeth #1

BABYTEETH #1
Written by: Donny Cates
Art by: Gary Brown, Mark Englert, and Taylor Esposito
Published by: Aftershock Comics
This comic is suggested for mature readers

Sadie Ritter is sixteen years old, nine months pregnant, and scared out of her sweet nerdy mind. Having a baby that young is tough, but with the support of her loving family behind her, everything should be okay. OH YEAH, and also her baby is the antichrist and it’s going to break open the barriers between the earthly and demonic planes and unleash eternal suffering to all of humankind. Other than that, though…should be fine.

From Donny Cates, the writer of Buzzkill, Paybacks, Redneck and the break-out hit God Country comes a pulse-pounding new series with art from THE REVISIONIST’s Garry Brown!

For the past year or so, Aftershock Comics has become my favorite publisher in the business. This is one company that is willing to try stuff the big three publishers won’t touch, and so far their books have been fantastic.

Now Aftershock Comics brings us Babyteeth, a new series written by Donny Cates that features the birth of the antichrist. Some of the story elements in issue #1 play out exactly like you would expect, but I was pleasantly surprised at the amount of world building Donny Cates achieved in one issue.

I know this sounds crazy, but Donny Cates made the birth of the Anti-Christ a very touching, human, and loving event. Cates achieved this by focusing not on the child, but on the mother, Sadie. Right of the bat we know that Sadie is a mom who will love her son no matter what he may grow up to be. FRom the moment she was introduced, I immediately liked her, as well as her sister Heather. The few pages where its just the two of them was my favorite part of Babyteeth #1.

Donny Cates also does some cool things by showing ominous signs around the birth. The story moves at a very fast pace, and Sadie’s contractions are show as massive earthquakes striking the city.

Gary Brown’s art style is a perfect fit for the story. At times its rough around the edges, but this helps setting a mood of time ticking down and anxiety building up. I also liked that he drew Sadie with a soft face to show how loving and caring she is. Meanwhile, Heather and the other characters we see are drawn with sharp edges, and the contrast is amazing.

In the end, Babyteeth #1 is a surprisingly unique take on a story we have seen before. This book has a lot of heart, and thanks to clever dialogue, and exciting artwork, this series could be one of the best new launches of 2017. Looks like Aftershock has another hit on their hands!

Babyteeth #1 score: A

Comic Review: Cable #1

CABLE #1
Written by: James Robinson
Art by: Carlos Pacheco, Rafael Fonteriz, Jesus Aburtov, and Cory Petit
Published by: Marvel Comics

WALK SOFTLY…AND CARRY A BIG GUN! CABLE sees the mighty mutant return on a brand-new mission…with all of time in the balance! When Cable picks up the trail of a threat in the timestream, he sets off on a high-speed, history-spanning chase to save reality as we know it. From prehistory to modern day, whether it’s a six-gun duel at high noon or a high-tech sword fight in an ancient land, Cable is the only man who can keep history from unraveling!

I won’t lie, I had high hopes for Cable #1. James Robinson and Carlos Pacheco have excellent track records, so I was excited when I heard they were relaunching Cable as part of Marvel’s ResurrXion initiative. What these two men could do together could be big, so I immediately added this book to my pull list.

The story in Cable #1 is called “Conquest,” and everything starts with Cable showing up in a saloon in Nobileen, Arizona, in 1874, throwing open the saloon doors and exclaiming: “No need for introductions.”

Now we see Cable on one side, and a group gunslingers on the other. The action by Carlos Pacheco is cinematically framed, fast paced, and gorgeous to look at. Also, from page one its clear that James Robinson will be taking his time with this arc. He’s building towards something, what exactly only he knows for now.

I’ve been a fan of Carlos Pacheco since he drew a Bishop mini-series around 1994-1995. I always felt like his figures looked like action figures, and I loved that about his work. His sryle has changed over the years, at one point in this issue I had to double-check the credits because the art looked more like Darick Robertson rather than Carlos Pacheco.

Don’t misunderstand, the artwork in Cable #1 is top-notch whether it’s in the old west, or in 1543 Japan. I just had to get used to his new style, and I do like that Pacheco gave Cable a slimmer physique, and I think he even made him taller than usual. Gone is the Cable that had 200 pouches and carried 72 guns. Thank god for that.

Out of all the ResurrXion I’ve thus fa, Cable #1 is the only one I would label a page-turner. This book exceeded any an all expectations I may have had. I for one can’t wait to see who else Cable will track down, and as long as James Robinson and Carlos Pacheco are leading the way, I’ll be around to see how this adventure ends.

Batman & Robin 20 years later

It was a beautiful Saturday morning in June 1997 when my sidekick John and I traveled to the General Cinema in Braintree MA to see the latest Batman live action adventure, “Batman & Robin.”

Things were simpler back in 1997, these were the early days of the internet after all, so movie spoilers were harder to find. Social media didn’t exist yet, and Rotten Tomatoes were only found at my local Shaw’s store. Due to all of this, I went into “Batman & Robin” with an open mind, hoping to see the Dark Knight I knew from the comics.

The film was directed by Joel Schumacher and written by Akiva Goldsman. It starred Arnold Schwarzenegger (getting top billing), George Clooney, Chris O’Donnell, Alicia Silverstone, and Uma Thurman. In “Batman & Robin,” the heroes attempt to prevent Mr. Freeze and Poison Ivy from freezing all mankind to death and repopulating the earth with mutant plants .. I think.

Anyways,, I didn’t mind the opening scene in the Batcave when Batman tells Robin “This is why Superman works alone.” As a comic fan I geeked out because this meant Batman and Superman existed in the same world, and Batman could cameo in the Superman movie that was supposed to come out the following year.

Then came a moment that let me know this was going to be a train wreck. As Batman is battling Mr. Freeze and his hockey team from hell, Robin burst through the wall on his motorcycle. The hole he and the bike leave behind is a perfect Nightwing logo. I mean, how is that possible??

“Batman & Robin” got only worse from there: Batman carries his own branded credit card; the Batman and Robin suits have giant nipples; and Mr. Freeze and Poison Ivy talk in puns. And I’m not even going to mention what they did to poor old Bane.

The audience John and I saw the movie with started to turn on the movie by the time Robin shouted “Cowabunga!” as he sky surfed back to Gotham. Later on, everyone in the theater let out a huge groan when Bane and Poison Ivy showed up in gorilla costumes. And one couple sitting in front of us, walked out when Barbara’s computer kept saying “Access Denies” over and over again.

For a few years I placed all the blame for “Batman & Robin” on George Clooney.I was so mad at the guy that I refused to see him in anything for a while. But over the last two decades, I’ve softened my stance on this for a couple of reasons. The more I thought about it the more I realize that

1. George Clooney had no control over the script, or over the director.
2. George Clooney was still coming into his own as an actor. If you look at his 1997 work in “Batman & Robin,” “E.R.” and “The Peacemaker,” his acting doesn’t change. It wasn’t until at least 2001 where Clooney finally found his groove.

I still watch “Batman & Robin” occasionally, and its clear to me now that George Clooney is actually one of the better aspects of this movie. Not counting Adam West in the 60’s, Clooney was the first to play a Bruce Wayne that wasn’t always thinking about his parents. The Bruce Wayne in “Batman & Robin” looks like he’s able to have fun now and then, and that isn’t always a bad thing.

Don’t get me wrong, “Batman & Robin” still has a lot of problems. One of them being that the movie has too many plotlines, and none of them get a satisfacory arc. Let’s see there was the one about the two heroes not working as a team; Bruce afraid to commit to girlfriend Elle Macpherson; Alfred’s illness; and each of the villains plans. And that’s just a few of them. But the one that still ticks me off is the one with Alicia Silverstone as Barbara Wilson.

If I remember correctly, the script says Barbara is daughter of Alfred’s youngest sister Margaret. I’d say Barbara Wilson is around 18-21 years old in the movie, so her mom should be in her late 40’s at most. Yet, later in the movie we see a picture of her mother that looks like it was taken in the 1930’s or 1940’s. It just doesn’t make sense, if anything, Barbara should be Alfred’s great grand-niece or something.

Plotholes and too many plotlines could be forgiven if either the acting or the action scenes were any good. But in “Batman & Robin” most of the action seems repetative, and almost all of it takes place indoors for unknown reasons. As for the acting, let’s just say they’ve all done better work elsewhere. But at least Uma Thurman looks good as Poison Ivy.

Joel Schumacher has made good movies before, but “Batman & Robin” is easily his worst. He knows it too, because just a few days ago Joel Schumacher apologized to fans for “Batman & Robin.”

I don’t feel he needed to apologize because I don’t think he was trying to make a bad movie on purpose. Plus, had it not been for the failure of “Batman & Robin,” we may have never gotten the Dark Knight trilogy.