Monthly Archives: June 2012

Comics! With Richard and Carter, General

Before Watchmen So Far… (COMICS!)

Leave a comment

Before Watchmen has finally arrived! Now…is it any good so far? LETS FIND OUT!

Hello everyone! Its your friendly neighborhood nerd, Richard, here! A while ago, DC Comics announced they would be releasing a prequel comic book event titled: Before Watchmen. Each series under the Before Watchmen banner would follow the characters from the original graphic novel, and what they were up to…Before Watchmen…yea. ANYWAYS! As an avid fan of the original comic, and the film adaptation, I was very excited about these books. I even expressed my excitement, much to Dan’s surprise, on an episode of The Director’s Cut. I can admit, I didn’t think a prequel, as usual, was a good idea. I mean, Watchmen is a classic in the world of comics! To many, Its the Citizen Kane of the comic book world! To create a prequel should be considered a slight against the comic book gods! However, When DC announced whom they hired to bring this event to life…I knew they weren’t playing around. It didn’t seem, to me, that they were just attempting to milk an old cash cow. When you drop names like Brian Azzarello, Darwyn Cooke, Adam Hughes, Len Wein, Amanda Conner, and Andy Kubert you can’t help but expect quality work. As of today, 4 of the 7 series have started: Minutemen, Silk Spectre, Comedian, and Nite Owl. And this is what I thought of them. ENJOY!

Minutemen #1

Written and Drawn by: Darwyn Cooke

So, Minutemen tells the tale of the Watchmen before the Watchmen. The golden age of the Watchmen world, if you will. The first issue introduces each member of Minutemen, and how the team came to be. This was one of the titles I was most excited for. Darwyn Cooke has always been known for his classic, retro style comic books. The best examples of this is his Justice League story, New Frontier, and his run on The Spirit. As expected, his work on Minutemen doesn’t disappoint at all! This is a beautiful comic, and the perfect example of what this entire event should be. Cooke’s artwork is more then a perfect fit for this series. The retro style, the color scheme, everything is perfect. I also really dug the tale being told here. I loved the way Cooke used the Under the Hood book Hollis Mason authored to introduce each character. Admittedly, It does get a bit wordy at times, but It doesn’t take away from the books magic.

5/5

Silk Spectre #1

Written by: Darwyn Cooke and Amanda Conner

Drawn by: Amanda Conner

One of the key aspects of the story of Silk Spectre II, Laurie Juspeczyk, is her estranged relationship with her mother, the first Silk Spectre, Sally Jupiter. That story is on full display in this first issue. The story plays out like an R-rated Teen High School chick flick. It’s not the strongest story, and it’s kind of predictable, but it’s a nice fit for Laurie, regardless. However, the best aspect of this book is the artwork. OMG! Amanda Conner is an amazing artist! I found her artwork to be very faithful to the original comic, but with a nice addition of her own style and flare. Overall, I’m interested to see what happens next, but I didn’t find it the strongest title from Before Watchmen so far.

4/5

Comedian #1

Written by: Brian Azzarello

Drawn by: J.G. Jones

The Comedian is one of the most despicable, vile, hateful, and messed up characters ever created in comics! And I couldn’t have been more excited to see how Brian Azzarello was going to write him! That being said, I was kind of disappointed by this issue. The story being told wasn’t bad, but…I wasn’t reading about The Comedian. More like his innocent twin brother. The majority of the time, we see Eddie Blake, The Comedian, playing ball and chit chatting with The Kennedy family. Then he gets verbally man handled by Jackie Kennedy! This is not the Comedian I know! However, There has always been a hidden heart to the character. A kinder side that’s never really been brought to the surface 100%. So, I can’t help but be equally intrigued by this issue. The best aspect is the artwork, again! J.G. Jones does a fantastic Job bringing the book to life. Especially during the action scene towards the end. I’ll still read more, but not really from excitement anymore. Mainly just from curiosity.

3/5

Nite Owl #1

Written by: J. Michael Straczynski

Drawn by: Andy Kubert

When I mentioned earlier that I was excited for Before Watchmen because of the creative teams DC hired, This series was the exception…sort of. Nite Owl has always been a favorite character of mine. When I first heard about Before Watchmen, I instantly wanted to know who would be tackling Dan Dreibergs’s story. When I saw Andy Kubert was doing the art, I got very excited! He has always been like a modern day Neal Adams, and I could totally see his style doing Dan justice! However, When I saw JMS was writing…I cried on the inside. And, sadly as expected, Nite Owl #1 was the weakest of all the books so far. The story isn’t exciting, nor is it terrible. Its just…there. It doesn’t feel like it needs to exist. The comic just speeds through Dan’s transformation into Nite Owl. It basically read like a rushed re-telling of the origin of Tim Drake, the 3rd Robin. Because of this, The art had no room to shine. Though, there are some amazing bits of artwork on display. However, Its not often those bits show up. I really hope this series proves me wrong come issue two, but Its exactly was I expected it to be…a big summer bummer.

2/5

Anyways,This is what I thought of Before Watchmen so far. Its not great, but its not terrible either. Each comic features amazing artwork, but the stories are a mixed bag. I’m still excited for the rest of the issues, and Can’t wait for them to come out! In the comments below, What are your thoughts on Before Watchmen so far? TELL ME NOW!! Anyways, Stay tuned for my thoughts on the next batch of Before Watchmen Books, coming soon, and don’t forget to visit www.youtube.com/channel23hahaha to checkout new videos and episodes of my awesome show: COMICS!

Comics! With Richard and Carter

LEGO Batman 2: DC Super Heroes Review!!! (COMICS!)

Leave a comment

As Batman, we’ve saved Gotham from The Joker in Arkham Asylum. Then we saved Gotham from Hugo Strange in Arkham City. Now…Its time to suit up once again, and save Gotham City! However, this time around…things are a bit plastic.

Hey everyone! Richard, here! Its time once again for me to plug my latest venture into the comic book world! This week, I decided to review LEGO Batman 2: DC Super Heroes! This game is a sequel to the previous Batman game, but things are much bigger! In fact, this is the biggest game in the entire LEGO game franchise. A few new features were added into this game that’s never been done before in LEGO form! First off, the characters actually have voices instead of grunts, and second off, the game is open world! You heard me! The very first open world Batman game…is in LEGO form! ANYWAYS! Click on the sweet picture above to checkout my thoughts on this game, and if it met my expectations! Enjoy the video! 🙂

Comics! With Richard and Carter

Wednesday Pick-Up Reviews! (COMICS!)

Leave a comment

Bat’s fighting Owls? Frankenstein hunts with a team of classic monsters? VAMPIRES?!?!…Must be new Comic Book Day!

Hello Everyone! Its your comic book nerd, Richard, here! Today is Wednesday, and that means new comics are out on the shelves, or ready to download for you digital folk! So, I’ve been contemplating whether or not I should do article’s like this where I review new comics I’ve picked up during the week. I’m trying it out, seeing what you all think! ANYWAYS! This week I went home with 6 books! American Vampire: Lord of Nightmares #1, Batman #10, Batman and Robin #10, Frankenstein: Agent of S.H.A.D.E. #10, Green Lantern #10, and The Strain #5! Here are my reviews!

American Vampire: Lord of Nightmares #1:

American Vampire is probably my favorite non-superhero comic right now, and it has been that way since the inception of the series. Not too long ago, the series had its first side series, Survival of the Fittest, tied into the big Ghost War arc. Now, tying into the new Blacklist arc, is a new side series called Lord of Nightmares. Lord of Nightmares is a sequel to Survival of the Fittest. It continues the story of Felicia Book, a former member of the Vassals of the Morning Star (a vampire hunting organization), trying to escape the life. This time, she is raising a child, the baby she saved in the last story, and living a family life. However, she gets a visit from Agent Hobbes, a key member of the Vassals, and he has some terrible news.

I gotta say, as usual, I really dug this issue! These side stories are always a nice way to expand the AV universe, and based on this issue…looks like s**t’s ’bout to go down, yall! Scott Snyder continues to make American Vampire the best of the best. On the art side of things, this new mini-series is drawn by the always fantastic Mr. Dustin Nguyen. His artwork is just fantastic to look at, and is a perfect fit for the series! That being said, there are some points when the art could have been a bit better. It wasn’t always consistent in style. However, still really enjoyed the artwork!

Final Score: 4.5/5

Batman #10:

Wow! Just wow! You know, one of the questions I asked early on was if Scott Snyder would be able to top his Black Mirror Batman story with his New 52 run on Batman. After reading this issue…The SOB did it! He f**king did it! Holy crap! This Court of the Owls story Scott’s been telling has been big, epic, touching, haunting, and now Its game changing! Its going to be sad to see it end when issue 11 comes out that’s for sure. I can see this issue, based on the big reveal towards the end, being the much discussed issue of the week. No question about it! I loved the way Scott finally revealed whom the mastermind behind the Court of Owls was. It started off like “I figured it was that person” then BAM! FYI, I’m trying so hard not to spoil it right now!

I will say, based on the reveal, Scott has been doing his Bat-homework! Like Grant Morrison, he puts an amazing spin on an already existing character. Fantastic! Artistically, Greg Capullo has been rocking this series since issue 1, but This is, by far, his best work! Half the time, when Batman appeared, I wanted to turn the pic into a poster for my wall! Also, there is a new part in the back-up story, Fall of the House of Wayne. since its inception, Its been a welcome addition to the Batman series. I’ve really been digging the tale, and how it enhances the main feature.

Final Score: 5/5

Batman and Robin #10:

I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again…I find it strange that I hate the Batman and Robin movie, but I love The Dark Knight. On the comic book series side, I hate Batman: The Dark Knight, and I love Batman and Robin. Good move, DC…good move. Anyways, that love continues with this awesome new issue of Batman and Robin. This issue starts off with a brand new arc, showing off some of the more “scarred” criminal’s Batman has face. Also, the current Robin, Damien Wayne, is trying to prove he is the best Robin by challenging all the former Robins. Peter Tomasi continues to do an amazing job with this series. He struggled at first with the tone of Damien, but he is starting to get the hang of it! However, maybe he is getting too comfy with it.

As much as I loved this issue, I kind of felt Damien was going back to his old self. The huge brat that made Jason Todd look decent, you know? Thankfully, old Damien didn’t appear much. I guess it really only shows when he is near Tim Drake, I don’t know. I just don’t want A-hole Damien, I guess. The story, in general, seems to be building up to something pretty big. So, that alone really excites me. Art wise, Patrick Gleason is fantastic! His work is so spot on, detailed, and high quality. It never ceases to amaze me. I, especially, love the way he draws action. Very dynamic and stylized!

Final Score: 4/5

Frankenstein: Agent of S.H.A.D.E. #10:

So, I’ve been pretty positive in the past three reviews, but that is about to change, sadly. Now, I’m not saying this is a bad issue, but I am saying its missing the spark it used to have. This was a strong fear I had for this series. Jeff Lemire recently Left the series to go and write Justice League DARK. Matt Kindt has now taken over, and it shows. Now, this issue still sports the fun zaniness of the previous issues, but It just…feels like it lost its spark. As I was reading, it felt like creative ideas were there, but were just generically executed. I don’t know, really. This is a head scratchier. I’ll probably give it one more issue, but I have a feeling I’ll be saying bye-bye to Frankenstein from DC.

Final Score: 3/5

Green Lantern #10:

Geoff Johns + Green Lantern will always = genius! That’s 100% the case with his latest issue! The newest issue concludes the Indigo Tribe arc, and What a fun conclusion it was. I, sadly, didn’t get to experience John’s previous GL titles when they were being released, but I’ve always heard good things. Now, I’m actually getting that experience, and I’ve loved every second of it. What I love most about this new series is the buddy-cop type story Johns tells with Hal Jordan and Sinestro. However, like AV this week, the cliffhanger at the end might indicate the best has yet to come! The art in the series has also blown me away! Doug Mahnke has always been a favorite of mine, especially his work on The Mask, and every time I see his art…Man, it just blows me away! The downside to this issue, was that it felt like it ended kind of quickly. Kind of rushed, if you will. It could just be me, but that’s how I feel.

Final Score: 4/5

The Strain #5:

FINALLY! Its taken this issue forever to come out, huh? Normally, when a book is delayed this badly, You can’t help but expect s**t. However, This new issue was able to break that stereotype because I really liked it! This series has put a really awesome spin on a classic mythological creature. I have the first book of the novel series as well, but I’ve yet to read it. Because of this, I don’t know 100% if this comic book is truly an amazing adaptation.

That being said, I really feel the comic has captured the way I imagine the book, if that makes sense. The book, not the comic, is written by Guillermo Del Toro, and every time I look at the art and writing, It just feels like I’m watching one of Del Toro’s movies. What I love most about this current Issue was the look into Abraham’s life before the present. Hes been an interesting character since issue #1, and now we get a nice glimpse into his past.

Final Score: 4/5

So there you go, My short reviews of all my books of the week! In the comment section below, Tell me what books you got this week! Also, which one was your favorite! Also, Tell me what you think of this kind of article. It is quite long, but I liked doing it. Can it be a thing? That’s all up to you! Bye now!

Comics! With Richard and Carter

Before Watchmen: Minutemen #1 Review (COMICS!)

Leave a comment

It has finally arrived!!!!

So, DC Comics announced a while back that they would be releasing prequel stories to the companies famed Graphic Novel: Watchmen. I even appeared on the show one day, and talked of my feelings towards it. I might have shocked Dan when I said I was excited! At first, I wasn’t pissed off, or excited, I was just neutral on the idea. However, when I saw the creative teams involved, I instantly became excited! Now, the first issue in the line has arrived, but is it any good? Click the photo, and find out for yourself! Enjoy the episode!

Comics! With Richard and Carter

Green Lantern Is Gay?!?! (COMICS!)

Leave a comment

So, As I mentioned in a previous post, DC Comics had mentioned that a major iconic character of theirs would come out of the closet. Well, that character has finally been revealed. It is…..Green Lantern! However, Its not the Green Lantern from the movie. I’m sure most will think that, but trust me when I say its not. The Gay Green Lantern is, in fact, the original Green Lantern: Alan Scott. He is going to be reintroduced into the DC Comics New 52 with issue #2 of Earth 2. Click the picture above to see this, and more news on the latest episode of COMICS!