Reviews of Comics from Wednesday 2/24

Faith #2
Story: Jody Hauser
Art: Francis Portella, Marguerite Sauvage, & Andrew Dalhouse

The second issue of Faith is as absolutely enjoyable as the first, making it one of the most fun books on the racks right now. Having survived the explosion from the end of the first issue (not a surprise, as the comic is named after her after all), Faith now has an even more personal stake in hunting down the people who are kidnapping psiots. But Faith has a whole other life as Summer Smith, and she's not willing to give up her secret identity, so she also has to deal with work. And her boss at Zipline assigns Summer a takedown piece on Torque, who unbeknownst to the editor is Faith's ex-boyfriend, superhero turned reality star. Before I talk about that, I want to mention we're also getting a better feeling for what's happening to the kidnapped psiots, with them imprisoned somewhere surrounded by wealthy and beautiful people, once of whom seems to be sympathetic, but most who are vapid and unfeeling. Combine this with Torque not being willing to help Faith hunt down the missing psiots and his stereotypical reality star girlfriend, and we're seeing a theme of the callous upper class and society in general standing contrasted with Faith's caring. Faith also has her Torque piece rewritten by her boos because it didn't have enough bite, and the police aren't investigating the disappearance of Sam, the young psiot who Faith has been looking for. The fact that he disappeared when going to a fandom event gives him a kinship to both Faith and the readers, the majority of whom I'm sure have all gone to some convention, signing, or the like. But it's not all Faith at work and investigating. While doing that, Faith is discovered by the people who are hunting psiots, and Faith's relative naivete when it comes to secret identities (it's not the same as in the comics), gets her in quite a bind at the end of the issue. Faith is wonderfully well rounded character, so genuinely good, but with her own foibles and doubts, and the fantasy sequences drawn by Marguerite Sauvage are a great window into her head. Jody Hauser not only does a great job of giving us a well rounded heroine, but the references to Faith's previous adventures are not so dense that readers who have no previous exposure to the character get lost, but are tantalizing enough that its making me want to track down Harbinger trades. Faith #2 has a great balance of superheroics and character, and continues to build a mystery that has me waiting on bated breath for the next issue.

Hellboy and the B.P.R.D.: 1953- Beyond the Fences #1
Story: Mike Mignola & Chris Roberson
Art: Paolo Rivera, Joe Rivera, & Dave Stewart

I'm fairly sure I've said this before, but in case I haven't, Hellboy and the B.P.R.D. is a breath of fresh air in the overwhelming gloom of the current Hellboy-verse status quo. I love the stuff set in the present too, but everything there is so dire, so end of the world. We're around sixty years before hell on Earth here, so while there is still danger, things are allowed to be lighter, and Hellboy has always been the brightest light in these books, full of quips, humor, and more humanity than most humans. This mini-sereis sees Hellboy, Agent Susan Xiang (the psychic who shared a spotlight with Hellboy in the Hellboy Winter Special), and Agent Jacob Stegner to investigate what may be a monster killing children in Pasadena, California; children and pets have been disappearing, and the first adult victim has been found savaged, so the possibility of monster calls for the B.P.R.D. Xiang and Stegner are perfect opposites: Xiang is a person who tries to reach out to others and cares, enhanced by her natural empathic abilities, while Stegner is a sarcastic bastard who doesn't demonstrate the smallest amount of empathy. The mystery deepens as a scientist at local lab appears to have stolen a sample of enkeladite, an extradimensional mineral introduced in B.P.R.D.: 1948. The real charm of this issue is seeing Hellboy interact with kids. In the Hellboy comics, Hellboy was never a secret like in the movies, so he's a well known personality. As the cover above hints, Hellboy is popular with kids, and a bunch of them come looking for autographs, and when Hellboy gets away from them he finds a boy crying because his dog has gone missing, and Hellboy does his best to comfort the boy. It's a charming scene, and I've become so used to Hellboy dealing with monsters and the damned, I forget how good he is with people. It's nice to see this current series tying in aspects from the earlier B.P.R.D. series set in the '40s and the previous stories with Xiang; it adds to the tapestry of Hellboy's universe. This series is drawn by Paolo Rivera, a newcomer to the Mignolaverse, and just... wow. I love Rivera's work on Daredevil and The Valiant, and he absolutely hits a homerun here. His style isn't as moody and expressionistic as many artists who have worked on Hellboy comic before, but this story, set in the suburbs and much of it in the daytime, works with his more realistic style, but that's not to say he can't draw weird. The two page spread of Stegner and B.P.R.D. agents fighting monsters in 1948 is a sight to behold, and the monster at the end of the issue is not what I would have expected but looks great. I'm happy that there's more Hellboy out in the world, and if you're looking for a good Hellboy story that isn't heavy on the continuity, this is a great choice.

Orphan Black: Helsinki #4
Story: John Fawcett, Graeme Manson, & Heli Kennedy
Art: Wayne Nichols, Fico Ossio, & Sebastian Cheng

Orphan Black is one of the tensest shows I've ever seen on television, one that slowly ratchets up that tension to keep readers on the edge of their seats and asking all sorts of questions. The current tie-in mini-series, detailing events hinted at in the series, about a clone massacre in Helsinki,
has reached the point where the tension has my skin crawling in a good way. Our protagonist clone, Veera, has been captured by the people who are conducting the clone experiments, and the beginning of the issue is the action part of the issue, as Veera and Jade, a clone who has been kept at the facility and tested, make their escape. And once their escape has been made, the two of them, along with Niki, a third clone attempt to bring the cloning experiments to light. Even though I know the inevitable ending of this is going to be ugly, it's exciting to see the slow build, as the clones attempt to get out from under the Dyad Group, and the monitors close in. Series writer Heli Kennedy, working with Orphan Black creators John Fawcett and Graeme Manson, have created a group of new clone characters that the reader can really engage with and care about, and that is going to make their eventual demise all the more painful, and matter all the more. The comic also takes us deeper into the relationship between self-aware clone Rachel, who works for Dyad, and Ferdinand, the cleaner (the nice term for their corporate killer) who works for them. The relationship was made clear in Ferdinand's appearances in the TV series, but seeing exactly how Rachel played him and got her to submit to her desires gives more dimension to both characters. Helsinki is a worthy addition to the mythology of Orphan Black, and a must read for any fan of the show.

Rick and Morty #11
Story:
Art:

A lot of tie-in comics try their hardest to capture he feeling of their source material, and while the hit to miss ratio feels better recently than in the past, its really rare to find an issue of a comic that feels like it could have been an episode of its source material. The Rick and Morty series from Oni is one hat pretty much always hits, and this week's issue is so delightfully and perfectly warped, it captures all the flavor of the series. As is standard in an episode of R&M, there are two plots here, a Rick and Morty plot and a plot revolving around the rest of the family. Rick and Morty's plot, while definitely the wackier, is he less character-centric here. Rick enrolls Morty in a virtual alien high school so he can get through the whole high school experience in one day. Of course, as with everything Rick has Morty do, there's way more danger involved here. Every time Morty fails, he has to rerun the lesson until he gets it right. A particularly funny one involves a little... risky business, shall we say. And just when Morty tells Rick to go shove it and seems to be making out OK on his own, well, things get kinda lethal and there's a callback to what seemed like a throwaway line a the beginning of the issue that comes back in a hilarious fashion. The b-plot, which is far more strange and character driven involves Morty's sister, Summer, and their hapless dad, Jerry, going full on Freak Friday thanks to messing with Rick's tech. Instead of having some great adventure together where they come to understand each other better, Jerry takes Summer's friends on a camping trip which seems to go over well, and Summer, well, she gets a call from Beth, her mom, who is ready for, "Beth and Jerry's Crazy Sexy Weekend Part two: Naughtytown for Me and You." We cut away from that pretty quickly, but the end of the story, and Beth's reaction, indicates nothing untoward happened, and that seems to have improved things between Beth and Jerry. The look on Summer's face as she glares at Jerry once they're back in their bodies is one of the best panels in the issue, as is Morty's reaction to Rick once Rick tries to get all sentimental on him. That sort of unexpected twist on the usual emotional beats of a family story is central to Rick and Morty, as is the warped takes on classic sci-fi tales, two things this issue has in spades and makes it perfect reading for fans of the show.

And Dan Grote reviews the much delayed and anticipated return of Warren Ellis's Karnak...

Karnak #2

Story by Warren Ellis

Art by Gerardo Zaffino, Antonio Fuso and Dan Brown

A personal matter in the life of artist Gerardo Zaffino sidelined one of All-New, All-Different Marvel’s first books, but writer Warren Ellis’ latest jerk protagonist is back with an issue that is almost entirely action.

Zaffino and co-artist Antonio Fuso make up for the wait with an issue full of martial-arts ultraviolence. Necks get snapped, faces get bashed in, eyes get gouged out and guns are shattered with the wave of a hand, all in a blur of action lines and hatch marks. Little seems to stand still. Everything, and nearly everyone, is destroyed.

Oh and hey, there’s a story, too.

Karnak, at the behest of SHIELD (see last issue) has been tasked with going after an AIM splinter cell that has kidnapped a boy who underwent terrigenesis – the transformation by which Inhumans acquire their powers – only to find the process did little more than clear up his allergies. The baddies’ base is run by a priest who claims the boy is a messiah who went with them of his own volition.

Also, said priest can make guns out of zen, which wins the award for Most Warren Ellis Thing This Issue.

Karnak dispatches the priest, but the boy is nowhere to be found. Before Karnak kills him, the priest tells him the boy is someplace called the Chapel of the Single Shadow, promising his killer a journey of discovery.

A flashback at the beginning of the issue reveals there’s some discovery to be had. We see a young Karnak stacking blocks while his parents – off-camera – argue about whether to expose their son to the Terrigen Mists, mostly because it didn’t work out so hot for his older brother, Triton, the merman-looking one. The priest knows this about Karnak, calls him “The Fake Inhuman.” The issue ends with Karnak alone outside a German bistro, watching couples do couple-y things on the street. Does a man who finds basic human needs a weakness still feel those needs himself? Hopefully we don’t have to wait another four months to find out.

Reviews of Comics from Wednesday 10/28

Batgirl #45
Story: Cameron Stewart & Brenden Fletcher
Art: Babs Tarr & Serge LaPointe

I love an October wedding, probably because I had one myself. This month's issue of Batgirl features the wedding of Barbara's best friend and former roommate Alysia, and her fiancée, Jo. And fortunately, since neither of them are actual super people, there is no supervillain attack. That's not to say everything goes off without a hitch, because Barbara is maid of honor and has brought her new boyfriend, Luke Fox, formerly he superhero Batwing and son of Batman's ally Lucius Fox, as her date just as Dick Grayson shows up unexpectadly to have a talk with Barbara. Dick's return to Gotham and "from the dead" has been handled very deftly in Grayson and Batman & Robin Eternal, and this issue takes a different, but no less important and emotionally resonant, turn with it. Because Dick has come back to woo Barbara, and Barbara will have none of it, so Dick lifts Alysia's wedding ring pre-ceremony, and has Barbara chase him. And when they stop, he gives a very heartfelt speech about how she's the rock that's kept him going while he was embedded in the spy organization Spyral, goes in for a kiss, and... Barbara shoots him down. I love Barbara and Dick, they're one of my favorite comic book couples, and I'm happy Gail Simone gave the pre-Flashpoint versions a happy wedding in Convergence, since in this case, Barbara is completely in the right. Dick's actions are selfish, and are making a day that should be about Alysia and Jo about him, and this is not at all out of character for Dick, who loves grand gestures and big moments, but has never been too good in the day-to-day of a relationship. And I'll be honest, as much as I want to dislike Luke Fox for getting between them, Stewart and Fletcher have made him incredibly likeable and a good match for Barbara. And so the two make peace as friends and part ways, with Barbara having outgrown Dick as he is now. The art from regular series artist Babs Tarr is even more astounding than usual this issue, not just in the chase between Barbara and Dick, which she draws beautifully (and can we get her to draw some more Grayson? She has such a great sense of motion she's made for Dick's acrobatic style), but the actual wedding sequences are gorgeous. Alysia is a lovely bride, and the designs for all the dresses and outfits are perfect. I've always been a fan of quiet, character based issues breaking up the action in between big superhero battles, and Batgirl #45 is one of the best I've read in years.

Black Magick #1
Story: Greg Rucka
Art: Nicola Scott & Chiara Arena

Greg Rucka is one of my favorite writers period; his comics thrill me every month, and his novels are some of the ones I look forward to the most each year. And so a new creator owned Rucka series from Image, with art from Secret Six artist Nicola Scott, was high on my list of new series I was looking forward to this year. And the first issue of Black Magick did not disappoint. Rucka is a writer best known for writing in the crime, spy, and thriller genres, bringing touches of these even into his superhero work, and like his other creator owned series for Image, Lazarus, a near-future dytopian political thriller, Black Magick is a genre bender, a mix of police procedural and occult thriller. The first issue is all about mood, atmosphere, and establishing our protagonist, Rowan Black. The issue starts out at a witches' ceremony, with chanting and a circle, drawn in black and white, timeless and all sorts of creepy until a cell phone goes off, breaking not just the ritual, but the sense that this could be any time, firmly rooting it in the now. The phone belongs to Rowan, and she is being called away for work; Rowan is a police detective, and a hostage taker is demanding to talk to her and only her. The book moves immediately from the supernatural atmosphere seamlessly into a police stand off, as Rowan and the hostage negotiators talk to the nameless man who is holding four people hostage, demanding Rowan come in and talk to him privately. It's not a scenario unique to this comic, it's something that anyone who's a fan of crime drama has scene many times before, but Rucka handles it well, letting the reader get to know Rowan through how she interacts with the other officers and the criminal. And once she gets in, and the hostages get out, things get supernatural again, as the man, who refuses to let Rowan have his name, knows that she is a witch, and has been sent by someone or something, something that is in his head, to kill her. Rowan is able to cast a spell to stop her own death and turn it on him, but there are a lot of questions left, about who sent him and what Rowan means when she calls someone at the end of the issue to tell him that it's starting again. Nicola Scott's art is even better than I remember from Secret Six, and only helped by the "black and white with just the occasional hint of color" coloring she did along with color assists from Chiara Arena. And as with Lazarus there is extensive backmatter that aids in the world building that Rucka is starting. Oh, and as an aside, there was also a new issue of Stumptown, Rucka's private eye comic, from Oni this week that is also definitely worth a look. There are few writers who do crime comics like Greg Rucka, and Black Magick's blend of supernatural and crime is a nice twist on his crime work that's fresh and innovative.

Hellboy and the B.P.R.D.: 1953-  The Phantom Hand and The Kelpie
Story: Mike Mignola
Art: Ben Stenbeck & Dave Stewart

The current realities of the world of Hellboy and his allies are pretty grim: Hellboy is dead and in Hell, the B.P.R.D. is fighting the Black Flame and the giant monsters that ravage the world, and Abe Sapien is still on his walkabout, unsure of what he truly is. Those of us who have ben long time fans of Hellboy and his friends remember a time when things were a little more whimsical, when we regularly got stories like "The Corpse" and "Pancakes" (this isn't a condemnation of the current era of Hellboy stories, just a statement about their evolution). This new one-shot, going back to Hellboy's earliest days with the Bureau of Paranormal Research and Defense, hearkens back to some of those earlier stories, as in "The Phantom Hand," where Hellboy heads off to England with his mentor and father figure, Prof. Trevor Bruttenholm, and Bruttenholm's friend, paranormal researcher Harry Middleton, to investigate the case of a hand that roams the night on its own. The story of the hand's origin is a dark one, as few Hellboy stories are that light, but when Hellboy and the hand start to fight, it becomes a big brawl when what has been animating the hand comes out. It's fun to see Hellboy just punching the crap out of something, and equally fun to see Bruttenholm's frustration with Hellboy's, shall we say, hands on approach to paranormal investigation. The second story in the issue, "The Kelpie," is a tale of Bruttenholm and Middleton as young men, heading out of their first paranormal investigation with a third man, Billy Connolly, and how this ties in to the Celtic myth of the Kelpie, a horse that lives beneath the sea. It's darker than "The Phantom Hand" but does what a lot of great Hellboy stories do, which is tie classic myths into the modern world of Hellboy. Kudos also must go to artist Ben Stenbeck, who worked with Mignola on many of his Baltimore comics (stories of Lord Baltimore, the vampire hunter, not the city of Poe and bird themed sports teams), who draws a great Hellboy, some excellent demons, and one creepy horse monster. If you enjoy Hellboy stories, but have shied away from the epic stories running through the current titles, this is a great one-shot to get some old school Hellboy action.

Unbeatable Squirrel Girl #1
Story: Ryan North
Art: Erica Henderson & Rico Renzi

After a short hiatus, Squirrel Girl is back in her second ongoing of this very year, a point both the cover and the narration in the bottom gutter, Ryan North's answer to rollover text in web comics, make. There's a lot to love about Squirrel Girl, both the comic and the character, and one of the great things is how self-aware it is. There's this joke about number one churn, and another about how Squirrel Girl is not biologically or LEGALLY a mutant, which some have taken as a decree from Marvel on high, and I take as North having some fun with his readers; he knows that fans are aware if the world of comics, and lets us in on the joke. The issue itself is more than just a string of inside baseball jokes, and while it doesn't pick up directly from where the previous volume left off, it's not a book where the time gap is full of mysteries. We open with Squirrel Girl and her animal themed super friends, Chipmunk Hunk and Koi Boi, helping rescue people from a fire, so we get a glimpse at the superhero cast of the title before the main plot of the issue kicks off, as Squirrel Girl and her roommate, Nancy, move into a new apartment and meet Squirrel Girl's mom, Maureen, for lunch. Maureen is a great addition to the cast, funny and so deeply proud of her daughter; she's the mom with the baby pictures and the stories ready to go at a moment's notice, to Nancy's delight and Squirrel Girl's chagrin. And upon returning to their apartment from lunch, they are seemingly attacked by Brain Drain, a z-list villain with ties to Hydra, who they find wrestling with Tippy Toe, Squirrel Girl's right hand squirrel, and Mew, Nancy's cat. But as things have proven often when Squirrel Girl has fought a supervillain in her own title, there's way more going on here, and the fight itself is resolved in a way that isn't about the punching, but instead with talking and computer literacy, since Squirrel Girl and Nancy are studying computer science at Marvel's famous Empire State University. That sort of non-traditional dynamic is a key element and a real charm for this title; Squirrel Girl really wants to make everyone's life better, wants to do the right thing, and this means the villain often winds up being befriended by Squirrel Girl (not always, but she never fails to try). This makes for probably the most all-ages friendly superhero book coming out from any publisher right now. It is also, far and away, the most densely written and drawn comic I picked up last week (and believe me, that's saying something; I only review about a fifth of what I pick up week in and week out). And that's not a dig. You sit down with Unbeatable Squirrel Girl and you're due for at least two to three times the normal read time of a mainstream comic, when you factor in the full script and the narration text in the gutter, and even more time if you pour over every one of Erica Henderson's panels for all the jokes she has going on in them, this issue's highlight being the food court on Avengers Island, home of the New Avengers, the team Squirrel Girl has joined post-Secret Wars. With a  new number one, there's no better time to check out the adventures of Squirrel Girl and her friends, both human and animal.


Dan Grote comes back for the finale of he mini-series about Death's two paramours, Deadpool Vs. Thanos...

Deadpool vs. Thanos #4

Story: Tim Seeley

Art: Elmo Bondoc and Ruth Redmond

Deadpool and Thanos’ quest to rescue the living embodiment of Death and restore order to the universe has gotten bigger with each issue, from a visit to the chicken-hooded voodoo priest Black Talon, to a fight with the Guardians of the Galaxy, to a war among the lords of Hell, to, finally, a place outside time and space, where giant characters like Eternity and the In-Betweener stand in a ceiling-paint-white void being everything.

On the one hand, it makes fans of old-school cosmic Marvel want to go running for their old Jim Starlin comics. On the other, Tim Seeley and Elmo Bondoc also found room to pepper in Easter eggs from the most arcane parts of Deadpool’s continuity, from Sluggo to Slayback to Ajax.

In issue #4, we learn that Eternity, the living embodiment of all that is, is keeping his sister, Death, locked in a cage beyond existence, despite a plea from the In-Betweener, who represents the balance between order and chaos, to maybe chillax a bit. Fresh from the underworld, DP, Thanos, and Black Talon teleport into the void and spring Death from her prison, at which point she sets her two thralls against her brother, in a grand bid to kill everything.

When Deadpool realizes his on-again, off-again girlfriend (Worry not, Thursdays with Wade fans, we’ll be getting to this soon) has lost it, he turns on Thanos, who throws him into Eternity, at which point a floating space monkey turns him into Captain Universe.

Altogether now: COMICS, EVERYBODY!

Deadpool uses his newfound Uni-Power to defeat Thanos, restore the peace between Eternity and Death (discover Eternity is ticklish), teach everyone a lesson about the beauty of a finite life, and consider the merchandising rights to a Captain Uni-Pool action figure variant.

In the end, Deadpool is mortal once more, Black Talon gives up death worship, and Thanos is sent away by Death, “until she has further use for him, in some Secret War yet to come” (capitalization mine).

Like most Deadpool minis of the modern era, you don’t need to read Deadpool vs. Thanos for any sort of important continuity moments, but, also like most Deadpool minis of the modern era, it’s hyperviolent, a lot of fun, and contains many a gift for longtime fans. If you love Wade, or even cosmic Marvel, and you one day stumble upon the trade in a cheap-o bin, definitely pick it up.

Reviews of Comics from Wednesday 7/16

B.P.R.D.: Hell on Earth #121
Story: Mike Mignola & John Arcudi
Art: Laurence Campbell

So many of the B.P.R.D. stories have been so big lately, that I forget what wonderful creepy little stories the book can do as well. That's not a complaint about the big stories, as "Reign of the Black Flame," the last five -parter, was one of my favorite action/horror stories the series has ever done. This issue wraps up a two part story that takes place both in the present and flashbacks to 1949, and features four of my favorite characters in the who Mignola-verse; in the present, it's Kate Corrigan and Professor J.H. O'Donnell, and in the past it's Professor Bruttenholm and Hellboy. Instead of ancient Lovecraftian horrors and men with flaming heads, this is really a haunted house story, or a haunted artifact story, with some possession tossed in for good measure. The daffy professor has accidentally unleashed an evil force that has possessed Kate, and now it's up to Liz Sherman, Panya, Fenix, and Carla Giarocco to figure out what is going on and to save Kate. In the past, Bruttenholm and a young Hellboy, who insisted on going on his first field mission, confront the necromancer whose spirit is wreaking havoc in the present, and that confrontation ends with Hellboy making a decision that I hope is going to play into the events in the upcoming Hellboy and the B.P.R.D. mini-series. It's also nice to see the good guys get an unqualified win; so much of Hell on Earth has seen our heroes fighting a rearguard action to stop the world from slipping deeper into the abyss, so even if it's a small one, a real victory is nice to see. I also want to give a real shout out to Laurence Campbell, whose moody, shadowy art worked beautifully in this story. B.P.R.D. has featured art form some of my favorite artists in comics, including Guy Davis, Tyler Crook, Ryan Sook, and of course Mike Mignola himself, and Campbell looks to be another artist in a long line who is going to burn up these pages with some really terrifying art.

Fables #142
Story: Bill Willingham
Art: Mark Buckingham & Eric Shanower

First things first: SPOILERS ahead for anyone who doesn't read Fables in singles. Trust me, you don't want to be spoiled. Move along to the next review, nothing to see here. It seems like Bill Willingham has been building to this last, mega-arc of Fables for quite some time, and now that the events have started to unfold, they're unfolding rapidly. Bigby Wolf, a broken monster thanks to the machinations of Miss Douglas, has drawn the attention of the mundies, the normal humans of New York, and is killing unrepentantly.  Grimble, the troll turned sparrow, has finally found someone who understands him. Winter, Snow and Bigby's daughter who is now the embodiment of the North Wind, is gathering her vassals for the final battle. And Snow White and Rose Red's fates seem to be moving on a bullet train to confrontation. All of these disparate plot elements are balanced, so none of them feel particularly rushed or forced. It's an intricate piece of work, similar to the finals major arcs of Sandman and Starman. The part that has me most curious is the mundy reaction to Bigby's monstrous attacks; the Fabletown community has done its best to keep out of the limelight for centuries, but this looks like their downfall in that respect, and I'm curious to see how that plays into the series climax. It's great to have Mark Buckingham going full steam ahead for this final arc, and especially his monster Bigby is something to behold. This arc also includes back-ups featuring, "The Last _____ Story." Last issue's Flycatcher story was a cute one page story, but this issue's is far more sinister. Featuring art from legendary Eric Shanower, it features Sinbad and shows that, even though the Empire of old has fallen, that is not the end of Empires, and Willingham hints that he might finally be able to use the grand villain he originally planned to be the Adversary. And if he doesn't, well, it's still a great nod for those of us wrapped up in Fables history.

Robin Rising: Omega
Story: Peter J. Tomasi
Art: Andy Kubert

Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo's Batman has been the crown jewel of the New 52 Batman family, and rightly so; it's a gorgeous roller-coaster ride of a Batman title, with new ideas and amazing art. But the absolute heart of the Batman family has been Peter Tomasi's Batman & Robin. Tomasi, more than any other current writer of Batman, understands the emotional weight that Batman is under, and has done beautiful things with Batman's relationship not just with his currently deceased son, Damian, but with the rest of the Batman family. It's a book that has dealt with doubt, grief, and love better than most mainstream superhero comics could dream of. And now, after the quest to find the bodies of Damian and his mother, Talia al Ghul, stolen by her father, Ra's al Ghul, Batman finds himself trapped into an alliance with Ra's against the forces of Apokolips. The issue, which begins the "Robin Rising" story is mostly an action issue, with Batman, Ra's al Ghul, Batman's dog Titus, and Frankenstein battling Parademons and other minions of Darkseid lead by Glorious Godfrey to retrieve a Chaos Shard, a mystical artifact desired by Darkseid. Andy Kubert is an artist at home with massive amounts of kinetic action, and this issue gives him that in spades. And when the Justice League shows up, it's even more exciting. While all of that makes for a great comic, the first few pages, where Batman recounts his time with Damian, is the highlight of the issue. It's heartbreaking to see Batman go through everything he did, and then to lose the son that he had come to love and who had come to love and respect his father. The end of this issue sees Batman beginning a quest to retrieve Damian's body from Apokolips and to see him returned to life. I'm excited to see if he can pull it off.


And that's it for this week's reviews. This actually marks the 200th post here on The Matt Signal, so I want to thank you all for reading so far. Wednesday marks Batman Day, the day DC has set aside for celebrating Batman's 75th Anniversary, so expect a post about the things I love about Batman, and some more Batman goodness over the next couple weeks. I look forward to 200 more posts!

Reviews of Comics from Wednesday 8/21

Batman and Nightwing #23
Story: Peter J Tomasi
Art: Patrick Gleason

The Batman team-up title wraps up its initial post-Damian arcand its exploration of the five stages of grief with, "Acceptance." I've enjoyed the use of Carrie Kelly in this title since Damian's death, but I think writer Peter Tomasi made the right call in not having anyone or any plotlines in this issue other than Batman and argueably his two most important supporting cast members: Nightwing, the grown-up original Robin, Dick Grayson, and Alfred Pennyworth. Batman's mental state has been fragile since he lost his son, and this issue we see Bruce using Internet 3.0, one of Grant Morrison's concepts from his Batman Incorporated series to run simulations of his actions during Damian's final minutes, trying to prove to himself he could have saved his son. This kind of self-flagellation is not uncommon in Batman's character, or in anyone who is grieving; the question of what you could have done differently is the most haunting one a person can entertain. Eventually he succeeds, but only when Dick joins him in the simulation, reinforcing the concept of family and that some burdens need to be shared. Dick also gets a great speech about how Bruce needs to use Damian's death in the same way he used his parents', as something to drive him forward, not something to wallow in. But its the very end of the issue, where Alfred uses the machine to see what he might have done to keep Damian from ever leaving the Batcave that night, when the full emotional weight of the issue strikes. After Alfred does indeed stop Damian from leaving, thus saving him, he comes out of the simulation to find Bruce waiting. Bruce realizes that he isn't, "the only one who lost a son that night" and he and Alfred embrace. Bruce has not just finally accepted the loss of Damian, but come to see the pain in others, which is pretty big step for someone so tightly insular. Now I want to see this level of empathy and acceptance reflected in the other Bat titles, hopefully moving Batman forward as a character.

B.P.R.D.: Hell On Earth #110
Story: Mike Mignola and John Arcudi
Art: Tyler Crook

B.P.R.D. is one of those comics that is so consistently good that it's hard to pick out one issue that is exemplary; it's just a remarkably solid comic. But the new issue, beginning a five part arc, "Lake of Fire," jumps out at me for two important returns. Firstly, artist Tyler Crook returns. Since Guy Davis left, Crook has drawn the most issues of B.P.R.D., and his art this issue is outstanding. Not only are his monsters in top form, but the moments featuring this issue's other return are just as well done. The other return sees Liz Sherman return to the pages of this comic. Since Liz started the current Hell on Earth by using her power to wipe out a threat but also triggering devastation she has only appeared briefly in a story that was pretty much a Liz story. This issue feels more like Liz returning to the world. While she hasn't encountered any of the rest of the cast yet, I feel like we're moving in that direction, especially as the hospital where Liz is currently laid up in has a new doctor, one we have seen has certain sinister leanings, ones that will surely put Liza back in a situation where she will have to take action. Fenix, the psychic who has caused her share of trouble, has now arrived at the Salton Sea, where the last arc of the Abe Sapien series took place, and has encountered the same group of monster worshippers Abe did, something that I can't imagine is going to go over well with the volatile Fenix. After the past few short arcs, this longer one seems to be a story that is going to have some major ramifications, and I'm excited to see where it's going.

Chew Vol. 7: Bad Apples
Story: John Layman
Art: Rob Guillory

The seventh volume of John Layman and Rob Guillory's Chew begins the second half of the series, and events are really picking up speed. While series protagonist Tony Chu has been through a lot, and gone on a lot of assignments, he has often been a passive character, with events and people acting on him, and him not acting on them. All that has changed. After the end of the last volume and the death of someone close to Tony, he is done with that. Tony is using his powers in new ways and becoming something of a badass. He's storming compounds, using baseballs as deadly weapons, and calling The Vampire out. It's also a sure sign of Tony's evolution to see him finally stand up for himself with his tyrannical boss, Mike Applebee, finally giving him a piece of his mind. This sends a teary Applebee right into the arms of his sometimes love interest, Tony's partner, John Colby, who also shines in this volume. Colby does have a realization about Cesar and Savoy's relationship, which does show just how clever he can be, but at the same time winds up in a real pickle with his personal life, involving both Applebee and USDA director Penya, which leads to some of the funniest pages of the entire series. I won't say anymore, as not to spoil a brilliant page or two. But for all its humor, there is some serious plot momentum and darkness in this volume too. The Vampire continues his collecting of food powers, and is bracing for war with Tony, and the mystery surrounding the Church of the Immaculate Ova only deepens, as it seems they are playing a similar game. The volume ends with something that could lead to answers, or to even bigger questions. Oh, and there's a big two page spread of Poyo versus Pengthulu. Because what would a volume of Chew be without Poyo?

Recommended Reading for 9/21: B.P.R.D.

Everybody loves Hellboy. Hellboy comics are fun, action packed adventures, with a brilliant mix of folklore and pulp action, and art by creator Mike Mignola, as well as luminaries like Richard Corben and Duncan Fegredo. But I'm not here to talk about Hellboy today. Just gotta mention hi, since he is the origin of what I am going to talk about: B.P.R.D., the series of mini-series featuring the Bureau of Paranormal Research and Defense, who started out as Hellboy supporting cast members, and have since developed lives of their own, and added many characters to the cast since Hellboy left.

The Bureau of Paranormal Research and Defense is a covert government organization that started after World War II, and whose purview is everything that goes bump in the night. Founded by Professor Trevor Bruttenholm, The B.P.R.D. has fought vampire, werewolves, things from beyond space, frog monsters, and every other form of nasty. While Hellboy is its most famous agent, the B.P.R.D. has had many other special agents: the merman Abe Sapien, the pyrokinetic Liz Sherman, Roger the Homunculus, ghost-in-the-machine-suit Johann Krauss, tough as nails and possibly undead Sergeant Ben Daimio, and scholar at large Kate Corrigan. The B.P.R.D. cast are all fascinating characters, fitting into, and interacting with, the strange world they live in uniquely.

Mike Mignola has said that part of what he likes about creating his own characters and writing in his own universe is that they can ge in real time and he can change the world. And Mignola is doing things in B.P.R.D. that have created a very different world. The worlds of so much fiction and comics really try to be similar to the real world without upsetting the status quo. Mignola, with co-writer John Arcudi, have tossed the world on its ear in this series, especially in the past couple of years since the title entered its new phase: Hell on Earth. Countries are destroyed, monsters are loose, and the B.P.R.D. is playing catch up. And more than once, a beloved character hasn't made it out of a story alive. The fact that these changes are creator driven and controlled gives them more weight, and make them more emotionally effecting since character death usually means the character is gone, and a change to the world or a character tends to be something that will resonate and not be reverted a month later.

The ability for the world, and the characters, to change is one of the things that not only drives B.P.R.D., but keeps my interest and keeps me coming back month in a month out. The series is a true ensemble, with mini-series switching focus from Abe to Kate to Johann and back, or the occasional one-shot or smaller mini featuring a background character like the somewhat insane professor J.H. O'Donnell or agent Ashley Strode.

Most of the other series I've written about in recommended readings have been either complete, or are a series of self contained stories. as B.P.R.D.: Hell on Earth is still going strong, it's harder to discuss theme, as theme often becomes most clear when something is complete. The plots of the series I can discuss some, and will, especially with the series still running, attempt to avoid spoilers.

The B.P.R.D. series started out as the Bureau in a war with frog men, beings who had been created in an earlier Hellboy story. With Hellboy gone, the series took on a more serious tone than the early Hellboy stories. While always a horror comic, Hellboy himself brought a light touch to those stories, with his dry humor and his ability to charge into a situation without heed for his safety. B.P.R.D. rewarded long time readers with not just answers to longstanding questions like the origin of Abe Sapien, but laying new mysteries that were parsed out over issues and years. Liz Sherman has mysterious visions, Daimio struggles with the results of his mysterious resurrection, and the death of Roger the Homunculus are all things that impact the series long term.

The ending of the war of frogs is what really changes the ballgame. The world has been cracked open, volcanoes have erupted, giant monsters tear through the American southwest, and the B.P.R.D. now has a United Nations charter. Missions take place across the globe. And the Revelation that Abe Sapien is the first of what should be a species of men that would usher in a new era, no matter if he wants to be or not, cause friction within the B.P.R.D. And the evil Zinco Corporation is up to their usual brand of no good. The death of Hellboy, and the resultant catastrophe in England, is something else of the Bureau's plate. So all things considered, everyone has their hands full.

One of the most interesting things about the cast of B.P.R.D. is that Mignola and Arcudi are never afraid to pull their punches on how flawed their protagonists are. Each struggles with their own demons. Johann Krauss is bitter at his lack of a body, and when he briefly had one again, glutted himself on sensation, and since its loss has been obsessed with vengeance. Abe Sapien is often haunted by self doubt and questions about his past. Andrew Devon, a more recent addition to the team, holds certain prejudices against some of the more unusual members of the team, and has done some things that aren't exactly on the up and up. Panya, the ancient mummy who has returned to life with psychic powers, always seems to have her own agenda. These flaws make for interesting storytelling, because you're never sure if a character is going to do the right thing, or the right thing for them.

Kate Corrigan is a favorite character, and one who has experienced a great deal of change over the course of the series. When she was first introduced, she was a paranormal investigator and close friend of Hellboy. She would accompany him on missions, providing a thoughtful balance to Hellboy's more gung ho attitude. Over the course of B.P.R.D., Kate has witnessed the death of many of her friends. She has also become one of the heads of the Bureau. She has liaised with Russia, and has gained, and lost, a love. Seeing a character who was introduced to really support a main character grow into her own, and become a character who can headline a story, is one of the great joys of long form storytelling that appears in so few other media.

I usually spend some time at the end of each of these pieces talking a little about art, which is all I feel qualified to do, since I tend to follow comics for story, and not as much for art. But the Hellboy universe titles have always had incredible art, starting with the inimitable Mike Mignola. B.P.R.D. has ad art from such great artists as Ryan Sook, John Severin, Cameron Stewart, and Fabio Moon & Gabriel Ba. The current Hell on Earth run is principally drawn by Tyler Crook, who is doing a bang up job, really capturing a world in ruins. But the principal artist on the earlier run was Guy Davis, who is one of my favorite comic book artists of all time. His style is unique. His characters are far from photo realistic, with a fluid look that is just a tad off kilter, perfectly working with his horror background. And no one draws monsters like Davis. his creatures are masses of fangs and tentacles, things that look like they sprang from his nightmares.

B.P.R.D. is a great comic because it tosses all sorts of genres into a blender and comes out with something uniquely its own. Part spy action comic, part horror comic, part character drama, you never know what you're going to get when you enter a new arc, or even a new issue. That level of mystery, combined with the general high  quality of the stories and art, make B.P.R.D. a comic I look forward to every month.

The initial run of B.P.R.D. is available in fifteen trades or four very nice hardcover omnibuses, all easily numbered, so you can start from the beginning and follow right along. Hell on Earth is three trades out, with a fourth due in December.The next issue comes out this coming Wednesday, the second issue in the Return of the Master arc. The October issue will be the 100th issue of B.P.R.D., and will buck the current trend by changing its numbering on the cover to reflect that milestone, and each issue after will be numbered from 100 onward. Personally, I look forward to buying a comic with a triple digit number again...

Reviews of Comics from Wednesday 5/30

Angel & Faith #10
Writer: Christos Gage
Art: Chris Samnee

OK, I'm going to say it, just in case: SPOILERS if you haven't read all the way through Buffy Season 8 yet. I know it's a year+ old at this point, but I figured it better to say it up front.

Now that that's out of the way... I have thoroughly been enjoying Angel & Faith, even more than it's parent title, Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season 9. Not to slight Buffy; it's a very good comic too. But Angel & Faith has been a very strong title, with Christos Gage at the top of his game, and Rebekah Isaacs turning in some excellent art. This issue stands out for a couple reasons though. First is guest artist Chris Samnee. Samnee is one a small group of artists whose work I will follow anywhere (the others being Darwyn Cooke, Amanda Conner, Guy Davis, and Michael Lark). I'm mostly a story and character guy, but there's something in Samnee's art that has really grabbed me and made me want to watch him grow in the craft. This issue spotlights his talent, shifting into a couple time periods, showing some really well-designed creatures, and mixing in some great character moments. The main story is great. It introduces us to former Buffy mainstay Rupert Giles's two aunts, who happen to be powerful witches who have used their power to keep them young for years. They have made various demonic deals along the way to help that, and now the demon's have come to collect, and the aunts have arrived at Angel and Faith's London flat hoping for help. This leads to some great combat and some amusing situations. But the scene that gets me is a flashback to Giles as a young boy in his first confrontation with the supernatural. Angel & Faith has shown various scenes flashing back to Giles's past since so much of the series is about Angel seeking redemption for his murder of Giles at the end of Season 8, but this shows something we've never really seen: an innocent Giles before the supernatural really invaded his life. As someone to whom Giles meant a lot (he was my favorite of the original Buffy characters, and one of my favorite Whedon characters of all time), this glimpse of his past was worth the price of admission.

B.P.R.D. Hell on Earth: The Transformation of J.H. O'Donnell
Writers: Mike Mignola & Scott Allie
Art: Max Fiumara

Hellboy's back! Well, in flashback anyway. This story is the origin of Prof. J.H. O'Donnell, the crazy researcher who pops up occasionally in the background of various B.P.R.D. comics, rambling insanely and occasionally giving out some key piece of information. It's one of those excellent Mignola creepy one shots, with an old house full of mystical books, scary fly monsters, a flaming beast, and little bits of background on the history of modern magicians. There are some great moments, especially one in which the agent telling the story of what happened to O'Donnell and Hellboy basically says, "Oh, and so Hellboy fought a monster and burned the house down," as if it's what's to be expected, which, if you've ever read a Hellboy comic, it pretty much is. Max Fiumara, best known for Joe Kelly's awesome dragon-fighting-ring-in-the-great-depression comic Four Eyes, comes on board for this one shot, and he deserves his place among the artists of the Mignolaverse, with a style that's just off kilter enough to really make a shiver run up your spine as Prof. O'Donnell walks down the secret steps and sees what's waiting for him. The ending is bitterweet, as most stories set around Hellboy are, and even more so since Hell on Earth began. It fits the world Mignola has crafted well. If you like Hellboy and haven't tried the spinoffs yet, or haven't in a while, give this one shot a try. You won't be disappointed.

Roger Langridge's Snarked #8
Story & Art: Roger Langridge

I feel like I'm going to be reviewing Snarked every month until I feel like the book is getting the attention it deserves. Having discovered Roger Langridge during his incredible run on The Muppet Show Comic Book (which will be returning for one final arc as a mini-series from Marvel next month), I followed him to his creator-owned Snarked, a mish-mash of various characters form the works of Lewis Carroll. The Walrus (Wilberforce J. Walrus)  and the Carpenter (Clyde McDunk) and a young Red Queen and her baby brother (Scarlett and Rusty respectively) are our leads, and they run across characters from The Hunting of the Snark and The Jabberwocky, along with a couple from Wonderland, although that name, and that of Carroll's most famous protagonist, are never mentioned. This issue wraps up the second arc, where our heroes continue to sail with the Bellman and his crew towards Snark Island to find the missing Red King, but the Gryphon, who has been hunting them since they escaped the kingdom, has finally caught up to them, with the frumious Bandersnatch in tow. Snarked is worth reading to watch a cartoonist at the height of his craft. It moves effortlessly from high adventure, to comedy, to some truly touching little character bits; the book never rests on just being a humor or kids comic, but does so much more. And Langridge, being the main creative force as both writer and artist, really uses his art to set up all the things he'll be playing with later in the issue through hints, and never skimps on the details. The action really pops in this issue, as the Bandersnatch attacks the ship, and the solution to the issue's events play well off of the established character traits of the leads, Queen Scarlett's imperious nature and the Walrus's constant scheming, but this arc has shown both characters, especially the seemingly cowardly and conniving Walrus, grow. I'm a sucker for comics playing with literary convention and character (The Sandman, Kill Shakespeare,  the first couple League of Extraordinary Gentlemen volumes come to mind), and Snarked is a worthy addition to those ranks.