Gotham Academy, Vol. 1 Review

Gotham Academy, Volume One: Welcome to Gotham Academy. Becky Cloonan, Brenden Fletcher, and Karl Kerschl. 2015. DC Comics. 160 pages.

Rating: 4/5

It took me a little while to get into this book, but once I did I enjoyed it a lot. Part of the problem for me is that the main character, Olive Silverlock, is suffering from amnesia. This trope is really overdone and can be hard to pull off well. I think when the book moved away from that part of the story and got into the relationships between the students it got stronger. The whole amnesia thing is sort of resolved by the end of the volume, which is a huge plus.

Being an institution in Gotham City, Gotham Academy is old and believed to be haunted. After the students return from summer break, there are strange things happening around the campus. A group of students including Olive decide that they are going to investigate. Quite a bit happens from there, including the appearance of Bruce Wayne and a couple Batman villains. I really like what they do with Killer Croc and the (possibly unintentional) reference to my favorite line from the Batman animated series from the early 90s.

The art is really good. It took a little getting used to because it is a different style than I usually see. It works perfectly for the book and the colors complement it nicely. This book is a nice change of pace from the other DC books I've read recently. Recommended for those that want something different than the usual superhero fare.

Batman: The Long Halloween Review

Batman: The Long Halloween. Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale. 1999. DC Comics. 368 pages.

Rating: 4/5

I love a good Batman comic, and this is certainly amongst the best. The story takes place over the course of the year, and Batman has to discover the identity of a killer that only strikes on holidays. The introduction describes this as a follow up to Batman Year One, so we see a younger Bruce Wayne that is still working out his role as Batman. The focus is much more on the killer and Harvey Dent. Having read this after watching The Dark Knight, it's easy to see the influence this book had on the movie.

My favorite part of this book has to be the heavy reliance on the crime families of Gotham, specifically the Falcone. There is always mention of how screwed up Gotham is and why there is a need for Batman and using the mafia as a foundation is perfect. Are they the source of all of Gotham's problems? No, but the sheer level of organized crime speaks to why Batman even exists. It is pervasive and the attacks of Holiday begin to shake things up. The use of these more mundane villains, even with the inclusion of a bunch of Batman's iconic foes, helps to set this book apart.

The mystery behind the killer is played out pretty well too. There are so many people that would have the motive and opportunity to attack the members of the Falcone family that it becomes difficult to pin down who is Holiday. Extra points for the use of Calendar Man because he is a strange villain that fits in so well.

Despite being an older comic, I enjoyed the art. There were some images that are certainly indicative of trends in comic art at the time, but for the most part it stands apart. The coloring and use of shadow are both great. There's a reason this is considered a classic Batman title. Definitely worth a read.

Hellblazer, Vol. 1 Review

John Constantine, Hellblazer, Volume One: Original Sins. Jamie Delano, John Ridgway, Alfredo Alcala, Rick Veitch, and Tom Mandrake. 2013. Vertigo. 304 pages.

Rating: 4/5

I just finished this last night, and I feel like it took me forever to read. Mostly because of general life stuff creeping in, but this is a long book and pretty dense. It stands up there with some of the other Vertigo titles that I've read and enjoyed immensely though.

It has a slow build. Which I think is fantastic. Sometimes that can make books drag on. It's executed very well in this case though. The slow reveals allow time to learn more about Constantine, his place in the world, and the types of situations he has to deal with. It's not as action packed as the movie (at least from what I can remember) and it doesn't need to be. This is a great character driven story that mixes in elements of heaven/hell, religion, and morality. I like that it doesn't shy away from some of the nastier aspects of humanity. And it does so in a way that doesn't feel incredibly bleak.

The couple of Swamp Thing issues thrown in at the end were a surprise. I was aware that Constantine and Swamp Thing had some sort of connection, but those issues go way beyond anything that I knew about. That part isn't really necessary to the book as a whole. I'm glad it is included because it expands on the characters and the setting. Plus, it is rather creepy to have Swamp Thing taking over Constantine's body. The details are a little sketchy though.

I thought the art was great. Sure, it's a bit rougher than we might be used to reading now, but the grittiness of the drawings fit so well with the tone of the book.  Some of the color choices are more jarring than the pencils. I am interested in reading more stories about this character, but I don't think that will happen anytime soon.

Black Canary, Vol. 1 Review

Black Canary, Volume One: Kicking and Screaming. Brenden Fletcher, Annie Wu, Pia Guerra, and Lee Loughridge. 2016. DC Comics. 168 pages.

Rating: 3/5

My first experience with Black Canary came from the Arrow TV series. I feel like some of that characterization is present here, but it takes her in a very different direction. Dinah Lance teams up with a group of teens to form a band that becomes wildly popular overnight. The reasons behind this are touched on in the book. They felt kind of dubious to me though.

I enjoyed the different take on this character, and her band mates actually grew on me as the book went on. Had it been left as a story about a girl and her band I think I would have enjoyed it more. About midway through, other elements from the DC universe are pulled in and that put me off to the book. Partly because I'm not a huge DC reader and partly because some of the characters used seem to pop up in way too many of the books I do pick up.

The art didn't bother me. Not really a resounding endorsement for it. Yet, I think that's a good thing because in a book like this the art can be very hit or miss and ruin the enjoyment. There are some goofy moments with the art, and there are a lot more action sequences than there should have been based on the way it starts out. Despite that, it didn't put me off to reading the story, so there must be something to it that fits the tone. This book, and a couple other more recent DC books that I've read, seem to be trying to be a little trendier or shifting their characters to appeal to a younger crowd. For the most part I think they've done a decent job with it and anyone looking for a change from the regular superhero fare should check this out.

Secret Weapons Review

Secret Weapons. Eric Heisserer, Raul Allen, and Patricia Martin. 2017. Valiant Entertainment. 112 pages.

Rating: 5/5

Disclaimer: I received a free ecopy via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

There is a lot to like about this book. For Valiant fans, it introduces some new characters, while giving new readers a good place to get a feel for the universe. Since it is about the rejects of the Harbinger Foundation, the story is more lighthearted without being goofy. The powers that these new characters possess are lots of fun: talking to birds, making things glow, turning to stone without being able to move, and creating random objects out of thin air.

The thing is, these young people and many others have been revealed to the world. And someone out there wants to see them destroyed. A former Harbinger Foundation leader, Livewire, learns about these kids at the same time as everyone else, but sees it as her duty to protect and train them. So, as someone is hunting them down she is teaching them how to defend themselves. That part of the plot does a lot to set up future storylines, especially if they expand their circle to draw in other rejects.

I think the thing I enjoyed most about this book is how well the characters are developed. We get to see moments that wouldn't necessarily occur in other comics. For example, the character that talks to birds gets a scene where she chats with them about a woman who feeds them in the park. It might sound dull, but it creates a sense of who she is and her place in the world. To see her develop from that point is satisfying.

The art is great. It is used to wonderful effect to show off the characters' powers. But the more mundane moments aren't forgotten about. There is a good balance between the two, especially as the characters are just coming together. I would love to read more about these characters and get a chance to see what they are capable of.

Rat Queens, Vol. 4 Review

Rat Queens, Volume Four: High Fantasies. Curtis Wiebe, Owen Gieni, and Ryan Ferrier. 2017. Image Comics. 128 pages.

Rating: 2/5

Disclaimer: I received a free ecopy via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.

I rather enjoyed the first three volumes of this series, but volume four leaves a lot to be desired. This takes place sometime after volume three, with the Queens returning to Palisade to get up to general shenanigans.

The highlights for me are Braga and Violet's brother. Braga gets to officially join the Queens, which makes a lot of sense. She has been built up as a very interesting character (see the Braga special for more!) and her former adventuring group is pretty much gone. Even though she knows the Queens, including her in the group also gives the reader to learn more about the characters without the information feeling forced.

Violet's brother is back to stoke their sibling rivalry in a big way. He brings in his own adventuring group that sort of mirrors the Queens. I wanted to see more of them because they didn't feel strongly presented. Sure, they are side characters attached to another non-title character, but they could have been built up a little more to give their group some substance.

One of the reasons that I've enjoyed the Rat Queens series is that they are just generally fun to read. Volume four felt like more of a drag though. The humor didn't quite work for me this time around. I did like the art though. The character drawings are great and there are a couple of visual gags that I enjoyed. This volume seems to have lost some of the heart that made the first three so much fun to read. Given the chance, I would still pick up the next volume because there is potential for a lot of silly and unique stories.

Trees, Vol. 2 Review

Trees, Volume Two: Two Forests. Warren Ellis and Jason Howard. 2016. Image Comics. 128 pages.

Rating: 4/5

In some ways I liked this volume better than the previous ones and there are some parts I didn't like as much. A catastrophic event at one of the "trees" left a lot of fallout. The trees are alien artifacts that landed on earth 10 years ago. Until recently they have not responded to any attempts to interact with them.

Volume two has a lot more focus than volume one. It only follows the storyline of two characters: the mayor of New York and a researcher stationed near the tree that blew up. These characters weren't as interesting to me. The mayor is corrupt and just seemed boring. He is so focused on political maneuvering that the star of this series, the trees, is just a sidebar. His actions seem to be setting the stage for future plotlines though.

The researcher is much more intriguing. First, we get to see bits of what happened directly after the event with the tree. Second, her part of the story gives a different view of what is happening in this future. Her expertise lets her move around the world more easily than others and brings her in contact with wildly different characters.

I like that both of these plotlines share a theme revolving around how the general populace would react to a given set of information. They parallel each other as a result, which makes the book feel more integrated. I wanted more from some of the other characters introduced previously, but these two did a good job of shifting gears.

There are some fantastic images used within the story too. The creators are able to imagine very different locations to set the story and bring them to life. They feel and look different from each other. This makes the setting feel more robust. The character art and the coloring are well done. There isn't anything glaring that felt out of place or turned me off from the book. While it has a different feel from the first book, it is a solid addition to the series.