Tag Archives: DC Comics

Lego DC Comics Super Heroes: Justice League vs Bizarro League Review

Posted on by
Reply

Lego_DC_Comics_Super_Heroes_Justice_League_vs._Bizarro_League_Cover
All right, it’s time to look at another one of the Lego DC films! This is a feature length film unlike the last one that I reviewed although it’s still under an hour so it’s not very long. The Justice League get a big role here this time so Batman won’t have to steal all of the best lines. That being said, he’s still the best character here along with Superman’s fun depiction. It’s a vs film technically although the Justice League doesn’t really get to fight the Bizarro League…I wouldn’t call it a total fight anyway. Still, the real villain is ready!

The film starts out with Bizarro messing up Metropolis as per usual. Superman takes him to an uninhabited planet and convinces Bizarro to think of the rocks as people and just live there for a while. It works and this gives the Justice League time to deal with the many threats that attack Earth on a daily basis. Unfortunately, Bizarro’s world is being attacked by Darkseid so he makes clones of the other League members. Batman and Superman must now do something about this while also taking care of Darkseid. It will be tough, but they are the world’s greatest superheroes so nothing should be able to stop them!

Let’s launch into the positives here. First of all, I still love this depiction of Lego Batman. He only joined the League in order to keep tabs on Superman and he constantly reminds us of this. He carries around a big chunk of Kryptonite and even steals Lex’s plans on how to take Superman down for the count. His dialogue is definitely the best in the film and he even has a “I’m Batman!” moment that was great. The banter between him and Superman is the main reason why the film is so enjoyable. It’s always great to see these two heroes together.

Superman is also likable of course and most of the other League members are neat as well. The Flash is definitely always fun to watch given how fast he is. I’m not crazy about Wonder Woman and Cyborg’s portrayals, but some characters weren’t meant to be parodied I suppose. (The Flash is played pretty straight as his speed is what the writers have fun with, but I actually like the fact that he looks so fast) Guy Gardner is the film’s punching bag and it’s always fun to see him wrecked by the opposition.

This film also had more action than the rest of the Lego adventures. The fight between Superman and Darkseid was fun to watch. It’s a lego fight of course, but it’s still a fight and that was neat. There were also some fun scenes of the heroes beating up on an army invasion. There was really almost nonstop action when you really think about it and that’s another reason why the lego adventure was so enjoyable. It’s good to go all out. The soundtrack also gave the film an extra boost. There were many fast paced themes that played throughout the action scenes. It’s hard to remember them specifically, but they certainly worked well during the fights.

There’s really not much to dislike about the film. It’s very short so things have to move quickly, but for this style I suppose that it works. I don’t want to sound too repetitive and I’ve already mentioned this in my other Lego reviews, but the style is one that can be a little much if it drags on for too long. So, short and direct is a good strategy for it. Lego animation is still relatively low tier for me, but it is a pretty big sub genre at this point. For lego’s, it’s a good effort and most of the humor is based around that fact so the film would be very different if it used another style.

The Bizarro League plays a very small role despite the fact that they’re in the title. They really don’t have any big moments and are just in the background. They certainly could have been better as they came off as a little too deluded and weak if you ask me. Bizarro is the only character who got an actual personality that wasn’t too over the top here. I still find his backwards talk to be rather inconsistent as he starts off a sentence saying the opposite of what he means, but starts to talk normally after that. Maybe the backwards thing only applies to the first sentence of a paragraph or something like that. It’s something to think about I suppose.

Overall, This was another fun Lego installment. I’d say that the short that came with this one is my favorite and this would be second. The edge that they have over Lego Batman is the larger role of the league and the fact that I really like Batman’s portrayal here. I liked his in Lego Batman as well, but he’s even more paranoid over here. The banter between the two main heroes is the selling point of this film, but the fights are also a lot of fun. There was definitely more action than I had been anticipating and the soundtrack was solid as well. I recommend this film if you enjoy the Lego style. It makes for a fun film that is also very short so you will be through it in no time. It will be fun to see what other Lego adventures come out soon. This is also one of the newest films that I’ve seen since it came out so recently. Hopefully, Batman sticks around as the main character for the next DVD film. His theatrical one coming out soon should be fun too.

Overall 7/10

JLA Volume 4 Review

Posted on by
Reply

811SS6qOMcL._SL1500_
It’s time to look at another Justice League volume! It’s certainly not quite as solid as the first one, but it gets the job done. We have some fights with Batman and Superman while also letting the other members have a chance to prove themselves. What hurts this volume a little is how quickly it jumps around and the fact that it almost feels like a side series at some points. That’s still not enough to keep a good Justice League story down though?

The Justice League stories have always been interesting in how they handle the issues. This collection brings around 15-20 different comics, but each issue feels a little shorter than usual. It’s still a big collection that will last you a little while, but the issues aren’t really standard size. At least we still get some good arcs in though. Some iconic ones and some average ones, but they all play a part here.

The collection starts off rather peacefully with Huntress defending Gotham city. The US has apparently decided to just abandon it so many villains are taking this opportunity to have some fun with it. The Justice League can’t go in to help with the situation due to the political issues at work here. That being said, Huntress is really all that they need for the job right? I’m assuming that this situation was set up in an earlier JLA comic or maybe in a Batman series. Either way, it’s an interesting premise.

It’s interesting to see Huntress as one of the main characters. She makes for a good member of the team, but she starts to forget what it means to be a hero as the volume goes on. She nearly crosses the line and Batman calls her out on it. You can bet that he won’t be forgetting such a thing for a long time, which means that she will likely never be back on the League. She had her chance though and Batman does have a point.

Another story features the return of the White Martians. One of them impersonates Bruce Wayne so Batman tells the team to try and take him down. It’s more difficult than you would expect, but they end up accomplishing the task. Another one shot has Hal Jordan return to haunt everyone inside of their nightmares. He shows the heroes that the Joker has a very nice and peaceful part of his mind while all of the heroes have big doubts that plague them. Superman handles his rather well, which is good since he has had a lot of time to dwell on them. Other characters have a tougher time and they remind Hal that he’s supposed to be a good guy in the end. It’s sad for Hal since he used to be such a great hero, but is now confined to being…The Spectre! At least he gained powers beyond comprehension, that’s no small positive.

Next up was one of the big arcs. Lex Luthor has decided to bring together a new team. He has Prometheus, The General, and Queen Bee on his side. Together, the 4 of them plan to bring down the Justice League and wreck chaos throughout the world. Lex chose a bad time since a powerful being has also showed up to take care of the multiverse. The League is split up and facing many different enemies, but we know that they can still come out on top as long as they put on their game face!

We got one more one shot as the JLA had to fight off a race of micro beings who were inside a kid’s brain. In the end, one of them becomes the last survivor of his race, much like Superman. The final arc was the famous Tower of Babel. Someone is systematically taking down each member of the Justice League and the villain is using Batman’s plans to do it. Can Batman outsmart…himself!? The League hopes so because they may be doomed with a capital D otherwise!

The series has had a cosmic element to it for quite a while now. During this arc, the angels decided to forget about this universe and focus on creating another one once everyone is destroyed. The Presence is name dropped as well, which shows you how large scale the threat is. That being said, the cosmic beings are almost inconsequential at this point. Superman can probably defeat them anyway and there are bigger fish to fry. Superman being overcome with doubt and despair is a little much even if it is the villain’s ability. At least Superman managed to snap out of it although I don’t think that it should have been much of a problem in the first place.

While the big boss was fun, the most enjoyable part was certainly the fight with the Injustice League. Although, Superman fans will not be pleased with the fact that he was losing to The General. The General had the clear edge although it was the kind of fight where both opponents couldn’t really manage to deal any damage. The General was just landing more hits. As for Lex, the plot didn’t end well for him as he underestimated the true enemy, which really threw him for a loop. You could say that he never really got an ending to his plan or his own fight. Queen Bee looked decent, but it’s hard to consider her as big of a threat as the other three members. Although, she could certainly beat Lex Luthor or maybe even Prometheus in a true fight.

Prometheus has always been a really interesting character. I like his gimmick of copying fighting styles and he has had many fun fight scenes through the years. That being said, I never got to read a full comic with him so this was my first opportunity. He loves to brag about how he beat Batman, but it seems like an accident has messed with his mind a little. While he is still dangerous, he’s not as focused and Batman uses this to his advantage. Prometheus definitely had the edge initially, but Batman can fight dirty when he needs too. It may not be as satisfying as winning in a normal fist fight, but that’s why they call it…Prep Time!

It’s fun to compare the arc to Justice League Doom. As expected, I have to go with the comic over most of the film’s changes. Most, but not all. The strategy for dealing with Wonder Woman was similar in both versions, but having the fights inside of her head certainly makes more sense so I give the comic props there. Green Lantern’s attack is much more inventive and realistic as well while dealing with Batman is less risky than in the film. I have an issue with how Superman is taken down in both versions to an extent since he’s Superman, but the comic version was likely more effective. The movie did succeed in the fact that we got a big final battle with actual villains and that Superman gave Batman the kryptonite in the end. Having Batman just vanish would have been sad. Superman also felt more understanding in the film.

Of course, you can sympathize with both cases here. It’s no fun to fight alongside an ally who is constantly focusing on ways to defeat you. I wouldn’t be able to trust someone like that and you can say that relations with Batman are already frosty at times. Batman is right in the sense that the heroes do tend to get mind controlled fairly often so we need a backup plan. My problem is the fact that Batman just put these plans in a computer where anyone could steal them. He should have just memorized the strategies in his head. Had he done that, I would have been completely okay with what he did. Still make the tech necessary to stop the League, but throw it in the vault with the thousands of other gadgets and don’t label them. We know that Batman is smart enough to pull this off and everything would be all right.

I liked Batman and Superman’s portrayal. Batman did make a risky call that backfired when he made plans on the other heroes, but I can understand and agree with his intentions. He also made sure that Huntress did not cross the line. Superman seemed to be a little agitated at times and perhaps he let the politics get to him a bit much, but he’s still the Man of Steel that we are used too. There’s not much to say about Kyle or the Flash as their roles were small, but they are good heroes as well. I do think that the Flash really overreacts whenever someone mentions Hal’s name though. It can be a little irritating. Wonder Woman is certainly upset at Batman’s decision and she can perhaps be a little too arrogant, but she’s another good hero. Having someone break your trust can certainly put you in a bad mood.

Orion and Big Barda are around for a little while and they prove that they can be just as tough as the other League members. Still, if I was the JLA, I wouldn’t trust them all that much. They are heroes, but New Gods first and politics could make them oppose the League. Aquaman is openly hostile towards them and I’m glad that he doesn’t back down from Orion’s threats. I would certainly be rooting for Aquaman in a fight and it’s safe to say that this was the original hardcore depiction of Aquaman. As intense as he is in the New 52, he was every bit as gruff and commanding here. Plasticman is still the weak link of the team by far.

If I had to even name a negative for the comic, it is definitely Plasticman. He’s seriously not funny and he’s a weak link to the team. Plasticman is also against Batman’s decision and being broken to pieces also made him revert to his serious form for a little while. Plasticman’s facade of innocence and laughter simply couldn’t hold up forever. At one point he shape shifts into someone’s clothes for them to wear and that’s the kind of thing that really crosses the line and should have gotten him ejected from the team ASAP. I already didn’t like Plasticman and this portrayal of him did not help matters at all.

As for the art, I definitely like it. All of the heroes look larger than life and their abilities have never looked so impressive. You can instantly think of this as one of the big Justice League runs. That being said, the characters are constantly posing, which can be a little odd. One of the big examples of this is when Batman jumps out of a portal with a few other characters saying “Get me tactical.” I looked for the image to post it here, but it proved to be a difficult challenge so I’ll just wait until you read the volume. It starts to get a little hilarious and that’s one of the reasons why this series has been so entertaining. I encourage you to read the first volume so see more examples of this. I’m more than satisfied with the art and it works well for action scenes and dialogue ones.

Overall, This was another fun volume of JLA. The battle against the Injustice League was easily my favorite part of the collection. I also liked the famous Tower of Babel of course. I could have used a little more action, but the writing and art are strong enough to keep the volume interesting regardless of how much action is inside. Morrison really understands the Justice League and I am really liking this portrayal of them. For starters, they are super professional. All of the heroes (Minus Plasticman) are fairly experienced and mature so they can execute team work with ease. The League feels powerful and they can really handle any threat. I feel like they are the Avengers, but physically and mentally superior so they can handle tougher threats. Losing a certain member at the end will hurt them though and I wonder who they will replace the guy with. Of course, this isn’t here to bash the Avengers, but I’m just showing you why I’ve always liked the Justice League. They’re essentially the ultimate team and these comics continue to prove it. I just wonder how the comics will manage to keep the intensity up. Hopefully it’s not at the expense of replacing more members with some weaker ones as that wouldn’t be cool. This is a must read for all DC fans and you won’t regret doing so. Now, if only a film could adapt this series one day and play it straight. I’d love to see a good Batman vs Prometheus fight someday.

Overall 8/10

Adventures of Superman Volume 3 Review

Posted on by
Reply

Advs-of-Superman-volume-3-trade-cover
All right, it’s time for the final volume in the Adventures of Superman series! It was a fun ride and I was certainly glad to see a Superman who tried to be more heroic like he was before the New 52. He still has his moments there to be sure, but this is the Superman that I wanted. Unfortunately, I think that the writers started to forget why they even started this series. I believe that the staff varies from issue to issue, but an editor should have quickly stopped some of the madness that ensues in this final volume. We get some great stories and also some very iffy ones. Nontheless, this was still a fun series.

All right, the first comic involves a Green Lantern and this was one of the best stories in the collection. Perhaps it was the best story! Superman’s very first line is “I am Superman and I don’t kill.” Perhaps not word for word, but I remember meta physically clenching my fist and sending it skyward as I read this story while waiting for Midtown Comics to start unloading the free comics. That’s how you start a Superman story and it was fairly amazing. For context, a Green Lantern had just told him to destroy someone and that was Superman’s response. This writer certainly understood Superman. Superman has a scuffle with the Green Lantern and then Brainiac also entered the fray.

The art was very good and there was a lot of action in the story. I really couldn’t ask for a better way to start the collection. This was Superman’s best portrayal in the graphic novel and he showed us how to be a real hero. Superman is still my favorite comic book character of all time. He lives up to his name and shows us how to be good people in all circumstances. No matter how dangerous or tricky, he makes the right calls. That is why the next story was so bad.

Superman has grown tired of arresting criminals. They simply get out of jail and hurt more people. With those thoughts in mind, Superman decides to create another alter ego called the Demolisher. In this form, he breaks bones and steals kisses as he acts very impulsively. Villains won’t be getting past him! If this was Superman’s sub conscious then it wouldn’t be okay, but it would be slightly better. The fact that Superman is doing all of this willingly is terrible! He’s right that it is annoying when villains are constantly getting out of prison, but then Superman needs to improve the system, not take matters into his own hands. The story made Superman look completely out of character and it was quite sad. People love to see Superman act more like a villain nowadays, but that simply isn’t Superman.

At least the art was good for that one. The next story involved a reporter who finally made a connection between the Daily Planet and Superman. He believes that Superman is actually a publicity stunt by the newspaper so that they can sell more papers. He takes his dangerous theory over to Metallo and then things get a little tricky. Clark Kent is relieved that the man doesn’t know the full secret, but now there is a man in harm’s way. It is time for Superman to show up and take names! This comic was decent. The art was good and we got to see more of Clark Kent for the first time in what felt like forever. It reminded me of an episode in the TV show, but I can’t recall which one.

This was a standard Superman comic, which was fun to read. The art was solid and Superman appeared to be in character for the most part. It wasn’t terribly exciting and the action wasn’t as good as the first issue, but the plot was engaging and it is good to see Superman use his wits. Metallo has Kryptonite at the ready so Superman definitely has to play this match up a little more carefully than his other fights. I always had a soft spot for Metallo as he is an interesting DC villain. He’s one of the few opponents to have beaten Superman on numerous occasions.

Next up, was the Joker comic where Superman is out of character once again. Joker has arrived in Metropolis with various bombs located around the city and we know that the madman is willing to use them. The odd thing here is that Superman appears to be completely insane like the Joker. Superman manages to get the Joker worried because his emotions are all over the place. Superman will be laughing one second and threatening to kill Joker the next. The art is constantly shifting so that the Joker never stays in one form and Superman also has his Golden Age charm one moment and his New 52 glare the next. It’s very atmospheric and works to make the comic fun to look at.

That being said, Superman’s portrayal is completely unacceptable. It was good to see him grab all of the bombs at super speed and show off as he pointed out that even if the explosions took out the building, he could stop all of the rubble before it hit the street. I believe that Superman could do this with ease, but he goes off the deep end. He claims that he doesn’t generally kill, but doesn’t mind doing so and says that he will kill the Joker if he ever returns. He even threatens Batman and the whole situation is really off. Superman ends the issue laughing as he flies away. There are so many meanings that you can draw from the laugh. He could be thinking that he just pulled off the best bluff ever, he is feeling really well, or he is simply insane. My bet is on the last one as he acted like that in this issue, but the whole comic was really off. The writer definitely has no grasp on who Superman is as a character.

There was a short story about Superman babysitting, which came next. It was a decent story although Superman didn’t look as experienced as you would expect. He’s great with kids so I don’t see this as being too much of a challenge for him. I also thought that he put them in more danger than necessary as he fought Metallo. It was an enjoyable comic to read even though it was so short. The art was decent and it was certainly better than most mini comics.

Approaching the end of the collection was a story about a large robot from Krypton who lands on Earth. He has a skirmish with Superman of course, but then Superman is able to convince the robot to fight for good. They fight an army of aliens that are set on conquering Earth and the comic has a very emotional ending. It just goes to show that Krypton will never fully be destroyed as there are always more creations and Kryptonians somewhere in space. The art was good as per usual and the fight with the alien fleet was a lot of fun. Overwhelming Superman with sheer numbers isn’t possible thanks to his great abilities so this was likely pretty easy for him. I would have liked it if the aliens had some kind of super powered threat on their side to fight Superman, but it was a nice fight regardless.

Finally, we had a story involving time travel and such. Back in the 40’s or earlier, man tried to venture into space before we had the proper technology. The astronauts were stuck in a portal. Thousands of years later, the rest of the universe has been destroyed, but Superman still lives on as he finally finds the rocket with the pilots still inside and takes them to a new reality. The story was just odd. It is neat to see Superman essentially be immortal as he is one and the same from all of the eras, but I just didn’t find it all very interesting. I believe that it is supposed to be very meta and mysterious as our reality is ending and another one is starting, but I just wasn’t very interested. It was cool to see a cosmic Superman who essentially rules reality though and that he sends one to every universe. It’s the kind of issue that gives you a lot to discuss I suppose.

That was the last main story that the collection had, but there were 3 more mini comics to conclude the saga. One involved Superman deciding what to get Lois for Valentine’s. The Justice League got to appear as guest stars, which was neat. Another had Superman fight with a ghost and then realize that the ghost wasn’t real. The final story, which ended the whole series had Superman team up with Omac to defeat a powerful robot. I’m glad that the series decided to end with a fight as that’s the best way to go about this. They were all fairly charming and Superman definitely got his props.

Overall, The Adventures of Superman is now added to the list of comic series that I have read from start to finish. The 51 chapters make for a fun saga and even though the stories had their ups and downs, most of them were ups and properly portrayed Superman as the ultimate hero. There will never be quite another like him and I look forward to reading more Superman comics in the future. I recommend checking this collection out when you have the chance. It’s thicker than most of the trade paperbacks around so you’ll get a lot of value for your purchase. The stories where Superman seems to be a little meaner and more chaotic are iffy, but the rest of them give him a good portrayal and we see a nice amount of action here. Superman’s always had a great track record with comics and I look forward to seeing what I will read from him next. While it is not a Superman comic, there is a Justice League one that I will be reading soon and I’m confident that he will look good there. Until next time!

Overall 7/10

Divergence Review

Posted on by
Reply

DCComics
All right, it’s time to look at the comics from Free Comic Book Day! I got a solid batch of 19. 15 courtesy of Midtown Comics and then an extra four over at the New York Public Library. Typically, I read the comics from worst to best, but I reversed the lineup a little this year. What better way to start than by reading about what’s to come over in DC right? I doubt that anything will beat this issue, but we shall see.

There are three stories in this comic. The first one shows us what the new Batman series will be like as Commissioner Gordon takes over the role of Batman. There are heavy spoilers for Batman #40 so I hope that you read it. I’m not sure about the new incarnation of Gordon as he looks nothing like the Commissioner that I have grown used too. He seems tougher, which could be a good thing, but I trust him less than the older version. I don’t believe that the series will be able to hold its own without Batman for long, but it should be a decent series. Probably not my style though so I can’t guarantee that it will be a good title.

The second story is about the upcoming Superman series and I can already tell you that it is worlds beyond the Batman one. Superman’s identity has been leaked by Lois Lane and he is now on the run. His life has turned upside down as a result and the series will be about him coping with this until the inevitable moment where everyone forgets who he is. I’m hoping that they actually let people know for a few years or more like Iron Man so we can see how Superman would handle this. It would be a nice angle so long as people don’t go after Pa and Ma Kent. (If they are alive in this version) The story seems like it could be quite good even if Clark is slightly overreacting when it comes to hiding. If he truly needs to hide, I’m sure Batman could whip up some kind of disguise.

Finally, we have a Justice League comic. Technically, not a whole lot happens as it is all about foreshadowing, but it still has an aura of intensity that put it above the Batman story for me. The preview of Darkseid taking on the Anti Monitor looked very epic and you can tell that the stakes are going to be high. Batman is going to become a god once more and even Superman may need some backup this time. I’m certainly hyped to see how this all plays out and this could be the adventure of a lifetime for DC fans!

The art for the three series varied as the artists changed, but they all looked good. Justice League naturally looked the best and I’d put Superman in second, but they all use different styles that work for their respective series. The writing appears to be on the level and DC really gave us a great free comic book to celebrate the event. Talk about not pulling their punches!

Overall, This is how a free comic book should be. It had 3 different stories and set up some major plot points for what is to come. These were really previews, but they were enough to get you interested in buying the actual comics. There was really nothing bad to say about them and I look forward to seeing the Superman story in particular as this is a plot that should be very enjoyable to read. (I do think that Superman’s design is a little off though) Justice League will have the ultimate fights that I’m looking for and Batman has…Batman! Nuff said.

Overall 9/10

Supergirl Volume 2 Girl in The World Review

Posted on by
Reply

Supergirl-Vol.-2-Girl-in-the-World1
It has been a while since I read the first comic, but I remember that it was a fun adventure. The collection had a lot of action and it really paved the way for future comics to start off right. Unfortunately, I don’t think that many of them will decide to do this, but it was still nice to see a comic getting the intro right. This volume isn’t quite as exciting as it certainly slows down, but it still makes for a nice adventure.

Supergirl is still trying to live on Earth without attracting attention, but it is tough because she doesn’t know how to fully control her abilities. Moreover, she doesn’t understand English, which makes discussion rather difficult. Luckily, she meets up a girl who is able to learn new languages after hearing them for a few minutes. The only drawback is that the girl is the Silver Banshee’s daughter and her dad is trying to absorb her. Supergirl must now help her new friend, but can she defeat such a menace?

The premise is a little difficult for me. Why can’t Supergirl just beat the Banshee with a single blow? She may not be Superman, but her abilities are still on his level so this match should be child’s play. The Banshee’s reason for surviving her attacks so easily is that he is using magic, which helps him deal a lot of damage to Supergirl. I don’t mind magic as an excuse, but it doesn’t change the fact that Supergirl is faster than him. She can easily dodge his attacks with her super speed.

As a villain, The Banshee is a lot cooler than he used to be. I like his design and his abilities are certainly formidable. He is portrayed as being more powerful than he really is, but at least that makes him a threat. I wonder if we will ever see him again. Somehow, I have a feeling that he will definitely return.

As for the daughter, she seems like a nice supporting character. She certainly helps Supergirl out of a jam even though she begins to lose her will power rather quickly. It is too bad that she temporarily lost her abilities since they would have been very useful here. I hope that she stays on the side of the heroes as Supergirl can use an ally against the many villains that she wil be facing soon. The girl also happens to be the only supporting character that I like so I hope that she sticks around.

There’s a who tries to be a nice supporting character as well, but I don’t see the point in his character. He just has a filler role where he starts to like Supergirl. The comic would be exactly the same without him. As for Supergirl, she makes for a very good main character. At times, she can be a little unreasonable like when she told Superman that she would examine the ship on her own, but she is typically a good character. She isn’t afraid to fight at full power and she takes on her opponents with great efficiency. She did take a chance when she blasted one of the opponents in a way that could have destroyed him, but at least things worked out all right. Supergirl has always been one of my favorite comic book heroines and it is safe to say that the comic book did her justice. I do think that it is very early for romance though so I’m glad that the subplot ended before it could truly begin. Supergirl is still overwhelmed by being in a new culture, but this is fairly realistic and she isn’t as dramatic about it as Starfire. I don’t typically like the trope of adjusting to Earth culture, but it’s handled well.

The art style looks good for this comic. It is hard to describe, but it is like a paled version of the Superman comics. The colors are darker and that’s the easiest way that I can put it. This works for just about everything in the comic except for Superman’s design. The artist clearly hasn’t looked at Superman in a while because the character on the page looked nothing like the legendary hero. He seemed meek, timid, and unassuming. Those qualities don’t belong in the same sentence as Superman and even the hair was oddly flat. That was my one gripe with the art, but it is not a major one.

One of the comics had a quick fight with a random villain. That plot will likely come back soon, but it is the being who is on the cover of this collection. He made for a fun villain even if I couldn’t take him all that seriously. If the comic took super speed a little more seriously, Supergirl could have handled this battle with ease. The collection ends with Supergirl’s origin story and it is fairly straightforward. She got out of that planet alive, which is good. Her dad’s plan was sound although he really cut it close. The mom tried to stop him at the end though, but I think it was really because she didn’t really get what he was doing or she just thought that the planet was safe. Because of that, I was on the dad’s side since he did keep some secrets, but he ultimately got the job done. It is just too bad that he also had to do some illegal experiments on the way. This made him seem rather shady and untrustworthy. I’m guessing that Superman’s dad was going to stop him, but with the planet in turmoil, he had bigger fish to fry. Krypton always looks so…unprepared for such a futuristic civilization.

In the end, this volume couldn’t beat the original. Both of them had some really good writing and action scenes, but volume 1 had the better villains. The Worldbreakers were a serious threat and they may just be the strongest villain group to debut in years. As a group, most heroes wouldn’t even stand a chance against them. I do think that it was a little iffy that Superman couldn’t break through the shield last time, but that’s a minor thing. I really can’t wait until they show up again and they were referenced several times so this definitely hints that they will be returning soon.

Supergirl demonstrated some new abilities in this comic, which is neat. I know that Superman recently learned how to weaponize his solar energy and Supergirl is already showing that she can do this as well. When the strongest comic heroes start to get even stronger, you know that some massive villains must be getting ready to pop up. I still do consider Supergirl to be stronger than Wonder Woman is almost all incarnations and this comic certainly helps that as well. It is no stretch of the imagination to say that Supergirl is the strongest comic book heroine so it is good to see her get credit for being so powerful here.

Overall, This volume was a fun way to continue the Supergirl adventure. The series still provides us with a lot of action and some quality dialogue. It is a complete title that I would certainly recommend to comic readers since it is a lot of fun. The art works for the collection, but I expect Superman to look a little better in future issues. Even the way that he acted seemed a little off although I think that Supergirl overreacted in that scene. I look forward to seeing where Supergirl goes from here, but I’m looking forward to the return of the Worldbreakers even more. Now those were incredible villains!

Overall 7/10

Batman Beyond 2.0 Volume 2 Justice Lords Beyond Review

Posted on by
Reply

4440292-01
It’s time for another volume of Batman Beyond 2.0 and this was certainly an exciting one. The cover is easily the best that we’ve seen in Batman Beyond and it’s one of the best covers that I’ve seen in a comic. This really makes you want to open it so that you can find out just what is happening. Well, the wondering is over and now you can really jump in and watch the epicness unfold! It certainly lives up to the cover.

For the plot, Batman Beyond is still wondering why the heroes are so unnerved by Wonder Woman’s sudden appearance when she defeated Brainiac. Superman explains about how the Justice League met the Justice Lords a long time ago and they believe that she might be the Justice Lord version or worse…she may have been corrupted. Batman Beyond is tasked with going to the Justice Lord’s dimension and finding out what happened over there. This is no small task, but Batman Beyond has to make sure that there isn’t an invasion being prepared by the villains. So, he heads out on what could be his toughest mission yet!

This volume definitely has a lot of action and it’s cool the Justice Lords plot return. I had always wished that we could have gotten a sequel episode in Justice League so a comic version is naturally the next best thing. As this is the future, the roster has certainly changed, but we find out what happened to the old timers. Superman’s still around and that’s certainly the important thing. His personality is a little intriguing and I’ll touch on that in a moment.

Before I go into that, it’s certainly refreshing to have some good art here. Batman Beyond typically does though so I wasn’t surprised. Superman looks a tad skinny, but it works for the fight scenes since Superman is more streamlined this way. The style certainly works for the series and all of the characters look accurate to their TV show counterparts. The only time where the art dipped was in the final few pages. It seems like the final mini comic suddenly got a new artist, which didn’t go over so well compared to the rest of the collection. It was sudden and more than a little odd.

One part of the comic that was a little dicey was how corrupt Lord Superman became. The main Superman emphasized that the Lords were the Justice League, but then they got corrupted. Still, they aren’t just evil duplicates from a parallel world, they’re merely a what if. Lord Superman definitely doesn’t look like that though as he jumps past the line into full blown villain territory. It certainly wasn’t very subtle and I suppose that the message is about how you will just get worse and worse as you break the rules. It is true that once you do one bad thing, it is easier to do another. I understand the logic.

That being said, I just don’t see Superman going this crazy. You’d think that you were watching Injustice For All or something. This is a Superman who already had quite a few years of experience under his belt and he was a seasoned veteran. Certainly not just your run of the mill fighter. To see him fall so low is just sad. The rest of the Justice League also looks pretty bad. They’re all savage and/or crazy. They grew up in a pretty messed up planet, but I like to think that some of them would have made the choice to still be heroes. After all, it’s just the right thing to do right? Hopefully, they will learn to be better heroes now. Although, their farewell to Wonder Woman suggests that this may not be the case.

We find out that Lord Batman and the normal Wonder Woman did try their best to keep the peace on Earth though so they get kudos for that. Martian Manhunter, Green Lantern, and Hawkgirl (I think) are the ones who deserve some blame. Apparently, they just couldn’t take the war and decided to get off planet. It’s good that they didn’t want to be villains anymore, but running away from the problem is never the answer and it just makes them look bad. They should have helped to restore law and order on the planet instead of running off. I thought that they were made of sterner stuff!

In the present, Bruce Wayne still looks good. He figures out Wonder Woman’s scheme (Even if she didn’t know about it) right away and he gets a good hit on Superman. Unfortunately, he is still very old so he doesn’t get to help out with the fighting that much. It’s all right, he had his day. Batman Beyond does a good job of making the most of his opportunities. His new Kryptonite suit is definitely good and he’s even able to fight Superman with it. He’s naturally on the losing side, but it is good to see him try. He is still a really good main character and hopefully he’ll stay that way for the duration of the series. I still think that he’s wrong in blaming Bruce Wayne for the guy’s many secrets, but at least Terry isn’t being petty about it.

The comic came close to making me take a step back when Superman stabbed Lord Superman with a chunk of kryptonite, but Superman still made the hero call so I was fine with it. He did a good job of stopping Lord Superman even if they didn’t get to personally fight. Settling for Superman defeating Shazam and the underlings is a good consolation prize. Superman may be old, but I would still pick him over any of the other heroes. It was certainly very dicey to see the Justice League get thrashed so badly by the Justice Lords, but I’ll just assume that they were surprised. It should be a fairly even battle although one side would ultimately claim victory. The comic didn’t exactly have time for prolonged battles, which is a decent reason for rushing it. There will just be some power level inaccuracies, but nothing major.

A movie could easily be made out of the explanation near the beginning of the collection as Wonder Woman discusses what happened in the past. The Justice League did get to have a rematch with the Justice Lords, which would have been awesome to have seen on TV. Another movie could even be made about Lord Batman and Wonder Woman’s battle against Lord Superman and Lord Wonder Woman. There’s a whole lot of potential in the backstory, which would be a lot of fun to check out. The comic did a great job with the story telling and it actually managed to make the flashbacks just as interesting as the current story.

I think that I’ve essentially discussed all of the major points that I wanted to touch on. As this is part of the rich DCAU continuity, there are so many interesting things to note in the comic. These characters really were quite good and it’s always nice to see them revisited. If only more comics could take place in this timeline along with extra shows and films. If any part of DC deserves this treatment, it’s certainly this continuity.

Overall, Justice Lords Beyond is a great collection to read. Whether you’re a longtime DCAU fan or someone who is just getting into the Justice League, this is a great story of parallel universes. There is a lot of action to be found here and Batman Beyond even gets a new suit, which is stronger than his old one. The pacing never slows so there’s always some kind of excitement going on. I don’t think that Batman Beyond is going to be able to top this collection, but there’s always a chance. If we get a time travel adventure going….there is always a chance! My library definitely seems to have more Marvel comics than DC, or at least from the ones that are checked out so reading a great comic like this one is always enjoyable. I look forward to seeing what DC adventure is next!

Overall 8/10

Batman Li’l Gotham Volume 2 Review

Posted on by
Reply

batman_lil_gotham
Well, Batman’s back! I definitely didn’t care for the last volume all that much and I can’t say that things have improved here. It simply isn’t my style and the art certainly hurts its chances of ever joining the other DC elites. The series is over with this volume and its quick ending will likely tell you all that you need to know about this review. Still, at least I can add this series to my very short list of full comic series that I have read in their entirety. That list shall grow with the one shot Convergence titles as long as they all get separate trades!

There’s no plot of course as the volume is filled with various short stories. Each one sees a character try to do something only to find that they’re outclassed by Batman or that it is in their best interest to give up. One story that I remember vividly is about a carpenter who keeps getting calls from villains and it’s really bringing down morale. She finally gets Batman to give her a job by guilt tripping him. This story is certainly memorable because I had been reading it for three days before I was finally able to finish it. It is a short story, but it went on for quite a while. I think the problem with that one was that the gag gets old extremely quickly.

See, the joke is that she’s getting calls from villains and being very matter of fact about it. The problem is that you figure out this gag by the second call and then it continues and continues. There’s no real punchline moment at the end either so you’re really left hanging. That’s why my favorite stories are the ones where there is a lot of action and/or excitement. Like the team deciding that Alfred is evil and they have to stop him now! That’s the kind of story that I can certainly get behind and it was easily the best one of the batch. The ending is a little predictable, but there’s really nothing else that the writer could have done with the comic so we may as well end this way right?

Unfortunately, the art has not improved from the first volume. It’s still downright terrible at times and it’s the main area that holds the comic back. You can only get so far without good art after all. You can have the best writing in the world and an onslaught of cool characters, but if the art isn’t up to snuff…it’s game, set, and match! This style is simply too chaotic and undefined at times. I still believe that just about any teen who is into art could likely top this style or at least emulate it. I want streamlined epicness like X Sanction or Justice League. Upgrade this art into something like that and then we’ll talk!

As with the last volume, the other aspects of this comic are still good. The writing is on the level and we have a good cast of characters. It’s always fun to see the various Robins join in on the action. Jarvis is a likable supporting character as expected and Batman’s always a fun lead. The series certainly had some potential. Not a whole lot of course given its style, but with decent art I could see this matching up to the Tiny Titans. I wonder if this will ever get a sequel series. I really don’t see that happening, but you never know sometimes right? There’s always more time for Batman comedies.

I wonder how the series would have been if it had included more guest stars. I’m inclined to think that it would have at least helped the series out a little bit. Throwing in Superman and the rest of the Justice League for more than a few panels would have been fun. It may have distracted from the rest of the Bat Family, but it would also open the doors for a whole new array of jokes. That’s a lot of potential right there and Batman just didn’t tap into that power. This graphic novel was fairly short and without much of a plot to go on or characters to talk about, this review is fairly short as well. No worries, the next comic review is back to the norm of in depth comic reviewing! Get ready for Superman to return!

Overall, Batman Li’l Gotham is still not my cup of tea. If you’re looking for some light hearted Batman stories and don’t mind some pretty difficult art, then you should be okay. That being said, I really wouldn’t recommend it if you’re looking for a great Batman story. I actually haven’t read many good Batman comics, which is a little sad. I recommend Batman Chronicles or some Batman Archives, they collect stories from his golden years in the 40’s-60’s. If those are a little too old for you, then check out a volume in the Grant Morrison run of JLA. Batman definitely got his props there and Morrison gave him the correct balance of crazy and insanely brilliant.

Overall 5/10

JLA The Deluxe Edition Volume 1 Review

Posted on by
2

JLA Volume 1
All right, it’s time to read a Justice League comic! Not one of the really old ones or the New 52. This is the Justice League as they were meant to be seen from one of their classic incarnations. No Hal Jordan or Barry Allen so I’ll have to wait to read a comic with the full cast in all their glory, but there replacements are ready to step into their shoes. It was as much fun as I could have expected and I actually remember flipping through this comic in Barnes & Noble back in the day. This volume is always in stores and spoiler alert: I recommend checking this one out as soon as possible!

The main chunk of the story is about the Martian Invasion. A group of martians have come from space claiming to help the planet. They have added water to the desert for starters. Superman warns the world that these are merely “cosmetic changes” as he says and disrupting such a big part of the world will have dangerous side effects. For some reason, the humans are not listening to him. It turns out that they are being mind controlled by the martians, which is severely impacting them all. The Justice League assemble and realize that they must stop this intergalactic threat. It’s only the first issue and the stakes have never been higher!

After that starting arc, we get some mini stories and the collection even brings a bonus issue that shows how the league formed. That’s pretty neat and who doesn’t like to see the League form right? Then we have the second arc which has some more of those religious themes that we’ve been wanting. Another angel is planning to rebel like Lucifer so he has come to Earth because another angel wants to leak his plans. Can the League defeat this being who may be too much for them to comprehend? Time to find out! (There’s also an issue with the Key in it…I’m just saying!)

Let’s look at the members of the Justice League before really getting into the arc. We’ll start with Superman as this is him in all of his glory. He acts like the commanding leader that he should be. The curls look from this era is also classic. I remember owning his action figure a while back. Nothing beats his standard look from the DCAU, but he probably does look a little tougher here with that mean hair style. I certainly have no qualms with his appearance here. He realizes that he is being tricked with a fake kryptonite through hypnotic suggestion and he is able to break out of his prison. It gives his intelligence credit and all of the leaguers certainly respect his impressive abilities. At one point, he randomly switches into his thunder look. You could say that his death took place between two of the issues, which accounts for the random change. We get a mini comic where we see him tryout for the team, which is pretty fun. He may not have his strength anymore, but his thunder abilities essentially give him the same effect. His personality is a little different as he’s more cocky now, but with all of the retcons around, that’s not even too unusual at this point

Batman also looks great and this is one of his better appearances. As expected, Batman is a beast when he has prep time. He manages to sneak into the watchtower and stay there for an hour before he finally had to let the League know that he had been there the whole time. He has an interesting laugh/chuckle which is spelled “hh” and it works well. Maybe it’s more of a scowl effect. Either way, Batman has some epic moments. He also shows the others how to deal with the Starro and he takes on 4 Martians by himself. That’s more than the rest of the league put together, which is awesome. Yes, it’s good to see Batman getting his respect.

Wonder Woman’s role is not as big as the first two, but she looks good during the comic. She wins her matchup with relative ease and brings Aquaman on board to help even the odds. This was before the New 52 push where she was upgraded to Superman level so she’s not quite as impressive power wise, but that’s why she’s an expert in hand to hand combat. It helps to tip the scales. She’s definitely still one of the big three for DC. Aquaman’s role is a lot smaller and I can’t say that he looked very impressive. It wouldn’t have made much of a difference if he was not here. Still, his ability to give a person a seizure by thinking about it is pretty neat. I wonder if we actually inherited part of our brain from fish or if that just applies to martians. Either way, it’s interesting.

The Flash does a good job of living up to the reputation of the original scarlet speedster. He’s still not as brilliant as Barry, but few are. He still knows a good deal about the speed force and uses this to defeat the Martian speedster. None are as fast as the Flash and he made sure to prove this in the battle. Wally West can be a fun hero to root for and I liked this portrayal of him. He was strong and dependable as a Flash should be. It’s a little hard to buy the fact that a Starro managed to jump him, but I’ll just say that he was shocked and leave it at that.

As for Green Lantern, this is Kyle Rayner and not Hal Jordan. I certainly miss Hal since he’s still my favorite Lantern. Kyle does well, but he is the flirting kind of guy, which is a little unfortunate. It holds him back from being easy to root for. His constructs have more of an effect on the holy beings in the latter stories than most of the other heroes, which is interesting. His ring is still supposed to be the most powerful weapon in the universe so it’s nice to see it getting some props. It is no longer weak against the color yellow so Kyle has no weaknesses now. As long as he remembers to focus, there are few who can stop him.

It’s another story with the Martian Manhunter. In this story, the Martians are weaker against fire than ever before. An exploding car would destroy Martian Manhunter if it hit and being near fire causes a martian to lose all of its powers like Superman being near Kryptonite. Batman uses this to his advantage when he goes up against the Martians, but it’s a huge risk. The Manhunter was tempted by these martians, but in the end he made the right call and helped the League out. I would have preferred for him to have helped the League win from the start, but at least the plan worked.

It’s also a good thing that the civilians in DC world are typically more reasonable than on the Marvel side. There were around 70 more martians so the humans had to fend for themselves against a good deal of them. It’s a good thing that they all had their lighters and matches at the ready. When together, even humans can manage to put up a pretty decent defense.

So, the first arc was a blast and a half. The Martians were powerful and a real threat. It’s good that the Justice League is so formidable because none of these guys are throwaway villains. The weakest member is still like a weakened Superman so all of the League members have to stay alert. Their true forms are also nice and sinister. This is another reason why I don’t think the Avengers would have lasted here. The weakest Justice League member is probably Martian Manhunter here and he could still take out most of the Core Avengers…most, if not all. If the Martian group attacked the Avengers, Thor and Hulk are probably the only members who could hold their own. The rest would be speedblitzed and then it would be 8 against 2. Hardly a fair fight.

The angel chapter was interesting. I really just had fun listening to the hype. Simply walking onto Earth would be enough to destroy it. This didn’t happen as the hype fell through, but it was nice to hear. The angels can create barriers that none can breach and everyone looked on with great respect as Superman managed to wrestle the being. The air from the angel’s world would make people blow up, the sights would destroy our eyes, the music would damage our ears, etc. Basically, the angels admit that we should stick to Earth and our galaxy before heading to their plane. The hype was awesome and the villain was certainly very powerful….but the overhype was strong in this issue. On the bright side, the Presence was actually mentioned! It’s rare that the One Above All’s DC counterpart is mentioned so that was a lot of fun. Unfortunately, he couldn’t appear to stop the angels because they tricked him. They made an impossible event occur at the beginning of creation to keep the Presence busy fixing the problem. At least they acknowledged his existence, which is more than most comics do at this point.

The art is in the big and bold 90’s style. That means that everyone looks really powerful and intense. Unfortunately, it also means that the artists can get a little lazy with the details. Characters will make odd facial expressions and just look off during various parts of the comics. I love the action scenes for this style, but the talking scenes can certainly use some work. On the bright side, you will always feel a certain sense of amazement and intrigue with this style. You just know that you’re in store for some epic brawls!

Overall, This was a solid start to this JLA series. The characters are in character and the action scenes were great. The Martians made for powerful opponents for the League and the Angel beings from the stars weren’t bad either. I’m definitely going to miss Superman’s classic look as his thunder form will likely stick around for a while, but I suppose that his new form is still good to an extent as well. There is one unnecessary scene as we meet a random guy during the tryouts who just turns out to be a perv so I don’t see how anyone recommended him for that event, but luckily he’ll never appear again. This volume really embodies how I picture a Justice League comic. The roster is one of their strongest ones to date and all of the issues are a lot of fun. I’ve probably read more Marvel comics than DC ones at this point, but DC will always be much more interesting and thought provoking than Marvel’s for me. This volume reminds me of why that is as it’s just so awesome to see the Justice League tackle all incoming threats. Time to get hyped for Batman vs Superman all over again! I highly recommend checking out this graphic novel and you won’t regret tuning in to the intensity that is the JLA. I’m not sure when I’ll be reading another big DC adventure like this one, but the bar has certainly been set rather high.

Overall 8/10

Superman The Power Within Review

Posted on by
Reply

DIG049944_1
Aw yeah, it’s time for a Superman review! I think we all remember how that Unchained review went after all. Suffice to say, this one isn’t quite at that level of awesomeness, but it’s still a fun comic from back in the day. We get to see why Superman deserved to have such power as he teaches others about humility and perseverance. He certainly does have a lot of power within.

There are really two big story arcs to be found here. The main one is about two factions who are fighting for power. One group believes that Superman is the messiah and that he has come to help them. Many miracles start to occur and they gain special abilities. The other group believes that Superman is the Anti Christ and he has come to lead people astray. They have no special abilities, but they do possess great weapons, which can harm the Man of Steel and even destroy him. They are ready!

This story was interesting because of the Christian elements involved. We do know that an Anti Christ will appear and seem to have remarkable abilities. In that sense, it’s interesting to see so many people actually become suspicious. There is a plot twist involving mental suggestion, but that’s how I would expect us to be when the Anti Christ shows up. In this modern era of skepticisim how will he trick us? We do know that he will trick many people so I just may not be able to comprehend exactly how he will do it. I suppose that a few heroic feats can go a long way. If he stops a terrorist attack or something, that would win him a lot of fans instantly.

Well, back to the comic. The humans certainly don’t look great as they believe in Superman so quickly. The twist involves a certain villain of Superman’s who wants to understand the human race a little more. This is all just an experiment to him. Unfortunately, Superman only gets into a small scuffle with the guy before he leaves. Superman was batted aside rather easily, but you can make the case that he was startled and not really ready for a fight. Next time, Superman would be victorious!

At least he got to prove to his religious fans that he wasn’t God during that moment. He showed them the light and that they had to lead their lives without thinking of Superman as always watching over them. Superman stopped a war in the making and showed us why Metropolis is still such a great place to live. This plot were mainly told through one page stories, which was a unique twist. Hopefully they came out daily as you would have had to wait through around 50 installments to see it through to the end.

The second story is not quite as engaging, but we are in more familiar territory. Lex Luthor has ordered a suspicious belt from someone that allows the wearer to enhance his/her abilities 1000 fold. His receptionist receives the package from a dying man and her brother decides to put it on. They suspect that Luthor is a little shady and their hunch turns out to be correct. The girl’s brother already had some telekinetic abilities so now he is a powerful figure. Will the power corrupt the boy or will he help Superman stop Lex?

This comic seems to have taken place after some kind of political action in the real world. Superman ended up demolishing an army from the place that we were fighting. Likely for some war propoganda and hopefully we were the heroes through and through. Superman is a little unsure of whether he made the right call, but we have to have confidence in the Man of Steel and trust that he did the right thing. The people from that culture who live in Metropolis certainly don’t like Superman anymore. Superman gets blasted by the kid on two occasions before the kid realizes that Superman is all right.

The kid got a lot of hype as his abilities were enough to even hurt Superman. Superman’s superior speed should still help him claim victory in a fight, but the kid certainly gave it his all. The climax has them team up as a large UFO is planning to wipe out the world (or the country) so Superman takes it as far as he can and then the kid erects a barrier over the city. It cost him (most of) his powers though, but it was worth it. The ending is pretty happy though as the kid can eventually grow up to be a protector for those who need one.

The art is nice and retro. You can definitely tell that these stories were published quite a while ago. It’s nostalgic to see things like this and you can also appreciate how much everything has changed. Perry was still there, but most of the other reporters are new or vastly changed. Lois looks nothing like she does nowadays and this was back in the times where Lex Luthor was actually very overweight. It’s cool to see the old cast and at least Clark Kent was the one constant that you could depend on.

Speaking of which, it’s also good to see Superman portrayed as strong, but also intelligence. He uses his deductive skills to figure out who the culprits were in the first case and he uses his abilities in useful ways. He scans an entire physical database in seconds with his x ray vision and the dialogue says that he can essentially see to the ends of the earth when he concentrates. Likewise, he can hear everything in the city when he concentrates. It’s always good to see this. It’s why Superman is always ready to stop a crime, but also why he can’t be everywhere. There is a crime every minute so if he was constantly focused, he could keep on trying to stop them, but he would never have any peace. It’s why he still spends some time as Clark Kent and doesn’t stop everything. It’s a tough moral issue that is tackled in other comics, where I would likely go into it more. Still, Superman does the best that he can and he is still the best comic book character out there. That’s why it’s always exciting to read a new Superman story.

Overall, The Power Within is a fun Superman collection. It’s a stand alone story that doesn’t really have anything to do with…anything so it’s very easy to just jump in and read. I had never heard of this collection before I read it, which is always a fun way to be introduced to something. At times, it can be hard to buy the fact that the alien weapons from a certain planet can be so lethal to Superman, but I suppose that it’s a decent change of pace from Kryptonite. Superman also doesn’t give in and he could likely have taken down both armies rather easily despite their armaments. Superman tries to find a nice balance on being a hero while being careful not to let the people think he’s more than that. He has trouble with moral dilemmas just like the rest of us. The collection is rather short and you can finish it really quickly, but I imagine that the price shouldn’t be too high. I certainly recommend picking up this title and you won’t regret it. Batman is even mentioned so be on the lookout for that reference.

Overall 7/10

Batman Li’l Gotham Volume 1 Review

Posted on by
Reply

dc-batman-lil-gotham1
This series always looked intriguing from the cover. I’ve checked out a mini Hellboy series as well as Tiny Titans so it’s about time that I looked at the Batman series right? I’m not sure why they didn’t just call it Little Gotham, but maybe this way looks cooler. It certainly takes up less space on the title. If you’re into this kind of thing, then you’ll have a blast with it. The actual plots tend to be pretty fun and the writing is good. What holds it back is undoubtedly the art.

As you may have surmised, there isn’t much of an ongoing plot. There are 6 issues in this collection, but it is really difficult to tell when one ends and another begins because the issues have chapters in them and they never say when the issue is over. At least it makes the collection look like a made for trade paperback comic. The first chapters are all about the holidays like Christmas and Thanksgiving. After the heroes have handled all of them, we get the day to day adventures that you may have been hoping for. One villain decides to frame everyone else with his green themed crimes. Batman does have a few green themed villains so at least you may have to really think this one through before you think about who is guilty.

We may as well get the main negative out of the way first and foremost. That is naturally the art, which is a contender for some of the worst art of all time. The comic is a comedy so they aren’t supposed to look very accurate to the traditional comics, but the characters can still be a little hard to look at. The artist is particularly bad at drawing skin it would seem as the costumes look good, but not the characters inside of them. It’s a style that has been used in many books in the past and the anime, Accel World, did some of this as well. It’s when the skin gets a red tint that makes it look like everyone is feeling a little sick. Beyond that, the pages can just be really chaotic so you are unsure of what is happening at times. Everything can just be a little too cluttered. So, I really didn’t like the art, which can naturally hurt the comic.

Aside from the art, the other areas of the comic were fairly solid. The jokes never go into crude humor land and it can be fun to see the whole bat family interact. The art sometimes stops you from knowing which character is actually talking, but you can typically figure it out. Batman has some pretty epic moments where he school the villains in a way that only Batman can accomplish. He walks into a diner and decides to pick up the bill for all of the villains, little did they know that he only did it to keep them there for the cops to pick up. It was pretty awesome and an epic twist as you are originally led to believe that Batman was going to let them go because it was a holiday. (I forgot which one)

The writing is fun and that’s always very important for a comic like this one. Even characters like Damian aren’t that bad here. He still talks tough for a kid who typically can’t back it up, but the author decides to use this to poke fun at the character. Every character has some trait that can be used for humor and the writer does a good job of showing them off.

There’s just not much to dislike. It can be fun to take a break from the serious situations that befall the heroes and just enjoy a happy story like this one. Everyone is out of character, but in a good way. They also do retain their personalities, they are simply taken to the extreme to help create the atmosphere that the writer is going for. It’s done in a much better way than we’ve seen in recent times. (Rock Lee spinoff manga, Teen Titans Go TV show, etc)

The comic also does a good job of adding a bunch of characters. If you can think of a Batman character, then they’re likely in it. It’s fun to see the various Robins team up and most of the villains get their time in the spotlight as well. It’s safe to say that Dick Grayson is still the best Robin, but it is sad that his costume apparently has no pockets. That sounds like a pretty big thing for Nightwing to simply overlook. Ah well, it gives the other Robins some bragging rights. We also find out why Batman can keep up with the Justice League. Hint, it involves good ole Monitor Duty!

Overall, Batman Li’l Gotham is a fun comic to read. If you enjoy this style, then you will definitely enjoy it a lot. I preferred Tiny Titans by a little (If my memory serves correctly anyway) but that’s mainly due to the issue with the art. You will need to make sure that you can get past that part, but otherwise you should have no problem here. I have the second volume here so you can expect a review for that one coming up. I anticipate that it will be on the same level as this one. One of the good things about this style is that it is typically consistent. Well, see you around til then!

Overall 6/10