Category Archives: DC Comics

March 19, 2012 · 10:20 pm

ACTION COMICS #7: Barefoot Superman

When has Superman ever been barefoot?

We are one issue away from the close to the first story arc since the relaunch of “ACTION COMICS.” With Issue 7, Grant Morrison and Rags Morales return to the main story, after a special two-part origin story pencilled by Andy Kubert, and bring us back to the larger-than-life energy they have maintained. In this issue, Morrison gets to further play with some iconic Superman tradition, namely Brainiac and the miniature city of Kandor, the last surviving community from the destruction of Superman’s home planet, Krypton. This is what this story has been leading up: What happens when Lex Luthor tries to take over Earth by entrusting his life and everyone’s else’s to a mysterious alien intelligence. The aliens, of course, take advantage of Lex Luthor and all hell breaks loose! And so it happens here and with all the trimmings!

Mr. Morrison, not only a stellar writer, has got to be one of the great collaborators in comics too. Mr. Morales, in charge of pencils and Mr. Rick Bryant in charge of inks, provide a brilliant team for the artwork. We are never going to not want Superman stories, especially when we have such talent. What Rags Morales does with Superman is pretty amazing. He’s brought to life a youthful, rugged and distinctive character. He is by no means generic. It’s a very specific version and we hope that spirit carries over into the future with more and more artists up ahead.

I’ll just say for this post that it’s great to see how Morrison and Morales have rediscovered Superman and all the potential details. In this issue, Superman tries out his hyperspeed. General Lane pleads with Superman to reconsider. The fatest he’s been clocked is 6oo mph. How can he possibly ratchet that up to 25,000 mph? Superman shrugs it off and away he goes. He blows out his farmer’s boots and ends up barefoot. When was the last time, if ever, that we’ve seen Superman barefoot? As he races into space, with a makeshift oxygen tank, his clothes become tattered to the point that he’s nearly naked. This is Superman as vulnerable as he gets. At this point, he is literally “ill suited” for his role! But, of course, that will change.

Action Comics # 8 is out on April 4. Check out DC Comics for more details.

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March 10, 2012 · 6:35 pm

FAIREST #1 Review

Ali Baba in flip flops? He’s a handsome and hip dude, like you’d expect in a work by Bill Willingham. But Ali Baba has got to do some fancy footwork in “Fairest,” like running for his life and climbing up walls. As cool as he looks sporting flip flops, he’d be much better off upgrading to something more substantial. Anyway, it’s cool since we’re in a lovely fantasy world. Yes, as any fan of “Fables” has come to expect, this dazzling spinoff is fanciful cool!

The colors alone are a feast for the eyes. Andrew Dalhouse lays on a rich palette, lots of deep purples and earth tones, pulsating throughout the comic. Phil Jimenez on pencils and Andy Lanning on inks work beautifully together to give us a larger-than-life dreamscape. Considering that the majority of this story involves the interactions between Ali Baba and a dud of a magic genie he’s stuck with, much depends on the solid characterization in the writing and the art.

“Fairest” is to focus on all the female characters in the world of “Fables” and somehow determine which is the fairest of them all. Is that even possible? Well, this is one of those deals where the journey is as much fun as the stated goal. For this first issue, you’d be surprised at how much you can invest in the fates of a prince of thieves and his little imp of a sidekick. The stated goal, rescuing the pretty damsel in distress, is only part, a small part, of why you’re reading this. That said, our two adventurers manage to get themselves into quite a lot of trouble and isn’t going away any time soon.

For those of you keeping score at home, “Fairest” is a significant title. It ushers in a whole new chapter in the world of Vertigo Comics. This is the title that DC Entertainment leads in with as they debut a whole new website dedicated to their more “alternative” line of comics along with a dedicated app. Gone are the days, well sort of, of when Vertigo was that unpredictable “not ready for primetime player.” I hope not. It’s just that, with such a higher profile, you wonder if any of the edge has been smoothed away. Well, we’ll see.

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March 7, 2012 · 11:33 pm

DC Entertainment Releases New VERTIGO App

Writer Bill Willingham, of FABLES fame, now provides us with FAIREST, with a whole new batch of adventures:

New York Times best-selling, award-winning creator Bill Willingham presents a new series starring the female FABLES. Balancing horror, humor and adventure, FAIREST explores the secret histories of Sleeping Beauty, Rapunzel, Cinderella, The Snow Queen, Thumbelina, Snow White, Rose Red and others.

The first 6 issue arc follows the misadventures of Briar Rose after she is stolen away by the goblin army in FABLES #107. Fan-favorite artist Phil Jimenez (WONDER WOMAN, THE INVISIBLES) returns to Vertigo to pencil the opening storyline. Award-winning cover artist Adam Hughes (WONDER WOMAN, BATGIRL) provides covers, starting with a wraparound cover on issue #1.

Future arcs will be written by 2011 Arthur C. Clarke winner Lauren Beukes with art by Inaki Miranda, and iZOMBIE scribe Chris Roberson with art by Shawn McManus! And remember: They may be beautiful, but there will be blood.

You can download on the same day it releases on the new dedicated app for VERTIGO COMICS! And that’s not all, there are benefits to using that handy app. Details follow:

Continue reading →

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February 15, 2012 · 11:45 pm

ANDY KUBERT AND “ACTION COMICS”

THE NEW 52 DC RELAUNCH continues to be quite a show. I think there are still many readers just now jumping on the bandwagon. For me, I’ve been most interested in the relaunch of “ACTION COMICS” along with “WONDER WOMAN.” Those two will do it for me for now. At the moment, “Action Comics” has enjoyed sort of an intermission, or fill-in issue break, from the team-up of Grant Morrison and Rags Morales. The spotlight has been placed on Andy Kubert. He definitely pulls out all the stops in keeping up with the often mercurial Mr. Morrison.

I think he had a smoother time of it with the origin story in Issue Five. For the recent Issue Six, well there’s quite a lot going on, maybe too much going on! But, as is so often the case with a Morrison trip, it all works out in the end.

Just a snatch of dialogue here shows you how densely packed and bewildering things can get, Cosmic Man to “modern day” Superman: “If we can’t restart our time bubble rotor, none of this will matter. We’re relying on the battery you brought from Earth, Superman.” Huh? Well, we may gain traction when we return to the main thread with Morrison and Morales in Issue Seven on sale March 7. Then it all wraps up for the opening story with Issue Eight on sale April 4.

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January 13, 2012 · 5:12 pm

THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO: The Graphic Novel by DC Comics

This is brilliant. “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” will soon become a graphic novel. DC Comics is slated to release a six book mini-series based on Stieg Larsson’s Millennim Trilogy, as reported by The Guardian. Here is the DC Comics Press Release focusing on the first book in the series set to release this November:

THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO GRAPHIC NOVELTO

HIT SHELVES IN NOVEMBER 2012

DC Entertainment Announces Top-Notch Creative Team Including

Denise Mina, Lee Bermejo, Leonardo Manco and Andrea Mutti

NEW YORK, NY, January 11, 2012 – Best-selling comic book and graphic novel publisher DC Entertainment announced today the creative team for the highly-anticipated new graphic novel based on Stieg Larsson’s international sensation THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO. Crime author Denise Mina will write the book, with the cover image created by Lee Bermejo and art from Leonardo Manco and Andrea Mutti. DC Entertainment’s Vertigo imprint is working closely with the estate of Stieg Larsson and Hedlund Literary Agency to adapt the book, which will be released in November 2012.

“We’re thrilled to be adapting this incredible story into a series of graphic novels,” stated Karen Berger, executive editor, Vertigo. “Denise, Lee, Leonardo and Andrea have such great passion for the material and stylistically they’re a perfect match to bring it to comics life. Their beautifully dark and visceral work will certainly blow us all away.”

Scottish writer Denise Mina is the acclaimed author of DECEPTION and FIELD OF BLOOD, and is considered a leading international crime fiction novelist. Mina has also written for Vertigo’s HELLBLAZER series and most recently, she wrote A SICKNESS IN THE FAMILY graphic novel, also for Vertigo.

Lee Bermejo is fresh off the critical and sales success of graphic novel BATMAN: NOEL, a New York Times best-seller and follow-up to the 2008 hit JOKER. Bermejo has also worked numerous comic series including Vertigo’s HELLBLAZER and the Vertigo Crime graphic novels, among others.

Argentinean artist Leonardo Manco has worked extensively on Vertigo’s HELLBLAZER comic, while Italian artist Andrea Mutti first worked with Vertigo on graphic novel THE EXECUTOR, and then worked on the imprint’s popular DMZ comic series.

DC Entertainment is the worldwide leader in producing best-selling graphic novels and comic books, including best-selling Vertigo titles SANDMAN, FABLES, 100 BULLETS and ROAD TO PERDITION.

Stieg Larsson’s Millennium Trilogy is an international publishing juggernaut, with more than 60 million books sold worldwide and reaching the top of numerous best seller lists. Published by Knopf in the U.S., sales for all three books exceed 17 million copies, including digital sales of 3.5 million copies. Since September 2008, when THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO was published in hardcover, Larsson’s books have been a constant presence on bestseller lists across America.

The various storylines in Larsson’s Millennium Trilogy revolve around enigmatic and dangerous computer hacker Lisbeth Salander and investigative reporter Mikael Blomkvist.

About DC Entertainment
DC Entertainment, home to iconic brands DC Comics (Superman, Batman, Green Lantern, Wonder Woman, The Flash, etc.), Vertigo (Sandman, Fables, etc.) and MAD, is the creative division charged with strategically integrating across Warner Bros. and Time Warner. DC Entertainment works in concert with many key Warner Bros. divisions to unleash its stories and characters across all media, including but not limited to film, television, consumer products, home entertainment, and interactive games. Publishing thousands of comic books, graphic novels and magazines each year, DC Entertainment is the largest English-language publisher of comics in the world.

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January 13, 2012 · 5:28 am

WORLD’S FINEST in The New 52 Second Wave Lineup

“WORLD’S FINEST” will be relaunched in the second wave of “The New 52” DC Comics titles. You can read all the details over at The Source. Of course I’m thrilled to see the return of “Batman Incorporated.” But I was immediately curious about “World’s Finest.” When I think of this title, it brings to mind numerous Batman and Superman smackdowns, often quite funny, or odd buddy moments. I love that campy fun. Is there no room for one DC Comics title that pokes fun at its star superheroes? Granted, by the ’80s, this title had kicked that sort of satire to the curb. But, in the spirit of rediscovering the magic of comics, I’d have gone back to this title’s roots. The teaser for the new “World’s Finest” coming out in May left me scratching my head:

WORLDS’ FINEST – Writer: Paul Levitz. Artists: George Perez and Kevin Maguire. Stranded on our world from a parallel reality, Huntress and Power Girl struggle to find their way back to Earth 2. Perez and Maguire will be the artists on alternating story arcs.

Paul Levitz is one of the guardians of superhero tradition so, sure, his story will not disappoint fans. And those will be fans of everything to do with Earth 2, which is a hell of a lot of fans.

But there’s already “Earth 2” as part of the next wave of The New 52:

EARTH 2 – Writer: James Robinson. Artist: Nicola Scott. The greatest heroes on a parallel Earth, the Justice Society combats threats that will set them on a collision course with other worlds.

Not enough, huh? Is irony dead? No, but there’s no room for it in this latest version of “World’s Finest.” I know, I know, it’s all about the Dark Knight but it’s healthy to lighten up a bit. Isn’t it? The fans don’t think Batman is real, do they? Well, maybe some do.

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December 23, 2011 · 9:21 pm

RESURRECTION MAN #4 Review of the New 52

Here at Comics Grinder, we love the more wild and wooly stuff: intelligent and with a twisted offbeat tempo you can dance to. “RESURRECTION MAN” is the comic of our dreams. Now, when you really think about it, DC Comics didn’t have to stop with a relaunch of 52 titles. It could have relaunched 152 titles or more! Well, even with 52 titles, you get a fair number of oddball stuff that hasn’t seen the light of day for quite a few years. That’s where “Resurrection Man” steps in! This thing is just plain wierd but also a darn good read. If you like the more strange stuff, like “Doctor Who,” then this is up your alley.

You get the feeling that anything could happen in this comic. Expect the unexpected! And that’s actually a challenging trick to pull off. At Issue Four, so far so good. We start off with our ultra-sexy dynamic duo of Carmen and Bonnie, two babes with big guns, blasting everything in sight. As appealing as that may sound, if that’s all that happened here, it could get old. Fortunately, the dialogue is funny, the story is not predictable and the whole thing packs a healthy dose of quirk. Why are these two beautiful young women shooting up everything? Who is Resurrection Man? What is Resurrection Man? Who is this new guy in the heavy armor the girls are confronting? All good questions worth finding answers to.

Mitch Shelly is just a dude who knows only what he needs to know. Imagine yourself waking up in the morning and all you know is that you need to get to work. Oh, that is your life? Okay, it’s like that but in the most extreme way. Mitch always dies a horrible death after he completes a mission, even while he is attempting to complete a mission, and then he “resurrects” with new powers to take on the next challenge. That still sounds like your life? Maybe you need to get a new job but we digress.

In Issue Four, the two fabulous babes, Carmen and Bonnie, the bounty hunters looking for Mitch, end up in a thrown down with Darryl, a sort of throwback to a gentler time, in a robot suit, who is trying to defend Mitch. This battle doesn’t last too long. Mitch emerges out of the rubble from last issue’s battle royale and, just as the smoke clears, Suriel enters the scene, a beautiful archangel, there to claim Mitch’s soul for Heaven. That’s a lot of quirk and a lot of fun.

So, yeah, “Resurrection Man” is an oddball gem. Remember that: “Resurrection Man is an oddball gem!” You can think of it as your favorite movie or book about an average Joe type way over his head who is dimly aware of the bigger picture which involves sinister forces and supernatural mayhem.

The orginal creators and writing team from the ’90s are at work on this: Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning. And the artist is just the guy for the job: Fernando Dagnino. The art is very special. It seems that Dagnino has found a sweet spot for depicting sexy, yet full-blooded, vixens. You can really believe in Carmen and Bonnie. They may have beautiful bodies but they’re also viable characters and that’s important. Dagnino has an earthy and realistic style that just fits this crazy world of “Resurrection Man.”

It’s a challenge to try to keep up with all of the big and mighty New 52 lineup but make room for “Resurrection Man” and you’ll be glad you did.

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December 23, 2011 · 6:36 am

WONDER WOMAN #4 Review of the New 52

Wonder Woman is the crown jewel in comics. You have the trinity of Batman, Superman and…Wonder Woman. Since her debut in the first issue of “Sensation Comics” in 1940, she’s grabbed the attention of the general public. Some might say that she’s had some trouble staying in the spotlight but she’s too important a character, a symbol, to not do right by her. She’s the Statue of Liberty of comics! You know what I’m saying? Well, lucky for us, she’s been getting the royal treatment for her run as part of the New 52. Written by Brian Azzarello (100 Bullets) and drawn by Cliff Chiang (Human Target), it is the royal treatment indeed.

We’re already up to Issue Four and this story just keeps getting more intriguing. We’ve had a fundamental change to Diana’s origin that has really become a central part of this story in a very intelligent and interesting way. So, this is hardly a secret, you know that the big game changer is that Diana no longer was literally created from clay by her mother, Hippolyta. Sure, she could have easily created a child from clay but that story always seemed a bit too creepy. I love this new version because, in an instant, it makes Wonder Woman all the more accessible. Hippolyta had an affair with Zeus, the ultimate womanizing god! And what happens on Paradise Island can not stay on Paradise Island. In Issue Four, Hippolyta comes face to face with the other woman, Hera!

But that’s only part of the story. As you may recall from the first issue, Wonder Woman has found herself providing comfort, and much needed safety, for a mortal young woman, Zola, who managed to hook up and get knocked up by Zeus.

Then you have Strife who is a totally messed up chick. But Wonder Woman has got it covered. At the first sign of Strife threatening Zola and her baby, Wonder Woman lets Strife have it. All this played out in a club, which is nice to see Wonder Woman being a part of that scene.

We also have Apollo who is plotting his next move very carefully. We see him attempting to drag Ares into his plans. With a shaky hand, the world-weary God of War, pours himself another drink and never stops pouring. He looks as beleaguered as he could possibly be. This story has many things in play and it all looks to be part of an awesome bigger story.

We’ve come a long way since that first issue of “Sensation Comics.” Wonder Woman can look forward to a healthy relaunch. The next issue, Number 5, is on sale January 18, 2012. Tell me that “Woman Woman” is not a hot title! Oh, it is. Wonder Woman is something to whoot, whoot, whoot about!

You can’t get tired of this cover art by Cliff Chiang for the next issue. It is easily one of the coolest covers I’ve seen in a long while. The next issue comes out January 18, 2012. Keep a close eye on Wondy. She is red hot.

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December 14, 2011 · 5:11 am

JUSTICE LEAGUE: DOOM is next up on Warner Home Video

Next up in the outstanding series from the DC Universe is “Justice Leauge: Doom” which is set to release on February 28, 2012 from Warner Home Video. The press release follows:

BURBANK, CA (Dec 12, 2011) – Earth’s greatest super heroes face foes on all fronts – using a plan initiated from within – in the all-new Justice League: Doom, the next entry in the popular, ongoing series of DC Universe Animated Original Movies. Produced by Warner Premiere, DC Entertainment and Warner Bros. Animation, the all-new, PG-13 rated film arrives February 28, 2012 from Warner Home Video as a Blu-Ray™ Combo Pack ($24.98 SRP) and DVD ($19.98 SRP), On Demand and for Download. Both the Blu-Ray™ Combo Pack and DVD will include an UltraViiolet™ Digital Copy,

Justice League: Doom finds Superman, Wonder Woman, Flash, Green Lantern, Martian Manhunter, Cyborg and Batman on their heels when a team of super villains discover and implement the Dark Knight’s “contingency plans” for stopping any rogue Justice League member. The story is inspired by Mark Waid’s much-heralded “JLA: Tower of Babel.”

Primetime television stars Nathan Fillion (Castle) and Tim Daly (Private Practice), the reigning voices of Green Lantern and Superman, respectively, join a group of eight actors reprising their famed Justice League cartoon roles. Fillion made his debut as Green Lantern/Hal Jordan in the recent Green Lantern: Emerald Knights, and took his initial DC Universe movie bow as the voice of Steve Trevor in the 2008 hit Wonder Woman. Daly originated his role as Superman’s voice in the landmark cartoon, Superman: The Animated Series. He has reprised the role in two DC Universe films: the 2009 extravaganza Superman/Batman: Public Enemies and the 2010 thriller Superman/Batman: Apocalypse.

The grand reunion of actors who provided the voices of the Justice League for the cartoon of the same name and its follow-up, Justice League Unlimited, includes Kevin Conroy (Batman: The Animated Series) as Batman, Michael Rosenbaum (Smallville, Breaking In) as Flash, Susan Eisenberg (Superman/Batman: Apocalypse) as Wonder Woman and Carl Lumbly (Alias) as J’onn J’onzz/Martian Manhunter. Bumper Robinson (A Different World, Transformers: Animated) joins the cast as Cyborg.

The Justice League faces two sets of villainous teams in the film – The Royal Flush Gang and a sextet of notable evildoers. The latter group includes three voice acting alumni of the Justice League animated series: Phil Morris (Smallville, Seinfeld) as Vandal Savage, Olivia d’Abo (The Wonder Years) as Star Sapphire, and Alexis Denisof (Angel) as Mirror Master. Also opposing our heroes are Carlos Alazraqui (Reno 911) as Bane, Paul Blackthorne (The Dresden Files) as Metallo, and Claudia Black (Farscape, Stargate SG-1) as Cheetah.

David Kaufman (Danny Phantom) also reprises his Justice League role of Jimmy Olsen.

The film is executive produced by Bruce Timm (Batman: Year One), and directed by Lauren Montgomery (Batman: Year One), who is also credited as producer alongside Alan Burnett (Batman: The Animated Series). Justice League: Doom is the final DC Universe film script from the late Dwayne McDuffie (All-Star Superman, Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths), who passed away in February 2011. Casting and dialogue direction is once again in the capable hands of Andrea Romano (Batman: Year One, Justice League).

“Justice League: Doom has all the classic ingredients of a great super hero film – a cavalcade of dynamic villains, internal strife amongst our heroes, treacherous twists and turns, and a cast that brings together some of today’s popular primetime television actors with many of the fans’ favorite voices from the original series,” said Hersin Magante, Warner Home Video Marketing Director, Family & Animation. “I think fans will embrace Dwayne’s McDuffie’s final DCU script, particularly as it has been nuanced by Bruce Timm and the Warner Bros. Animation team. Warner Home Video is proud to distribute Justice League: Doom as the next DC Universe Animated Original Movie.”

Justice League: Doom Blu-Ray™ Combo Pack has 3 hours of exciting content, including:

Standard and high definition versions of the feature film
UltraViiolet™ Digital Copy,
Sneak Peak at Superman vs. The Elite, the next DC Universe Animated Original Movie
Featurette – “A Legion of One: The Dwayne McDuffie Story” – The skilled writer penned some of the best stories which consistently entertained fans. From his early writing career to adapting the popular work of All-Star Superman, this is the story of Dwayne McDuffie, as told by his family and friends.
Featurette – “Guarding the Balance: Batman and the JLA” – Everyone has a weakness and so do superheroes, yet when they go rogue, their power can topple more than a few egos, they can shatter worlds. The Justice League is the most powerful organization of superheroes on the planet, but what if the Justice League went rogue, and decided to use their power for harm?
Mini-featurette – “Their Time Has Come: Cyborg and the DC Universe’s New Diversity” – 2011 will go down in DC Comics storied history as a year when a rich diversity of characters were re-introduced into the spotlight alongside Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman. One of the most celebrated of the re-imagined characters is Cyborg, who became the new Man of Steel in Geoff Johns’ altered universe storyline, Flashpoint.
Creative team commentary
Two bonus episodes from the Justice League animated series handpicked by Bruce Timm: Wild Cards, Part 1 and 2, written by Stan Berkowitz and Dwayne McDuffie
Digital Comic