DC Zero Issues Part 2: 9/8/12

Swamp Thing #0
Writer: Scott Snyder
Artist: Kano
Company: DC Comics

The art. Dear god...The art! It's so beautiful. Kano has the "touch". And yes, I mean that in the 80's, Transformers kind of way. Guitar riffs and all. All kidding aside, he's a perfect fit for this horror title. He brings the creep factor so well. There are several scenes in here, displays of normalcy but skewed to such a degree that you feel the hairs on the back of your neck stand out. It's vivid and wonderful. Snyder's story, which sees the same version of Swamp Thing that we saw in the Animal Man Annual, go head to head with the Big Enchilada of the Rot. Arcane is a nasty fellow and takes much

DC Zero Issues Part 1: 9/5/12

Action Comics #0
Writer: Grant Morrison
Artist: Ben Oliver
Company: DC Comics

The greatest story about someone stealing Superman's cape there ever was and Superman's first foray into the camera lens of the world, that's the nature and innate Zero-Ness of this issue. Really though, these are the simple stories that Grant Morrison excels at. He injects great character moments, specifically during a fun conversation about dating and video games between Clark and Jimmy, right along the traditional superhero moments that you expect. There's heart in this story, which seems so very right for Superman. Oliver, who uses a loose and slightly painted style, turns in some nice looking work. It

Week in Review 8/31/12: Part 2

Batman Incorporated #3
Writer: Grant Morrison
Artist: Chris Burnham
Company: DC Comics

Well, when it was announced that Morrison was leaving the Batman books, I was sad, but he's had a hell of a run, really. This third issue, delayed by DC, is just another swanky piece of a tapestry of evil, ingenuity, and brilliant storytelling. With every issue, Morrison gives fans things that they didn't even know they wanted. More Matches Malone? Heck yes! An odd reference to Hitman era character Bueno Excellente? Right over there. It's cool, because he's not only doing these fun nods, but he also forwards the story of Batman versus Leviathan. Burnham doesn't know how to do wrong at this

Week in Review 8/29/12: Part 1

Uncanny X-Force #30
Writer: Rick Remender
Artist: Dave Williams & Dean White
Company: Marvel Comics

The dissection and discombobulation of the team known as X-Force continues. This time out, we get the back story of what this new version of the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants is doing to our young clone of Apocalypse, Evan, and just what they can possibly do to make him become evil. Remender tosses the poor boy into a psychological wood-chipper, and turns in a fairly effective story. The buddy-buddy-ness of Daken and Sabretooth is a little strange, but they get a lot of good lines. This issue however was devoid of an X-Force team, but you know, sometimes that's okay. The art

Before Watchmen: Rorschach #1

Writer: Brian Azzarello
Artist: Lee Bermejo
Company: DC Comics

Hurm.

Okay. Got that out of my system. There's a quota that you have to meet with the word Hurm, and I've probably exceeded my allocated amount. But what they hey, you only live once, right? I think that's how it goes at least. Anyways...Again, another Before Watchmen book hits the stands, and again, it's a pretty good one. When these books were announced, this creative team made the most sense to me. Azzarello seems a perfect fit for Rorschach. The bleakness and the darkness and the sense of doom and gloom; all of it spoke to ideas or themes that he's played around with before.

Pathfinder #1

Writer: Jim Zubkavich
Artist: Andrew Huerta
Company: Dynamite Entertainment

For those missing the slice and dice, humor infused panels of a John Rogers written Dungeons and Dragons comic, your quest for entertainment has ended. Jim Zubkavich, the man behind the zany, fun, and adventure fueled antics of a dwarf and a bald guy in the pages of Skullkickers, takes the lead of this bad boy and blazes a trail that leads to blood and fire and the occasional verbal sparring session. For those not in the know, Pathfinder is essentially the Dungeons & Dragons role playing game, rolled back from it's 4th Edition rules to what is often referred to as 3.75. It's widely popular and well supported. Really, a great property. Making it into a comic only makes sense.

Is that a Podcast I Hear?

I really do miss doing the Comic Pants Podcasts. Getting a group of guys together and sitting around a table and talking about something that we're all passionate about is probably one of the coolest ways to spend an evening.

So I was fairly ecstatic when the guys at Geek Bombast asked me