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

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

Marvel Rebooted

This is not a review.

Just putting that out there at the very beginning. I have been slacking in the way of reviews lately. For that, I'm sorry guys. But that does not mean that I have been slacking in the writing department completely. In fact, I've been doing quite a bit of it.

Wednesday Number Ones 8/1/12

Wednesday Number Ones is a weekly feature here at Top 5 Comics. We take the books that are premiering a first issue from that week and give a quick opinion on them. From time to time we may also include more than issue number ones in this feature. If a noteworthy one-shot or the first issue of a new story arc is released, we may talk about it in this feature as well.

This week, we will cover: Deadpool Kills the Marvel Universe #1, First X-Men #1, and Harvest #1.

Hawkeye #1

Writer: Matt Fraction
Artist: David Aja
Company: Marvel Comics

I think it's safe to say that Hawkeye saw a dramatic influx in fans after the Avengers movie. He was cool. No doubt about it. Hell, I want one of those choose your own arrowhead quiver and bow combos, as it's just plain neat and would no doubt look great on my wall, right next to Gandalf's sword and Captain America's shield. So yes, a Hawkeye ongoing seemed like a logical thing to have happen. But who do you have write him? Who can capture that essence and perform some magic to have it bleed through on the page? Who has the chops to draw exciting archery? The team given this task is Matt Fraction and David Aja. They've teamed up together before working on Immortal Iron Fist, and separately, they've wracked up

Wednesday Number Ones 7/25/12

Wednesday Number Ones is a weekly feature here at Top 5 Comics. We take the books that are premiering a first issue from that week and give a quick opinion on them. From time to time we may also include more than issue number ones in this feature. If a noteworthy one-shot or the first issue of a new story arc is released, we may talk about it in this feature as well.

This week, we will cover:  Debris #1, National Comics Eternity One Shot, Star Wars Darth Maul: Death Sentence #1, and X-Treme X-Men #1.

Punk Rock Jesus #1

Writer: Sean Murphy
Artist: Sean Murphy
Company: Vertigo

If you think you've seen the bleak and insane edge of the lengths that reality television will go to gain viewership, i.e. money and fame and fortune, then Sean Murphy would like to educate you a bit on just how far things COULD go. Welcome to the world of Punk Rock Jesus, a place where anything is possible, even cloning Jesus Christ himself.

First and foremost, Sean Murphy the artist is what's on the firing range when you open the cover to this one. Last year, for me, he was the runaway knockout for Best Artist for the work that he turned in on both American Vampire: Survival of the Fittest and Joe the Barbarian. His style is both in your face, like a

Revival #1

Writer: Tim Seeley
Artist: Mike Norton
Company: Image Comics

Good horror is hard to come by in comics. Sure, we've got your zombies and your Cthulhu books, which don't get me wrong, is great. Classic, spine tingly, goose bump inducing, hairs rising up on the back of your neck...That kind of horror doesn't happen that often. Tim Seeley has been around in comics for awhile now. I first remember him from G.I. Joe back when Devil's Due was still publishing it. Then entered Hack/Slash, the horror comic with a heart of gold. That book, to this day, is a hell of a good time and ages like a fine wine, as it only seems to get better every time I pull it off the shelf. It was more comedy and fun situations than horror though, even with the occasional guest star from people like Chucky. With Revival, he's struck horror gold.

Wednesday Number Ones 7/11/12

Wednesday Number Ones is a weekly feature here at Top 5 Comics. We take the books that are premiering a first issue from that week and give a quick opinion on them. From time to time we may also include more than issue number ones in this feature. If a noteworthy one-shot or the first issue of a new story arc is released, we may talk about it in this feature as well.

This week, we will cover:  Battle Beasts #1, Bloodshot #1, Chew: Secret Agent Poyo #1, and Crow #1.

Marvel Now! - What Is It and Should You Care?

Relaunch, reboot, re-imagining...It seems that a lot of these newfangled R words are getting thrown around in regards to this thing, but what exactly is Marvel Now? Well, if Marvel Editorial is to be believed:

 "It is a coordinated creative refresh across our entire publishing line." 

That's according to Editor in Chief of Marvel, Axel Alonso. It's the best definition that I've heard so far. It isn't a relaunch or a reboot, as they are going to be continuing on with the same world that they've been dealing with. Obviously something will change at the end of Avengers vs X-Men, as that would account for some of the costumes being changed in the promotional

Before Watchmen: Ozymandias #1

Writer: Len Wein
Artist: Jae Lee
Company: DC Comics

Always thinking. Always cold and distant. Always willing to do what others are not. These are the bits and pieces that make up the character of Adrian Veidt, better known in the superhero community as the great Ozymandias. This mini series, right there with the Dr. Manhattan one that is schedule to hit shelves in about a month, were the ones that I was the most worried about. Not that they couldn't be good, just that they were going to be the toughest sells. Truthfully, the reason for this is that during the course of Alan Moore's Watchmen, we really do get such a good feel for Ozymandias and his background that the prospect of a straight-up retelling of his origins would end up being dry and bland.

Wednesday Number Ones 7/6/12

Wednesday Number Ones is a weekly feature here at Top 5 Comics. We take the books that are premiering a first issue from that week and give a quick opinion on them. From time to time we may also include more than issue number ones in this feature. If a noteworthy one-shot or the first issue of a new story arc is released, we may talk about it in this feature as well.

This week, we will cover:  He-Man and the Masters of the Universe #1 and Hero Worship #1.

Batman Earth One

Writer: Geoff Johns
Artist: Gary Frank
Company: DC Comics

For DC, Elseworlds have always been a mainstay in their arsenal of entertainment. The re-imagining of their first tier characters, their heart and soul changed or tweaked to bring something new to the table that is unexpected, is a genre unto itself that has been going for as long as I've been reading comics. The Earth One series, if two graphic novels (one Superman and now Batman) can be called a series, takes this stance and proceeds to launch itself in a sideways like motion into unseen territories. The only problem with that is that with Batman, a lot of territory has already been covered. I mean A LOT. Hell, he's been a Vampire, a Pirate, a Victorian Era Crime Fighter, a Reverend, and a Scotsman to name just a few off the top of my head.

Batman Inc. #2

Writer: Grant Morrison
Artist: Chris Burnham
Company: DC Comics

An important issue not only for the story that Grant Morrison has been telling from the moment he took over the Batman franchise, this issue also proves that the single issue story is alive and well. I'm seeing that somewhat forgotten style more and more often these days and I'm quite pleased by it. That's not to say that this doesn't continue the story of Leviathan versus Batman and his team of dead soldiers, because it does so in a big way. What it means is that this has a blast coming from both barrels. From cover to cover there is a story, and interesting one at that, being told.

The story in question is the all important roller coaster ride of Talia Al Ghul's life.

The Rundown: Previews July 2012

Every month, Previews is published. The book usually solicits material that will appear either two or three months from the time the book hits shelves. This is by no means a complete listing of what's found in it, as every issue of every comic that's coming out is put into its pages, this is merely a list of titles that caught my eye or made my buy pile. Please tell me the books that you are looking forward to, as my brain is often feeble and there's no way that I can cover all of them. Anyways, enough of this blabber...Onto the List.

Before Watchmen: Nite Owl #1 of 4

Writer: J. Michael Straczynski
Artists: Andy Kubert & Joe Kubert
Company: DC Comics

Well, disappointment was bound to happen at some point, right? In all fairness, Nite Owl isn't a bad book. It is in fact a decent book. The problem with it is that it doesn't shine in the way that the previous titles for this prequel event have, therefore it feels slightly lackluster and not as satisfying. JMS, known for about a billion things in comics and television, has a record skipping track record in my opinion. There have been great things such as his runs on Thor and Rising Stars, but there have been countless other series that have fallen apart as well. Here he gives us the life and evolution of Dan Dreiberg from teen to man to hero.