Boom! Wham! Pow! The ComiQuad is a brand new column dedicated to the spandex-laden world of comics and superheroes. It goes up each Tuesday and will alternate between comic book reviews and other comic book news. Reviews shall try to be spoiler-free. Zam!
Sometimes I worry that I’m having just a little too much fun creating these “review post” titles.
Detective Comics #4
In this month’s issue of Batman’s flagship title, the Dark Knight finds himself at the mercy of the Dollmaker and his corpsey crew, an army of imitation Jokers, and possibly another classic Batman villain.
Overall, the story was pretty cohesive and interesting. Dollmaker, Matilda and the rest of his gang are challenging enough villains to give Batman a run for his money. Batman’s story, however, takes backseat to the story of Commissioner Gordon and one twisted little girl. I found myself caring more about her fate than anyone else’s by the end of the story.
The art was flat out irritating at times. The entire first page– Batman angrily gritting his teeth at the reader– feels like a bizarre waste of space. A subsequent page also assaults the reader with Batman’s crotch and behind. DC, this is not the way to even out gender portrayal disparity. Also, the artist, Tony S. Daniel, needs to lay off the face close-ups. Every single character was unnervingly staring me in the eye at some point; I felt like I was in a haunted museum where every eyeball follows you.
Overall, it felt pretty mediocre. The disturbing story made for a worthwhile read, but the artist direction made the comic disturbing for very different reasons.
Review: 7/10
Animal Man #4
Anyone who has read The Quad’s Cultural Picks for 2011 knows how highly I think of the Animal Man series. Fortunately, Animal Man #4 continues to maintain a standard of quality most comics can’t even get near.
An unhealthy amount of comics rely on cheap, Michael Bay-like tricks and tactics to keep readers interested such as “God-mode” superpowers, colossal explosions and cleavage as far as the eye can see. Animal Man, and Animal Man #4 by extension, relies on none of these.
The villains, The Hunters Three, are truly what nightmares are made of. In fact, I think even my most twisted nightmares pale in comparison to the monstrosities in this book. They’re vicious, savage, calculating and visually vomit-inducing.
Strangely enough, the protagonist cast is even more compelling than The Hunters Three are. Animal Man’s daughter, Maxine, is simultaneously adorable and terrifying with power. Ellen, his non-superpowered wife, also knows when to whip out some badassery and take out the shotgun every once and a while.
This issue sees the introduction of another great character. I won’t spoil much, but I will say that his name is “Socks,” and the Internet would love him and all four of his paws.
If you learn just one thing from any of my ComiQuad articles, it’s to pick up this series.
Review: 10/10
Valen the Outcast #1
Huzzah! I have a review about a comic not from DC Comics! Here’s to introducing BOOM! Studios‘ brand new series Valen the Outcast.
By in large, a great deal of the story in Valen the Outcast #1 feels relatively formulaic for its genre. A quiet, yet strong, hulking man teams up with a brash, kick-butt woman and a seedy, comedic male character to go on medieval adventures. In a way, it feels very familiar.
Even the art doesn’t particularly make the comic stand out from anything else.
The difference, however, lies in the smaller details. The strong, hulking man is an undead king trying to get his soul back. The woman actually felt far more impressive in battle than I’ve seen her character trope usually do.
The book even forces the reader to wrestle with some questionable decision in terms of morality. Valen, the undead king, makes a violent decision that should make it difficult for the reader to sympathize with him. Strangely enough, it doesn’t.
The best part of all this? The first issue is one dollar. It contains just as many pages as an average DC comic, is more densely packed with story, and is dirt cheap. Sure, the comic is very far from perfect, but it’s definitely worth trying on for that price.
Review: 8/10
Nice review, my friend! I really have to manage my comic budget better and check out the Bat-tiltes… soon!