This month has been pretty good, comic book wise. Image’s Killer of Demons by Christopher Yost (New X-Men) and artist Scott Wegener (Atomic Robo) had me laughing. It’s about an office worker who discovers his calling, as indicated by the title and follows, or tries to, the angel on his shoulder. Irreverent, with great timing, it reminded me of the current Super Human Resources mini-series by Ape Entertianment. If you want a laugh, pick it up.
DC has wowed me a few times this month, mainly thanks to the Bat. Batman Confidential started a new arc last issue, advertised as the paged debut of King Tut from the campy Batman TV show. Never a good idea to use that as a selling point DC! Anyway, the second part of the 3 parter continues the good work by writers Nunzio DeFilippis and Christina Weir, with gorgeous art by Jose Luis Garcia Lopez. Lopez’s art isn’t seen enough on a monthly book, and Kevin Nowlan’s inks turn it into a winning combo. The story is filled with great menace and pace, and with Riddler on board as Batman’s ‘partner’ attempting to deduce the identity of the Egyptian themed killer, this series which looks at Batman’s early days has never been so inviting.
Superman/Batman #56 is another issue of a recent story arc that’s been wowing me. The team of Michael Green and Mike Johnson, with art by Rags Morales is the best team this book has had since its inception when Jeph Loeb and Ed McGuiness brought us the team-up title. The conclusion to the Super/Bat arc, which has the two heroes swapping powers courtesy of Silver Banshee’s magic shows their understanding of the characters very well. Batman, amped up on super powers is more driven than ever, using his new abilities to eradicate crime world-wide, while involved in the obligatory face off with the JLA.
Lastly, Tony Daniel has exceeded my (low) expectations and made Batman: Battle for the Cowl a book worth reading. Pretty much everyone in cyberspace scoffed when Daniel was announced as the writer and artist of this extremely important 3 issue mini that sets up the new Baman, after his ‘death’ in Final Crisis. Daniel’s art was very below average in his issues with Grant Morrison in Batman: R.I.P. However, he’s stepped up to the plate with far better skills this time around. He’s still not my fave artist, but his work has vastly improved. Following Morrison and Neil Gaiman as a writer is no mean feat and I’m shocked DC would give Daniel, who is still fresh-faced in the DCU, the keys to the Bat kingdom. However, maybe Dan DiDio knows what he’s doing after all. Daniel shows promise as a scribe here I must say. He handles the characters well,from Robin to Damian to Nightwing to Alfred (though his brief ‘fight’ with Dick is a little far fetched). The gun toting Batman wannabe on the last page must surely be Hush or Two-Face, but Daniel does a grand job of putting all the pieces of the puzzle in plain view, leaving no question answered. For a preview of this issue, go here.
That Logan fella sure is greedy. Apparently there’s no limit to the number of different series Wolverine can handle. Now, we can add another one as Marvel unveils Wolverine: Weapon X on April 8, a month before his big screen adventure in X-Men Origins: Wolverine. Writer Jason Aaron (Vertigo’s Scalped) and artist Ron Garney re-team, after their Get Mystique arc, for this new ongoing series. Weapon X focuses on Rooxon’s attempt to create the perfect killing machine, all tied in with Wolvie’s past and the mysterious Adamantium Men. The first issue arrives with cover variants by Adam Kubert, Alan Davis and Olivier Coipel.
Top Cow Productions, Inc. proudly announced today that The Darkness issue #76, which will be released in March 25th, will contain a variant cover contributed by artist Josh Medors (30 Days of Night, Runes of Ragnan). As many in the comic community are aware, Medors has been courageously combating a rare form of cancer since 2008. A second cover for The Darkness #76, illustrated by artist Frazer Irving (Silent War), will also be offered.
X-Force and Cable are the two bad boys of the X-Men flood of books as of late. Now they’re teaming up as part of the Messiah War cross-over, which is the sequel to Messiah CompleX. The first new mutant birth since the house of M (whereby the mad Scarlet Witch’s “No more mutants” dream became a reality) things have been crazy. Cable’s stuck in the future, Bishop’s tracking him down and Cyclops is attempting to protect the future of the mutant race from those that want her for their own ends. So the X-Men’s leader orders something drastic and sends X-Force on a time-travelling adventure after Cable and the youngen.
In what could be perceived as a stand alone tale, there is also the sense that this milestone issue for The Darkness reflects upon its past and throws it forward into a bleak future, yet one not without hope.
This special anniversary issue basically sees Jackie peering into his future, or a possible future, as he begins to understand the powers he has could be devastating. The choice will be his. With cameos from familiar characters in the Darkness universe, Jackie is now an old man, with flowing grey hair and few friends. The world is a desolate place filled with the typical betrayals and battles that seem to follow Estacado wherever he goes.
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