ATN Comic Reviews July 8th

Welcome to another edition of ATN Comic Reviews....man, I gotta get a catchier title for that.

This was a bit of a small week for comics, only Green Lantern #43 and Red Robin #2 for me. Both were good issues though, so sit back and enjoy the reviews.

Let's begin with Red Robin #2. Turns out this comic is NOT about the bird mascot from the delicious restaurant chain fighting crime, but instead follows Tim Drake, the penultimate Robin as he searches for Bruce Wayne. Red Robin really shows both sides of Tim's character. On one hand, he has really learned a lot from his days with Batman, and uses those things to his advantage. On the other hand, it shows how Tim is not handling the fact that Bruce is gone very well. He has become a bit of a hermit crab, living on his own and moving from place to place, cutting himself off from all former allies. At the end of the issue, Tim finds himself making a bit of a deal with the devil as he negotiates with Ras Al Ghul. Red Robin has a nice touch of self-narration from Tim, and definitely has me looking forward to issue 3.

Next up is the final prologue issue to Blackest Night, Green Lantern #43. This issue is all about Black Hand, the main Black Lantern. It shows what a sick freak he really is, and delves into his origins a bit. Death interested Black Hand even as a child, as his main hobby was Taxidermy. Twisted right? Well it gets worse. He's seen lying in a grave, kills his entire family, there's a subtle hint of necrophilia, and he even offs himself at the end of the book just in time for Scar to turn him into the Black Lantern entity. Blackest Night is going to be an awesome horror/action event and starts up next week, so be ready for that! Lots of dead characters returning, lots of crazy colors flying around, and probably an explosion or two. What's not to enjoy?

Next week I'll be reviewing Blackest Night #1 and Blackest Night: Tales of the Corps

ATN Comic Reviews July 1st

Hey there fans,

So I've recently decided that I would do weekly reviews of the wednesday comics very similar to the Fresh Ink podcast that I am a big fan of. I also hope everyone had a good 4th of July, but let's get right into things.

*Spoilers ahead*

First off, we start with the new Deadpool series, Deadpool: Merc With a Mouth. Glad to see Deadpool's not becoming another Marvel sellout with 2 on-goings and a mini-series...oh wait. I do love Deadpool, but even I can only take so much of him. This first issue tackles Deadpool's character very well with his constant commentary and 4th wall breaking. He even makes a nice reference to Fallout 3 for any of you fans out there. The story seems a bit convoluted at the moment because as the cover suggests, it deals with zombies, cavemen, dinosaurs and zombie cavemen. Deadpool finds himself in the Savage Land and meets Ka-Zar. The art in this series is unique, but a bit childish in my opinion. The bonus story in the back of the book is pretty cool though and is from the original Deadpool series. This story isn't a must-read, and is definitely a bit iffy with the $3.99 price that Marvel seems to be subtley slipping under our noses.

Next up, Captain America: Reborn. This is the first of a five issue mini-series that is supposed to bring the original Captain America, Steve Rogers, back to life. Sounds pretty good right? Well, with great art and a storyline practically ripped straight from Lost, I'm interested. Turns out that Steve wasn't shot with a normal gun, he was shot with a gun that un-stuck him in time. He now travels through random parts of his life much like Slaughter-House Five or Desmond Hume from Lost. Hell, he's even got Sharon Carter as a nice constant. Marvel's very clearly trying to cash in on this event by releasing 4 covers to this issue, but hey, that's what good ol' capitalism's all about right?

Moving onto DC's comics, we've got the second issue of the new Batman and Robin series. As you should know, Bruce Wayne is gone and Dick Grayson is the new Batman. I couldn't have picked a better replacement for Bruce if I tried. However, his choice for the new Robin kinda sucks. Bruce had an illegitimate son with Talia Al Ghul named Damien, and the kid's a bit of a prick. So Dick thinks that if he guides Damien, he can cure him of said prickiness. Unfortunately, two issues in, Damien's still a prick. Grant Morrison is a great writer though, and I have a feeling that will soon turn around. They've got a sweet new bat-mobile, and a couple cool new villains as well. Check this series out if you're a Batman fan, Robin fan, or just enjoy a good read. P.S. D.C. is still sticking with $3 an issue, so there's that too!

Finally, we go onto Green Lantern Corps #38, the last issue of the Emerald Eclipse saga and last issue before Blackest Night, which if you know me at all, you know I am GREATLY looking forward to. The first thing I need to say about this issue is what a sweet ass cover it has. Kilowog holding up a bloody mess of Green Lantern rings? What's not to love? Emerald Eclipse has a good conclusion and does a good job of showing what douches the Guardians have become. It's nice to see that Guy Gardner and Kyle Rayner still stand for what's right though. The final page of this issue provides a delicious tease at the event to come. The dead will rise and blood will be shed. Stay tuned all summer for my reviews on further Blackest Night books.

I'll see you guys next time when I review Green Lantern #43 and Red Robin #2