Matt's Weekly Comics - 10/24/12

I figured I'd do little weekly write-ups on the new-release comics I buy every week. Normally, I cram my thoughts on my weekly comic pick-ups into several sets of one-hundred forty character [or less] tweets (with the exception of the actual reviews I do for some books), so this makes more sense. I tried doing full reviews for every book I picked up each week at one point, but that was too much work for myself. I'm just going to write what I feel like writing with these posts. These will be written with a very casual style. Yo.

 I read the new issue of Li'l Depressed Boy, a book I just recently got caught up on this weekend due to the recent Comixology sale (a series that I'm absolutely in love with; a series that has to be one of my favorite comics ever). It was pretty good. Kinda depressing. A little funny. Not a lot happened but ya know. I enjoyed it. It's slowly building to what's most likely going to be a very sad end to this story arc.

 I picked up the A-Babies vs. X-Babies one-shot from Marvel (which came out last week physically, this week digitally) and it was pretty baller. The art is really good. Oh so colorful and cute. And it's a fun little story about li'l Cap calling the Avengers together to take back his teddy bear from Scott and his band of X-Men. Baby Hulk smashes Baby Wolverine, by the way, and it's pretty nice. And they only charged $3!

 Let's see. I read Batman: The Dark Knight #13. That was a good time. This book is a little terrifying. And dark. And bloody. The artwork and the dialogue and what the creators are doing to Batman as well as, uh, children, is all pretty messed up. Me gusta.

Batman Inc. #4. Loved it. Best issue of the New 52's Batman Inc. by far. The reveal of Wingman and who's behind the mask. Damian as Red Robin. The cliff-hanger. Burnham's art. Yes.

 I really enjoyed Talon #0, so I was pretty excited about this week's Talon #1. It was good stuff. I'm not a big fan of the art, but that's okay. They did a big paradigm shift from the previous issue, putting Calvin on the offense rather than defense. It makes a fun set-up. Calvin Rose is out to take down the Court of Owls. God speed, Rose. God speed.

 My favorite book of the week was actually the one I picked up on a whim: Punisher Warzone #1. I read the first issue of the latest Punisher series and couldn't get into it, but after this issue it's definitely on my to-do-list to try again. It's a five-issue miniseries that takes place after the recently concluded Punisher run. This book was gripping. I was upset when I got to the end, and the 20-some page comic felt like a few pages for me. I love how Punisher's "imma murder the bad dudes" mantra is challenging the morals of each of the Avegners. Gimme the next issue, please.

 Seeya. Go read comics.

Frankenweenie (Film) - Review

For better or for worse, Tim Burton makes films like no one else can. His live action films are a bit less distinctive, but Burton's stop-motion is so very Burton. His latest film is Frankenweenie, a remake of an old short film he created when he was much younger. It's creative, funny and often quite charming, but it also completely lacks a sorely needed thematic backbone and strong identity.

Frankenweenie is a parody of the classic Frankenstein tale. Victor, a talented film-maker, can't connect to other people, and instead focuses on his work and his lovable dog Sparky. When Sparky dies, he's devastated. After being inspired by a lecture in science class, Victor decides to bring Sparky back to life. He of course is successful, and we have our premise.

Victor is a typical kind of character, but a relatable and touching one, partly due to Charlie Tahan's voice work clinching his quiet yet smart and determined personality. There's the ubiquitous awkward, fat character and the nerdy, Asian character, which both entertained me, but I have some reservations about how strongly the stereotypes were played up in the latter kid, considering the film's child-friendly atmosphere otherwise. Some of the characters here are actually quite original, though, like the creepy wide-eyed girl whose equally creepy cat lays omens in the form of poop, and the hilariously weird kid that is meant to harken back to the assistant of Doctor Frankenstein in the old tale.

Later in the movie, the other kids discover Victor's revived dog and use his methods to spruce up their previously comedically bad science fair projects. When they use the lightening to shock life into their test subjects, their results are not so cute and cuddly. Demented sea monkeys wreak havoc, a giant turtle rampages around like Godzilla, etc. This quickens the pace of the film and makes it more exciting, and shows more than any other part just how awesome this film's visuals and overall sense of style is.

The animation is so very good, and the creative design of the sets and creatures and characters is also so very good. The cute things look cute, the monsters look monstrous, and the quirky things look quirky. Also, it's not a frightening movie, but the tone is very much like that of a horror film, especially in the latter half. That latter half is filled with cool creatures messing stuff up and looking sweet while they're doing it.

There's a big problem, though: The film has a bit of an identity crisis. For one thing, Victor is pinned as a film-maker in the first half of the movie, but by the end it appears as though Frankenweenie's film-makers changed their minds and wanted him to be a scientist. But the bigger issue is the film's overarching theme, or perhaps more accurately, its lack thereof. The sole purpose of Victor's parents seems to be, other than establishing that he has parents, to build up to a hard yet important lesson that children not only especially need to learn, but are able to handle.

And then the movie just completely drops the ball on that at the end.

There are a few possibilities. The first is that the creators of this film don't think that children are smart enough, nor willing to, learn something meaningful. The second is that they placed seeds for a compelling lesson that they didn't develop at the end out of laziness. And the third is that they attempted to have some other kind of lesson; other than the one that they actually began to build up to. No matter which is the case, what they created is thematically empty. Not every movie needs a theme but it feels criminally missing in this one, as it presents a serious problem that children often don't know how to handle, and purposely ignores it.

It's hard to give a clear verdict on Frankenweenie. It's an incredibly creative film, with fun characters and gorgeous visuals. It's funny and often quite clever. It has fun with itself. But its ending, which solidifies its lack of a clear identity and thematic backbone in a film that sourly needs such a thing, is so massively disappointing that the rest of the movie feels intrinsically worse by the time the credits roll. Frankenweenie is a pretty fun ride but an amateur mistake by a talented director stops it from being the masterpiece it could have so easily been.

Batwing #13 - Review

The New 52's Batwing started out as quite the fantastic comic, with a stellar first story arc about a gruesome murderer in Africa. The next story arc was still good but certainly weaker than the first, turning into a light-hearted team-up book in Gotham. Because of this, I was a bit nervous about Batwing #13, but now that I've actually had the chance to read it, I can say that it's back to the quality of its first arc. David Zavimbe is back in Africa and is up against a spreading death cult, and the first chapter is certainly promising.

Father Cult is Batwing's new foe, the leader of a cult built around death. They recruit young people and slit their throat for blood sacrifices, or use [most-likely supernatural] ambiguity to brainwash them for their cause. The police system is corrupt, which makes the just cops fumble with the catastrophe. It's harrowing and effective, despite not being all that original of a concept; at least thus far.

Father Cult is pretty cool. His supernatural powers are interesting, and he's rather scary in his appearance. There's also a brand-new hero who fights against this cult, and she's pretty cool because she's a she and because she has electricity-swords. A female cop that truly wants to help, motivated by the disappearance of her niece, is also present, which helps to get across the desperation of the situation.

This issue is pretty good. It's a promising start to a new chapter in Batwing's depressing life.

Space Punisher #2 - Review

Contemporary comic books are absolutely fantastic, but they do face a bit of a big problem - especially when it comes to the big two, Marvel and DC - there aren't enough fun books. Books that aren't trying to make smart commentary, books that aren't trying to be "gritty," books that are just plain entertaining to read. A wacky new mini-series from Marvel tagged Space Punisher is exactly what this medium needs more of. The premise is simple: In a self-contained alternate universe, Punisher goes through space cracking skulls in order to avenge his parents, whom died at the hands of a nefarious alien mafia. It's demonstrably stupid, but it is stupidity orchestrated with a masterful amount of creativity and comedic genius.

The first issue was fine: it introduced a great concept, it hosted a few chuckle-worthy moments and was charming from start to finish. But issue number-two really takes the cake. It's hilarious. The real star of the show is Hulk, who is played for laughs in a manner that beats even his portrayal in The Avengers film. This book is more than willing to kill off major Marvel characters, and watching Hulk rip such characters to bloody shreds in the blink of an eye is simply marvelous.

Character work on Punisher himself is also great, establishing him as a smart satire of the rough-'n-tough badass archetype that he normally makes his own. He has cartoonishly violent and vulgar reactions to the smallest grievances, that are always fun to read. His AI helpers, one his ship and one an anthropomorphized robot, clash well with him. Their wit and calmness exemplifies Punisher's hyperbolic characterization.

The artwork is gorgeous. The pages are flooded with color, making everything pop. Characters are expressive and the art as a whole is unique. It really fits the ridiculous sci-fi story that this comic tells remarkably well.

This comic book is hilarious. This comic book is stupid. This comic book is stupendous-looking. This comic book is tons of fun. This comic book is exactly what I want to see more of out of not just Marvel and DC, but out of the whole industry. Bravo.

Talon #0 - Review

What a fantastic idea for a new comic book series as well as a new character in the DC Universe. DC's new on-going comic "Talon," beginning in their Zero Month promotion, follows Calvin Rose. Calvin is a new face that fits snugly into the brilliant mythology Scott Snyder created with his massive, eleven-issue story arc about the harrowing Court of Owls that kick-started The New 52's Batman. Scott Snyder is back to help co-plot this new book with writer James Tynion IV, and I have to say, what a brilliant first issue.

Talon #0 gives us a very compelling and intriguing origin for Calvin Rose. He is a kid who ran away from an abusive father (a fact revealed to us in a rather brutal opener), eventually picked up by the Court of Owls, whom are impressed by the escape-art skills he has amassed since he left his home. They have him killing innocent people; evil acts they hide as just the opposite. In an effective panel revealing a particular assassin target, he decides that he must fight against, and separate himself from, the Court. We have our set-up.

Tynion and Snyder very smartly interlock all of the pieces of Rose's character. His upbringing, his indoctrination into the Court, even the very skills that the Court chose him for, boil down to one action - escaping. It's awesome. He's a clearly defined character and an easy one to get behind; a man trapped doing things he learns is vile, using the very skills they employed him for to escape the evil and attempt to stop it. I like Calvin.

The artwork isn't incredibly memorable, but it's not really a problem. Guillem March's scribbles tell the story well, with appropriate expression and detail. It puts the focus on the writing and the narrative, which is fine.

I had a lot of fun with Talon #0. Calvin Rose is a very cool character that I really want to keep my eye on. His origin is very concise and focused, and if future issues have that same approach, we'll have a really compelling book on our hands. This issue, at least, is quite rad.

Frankenstein: Agent of Shade #0 - Review

Frankenstein: Agent of Shade was one of those books that I almost picked up out of curiosity when The New 52 launched but didn't due to a lack of cash and a wealth of other compelling comics. Now that Zero Month has arrived and I'm a bigger boy making minimum wage, I decided to tap away three dollars while I was hanging out with my iPad this evening. It was a smart move, as Frankenstein: Agent of Shade #0 is a badass origin story for The New 52's Frankenstein.

This comic shows us the creation of the DCU's Frankenstein and the monster's progression into becoming an agent of Shade, protecting people from supernatural and monstrous threats. It clearly shows us who this character is and why he's so freaking cool. He's not bogged down by human-like emotional attachment, and accepts that he has the power to help people and that he is obligated to do so. We see this through a stylish battle with his mad-scientist creator as well as montage panels towards the end. It looks fantastic - oh-so very good coloring - and feels good, due to its excellent writing and staging.

This comic is really great. I'd say it's a pretty safe bet if you want a fun supernatural/fantasy book.

Wonder Woman #0 - Review

Wonder Woman isn't a series that I read month-to-month but its Zero issue is one that I decided to pick up. Brian Azzarello promised something a bit abstract with this issue in comparison to what the other creative teams are doing with DC's Zero Month, and Wonder Woman is a pretty sweet super hero, so it seemed like a fun way to drop three bucks. And it certainly proved to be: Wonder Woman #0 is tons of fun and easily one if the best Zero issues I've read so far. 

This issue takes a tongue-in-cheek, old-school approach, filling the pages with lengthy narration and frequent thought bubbles. This retro style is a fitting way to tell this book's simple and fun story from Diana's teen years in Paradise Island. She fights stereotypical mythological monsters and clashes characters with stereotypical mythological motivations, but it's really a joy to read. It's a bit humorous because of how self-aware it is and it's so well-written that the story itself is actually quite compelling. It's a good origin story that aggrandizes Diana appropriately. And it must be said that the colorful and expressive art is entirely pleasurable and fits well with the retro story-telling. 

I loved this issue. Zero Month's halt on my favorite stories hurt me a bit, but it's hard to complain when we're getting fun books like this.