Well folks, as promised, here is another round of comic reviews from this past weeks releases for your pleasure. Today we cut across 3 companies, 4 titles and just as many genres as we bring you part 2 of this weeks selection.
BATMAN
#6
Story:
Scott
Snyder
Art:
Greg
Capullo
(Review
By: Anupam Sarkar)
After
the dreadful encounter with “The Darkness” #99, Batman #6 was the
only medicine that could get me outta my depression.
The
previous issue had ended with The Talon, who stabbed (the drugged)
Batman with a blade through the midsection of his body. Issue 6 picks
it up from right there.
In
the first few pages, Talon beats the shit out of Bats (who proceeds
to bleed like gallons of tomato ketchup leaking from a barrel) while
The Court of Owls surround them.
The
Court then decide that they are not done with The Dark Knight yet and
want him to be hurt much more still.
The
weakened Bats (who had been trapped
in the labyrinth beneath Gotham City for 8 days)
is pushed inside a room where he sees his great-grandpop Alan
Wayne's photo, which motivates him to kick Talon's arse just by using
words as weapon against Talon(a bit unusual, but effectively done).
Then he performs a magnificent escape from the labyrinth.
Following
this, the Court decides to bury the Talon inside a coffin
and prepare to awaken all of The other Talons who are kept in these
coffin-like containers in one of the rooms of the labyrinth.
The
art is especially my favorite in this issue. Panel Arrangements,
Facial Expressions, Storytelling, Capullo seems to have mastered it
all. My favorite was the way he had captured how Bats would look like
if he was getting weak, without food and limited
but drugged water for 8 days. I have been following Capullo since the
time he was handling art duties for Marvel's Quasar and so I can
easily say that this issue has been his best work yet.
'Nuff
said bout art, being a Snyder fan, I was a bit disappointed as this
issue had pretty less narrative from the writer. But, I think it was
done purposely so as to focus on The Court of Owls rather than on
Bats.
SCORE
: 9 / 10
PETER
PANZERFAUST #1
Story:
Kurtis Wiebe
Art:
Tyler Jenkins
(Review
by Akshay Dhar)
Another
entry into the new Image lineup, this one is both a strong and weak
entry for the mass of creator owned awesomeness that Image has been
putting out there for the past year.
Set
in France during the 2nd World War, it introduces us to
the primary protagonist – Peter – and to a group of young boys
that he saves who will (clearly) become his gang in the adventures
ahead. We get a brief intro to the principal characters behaviour and
to the setting, mixed with a splash of war-torn action and some
nazi's to fight along with an older version of one of the boys
retelling all these details as your narrative device – all in an
attempt to answer some kind of mystery or something surrounding
Peter. Well as you can imagine, this is a story that has the
potential to be a compelling and interesting saga or maybe a total
let-down or pretty much anything in between. The art was far more
enticing for me as Jenkins shows a knack for good angles and layout
and given the fairly simplistic subject matter here, creates a nice
feel and flow for the reader.
Now,
given the recent wave of highly entertaining, unique and acclaimed
titles that have been making their way out of Image I would say I'm
willing to give this series the benefit of the doubt for now and at
least a couple of issues to see if they find their feet. As a first
issue this is decent but they'll have to seriously up something in
the second issue for me to keep at this series.
SCORE
: 6 / 10
THE
ACTIVITY #3
Story:
Nathan Edmonson
Art:
Mitch Gerads
(Review
by Akshay Dhar)
Well
folks, here we are again – back in the covert-ops world of The
Activity.
And
yet again Edmonson proves why he is one of the most watched new
talents out there. After a stellar and fairly action packed first
couple of issues, the pace slows down to a more character based
segment of story as we follow the team after an operation gone bad as
they make their way home – tempers flare, there is discussion and
debate and we get a greater glimpse into the human side of these
operatives who work in the shadows and do the things no one else
could or would.
Crafting
intriguing characters and scenarios, Edmonson and Gerads are a great
team that work well in tandem to create a remarkably fitting visual
style and feel and the emotion that Gerads brings to the faces and
scenes add a dimension that makes this book better still. Not
necessarily everyones cup of tea, this remains a highly recommended
book from my side and one of the best of the new Image-wave of
comics.
SCORE
: 8 / 10
WASTELAND
#34
Story:
Antony Johnston
Art:
Justin Greenwood
(Review
by Akshay Dhar)
What
can I possibly say about this series? Now in its 34th
issue and this is still in my top five of best ongoing comic series,
definitely in my top five for greatest series ever written and
arguably the single best post-apocalyptic series ever written. Don't
agree with me? Not sure about the truth of my words? Well that last
claim is something on which even the master himself – Warren Ellis
– agrees with me.
Just
in case you've been living under a rock and have not even heard of
this series, it's a basic post-apocalyptic story set after an
unspecified event called “The Big Wet” which presumably destroyed
the world as we know it and reshaped the world which then evolved
into a new, more brutal one. It follows an eclectic cast of
characters including a desert drifter named Michael and several
now-homeless towns-people including Abi, Jacob and Golden Voice (him
being a Sun-singer i.e., a preacher of sorts of the new religion
called Sunners) and the residents of the only large “city” around
called Newbegin and the political machinations and intrigues within.
By
now the story has split into two distinct story-lines, one following
the happenings in Newbegin and the other following Michael and Abi as
they travel the wasteland to find the fabled land of A-Ree-Yass-I
which was the legendary place where all the madness and the end of
the world began. Now with the last issue we've taken a break from the
focus on Newbegin only and once again follow our intrepid hunters as
they find themselves in a new town, a more... religious town. Labeled
devils and demons and with Michael injured, their future is in
jeopardy as they struggle to find their way and things look more and
more grim for our heroes.
Still
awesome and beautifully rendered and told, this remains a joy and if
you have not been reading it – go do it. Now. Really.
SCORE
: 9.9 / 10
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