Batman: Earth One Review

Batman - Earth One is yet another take on the Batman mythos, this time Geoff Johns and one of my favourite artists, Gary Frank, take us on a journey that looks at the search for Martha and Thomas Waynes killer/s by Bruce who is only just beginning his career as Batman.

It must have been tough for Johns to come up with something new and fresh with all the previous versions of the Batman origin having been well established over the past decades. Frank Miller's Batman: Year One and of course the Batman Begins movie, along with the other movies, already establishing the character in our own minds doesn't allow much room for someone else to add just another origin tale. So, how does Johns try to keep it fresh and entertaining? He gives us an early look at Alfred Pennyworth and his relationship to the Waynes and his new relationship to Bruce Wayne as well as the early stages of Bruce Wayne becoming Batman.

Justice League Elite

Superman Vs. The Elite came out this week on DVD.  Rajat Mishra (fellow CA blogger) mentioned it on his Facebook page, so I decided to check it out. (Here's the review link of the DVD)

The story for the animated movie is based on "What's So Funny About Truth, Justice & the American Way?" is a story that appeared in Action Comics #775 as published by DC Comics in March 2001.

Written by Joe Kelly, pencilled by Doug Mahnke and Lee Bermejo, and inked by Tom Nguyen, Dexter Vines, Jim Royal, Jose Marzan, Wade Von Grawbadger and Wayne Faucher. (from Wikipedia) 

The basic plot for the film goes like this: A Brit by the name of Manchester Black decides he is tired of Super Villains allowed to run roughshod over humanity, killing, maiming and then getting thrown in jail only to break out and then begin again with the killing. And what's the response of the Superheroes? Throw them in jail. This is really not a realistic view or response according to Black and so he kills a super villain who had for the second time gone on a killing rampage, because he can. 

And the world is happy. Why should the villains be allowed to go around killing? After all it makes no sense. 

Of course this puts Superman at odds with Manchester's logic and his team of 'The Elite'. Superman is after all the perfect do-gooder who believes that humanity has goodness at the center of their hearts.

The movie itself is an action-packed tour de force. But I am not going to talk about that, you will have to see it for yourself. No 'Spoilers' here. What I wondered while watching it was, 'Why does Manchester Black remind me so much of Jenny Sparks from The Authority?'

The Authority was published by WildStorm back in the day. Later on it became part of DC Comics. The series is an awesome character driven book which has two gay characters in it, i.e. Midnighter & Apollo. The character of Manchester seemed to me like a complete rip of the Jenny Sparks character and at times it put me off from enjoying the movie. But I wanted to know more. So I had a look through my comic collection. I have a rather large one, but not much DC Comics, as I had been a Marvel Zombie for decades, until recently when the 'cross-over' every month put me off. Oh, I am getting off-track here.

Back to 'The Elite'. Turns out I got the Justice League Elite  maxi-series (12 issues). So I sat down to reading the series to give me a better understanding of the The Elite. In this series The Elite are a team put together by Manchester's sister, Vera Lynn Black. The name seems to be a homage. Some of you older readers might remember the song from Pink Floyd's The Wall, Vera -song #4, disc 2- followed by the song Bring The Boys Back Home. 

Justice League Elite is not your usual JLA, but an experiment to see if a Justice League without a country of affiliation or backing can carry out justice across the globe. Think of it as a covert JLA. (see here for the members list). Having a JLA without the restraints of charters, to carry out Black Ops. Its the X-Factor of the X-Men Universe, but decade before the Marvel guys got a hold of the concept. But here in the hands of Joe Kelly we see a deep character driven story with an ensemble of second tier Superheroes trying to carry out justice in a way that hasn't been worked out since, Squadron Supreme or Watchmen in 80s. If you haven't read read Squadron Supreme, I recommend it.

In JLE, we get to see what the pressure of being under the scrutiny of the JLA is like, especially when those in charge don't know they are being watched. And what happens when things go wrong.  Of course, Batman and Superman is only to happy to put a end if they make a mistake. The question is are we the sum of our mistakes or are we made better by learning from them? 

JLE has a number of characters which are not usually seen in such high profile books. Central to the team are Manitou Raven and his wife Dawn. A North American Indian couple who are part of a tribe that would become the Apache. Raven serves as the Shaman and Witch Doctor who is able to travel in the spirit world and bring back charms that help the team. 

The character that stands out for me in the series was the Muslim, Naif Al Sheik. The series having being written in 2004/5, seemed poignant to have a Muslim male calling the women in the JLE, whores consistently when on the same page. The females of course laugh it off or take it in stride. Something which shows that Kelly though wanting to use a character like Al Sheik, also had the foresight not to overplay his hand and make the character a Koran quoting who spouted scripture even second sentence as is common in a lot of comics with a character with religious beliefs. Kelly does well in that though making Al Sheik a man of strong beliefs also gives him a sense of human, albiet it is more of the Ricky Gervais variety. Something that is common amongst the British. I know my dad's a Brit.

There are so many interweaving stories that at work here. Not only is the series a somewhat sequel to "What's So Funny About Truth, Justice & the American Way?", it also works as a standalone read. We see the desire of Vera to write the wrongs that her brother Manchester carried out with his 'Elite'. We see the stress of a husband always working and no time for his wife. We see an alcoholic hero who causes the death of his team mate due to being drunk.

One thing that irked me was the portrayal of sibling rivalry between ColdCast and his brother. The setting is nothing short stereotypical racism -black males dealing drugs. Something, which I feel could have been better expressed with a bit more thought. Black males in the comic world haven't always been dealt a good hand. Both Marvel and DC are to blame for this. 

When is comes to Superman I have always disliked the concept of a 'hero' who won't put an end to the murdering villains. My personal favorite 'heroes' are The Punisher, John Constantine and Batman -I like the fact he has no powers. But, then again all my top 3 favorites have no superpowers. Also, The Boys, by Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson would have worked out great if they could've have been incorporated into the DCU. But then again I am glad it didn't, because the series has been a good excuse to still read superhero books. There were several moments when watching Superman Vs. The Elite that I was cheering for Manchester Black. Because like him, I am of the mind that the punishment should fit the crime. And to allow super villains to run around blowing people up and kill at random, and the only punishment is to end up in jail, doesn't seem like a deterrent to such as DCU Super-villains. So I relished the moments in the series as well as the movie where Superman gets his butt handed to him.All and all, I really liked the series and think its a better read than a lot of what is being put recently. Did I mention that the artwork by Doug Mahnke is amazing?

(ARU), Aruneshwar has a Bachelors Degree in Digital Media -Digital Film-making. He took a semester of Multimedia earlier last year which kind of set him up for comictrade.co.nz, a New Zealand  online comic store. On the creative side, Aru is writing and illustrating a graphic novel about the 30yrs of Institutionalised Slavery of Indians in Fiji from 1885 -1915. He is a prolific script writer and writes in all comicbook genres which include several graphic novels for his own company,Rising Sun Comics. Aru also uploads a digital comic series on Facebook called, Zero as well as completing his first crime-noir graphic novel, The Circle. He is also trying to finishing off coloring and lettering a superhero comic book mini-series he co-created with Mike Burbeck called, Incredi-Girl.

Abstract Comics? An interview with NZ artist Draw.

Still ness #01

As a comic fan and creator I stay within the safe confines of what a comic book or comic book page is "supposed" to look like. We have the panels and then the speech bubbles and text. But New Zealand comic creator, Draw has taken a different view of what a comic book page should or could be. 

Because its something new and fresh, I had been meaning to discuss Draw's comics and so it was interesting that he approached me when I asked for submissions from New Zealand Comic Creators on the Facebook site.

COMIC ADDICTS: Tell us a bit about yourself, as most of our readers wouldn't know
who Draw is.

DRAW: Draw is my pen name; I've been making comics since the early 1990s. I
live in the North Island of New Zealand. I try to spend as much time as
I can making comics. Some influences and inspiration: Blakes 7; Harry 
Clarke; Guido Crepax; Arthur L. Guptill; The Dead C; Chris Foss; Charles
Dana Gibson; Jandek; Pre-Raphaelites; Dick Whyte; Lebbeus Woods; and 
Jean Rollin.

Review: HABIBI by CRAIG THOMPSON

Who says you can't write a Graphic Novel about Islam? 

 There have been a lot of issues for anyone trying to depict Allah or his Prophet Muhammed. 

Cartoons, like that which was published in Jyllands-Posten, a Dutch newspaper caused controversy which ended up with the cartoonist having a Fatwa (holy kill order, assassination) placed on him. The offending cartoon can be found below. 

And that was from a Dutch cartoonist. 

Recently, a very important and interesting graphic novel was written by Child Psychologist Dr. Naif Al-Mutawa, a Kuwaiti. The 99 series is based around the 99 names of god in Islam. 

Crowdfunding: The Circle Graphic Novel

Crowdfunding is when a whole bunch of people you know and most likely don't know, have an opportunity to support your project. Whatever the project might be. From a short film to a tuition fee to get you to a special course to further your skills, to getting a new computer application off the ground.

Recently there has been a huge variety of websites across the West doing really great things for Creators and Artists as well as for amateurs.  So, I decided to give it a go to see if I could get support to get my graphic novel printed.

(Click on here for my project on Pozible.)

Having tried to get onto the US Kickstarter website, after the initial acceptance of my project, I found out I had to live in the United States or have a US bank account to qualify. So, when I heard about the Australian site, Pozible.com which is a bit closer to myself here, in New Zealand, I decided to have a go.

The Inhabitants by the Sheehan Bros.

The Inhabitants, a graphic novel in four parts by the Sheehan Bros - Kelly on script and Darren on art - is an overwhelming escape into a nightmarish dream-scape of strange creatures and wondrous characters. The story opens with us being introduced to a young man named Tom who happens to suddenly gain the ability to fly, or float, depending on what your thoughts are about whether Tom is in a dream or has walked into another world - much like Dorothy or Alice. It is important that you keep in mind these two characters of lore as the story is very visual, much like Oz, and Wonderland.
I bought the four issues as a set because I wanted to make sure I had the entire collection to read in one sitting as I am of the mind that its better to have the whole story to read rather than an issue at a time, but we all know that sometimes that is not possible. But I was glad that the Sheehan's had the singles and sets for sale. The cost for this amazing work of escapism and graphic story-telling was NZ$18.00 for all four. Of course if you just want to read it, it is available on their blogsite.

Will the real Captain America please stand up?

Jack Kirby (& heirs) Vs. Marvel Comics

Yes, I am going there. But for all the right reasons. For a little while now, a court case has been under way to get back the rights or at least get royalties from Marvel Comics for the late Jack 'King' Kirby and his heirs from the 100s of millions made from creations which without Kirby would not exist, such as Hulk, Fantastic Four, and oh, that money spinner, X-Men. Every comic fan/reader must know about Kirby for it goes without saying, that he is as important to American/Western comics as Leonardo Da Vinci is to modern art and as Anant Pai was to Indian comics.

A Hell(Blazer) of a week.

I have been reading comics as mentioned the other week for close to 30yrs. And a small portion of that time I have spent a small fortune buying, selling and re-collecting, after my first collection was burnt in a fire. Amongst those were the Uncanny X-men run from #180-295. Some of the greatest X-Men stories told were written during those years. But I am digressing. Anyway, I restarting collecting 10yrs ago and haven't stopped since. As well as you know writing and creating my own. 

Hellblazer Pandemonium Jami Delano is a Must Read.

Auckland Zinefest 2011 part 2

So, as I mentioned the other day, I was quiet sick and wasn't feeling too good having spent the previous day locked up in my hotel room with the blanket over my head coughing and blowing my nose every ten minutes. But I made it up to the event after being dropped off by my father who had driven me down.


I was really interested to see what the turn out for this event would be like, since it was my first ever Zinefest. All day there was an even amount of people flowing through the tables, looking and buying books and items on display. I bought a ton of items myself.


But being my first Zinefest, I wasn't aware of the difference between a comic book and a zine. So, I sat in on a panel, which was being held below the event at an adjacent room to a wine bar.

Auckland Zinefest 2011 (Saturday pics)

I was pretty sick leading up to the Fest and also during the Fest on Saturday. The article about the day will be up on Thursday, while I wait for the anti-biotics to clean out my system,  but in the meantime here are some pics.


Sorry about no captions. More pics with all juicy details to be added soon... Stay tuned.

Who is Aru, anyway?

A little History… 

Archie Comics, Walt Disney, and 2000AD

The first memory of ever seeing or reading a comic book was in, Nacovi, Nadi Town in Fiji. It was two different ones, an Archie and a Walt Disney Comics, with Goofy etc. Its reading these comics at the age of 7 or 8yrs old that has become the focal point in my life. 

The second memory is, when having moved to New Zealand with my mother in 1981.  A tent created with my knees under blanket at night, a small torch lighting the 2000AD comics, my friend had lent me.

Who would have thought that the from the age of 17 to 21yrs old would see myself spending thousands of dollars on comics and then losing then to the fire in 1999. And then I didn’t pick up a comic again till I began my studies for a Bachelors Degree in Digital Filmmaking in 2003. I got back into the comics as a way of meeting/making news friends in a city, Invercargill, New Zealand. I also started trading in them and also collecting as an investment. And have continued that trend up till now 8yrs later.  

A Writer is Born

A Rising Star from the Rising Sun: Aru's Debut @ CA

Before we begin, let me introduce you to Aru.
Aru is the newest addition tothe Comic Addicts family, currently residing in the land of the Kiwi and is the owner / operator for Rising Sun Comics, based in New Zealand. OK, no more interruption, stage is all yours Aru. Shoot!

The Comic Creators and Their Trials

                                                     by Aru

Much has been written on the trials and tribulations of the Comic Book Writer or Artists, but it doesn't make the issues we face any lighter or smaller. From day to day we are continually faced with the same thoughts that any artist who is passionate about their work face; is what we are doing making any difference? Will the readers accept my work? Will I ever make it? Will I ever make a living from my work?

Sadly none of these questions have any easy answers. Either wise we would either give up. A fellow Kiwi (New Zealander) Dylan Hyrocks has spent 20 yrs. trying to make it into the big times and he has after a while but he would be the first to say how hard it is. Similar, Richard Fairgray, another or of the hard workers in the comic book medium is now getting a greater recognition for his passion.