Week In Review : 47 Ronin #1 + Before Watchmen Moloch #1 + Colder #1

Pardon the belated posts this week folks, the festivites of Diwali (amongst other things) had us terribly short on time and we were not able to post these up sooner! 

47 Ronin #1 (Dark Horse)

Story : Mike Richardson

Art : Stan Sakai

(Reviewed by Anubhav Dasgupta)

There is a saying that the tale of the Forty Seven Ronin is the definitive Japanese story. From what I’ve gathered, it’s a tale that more or less commands a huge chunk of their culture, much like our myths of Ram and the Mahabharata.

“To know the tale of 47 Ronin is to know Japan.”

And that’s not far off from the truth. 47 Ronin feels like a very Japanese tale. There are some stories that just feel classy, that feel noble, like Seven Samurai, Citizen Kane, Kumonoso Jo and this comic feels like one of those stories. It doesn’t cheat you with gimmicks and cheap shocks, but simply tells a story, and a good one at that.

Alan Moore -The Legend, The Myth pt 2 of 2

(for the first part of this article, click this link)

Opinion (conclusion)

Constantine movie poster

When Alan Moore began voicing his views on the Watchmen movie, comic books fans like myself were divided. Fans buy into the characters and heroes in comic books. They become our escape. And like Moore, some of us don't want to see the comic books become 'harmed' by those who want to cash in on these characters being 'cheapened' by film versions - despite how loyal (or not) the directors are to the comic books themselves, or not. By that I mean that their representation in other forms may take away their value to us. And sometimes their adaptation isn't as loyal to the comic books. Constantine is an excellent example of when something can go so wrong. I am not saying that the movie itself was bad, I loved it, but that it cheapened its comparitive-value to the comic series. Over the past two and a half years, as I began to think of comic books as a creator/writer/illustrator, and not just a fan or collector, I started to see the holes in what Alan Moore as a legendary creator/writer had been pointing out about his creations being portrayed in other mediums. 

Alan Moore -The Legend, The Myth pt 1 of 2

From page 1 of Absolute Watchmen, Alan Moore & Dave Gibbons 

Recently, a lot of stuff is being said about Alan Moore's latest addition to the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen opus (Century 2009), and how it has a Harry Potter type character in it. After reading his comments about it and the latest round of Before Watchmen books, I thought I would take a wider look at Alan Moore's works. I have already read a lot of the graphic novels he has written and like millions of other fans I love Watchmen, From Hell and being a Socialist I love V for Vendetta.

Week In Review : Batman #10 + Before Watchmen:Silk Spectre #1 + Conan The Barbarian #5 + Planetoid #1 + Spider-Men #1

I love a good new-release day and this week has been an amazing one, with a slew of great comics to check out!

Not only do we have several titles from DC fresh after the harrowing events on the Night of Owls, but also the start of the second Before Watchmen series and many, many more to read.

Here's some of our picks of the ongoings and even a new Image series - now go ahead and enjoy! (and make sure to be back here tomorrow for more new releases in burst-reviews!)

- Editor

Batman #10 (DC)

Story : Scott Snyder

Art : Greg Capullo (main story) & Rafael Albuquerque (back-up)

(Reviewed by Anupam Sarkar)

I've been reading Batman comics from time immemorial (actually, about 10 years) and to me this issue is the perfect example of why I like Batman. While most go with action or a relationship crisis, very few writers can capture the detective in Batman. Amongst those few is now Scott Snyder.

To start with, the story - Snyder does a masterful job. Not going knee deep into spoilers, I can say that this issue has a major revelation at the end (cough...something to do with Lincoln March...cough). And everybody's going to love it. Not only does it give weight to the “New 52 Batman”, but it also shows that the Wayne's are not as squeaky clean as people thought they were.

As of the artwork, Greg Capullo amazes me after each consecutive issue. The man is an active volcano of talent! There are however only a few panels which show the Court of Owls, in all of which they are dead (literally). But, throughout the issue Capullo maintains the owl vibe. One of my favorites is the second page from the issue. Be sure to check it out.

Week In Review : Before Watchman Minutemen #1 + Mighty Thor Annual #1 + Pantha #1 + Voltron Year One # 3

AT LAST IT BEGINS!!
This week's reviews include the highly anticipated and hotly debated kick-off to Before Watchmen by DC comics and we bring it to you along with much more!
Enjoy!

Before Watchman : Minutemen #1 (DC)

Story & Art : Darwyn Cooke

(Reviewed by Anirudh Singh)

Alright, alright, the argument of intellectual property matters for naught to me in comic books. Hence, we shall not have it here. Instead we shall talk about Minutemen, one of my favourite parts about the Watchmen storyline that got all too brief a time in the limelight. 

This first installment from Before Watchmen starts with the story of the Minutemen, narrated through the eyes of Hollis Mason (a.k.a Night Owl). The writing is a little word heavy and Cooke is definitely no Alan Moore, but the art more than makes up for it. And eventually the initial awkwardness of the writing tumbles into a smoother narrative that gels very well with the artwork.

Darwyn Cooke does a marvelous job of bringing back the magic of the Silver Age. With glorious colours and art we get a sneak peek into the comings and goings of the famous mystery men of the day: Captain Metropolis, Nite Owl, Sally Jupiter and Hooded Justice, a vigilante adept at inspiring terror in the criminal element... and even the Comedian gets a brief flourish. Before Watchmen : Minutemen #1 sets the perfect platform for the series and the titles to follow. 

In The News: Before Watchmen (Previews + Info)

I'm conflicted folks, torn even.

I thought I'd be back to writing here as with one of a many topics and comics and things I'd come across and thought of since I took some (much needed) time off from life in general. But then I came back and before I could even put in my first column, DC went and blew it all out of the water.

For those of you who have been hiding under the proverbial rock, DC Comics announced very recently that they are finally going ahead with one of the most long-waiting and controversial moves in comics – releasing more Watchmen series' and doing so without its creator, the legendary and oh-so-scary Alan Moore.

As it stands now, the new books will be several mini-series of prequels and will be tentatively entitled “Before Watchmen” and will (according to DC's updates) include the following titles and creative teams: