Review : Tulsidas' Sundarkaand – Triumph of Hanuman

Campire comics takes on Tulsidas’s Ramayan and does a fairly good job.

They give a nice long introduction to Tulsidas and follow that by telling us the story so far, explaining it all crisply and completely.

Marvel NOW Review: Uncanny Avengers #1 + Red She-Hulk #1

The big world-changing, ground-breaking, soul-shaking (yadda, yadda, blah, blah, insert more standard hype here, etc...) event that has been building over at the House of Ideas is finally here!Marvel NOW officially launched last week with the first of the new wave of titles - Uncanny Avengers and Red She-Hulk.

Today our own dynamic(-ish) duo of Mayank and Akshay take us through them both to see whether these measured up to all the hype!

Red She-Hulk #1

Script : Jeff Parker

Art : Carlo Pugalayan & Wellington Alves (pencils), Val Staples (colours)

Mayank says:

The second release under the “Marvel Now” banner for last week. The focus of Hulk shifts from father to daughter, from Red Hulk (RULK) to Red She Hulk (Betty Ross), while Rulk moves to the new team of Thunderbolts (along with Elektra and Punisher.. man that’s gonna rock!). Jeff parker continues to play around with the concepts he introduced and I gotta say man, I am loving this book. This title isn’t going to change your life, it’s not going to make you think or try to prove its relevance by using real world scenarios or create pseudo-reasons for a hero vs hero fight... but this is the most fun I had reading a comic book in quite some time.

Dredd 3D movie .. Was it worth it?

Finally we get on the bandwagon and present our take on the Judge Dredd new movie...
here. I suggest checking out that review before reading the following review. >

I've been waiting to watch Dredd 3D for nearly a year, since I heard that it was being made last year. Judge Dredd is not your average 'good guy/'hero'. He is the epitome of a true anti-hero. He might even have been the first comic book character to be a anti-hero.

Nish's Notepad: Naruto 600 (Review + Spoilers!)

Naruto 600: How Come Until Now?

(なぜ今まで, Naze Ima Made)

Author: Masashi Kishimoto
Arc: Shinobi World War Arc
Volume: Uncategorised

Click to Enlarge

[RECAP]

#599 finally revealed Tobi's identity. Even if you missed it, Kishimoto is such a genius that just by reading the title of the chapter (Obito Uchiha), you'll get to know that >.<

Comic Review : Aveon 9 (volume 1)

The Plot

Humans have left Earth and moved to another planet called Aveon 9 because Earth was left uninhabitable by natural disasters. Here, over a period of time, humans have ensconced themselves as the ruling class, surpassing the native species' and have carved out dynasties among themselves. Their kingdom however is not peaceful nor does the entire native population support their rise. The story begins with the unfortunate accident of Counselor Zane of the House of Lunus in the city of Vexadus. It then shifts to follow the endeavours of Zane's son Tez, as he tries to find his way to the city to locate his father. This volume ends with Tez minutes away from entering the city.

And now on to the review. 

Comic Review : Aghori #01 and #02 (Wayfarer Special!)

I think something short-circuited in my brain just now...

Like you dear reader, I've seen the previews, I've heard the rumours and scoured the facebook groups and people I know for anything I could on this new series and found little beyond what the folks at Holy Cow Entertainment put out there. They played this one close to the chest and now I can see why. This is a very a well-executed and bold new step from Indian creators, the art alone elevates this to a new level of amazing and the production values are impeccable.

(NOTE : Check out some of the preview pages we've got for you here!!)

Series writer Ram V is a very new face on the Indian comic scene and with the aid of his collaborators in this project - that I know for a fact came about amazingly fast (for more history on all this, check out our earlier interviews and coverage, all linked at the end of this review!) - may well be one of the most promising I've come across so far.

Batman: The Dark Knight Rises - Knightfall Vol 2: Who Rules the Night!

Writers : Doug Moench, Chuck Dixon, Alan Grant

Artists : Mike Manley, Jim Aparo, Bret Blevins, Graham Nolan, Klaus Janson

Collects : Batman 498-500, Detective Comics 664-666, Batman: Shadow of the Bat 16-18, Showcase '93 7 and 8

Published by DC Comics

While the new volume of Knightfall collects the whole Knightfall saga in one volume, I prefer to stick with the older volume partition while reviewing, because both the volumes are different beasts.

Nish's Notepad: Naruto 597 (Review + Spoilers!)

Naruto 597: The Secret of the Space–Time Ninjutsu

(時空間忍術の秘密, Jikūkan Ninjutsu no Himitsu)

Author: Masashi Kishimoto
Arc: Shinobi World War Arc
Volume: Uncategorised

JUDGE DREDD: Day of Chaos (Comic Review)

2000AD #1743 - The start of Days of Chaos.

JUDGE DREDD: Day of Chaos (from 2000AD.)




When I was a kid, around 9-10yrs old, my friend who lived directly across the street from us was a huge fan of the British weekly comic series. The two of us at such an early age began a love of a genre in entertainment that I wasn't even aware that I was in love with: Science Fiction. Sure we had our favourite TV shows like Knight Rider, Star Trek and Automan, but they were to us just the normal thing to watch.

My friend Regan was in love with the ABC Warriors which was a series that ran in 2000AD. He made sure he got every single issue of the weekly and so in turn I got to read it and for free. We had our own gang of two called the 'ABC Warriors', with out own clubhouse which his father and the two of us built. That was some 30 years ago.

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.

Comic Review : Vrica #3 (Chariot Comics)

Click to Enlarge!

Story : Aniruddho Chakraborty

Art : Tarun Kumar Sahu

[Editors Note : If you want earlier issue info first, check out Anant's review of #1)

VRICA is a series set in the burbs of New Delhi, born out of the minds of our friends over at Chariot Comics. The story revolves around a tactical response team that has in its midst a super-soldier, his origins shrouded in mystery and some confusing facts which I'm still figuring out.

Review : VRICA #1 (by Chariot Comics)

(click to enlarge)

Story : Katyayan Shivpuri, Aniruddho Chakraborty

Art : Pramod Bhramania

Editor : Aniruddho Chakraborty

Producer : Siddharth Vaidya

The comic book market in India, which is still in its nascent stage, is just like this very familiar city which we have so innocently encountered in texts, stories, tales, anecdotes and even myths and legends.

Yes my fellow Jedis and Siths, I am talking about the colossal City of the Gods. The Indian comic book market (and the industry) is like this behemoth city where the Gods and mythological creatures have literally galvanized all the creative processes. It is analogous to a city where Gods rule and those who have challenged their might have either gradually perished or caved ways for entries and additions of super natural elements and eventual manifestations of the almighty gods themselves. In such a precarious setting, Chariot Comics really tries to break the established existing norms and the so-called patterns. The poison Chariot picks for this herculean task is its first comic, titled VRICA #1.

So what is VRICA??

Reviewed : Transmetropolitan Vol. 1 - Back on the Street

Transmetropolitan, Vol. 1: Back on the Street by Warren Ellis

(Publisher : DC/Vertigo)

"After years of self imposed exile from a civilisation rife with degradation and indecency, cynical journalist Spider Jerusalem is forced to return to a job he hates and a city he loathes. Working as an investigative reporter for the newspaper The Word, Spider attacks the injustices of his surreal 23rd century surroundings. In this first volume, Spider ventures into the dangerous Angels 8 district, home of the Transients - humans who have decided to become aliens through cosmetic surgery. But Spider's interview with the Transients' leader gets him a scoop he didn't bargain for."

Absolutely frikkin brilliant this is!

This is the book that made me bow my head and acknowledge the genius that is Warren Ellis.
Granted the man is so slow and annoyingly delayed as a writer (especially these days) that you want to pull your scalp off along with you hair but there is no denying that he can create stories and ideas that are beyond amazing and so damn good that you can't help but wait for the next one regardless of how long it takes!

Review: Avengers vs. X-Men #5

A quick disclaimer before we start : It’s a little difficult to talk about this issue without dealing with the big elephant in the room spoiler regarding the identity of the new host of The Phoenix. He/she/they/it/I won’t be named here, but it’s safe to call this one a total game changer and a twist worthy of the first act of this massive story.

Special Review : Avengers vs X-Men #4

Marvel’s latest summer crossover event has gotten into high gear this week, with the launch of fan favourite writer Jonathan Hickman and industry legend John Romita Jr.’s Avengers vs X-Men #4, an issue that attempts to put all the cards on the table and setting up the conflict for the next issue, which is set to serve as the conclusion of "Act I" of the event.

Review : Odayan #1-4 (Level 10 Comics)

Story/script : Suhas Sundar
Main Art & Colour : Deepak Sharma
Greyscale : Santosh Pillewar
Letters : Raghavendra Kamath

Odayan at first glance seems to be Level 10’s answer to Alan Moore’s V for Vendetta. It is actually a well-written, classic tale of revenge and the restoration of power, incorporating very delicately the elements of surprise, deceit, suspense and valor. It is perfectly illustrated to compliment the excellent writing, introducing certain nuances which distinctively define the theme, showing the inspiration and the influences.

[Editors Note: Some minor spoilers, you have been duly warned!]
 

The series starts off with a bang, very smartly using elements of mythology, history and here-say to create a backdrop for a complex saga. It introduces us to the main protagonist – Odayan – who with his mysterious origins, killer instinct, rebellious ideals and a little narcissism, becomes an instant hit with the reader. We see his impeccable skills while he duels with and beheads a father whose son would play a major role developing an ideology, similar in certain ways to the one that is instilled in Odayan himself.

Review: Mother Teresa of Calcutta

Writer : David Michelinie
Story : Father Roy Gasnick
Artists : John Tartaglione, Joe Sinnott



When I was a teenager, as a rule, I would not purchase comics made as biographies and autobiographies. I grew up reading a comic series from India called Amar Chitra Katha that introduced young readers to the history, mythology and culture of India. There were a gamut of stories, but I usually preferred the folktales as they were stories - escapist literature.

Review : Ravanayan #5 (Holy Cow Entertainment)

(click to enlarge)

In terms of the actual chronological events of The Ramayan, this issue reaches the milestone where Ravan kidnaps Sita using Mareech as the decoy/sacrificial lamb and kills the vulture warrior Jatayu, nullifying any efforts made to prevent Sita's abduction. This issue also presents a take on the fight between Mayavi and Vali which, as we all know, caused the bad blood between the Vanar brothers Vali and Sugriva, eventually leading to Lord Ram defeating Vali and as a result winning the support of the powerful Vanar army.
So, according to Vijayendra Mohanty (a.k.a, “the writer”) it was Ravan who lays the seeds of enmity between the Vanar brothers. It was Ravan who used Mavayi as a mere pawn to create the perfect misunderstanding. 

(click to enlarge)

Special Review: Avengers vs X-Men #2

 

(click to enlarge)

Story : Jason Aaron (script); Jason Aaron, Brian Michael Bendis, Ed Brubaker, Jonathan Hickman & Matt Fraction (story)

Art : John Romita Jr. (pencils), Scott Hanna (inks) and Laura Martin (colours)

After Brian Bendis set the stage for this epic conflict between two of Marvel’s biggest franchises a mere fortnight ago, this week sees the launch of Avengers vs. X-Men #2, with John Romita Jr. continuing on artwork.

The issue mainly features an out and out brawl between the two teams on the shores of Utopia as the Phoenix Force draws nearer to the Earth.

Review: Captain Gravity And The Power Of The Vril

Captain Gravity And The Power Of The Vril!!

Sounds like something out of a 1940’s or 50’s television or radio serial doesn’t it?

Click to Enlarge

You can almost imagine the guy shouting “Same Vril time! Same Vril Channel!” at the end of every episode.

And you really almost can, until you sit down and read this wonderful mini-series from the ever fertile mind of one of my favourite comic creators of all time - the reclusive Joshua Dysart. Eisner-award nominated writer, NY Times best seller and border-line cult figure to those familiar with his work, Dysart has made a reputation for great stories and ideas often fantastic in their lack of outer complexity, yet containing a darker themed core within. His comics tend to be explorations of the human condition and more often in regard to our violence and fascination with it and with human horror. His works such as Violent Messiahs (which I plan to write about soon, I promise!) are almost seminal works in their own unique ways.

Never over-the-top or disgusting or disturbing, Dysarts work simply leaves you wanting more and yet happy to be finished at the same time. But still able to be read over and over. To me that puts him in a league all his own in terms of being a story-teller.

This particular series however, reads a little bit different from his usual work and is a tad less dark - partly that’s because this series is a beautiful little love-letter to the golden age of comics and characters like The Rocketeer, Buck Rogers, Phantom and even a touch of stuff like Indiana Jones in the way it’s all told. (Woohoo!!) And given that he has worked not just on offbeat stuff like Swamp Thing or on more mainstream superheroes, but his previous experience in pulp icons like Conan and Hellboy show that he is no stranger to the style and sensibility.