The Dark Knight Rises - KnightQuest: The Search

DECIPHERING DC

Welcome to yet another edition of Deciphering DC. We continue our look at Knightfall, now focusing on KnightQuest: The Search. It follows Bruce Wayne and Alfred in their quest for Jack Drake and Shondra Kinsolving. This phase of the Dark Knight has never been collected, and chances are, it still won’t be.

The storyline crosses over three titles –

- Justice League Task Force issues 5 & 6 written by Dennis O’Neil (incorrectly solicited as David Michelinie on one cover) and art and covers by Sal Velluto

- Batman: Shadow of the Bat issues 21-23 written by Alan Grant, art by Bret Blevins and covers by Brian Stelfreeze

- Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight issues 59-61 written by Dennis O’Neil, art by Ron Wagner and covers by Norm Breyfogle

AvX Recap (#0-9) : Series In Review

AVENGERS vs X-MEN recap #0-9

Writers: Brian Michael Bendis, Jason Aaron, Ed Brubaker, Jonothan Hickman and Matt Fraction

Art: Frank Cho, John Romita Jr, Olivier Coipel and Adam Kubert

Published by Marvel Comics

Article by Stewart Loud

The X-men and Avengers have declared war on each other and the world as we know it is under threat of total destruction by an all powerful cosmic threat. It's a Marvel event, alright!

The Plot:

The Phoenix is returning. The X-men know it's coming and they know it's intended host is Hope Summers. Despite all the death, destruction and mess it usually causes, the X-men, in particular Cyclops, have decided this is a wonderful thing that could possibly bring back all the mutants again so the world can return to being the ultra dangerous and chaotic place it used to be, where any halfwit or psychotic murderer can be born with the powers to murder more people than they ever could have hoped for otherwise, before most of them were de-powered during House Of M.

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.

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: 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?

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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.

Grim and gritty in old Gotham (Series in Review: All-Star Western)

Welcome back to another edition folks, hope you enjoy what's on the menu.

Click for high-res!

Today we have a special series-in-review of one of the most acclaimed ongoing series to come out of DC comics recent reboot – one that in my opinion has not gotten the exposure it deserves, not by a long shot.

I refer of course to the sheer awesomeness that is All-Star Western. Penned by the suitably all-star team of Justin Gray and Jimmy Palmiotti who have been the minds behind the long-running series starring Jonah Hex that came to a stop only recently in light of the reboot of the whole DC line, both being highly respected and much-loved among fans for their consistently good story-telling. Joining them on art duties we have the exceedingly talented Moritat whom some of you will remember from the somewhat short-lived series The Spirit which was part of DC's “First Wave” line-up that tried to bring old classics like it and Doc Savage to new life.

In the past, Hex has always been a loner as a character and except for now and again, has largely stuck to more simply told tales and few team-ups as such. He's had series at DC and Vertigo both, travelled to a dystopic future, fought all manner of magical evils and monsters, been a down and gritty gun-slinger, a brutal bounty hunter but always a tough-as-nails man of his word – someone you don't want to get on the bad side of if it can be helped.

Web-comics: The Meek

Cover sampler for viewing pleasure

Today’s featured webcomic has a tad bit of a darker shade to it– blood is shed, the world is at stake, children have turned smugglers and a naked green-haired girl is relying on a lost man to find the center of it all.

Presenting ‘The Meek’ by Der-Shing Helmer, (popularly known as ‘alexds1’ on the internet) - a rather well known graphic novel, free for everyone to read on www.meekcomic.com, and an inspiring piece of work that is currently running in its 4^th chapter. The series as a whole was launched in 2009 and the creator has stated it will be posted online until it concludes.

Some wicked concept art!

Putting it simply, The Meek is about a young girl on a path to save the world. Angora is a determined little creature with moss-green hair who must find ‘the center’ before all of humanity is crushed in a war of the spirits.

The plot is split into three parts – three separate events taking place at the same time, each set of which is addressed in a different volume.

Action Comics #1-4: Re-Reviewed! (The New 52)

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WRITER: Grant Morrison

PENCILLER: Rags Morales

INKER: Rick Bryant

COLORIST: Brad Anderson

Well, first of all, this post was supposed to be up several days back, but due to the awesomeness of the comics (that we've will be reviewing recently), I actually re-read the first four issues again and again.

So, without further delay, I present you another round of Morrison's hit stuff – ACTION COMICS!

FIRST ENCOUNTER-

A Superman in a small-sized cape, old jeans and above all a T-shirt, didn't actually appeal to me much the first time I heard about him. But, whatever the dislikes might have been, I'm loving the new Supes!

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THE STORY-

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The first issue with two magnificent covers by Morales and Jim Lee, seems to be one of my favorite issue out of the four released so far.

The first few pages show us a totally new Superman. Long before he had even established people's faith for him, when cops didn't thank him but used every opportunity to (try to) catch him.
Now, that's a Superman everyone would eventually love to read.

The Supes we get to see here, is still a little immature at the SUPERMAN style of crime-fighting. Packed with an old Spider-man sense of humor and new ways of making people accept their crimes, it really is a must-read.

The Luthor here is a little chubby and Clark Kent has got baggy clothes(to hide his muscles) and doesn't work at The Daily Planet, but he works at it's rival - The Daily Star. I know, amused me quite a bit at first too.

The last pages of Issue One, shows us that while stopping a train, Supes is bloody, injured and unconscious.

SERIES IN REVIEW: Batman #1-3 (THE NEW 52)

WRITER: Scott Snyder

PENCILLER: Greg Capullo

INKER: Jonathan Glapion

COLORIST: FCO Plascencia

Before getting on with the review, lemme ask you something: 

Guess what happens when one of the most versatile comic book writer of 21^st century collaborates with one of the most stylistic and awesome artist on a major DC title? 

The answer's easy - the current BATMAN reboot happens.

HISTORY

One fine day, while surfing the net, I just came across a piece of news that shook me or maybe it shook my room, or maybe the world might have shook with the shakes inside the bodies of comic fans. The column read- DC Reboot

From what I remember the DC guys saying that following the 'Flashpoint' crossover, all the DC titles along with some new ones (totaling up to 52), will be relaunched from September 2011.

Like many others I too was both sad and extremely excited at the same time. So the only thing I could do at that time was hoping for the new ones to be as good as the it's predecessors. And on that point, I gotta say, I was not disappointed. Here's a review of one of my favorite character's relaunched comic.