Homage Covers: Amazing Fantasy #15

Homage Cover is comics term that refers to the intentional copying of a cover from an earlier comic book or graphic novel that references the Original Artist...

This is generally done to pay tribute to the creators or create a parody. One of the most frequently homaged covers include the debut of Spiderman in Amazing Fantasy #15....

Have fun going through these covers!!




This is the original folks!!


Homages Below:

Aalok Deciphers DC: Review of Man of Steel Vol 1

Through this column we plan to review and analyze every major event and comic series within DCU since COIE, in the hopes that this becomes a  road map of sorts to the continuity laden streets of DCU. 
If you are an old fan, come enjoy reminiscing with us through the good and the bad DC had to offer.
If you are an old fan getting back into comics , let us help you get upto date sequentially 
If you are a new fan you will get our help in unraveling the mysteries of current DCU
If you are not reading DC comics, let us tell you why you should be.

We started with COIE ( here and here )

SUPERMAN: THE MAN OF STEEL VOL 1

Writer: John Byrne
Artists: John Byrne & Dick Giordano
Collects: miniseries MAN OF STEEL 1-6

In Crisis on Infinite Earths, Marv Wolfman & George Perez said goodbye to the Superman of Earth - 2. Subsequently, Alan Moore and Curt Swan in their quintessential WHATEVER HAPPENED TO THE MAN OF TOMORROW? said goodbye to the Superman of Earth - 1, serialized in 2 issues of the monthly Superman titles, SUPERMAN & ACTION COMICS.

But the task of handling and defining the NEW Superman was given to John Byrne. He wrote and pencilled a 6 issue mini series called MAN OF STEEL. The inks were provided by Dick Giordano, longtime Batman penciller. In those 6 issues he completely revamped Superman for a larger audience.

In these 6 issues, he introduced the new Clark Kent, Ma & Pa Kent, Lana Lang, Lois Lane, Batman, Lex Luthor and Bizarro. He made the characters slightly different from the classic iterations.

Let me explain in detail. The story starts with a 8 page look at the sterile world New Krypton has become. Jor El claims that the planet is in danger of getting destroyed only due to the tampering of Nature by the Kryptonians. He tells Lara that there is no other option but to send their child to Earth. Lara expresses her discontent as in how primitive Earth is but agrees when Jor El tells her that he will have amazing powers under the yellow sun. The craft is sent as Krypton explodes.
Cut to a scene of a Smallville football game which Clark wins almost single handedly and Pa Kent expresses his disappointment at that. It is then that Pa Kent reveals that he came to Earth in a spaceship and shows him the craft. What follows is a summary of how his powers manifest, one by one and how he gradually learns to control them. he finally makes the decision of leaving Smallville and go out into the world to see how his powers can help other people. 
He returns once when he is "outed" in Metropolis while saving a Space plane from crashing. Lois happens to be aboard that plane and thus we see the briefest first encounter between Lois & Clark. Clark doesn't have a costume, yet. When everybody swarms him with offers, he becomes so disillusioned that he returns to Smallville to his parents for advice. Pa & Ma Kent then design a costume for him, along with a secret identity. 

And this was just the 1st issue. This is the origin of Superman, complete in one issue! The rest describe his first encounters with people who will subsequently form an integral part of his life. 

Next comes Lois Lane. we see an account of how Lois chases Superman around the city just to miss him every time until she performs a stunt - drives her car off the pier in hope that Superman will come to help her  (she had an air bag ready in her car in case she doesn't). The issue ends with her being scooped by Clark Kent and this makes her furious. 

The Third issue is the supposed first interaction between the world's finest. Superman doesn't like Batman's methods which brings him into conflict with him. When Superman tries to bring Batman in, he states that he has built a field around him which would send out a signal to a detonator planted on an innocent person. If Superman would breach the field. that person would die. Thus begins a reluctant partnership, to capture a female called Magpie who is responsible for a rash of robberies and murders in museums, exhibitions and jewelery stores. How they deduce Magpie's identity and Superman learns that Gotham is not Metropolis and requires a different approach is worth reading.

The next issue sees Lois coming to Clark Kent's place to pick him up for a yacht party hosted by the billionaire Lex Luthor. suddenly, the party is interrupted by Brazilian mercenaries until Clark turns into Superman to save the day, which is when Luthor tears him a check and offers to put him on retainer. It is then we learn that the mercenaries were hired by Luthor himself in the hopes of attracting and testing Superman. The mayor orders superman to arrest Lex Luthor. Thus is born the eternal conflict between Luthor & Superman.

BIZARRO is an imperfect clone of superman, commissioned by Lex Luthor and created by Sydney Happersen in a laboratory. It is junked when the odd creature is far too imperfect for Luthor's requirements. Bizarro knows Superman's secret identity and shows up dressed as Clark Kent at the Daily Planet. Lois' sister, Lucy Lane is shown as being blind from an accident. Only when her eyes come into contact with some "strange dust" from Bizarro is she able to have "flashes" of sight. the issue ends with her sight being totally restored when Bizarro explodes at the end of his battle with Superman.

In the final issue, Superman returns to Smallville and courtesy a holo simulation learns about his true Kryptonian heritage and sees his biological parents for the first time and has a reunion of sorts with Lana Lang, his childhood sweetheart who always had pinned her hopes on being Mrs Clark Kent. In the end Superman realizes that while he was born in Krypton , it is Earth that makes him human.

Comments:


Some differences from Pre-Crisis stories:

-This one skips all the action of Jor El learning about Krypton's imminent destruction and visiting the Science Council and his pleas to make plans for the relocation of all Kryptonians. It begins just before the death tremors of Krypton.
-Clark Kent was never Superboy. He started using the costume as an adult.
-Ma & Pa Kent are alive when Superman is an adult.
-Byrne made it pretty clear where he was going with Lois and Lana and that he intends for Lois to be his sweet heart.
-Lex Luthor is a businessman, not a mad scientist.
-No Bizarro World.
-We see the Kent scrapbook for the first time when Ma Kent collects the newspaper articles of Clark's feats when he wasn't Superman but still helping the world in the best way possible.

Upside:
-Byrne's clean art is gorgeous, the Giordano inks also help. The storytelling represents a fresh take, also we see where decompressed storylines began, not so much here as in Batman Year one.
-Ma & Pa Kent are alive. I think he makes a better Superman with his parents to help out.
-Lex Luthor becomes more realistic here. He has the potential to become much more than a common crook.
-The portrayal of Batman here and in Batman: Year One is one that made him return to his grim n gritty roots. That has given us many great stories subsequently.

Flipside:
-No Bizarro World
-Lucy Lane regaining her sight from exposure to some "strange dust" is a stretch. No explanations given.

Rating: 8 stars out of 10
Contains full covers, 14.99 $


Next up: A Roadmap of sorts for DCU !! 

Stewart's Slate : Review of Punisher - In the Blood

Punisher: In The Blood
5 part mini series (currently ongoing. issues 1 and 2 available now)

Writer: Rick Remender
Art: Roland Boschi/Dan Brown

Review of First two Issues by Stewart Loud

Punisher: In The Blood picks up right where Franken-Castle left  (check review of frankencastle here !)  off with The Punisher returning to the streets of New York 100% human to once again take on the criminal underworld and in particular track down his old partner Microchip who after being resurrected by The Hood during the Dark Reign had worked with The Hood against The Punisher and played a part in the attempted resurrection of Franks family.

Frank's still paired up with his most recent sidekick the young, talented computer hacker Henry, who uses information technology to track down leads and bad guys and point Frank in the direction the bullets need to be sprayed. This is a tried and tested formula and it's one that works well. I don't believe that Frank couldn't find shit out without the help of a computer savvy assistant but it saves a lot of time for good story development and action if he's just told where he needs to be next.

I've said it before and I'll say it again. Rick Remender writes great Punisher! Even though this story takes place within the main Marvel universe and features the Batman style Punisher cycle motorbike with a great big skull on the front (I love it! And why shouldn't he have one? It's just too cool not to!) and it does occasionally feature some of Marvels more colourful characters, it's so dark and gritty and the Punisher's dry inner monologue is so good that it almost feels like one of the MAX story lines from back before Garth Ennis left. The opening scene in the prison could be a scene straight from the acclaimed Punisher: The Cell, one shot. Without all the bad language of course.

Remender's writing is backed up by some great artwork from Roland Boschi. The shadowy visuals often illustrated from interesting perspectives really make every scene look like something from a well directed movie and every page oozes atmosphere.

I don't want to give to much away but there's also a brilliant bit where one of the characters attempts to explain why the people who've worked with Frank over the years were compelled to do so even when they new it could cost them so dearly.

If you're a fan of The Punisher then this is essential reading and if you're not but you like good crime/vengeance stories then it's still definitely worth a look. Weather the rest of the series is as good as the first 2 issues remains to be seen but I can't fault what they've done so far.

SCORE (for #1 and #2) 9/10

Exclusive: Preview of Comix.India Volume 4

For people who do not know, Comix.India is a print on demand comic anthology which has already released three volumes and in on track to release a 4th one this Jan.

The snippet below is from their website here

What does Comix.India hope to achieve?
The idea behind the magazine is to create a space where both new and experienced comic authors can show their work, interact with other comic creators, and build a culture of buying and reading comics that is not restricted to any one target audience or genre.

A self-published magazine does not have the pressure of recovering investments, so comic authors can afford to take a few risks, which is desperately needed if we want to foster the comic medium in India. We need hundreds of comic authors, and this magazine can give an opportunity for new voices. The magazine will not be out of circulation, since it is not printed until someone orders it. Since distribution is internet-based, the potential audience for the magazine is worldwide, not just India.

The magazine hopes to be a platform for talented new comers as well as experienced pros wanting to have some fun. With future volumes, the magazine can only get better, and comic authors will learn from experience. The COMIX.INDIA Forum is always available for feedback and peer reviewing of the works. The magazine has the potential to be produced bi-monthly or even monthly, as a mainstream magazine with ads, sold in news stands.

So if you haven't already got on board, please do. This is an experiment which requires all of us to contribute to develop more meaningful comics/graphic novels in India.

Comix.India has gracioulsy shared these exclusive preview images for their upcoming volume
Please clik on them to see them in full size..

Stewart's Slate : Review of Authority vol 4

The Authority Book 4: Transfer Of Power

Writers: Mark Millar, Tom Peyer
Art: Frank Quitely, Arthur Adams, Gary Erskine, Dustin Nguyen


The fourth and final Authority book that Mark Millar had a hand in writing is undoubtedly the best so far!

After the Authority spent the previous 3 books saving the world in the manner they thought best for the Earths population, whether they liked it or not, the worlds most powerful corporate elite strike back at them for endangering their interests. In keeping with the traditions of the series so far the resulting story is gripping, gritty, ultra violent and occasionally very, very funny. I've come to like the characters of The Authority a lot and I've never been more shocked and upset by things going badly for a team of super heroes than I was when I read this. And believe me it gets bad! Some of it really has to be seen to be believed. The twists and turns in the plot kept me on the edge of my seat from start to finish, and the second story of the book written by Tom Peyer is every bit as fantastic as Mark Miller and Warren Ellis' work on the series.

Despite so many different artists being involved, the artwork remains at a high standard throughout the book with crisp, clear characters and environments and fast, brutal looking action scenes.

although I've not read any further than this I understand that after this book the standard of the stories slips a bit as Mark Miller and Warren Ellis left the title but I've enjoyed the series and characters so much that I still intend to continue collecting the graphic novels so you can be sure of seeing more Authority reviews on the site if anybody wonders what their like.
If you like super hero comics but get frustrated when the heroes refuse to kill their opponents no matter how much they deserve it or how many horrible things they've done and just send the bad guys to jail without dishing out any kind of serious punishment then this series is for you. The first 4 books have it all. Incredible stories, dark humour, apocalyptic battles, great artwork as well as some blindingly original and unforgettable characters.

What I would say though, is start at the beginning with book 1. As trouser tremblingly good as book 4 is, it won't mean much to you if you haven't been following the series and getting to know the characters.
SUPER HERO COMICS DON'T GET ANY BETTER THAN THIS!

SCORE 10/10

Aalok Deciphers DC : Review of Crisis on Infinite Earths

CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS
Writer: Marv Wolfman
Artist: George Perez

First of all, this book is huge and takes a lot of effort to read. Part of it is due to the spotlight never remaining on a single character or group of characters and part due to the excruciating detail Perez puts in his artwork.

He literally packs crowds into a single panel that most artists today would use a full page.
If you don't still get the idea of how extensive this was, we not only have characters from different universes, dimensions but also different eras. For example:

ANTHRO, the oldest character Dc has ever published
BAT LASH, JONAH HEX , EL DIABLO ; other Westerns
SGT ROCK, HAUNTED TANK, GUNNER ; SARGE ; other war comics
KAMANDI, the last boy on Earth.

Mix everything....and....hoo boy I'm having trouble writing a review of this, imagine what it must have taken to write the whole thing!

The plot is fairly simple: An entity known as the Anti Monitor from the Antimatter Universe of Qward tries to annihilate all the other universes. His opposite member, the Monitor seeks to stop him with the help of his aide, Harbinger. She recruits the super heroes she requires to save the universe. On the Monitor's side are two other individuals, Alexander Luthor of Earth - 3 and Pariah, an individual whose coming to a universe indicates that that universe will be destroyed. However, the Anti Monitor recruits Psycho Pirate to help him and corrupts Harbingerinto destroying the Monitor.

The Multiverse exists because a rogue Oan scientist Krona attempts to go to the beginning of time to understand the secrets of creation. His tampering with the big bang creates the Multiverse. The Anti Monitor wants to travel to the beginning of time to stop the multiverse from being created. The big guns try to stop the monitor, but a few are destroyed. The significant ones include:
-Supergirl
-Flash (Barry Allen)
-Dove (Dan Hall)
-Clayface II (Matt Hagen)
-Mirror Master (Sam Scudder)
-Starman (Prince Gavyn)
-Lori Lemaris
-Wonder Woman
-Anti Monitor

Eventually the Anti Monitor is defeated and at the end, four characters, in the heat of the battle are sent to a "paradise reality" as Superman of Earth - 2 fights the Anti Monitor for the last time. They are:
-Superman (Earth - 2)
-Lois Lane (Earth - 2)
-Alexander Luthor (Earth - 3)
-Superboy Prime (Earth - Prime)

Subsequently, new series were started. John Byrne did Superman, Frank Miller , David Mazzuchelli did Batman, George Perez & Greg Potter did Wonder Woman, Mike Baron & Jackson Guice did Flash.

The Crisis was not completely successful, due to reasons I will explain in the individual series as and when they are reviewed. For now:
-It did not do away with temporal inconsistencies
-There was no uniformity in memory. Some people (like the Psycho Pirate) remember the Crisis. Some others remember a flash and red skies. It was never really established who are supposed to remember the Crisis.
-The reboot of all the characters did not start at a single time. Initially only the Trinity was given the series. Subsequently Hal Jordan kept appearing in his title as clockwork and was reinvented later only in EMERALD DAWN. HAWKMAN was reinvented later in HAWKWORLD (1990)
and AQUAMAN in 1993 (AQUAMAN: TIME AND TIDE). But there was still a Hawkman between 1985-1990. Later, writers found a way about this, but at the moment, it was sloppy planning.
As of now

Crisis on Infinite Earths, is a masterpiece for the sheer beauty of the art and the huge cast of characters and admittedly this was the first "comic event", which makes it noteworthy


Rating: 7.0 on 10

Up next:
SUPERMAN: THE MAN OF STEEL VOL 1 by JOHN BYRNE
BATMAN: YEAR ONE by FRANK MILLER &  DAVID MAZZUCHELL

How to prevent Brain Damage: A Deadpool Perspective

Haven't written or spoken about Deadpool in a long time.. was feeling brain damaged myself..

so this post to rectify that...

M out!