Post by ryokowerx on Sept 11, 2011 14:49:41 GMT -5
(cross-posted from my Facebook account. I hadn't originally intended on picking up all the new #1s but the 50% off deal at DCBS turned out to be too good to pass up. Feel free to discuss, agree or disagree)
So what the hell is this? I'm going to try to write a review of each of the new #1 issues put out by DC Comics. For those of you who don't know what I'm talking about, DC Comics (home of Superman, Batman, etc.) is completely restarting most* of the history they have established with their comic books since 1939. (* some continuity remains but all events that remain are considered to have happened within a five year span of time) If you're still confused, think of it as everything being set back to square one and all these superheroes are new things to show up rather than a given part of the world.
Anything I say from this point on is my opinion and reflects only my feelings. Please take your nerd rage elsewhere if you disagree or at least be civil in your disagreement.
NOTE: I have not read Flashpoint #5 which kicks off this new history so I'm going to try to approach these issues as if someone completely new to comics were picking them up for the first time. If you're interested in what I have to say, I'd encourage you to go to your local comic book shop (if you have one) or you can buy them digitally at Comixology (http://www.comixology.com).
PLOT SUMMARY:
Batwing fights off a guy named Massacre who just seems to want to kill anyone and everyone he runs across. We also get a brief cameo by Batman and flashbacks(?) to Batwing's time on the African police force before they're killed. Yep. That's pretty much it. Other things may have happened but I was too confused to know (more on that later).
THE ART:
The art by Ben Oliver is just gorgeous and special praise to Brian Reber for his coloring work needs to be pointed out. There are, however, a few points in the book where the digital coloring by Reber actually detracts from the comic because it looks digital and draws attention to it. It's almost enough to lessen some of the sins of the writing but not quite.
THE STORY:
The writing is done by Judd Winick and is just one hot mess. The dialogue in the first few pages was pretty bad and cliche. It got better as it went along but the true crippling flaw of the comic is that events in the comic jump around in time and there is no indication of when this happens outside of a single "six weeks earlier" on page six. I'm alright with this but nothing seems to transition back so the reader is left to assume the rest of the events of the comic happen in the past but it doesn't read that way. Ordinarily this is just confusing but, when it throws off your entire understanding of what is going on in, it becomes less of a irritant and more of a object of disgust. There is this guy Massacre and he kills a drug gang and leaves their beheaded bodies in a pile. Among them is a ex-superhero. Then the police precinct Batwing works undercover in is killed as well and I have no idea if this all happened before or after what happened at the beginning of the comic. I wanted to like the comic but I'm just lost on what happened when.
VALUE FOR YOUR MONEY:
Batwing retails for the lower $2.99 price but I honestly can't recommend buying it. The art is very good and the story might have had enough hooks in it to get me interested but I just found myself distracted trying to place events in proper order and completely unable to do so. I don't know if it was poor writing or a poor job by a editor. I won't be getting #2.
NEXT WEEK:
Batgirl #1, Green Arrow #1, Hawk and Dove #1, Justice League International #1, Men of War #1, O.M.A.C. #1, Static Shock #1, Stormwatch #1 and Swamp Thing #1.
BATWING #1
So what the hell is this? I'm going to try to write a review of each of the new #1 issues put out by DC Comics. For those of you who don't know what I'm talking about, DC Comics (home of Superman, Batman, etc.) is completely restarting most* of the history they have established with their comic books since 1939. (* some continuity remains but all events that remain are considered to have happened within a five year span of time) If you're still confused, think of it as everything being set back to square one and all these superheroes are new things to show up rather than a given part of the world.
Anything I say from this point on is my opinion and reflects only my feelings. Please take your nerd rage elsewhere if you disagree or at least be civil in your disagreement.
NOTE: I have not read Flashpoint #5 which kicks off this new history so I'm going to try to approach these issues as if someone completely new to comics were picking them up for the first time. If you're interested in what I have to say, I'd encourage you to go to your local comic book shop (if you have one) or you can buy them digitally at Comixology (http://www.comixology.com).
WARNING! SPOILERS OFF THE PORT BOW CAP'N!
PLOT SUMMARY:
Batwing fights off a guy named Massacre who just seems to want to kill anyone and everyone he runs across. We also get a brief cameo by Batman and flashbacks(?) to Batwing's time on the African police force before they're killed. Yep. That's pretty much it. Other things may have happened but I was too confused to know (more on that later).
THE ART:
The art by Ben Oliver is just gorgeous and special praise to Brian Reber for his coloring work needs to be pointed out. There are, however, a few points in the book where the digital coloring by Reber actually detracts from the comic because it looks digital and draws attention to it. It's almost enough to lessen some of the sins of the writing but not quite.
THE STORY:
The writing is done by Judd Winick and is just one hot mess. The dialogue in the first few pages was pretty bad and cliche. It got better as it went along but the true crippling flaw of the comic is that events in the comic jump around in time and there is no indication of when this happens outside of a single "six weeks earlier" on page six. I'm alright with this but nothing seems to transition back so the reader is left to assume the rest of the events of the comic happen in the past but it doesn't read that way. Ordinarily this is just confusing but, when it throws off your entire understanding of what is going on in, it becomes less of a irritant and more of a object of disgust. There is this guy Massacre and he kills a drug gang and leaves their beheaded bodies in a pile. Among them is a ex-superhero. Then the police precinct Batwing works undercover in is killed as well and I have no idea if this all happened before or after what happened at the beginning of the comic. I wanted to like the comic but I'm just lost on what happened when.
VALUE FOR YOUR MONEY:
Batwing retails for the lower $2.99 price but I honestly can't recommend buying it. The art is very good and the story might have had enough hooks in it to get me interested but I just found myself distracted trying to place events in proper order and completely unable to do so. I don't know if it was poor writing or a poor job by a editor. I won't be getting #2.
NEXT WEEK:
Batgirl #1, Green Arrow #1, Hawk and Dove #1, Justice League International #1, Men of War #1, O.M.A.C. #1, Static Shock #1, Stormwatch #1 and Swamp Thing #1.
