Adam Graham's Blog: Christians and Superheroes, page 43

Book Review: Batman: The Jiro Kuwata Batmanga, Vol. 3

Batman: The Jiro Kuwata Batmanga, Vol. 3 by Jiro Kuwata

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


The final volume of Bat Manga offers a lot more of the same. We have mad scientists (who are look very familiar) and we have insane schemes. Some of the stories are a bit tired like the first tale, "The Crimes of Planet King." It's yet another battle between Batman and a crook for the sake of it with very little hook.

"Robot Robbers" is a bit more interesting though with a big plot flaw. "Clayface Encounter" is an interesting Japanese take on Clayface and it works pretty well. "The Robbery Contest" finds Gotham in the midst of contest by criminals for the most outlandish robberies and Batman's caught in the middle. "The Mysterious Catman" finds Batman and Robin facing a Cat-based villain with a secret. The ending's kind of confusing, but other than this, it's okay.

"The Phantom Batman," has a good mystery where Batman and Robin are stopping crimes but the real Batman and Robin know nothing about it. "Duel in Space," finds Batman and Robin kidnapped and on another planet facing off against creatures with deadly powers who could kill them.

Overall, this book is fun. The situations are outlandish but the art is beautiful. The translations are good, with only one translation sounding awkward. If you love silver age Batman or Manga, this is a very worthwhile read.



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Spider-man: Homecoming Review

Just saw Spider-man: Homecoming and it was one of the most fun Marvel movies I've seen in a long time. Probably most fun since Guardians of the Galaxy 1.

So, I'm going to give a review of what I thought worked and didn't work. Some spoilers ahead.

The Good:

---Start with the opening riff of the theme to the 1967 Spider-man Cartoon series awesome.
---Peter Parker as an average teenager is very well-conceived and better than the Amazing Spider-man. He's goofy, has immature moments and is absolutely lovable.
---Borrowing the idea of Spider-man having a chubby best friend from the Miles Morales comics. I loved the character and the relationship.
---The Tony Stark/Peter Parker relationship. If you watched Captain America: Civil War and even the first part of the Spider-man: Homecoming, you'd think that Tony was just using and dumping him, but he does really care and have a parental feeling for him. I loved the scene where Peter says he just wanted to be like Tony and Tony said that he wanted him to be something better.
---The Vulture in this film is one of the best and most morally complex villains in the Marvel universe. He has reasons for what he does and he goes on a journey.
---Captain America PSAs. Hilarious.
---The "Enhanced Interrogation" scene, is hilarious with a full on riff of Christian Bale's Dark Knight interrogation of the Joker.
---Having a movie show that with great comes great responsibility without having to say it.

The Bad:

---Michelle, "My friends call me MJ." No, the idea that this character is a substitute for Mary Jane Watson is absurd. She has an entirely different personality and an entirely different skillset than Mary Jane.
---While Aunt May nearly dropping the F-bomb at the end of the movie is kind of funny, it also shows how far Hollywood has gotten from the root of the character in the comics. Part of the responsibility that Peter had to deal with was the feeling that he needed to provide for his aunt because she was elderly and on her own. If you're going to change that, give her some dignity. The presence of Rosemary Harris in the first three films is a big plus.

The iffy:

---In the comics, Peter was a loner and outsider, mocked by all. Here's he given an entire geek culture with multiple roles and activities, many of which he's dumped for Spider-man. In one way, it's try to substitute that responsibility to friends and school for that to Aunt May. It works to a degree, but also changes the nature of the character a bit. It works in this movie, but as a traditionalist I"m iffy.

Overall, this is probably the most enjoyable Spider-man film for it's pure sense of fun. It

Book Review: Wonder Woman 77 Meets the Bionic Woman

Wonder Woman 77 Meets the Bionic Woman by Andy Mangels

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Confession: I've never watched either of the shows this book is based on. Getting into both is on my to-do list and after reading this book, that's even more true.

Prior knowledge of these programs is not required. to enjoy this and I enjoyed quite a lot. I've read a lot of these intercompany crossovers between DC and TV properties from the 1960s and70s.. This, by far, is the story that I enjoyed the most.

It avoids several tropes (no "superhero" battle between our protagonists) and it makes short shrift of Diana Prince's secret identity so that these two character can get to know each other, team up, and kick tale. Both are likable and fun characters to read. The art is gorgeous and vivid providing a nice almost painted feel to it.

The story itself is a typical yarn leading to Diana Prince and Jamie Sommers fictional top secret organizations to pool resources and thus they meet and go off to fight the bad guys, even taking a trip to Paradise Island where Jamie is most welcome.

The book does have a few portions that are backstory and consequently dialog heavy, particularly as the villains lay out who they are, but that's to be expected with these events.

Overall, this was a lot of fun and might even more so for those who are fans of the series.

****I received a free digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review from Net Galley****



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Book Review: Superman Reborn

Superman Reborn by Dan Jurgens

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Through the first months of DC Rebirth, there's been a big question as to who is Clark Kent and then there's the big Universe bending mystery of what Doctor Manhattan and any other big bads behind the New 52 did.

This book answers the Clark Kent question. It crosses over both Superman (Issues 18 and 19) and Action Comics (973-976) and brings Superman and Superboy face to face with an old enemy and teases even more the final truth behind Rebirth. The Kent family is central to this story, particularly Jon. In the middle of the arc, his parents face losing him forever, but it's in the finale that he really shines through in a conclusion that is just epic. Easily Jurgens' best work in Rebirth.



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Book Review: Doctor Who Series III, Vol. 2: The Eye of Ashaya

Doctor Who Series III, Vol. 2: The Eye of Ashaya by Andy Diggle

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This book collects Issues 5-8 of the IDW's Third Doctor Who Series, the second featuring the 11th Doctor along with a story from Doctor Who Special 2012.

First up is the Eye of Ashaya that finds the Doctor, Amy, and Rory on board a spaceship along with Lady Christina De Souza from the Planet of the Dead. This is a very fun romp/mystery on a ship with a surprise twist ending.

Next up is Space Oddity which finds the Doctor without companions running into a Russian Cosmonaut on a mission that history tells us was officially cancelled but maybe it was because the Vashta Nerada was about. This is my favorite in the book. It's a suspenseful tale with a lot of nice twists thrown in.

The story from the Special is okay. It involves a planet of would be time travelling Bird people and the apparent involvement of Time Lords (even though this was a time when the Doctor was the last of the Time Lords.) It's a fun tale, if a bit rushed in less than 20 pages of length.

Overall, this was a very fun book and better than most Titan books put out.



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Book Review: Titans Vol. 2: Made In Manhattan

Titans Vol. 2: Made In Manhattan by Dan Abnett

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This book collects Issues 7-10 of Titans as well as the Annual #1.

Issue 7 is a one shot that is very effective. It finds Titans setting up housekeeping in Manhattan with Dick busy filling out the paperwork. Meanwhile, Donna and Roy begin to reconnect, and perhaps most significantly, Superman comes to visit Wally and as this Superman is the post-Crisis Superman, they share some good memories, it's a wonderful character driven story.

Issues 8-10 constitute a story arc where a former Titan named Mal has gotten rid of his superpowers for his family and his wife Bumblebee goes to explore the options. But it turns out the company that can remove superpowers is run by a team of ex-supervillains (or are they?) This wasn't great, but it was a good story. I liked how Roy took a key role on explaining how people generally turn their lives around and was able to speak to change.

There's also a rebirth holiday tale that's a fun New Year's Eve which also focuses on Arsenal on what New Years means to someone who's been in recovery. A good fun story.

The book concludes with an Annual which (unusually for DC) has the same creative and it's a big story that has Batman, Nightwing, Flash (Barry Allen), Flash (Wally West), Wonder Woman, and Donna Troy kidnapped by a villain and a sense that no one may know who is real. The story trades on tension and character development more than the comic book action and the villain. It all leads up to a pretty good revelation that serves as yet another clue to the events behind Rebirth.

Overall, this book is very good and a solid second volume for Dan Abnett on this title.



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Book Review: Batman/The Flash: The Button Deluxe Edition

Batman/The Flash: The Button Deluxe Edition by Tom King

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


The button collects Issues 21 and 22 of Batman and Issues 21 and 22 of the Flash and it begins with the Reverse Flash stealing the button from the batcave only to return later decrepit and near death saying he saw God.

The Button doesn’t really move us further along finding out the big mystery that was set up in DC Rebirth #1. If anything, we leave the book with more questions, questions that will hopefully be answered in Doomsday Clock.

The story is a nice crossover between the Batman and the Flash and both characters have some good character moments along with being given a merry time travelling chase. By no means is it a blockbuster or required reading, but it was a fun book that sets the stage for what’s to come.
Disclosure: I received a free copy of this book through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.




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Book Review: octor Who: The Twelfth Doctor Volume 5 - The Twist

Doctor Who: The Twelfth Doctor Volume 5 - The Twist by George Mann

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This book gives us two twelfth Doctor stories. First up is the Twist which a twisty shaped artificial world with a great punk scene where the Doctor finds a mysterious death leading to a mysterious group of aliens and the planet's origins. This is a typical Doctor Who story that captures the Twelfth Doctor's voice and introduces temporary companion Hattie.

The second story is a bit more interesting as the Doctor lands in an ever expanding house that's gaining extra rooms and a Mom looking for her family. This is a well-done with a likable guest protagonist and a nice twist. Hattie does well as the companion even though she brings out the Twelfth Doctor's inner Rocker, it's a fun read.

Overall, George Mann knows Doctor Who and this is a perfectly solid installment in the Titan Comics universe.



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Tick 2017 #1 Comic Review

I generally do not review single issues of comic books, but this I'm making an exception for, because it's obscure and it shouldn't be.

New England presents the Tick 2017 #1, the first ongoing Tick series we've had in years after a series of Free Comic Day books and an abortive series of crossovers in 2012 that didn't actually being concluded.



The book opens with "La Chambre Rouge," the main story which finds the Tick and Arthur on a cross country bus and then we learn why they ended up on the bus and it involves a fight with ninjas and murder clowns and the Tick taking a knock to the head that has him wondering about his secret origins and acting even more weirdly than usual.

This story works fairly well as an entry level Tick story. If you picked this up having watched the cartoon series, you'll know mostly what to expect. This is not the cartoon series and there are all sorts of rights issues with using characters, but it's got a very similar, very fun tone.

The initiated, the long-time readers will get an Easter egg or two as many of the Tick's behaviors can be explained by the unused character that Ben Edlund wrote when he created the Tick for New England Comics newsletter which makes the story having the Tick start speaking French or heading for the Rocky Mountains feel like a classic touch.

The art is decent. The backgrounds are so so, but the characters look exactly like what they should in a Tick Comic book.

The comic also has a six page back up story featuring the Tick and Arthur facing a ninja who's being all mysterious about a box. It' s a straightforward joke that develops over six pages. It's fun little extra.

Overall, the Tick 2017 starts off strong. There's some continuity going back to the 1980s and 90s, but it's not so thick that new fans will likely to be lost in in.

Overall rating:

8.5 spoons out of 10.

Book Review: X-Men First Class - Volume 1

X-Men First Class - Volume 1 by Paul Smith

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This book is an interesting collection as it contains writer Jeff Parker's top five favorite stories of the eight issues he wrote for the first X-Men: First Class mini-series, so this book contains Issues 1, 2, 4,5, 7 and a selection from the Annual.

The X-Men are a challenging to get into. There are so many characters, so many different versions of the team, it's hard to find how to get in. This book takes readers to the beginning-sort of-where there was only Professor Xavier and his five X-Men: Cyclops, Beast, Iceman, Jean Grey, and Angel. In many ways, this is similar to the Untold Tales of Spider-man concept from t 1990s which provided untold tales from Spider-man earliest except rather than taking readers back to the 1960s and giving that sort of feel, this book has the X-men's first adventures taking place in the then-present day.

Parker has the X-men meeting up with Doc Connor of Spider-man, Doctor Strange, and Thor. These stories are good. I think Parker makes them quite a bit more likable than they were the original stories, but I don't feel I ever really gained a lot of insight on to anyone except for Warren in Issue 7 plus most of the stories didn't have any sense of scale or real interest in the battles faced. Still, no issue was bad. The characters were fun. I liked the idea in Issue 2 of Scott and Jean being forced to take time off as the rest of the team wrestled with the Lizard.

Issue 7 is my favorite as Warren has been absent from class while Professor Xavier's been away and Quicksilver is out looking for his sister, The Scarlet Witch. The two events are tied together. The book explores Quicksilver's behavior which was meant to be protective in the Silver Age, but comes off as a bit controlling to modern readers. The story's got a great sense of fun and humor, just as Parker would later show on Batman '66 and Flash Gordon.

The short from the special deserves some praise. In it, Beast and Iceman go to the Museum of Curiosities to investigate a signal of mutant life. It's a very fun story with some surprising twists.

The rest of the book is fine and if you're a fan of Parker's other work, you'll like this too.



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