Writer: Ed Brubaker
Artist: Sean Phillips

The creative team of Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips bring their noir sensibilities and mixing in a little bit of horror and fantasy with their newest project, Fatale. When Nicholas Lash meets a strange young woman at his godfather’s funeral, he finds his life taking some unexpected turns, and wonders if it has anything to do with a novel his godfather wrote three years before he was ever published.

Having never been a fan of Phillips artwork before, I was surprised at how much I enjoyed it through out the book. There’s impressive amount of detail, and the overall composition in most of the pages helps to move the story along. It’s very evocative of pulp detective tales of the 40s and 50s. The art is especially effective when it comes to one particular scene, showcasing the mutilated bodies of a group of occultists. Not to mention an impressive splash page flashing back to World War II. The color work by Dave Stewart certainly helps to set the mood from one page to the next.

Storywise, Brubaker is all about the slow burn. We’re given just enough story to peak our interest, as we’re introduced to the beautiful Josephine, and Hank Raines, who’s looking to break a story on police corruption that might get both of them killed if he’s not careful. She warns him about Walter, a homicide detective she has a relationship with, the nature of that relationship still unclear. And despite his pregnant wife at home, Hank now finds himself inexplicably drawn to Josephine, and dead set on protecting her, should any danger cross her path.

The set up is all there for quite an intriguing series. It’ll be interesting to see what Brubaker and Phillips have in store for readers.

Verdict: B+

Say what you will about Marvel, but I still think the Ultimate line they created a decade ago was, and still is, one of the best ideas they’ve had in a good long while. For a time, it was interesting to see alternate versions of classic characters like Spider-Man, X-Men, and the Avengers. Creators like Brian Michael Bendis, Mark Bagley, Mark Millar and Bryan Hitch, and others, took these characters and put them in an entirely different light. . . . . and the whole Ultimate Universe would eventually become a clusterfuck of monumental proportions.

Nothing says gritty quite like the opening pages of Detective Comics #1, which features a naked Joker stabbing the hell out of a man who purports himself to be one of his biggest fans, clearly evidenced by the fact that he’s wearing a mask made out of skin, ala Leatherface! It’s all delightfully gruesome, as we’re reintroduced to the Clown Prince of Crime, as well as the Caped Crusader.

What makes this issue work so well is that, unlike titles like Justice League, which will probably spent the next two or three issues introducing all the characters to one another in the most forced and contrived ways possible, all Detective Comics has to do is focus on establishing Batman, which is done rather efficiently. What we have here is a first issue where stuff actually happens. Even with the story arc destined to span multiple issue, it’s balanced with some sense of a beginning, middle, and end to the one issue. Batman is obsessed with catching the Joker, and it’s made quite clear that for one, cops don’t like him, and two, this is a Batman that seems to genuinely regret not having a normal life. Missing out on dating seems to genuinely affect him. There seems to be less focus on him putting on a billionaire playboy front, choosing to portray him as someone frustrated that he doesn’t have enough time to be Bruce Wayne and he really wants to be. It’s impressive how well Tony Daniel illustrates this without over-selling it. It’s played more as something for readers to merely keep in the back of their minds, while the main story is going on.

And part of the story is establishing Batman’s relationship with Commissioner Gordon. De-aged to his ginger state, Gordon is still a man who believes in what Batman is trying to do, but makes it clear that it’s a balancing act for him, having to play to the loyalties of his police force, as well as thinking about the Mayor’s political interests. Both characters are still trying to prove themselves to one another, and it’s an aspect of the book I’m very much looking forward to.

Art-wise, it’s amazing to see just how much Tony Daniel has evolved (and continues to evolve) as an artist. For someone I honestly believed would be little more than a poor man’s J. Scott Campbell (and this was even before coming out with his “poor man’s Danger Girl” title, F5!), he’s managed to truly come into his own in the past few years. It’s a more restrained style that doesn’t skimp on the detail, grit and grime, that perfectly fits Batman. To say nothing of nods to the art of Dave Mazzucchelli and Dark Knight Returns-era Frank Miller that are present, but never overbearing.

While I’m still on the fence regarding DC’s bold relaunch, I’m more than happy to support the good books that come as a result, and Detective Comics is leading the pack at the moment.

Verdict: A-

The last week of the month is always a nice haul for comics, and even with February being the short bus month, we got some nice beginnings and one really lovely ending.

PICK OF THE WEEK:

Though not the most entertaining read of the week, the one that was the most powerful and memorable the most was Hickman’s elegant farewell to the fallen FF member. Fantastic Four #588 showed FF family and friends in their mourning, and my heart broke a bit for their anger and sadness. The book ended on a note of courage, when Spiderman explains to Franklin the duty of a hero to care for what he loves. The conversation was an echo of Uncle Ben’s “great power, great responsibility” speech, and made for one of those powerful, resonating scenes that make me glad that I read comics.

MUST READs:

DC’s best bet this week is Synder’s noir Batman, while Marvel offers up some choice bit with its Iron Man titles, and Age of X get a’rolling.

Detective Comics #874sets up the new arc involving the return of Commissioner Gordon’s criminally insane son. Synder write a really sympathetic Gordon, and Francavilla ’s soft, moody art suits the gravity of the story perfectly.

Invincible Iron Man #501 begins a new arc with Stark against a cankerous Dr. Octopus. Not much action took place thus far, but a dude rebuilding Broxton/Asgard—and rebuilding it green—is worth reading about even when not punching out supervillians. While Stark’s gone all small-business in the main Iron Man title, Iron Man 2.0 #1 features War Machine as the Iron Man in the system. Hats off to Spencer’s promising Marvel debut, with its engaging premise (tech and the military) and a suspenseful plot about undead rogue technology.

This week, Carey kicks off his gloomy alternative future where mutants are being oppressed (surprise) to the point of near extinction with X-Men Legacy #245 and New Mutants #22. The story itself isn’t particularly radical, but it is fun to read re-imagining of classic heroes—particularly in the X-Universe where the cast is so diverse. I <3 Rogue as Legacy.

GOOD READs:

Gotham City Sirens #19 was a fun little read, quick and possibly a little forgettable. Really like Calloway’s comparisons of Catwoman and Batman’s relationship to that of Joker’s and Harley’s.

I dropped the Conan series a while back during Cimmerian, because all Conan stories are the same Conan story. That said, King Conan Scarlet Citadel #1 reminded me that a distinctive pleasure to be found in cheesy machismos. It is like going to Medieval Knights and eating chicken with your bare hands.

… AND DISAPPIONTMENTS:

The biggest disappointment was Cornell’s Action, which has declined steadily since its promising start. Now, Lex Luthor’s not that complicated, Larfleeze is not that complicated. Yet somehow, I had no idea what went on Action Comic #898… probably a whole lot of nothing?

Thor #620 is almost too epic to be interesting. Pascal’s art is beautiful and Fraction has greatly improved his God-Speak, but this issue has no story. It was just Odin with his crazy-man beard, doing gloriously violent battle for twenty pages, and.. FIN.

Morning Glories #7 focused on Jade, the cheerleader-princess-bitch, and once again, was all setup and no explanation. I did learn that Jade, the current issue’s focal point, is apparently Indian, and not Korean. Didn’t guess that from the art, all Asians must look the same to Eisma.

- – -

PCS WEEKLY PULL is fangirl Sirui reading comics and telling you want she thinks. She makes her list in Weekly Pull List and sums it up in Weekly Pull Scored. Shoot her an email if you got comments or suggestions.

Superherohype gives fans new photos for two upcoming Marvel films, with our first shot of Chris Evans in full Captain America garb, but the bigger news will arguably be the first official shot of Andrew Garfield in costume as Spider-Man.

In the case of the latter, having to follow-up the near-perfect comic-to-screen suit from Raimi’s films was an obvious hurdle to overcome, but it’s immediately recognizable as Spider-Man, with some subtle yet dynamic changes. And hey, it looks like he might even have mechanical web-shooters!!! So that right there is one thing some of y’all can’t bitch about like last time!!!

Writer: Fabien Wehlmann
Penciler: Sean Phillips

7 Psychopaths is a new series from BOOM! Studios set in London during the WWII. The British military thinks assassinating Hitler is either nearly impossible or would only serve to make him a martyr. Imprisoned religious history professor Joshua Goldschmidt has a different idea. He believes Hitler is the focus of the Nazi movement and his death would cripple the Nazis. To kill Hitler, he proposes that seven psychopaths are parachuted into Germany to carry out the assassination.

Working without official sanction to keep Nazi high command from getting wind of the plan, Schmidt and Colonel Thompson, a laughingstock of the military looking for respect, begin to put a team together. As seven is a recurring number in religious texts as a symbol of total victory, Schmidt believes it will have to be seven people (himself included) in total to achieve his plan and they need to be disturbed enough to be unpredictable to plan for. They begin by gathering a former member of the SS who thinks Hitler speaks to him telepathically, a suicidal pilot with rage blackouts and a compulsive liar/ con artist.

First off, Sean Phillips’ art style blends well with the story’s real world setting. He gives people realistic forms, but can pull off dynamic scenes. Wehlmann’s story immediately brings to mind Tarantino’s Inglorious Basterds, but with the mandatory minimum eight WWII-related games or movies that come out per year, any quick comparisons need to be thrown out. These aren’t soldiers looking for revenge. They’re mentally disturbed individuals being brought together to achieve the impossible. Considering the people around brought aboard, I’m eager to learn not only how the last candidates are afflicted, but how this plan can possibly succeed with such unstable personalities.

Rating: B+ Off to a great start and has the potential to be an excellent series.

Writer: Jeff Parker
Penciler: Humberto Ramos

Oh, boy. This is a doozy, even by Marvel standards. Backstory: a group of the smartest villains in Marvel have teamed up as the Intelligencia in a bid for world domination. The plan includes utilizing the brainpower of the smartest heroes (and Doom) to power their machines and making an army of mind-controlled Hulks from their soldiers and other, dumber heroes. Somehow it was necessary to create Red Hulk, who punches out cosmic beings, but is threatened by X-Force. Anyway, their plan is succeeding, and they hulk-up their army and the heroes who attacked their Hellcarrier. One of the heroes onboard: Deadpool, the justification for a 2-part, $8, and plot unrelated mini-series.

Hulkpool (seriously Marvel, you need to stop right now) decides he has to kill Deadpool because he’s the reason Hulkpool is the way he is. The ever on-hand Bob, Agent of Hydra (now A.I.M.) is going to help his buddy accomplish his mission, even though it’s completely insane. Using the time platform left for Thundra, Bob sends Hulkpool back in time since Deadpool would be impossible to find. Hulkpool comes across Thing in his Thingbeard the pirate adventure causing Ben to not return to his own time. Next he’s transported to WWII where he saves both Cap and Bucky from Baron Zemo’s missile. In fact, Hulkpool interrupts many of Marvel’s most historical moments. But no worries, JJ Abrams has the answer for this problem.

I’m conflicted about this mini. On one hand, it’s hilarious. Parker keeps the ridiculousness of the material ramped up. Considering the lead character, it was the only way to make this story work. Also, Humberto Ramos puts in some slick visuals. The action is dynamic and he is good at putting in sight gags without putting too much attention on them. On the other, this is supposed to be a tie-in to the FALL OF THE HULKS/ WORLD WAR HULKS storyline and it’s really not. The only connection is Deadpool being Hulked-up with no bearing on the Intelligencia’s plan or Banner and (ugh) Rulk’s counter. It’s just a way to draw attention to the storyline with Marvel’s newest cash cow.

Rating: B Don’t read this if you’re dying to know how it affects the Hulk storyline. Do read this if you’re a fan of Deadpool or Deadpool Team-up.

Writer: Ralph Tedesco
Penciler: Rearte

I honestly don’t know where to start. This series is the latest in a line dealing with sisters Mercy and Grace, whose parents were killed by an assassin. Mercy grew up to be a contract killer in a bellyshirt, who killed herself rather than kill the assassin’s daughter. The backstory is necessary since there’s also a woman named Sela Mathers, who “has the power to help people choose the correct path in life,” who sent Mercy back in time to undo killing that assassin’s daughter.

When we meet Grace, she’s suffering from amnesia from a car accident six months ago. She has bad luck as evidenced by her purse being knocked over and her cellphone stepped on. Despite never recovering her memory, she has a job as an insurance sales associate and a boyfriend of some time. The problem is that her boss is threatening to fire her if she doesn’t sleep with him and her boyfriend is an alcoholic who doesn’t take backtalk. Add to the fact that her therapist is making her take medication for hallucinations, and you can see why you would think she’s cursed.

Things get weird when, while riding the subway, she sees a passenger with a demon face and a blind guy tells her she needs to open her eyes, and that “they” would be coming for her. Immediately upon leaving the subway, she’s set upon by rapists. She arm drags one to the ground and scratches his face when he lunges for her again, making the reader wonder where was this Grace when she was getting felt up by her boss and smacked around by her boyfriend. The other rapist (they’re apparently twins since they’re drawn exactly alike) knocks her to the ground, and before he can get to work a gray-haired woman in a purple business suit shows up with a gun to scare them off. She’s the Sela who helped Mercy shoot herself in the previous mini, and she’s here to help(?) Grace.

I don’t think words can express how much regret I feel after reading this…whatever this is. It was like a Lifetime movie with big boobs. How does an amnesiac get a job and abusive boyfriend in six months? She couldn’t remember anything from before her accident. Who takes that as an acceptable work history? Her boss already knew about her medical bills. And wouldn’t that amnesia be a pre-existing condition? Ugh. Being cryptic in the beginning can be forgiven if it was so unoriginal. And the backstory! The only way for Mercy to stop herself was suicide? What about the time honored tradition of walking away? Just tragic writing. The art isn’t a complete waste, except for the fact that its being used to illustrate this mess. Grace seems to fall and pose seductively on purpose, making you wonder if maybe those rapists were just getting mixed signals. Because really, who gets sexually harassed, beaten by their boyfriend and attacked by rapists within 24 hours?

Rating: F Whoa Nelly, stay the hell away from this one.

Writters:  Mark Waid and Landry Walker
Artist: Marcio Takara

Man did I like this comic a lot.  This comic was fun and dope.  This issue was my first of BOOM! Studios’ Incredibles comic and they did make a fine impression on me. This comic felt very much like the film in terms of its wit and delivery. It also has that wholesomeness that really sold the concept of the family as a superteam. The plot of this issue is pretty simple; Elasti-Girl has to team up with Syndrome’s right hand girl to stop a recently resurfaced supervillain from her past.  The issue reads like a buddy cop movie since neither of them really likes the other for different reasons. The B-plot in this comic is Mr. Incredible dealing with the kids by getting Violet a job and having Dash go with him and Frozone on patrol to learn how to be a superhero. Those moments were really funny to me since it had this feeling of a good sitcom where the Dad is trying hard, yet failing to a certain degree with interacting with his children.

Marcio Takara’s art in this is really good. His figures stand out and emote well. None of the characters look off model.  The storytelling is done well enough so that the visual jokes pop like they are supposed to. The backgrounds, while not detailed, serve well to let you know a setting, which I must say for my tastes is all I really need. This comic is good if you want an entertaining super hero comic that doesn’t have anyone getting ripped in half, turned to salt, or an arrow in the dome. This comic is perfect to give to a kid, and have them experience some fine comic book fun.

Rating: B

Writer: Grant Morrison
Artists: Andy Clarke, Dustin Nguyen, and Scott Hanna

OH MY!

Read that in George Takei’s voice please.

That was this comic book this week my friends. Flyer than the rest of them. Like Bishop Don Magic Juan walking out of his green and gold Cadillac to enter the players ball. In 12 issues, Grant Morrison has crafted a Batman comic for the 21^st century. It’s full of new dynamics, new villains, and new settings. So I guess its recap time; We return to our Dynamic duo as Robin, who being controlled Slade by what I call his WiiRobin machine, created by Talia (Robin’s mommy dearest), is attacking Batman.  Batman being Batman figures out a quick way to take out Slade and save his partner.  The next part of the book, where Batman and Robin go to confront Talia and Slade, is one of the best parts of the series.  The scene in which Robin talks to his mother about her actions and disapproval of the life he choose is great, and really brings full circle what Morrison started with his first Batman arc, Batman & Son. He’s taken a kid that you weren’t supposed to like at all and humbled him, humanized him so now you really like Damian. Damian, like all Robins, has in his own way lost a parent. He hopes to be a worthy opponent for his mother since she basically disowns him for following the “circus boy” aka Dick Grayson into, for Damian, what is also the family business as much as assassination and evil-dom, crime fighting in a cape and mask. Andy Clarke shines in this scene as he perfectly shows how gosh darn crazy Talia is. She’s like the worst mother ever.

My other favorite scene is where Batman confronts Slade in a hospital bed after getting beaten thoroughly earlier. It’s interesting that he’s never referred to as Deathstroke in this comic. For me this calls back to the way Robin and Slade were depicted in the Teen Titans cartoons as being archenemies. Like Robin’s Joker. Now in that show, it’s never said that Robin is Dick, but it’s alluded to a lot. And I think Morrison is alluding to this cartoon in this issue.  It’s perfect how it alludes to the past 5 of so years of their fights and comes down to “I can drop you like bad habit at any time, old man”.

The last part of this book deals with the reveal of the Domino Killer and the return of a character to the book that isn’t Bruce Wayne, but just as important.  It was such a nice way to reveal something we’ve been seeing since the first arc.  Dustin Nguyen and Scott Hanna does a great job of keeping a consistent look to the comic with Andy Clarke only able to do 12 pages of pencils. I didn’t even notice it until someone brought it up to me.  The colors are a little bright for me at spots but not enough to take me out of this fine story.

So in the end why should you read this comic? I’ll tell you-Bat Electro knuckles punching ninjas in the face.

IN. THE. FACE.

Rating: S rank (higher than A)