DETECTIVE COMICS #1001 DC COMICS
The question here really is what can you do storywise after a huge milestone like a 1000th issue? That was the task that faced Peter J. Tomasi and Brad Walker. So first, they start killing off all the bats in Gotham! That’s one way to get ole Bruce’s attention. Then we see the rise of a new group of villains that are well equipped to face off against the gadgets and moves of the Dark Night. And while a nice attempt, I can’t help but notice the reusing of certain plot points and story ideas here. The Knights of the Sun have a good deal in common with Azrael and his religious cronies. We get the return of the female Man-Bat (Woman-Bat?) and we get to see Bruce fall to the Knights in a scene that reminds me of a condensed version of the Knightfall storyline. So some revisioning here but Gordon and Alfred’s humor and weary disgust are a great reminder why these secondary characters are still around. But proper respect for Walker’s page after page of dead bats everywhere. Having to draw that must have driven him … batty! I give it a 7 out of 10 Grahams.
INCREDIBLES 2 SECRET IDENTITIES #1 DARK HORSE COMICS
The problem was kids books that pick up after a movie is done, is that they go off in directions that don’t make sense or basically retell the movie. Luckily Christos Gage and Jean-Claudio Vinci know and understand the Incredibles Family. Picking up on Violet’s realization that she can’t relate any of the cool things she does as a super-hero to any of her friends acts as the perfect crossover for film to book. This book does everything right. From Violet’s reactions and realistic approach to sharing her identity to her families help and support, this story is very well done and the perfect follow up to the movie. I give it a 9 out of 10 Grahams.
D-DAY FROM THE PAGES OF COMBAT! ITS ALIVE PRESS
When Drew Ford and his people contacted me a while back to help them track down Sam Glanzman pages that were suitable for scanning, I fear I failed them miserably. However, it looks like they did have some success and I now can see the result from that search. This book is all about the art! Sam Glanzman was a top notch artist who excelled at the war genre and the proof is right here. And even though these pages were created in the early 1960’s they still house more raw emotion. From the smirk on the GI smoking a cigarette to the landing scenes at Normandy, there can be no doubt about Mr. Glanzman was a genius. This one-shot is a definite celebration of the man and his art. I give it a 10 out of 10 Grahams.
BETTIE PAGE #3 DYNAMITE COMICS
More adventure from the Secret Diary of Bettie Page. And as I have pointed out before, this story line, while playful about Bettie’s looks, develops Bettie’s character in a positive way. The Bettie Page portrayed here can hold her own against such characters as Indiana Jones or Lara Croft. This along with the humorous yet deadly nature of her adversaries makes this a great match up. The only question here is why aren’t you reading this book?! I give it an 8 out of 10 Grahams.
