Dark Knight III: The Master Race #3 - DC Comics

DARK KNIGHT III: THE MASTER RACE No. 3, April 2016

The top-selling book in March 2016, at least according to “Diamond Comic Distributors”, Issue Three of “Dark Knight III: The Master Race” must have proved a genuinely frightening reading experience for the vast majority of its 146,044 owners with an opening that sees an elderly, and evidently impotent, Bruce Wayne witnessing the atomic destruction of several major international cities as a result of Quar of Krypton’s much-maligned influence. Indeed it’s hard to imagine a more horrifying world than one in which super-strong flying ‘Gods’ can arbitrarily pluck hapless humans from the world’s surface, nonchalantly break their spines in front of a television cameraman, and then offhandedly allow the corpse to tumble back down through the clouds towards the ground far below; “People of Earth… It’s over. All of it. This is the end of your depression. Your shackles are gone. Fall to your knees…”

However, the harrowing sight of Moscow being flattened beneath a mushroom-shaped explosion is just the start of Frank Miller’s remarkably unpleasant vision of living (and dying) within his ‘Dark Knight Universe’, as the multiple Kirby-Award winner’s plot quickly establishes that the “broken” Batman is only going to be able to save the day by traipsing to Superman’s Fortress of Solitude in order to cajole the Man of Steel from out of his icy slumber. Dispiritingly though, even the Boy Scout’s colourful revitalisation and promise of righting wrongs is swiftly scotched and replaced with more maddening desolation, courtesy of Kal-El’s horrific realisation as to what “my people” have done during his absence, and his daughter’s subsequent defection to the side of the murderous Kandorians.

All of this desperation and despair is superbly rendered by Andy Kubert, “a veteran in the industry, but a newcomer to the Dark Knight saga”. In fact the America penciller’s exposure to the “old-timers” whilst studying “at my dad’s [Joe Kubert] school” has clearly enabled him to mimic the Maryland-born author’s easily recognisable old drawing-style to perfection, and his single splash depicting Superman effortlessly escaping his frozen throne simply by standing up is demonstrative of an illustrator operating at his professional best.

Equally as bleak and disheartening as this publication’s lead narrative, is its mini-comic concerning Hal Jordan’s initial meeting with three of Quar’s ‘daughters’ as they deface the Sphinx in Egypt. Initially bemused by the beauties sexually-charged request for him to change them and “make us surrender… to you”, Brian Azzarello’s script shocking turns very dark as John Romita Junior draws the Green Lantern suddenly having his ring-hand severed by one of the young ladies laser eye-beams.

Story: Frank Miller & Brian Azzarello, Pencils: Andy Kubert, and Inks: Klaus Janson

Moon Knight [2016] #5 - Marvel Comics

MOON KNIGHT No. 5, October 2016

Despite adopting a somewhat innovative story-telling technique by having a variety of artists independently illustrate each different personality of the schizophrenic titular character’s shattered psyche as he “run(s) for his life through half-remembered histories”, this concluding instalment of “Welcome To New Egypt” must still have come as something of a bitter disappointment to many of its “Moonies” with its disconcertingly indeterminate finale. Indeed, having seemingly thrown himself to a bloody death from atop a giant pyramid rather than ‘hand-over’ his body to “a weak, dying” Khonshu, and subsequently woken as “mister producer man” Steven Grant, complete with loving actress Marlene, Jeff Lemire’s plot would frustratingly seem to suggest that the Canadian’s entire multi-issue run depicting Marc Spector’s flight from Ammut and her dog-headed sanatorium servants has all simply been a dream; “You should get dressed. We have an early call time, remember… We’re shooting the pyramid scene today.”    

Such a surprise ending certainly supports the occasional cartoonist’s pre-publication promise that “many things (within the comic) will be open to interpretation as the series begins”, and additionally helps develop the ongoing mental mysticism surrounding the mercenary who once “died in Egypt under a statue of the Moon God”. But implying that the Crescent Crusader, Jake Lockley and the Knight of the Moon, as well as the titular character’s other psychologically unstable identities, are mere bedtime delusions disheartening erodes the strong sense of edgy purpose which the Ontario-born author had, up until this edition, so successfully imbued his main protagonist with. It also disappointingly doesn’t contribute towards “making definite statements about Marc’s mental state” as Lemire had assured his audience his work would.

Exaggerating this fractural fiction is the creative team’s decision to utilise “incredible” guest artists Wilfredo Torres, Francesco Francavilla and James Stokoe on the book alongside title regular Greg Smallwood. Such contrastingly-styled incorporations, which range from the comical to the vividly colourful, undoubtedly instils the twenty-page periodical with an altogether different dynamism to its preceding publications. Yet the decision to craft such a visually-choppy magazine must, with hindsight, be as unsettling a decision for Editor-in-Chief Axel Alonso, as that of allowing his writer to apparently malign the forty-year relationship between Spector and Khonshu and portray the Egyptian deity sadistically betraying his ‘loyal’ agent…

Writer: Jeff Lemire, and Artists: Greg Smallwood, Wilfredo Torres, Francesco Francavilla & James Stokoe

Doctor Strange [2015] #8 - Marvel Comics

DOCTOR STRANGE No. 8, July 2016

The twenty-sixth best selling book of May 2016, at least according to “Diamond Comic Distributors”, Issue Eight of “Doctor Strange” unquestionably must have initially excited the majority of its 49,427 strong audience with its depiction of the “archaeologist of the Impossible” scaling some crocodile-infested catacombs in order to “find every scrap of magic in the world”. Certainly the magazine's anxious, claustrophobically taut opening sequence, complete with gigantic spider-webs, bleached skulls, venomous snakes, and a pack of pursuing Witchfinder wolves, helps make the Sorcerer Supreme’s vain search for “a few crumbs of magic” an enjoyably tense read. 

Disappointingly though, all of this pulse-pounding action soon sadly evaporates once the former “preeminent surgeon” has safely returned to his comrades-in-magic, and the magnitude of their hopeless situation finally dawns upon Wanda Maximoff, Elizabeth Twoyoungmen and Médico Místico. Indeed, the moment the Scarlet Witch suggests that “this could always be the end. The end of us. The end of magic”, Jason Aaron’s narrative takes a depressingly dark turn for the worse dialogue-wise and arguably appears to simply run out of things for the title’s main protagonists to do… Apart from perhaps look aghast whenever someone mentions the ‘horrible thing kept with the cellar of 177A Bleecker Street, Greenwich Village, New York; “Just when you think things can’t get any worse… You remember there’s a monster in your cellar made entirely of pain and suffering.”

Admittedly the Alabama-born writer’s script for this final third of the twenty-page periodical isn’t entirely without its merits, with Wong’s humorous rescue of Zelma Stanton from a couple of globe-headed Empirikul eyebots using a fridge and two bowls of his master’s slimy-green soup, providing a modicum of amusement. But even this endearing scene is short-lived and soon forgotten when events strongly suggest that the Marvel Universe’s magical realms are disappointingly going to be ‘saved’ by the Sanctum Sanctorum’s secret ‘basement creature’ as opposed to the comic’s titular character himself.

Somewhat disconcertingly, Chris Bachalo’s artwork for this third instalment of “The Last Days Of Magic”, would also seem to suffer the same symptoms as Aaron’s increasingly tired plot. Chock full of numerous frantically drawn, terrifically-detailed panels, the Canadian penciller’s opening breakdowns are wonderfully dynamic and literally must have swept up any perusing bibliophile with its carousel of venomous vipers, magic-eating Een’Gawori slugs and Hellfire shotguns. However, as soon as the focus turns upon the Empirikul ‘disinfecting’ Doctor Strange’s abode, then the Eisner Award-winner noticeably decreases the number of pictures per page, and subsequently slows proceedings down to little more than a crawl…

The 'Age Of Apocalypse' variant cover art of "DOCTOR STRANGE" No. 8 by Pasqual Ferry

Captain America: Steve Rogers #3 - Marvel Comics

CAPTAIN AMERICA: STEVE ROGERS No. 3, September 2016

Disconcertingly focussing upon a mission debrief between a kneeling, bare-chested titular character and his holographic master, the Red Skull, it is genuinely hard not to see the narrative for Issue Three of “Captain America: Steve Rogers” as yet another attempt by “Marvel Worldwide” to ‘quickly backtrack’ on their “initial choice” that the Sentinel of Liberty has always been a Hydra agent. Indeed, considering Nick Spencer’s pre-publication interview with “Entertainment Weekly” in which he “unequivocally” stated that “this is not a clone, not an imposter, not mind control, not someone else acting through Steve. This really is Steve Rogers, Captain America himself”, the plot to this twenty-two periodical not only reinforces that the super-soldier was actually brainwashed “because he had false memories implanted by Kobrik, the sentient Cosmic Cube who became a girl.” But depicts the ‘sleeper agent’ actually fighting against his mental programming by disobeying the order to murder Doctor Erik Selvig, and seemingly having genuine feelings for S.H.I.E.L.D. Commander Sharon Carter; “You. Don’t. Ever. Touch. Her. Again!”   

Perhaps unsurprisingly, such ‘misdirection’ from the comic’s writer arguably proves somewhat detrimental to the smooth flow of its narrative, and whilst Nicky Fury’s old International Espionage Agency landing a ship in “a city primarily populated by super villains” certainly creates plenty of suspense and action, courtesy of both Crossfire and “Sheriff” Taskmasker taking umbrage at their sovereign island nation being “invaded by S.H.I.E.L.D.”, any such drama is completely overshadowed by the America author’s inconsistent and erratic portrayal of Rogers. In fact it’s genuinely hard to fathom out just what the World War Two veteran is going to do from one panel to next, especially when he appears murderously determined to kill Jack Harrison, angrily incensed by Tony Masters stabbing Carter through her hand with his sword, and genuinely troubled by failing to “save the [Hydra] pawn in the train bombing” all within the same storyline.

Sadly Spencer’s solution to the trials and tribulations of this book’s supporting cast is just as ludicrous as his portrayal of Captain America’s mercurial behaviour. Surrounded and trapped within a country “ruled by criminals and populated by the Masters Of Evil”, and clearly outnumbered a hundred to one, things do not look good for Sharon, Free Spirit and Rick Jones, even when the Sentinel of Liberty arrives at the last minute in order to dissuade Taskmaster from skewering his beloved. Yet “the most hated man in America today” would have his audience believe that by simply threatening to “empty every last (casino) account” on the Bagalia Strip, “all (the) bad guys” would just stop “finally getting back at that mean old Captain America --”? As the S.H.I.E.L.D. Commander herself states “that is the stupidest plan I have ever heard.”  

The variant cover art of "CAPTAIN AMERICA: STEVE ROGERS" No. 3 by Joe Madureira

All-Star Batman #1 - DC Comics

ALL-STAR BATMAN No. 1, October 2016

Supposedly inspired by a road trip across the Southwest with his nine-year-old, this “first arc” of “All-Star Batman” by Scott Snyder is arguably far closer to being an unmitigated confusing mess of “in continuity” causality than “a no-holds-barred journey” which takes Batman and Two-Face on a “high-octane, high-stakes” adventure across the state. Indeed, the vast majority of its audience must have been shaking their heads in utter bemusement as the twenty-four page periodical’s wonderfully dramatic opening sequence suddenly lurches back in time to “twenty two minutes ago”, then “two hours ago”, then “two weeks ago”, and then “twenty minutes ago” etc etc… It certainly soon becomes difficult to chronologically work out just which version of the Caped Crusader the action is following, and why he’s planning on travelling nearly five hundred miles north with Harvey Dent in the Batwing.

Fortunately the New York-born writer does at least live up to his post-publication promise of incorporating plenty of “villains I’ve never used” before into the “thrill-a-minute” action, with both Firefly and Killer Moth making an impressive entrance, courtesy of manhandling the Dark Knight straight through the interior of a prefabricated fast food restaurant. Unhappily, the same cannot be said for Black Spider, a multiple mechanically-armed hired gun who perhaps somewhat contrivingly confronts a chainsaw-wielding Batman in the middle of a wheat field; “But know that I’ve got some upgrades since we last met, Batman. Every tarsus on these legs is semi-automatic. Bottom line: You’re outgunned seven to one.”

Perhaps this book’s greatest enticement however, is the excellent artwork of one “of the best in the business”, John Romita Junior. Moodily sketched with plenty of well-defined shadows, and similar in style to his pencilling on the “gritty street-level stories of… Spider-Man and Daredevil”, even the American illustrator’s more sedentary sequences, such as Batman and a golden-armoured Duke Thomas talking to Commissioner Gordon after an acid rain storm, forces the eye to linger on the intricate detail of every panel… Whilst the tense, restrained yet dynamically nervous motion the Inkpot Award-winner imbues his figures with when the armed customers of Auggie Mac’s Diner encircle Batman in an effort to stop him capturing Two-Face, makes the shock of the titular character being suddenly shot in the back all the more impactive.

Flawed as the script to “My Own Worst Enemy” is though, Snyder’s penmanship for this comic’s secondary tale, which vaguely starts recounting Duke Thomas’ introduction to “a condensed version of all” Batman’s training, is arguably even worse, with Declan Shalvey’s woefully wooden one-dimensional drawings looking especially poor as a result of directly following on from “JRJR”. In fact Editor Mark Doyle may well have thought with hindsight that the $4.99 publication was probably a superior quality product without including “The Cursed Wheel”, and that the book’s Irish artist would have been put to better use simply pencilling additional variant covers…

The regular cover art of "ALL-STAR BATMAN" No. 1 by John Romita Junior

The Punisher #2 - Marvel Comics

THE PUNISHER No. 2, August 2016

Frank Castle fans hoping for “a different take on the vigilante”, or even just some additional character development were doubtless rather disappointed by Becky Cloonan’s seemingly straightforward story for Issue Two of “The Punisher”. For whilst the one-time “upstanding citizen” is depicted deftly dispatching a good half dozen drug dealers with his impressive array of automatic firearms, the “Tokyopop” published writer’s twenty-page long narrative doesn’t actually entail anything different to what has been penned before by a number of her creative predecessors.

Indeed, with the exception of a vicious, no-nonsense fist-fight between the decorated marine and ‘spaced-out’ Face, as well as a deeply disturbing cliff-hanger that ends with a naive little girl wearing an explosive suicide vest, this “not for kids” tale of ‘the cold, calculated, self-appointed doer of justice on the road’ is depressingly unimaginative, and undoubtedly seems a wasted opportunity for a title which should have been capitalizing on actor Jon Bernthal’s “absolutely badass portrayal” as the ‘no qualms killer’ in the American 2016 web television series “Daredevil”.

Disillusionment with the overfamiliar and standard storyline aside however, the first female artist to draw the main “Batman” title for “DC Comics” has still scripted a 47,524 copy-selling comic book which proves an enthralling, if not a little bloodily disturbing, read. In fact Castle’s confrontation with Condor’s mentally unbalanced leading lieutenant is pulse-poundingly paced, with bullets “whump(ing)” into hapless corpses, lips splitting wide open and heads savagely clashing together. It’s certainly not all-too clear that the Vietnam-war veteran is winning the altercation until Face speeds away from his momentarily dazed opponent in an open-backed van; “See you soon, Frank!”

Steve Dillion’s solidly-drawn, reliable pencilling throughout this “blood-drenched deathscape” additionally adds to this magazine’s attractiveness, and actually becomes increasing integral to the series’ storytelling methodology as the Punisher dominates each and every panel without actually saying a blessed word of dialogue. Colour Artist Frank Martin’s work is also worth highlighting, even if it’s just for providing Face with some disconcertingly red eyes whilst under the psychotic influence of the strength enhancing drug EMC, and subtly suggesting, through shading, a rising swelling above Castle’s left eye after he had been head-butted in that spot.

Writer: Becky Cloonan, Artist: Steve Dillion, and Color Artist: Frank Martin

Moon Knight [2016] #4 - Marvel Comics

MOON KNIGHT No. 4, September 2016

Inauspiciously sat within the confines of a toilet cubicle inside Gena Lander’s brightly-lit diner, the Moon God Khonshu could just have easily been scolding writer Jeff Lemire, as opposed to this comic’s titular character, when he berates him for wasting “precious time eating pancakes” and directly enquires “what do you think you are doing in here?” For whilst this fourth instalment in the “Welcome To New Egypt” story-arc starts off well enough with a vicious fist-fight between Mister Knight and the crocodile-headed Sobek, it’s likely the vast majority of this book’s 40,012 strong audience weren’t terribly impressed with the narrative’s subsequent seemingly endless portrayal of Marc Spector either aimlessly wandering through the dune-filled streets of “a New York City covered in sand and pyramids”, or supping upon starch-based batter and “warm coffee”.

Admittedly, the early revelation that a concerned local cop is in reality an ancient Egyptian deity who was waiting for the “Son of Khonshu” so as to “eat you and then expel you at the feet of King Seth”, makes for a pulse-pounding punch-up; especially when it results in Jean-Paul DuChamp bleeding to death on account of having his throat partially ripped out by the ‘Splashing One’. But the former mercenary’s savage revenge upon Frenchie’s reptilian murderer, dynamically pencilled by Greg Smallwood, is over within a heartbeat of panels, and leaves the twenty-page periodical’s pace disappointingly wanting until the “Marvel Worldwide” publication’s very conclusion when the “retrograde sanitarium” escapee is surprisingly struck by a crescent moon throwing blade hurled by his alter ego, Moon Knight..?

Equally as disheartening is the Doug Wright Award-winner’s sudden and senseless removal of Gena from his script. The tough no-nonsense Brooklyn informant has fought right alongside the Fist of Khonshu since this “deep-dive into… Marc Spector(s)… fractured psyche” started, and yet Lemire frustratingly has her abruptly decide to stay behind in her prefabricated fast food establishment, meekly accepting that because “the sand (is) rising out there” the establishment will probably become her tomb; “Well then, so be it. Better here than out there.” Such a fatalistic acceptance of her demise makes absolutely no sense to so strong a personality, and it is hard to reconcile this Lander with the woman who previously smacked Mister Knight over the head with a large stick when she erroneously thought he was a pursuing hound-headed hospital orderly.

Writer: Jeff Lemire, Artist: Greg Smallwood, and Color Artist: Jordie Bellaire