Review: Dark Crisis World Without A Justice League Superman

Dark Crisis World Without A Justice League Superman #1 came out last week and might very well have the longest title of any comic I own. 

I was really on the fence if I was going to buy this one. We are two months into Dark Crisis itself. That book has been a little bit of a cipher with plenty of moments but an unclear plot. Was I ready to put down $4.99 for a crossover issue? 

Moreover, it is written by Tom King who I think wrote a character assassination piece about Supergirl in the recent past. Who according to others has done a good job on dismantling Guy and Ice from the JLI. Who also has radically changed Adam Strange, Mister Miracle, and the Vision, all in brutally depressing ways? What would he do to Jon?

I have to admit I sort of like what King did here. Of course, this is Tom King so there is trauma and cursing. A B-list character is mistreated, going against their history. But Kong does show us one timeline (or one story) where Jon was not aged up quickly. We get to peek at Jon's adolescence. We see him grow, and rebel, and become his own person. And as a parent of young adults myself, seeing how proud Superman is in the end rang true. I also like that King gives us a Jon who doesn't think Superman is doing enough (like in the current book) but turns that a little on its head. 

The art is by Chris Burnham, whose work I have always enjoyed. The work nudges up against that sort of beautiful/grotesque style that works well, especially in the more gruesome battle scenes. I feel like Burnham is a wonderful mix of Shawn McManus and Frank Quitely. 

On to the book.

Bullet Review: Detective Comics #1027

Detective Comics #1027 came out this week, a jumbo issue with a heavy $9.99 price tag, another major anniversary issue just 2 plus years after the mammoth Detective Comics #1000. Of course, this is the 1000th issue with Batman starring in Detective and so I suppose it deserves a bit of accolades.

I think the last Batman book that I collected monthly was Batman Incorporated. (Folks who come here know my love of Grant Morrison ... more on that later.)  I honestly don't know what is happening in the main Batman continuity and even when I hear snippets, I don't think I am missing out.

As a collector though, I love anniversary issues. And I find issues like this, a sort of anthology of short stories by terrific creative teams, to be joyous celebrations. Usually these stories are sort of touch points on themes of the character, a sort of primer on concepts and philosophies. And this issue was no different. 

I wasn't sure if I was going to bullet review this but there is 'blink and you'll miss her' Supergirl sighting and since those aren't common these days I felt compelled. But almost every story in this book is fun. I'll cover just my favorites here but if you have an extra ten bucks, this book is worth it, thick enough to be on you trade shelf.

With a ton of covers to choose from, I picked the Jim Lee 'World's Finest' cover. Hey, in my mind, these two are good friends.

Boston Comic Con Recap #2: Chris Burnham Commission

Boston Comic Con is slowly receding in the rear view mirror but I will be beating the drum for three more weeks, sharing commissions and stories from the con. Expect 'commission Monday' through the first weeks of September.

As I mentioned in the last post about the con, I felt pretty lucky to get commissions from the creators I was aiming for.

Here is the commission from Chris Burnham, a really beautiful full color action shot.

I loved Burnham's style on Batman Inc. as it reminds me of Frank Quitely while maintaining its own original feel. Everything about this commission works, from the confident expression on the face to the effortless feel to her hoisting this meteor, to the shadings of the colors to add depth, the that one wisp of hair blowing in front of the left arm while the rest flies behind. I even like the crumbs of the meteor falling away, adding some gravity and direction to the piece. Just lovely.

As a bonus, I scanned my Marcio Takara commission to Takara who then colored it and posted it on Twitter. Just beauutiful! Takara is going to NYCC and has opened up his commission list. Anyone going there should head to his table!

As for the con, I mentioned that it has grown over the years that I have been going. And nothing shows that more than coverage from Bleeding Cool. The place was mobbed and lines were long so I am not surprised ... but sort of disappointed ... to hear the rumor that it might have to move to the Boston Convention Center next year. I really loved the Seaport location. Of course bigger and busier usually means better future cons. Would love to see the con grow big enough to get more creators ... more writers ... and maybe a Marvel or DC booth next year.

Boston Comic Con Quick Update

So I was at the Boston Comic Con yesterday and will be there today and tomorrow as well. So no major post today.

I will say that yesterday was a great day at the con, fun and productive.

First off, I love the convention site ... The Seaport in Boston. Right off the highway, cheap and plentiful parking, and multiple restaurants and pubs within walking distance, all right on the water.

I was able to meet the majority of creators I wanted to yesterday, having nice conversations with Amanda Conner, Marcio Takara, and Mark Waid in particular.

I was able to get the top three commissions I was hoping to get. So the sketch books landed in the hands of Chris Burnham, Cat Staggs, and Marcio Takara. Burnham finished early ... a remarkable piece ... so I was able to then hand the seltchbook over to Daniel Govar.

There is a chance I might be able to get a couple of more sketches today and tomorrow.

Unfortunately Amanda Conner was not sketching so the Grail escaped me once more.

Today I hope to actually shop a little bit for ... gasp ... comics. I spied plenty of $1 boxes to thumb through. I was able to score a great bargain. The hardcover Lois Lane 75 year celebration trade for a mere $5.

Boston Comic Con Preparation and Commission Wish List

One month from now I will be heading to the Boston Comic Con !!

This is the event of the summer for me and, as usual, it is about a month prior that true con preparation starts.

I have begun pulling books for signatures for the guests there, organizing them in interoffice envelopes for easy retrieval. I try to limit sigs to 6-8 per creator. There is nothing worse than being behind someone who brings 30 issues for signature. If I have more I will leave the line after 8 and return later with the rest. And while I succumb to pressure and bring first issues, and creator's first issues on a title, I will often bring my favorite issue of a creator to sign. I find that handing an issue they haven't signed a million times can spur a conversation. (For example, I remember handing Frank Quitely All-Star Superman #10, saying it was my favorite issue of the run. Turns out it was his too and this led to a nice chat.)

Anyways, the other half of con preparation is planning a commission strategy. Who do I want to get sketches from? Are they sketching? How much do they charge? Who is so popular I need to run to their table first? Who can I get in touch with pre-con to try to reserve a spot on the list? There is some prep work here.

For commissions, I have three sketch books I use, so I try to think of the top three with a secondary list if I don't get on the top three's list or if the initial commissions are done quickly enough for me to get more. I like to support the artists as much as possible.

Using sketch books limits how many commissions I can get in some ways but I love the portability of my collection. It also shows artists that I am not going to just flip my commission on EBay.

Here are the top artists I am hoping to get commissions from at the con, although one is a pipe dream.

Chris Burnham - I loved his work on Batman Incorporated. His treatment of Talia al Ghul was so spectacular that he vaults to the top of the list. His work on Batman Incorporated might make him a tough grab so I am hoping to get to him early.

Marcio Takara - I have seen enough of Takara's Supergirl commissions on-line (like the above pic) to know he draws exactly the sort of Supergirl I love. Add to that his recent energetic work on recent issues of Smallville, I am hoping to get on his list.

Clay Mann was a late addition to the convention roster. Mann is known mostly for work on X-Men books. I have always liked his style. A good friend of mine got an Elektra commission from him a couple of years ago which is breathtaking. So maybe I can nab a Supergirl from him.

Cat Staggs does the covers for Smallville and designed this interesting Supergirl costume. The commissions I have seen from her are unbelievable. I am hoping that Staggs will be sketching in Boston.

And now the pipe dream ...

Amanda Conner is one of my favorite artists in the business. I absolutely loved her Power Girl, Silk Spectre, and her Wednesday Comics Supergirl. I know she rarely does commissions these days but a Conner Supergirl is a like a grail piece for me. I can only hope that an earnest plea will be heard.

So those are the top artists on my wish list. There are plenty of other artists I would be thrilled to get sketches from so you never know. But wish me luck with these creators!