Review: The Last Siege #4

The Last Siege #6 came out last week and continues to be an ultra-dramatic story racing towards its conclusion.

I have said all along that this movie has been playing out in my head like a film, Braveheart meets The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly meets Seven Samurai. From the pacing to the panel composition to the plot, it all feels like a Spaghetti Western hopped up on mead. And I have loved every minute of it.

Writer Landry Walker has done a great job bringing this tale up to a roiling boil. After issues of set-up and back story, the pieces are all on the board. And now the board is on fire. Incredible. Along with this deliberate ratcheting up the action, we still get great character beats. We learn the history of Tomislav and Istvan both within the illustrated comic and in the text pieces in the back. We see Lady Cathryn go from innocent silent girl playing with dolls to wounded combat leader rallying the troops. This has been a meaty read from all angles.

Artist Justin Greenwood continues to bring us a bleak gritty landscape with his inky work. But one thing I have appreciated along the way has been his ability to convey information through body language. In this book, you can feel the weariness in the beaten warriors' bones. You feel the nervousness of the characters fleeing the carnage. So much is said without words.

Rounding out the team is Brad Simpson on colors. Given the amount of gore and fire in this chapter, we get a brighter palette than the usual one for this book. We are bathed in yellows and oranges that bring the story out of the shadows. We also have Pat Brosseau on lettering and he brings his usual panache.

I've been thrilled with this book so far. The end is nigh!

Review: Adventures of the Super Sons #4

Adventures of the Super Sons #4 came out this week and continued this hilarious romp through the DCU. From the beginning it was clear that writer Peter Tomasi was going to have fun with this series. Jon Kent was going to be changed by Brian Michael Bendis. This interaction and this duo would never be the same again. So why not just let it rip and have a blast.

I have said in prior reviews that this seems like a tour through the history of the DCU, a mix of Silver and Bronze age pastiche barely held to by a plot. But I don't care. Last issue we got a take on Superman Red/Blue and an appearance from Space Cabbie. This issue we have dialogue that is lifted from movies to a possible Marvel homage to a riff on DC's Bronze age horror anthologies. It's perfect. I am having so much fun with this book. I'm not expecting War and Peace. I am expecting a fun ride. And that is what Tomasi is giving us. It is almost perfect that this book came out a week after Halloween because this was a sweet treat, a confection.

Carlo Barberi continues to bring a zany energy to the book walking the fine line between stylized and over stylized. The somewhat cartoony like look clicks with the Looney Tunes plot. And his Sons are perfect. This is how I picture them in my mind. And that homage to DC's past is evident right from the cover, a classic horror comic motif (see cover of House of Mystery #174 of The House of Mystery treasury).

It is a shame we only have so much of this book and this dynamic left. On to the issue!

Supergirl Episode 404: Ahimsa

Supergirl episode 404, titled 'Ahimsa', aired this week and was another strong character episode in what has been a very strong season. Yes, there was action, one might say 'Marvel-ous' action. And yes there was plot progression. But this was again about looking at how the plot of alien amnesty and xenophobia is effecting people. I am thrilled with this season so far.

This is also the episode with the suited Supergirl, probably because Melissa Benoist was so far away on Broadway. The DEO is trying to clear the air of Kryptonite. And I might be looking to deep for metaphors, but each character has something weighing on them as well. They need to clear the air, revealing their problems and working through them. Some make perfect sense, like Alex suddenly dealing with the weight of leadership. Or Brainy dealing with uncertainty and how his emotions make working through that doubt difficult. Others make less sense, like J'onn saying he has lived his life 'steeped in rage'. But overall it worked. And that's all that matters.

As for the action, some of the villains' actions and motivations are a little wonky. But they are appropriately scary and nefarious. I like seeing the smooth words and charisma of Ben Lockwood coming to the foreground of the main plot.

On to the episode.

Rhode Island Comic Con Wrap-Up

I consider myself a con veteran. I prepare meticulously and try to be ready. I often have the experience mapped out mentally as I enter. Yes ... I know ... insanity.

And every so often I am delightfully surprised.

I went to the Rhode Island Comic Con this weekend with very little expectations. There weren't many comic creators on the guest list. And I only had a couple of issues for signature from that limited guest list. I honestly went more because it is an annual trip for me and my brother (he is a huge Star Wars fan so we cover a swath of cons like this).

My plans were simple.

Meet Laura Vandervoort again, have her sign a Smallville comic, and not be a nervous blathering idiot like I was the first time I met her.

Meet Kevin Nash, founding member of the NWO and one of my favorite wrestlers.

Get single issues signed by Kevin Eastman and Bob Layton.

A commission wasn't even on my radar but luck favors the prepared so I chucked my main sketch book into my bag and off I went.

Bear with me because the best stuff happened at the end.

Bullet Review: Superman #16

Through cosmic alignment more than cerebral intent, I have been thinking a lot about the reintroduction of 'Supergirl' to the post-Crisis, Byrne-era DC Universe. Much of that probably was born from my recent review of what I will call 'Matrix' in  Superman #19 .

In looking back at the site, I realize that I also briefly touched on her third appearance in  Superman #20, the first time that Matrix met Ma and Pa Kent as she was trying to work her way through her muddled 'pocket universe' memories.

Heck, I've even covered the John Byrne promotional poster.

While I know that an Elseworld's Finest review is due. And a long overdue viewing of the Supergirl movie and a review of that is also due, I think I need to scratch this Byrne itch. In the end, I think I'll need to review the 'Supergirl Saga', the last Byrne storyline which changed so much of the books moving forward. (Hard to believe I haven't reviewed that before either.)

But before I get there, I figured I better cover the first appearance of Matrix in the DCU, as seen in an explosive cliffhanger in Superman #16. And I have to say I have a little movie-based theory about this first meeting.

As many know, I was lucky enough to meet Byrne at this summer's Boston Fan Expo and got some issues signed including this one. I thanked him for 'somewhat' returning Supergirl to comics and he shrugged and said 'somewhat'. And that little interaction meant a lot to me.

On to the book.

Review: Superman/Top Cat #1

 This October had five Wednesdays which meant that there would most likely be slim pickings on the comic shelf. While DC did put Heroes in Crisis #2 and a Batman Secret Files out there, we also got the next wave of goofy team-ups between DC characters and Hanna Barbera properties. Thus Superman/Top Cat #1 by Dan Didio and Shane Davis was available for review.

Now I had a lot of expectations for this book. For one, prior recent DC odd team-ups with cartoon characters (things like the wonderful Bugs Bunny/Legion of Super-Heroes or Batman/Elmer Fudd) were very well done, exceeding what I thought possible.

Also, I am a huge fan of the old cartoon Top Cat, watched on reruns in my youth. Here I met that smooth talking Top Cat, always trying to get rich quick. There was a Phil Silvers analogue; there was a Cary Grant analogue. They always seemed one step ahead of Officer Dibble. Top Cat is a relative unknown these days so I was thrilled to see him back in action with the Big Red S.

Unfortunately, the book was sort of a let-down. Top Cat in this comic could have been any number of cartoon characters. He wasn't 'Top Cat'-ish enough to capture the cartoon. None of the other characters appear here. And outside of some puns and some sarcasm around vegetables and Amazon, there wasn't much fun to be had here.

On to the book ...

Back Issue Review: Omega Men #3

The solicits for January 2019 were released earlier this month and the solicit for Supergirl #26 had a very interesting line in it.

Supergirl…super-captured! Still recovering from radiation poisoning, Kara finds herself in the clutches of the Citadel and its ruthless leader Harry Hokum, who is eager to experiment on one of the last Kryptonians in the known universe. 

Given the mention of Harry Hokum, I thought I would comb the back issue box and review The Omega Men #3 from 1983, an issue which is notable for being the first appearance of Hokum!

Okay, that isn't true, While this is the first appearance of Hokum, this issue is most famous for being the first appearance of the Lobo. While this is Lobo in look, this is not the Main Man most people are used to reading about. Here he is a calculating bounty hunter who sports a 'Goober Grape' one piece costume, a far cry from the cigar chomping, hog-riding, brutal killer of the current DCU.

Hokum is a pretty impressive villain here, a displaced Earth man who is somehow in the Vega system and a political manipulator from behind the scenes. He looks a bit like Vermin Vundabar of Fourth World fame. But despite his slight frame, he is able to stand up to violent leaders of The Citadel and become part of the inner circle of the fascist regime.

The book is written by Roger Silfer. But the main draw for me is the Keith Giffen art, still sporting his ultra-clean, organic look of his early Legion days. All I can say is 'wow'! I am always amazed at how Giffen's art looked back in the day. And given this was a direct market only book, he is able to get a little more r-rated here and there. I was lucky enough to get the issue signed by Giffen at Terrificon 2 summers ago. (The label is on a comic bag, not the actual book.)

Onto the issue!