REVIEW: Red Lanterns, Volume One: Blood and Rage

PLOT: Atrocitus and his Red Lantern Corps return in their own series, battling against injustice in the most bloody ways imaginable.

REVIEW: I'm not really the biggest fan of Green Lantern because I didn't grow up enjoying his stories, but I have grown at least a slight bit interested as an adult. Green Lantern is one of the more fun characters, and light hearted, and I think that's why I am not as into him as I am other characters. However, with Red Lanterns, we get the darker side of the Lantern universe and I was really awestruck that this even existed. Atrocitus is the leader of the Red Lanterns, and it's his rage that is his power. The bad things that have happened to him in the past, drive who he is today as the Red Lantern leader. Though he is the leader of the Red Lanterns, he finds that even he is not enough to conquer the rage on his own. He slowly brings other Red Lanterns into the picture by throwing them into a Blood Ocean to confront their reasons for rage. As they come out, Atrocitus finds that rage comes in more than one form, and it's that discovery that leads him into a situation he never had seen coming. This book is awesome, and I was really so happy to be reading a book that was based off of a main DC character, but spun off to be a darker side. There is plenty of red on every page, as the rage is basically characterized as red blood and spews from the Lanterns and congeals as if it were in space. There was plenty of gruesome illustrations which I really enjoyed, as usual, because I'm a fan of horror. The writing was pretty good, and I liked the story of Atrocitus and I enjoyed how one of the book's minor villains came about. Peter Milligan impresses with the first volume of Red Lanterns, and I'm excited to see where it's taken. There is really a bright future for this title, even though it may be bright red.

WRITING : ( 9 / 10 )

ARTWORK : ( 10 / 10 )

STORY : ( 8 / 10 )

COVERS : ( 9 / 10 )

AWESOME : ( 10 / 10 )

FINAL RATING : ( 9 / 10 )

REVIEW: Before Watchmen: Comedian/Rorschach

PLOT: Eisner Award-winning writer Brian Azzarello brings his gritty, nuanced storytelling to these two recognizable characters. In RORSCHACH, Azzarello again teams with superstar artist Lee Bermejo to illustrate how one of most dangerous vigilantes the comic world has ever seen became even darker. COMEDIAN, featuring art by J.G. Jones, plants the famed war hero within the context of American history, as we find out how the Vietnam War and the Kennedy assassination revolve around him.

REVIEW: So far, the Before Watchmen series has been hit or miss for me. The volume that stuck out the most to me, was the one that was the most poorly reviewed of all four. I liked this volume too however, and I'm not sure how it stacks up against the Ozymandias volume but it's pretty close. The Comedian and Rorschach are probably the two most likable characters from the Watchmen world, but that doesn't make them the most easily likable. The Comedian is pretty much a character you're supposed to hate, and even in this book they do a pretty good job of doing that. They tie him in to a lot of actual American history and while it provides for a somewhat entertaining read, it wasn't really anything I couldn't have figured out for myself about the character. The ongoing problem with these books is that they're telling back stories to characters that didn't really need back stories, but merely just other stories with them in it. It doesn't really give you anything extra that you absolutely needed in the first place, but does just enough to entertain you to keep reading it. Rorschach's half of the volume was a little more entertaining but comes to no clear end and pits him against a strangely faced enemy. I agree with some other readers that Rorschach is guilty of some lines in this volume that just don't fit his character, but other than that his is pretty entertaining. The art in this book is phenomenal, much like the other volumes in the series and that's probably all that really kept these comics going as shortly as they did. They're beautiful to look at, and it's a trade off in terms of the pretty lackluster and unnecessary stories that the art is told with.

WRITING : ( 6 / 10 )

ARTWORK : ( 10 / 10 )

STORY : ( 4 / 10 )

COVERS : ( 9 / 10 )

AWESOME : ( 7 / 10 )

FINAL RATING : ( 7 / 10 )

REVIEW: Superman: For Tomorrow

PLOT: A cataclysmic event has struck the Earth. Millions of people have vanished without a trace. No one is left unaffected; not even Superman! But after a year, Superman is left with many questions. For a hero who tries to have all the answers, it's torture. And, just as the action heats up and the stakes are raised, one huge question emerges: Just how far is Superman willing to go "For Tomorrow"?

REVIEW: I joke a lot about how much I hate Superman. I'm not a Superman fan, because of my undying love for everything Batman. It just so happens that typically Batman is the one the Justice League is counting on when Superman fails them, and always gets Supes out of trouble. However, I do read some Superman because I know that there are good stories in all kinds of packages and if it's a comic book then I guess I'll read it. I mainly wanted to read Superman: For Tomorrow because it's written by Brian Azzarello. Azzarello is currently working the New 52 Wonder Woman and even did some Batman in the form of Joker, which is great if you haven't read it. I was not only pleased with this graphic novel but also surprised at really how great it was. It also was a pretty serious story for Superman, and was kind of depressing. Superman finds himself at a loss for an idea of a future after a device has triggered random mass vanishings in the world. He befriends a priest at the beginning and throughout his questioning and narrative to him, Superman finds the reason he does what he does for the people of Metropolis. This is not an action packed Superman comic, but it really goes in depth in thinking about the character and that is one of the few ways I enjoy reading Superman. I like it when the character of Superman is analyzed, because even though he's all powerful, he struggles the most with being a human, or the perfect human in his mind. It's a dilemma that most all of us can relate to, so it provides for a great Superman reading experience. Also, expect the beautiful artwork, as usual from Jim Lee.

WRITING : ( 8 / 10 )

ARTWORK : ( 9 / 10 )

STORY : ( 8 / 10 )

COVERS : ( 8 / 10 )

AWESOME : ( 7 / 10 )

FINAL RATING : ( 8 / 10 )

REVIEW: Before Watchmen: Minutemen/Silk Spectre

PLOT: As the predecessor to the Watchmen, the Minutemen were assembled to fight against a world that have more and more rapidly begun to spin out of control. Can these heroes from completely different backgrounds and with completely different attitudes on crime come together? Or will they fall apart before they begin? SILK SPECTRE takes an introspective look at the WATCHMEN feature player's struggles with her overbearing superhero mother and her scattered path toward taking the mantle of the Silk Spectre.

REVIEW: Before Watchmen has either gotten more dull as I've read through the collected volumes, or I read them in the perfect order of quality that I'm now getting to the crappy volumes. I wasn't so much a fan of this volume that chronicles the story of the Minutemen told mostly through the eyes of Nite Owl. I liked the side plot, that seemed like it should have been the main plot, of Hooded Justice and the missing children but it didn't really progress as quickly and as predominately as it should have. Everyone practically knows the small story of the Minutemen as present in the original Watchmen graphic novel and even the movie. The Silk Spectre half was also decent, but again it was just a lot of background to something that already been explained well enough for me the first go around. I'm finding that a lot of these Before Watchmen arcs center on characters that were already pretty well fleshed out and didn't need much more explaining, as I've gotten to more familiar characters and they've gotten less entertaining. Plus what is with writing so much on each and every page, I find a lot of the thought bubbles and informational boxes are pretty unnecessary and I wish there was a lot less to read because it's all pretty boring. This volume and the last one I read suffer from what I like to call, over-writing, because there's too much written on the page that the reader doesn't need to know at all because most of us reading these, read the original Watchmen graphic novel. I know these comics could have been a lot better if they wouldn't have tried to be so entirely faithful to being exact and precise prequels to Watchmen. Here's hoping that the one I have left will be better than the rest of them, because Comedian and Rorschach were the two best characters and that's the volume I haven't read. Plus if Azzarello is involved, odds are that I'm going to enjoy myself right?

WRITING : ( 6 / 10 )

ARTWORK : ( 6 / 10 )
STORY : ( 4 / 10 )

COVERS : ( 7 / 10 )

AWESOME : ( 3 / 10 )

FINAL RATING : ( 5 / 10 )

REVIEW: Batman: The Dark Knight, Volume Two: Cycle of Violence

PLOT: The Scarecrow has returned to Gotham City, but he's no longer the meek punching bag Batman is used to. The villainous genius has always preyed on the worst fears of his victims, but has refined his legendary fear toxin to even greater effectiveness and deadlier consequences. As the Scarecrow's origin is unfurled, Batman must find out not only how to conquer this dangerous psychopath, but how to beat his own worst fear.

REVIEW: Yet another brilliant New 52 Batman entry. Batman: The Dark Knight, Volume Two: Cycle of Violence does amazingly dark things for the character of Scarecrow and it really frightens on the page. The way that Scarecrow is drawn is just haunting, with his lips sewn together but still having the capability of talking. Hell, half his jaw is hanging off of his face for some of the book and he doesn't even seem to notice. Everything about this volume is dark and gritty, and it's unforgiving. Scarecrow is probably the scariest I've seen him in a Batman comic, and Batman is nearly at his most helpless against him. Struggling to remember why what he does is right by him, Scarecrow makes Bruce's journey through his mind that much more difficult when he loads him full of a new, and more powerful fear toxin. There aren't really any other villains in this book besides the Penguin who makes a small appearance when the Scarecrow is prepping his newest plot. This isn't the strongest of the New 52 Batman titles, but it surely makes a point to be one of the darker entries. If you like your Batman in the shadows with a side of spooky, this volume of Batman: The Dark Knight is definitely for you.

WRITING : ( 7 / 10 )

ARTWORK : ( 9 / 10 )

STORY : ( 8 / 10 )

COVERS : ( 9 / 10 )

AWESOME : ( 9 / 10 )

FINAL RATING : ( 9 / 10 )

REVIEW: He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, Volume One

PLOT: Prince Adam sets out to reclaim the mantle of HE-MAN, a legendary power that he can wield for the powers of good. But around every turn the evil villain Skeletor seeks to destroy the young hero and keep him from finding his fellow Masters.

REVIEW: I don't know why I read this book because I'm not really familiar with He-Man, nor do I consider myself a fan of much anything like it. But it was a graphic novel and why not give it a read right? I do like the way the story unfolds from the beginning, with Prince Adam not knowing truly who he was until the sword gives him the power of He-Man. Skeletor has taken his memory away from him so he does not remember, but the lingering power that still dwells within him leads him to a new revelation about himself that pits him once again against Skeletor, the legendary villain of this universe. The art was pretty good, but it's truly not my kind of thing, this sword and shield type world. It was a pretty decent book, but I wouldn't go out of my way to recommend it. It's a fun read, and probably a really entertaining graphic novel for fans of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe. Also, the web comic printed at the beginning of the book by Geoff Johns I actually really enjoyed.

WRITING : ( 7 / 10 )

ARTWORK : ( 8 / 10 )

STORY : ( 8 / 10 )

COVERS : ( 5 / 10 )

AWESOME : ( 6 / 10 )

FINAL RATING : ( 6 / 10 )