Tag Arif Prianto

Batman & The Joker: The Deadly Duo #5 Micro-Review – Stupid Batgirl

Rob Siebert Leave a comment

***This is where we keep it nice and simple. Comic book reviews in 100 words or less. Straight, concise, and to the point.***

Batman and the Joker the Deadly Duo 5, cover, March 2023, Marc SilvestriTITLE: Batman & The Joker: The Deadly Duo #5
AUTHOR:  Marc Silvestri
ARTISTS: Silvestri, Arif Prianto (Colorist), Troy Peteri (Letterer)
RELEASED: March 7, 2023

By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

There’s a scene in this issue where Batgirl fights and interrogates an imprisoned Joker, and he chastises her for not having shackles on like he does. So what does she do? She puts shackles on. In the ensuing fight, Joker actually gets the upper hand for a time.

There’s a difference between writing heroes as honorable, moralistic, and principled, and writing heroes as stupid. This fell hard into the stupid column.

There’s a panel during said fight where Batgirl throws a kick at Joker’s face that, from a kinesiology standpoint, just doesn’t work. You’ll know it when you see it.

Email Rob at primaryignition@yahoo.com, or check us out on Twitter.

A Poison Ivy #10 Micro-Review – Gwendolyn Caltrope?

Rob Siebert Leave a comment

***This is where we keep it nice and simple. Comic book reviews in 100 words or less. Straight, concise, and to the point.***

Poison Ivy 10, cover, March 2023, Jessica FongTITLE: Poison Ivy #10
AUTHOR: G. Willow Wilson
ARTISTS: Marcio Takara, Arif Prianto (Colorist), Hassan-Otsmane-Elhaou (Letterer). Cover by Jessica Fong. 
RELEASED: March 7, 2023

By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

There’s a character in this issue named Gwendolyn Caltrope who’s sort of a health business magnate, that runs a company called “Glop.” I’m fairly certain that’s the only time Gwyneth Paltrow and Goop have been parodied in a superhero comic. I kind of love it.

By this point we’ve met a companion character for Ivy in Janet. She’s too new at this point to be much more than a sort of perky stock character, almost like domesticated Harley Quinn. But the interplay between she and Ivy is fun.

Email Rob at primaryignition@yahoo.com, or check us out on Twitter.

A Batman & The Joker: The Deadly Duo #4 Micro-Review – Just Use Robin!

Rob Siebert Leave a comment

***This is where we keep it nice and simple. Comic book reviews in 100 words or less. Straight, concise, and to the point.***

Batman and the Joker the Deadly Duo 4, cover, February 2023, Marc SilvestriTITLE: Batman & The Joker: The Deadly Duo #4
AUTHOR: Marc Silvestri
ARTISTS: Silvestri, Arif Prianto (Colorist), Troy Peteri (Letterer)
RELEASED: February 7, 2023

By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

I’m still grumpy about the fact that Nightwing is in this book as, essentially, Batman’s sidekick. There’s even a joke or two about it in this issue. I get that Nightwing is cool, but just use Robin!

There’s a cool sequence in this book in which the Joker tries to do something heroic using his own murderous methods. Batman then has to come to grips with the fact that it, in its own way, worked. That’s a great Batman/Joker moment, and the best part of this story thus far. Good writing by Silvestri.

Email Rob at primaryignition@yahoo.com, or check us out on Twitter.

A Poison Ivy #9 Micro-Review – A Visit From Harley

Rob Siebert Leave a comment

**This is where we keep it nice and simple. Comic book reviews in 100 words or less. Straight, concise, and to the point.***

Poison Ivy 9, cover, February 2023, Jessica FongTITLE: Poison Ivy #9
AUTHOR: G. Willow Wilson
ARTISTS: Marcio Takara, Arif Prianto (Colorist), Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou (Letterer). Cover by Jessica Fong.
RELEASED: February 7, 2023

By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

This is my least favorite issue of Poison Ivy yet. While it may be blasphemous to some, I simply don’t buy into the idea of Ivy and Harley Quinn as a couple. Oddball best friends? Sure. But a couple? The loves of one another’s lives? No. Just not my flavor of ice cream. And yet, this series leans into it. So I suppose it’s a matter of taking the good with the bad.

I will say that the inherent sensuality in Takara and Prianto’s work here makes all the romance stuff more effective. Theoretically, at least.

Email Rob at primaryignition@yahoo.com, or check us out on Twitter.

Batman & The Joker: The Deadly Duo #3 Micro-Review – S&M Joker?!?

Rob Siebert Leave a comment

***This is where we keep it nice and simple. Comic book reviews in 100 words or less. Straight, concise, and to the point.***

Batman and the Joker the Deadly Duo 3, cover, January 2023, Marc SilvestriTITLE: Batman & The Joker: The Deadly Duo #3
AUTHOR: Marc Silvestri
ARTISTS: Silvestri, Arif Prianto (Colorist), Troy Peteri (Letterer)
RELEASED: January 10, 2023

By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

I dig that cover, but…is that an S&M mask the Joker is wearing? What the hell? First S&M Riddler in The Batman and now this? If they give one to the Penguin I’m gettin’ the hell outta here…

Silvestri hits his stride with this issue, particularly in terms of his writing. His art was pretty much always on point.

The one downside to the writing: Nightwing is in this story, essentially in a sidekick role. Which is odd, because last I checked Batman had a sidekick. You might have heard of him. His name is Robin.

Email Rob at primaryignition@yahoo.com, or check us out on Twitter.

A Poison Ivy #8 Micro-Review – Making a Villain into a Hero

Rob Siebert Leave a comment

***This is where we keep it nice and simple. Comic book reviews in 100 words or less. Straight, concise, and to the point.***

Poison Ivy 8, cover, January 2023, Jessica FongTITLE: Poison Ivy #8
AUTHOR: G. Willow Wilson
ARTISTS: Atagun Ilhan, Arif Prianto & Ivan Plascencia (Colorists), Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou (Letterer). Cover by Jessica Fong.
RELEASED: January 3, 2023

By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

One thing G. Willow Wilson has proven on this series is that she knows how to cast Poison Ivy, who is traditionally a villain, as a hero. Wilson casts her as a feminist force of nature (literally) who faces abusers and heartless corporations. She does the latter in this issue, which contains some pretty poignant dialogue about what employers expect from people, and what we give to them.

Ivy starts this issue in a deformed and monstrous state that’s wonderfully drawn and colored. It was hard not to shudder just looking at it.

Email Rob at primaryignition@yahoo.com, or check us out on Twitter.

Batman & The Joker: The Deadly Duo #2 Micro-Review – A Guest in the Cave

Rob Siebert Leave a comment

***This is where we keep it nice and simple. Comic book reviews in 100 words or less. Straight, concise, and to the point.***

Batman & The Joker the Deadly Duo 3, cover, December 2022, Marc SilvestriTITLE: Batman & The Joker: The Deadly Duo #2
AUTHOR: Marc Silvestri
ARTISTS: Silvestri, Arif Prianto (Colorist), Troy Peteri (Letterer)

RELEASED: December 6, 2022

By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

Selina Kyle is in this issue, and has a line where she says Bruce Wayne “likes my kitties.” Is that meant to be dirty? I’m assuming it is…

As part of this reluctant partnership between Batman and the Joker, the latter is held prisoner in the Batcave. He’s restrained and hooded so he can’t move or see anything. But I still wouldn’t have brought him down there. And toward the end of the issue, Nightwing actually falls asleep in his vicinity. Talk about tempting fate. These brilliant detectives look mighty stupid all of a sudden.

Email Rob at primaryignition@yahoo.com, or check us out on Twitter.

A Poison Ivy #7 Micro-Review – Plant-Based Justice

Rob Siebert Leave a comment

***This is where we keep it nice and simple. Comic book reviews in 100 words or less. Straight, concise, and to the point.***

Poison Ivy 7, cover, December 2022, Jessica FongTITLE: Poison Ivy #7
AUTHOR: G. Willow Wilson
ARTISTS: Atagun Ilhan, Arif Prianto (Colorist), Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou (Letterer). Cover by Jessica Fong.

RELEASED: December 6, 2022

By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

This is the kind of issue one might picture when thinking about a Poison Ivy series. Our antiheroine taking on a big fracking cooperation with her own brand of plant-based justice. A predictable route to take? Perhaps. But it’s no less satisfying because of it.

Seven issues in, Ivy has settled into her own series quite nicely. I’m very curious to see how much longevity it has compared to, say, the recent Joker series, which lasted 15 issues.

Awesome cover by Jessica Fong. Probably my personal favorite she’s done for this series.

Email Rob at primaryignition@yahoo.com, or check us out on Twitter.

Batman & The Joker: The Deadly Duo #1 Micro-Review – The Eye Has It

Rob Siebert Leave a comment

***This is where we keep it nice and simple. Comic book reviews in 100 words or less. Straight, concise, and to the point.***

Batman and the Joker the Deadly Duo, cover, 2022, Marc SilvestriTITLE: Batman & The Joker: The Deadly Duo #1
AUTHOR: Marc Silvestri
ARTISTS: Silvestri, Arif Prianto (Colorist), Troy Peteri (Letterer)

RELEASED: November 1, 2022

By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

I can’t say Deadly Duo blew me away from a writing standpoint. But let’s be honest: The real draw (no pun intended) here is Silvestri’s pencils, alongside Prianto’s colors. They make a fine team, and put together a pretty good rendition of Batman, Joker, Gotham City, etc.

It looks like there’s a coloring mistake on the cover. Joker is depicted with his fake right eye, as he’s now portrayed in he main line of books. But inside the issue, both his eyes are green. Whoops.

Email Rob at primaryignition@yahoo.com, or check us out on Twitter.

A Poison Ivy #6 Micro-Review – Billions Selling Band-Aids

Rob Siebert Leave a comment

***This is where we keep it nice and simple. Comic book reviews in 100 words or less. Straight, concise, and to the point.***

Poison Ivy 6, cover, 2022, Jessica FongTITLE: Poison Ivy #6
AUTHOR: G. Willow Wilson
ARTISTS: Marcio Takara, Brian Level, Jay Leisten (Co-Inker), Arif Prianto (Colorist), Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou. Cover by Jessica Fong.

RELEASED: November 1, 2022

By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

“This planet is too far gone to save, Pamela. It needs a revolution, but all it wants is a Band-Aid. So we might as well make billions selling Band-Aids.”

That’s a little dialogue from Jason Woodrue, the Floronic Man. Somehow it’s both insightful and villainous.

Actually, there are few great quotes like that in this issue. It’s one of Wilson’s strongest. She’s mindset she’s giving Ivy is very right for the character: That if heroes can’t bring Earth back from the brink of ecological doom, then perhaps a villain can…

Email Rob at primaryignition@yahoo.com, or check us out on Twitter.