Tag Brad Anderson

An Action Comics #1054 Micro-Review – “Whatever Strength I Have…”

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

Action Comics 1054, cover, April 2023, Steve BeachTITLE: Action Comics #1054
AUTHOR: Philip Kennedy Johnson, Dan Jurgens, Dorado Quick
ARTISTS: Max Raynor, Matt Herms (Colorist), Dave Sharpe (Letterer), Jurgens, Norm Rapmund (Inker), Elizabeth Breitweiser (Colorist), Rob Leigh (Letterer), Yasmin Flores Montanez, Brad Anderson (Colorist). Cover by Steve Beach.
RELEASED: April 25, 2023

By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

Superman to a defeated Metallo in this issue: “Whatever strength I have doesn’t belong to me. It belongs to those who need it. And right now, that’s you.”

I love that line. As far as this new stretch of Action Comics issues are concerned. Philip Kennedy Johnson feels like he’s really hit his stride.

Dan Jurgens handles both the writing and art duties on this month’s installment of “Lois and Clark 2.” Jurgens fits as well on a Superman story as anyone ever has. And yet, I still find myself missing Lee Weeks’ work, strictly for consistency’s sake.

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

A GCPD: The Blue Wall #6 Micro-Review – Series, Please!

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.***

GCPD The Blue Wall 6, cover, March 2023, Reiko MurakamiTITLE: GCPD: The Blue Wall #6
AUTHOR: John Ridley
ARTISTS: Stefano Raffaele, Brad Anderson (Colorist), Ariana Maher (Letterer). Cover by Reiko Murakami.
RELEASED: March 21, 2023

By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

The last page, more specifically the last panel, of this issue comes off a little hokey. But all in all, a perfectly serviceable and satisfying ending.

I maintain that, especially at a time when they’re doing this Dawn of DC initiative, GCPD: The Blue Wall should be a series. Something like this is tailor-made for John Ridley’s voice. This is the spiritual successor to Gotham Central that some of us have been waiting decades for.

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

A GCPD: The Blue Wall #5 Micro-Review – Real-World, Dark, Personal Realities

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.***

GCPD The Bllue Wall 5, cover, February 2023, Reiko MurakamiTITLE: GCPD: The Blue Wall #5
AUTHOR: John Ridley
ARTISTS: Stefano Raffaele, Brad Anderson (Colorist), Josh Reed (Letterer). Cover by Reiko Murakami.
RELEASED: February 21, 2023

By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

I’ve made a point to call GCPD: The Blue Wall a spiritual successor to what Gotham Central was 20 years ago. But it’s important to note that while The Blue Wall is similar to Gotham Central in many ways, this book also does do its own thing.

Gotham Central was much more about what it’s like to be a cop in Gotham, a city with superheroes, supervillains, etc. The Blue Wall seems to focus more on the real-world, dark, and personal realities of being a police officer, in a story that just happens to be set in Gotham City.

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

A GCPD: The Blue Wall #4 Micro-Review – Trigger Warning!!!

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.***

GCPD The Blue Wall 4, cover, January 2023, Reiko MurakamiTITLE: GCPD: The Blue Wall #4
AUTHOR: John Ridley
ARTISTS: Stefano Raffaele, Brad Anderson (Colorist), Ariana Maher (Letterer). Cover by Reiko Murakami.
RELEASED: January 17, 2023

By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

I’m ready to make it official: This is the best book DC is putting out right now, and it needs to be a series. John Ridley’s voice is perfect for street-level Gotham.

This issue has a trigger warning on its first page, which isn’t something you often see. I can understand it, though, for those who are triggered by characters that are blatantly, unapologetically racist. There’s also some bloody violence. Not everyone’s cup of tea, to be sure. But I say it’s worth it.

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

A GCPD: The Blue Wall #3 Micro-Review – Poignant and Powerful

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.***

TITLE: GCPD: The Blue Wall #3 (of 6)
AUTHOR: John Ridley
ARTISTS: Stefano Raffaele, Brad Anderson (Colorist), Ariana Maher (Letterer). Cover by Reiko Murakami.

RELEASED: December 20, 2022

By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

This is a really good character issue. Ridley shows us Renee Montoya’s unrelenting obsessing with catching Two-Face, and is pretty convincing in terms of the former villain’s apparently innocent intentions. Stefano Raffaele also draws a hell of a Two-Face, with a lot of rich detail on his scarred side.

But what impressed me the most about this issue was Ridley allowing us to step into the shoes of Officer Danny Ortega as he’s a victim of racism within the department. It’s poignant, it’s powerful, and it deserves to be seen.

This should be a series. No doubt about it.

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

The Death of Superman 30th Anniversary Special #1 Micro-Review –

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.***

Death of Superman 30th Anniversary Special 1, cover, November 2022, Dan Jurgens, Brett Breeding, Brad AndersonTITLE: The Death of Superman 30th Anniversary Special #1
AUTHORS: Dan Jurgens, Jerry Ordway, Roger Stern, Louise Simonson
ARTISTS: Various. Cover by Jurgens, Brett Breeding, & Brad Anderson

RELEASED: November 8, 2022

By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

For those of us who were around back when Superman “died” in the early ’90s, this is a nice little supplement featuring many of the same creators who worked on the classic story.

The main feature sees a young Jon Kent learn about the big fight with Doomsday as his father fights an opponent named Doombreaker that’s almost identical. It’s a great performance on both the writing and art side by Dan Jurgens.

Meanwhile Steel gets a back-up story written by his creators Louise Simonson and Jon Bogdanove. The affection they have for him is evident on the page.

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

GCPD: The Blue Wall #2 Micro-Review – Hard-Hitting

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.***

GCPD The Blue Wall 2, cover, 2022, Reiko MurakamiTITLE: GCPD: The Blue Wall #2
AUTHOR: John Ridley
ARTISTS: Stefano Raffaele, Brad Anderson (Colorist), Ariana Maher (Letterer). Cover by Reiko Murakami.

RELEASED: November 15, 2022

By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

Here’s a nominee for hard-hitting comic book quote of the week: “…racism looks the worst when it’s dressed like power.”

There’s a lot of hard-hitting stuff in here, actually. We’ve got parolees trying to stay on the straight and narrow, a police commissioner trying to overcome trauma, a “hero cop” coming to grips with freezing on the job, an officer dealing with racist colleagues…

This issue directly references something that happened with Renee Montoya back in Gotham Central. So for those of us wondering if this book is a spiritual successor to that classic series, there’s your answer.

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

A GCPD: The Blue Wall #1 Micro-Review – Gotham Central: The Next Generation?

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.***

GCPD The Blue Wall 1, cover, 2022, Meiko MurakamiTITLE: GCPD: The Blue Wall #1
AUTHOR: John Ridley
ARTISTS: Stefano Raffaele, Brad Anderson (Colorist), Ariana Maher (Letterer). Cover by Reiko Murakami.

RELEASED: October 18, 2022

By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

Is this the spiritual successor to Gotham Central that some of us have been waiting almost two decades for? Hard to say at this point. Especially since The Blue Wall is only going to be six issues.

But I must say, Gotham Central fans should be happy with this. Everything, from art to characters to story, feels very gritty and ground-level. This could easily have been the first issue to an ongoing series. Sort of a Gotham Central: The Next Generation type thing. This one is on my pull-list for sure.

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

Weekly Comic 100s: Batman: The Detective #1

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.***

By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

TITLE: Batman: The Detective #1 (of 6)
AUTHOR: Tom Taylor
ARTISTS: Andy Kubert, Brad Anderson (Colorist), Clem Robins (Letterer)
RELEASED: April 13, 2021

I was tempted to close this one early. Not because this isn’t a talented creative team. It just isn’t my cup of tea. Not just because Batman is wearing the ridiculous jacket and goggles, but because it feels like Tom Taylor is doing his best Frank Miller impression. The dialogue and narration is very terse and blunt, and there’s no shortage of blood. Bruce Wayne even has a military-style short haircut for no apparent reason. Kubert’s work is fine, but the fact that he did DKIII makes this feel all the more Miller-ish.

I’ll pass, thanks.

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

Weekly Comic 100s: Future State: Superman/Wonder Woman #2

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.***

By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

TITLE: Future State: Superman/Wonder Woman #2
AUTHOR: Dan Watters
ARTISTS: Leila Del Luca, Nick Filardi (Colorist), Tom Napolitano (Letterer). Cover by Lee Weeks and Brad Anderson.
RELEASED: February 9, 2021

Dan Watters succeeds here in that I believe Jon Kent and Yara Flor are good friends. I was left wanting to see more of the two of them, to the point that it felt like the villains were in the way. I’m not sure that’s what he was going for…

At one point, the issue tells us “Superman has not the raw cunning of Wonder Woman.” That’s BS. We already like Yara. Stop trying to put her over at Superman’s expense.

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