Tag Rafael Albuquerque

A Detective Comics 2022 Annual Micro-Review – A Villain Problem

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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.***

TITLE: Detective Comics 2022 Annual
AUTHOR: Ram V
ARTISTS: Christopher Mitten, Rafael Albuquerque, Hayden Sherman, Lee Loughridge (Colorist), Deron Bennett (Letterer). Cover by Evan Cagle.

RELEASED: November 29, 2022

By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

My eyes glazed over a little bit on this one. Detective Comics has, for my money, a bit of a villain problem right now in that they’re just not that interesting. This annual attempts to fill in some of their background by taking us back to Gotham circa 1776, and it’s simply not that interesting. We see 1776 versions of Batman, Two-Face, and Poison Ivy, which doesn’t do anything for me.

I can’t throw a lot of stones at the execution of the issue, though. Particularly when it comes to Hayden Sherman, who handles the majority of the art.

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A Detective Comics #1065 Micro-Review – Downright Trippy

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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.***

Detective Comics 1065, cover, 2022, Evan CagleTITLE: Detective Comics #1065
AUTHORS: Ram V, Simon Spurrier
ARTISTS: Rafael Albuquerque, Hayden Sherman, Dave Stewart (Colorist), Nick Filardi (Colorist), Ariana Maher (Letterer). Steve Wands (Letterer). Cover by Evan Cagle.

RELEASED: October 25, 2022

By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

There’s a moment in this issue where Jim Gordon is with a vulnerable Batman, and it’s suggested that he take Batman’s mask off. He replies that he thinks he knows who’s under there, but he doesn’t want to know. I loved that. That’s perfect. That’s the philosophy Gordon should have as it relates to Batman.

I was excited to see Hayden Sherman’s name on the back-up for this issue. He’s been doing great work at IDW and Image recently. Sherman and Nick Filardi give us a Two-Face story that gets downright trippy.

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A Detective Comics #1064 Micro-Review – “Panic Attacks My @#$%.”

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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.***

Detective Comics 1064, cover, 2022, Evan CagleTITLE: Detective Comics #1064
AUTHORS: Ram V, Simon Spurrier
ARTISTS: Rafael Albuquerque, Dani, Dave Stewart (Colorist), Ariana Maher (Letterer), Steve Wands (Letterer). Cover by Evan Cagle.

RELEASED: September 27, 2022

By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

There’s a sequence in this issue where a doctor suggests to Bruce Wayne that he may be having panic attacks. Bruce then proceeds to climb to the top of the building, say “Panic Attacks My @#$%,” and dive off.

Is that going anywhere? That’d be kind cool. As an anxiety sufferer myself, seeing Batman deal with panic attacks would be interesting. I’m sure it would be for a lot of people. After all, what could possibly give Batman a panic attack?

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

A Detective Comics #1063 Micro-Review – Digging Up the Maestro

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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.***

Detective Comics 1063, cover, 2022, Evan CagleTITLE: Detective Comics #1063
AUTHORS: Ram V, Simon Spurrier
ARTISTS: Rafael Albuquerque, Dani, Dave Stewart (Colorist), Ariana Maher (Letterer), Steve Wands (Letterer). Cover by Evan Cagle.
RELEASED: August 23, 2022

By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

This issue digs up a Batman villain that even I’d never heard of: Payne Cardine, a.k.a. the Maestro. I wouldn’t mind seeing Ram V and Albuquerque do more with him.

I’m assuming the mask we see Harvey Dent/Two-Face wear in this issue is a Ram V/Albuquerque creation? I certainly haven’t seen it before. It fits with the gothic, operatic aesthetic they’re going with.

These Jim Gordon back-ups definitely put the detective in Detective Comics. It’s got that grim, gritty, pulpy, noir flavor that’s very much in sync with Batman’s world.

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

A Detective Comics #1062 Micro-Review – Going Goth

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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.***

TITLE: Detective Comics #1062
AUTHORS: Ram V, Simon Spurrier
ARTISTS: Rafael Albuquerque, Dani, Dave Stewart (Colorist), Ariana Maher (Letterer), Steve Wands (Letterer). Cover by Evan Cagle.
RELEASED: July 26, 2022

By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

Detective is embracing Batman’s gothic side with this story. Compared to last issue, much of this one is measurably darker. The texture is a little bit scratchier. We’ve got a very gothic looking opera scene, complete with a demon. It’s too early to judge the story. But it’s a way to go.

Our back-up story stars Jim Gordon. Between this, and what James Tynion IV had him doing over in The Joker, I’m really digging him in the detective role. It allows him to get his hands dirty in a way he often couldn’t as the commissioner.

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Weekly Comic 100s: Power Rangers Double Feature, Spider-Woman #1, and More!

Rob Siebert 1 Comment

***”Weekly Comic 100s” keeps it nice and simple. Comic book reviews in 100 words or less. Straight, concise, and to the point.***

By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

No comic shop for me this week. These were strictly digital purchases. Thank God for Comixology.The irony in all of this is that it feels like the prologue for a story you’d read in a comic book…

TITLE: Mighty Morphin Power Rangers/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #4 (of 5)
AUTHOR: Ryan Parrott
ARTISTS: Simone di Meo, Alessio Zonno, Walter Baiamonte (Colorist), Igor Monti (Color Assistant), Ed Dukeshire (Letterer). Cover by Dan Mora.
RELEASED: March 18, 2020

You knew it was inevitable. You can’t have this story without somehow getting the Turtles into Ranger costumes. That being said those outfits are pretty goofy. Granted, the premise itself is goofy. And they look about as good as they were ever going to. But even by Power Ranger/Ninja Turtle standards…goofy as hell.

As I’ve said previously, pretty paint-by-numbers team-up stuff here. The TMNT characters do Power Rangers stuff, and vice versa. Shredder and Rita are still the best part. I’m guessing they’re already planning on a sequel, as we get a pretty obvious hint.

TITLE: Go Go Power Rangers #30
AUTHOR: Ryan Parrott, Sina Grace
ARTISTS: Francesco Mortarino, Raul Angulo (Colorist), Ed Dukeshire (Letterer). Cover by Eleonora Carlini.
RELEASED: March 11, 2020

A solid issue. But why is Finster creating monsters for Zedd? On the show he was pretty much on the shelf until Rita came back. Why isn’t Zedd just doing it himself?

I’m liking these Goldar, Squatt, and Baboo scenes we’ve been getting in both the main book and in Go Go. It brings back fond memories from season one.

As we move closer to the end (*sniff*), I can only assume Rocky, Adam, and Aisha will pop up soon. If for nothing else than a cameo in the final issue.

TITLE: Spider-Woman #1
AUTHOR: Karla Pacheco
ARTISTS: Pere Perez, Paulo Siqueira, Oren Junior (Inker), Frank D’Armata (Colorist), Travis Lanham (Letterer). Cover by Junggeun Yoon.
RELEASED: March 18, 2020

I’ve never read Karla Pacheco before. But in this book I’m getting a Bendis type vibe from her. That’s not a bad thing. As I recall, Bendis did alright in the Spider-Verse…

Our main story is about Jessica fighting a mysterious illness as she’s trying to protect a rich socialite from being kidnapped. It’s a lot of fun, though I’m partial to the back-up, which goes into how she got the job, and why she’s wearing a different costume for it. Why? Because she goes to a store called “Big Ronnie’s Custom Battle Spandex.”

That. Is. Brilliant.

TITLE: BANG! #2
AUTHOR: Matt Kindt
ARTISTS: Wilfredo Torres, Nayoung Kim (Colorist), Nate Piekos (Letterer)
RELEASED: March 18, 2020

BANG! was definitely the most fun book in my stack this week. What we have here is a series that isn’t afraid to revel in action movie tropes and cliches. But beneath the surface there’s something more serious with a lot of intrigue. I’ve officially got high hopes.

This month we meet a new hero, John Shaw, who’s looks like he’s based off John McClane. He gets in the middle of a massacre on a speeding train masterminded by a would-be Bond villain with a disfigured face and a speech impediment shamelessly played for laughs. Yup. I’m all in.

TITLE: Batman #91
AUTHOR: James Tynion IV
ARTISTS: Rafael Albuquerque, Jorge Jimenez, Carlo Pagulayan, Danny Miki, Tomeu Morey (Colorist), Clayton Cowles (Letterer)
RELEASED: March 18, 2020

Amidst all the chaos in this issue, the most interesting exchange is between Batman and Deathstroke. Our hero talks about the stakes in his war on crime constantly being raised. He’s almost pleading with Slade, saying that “you people,” i.e. supervillains, need to step aside so he can save Gotham.

Deathstroke gives the correct response, which is ,”You escalated first.”

This is an interesting scene to juxtapose with everything happening with the Designer, the Joker, Catwoman, etc.

We’re six issues into Tynion’s run, and Batman is still firing on all cylinders. Lord knows, I’m still along for the ride…

TITLE: Something is Killing the Children #6
AUTHOR: James Tynion IV
ARTISTS: Werther Dell’Edera, Miquel Muerto (Colorist), Andworld Design (Letters)
RELEASED: March 18, 2020

As we close this issue we get another glimpse of “the Order,” a bunch of folks in suits who all wear bandanas like Erica. I nice, cryptic little scene with a little glimpse into Erica’s past.

They did a nice job of spreading the layouts over two pages this month. The panels go left to right, then down, then left and right, almost like words in a paragraph. It’s not necessarily a rare thing. But I really dug the execution here.

TITLE: Marvels X #3
AUTHORS: Alex Ross, Jim Krueger
ARTISTS: Well-Bee, Cory Petit (Letterer). Cover by Ross.
RELEASED: March 18, 2020

There’s a line in here about Reed Richards being blamed for a global pandemic. That one hits home right about now…

They apparently felt the need to re-emphasize David’s importance. They hammer the whole “He could save us all!” thing home so much in this issue it becomes grating. I would also argue David’s plucky fanboy shtick is getting old.

Still, a fairly enjoyable outing. Well-Bee draws a hell of a Spider-Man. I also noticed the touch of gray he added to Peter Parker’s hair. Ironically, it makes him look like Reed Richards.

TITLE: Hotell #1 (of 4)
AUTHOR: John Lees
ARTISTS: Dalibor Talajic, Lee Loughridge (Colorist), Sal Cipriano (Letterer). Cover by Kaare Andrews
RELEASED: March 18, 2020

Hotell feels like a horror book with self-contained stories, a la Tales From the Crypt or The Twilight Zone. I’m not quite sure if that’s what it’ll end up being, especially with only four issues. But that’s what it feels like.

While it tends to suffer from the kind of awkward dialogue you often get in newer indie comics, Hotell surprised me with its ability to create a genuine sense of fear and dread that few comics do. If this is your cup of tea, I highly recommend it.

But be warned. It earns its Mature rating in spades.

TITLE: Star Wars #4
AUTHOR: Charles Soule
ARTISTS: Jesus Saiz, Arif Prianto & Rachelle Rosenburg (Colorists), Clayton Cowles (Letterer). Cover by R.B. Silva and Guru-eFX.
RELEASED: March 18, 2020

In regard to Luke, Leia, and Lando returning to Bespin, the solicitation for this issue tells us, “Things did not go well for the trio the last time they visited this place.”

You mean a few days ago? Hell, Luke is basically wearing the same clothes. Because for some reason the heroes in this book are complete idiots.

Luke digs through mountains of garbage to find his lightsaber. Leia has gotten herself frozen. But don’t worry! If you’ve only been frozen for a little while, you can be thawed out and be completely alert with no side effects!

Friggin’ stupid.

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A Batman #52 Review – Ohhhh, They’re Being Cute…

Rob Siebert 2 Comments

Batman #52, 2016, Greg CapulloTITLE: Batman #52
AUTHOR: James Tynion IV
PENCILLER: Riley Rossmo. Cover by Greg Capullo.
PUBLISHER: DC Comics
PRICE: $3.99
RELEASED: May 11, 2016

***Miss last issue? Check out issue #51!***

By Rob Siebert
Editor, Fanboy Wonder

This is the last issue of this volume of Batman. Because, you know, it’s the New 52. And this is issue #52. Oh, and Batman makes a list, and the important item is number 52.

I’m almost glad all these New 52 books are relaunching. They’re getting a little too cute with their number games…

A short time after the Waynes are murdered, Leslie Thompkins asks young Bruce to compile a list of things he needs to do to move on with his life. It’s not an easy list to compile, however. Years later, the things Bruce wrote down resurface in a manner that requires the attention of Batman. But what exactly is on that list?

A few quick words on James Tynion IV: His contributions to this Batman run should never be looked over. Scott Snyder may have been in the driver’s seat, but Tynion was a hell of a co-pilot with his back-ups on a lot of those issues. One that immediately comes to mind is issue #15, in which he and Jock put The Riddler over really well (and this was pre-Zero Year). Another amazing little story was “The Pit” with Rafael Albuquerque from issue #23. There are moments in this Batman series where I wondered Tynion actually understood Batman better than Snyder did. So if Snyder isn’t going to be the one to close this chapter of Batman’s career, Tynion damn sure deserves it.

Batman #52, Riley Rossmo, Leslie Thompkins, weird hairThat being said, Riley Rossmo’s art is awkward at times. He’s by no means a bad artist. He draws a pretty good Alfred. But there are panels where Batman’s eyes get a little too big and buggy for my taste. At different points he also looks a little too stringy, particularly on the final page. Part of that is Rossmo’s style, which is fair enough. But c’mon, this is Batman we’re talking about.

Also, what exactly is up with Leslie’s hair (shown left)? Is that supposed to be a retro hairdo? It’s more distracting than anything else. Why does Leslie have a cat sleeping on her head?

On the plus side, Rossmo draws what seems to be a nice little tribute to Batman: The Animated Series in this issue (shown below). He incorporates it into the story nicely. Artistically, it’s one of the highlights of the book.

The idea of Bruce creating a list like this is interesting. We don’t get to see a lot of it, which is fine. It’s probably best left to the imagination. We do see a few entries however…

  • #1. Disappear.
  • #7. Feel nothing.
  • #21. Let go of everything.
  • #33. Make them feel what I feel.
  • #45. Don’t let anybody else leave me.

Batman #52, lightning bolt, Riley RossmoWhat’s great about these sentiments is that while these feel like things a child might have written, in different ways you can apply them to both Batman and young Bruce Wayne. Tynion, Rossmo, and the team do a lovely job of illustrating that. They also hit us with a really good tearjerker in the second half of the issue when Alfred makes an addition to Bruce’s list.

Batman #52 is a serviceable conclusion to this volume of The Dark Knight’s adventures. Thankfully, Tynion returns to Batman’s world next month in Detective Comics #894. I’m pleased to see him getting the top billing on a Bat-book. He’s earned his stripes in Gotham City. While this may not be his best work, he’s got a chance to make some great comics going forward. That’s good news for both Tynion and Batman.

Image 1 from gamespot.com. Image 2 from comicvine.com.

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A Batman, Vol. 2: City of Owls Review – Owl City

Rob Siebert 1 Comment

Batman, Vol. 2: The City of OwlsTITLE: Batman, Vol. 2: The City of Owls
AUTHORS: Scott Snyder, James Tynion IV.
PENCILLERS: Greg Capullo, Jonathan Glapion, Rafael Albuquerque, Jason Fabok.
COLLECTS: Batman #8-12, Batman Annual #1
FORMAT: Hardcover
PUBLISHER: DC Comics
PRICE: $24.99
RELEASED: May 20, 2013

Need to catch up? Check out Batman, Vol. 1: The Court of Owls.

By Levi Sweeney
Staff Writer, Grand X

I never really took to the Court of Owls. They’re a bunch of hammy ninjas and evil rich people who share an obsession with a nocturnal bird. Maybe it’s because I just don’t buy the fact that there’s this evil cabal secretly running Gotham City for whatever reason. What do they hope to gain? Money? They’re already rich. Power? They could do that without resorting to murdering people and training ninja-zombies. I can almost imagine it: The Court of Owls Political Action Committee (COPAC).

My feelings on the Court of Owls aside, The City of Owls is a decent read. Following a harrowing encounter with the Court in their secret lair, Bruce Wayne suddenly finds himself under attack by a legion of Talons in his own home. What’s more, the Court has sent Talons to target important individuals across the city. Alfred quickly scrambles the Bat-family to try and save as many as they can, but who will win the “Night of the Owls?” More importantly, who’s really behind it all?

Batman #8, Greg CapulloEasily the best thing about this issue is the build-up and suspense. I have a renewed appreciation for Snyder’s skill in building momentum. It’s almost like climbing the stairs in a multistory building: You march up to the top, get to the landing, and you’re relieved, and then you’re faced with another set of stairs. In this case, Snyder and Capullo demonstrate their ability to make a comic which is visually compelling and interesting to read.

My favorite parts of the book, however, had little to do with the main plot. I most enjoyed the stories with Jarvis Pennyworth and Harper Row. In the Jarvis Pennyworth story, we see how Jarvis met his end while trying to be a good man trapped in a bad situation. The Jarvis story in particular has art by Rafael Albuquerque that fits the mood and story. The coloring and texture have a vibrant darkness to them, sort of like impressionist noir.

The Harper Row story gives us the kind of Batman tale I’ve always really liked: a look at the superhero situation from the P.O.V. of a normal bystander. Harper herself manages to be her own character without becoming a stand-in for Stephanie Brown. The smorgasbord of artists assigned to her issue managed to mesh well, and actually produced a nice effect.

Batman #11, Greg Capullo, Bruce Wayne, Dick GraysonI can’t say Snyder’s Batman is particularly memorable here. I will say, however, that we get a lot of good, classic Batman moments that were enjoyable to read. For instance, when Batman finally gets rid of that outrageous mech suit, and he’s suiting up, he smiles slightly when he puts on the cowl. He’s enjoying getting ready to kick some Talon butt with his own hands. The final scene with Bruce and Dick was a great one, with Greg Capullo’s art capturing the mood perfectly. I actually wouldn’t mind seeing Snyder write a run on Grayson or Nightwing, as he seems to have a good grasp on Dick’s personality. We saw this plainly enough back in The Black Mirror.

The thing is, I know that Snyder can do better than what he gives us here. Maybe he could try doing something with the classic villains, like The Riddler or Scarecrow or The Penguin. The Mr. Freeze-centric story in the annual gave us a fine example Snyder’s new approach being applied to older villains and ideas, and it turned out beautifully. I’d like to see more of that from him and his other collaborators, especially Jason Fabok, who draws such beautiful renditions of the classic villains.

The City of Owls wasn’t the best Batman story I’ve ever read, but it’s not bad either. It’s one of those things that just above average. It had the potential to be great, and it succeeds as a page turner, but it’s not going to make it onto my top ten list. At the very least, I admire Snyder and Capullo for trying to shake things up a little, and I hope to find more substantial stuff in the future

RATING: 7.5/10

Image 1 from dccomics.com. Image 2 from popmatters.com.

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