Tag Tom Napolitano

Batman – One Bad Day: Clayface #1 Micro-Review – Getting Cute with Clay

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 One Bad Day Clayface 1, cover, February 2023, XermanicoTITLE: Batman – One Bad Day: Clayface #1
AUTHOR: Collin Kelly, Jackson Lanzing
ARTISTS:  Xermanico, Romulo Fajardo Jr. (Colorist), Tom Napolitano (Letterer)
RELEASED: February 21, 2023

By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

This issue gets cutesy at certain points, with Basil Karlo working on movies based on The Killing Joke, and then the Grey Ghost from Batman: The Animated Series. Actually, this issue reminds me a lot of a B:TAS episode.

All in all, this is pretty solid. Definitely one of the better One Bad Day issues. It dives in the bitter actor/artist side of Clayface as he tries to get his big break as a performer. It all goes about the way you’d expect. But that isn’t a bad thing. Xermanico and Fajardo also make it look great.

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A Tim Drake: Robin #6 Micro-Review – Robin Kissing a Boy

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.***

Tim Drake Robin 6, cover, February 2023, Ricardo Lopez OrtizTITLE: Tim Drake: Robin #6
AUTHOR: Meghan Fitzmartin
ARTISTS: Riley Rossmo, Lee Loughridge (Colorist), Tom Napolitano (Letterer). Cover by Ricardo Lopez Ortiz.
RELEASED: February 28, 2023

By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

The novelty of Robin kissing a boy on a comic book cover should not be lost on readers. Especially those of us who grew up in the ’80s and ’90s, when Tim Drake was created.

The book’s first arc wraps up here, and it was a decent one that ends on a nice note for Tim. I maintain that Riley Rossmo is a bit of an acquired taste for this particular book. But he makes it work. I’m looking forward to see what’s next for Tim Drake: Robin.

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

The Joker: The Man Who Stopped Laughing #5 Micro-Review – Those Around the Clown

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.***

The Joker the Man Who Stopped Laughing 5, cover, February 2023, Carmine Di GiandomenicoTITLE: The Joker: The Man Who Stopped Laughing #5
AUTHOR: Matthew Rosenberg
ARTISTS: Carmine Di Giandomenico, Francesco Francavilla, Romulo Fajardo Jr., Tom Napolitano (Letterer)
RELEASED: February 7, 2023

By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

As was the case with James Tynion IV’s Joker series, with The Man Who Stopped Laughing I find myself more interested in the characters around the Joker than the clown himself. Most specifically, the Red Hood’s quest to finally end the Joker once and for all. To me, that’s much more interesting than this faux Joker story we’re in the middle of.

These Rosenberg/Francavilla backups continue to be bizarre and surreal. In this issue, the Demon Etrigan almost calls Joker the C-word, which I’ll admit is kind of hilarious…

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The Joker: The Man Who Stopped Laughing #4 Micro-Review – Sick Kid Jokes

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.***

The Joker the Man Who Stopped Laughing 4, variant cover, January 2023, Lee BermejoTITLE: The Joker: The Man Who Stopped Laughing #4
AUTHOR: Matthew Rosenberg
ARTISTS: Carmine Di Giandomenico, Francesco Francavilla, Romulo Fajardo Jr. (Colorist), Nick Filardi (Colorist), Tom Napolitano (Letterer). Variant cover by Lee Bermejo.
RELEASED: January 3, 2023

By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

This issue turned me off early on. The main story takes place in a hospital, and we see a group of kids in what is presumably a cancer ward. So, as this is a Joker comic, we get a lot of sick kid jokes. That’s not really my cup of tea.

These Rosenberg/Francavilla back-ups continue to be weird as hell. But they’re also genuinely amusing and funny. Case in point, this one sees Joker swallow a bunch of mud, then vomit up a mud creature that he and his henchmen have to chase around.

See what I mean? Weird.

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

A Tim Drake: Robin #4 Micro-Review – The Batgirls Family

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.***

tim_drake_robin_4_cover_december_2022_ricardo_lopez_ortiz (1)TITLE: Tim Drake: Robin #4
AUTHOR: Meghan Fitzmartin
ARTISTS: Riley Rossmo, Lee Loughridge (Colorist), Tom Napolitano (Letterer). Cover by Ricardo Lopez Ortiz. 
RELEASED: December 27, 2022

The Batgirls, Cassandra Cain and Stephanie Brown, make an appearance in this issue. It’s interesting, in that Riley Rossmo’s art almost feels like it’s in the same family as that of Jorge Corona and Neil Googe, the two respective regular artists on the Batgirls series.

This issue also contains a sweet moment between Tim and his boyfriend Bernard. I initially wasn’t sure about the two of them as a couple, given their history as friends in the comics. But they’re growing on me.

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

The Joker: The Man Who Stopped Laughing #3 Micro-Review – What is Real?

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.***

The Joker the Man Who Stopped Laughing 3, cover, December 2022, Carmine DiGiandomenicoTITLE: The Joker: The Man Who Stopped Laughing #3
AUTHOR: Matthew Rosenberg
ARTISTS: Carmine Di Giandomenico, Francesco Francavilla, Arif Prianto (Colorist), Tom Napolitano (Letterer)

RELEASED: December 6, 2022

By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

From a story perspective, I’m unsure about what I’m seeing in this new Joker series. As in, what’s real and what isn’t. Everything’s very well written and well drawn. I’m just having trouble keeping up. Maybe it’s a case of having to go back and read the last two issues again. But even the back-up, which is visually beautiful thanks to Francesco Frankavilla, ends on a downright bizarre note.

The book’s portrayal of Jason Todd is also a little one-dimensional for my taste. Granted, we don’t get a ton of time with the character. But still…

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A Tim Drake: Robin #3 Micro-Review – The Most Effective Disguise in Comics

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.***

Tim Drake Robin 3, cover, November 2022, Riley RossmoTITLE: Tim Drake: Robin #3
AUTHOR: Meghan Fitzmartin
ARTISTS: Riley Rossmo, Lee Loughridge (Colorist), Tom Napolitano (Letterer)

RELEASED: November 22, 2022

By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

This issue suffers from bad timing. Normally the “all the past Robins together” thing works, whether it’s in a fight scenario or some kind of big group meeting. But we just saw it a couple weeks ago in Batman vs. Robin #3. So to see it again here came off a little lame.

Also lame? That Robin meets Tim Drake’s boyfriend Bernard in this issue, and Bernard doesn’t recognize him. It’s that classic, yet no less ridiculous rule that somehow the domino mask is the most effective disguise in superhero comics.

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

The Joker: The Man Who Stopped Laughing #2 Micro-Review – Thinking Like a Clown

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.***

The Joker the Man Who Stopped Laughing 2, cover, 2022, Carmine Di GiandomenicoTITLE: The Joker: The Man Who Stopped Laughing #2
AUTHOR: Matthew Rosenberg
ARTISTS: Carmine Di Giandomenico, Francesco Francavilla, Arif Prianto (Colorist), Tom Napolitano (Letterer), Troy Peteri

RELEASED: November 1, 2022

By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

If all is as it seems in this series thus far, the Joker is doing his own inner monologue. That’s a big no-no for me. The Joker’s thought process, his unique and insane mental state, should be incomprehensible to us as readers. We’re not supposed to know what he’s thinking, or how he’s thinking, etc. To try and approach him otherwise is a mistake.

But we’re still not sure entirely what’s going on in this book from a story perspective. So I reserve the right to take that back…

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

The Joker: The Man Who Stopped Laughing #1 Micro-Review – Laughing Across America

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.***

The Joker the Man Who Stopped Laughing 1, cover, 2022, Carmine di GiandomenicoTITLE: The Joker: The Man Who Stopped Laughing #1
AUTHOR: Matthew Rosenberg
ARTISTS: Carmine Di Giandomenico, Francesco Francavilla, Arif Prianto (Colorist), Tom Napolitano (Letterer)

RELEASED: October 4, 2022

By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

James Tynion IV’s Joker series is a tough act to follow. But thus far, Matthew Rosenberg and this team have done a nice job running with the baton, so to speak.

Our titular villain travels to Los Angeles in this issue, in what I hope is the beginning of a cross-country story of sorts for him.

Francesco Frankavilla does the back-up story about Joker crushing on Power Girl. His art and colors are always great to see. Though I wish he had a better handle on the Joker’s trademark lips and smile.

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

A Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths #5 Micro-Review – “We’re the Titans!”

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.***

Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths 5, cover, 2022, Daniel Sampere, Alejandro SanchezTITLE: Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths #5
AUTHOR: Joshua Williamson
ARTISTS: Daniel Sampere, Alejandro Sanchez (Colorist), Tom Napolitano (Letterer)

RELEASED: October 4, 2022

By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

The momentum from last issue continues here, as this finally starts to feel like a Crisis-level story with world-shattering implications. But it’s too little, too late at this point. If Dark Crisis had this level of tension and energy at the beginning, that would have been one thing…

This issue does include a really nice rallying moment for Nightwing and the Titans, though…

“You are not the Justice League!”

“We never were…we’re the Titans!”

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