Showing posts tagged dc comics
Scene of the Crime isn’t as rich with the noir-ish doses of shadow that would flood Ed Brubaker stories in the years to come — such as Gotham Central, Criminal, and Fatale — but this late 1990s four-issue DC/Vertigo miniseries in some sense birthed the universe of grifters, drug runners, and unlucky bar flies who populate those scripts. Read the rest of my new PopMatters piece about Brubaker’s noir comics and Scene of the Crime. View high resolution

Scene of the Crime isn’t as rich with the noir-ish doses of shadow that would flood Ed Brubaker stories in the years to come — such as Gotham Central, Criminal, and Fatale — but this late 1990s four-issue DC/Vertigo miniseries in some sense birthed the universe of grifters, drug runners, and unlucky bar flies who populate those scripts. Read the rest of my new PopMatters piece about Brubaker’s noir comics and Scene of the Crime.

Some of the Web’s discussion on the major development in Batman #10 from Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo (links will contain spoilers). Michael Stewart at PopMatters:  By now, the rabbit is out of the hole. The dark visage Bruce Wayne sees in the reflection of his city is nearly his own, plus or minus variations in the gene pool. Snyder dug deep into the annals of Batman history to find his person to undercut the confidence of the Dark Knight. Oliver Sava at The Onion’s AV Club:  Greg Capullo turns in consistently excellent work that strikes the same balance of superhero action and character-driven horror as Snyder’s scripts. Compared to a lot of the other old-school Image artists working at DC right now, Capullo has a stronger ability to capture a distinct tone in his artwork. There’s an emphasis on clear storytelling instead of flashy visuals, although he has no problem turning out dynamic splash pages. David Uzumeri at Comics Alliance: It all fits in very snugly with everything Snyder’s done in the run so far — hell, everything he’s done in any Bat-book, since James Gordon, Jr. claimed to be a similar “dark mirror” to Dick Grayson at the end of Batman: The Black Mirror. Since Snyder began work on the Batman titles, the Waynes have been taking a more active role in Gotham and how it’s run, through not only Batman Incorporated but also urban renewal initiatives. See more panels from the week of 6/17/12 at 4th Letter. View high resolution

Some of the Web’s discussion on the major development in Batman #10 from Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo (links will contain spoilers).

Michael Stewart at PopMatters: 

By now, the rabbit is out of the hole. The dark visage Bruce Wayne sees in the reflection of his city is nearly his own, plus or minus variations in the gene pool. Snyder dug deep into the annals of Batman history to find his person to undercut the confidence of the Dark Knight.

Oliver Sava at The Onion’s AV Club: 

Greg Capullo turns in consistently excellent work that strikes the same balance of superhero action and character-driven horror as Snyder’s scripts. Compared to a lot of the other old-school Image artists working at DC right now, Capullo has a stronger ability to capture a distinct tone in his artwork. There’s an emphasis on clear storytelling instead of flashy visuals, although he has no problem turning out dynamic splash pages.

David Uzumeri at Comics Alliance:

It all fits in very snugly with everything Snyder’s done in the run so far — hell, everything he’s done in any Bat-book, since James Gordon, Jr. claimed to be a similar “dark mirror” to Dick Grayson at the end of Batman: The Black Mirror. Since Snyder began work on the Batman titles, the Waynes have been taking a more active role in Gotham and how it’s run, through not only Batman Incorporated but also urban renewal initiatives.

See more panels from the week of 6/17/12 at 4th Letter.

Brian Wood’s DMZ is a 72-issue work of extremes, but the parallels to reality are integral to the story. Allusions to real-life run frequently across its grim pages. A particularly poignant chapter of DMZ takes place on Staten Island, where a depiction of the U.S. military engaging in torture techniques hits very close to home. Read my PopMatters piece about Wood’s powerful response to our post-9/11 “national security state.” View high resolution

Brian Wood’s DMZ is a 72-issue work of extremes, but the parallels to reality are integral to the story. Allusions to real-life run frequently across its grim pages. A particularly poignant chapter of DMZ takes place on Staten Island, where a depiction of the U.S. military engaging in torture techniques hits very close to home. Read my PopMatters piece about Wood’s powerful response to our post-9/11 “national security state.”

Dug the first couple of issues of Scott Snyder’s Swamp Thing, but even as I’m keeping up on his Batman (see PopMatters’ Michael Stewart on Snyder and breaking with convention here) and I read/recommend all of Severed, I fell behind. Waiting for the Swamp Thing collected editions, I guess. More stunning art from Francesco Francavilla at Pulp Sunday. View high resolution

Dug the first couple of issues of Scott Snyder’s Swamp Thing, but even as I’m keeping up on his Batman (see PopMatters’ Michael Stewart on Snyder and breaking with convention here) and I read/recommend all of Severed, I fell behind. Waiting for the Swamp Thing collected editions, I guess. More stunning art from Francesco Francavilla at Pulp Sunday.