Comics News from around the world

Eye on Comics

Comics criticism and commentary from Don MacPherson

Boom! Pow! Shrug! So, Stan Lee’s back. Honestly, I wasn’t aware he’d ever left. Boom! Studios, a steadily growing comics publisher that really gained a head of steam when it named influential comics writer Mark Waid as its editor-in-chief a while back, announced Tuesday it had struck a deal with Pow! Entertainment (Stan Lee’s latest media venture) to produce [...] A Night to Remember Blackest Night #7 Writer: Geoff Johns Pencils: Ivan Reis Inks: Oclair Albert & Joe Prado Colors: Alex Sinclair Letters: Nick J. Napolitano Cover artists: Reis & Albert/Rodolfo Migliari (variant) Editor: Eddie Berganza Publisher: DC Comics Price: $3.99 US Geoff Johns must’ve been really pleased when he saw Avatar or a little bit miffed (I’m assuming he saw it; given the box-office numbers on the flick, [...] Books With Missing Pages It’s a new era over at DC Comics, or should I say DC Entertainment, with last week’s announcement of its new lineup of executives who will guide the comics publisher into the second decade of the 21st century. But while there’s an atmosphere of renewed energy and drive at DC, I noticed that in some [...] Quick Critiques ? Feb. 19, 2010 Chase Variant One Shot (Is All I Need) one-shot (Image Comics) by Rich Johnston, Saverio Tenuta & Bagwell I decided to pick up this comic book because I like Rich Johnston’s online musings about the comic-book industry and some of his past efforts have been amusing. I expected a comic that embraced satire, that spoofed the Kewl [...] Right Makes Might? When I read Captain America #602 a couple of weeks ago, I appreciated the real-world political and social elements that writer Ed Brubaker incorporated into the story. By including the Tea Party movement (or an analogy of it), Brubaker’s script becomes all the more relevant and interesting. Mind you, as much as I enjoyed seeing [...] Syndication in Animation Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths 2-Disc Digital Copy Special Edition DVD Main movie Writer: Dwayne McDuffie Voice Actors: William Baldwin, Mark Harmon, Chris Noth, Gina Torres, James Woods, Jonathan Adams, Brian Bloom, Bruce Davison, Josh Keaton, Vanessa Marshall, Nolan North, Freddi Rogers & James Patrick Stuart Directors: Sam Lui & Lauren Montgomery “DC Showcase – The Spectre” Writer: Steve [...] Road Trip The Road to God Knows… original graphic novel Writer/Artist/Cover artist: Von Allan Publisher: Von Allan Studio Price: $12.95 When it comes to the slice-of-life genre in comics, there’s a rich vein of storytelling strength to be found in independent and self-published works. Often, writers and artists starting out in the medium wisely stick with what they know rather than [...] When Is a Comic Con Not a Comic Con? So Gareb Shamus has announced his latest comic-convention acquisition with the addition of Cleveland Comic Con to his roster of Wizard World events, bringing it to a total of 11. Shamus continued his strategy of scooping up a smaller convention from the owner/s and keeping him/them on as a consultant or show-runner. This time around, [...] Quick Critiques ? Feb. 5, 2010 Astro City: The Dark Age, Book Four #1 (DC Comics/Wildstorm Productions) by Kurt Busiek & Brent E. Anderson First of all… wow, what a cover. This is one of Alex Ross’s most striking covers and character designs, not only for Astro City comics. The greenery and the intensity of the stare really allow this book to stand [...] Let?s Talk About X Ultimate X #1 “Chapter One: His Father’s Son” Writer: Jeph Loeb Pencils: Arthur Adams Digital inks & colors: Aspen MLT Letters: Comicraft Editor: Mark Paniccia Publisher: Marvel Comics Price: $3.99 US I only made two issues into Jeph Loeb’s last foray into Marvel’s Ultimate Universe, Ultimatum, before the excesses of the plotting turned me off, and I dropped Hulk a few months, though I [...]