Gary Frank (2)

Prelim Review: Honestly speaking I preferred Superman Earth One, which as a Batman fan moreso then a Superman fan, that grieves me. I didn't feel like the artwork or 'new' origin story was as crisp as in Superman Earth One. Oh details were changed (Alfred is a military vet!) but at its core it was still 'Bruce Wayne fights crime to atone for the brutal slaying of his parents'. In Superman Earth One it became more of a 'Clark Kent searches for his place in life while learning the true meaning of strength' (or something like that). We see an uncertain, kind of showy-offy Clark who would have taken the easy route in life if nothing had given him a different choice.

Bruce? He kind of sucked at being Batman at first (or not really sucked, but was very amateur)--okay we kind of expected that (Batman Year One). He was driven by revenge (any Batman) for what happened to his parents and the corruption he perceives in Gotham. He finds a higher calling (again any Batman) in being a vigilante.

Admittedly having Gordon cynical, Bullock the idealist and Cobblepot (aka Penguin) the mayor were interesting changes, but :shrugs: not enough.

Full Review to be posted at Poisoned Rationality… (mais)

When Hulk crash lands on planet Sakaar after being exiled into outer space by the Avengers, he is sold into slavery and becomes the Green scar, the planet's mightiest gladiator. Yet, his new masters get more than they bargained for when he forges a bond of brotherhood with his fellow fighters and together they start a revolution to overthrow their captors. This comic partly inspired the storyline in Thor: Ragnarok, but unlike that comical action adventure, this is a savage sci-fi fantasy more in line with Dune, Mad Max, and tales about the Roman Empire. Highly recommended.… (mais)

A new story (2012) that goes back to the beginning of the Batman Story.

Alfred arrives at the Wayne Manor for the first time (having served with Wayne Snr in the Army) on the night Wayne Snr is killed outside the cinema with his wife. Alfred is Bruce's legal guardian, and is horrified when he learns what the grown up Bruce is doing, fearing him unprepared.

Meanwhile Mayor Copplepot (The Penguin) is the source of much of the corruption in Gotham and Bruce believes he killed his parents. He goes after the police who covered it up. In the mean time, Detective James Gordon (yet to be the commissioner) is joined by a good looking Hollywood detective who ends up getting Gordon's daughter kidnapped by a serial killer.

All these threads are pulled together in the old Arkham Home (where Bruce Wayne's mother grew up) with a bloody, violent end, that leaves more than one person devastated.… (mais)

I've been told I needed to read this for ages, and now I can see why. My knowledge of The Hulk is pretty general, and based on Wikipedia and the cartoon I watched as a child. I've never been particularly interested in him, but wow this story is great. My rating is really a 4.5 stars. I can't help but feel that if I was more familiar with the character I'd have appreciated some more of the nuances. Even coming at it with hardly any background knoweldge I really enjoyed this, I was stuck to it and had some real trouble putting it down.

So Hulk has been tricking by his so-called "friends" and sent off into space, obviously he's not happy about that! He ends up landing on strange planet (not the one the Illuminati intended, being kind of weak at the time he's captured and becomes a gladiator for the Red King, along with a bunch of other "monsters." What follow is kind of like The Gladiator, with a really sad ending and a big cliff hanger. I won't say more because I don't want to spoil it.

I've never read a Hulk comic before so I've got nothing to compare it to, but this was an intelligent, engaging and surprisingly emotional story with lots of twists and turns. I was genuinely sad towards the end of this story! I build up a lot of sympathy for The Hulk who is often misunderstood by others but also himself. I definitely want to read what happens next in World War Hulk.

The only bit I wasn't do keen on was the last story, which had a dramatic change in artwork that I really didn't like (I found it too kiddy) and introduced a new character (Amadeus Cho) I'm not sold on yet. It sets up the direction for what is to follow though, and like I said I want more Hulk!
… (mais)