1/31/2014

Movie News Madness, 1-31-2014

What a week it's been. So much stuff has been coming out of Hollywood that I've been having a hard time keeping up with it all. But, needless to say, it's all been really exciting. Here are a few of the bigger stories that I've seen this past week.

New Ninja Turtles Design
You may have seen this already (and if you haven't, where ya been?) as it's been the biggest story of the week. New images from the set of Michael Bay's Ninja Turtles film hit the internet showing the design and detail of the turtles and Shredder. Because Paramount has been sending out Cease and Desist letters like Christmas cards to sites that have posted the images, I'm not putting them up here, but here's a link to the The Hollywood News which has all of the photos.

So far, I like the design. I think the turtles themselves are a little clunky and ridiculously top-heavy, but they look pretty badass. What I think I really like about them is the way they blended a turtle's face with a human's, making them look like a good mixture of both.

I also like the costume designs. They seem to be taking a range of Asian influenced garb and mixing it with American flavor, like the Nike arm pads Leonardo is wearing and the sweater tied around Michelangelo's waist. It's pretty unique and I'm excited to see them pull this off on screen.

But I really think my favorite is Shredder. This design has been getting a lot of flak from fans on the internet, claiming that he's too "pointy" but isn't that what Shredder is supposed to be? There's a lot of intricate detail in the design and I hope that it gets fully realized for the film. One thing that I'm noticing is the mid-abdomen flap on his suit, which kind of makes me think of the Utrom-controlled Shredder from the 2003 TMNT cartoon series. Michael Bay originally stated that the Turtles would have an alien-based origin, which he then recanted, but could we be seeing something alien in the film, such as the Utrom? That would be pretty cool.

Captain America: The Winter Soldier Character Posters
This one seemed to have slipped under the radar thanks to the hullabaloo over the Ninja Turtles designs but it's damn worthy of mention. Marvel just released new posters for the upcoming Captain America: The Winter Soldier movie featuring Cap, Nick Fury and Black Widow. Check 'em out.





It also appears that the movie got an updated release date. Originally, The Winter Soldier was supposed to hit theaters on April 4, 2014 but these new posters feature the date of March 26. Not having to wait an extra week to see the movie? That's pretty cool.

Ghostbusters gets Lego-fied
OK, so as far as movie news goes, this one is iffy as it counts as toy news too, but whatever. Ghostbusters turns 30 this year and Lego is celebrating as best they can; by making a Ghostbusters Lego set. I'm not sure if I can be more excited about this than I already am.




The set was submitted through their Cuusoo site, a user-based community that allows fans to vote on their favorite designs and the one with the most votes gets made. (This is also how we got the Back to the Future DeLorean last year.) The set includes an awesomely detained Ecto-1 and four mini-figures of each of the Ghostbusters. The header image on the site shows a model of the firehouse but so far, that's not part of the release. Hopefully, Ecto-1 sells ridiculously well and Lego decides to add the firehouse to the collection. I would be all over that.

UPDATE: Jesse Eisenberg cast as Lex Luthor, Jeremy Irons as Alfred in Man of Steel Sequel
Not gonna lie; this one threw me for a loop. Jesse Eisenberg, who played Mark Zuckerberg in The Social Network, has been cast as the genius mastermind Lex Luthor in the upcoming Man of Steel sequel. It's certainly inspired, to cast such a young Lex Luthor. It's possible that they plan to make him a child prodigy to really hammer home the character's genius, which I guess is a unique way to play it. If nothing else it's certainly interesting and I can see Eisenberg doing well with the role.

Jeremy Irons, on the other hand... That's got my interest really piqued. Irons as Alfred... Hmmm... I guess I can see that. Even though Irons is not nearly as old as some other actors that have played the role, or even how he's portrayed in the comics, it could work. Alfred is usually meant to be a subdued badass in the comics, being an ex-British Secret Service with medical training. Perhaps they plan on utilizing this side of Alfred in the upcoming movie? If so, that would be pretty awesome.

Either way, we'll find out in a few years with the film hits theaters.

1/28/2014

Empire Magazine Unveils 25 Covers for X-Men: Days of Future Past

There's no denying that X-Men: Days of Future Past is going to be a huge release and based on the marketing for it, Fox is putting a lot of effort into the movie. Yesterday, Empire magazine gave fans a look at the cover for their March issue which contains an exclusive preview of the film. What's amazing about the issue is that it has a whopping 25 different covers featuring a range of characters from the movie.

Most of the characters you would expect to be given the spotlight, like Professor X, Magneto, and Wolverine. But the series goes even further by giving fans a first look at a few of the new characters like Quicksilver, Warpath and Bishop. I am especially excited to see Blink in action as she's one of my favorite X-characters ever.

The covers themselves are...less than spectacular, looking more like they they were made through rough experimentation in Photoshop. I like the concept behind them, superimposing the characters over iconic images of Washington DC in the 60s, but for the most part, they just look blah. Maybe it has to do with complete lack of emotion on the parts of the actors. I do like that the covers themselves link together to form a massive panoramic image showing as DC crumbles through the transition from past to future. That's not enough to entice me to buy 25 copies of the same issue but I still dig it.

Also, kudos to Empire for devoting a cover to the movie's director, Bryan Singer. Though I doubt he's officially a member of the X-Men, it's great to see him get the recognition he deserves. He also has the distinction of being the first director to grace the cover of Empire, so that's definitely special.

If you haven't seen them yet, here is the full line-up of the covers. Days of Future Past hits theaters May 23, 2014.

Sentinel
Havok
Toad
William Stryker
Bolivar Trask
Mystique
Beast
Quicksilver
Magneto
Professor X
Wolverine
Bryan Singer
Future Wolverine
Future Professor X
Future Magneto
Storm
Rogue
Warpath
Kitty Pryde
Sunspot
Blink
Iceman
Bishop 
Colossus
Future Sentinel

1/27/2014

Movie Review: I, Frankenstein

There's one downside to having a birthday in January: they never release any good movies during that month so I almost always wind up having to see something terrible. (Don't get me started on the Spice World debacle of 1998.) So when I saw that I, Frankenstein, a film based on a comic book, starring Aaron Eckhart, and containing a shit-ton of demonic violence, was being released on January 24th (the day before my birthday), I was both excited and disappointed in the same breath. The excitement was over the fact that there was finally a movie worth seeing on my birthday and the disappointment over how unarguably terrible it was bound to be.

That didn't stop me, though. Early Saturday afternoon, my wife and I drove to the cinema, purchased two tickets of our own volition (as well as popcorn and soda, which may have helped to dull the pain a little) and sat through the entire showing of I, Frankenstein. It was pretty much how I expected it to be.

The movie starts right after the immortal story of Frankenstein ends, with the monster burying a frozen-to-death Victor Frankenstein. He is then attacked by a trio of creatures who overpower him and knock him unconscious, then quickly rescued by a pair of metamorphosing gargoyles. The gargoyle people beat the demons and take the monster back to their queen where she explains the ongoing war between demons and gargoyles which he has just become a part of.

Oh, she also names him Adam, because it's subtle, you know.

The plot is fairly simple; a demon lord, Naberius (Bill Nighy), wants to discover the secret behind Victor Frankenstein's revival of dead flesh that led to the creation of his monster. As such, he seeks out the monster itself, or at the very least the secret "lost" diary of Frankenstein. I won't go into why he wants to learn this, just know that he does. As far as advancing the film goes, the plot is pretty straightforward. Not much wiggle room for any mind-blowing plot twists but also not the most simple of ideas ever to be turned into a movie. Unfortunately, it just seems to meander around that point, all while trying to imbue Adam with a sense of belonging, which basically counteracts the entire theme behind Mary Shelley's story. But whatever; they're doing their own thing and that's not what bothered me.

What did bother me was that the entire movie just felt like a rehash of the Underworld series. An immortal war between two mysterious races, hidden from the eyes of humans, wherein a lone individual with powers to rival both sides comes into play that can change the balance of the battle in either direction. The similarities make sense when you realize that the writer of the comic book the movie is based on, Kevin Grevioux, also wrote the screenplay for Underworld. I don't know if I, Frankenstein was based on the way Underworld played out or if it was subconsciously influenced by it but there's no denying the two movies are very similar in plot and tone.

Even though I despised Underworld, I found I, Frankenstein enjoyable. Probably through the work of the cast. Ever since The Dark Knight, I have had the utmost respect for Aaron Eckhart and the way he handles himself on screen. Though it seemed like weird casting to have him portray Frankenstein's monster in the film, he does bring great bravado to the role. He plays it with straight-faced angst, which you would expect in a character like Frankenstein's monster, but it doesn't give Eckhart the chance to display his range of abilities.

The other actors do well with what they're given. Nighy, for example, makes a fantastic megalomaniac. His portrayal of Naberius is clever and well-played, and probably the best part of the movie. Yvonne Strahovski plays a genetic scientist named Terra Wade in the employ of Naberius to reanimate deceased tissue. More of a plot device than a character, Strahovski does the best she can with the part, and at least she's given a wider emotional range than Eckhart. A few others, like Miranda Otto who plays the gargoyle queen, Leonore, and John McClane's son, Jai Courtney, plays her right-hand man, Gideon. Both roles call for stoic delivery and they succeed on that front. They also succeed in being flat and annoying, but I don't think that's what the script was looking for.

Despite the bad script and lack of characterization, the movie isn't totally bad. The special effects were pretty great and the fight scenes well-choreographed. I definitely won't argue the merits of a movie like I, Frankenstein but I can appreciate it for what it is, a brain-dead, "escape from the world" kind of movie. In that regard, I have no shame saying that I had a good time. It gave me 90 minutes where I didn't have to deal with the crushing weight of real life and really, isn't that what movies should do?

But yes, I, Frankenstein is a bad film and definitely helped to maintain my track record of "Bad Movie Birthdays".

1/24/2014

The Very First "Idiot At Play Giveaway"!

Here at Caution: Idiot At Play, we love art. All kinds of it. So much so that at one time, I tried to become an artist myself, despite my lackluster drawing skills. Even though I now know my limitations, I'm all for encouraging people to pursue their dreams, especially if that means chasing down a career as an artist. Which is why I'm proud to announce our first giveaway: The Artist's Prize Pack!

This prize pack includes:



So what do you have to do to win?

There's just a few simple steps.

First, Like us on Facebook. https://www.facebook.com/CautionIdiotAtPlay (We think we're worth the Like...)

Second, share the official Facebook post for this contest so we can track your entry. You can post this in other ways to Facebook but if you do, please include the hashtag #CautionIdiotAtPlay or #IdiotAtPlay so that we can track it. Any posts not tagged won't be eligible. Sorry!)

That's it! One winner will be selected by random from the pool of entrants and notified via Facebook message. The contest starts from the moment the official Facebook post goes live until midnight Eastern Standard Time on Sunday, February 9th.

Time to get out there and start sharing!

I guess we need to have some fine print stuff as well. No purchase necessary to enter. This contest in no way implies any affiliation by Facebook, Prismacolor, Daler-Rowney, Portfolio Series, Impact Books, or Comic Book School, including but not limited to their respective owners and subsidiaries.

1/20/2014

Comic Review: Avengers World #1

It's been about a year since I read comic books on the regular. During that time, Marvel was my thing. I started to get into DC Comics after the New 52 began but for years, I followed Marvel religiously with X-Men and Spider-Man being my main focus. It really wasn't until the first New Avengers series hit the stands did I begin to follow the Avengers but when I started getting into it, I really enjoyed it. So to hear that a new Avengers series was coming out, Avengers World, made me really excited, enough so to pick up the first issue. To see Jonathan Hickman's name attached to it (where he shares writing credit with Nick Spencer), the guy that has been touted as one of Marvel's architects, was definitely a good sign as well.

After reading the issue, however, I was a little disappointed. Not disappointed that it was bad but disappointed that I'd read it already.

The issue focuses on Captain America and S.H.I.E.L.D. director Maria Hill. They stand on the bridge of a S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier as Hill briefs Cap about a few goings on in the world. It seems that a few rather serious events are happening concurrently across the globe and different teams of Avengers have been dispatched to investigate. Thor, Captain Marvel and Hyperion are looking into a rash of unnatural natural events on the eastern seaboard. Wolverine, Black Widow, Falcon, and Shang-Chi are in the middle of national riots in Madripoor. Hawkeye, Spider-Woman, Nightmask, and Starbrand are in Italy investigating a strange artifact. Smasher, Sunspot, and Cannonball are sent to A.I.M. Island. At first glance, all of these events seem to be unrelated, but if that were the case this would be a very uninteresting comic.

My problem with this issue is that it brings to mind Ultimate Comics Ultimates #1, written by Hickman back in 2011. The events portrayed in that issue were much different than here, but the delivery is the same: Nick Fury on the bridge looking down at different world events as separate teams of heroes look toward a resolution. Both issues start and end the same as well, with the threat of a great, all powerful evil looming in the distance, ready to strike.

Again, that doesn't make Avengers World bad. It just feels like recycled material.

I do have an issue with the characters in the book. The Avengers have always had a revolving door of members, with a few heroes making short appearances to never be seen again. But some of the heroes that the new team features, like Starbrand, Nightmask, and Smasher, are completely unknown to me. Like I said, it's been a while since I was reading the Avengers religiously so I don't know if these characters came up to prominence recently, but they seem like odd choices to add to a battle-hardened team like the Avengers. Even the inclusion of ex-New Mutants Sunspot and Cannonball had me scratching my head. I mean, I can accept it but these aren't the faces I'd expect to see.

One aspect that makes the issue shine is the art. Stefano Caselli's pencils are simply amazing. He illustrates his characters so that their movements come off as natural, not stunted and confused like a lot of other artists. But more than that, he has a great eye for panel composition, varying his structure from page to page. The movement makes the book come off more like a movie that a comic book, which is what makes it so exciting. And colorist Frank Martin adds tremendous depth to the pencils, using perfect shading and highlights throughout. The pairing is brilliant and really creates the strength of the title.

Even though it would seem like I was trashing the first issue, I wasn't. I was disappointed, without a doubt, but it was still a really fun read. Despite the narrative being a rehash of Hickman's past, the story itself was original. However, if it turns out that the big baddie out to take over the world is a one-time ally of the Avengers twisted by his own power and intelligence like it was in Ultimate Comics Ultimates, then I may have to officially give up on the man. But let's hope it doesn't come to that.

1/16/2014

Comic Review: Harley Quinn #1

Despite the controversy surrounding the art contest for Harley Quinn #0 back in September, DC Comics pushed forward with the series, which makes sense considering they had already invested in it. Even though I didn't get the Number Zero (after flipping through it in the store it had nothing that appealed to me) I did pick up the first issue. I might be a few weeks late with my review but I wanted to weigh in on what I thought.

The issue finds Harley zipping down the highway on her motorcycle headed toward a new life. She's been left in the dust by "Mr. J" and has been willed a place to stay by a former patient of hers from back in her life as psychiatrist Harleen Quinzel. But her new place isn't what she imagined and she's forced to seek...gasp...regular employment!

The entire issue is used as a way to showcase Harley living a, somewhat, normal existence. This doesn't focus on her life with the Suicide Squad or her time as the Joker's moll. No, Harley finally gets her chance to be her own person, even if that means getting two jobs to afford her new home. But it's not all real life boredom; it appears that people are out to get her and collect the bounty on her head. So there is some action.

When I first saw Amanda Conner attached to the issue, I assumed it was as the issue's artist but in actuality, she shares the writing duties with Jimmy Palmiotti. (Amanda is the cover artist, however.) For the most part, I liked the first issue; it was cleverly written and managed to show a more human side to Harley Quinn. Granted, she's still completely out of her gourd, but that really brings out more of the humor of the book; by juxtaposing the insanity next to the normalcy, it makes the insanity that much funnier, such as her nuclear meltdown when she sees a weiner dog being mishandled by its owner. This shows the reader that Harley has the semblance of a heart and conscience, just not when it comes to people.

What I didn't get, though, was the running gag with the beaver. Maybe it's because I haven't been following the character so closely since the New 52 started so I don't know if it's a roll over from previous comics or not but it was weird. I'm still up in the air of whether I like the joke as it made her come off too much like Marvel's Deadpool, a character I'm not too keen on. If that was the intention, then it's pretty ironic since Deadpool is just a cheap knock-off of another DC character, Deathstroke.

The art chores were handled by Chad Hardin and he brings great life to the pages. Hardin's panels are chock full of details, many of which help to emphasize the off-the-cuff characterization Conner and Palmiotti are trying to portray, like her odd record collection which includes "Sweating to Gangsta Rap" and "Polka Madness". He also manages to illustrate the depth of New York City, as evident in the way he draws the buildings and street views. But Hardin really shines in his detail of Harley, bringing so much emotion to her face. That coupled with Alex Sinclair's colors makes her eyes sparkle in a few panels.

A few things I noticed as I was reading the issue: firstly, I am happy that the book was able to rise above the controversy over the art contest. The idea of showcasing Harley committing suicide may have seemed clever and "keeping with the spirit of the character", but just came off as silly and desperate. Hopefully the memory won't tar the actual spirit of the character. And secondly, every time I read Harley's dialogue, all I can hear is Arleen Sorkin's voice. I don't know if that speaks towards the idea of Harley Quinn or the lasting effect that Batman: The Animated Series has had on me but either way, it helped to make me enjoy the book even more.

1/13/2014

TV Review: Helix

If there's one credit worth giving to Syfy, it's that they never stop trying. Despite producing some pretty terrible Made-For-TV movies, they just keep going at it. Whether it's their films, specials, or serials, Syfy seems to keep a bunch of low-rent writers employed. But every now and then, something they make rises to the top and is not only tolerable but good.

Their newest series, Helix, aired just the other night (and all throughout the next day but that's a different story). The show centers on a team of doctors with the CDC (Center for Disease Control) who are called up to an Arctic research station to investigate a mysterious virus that has infected three of the scientists there.

For the most part, it sounds like the trappings of a low budget movie but in actuality, Helix has most of what it takes to create a creepy thriller. Isolated locale. The threat of an unknown disease. And judging from the first two episodes, "Pilot" and "Vector", it takes advantages of these pretty well. "Pilot" introduces to the dangers fairly early, pulling the characters into the plot within the first few minutes. I like Billy Campbell as Dr. Alan Farragut, the shows main character. After seeing Campbell in the first two seasons of The Killing, I appreciate his abilities. He's got a great on-screen presence and brings a lot of gravitas to the show.

Assisting Farragut are Drs. Julia Walker (Kyra Zagorsky) and Sarah Jordan (Jordan Hayes). Here, the premise gets to be a little cliche as Walker is Farragut's ex while Jordan clearly has a thing for the man, despite being nearly half his age. All that aside, Zagorsky also brings some great qualities to the show, exhibiting a wide range of emotion while maintaining the composure a CDC quality doctor should have. Hayes, on the other hand, doesn't thrill me as much of the rest. She's by no means a bad actress, but her time spent of screen just seems to fall flatter than the rest. It may be, however, that most of the time her character has to prove herself as she's not taken as seriously due to her young age. I am hoping that this turns around at some point.

The station is run by Hiroshi Hatake, played to perfect mystery by Hiroyuki Sanada. Sanada recently showed up The Wolverine and luckily, his part is better played here. Hatake comes off as a shady guy, obviously telling the doctors half-truths and hiding things from them, but when he speaks you want to believe what he says. The writers are playing him up pretty well, keeping his cards close to the vest for some later reveals down the line, which I'm cool with. I want to know what's happening with this guy so I'm willing to trudge through and find out more about him.

But probably the most enticing performance is by Neil Napier, who plays Alan's brother, Peter Farragut. Peter is one of the initial three infected doctors and what make his so interesting is that he doesn't die from it. It changes him, makes him something more than human, but less at the same time. Napier barely says a word through out the first two episodes but each time he shows up, things turn creepy. The whole basis of the show is the horrors that face the doctors in their search for the disease and Napier certainly brings the horror.

What worries me about Helix, however, is its staying power. Many recent shows, like Lost, The Killing, and even 24 are based on such short-sighted premises that once the initial question is answered (What's going on with the island? Who killed Rosie Larsen? Where is the bomb?) gets answered, where does the show go from there? Is Helix meant to be a two- or three-season endeavor, with a planned end once the secret to the disease is discovered and eradicated? or, if the show actually takes off, with Syfy milk it for all it's worth, turning the final product into a shell of itself?

From just the first two episodes, Helix really appealed to me. For the most part, the characters were interesting enough for me to become emotionally invested in them, and I really loved the creepy atmosphere that it created. I was excited to see that the third episode was available On Demand, so I immediately jumped into that after the first two. I'm looking forward to see what else comes down the pipe and to learn more about just what the hell is happening at that station.

1/10/2014

Comic Review: Detective Comics #27

Greg Capullo cover
Ever since the launch of the New 52, DC Comics has been in the position to do something special for their co-flagship character, Batman. Having made his first appearance in Detective Comics #27 back in 1939 from the team of Bob Kane and Bob Finger, Batman has been one of the most popular comic book characters in the world. So popular, in fact, that the Detective Comics title had been running for 881 consecutive issues. But with DC's universe wide relaunch and renumbering, a new Detective Comics #27 was just around the corner. Thankfully, the company took the opportunity as it presented itself and used the issue as a way to celebrate the Caped Crusader's 75th anniversary.

The newest Detective Comics #27 is an oversized issue featuring an oversized line-up of fantastic creators. From Neal Adams to Scott Snyder, Francesco Francavilla to Jim Lee, the issue is chock-full of Batman-y goodness. I first caught whiff of the book when my wife and I met Brad Meltzer at a book signing back in October where he revealed that he was contributing to the Batman mythos. Since then, I've been looking forward to this to come out.

Jim Lee cover
The book is broken up into seven different stories, most of which celebrate the history of the Batman. The second story in the issue (I'll come back to the first), "Old School", was written by Gregg Hurwitz and drawn by Neal Adams. It takes the reader through the gamut of Batman incarnations, from the hokey jokester of the 60s, to the dark and gritty version of the 90s, quickly racing through the years showing how Batman has been forced to evolve to stay interesting and relevant. The art itself also shows the progression. The opening panels imitate the splotchiness of early comics printing and gradually shifts through styles to the more sophisticated coloring of today. It's a beautiful story and fun as hell.

Peter J. Tomasi tells a tale of the future in "Better Days", where an elderly Bruce Wayne celebrates his seventy-fifth birthday. It features the aging cast of the Bat-family, Dick Grayson, Barbara Gordon, Alfred, even Damian Wayne, all on the verge of osteoporosis themselves.The art by Ian Bertram pays homage to Frank Miller's classic The Dark Knight Returns, with his heavy-bodied Batman and overly wrinkled Bruce Wayne. Even his depiction of Barbara Gordon brought to mind Carrie Kelly, the Robin from Miller's story. It's a great story that looks forward instead of backward and captures the spirit of how deep the need to be Batman goes to the core of his character.

Frank Miller cover
Francesco Francavilla takes a different approach to the idea of Batman in his tale, "Hero". Whereas Batman is usually immortalized in a battle with any of his Rogues Gallery, also seeming to fight the forces of evil, "Hero" shows him rescuing a family after a terrible car accident. In the span of four pages, Francavilla shows that being a hero is more than just bashing in the Joker's face. Batman's contribution to the city of Gotham goes much further than that.

"The Sacrifice" by Mike Barr with art by Guillem March, explores what would have happened had Bruce Wayne's parents survived the attack outside the movie theater on that faithful night. With the help of the Phantom Stranger, Bruce gets to see his life had his parents lived, one in which Gotham is overrun by criminals and many of Batman's friends and allies meet with terrible situations. It shows the heavy-handed necessity of the Batman, a being dedicated to keeping the city, and the world, safe from harm, despite the sacrifice that's asked of him. It's a touching tale, one that's reminiscent of Marvel's "Age of Apocalypse", where one small change, the loss of Charles Xavier, can have wide-ranging consequences.

Chris Burnham cover
The first chapter of "Gothopia", a multi-part story written by John Layman, appears in this issue. In it, Gotham has become a crime-free utopia, basically what would happen if Batman succeeded in his fight against crime. But that peace is thrown out of whack when Poison Ivy shows up and makes Batman start to question his reality. It's an interesting story, the longest of the book, and probably the only one that fits into the current continuity. The art, by Jason Fabok, is gorgeous, telling a sophisticated story through a wide range of beautifully drawn panels. Fabok's emotion is spot-on, his story-telling crisp, and his characters exciting. The pairing of the story and the art make this one of my favorite stories in the book, and also one of my favorite recent Batman stories.

Scott Snyder has been lauded for his portrayal of Batman in the Batman series and he hits a home run here with"Twenty-Seven". Another vision of the future, Snyder takes Batman 200 years into the future, with the Dark Knight discovering a way to ensure that his legacy lives on to protect Gotham City. Sean Murphy lends his artistic talents to this story, bringing to life a variety of twisted versions of the future. It's a nice way to wrap up the issue, by promising fans that the idea of Batman will continue, even long after the person known as Bruce Wayne is gone.

Tony Daniel cover
Even though "Twenty-Seven" closed the book, I wanted to save my favorite story for last. Author Brad Meltzer returns to comics with "The Case of the Chemical Syndicate", a re-telling of Batman's first adventure. The story offers two narrations, one being Batman's internal dialogue, the other a journal entry of "the Bat-Man" explaining why he does what he does. Meltzer delves into Batman's convictions and explains his reasons for crime fighting, for putting himself in danger every night. Some of his reasons are admittedly selfish, while others are part of the self-less nature we know. Meltzer's story is brought to life through the pencils of Bryan Hitch. Unfortunately, the art lacks when compared to a lot of Hitch's past works, but it's still lively and fun to look at.

Without a doubt, Detective Comics #27 is a fitting tribute to one of the world's most popular characters. Though it comes with a hefty cover price, clocking in at $7.99, DC manages to add a lot of value with seven wonderfully touching stories. They also did away with most of the advertisements, filling the additional space with pin-ups from a range of artists. Nowadays, most everything is touted as a "Collector's Item", but Detective Comics #27 is truly something that most people would want to keep, it's just that well made.
Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...