Justice (Graphic Novel)

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Recently, I received the trade paperback of Justice from a close friend as a Christmas gift.  I wanted to read this book as soon as I was aware of it being out.  I am a big fan of Kingdom Come and Marvels and wanted the next work of Alex Ross to fill out my bookshelf.  I couldn't get a hold of this epic soon enough.

Justice is 12 part story set in the DC universe written by Alex Ross and Jim Krueger, with Ross also doing the amazing art.  The story begins when many classic super villains are dreaming the same dream, seeing the Justice League fall short and the world ending from some unknown threat.  Convinced the Justice League will fail, the Legion of Doom comes together to save the world.  Sensing there is more to this plot besides a prophetic vision, the Justice League bands together, along with some unexpected allies, to find the truth and save the world from doom.

The Rouges Gallery

Like - First and foremost, the art is exemplary.  This was the main reason I wanted to read this.  Knowing Alex Ross was doing the art was enough reason for me to take the time to read this story.  After reading Kingdom Come and Marvels, I wanted to get my next fix.  Ross's art is on point here and I especially loved some of the characters armors and teaks that were made here and there.  Really just amazing stuff with great attention to detail.

The heroes, suited up for an unprecedented threat.

The next big thing I liked was the story itself.  Not caught up in continuity or trying to make things fit in the bigger picture, Ross and Krueger were able to really create a realistic and challenging story.  Having the villains band together for the greater good and doing a better job of pushing mankind forward then the Justice League ever did really shows not only how capable the villains are but also that the lines drawn between factions are drawn in sand, not stone. It was a very compelling experience, one where I found myself reading the whole book in one sitting.  The final chapter was a strong and fitting climax to a well written plot.

Green Lantern, Hal Jordon

Dislike - My only dislike was when I finished reading it.  I wanted more!!

Overall - I loved this book.  I felt that this story really took it's time and created a new universe on the back of the well known DC Universe that we are familiar with.  It was a challenging read, examining who really is the good guy and who is the bad guy.  The art is unparalleled.  I highly recommend reading this.  5 out to 5.  Thanks for this great book Megan!

Similar to: Kingdom Come, Marvels, Earth X trilogy

Review: Batman: The Man Who Laughs (graphic novel)

Batman: The Man Who Laughs is a story written by Ed Brubaker, a writer whose work I've been constantly happy with.  I figured this would be an easy graphic novel to review as my second entry. 

B:TMWL is actually two stories, something that surprised me.  The first story is about Batman's first encounter with the Joker.  In Batman's then short career, he had never seen anything as dangerous or confusing as the Joker.  Nor did he ever plan to meet such a manic.  We find Batman trying to make sense of a man who is lost in madness.  The second story is a classic detective tale.  It is a good read because we see Batman team up with the Golden Age Green Lantern.  The contrast between the two is very revealing.

Likes - I was enthralled reading this book.  Both stories are great.  In fact, the back-up story was even better then the main one.

The Man Who Laughs - This story was really fun to read for a longtime Batman like myself.  You see Batman's first take on the Joker, who didn't even have his moniker until middle of the story.  This story let's you see the basic, classic elements of the Joker.  The mass murder, the dark humor, the twisted brilliance.  For as much as I love Batman, I love the Joker so much more.  He is why Batman is so amazing to follow.  Trying to keep your sanity fighting a guy like that time and again is an amazing feat. 

Made of Wood - The back up story really threw me for a loop.  A man is killed with the words "Made of Wood" carved onto his chest.  This murder recalls a series of deaths that occurred during the time of Golden Age Green Lantern Alan Scott's heyday as a hero.  This was one case he never solved and has haunted him for decades.  Along comes Gotham's current crusader, Batman, has he tries to uncover the truth.  The story does an amazing job of what it means to be a hero versus simply doing the right thing.  Another interesting plot point was what it meant to be a detective.  Batman explains to Scott how to think and act like a detective, something Scott confesses he never mastered.  Made of Wood is a interesting and nuanced story about the different kinds of heroes that exist and the fact these men are simply trying to do whats right in their eyes. 

Dislikes - There is only one thing I disliked about this book.  The overall art for TMWL wasn't that consistent.  There are panels and pages where the madness and paranoia are palpable.  Other parts though show a almost cartoonish version of the Joker.  Since the story was so good I didn't notice it much.  After a second skim though, I picked up on it.  Still, the art is good overall and doesn't hurt the story in any way. 

Overall - I think this book is a steal.  For the $10ish that it was on Amazon, you get two great, unique stories.  I am really happy that I got this when I did.  It has all my favorite elements of Batman in a nice little package!  This is a great buy and should be picked up ASAP.

Review: Batman:Noel (graphic novel)

I owe my friend Lee double.  Not only did he give me this graphic novel as a very thoughtful gift, but he also gave me the bright idea of reviewing it on this blog.  For as big as comics are in my life currently, I never thought to give them any 'print' space. With that said, HERE WE GO!

Batman: Noel is quite simply a Batman-ified take on the Charles Dickens tale of finding one's true worth and purpose on Christmas.

Likes - There were a number of things I liked about this novel.  First of all, I really enjoyed the art.  The whole book was painted. You can really tell this was a work of love.  There is a lot of effort put into the details.  More so, you really feel like you're in the middle of winter in Gotham.  Linked to that was the wording.  There are no speech bubbles.  All the words are white written directly over the pages.  It's a small detail but I thought it smart and novel to take this approach. It gave the book a different feel then your typical comic book.
Lastly, the overall story was really good. The narrative gave one impression of a story while the panels played out something different.  The back and forth between the two created an interesting tale.  What I also enjoyed was that Batman was portrayed as Scrooge.  For as much as Batman is regarded as a hero, he has his own shortcomings.  It was nice to see that even  his heart grow two sizes.

Dislikes - For this particular book, I didn't find anything I didn't like.  This wasn't a stand out, standard changing title but it was a fun holiday read.

Overall - I really enjoyed this book.  Especially reading it around Christmastime, it really had a specialness to it.  It was like watching a TV special unfold in front of you.  Cheesy at time but overall, a great, fun take on a classic.  GO buy it for yourself or anything Batman fans you know!