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Batman: Three Jokers by Geoff Johns & Jason Fabok | The Comedy Rule of 3s

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A little more than five years before Superman first saw print, America had already seen his kind of celebrity in Babe Ruth. Like Superman, Ruth wasn’t the first ballplayer (superhero), but in a sense, he created baseball (superhero genre.) He was the stuff of legends. And nothing was more Ruth than when he called his shot in the 1932 series held here in Wrigley Field.

Now, we are here, in an America long past that Game 1, and Action Comics #1. And now, Geoff Johns has called his shot.

A little more than five years ago, Johns revealed in the pages of Justice League: Darkseid War that the Joker didn’t have one real name, but three. This was Johns pointing into the stands, declaring the impossible. I’m going to make a massive change to one of comic’s bedrock dynamics, Joker and Batman. The move seems to say: And even though you know I’m going to do it, you’re going to be amazed when you see it. [Read more…] about Batman: Three Jokers by Geoff Johns & Jason Fabok | The Comedy Rule of 3s

Decorum #1 by Jonathan Hickman and Mike Huddleston Review!

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Editor’s Note: Although I remain in a state of X-Men induced delirium inspired by the Jonathan Hickman written House of X / Powers of X era, the writer somehow found time to kick off an 8 issue Image Comics series, Decorum, with artist Mike Huddleston. The oversized opening issue is a fascinating blend of hard science fiction (reminiscent of Powers of X) and space assassins operating in the seedy underbelly of a developing galactic superstructure.
Since Decorum is full of fluid visuals and challenging science fiction, I recommended the book to Comic Book Herald’s writer supreme, John Galati. Naturally, John responded with an annotated array of thoughtful notes, comparisons, and critiques. Check it out below, and then check out Decorum #1 for yourself!

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9 Comic Books for People Who Think They Hate Comic Books

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It’s 2020, and the world economy is now totally based on comic books. Nations rise and fall with ticket sales. Conventions pop up, demand statehood, and then evaporate on Monday. In every major city, families of 4 are living under the ruined pilot of ABC’s Inhumans while the wealthy demand someone, anyone tell them what a “M.O.D.O.K” is and how much it costs.

As a non-comic fan, you might very well feel left out of the conversation being screamed across social media outlets everywhere. It’s okay, we at Comic Book Herald are finally here to help you.

But we will not demand your conversion. Oh no. Instead, we will take the most common criticisms on Reddit and Goodreads, then turn them into strawmen so we might answer with recommendations.

Fear not. The world gets easier from here.

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Set Boundaries, Keep Them: Colleen Doran’s Comics Profile & Chronology

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Teen Titans Spotlight #19 – 1985

Early in her career, Colleen Doran did some fill-in work on the legendary Wolfman/Perez run of Titans. And while it’s just the one issue, it’s hard to imagine that the work didn’t either inform something in the young artist or else reinforce it.

Even in the 80s, Perez was famous for his layouts and his expressive faces. And to be sure, the artist does a fine job of replicating both of those things here, but what I find most fascinating is in the way she departs from Perez’s established formula.

Note how in Perez’s illustrations, the face is made “soft” by giving half circles to describe Starfire’s apple cheeks. See also how her eyes are enormous and high up, showing that she’s innocent, intelligent, and curious.

Now, look at Doran’s. She gives the subtlest hint of the cheeks through her use of laugh lines around the mouth and distorting the lay of the top lip. Then she makes your eye focus on those tiny details by downplaying the nose until it’s just nostrils. See how she keeps the eyes higher, but she puts them further back in the head by using that little divot shape. This not only ads realism, but it scales back the innocence rather than remove it entirely. Even at rest, Colleen’s face feels capable of closing up just like that.

It’s that balance between Perez’s masterful cartooning and a classic illustration/printmaking that we’ll see again and again.

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