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Infinite Frontier: Catwoman – Valley of the Shadow of Death Review!

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With stories like Swamp Thing, Justice League Dark, The Many Deaths of Laila Starr, and These Savage Shores, Ram V is rapidly gaining public acclaim and acknowledgement for his talent and ability to craft stories with a beautiful poetic quality. Catwoman: Vol. 5: Valley of the Shadow of Death continues that winning streak with multiple standout issues. Unfortunately, Ram V has to accomplish a lot of story in a very small amount of space, and by dedicating so much time to multiple standout single issues, he runs out of space and is forced to rush the ending.

Valley of the Shadow of Death is an essential companion to James Tynion IV’s Batman run. Plot threads from Batman Vol. 1: Their Dark Designs and essential plots for DC’s Fear State occur in the story. Ram V is trying to kill three birds with one stone: taking out the corrupt heart of Alleytown, continuing the Father Valley arc, and setting up Alleytown to be invaded by the Magistrate heading into Fear State. In a sense, not one goal is accomplished well, and yet the book still succeeds. [Read more…] about Infinite Frontier: Catwoman – Valley of the Shadow of Death Review!

Best of 2021 – Nubia and the Amazons

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Written by Vita Ayala and Stephanie Williams, Art by Alitha Martinez, Mark Morales, and Emilio Lopez, Lettering by Becca Carey

In the Prelude to Trial of the Amazons, Stephanie Williams and Vita Ayala create a new chapter for Nubia that expands her canonical story even further. Gone are the days when she was only considered to be the “Black Wonder Woman” – Nubia now has the chance to stand in her own glory and story. The series has a stacked and diverse crew behind it – all are Black and/or Latinx, a standard that is still relatively new in the comics world. To ensure that this story is crafted by the people with lived experiences and identities that mirror the character, Nubia is given the chance at an authentic perspective in her world. Because let’s face it – even Themyscira has its sociological issues. [Read more…] about Best of 2021 – Nubia and the Amazons

‘Tis the Season to be Harley (Quinn) in the Batman Adventures Christmas Specials

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Batgirl Adventures #1, written by Paul Dini, art by Rick Burchett and Rick Taylor, lettering by Albert DeGuzman

If you’ve watched, read, or listened to pretty much any media featuring Batman in which a holiday is even mentioned, it’s likely that you’ve heard his tragic origin story. If not, here’s a quick recap: his very rich parents were killed in a dark alleyway they had no business being in after an opera, play, or movie. After that, every holiday was ruined. Every single one. Yes, including St. Patrick’s Day. Forever.

Oh, to be an orphan on Christmas! As you know, this tragedy messed the young Bruce Wayne up in all kinds of ways, and to this day, he’s still out here, dressing like a bat just in case someone does a crime. It might not come as a great surprise that Batman is a real Scrooge when it comes to celebrating the winter solstice, but to be fair, a lot of people try to kill him in highly inventive holiday-themed ways on a fairly regular basis. Somewhat paradoxically, despite Batman being a real bummer during this time of year, Batman Christmas Specials are a delight across all mediums. That goes double for most of the myriad Batman Adventures comics based on Batman: The Animated Series.

Covering The Batman & Robin Adventures #3, The Batman Adventures Holiday Special #1, Batgirl Adventures #1, and Batman: The Adventures Continue #15-17 [Read more…] about ‘Tis the Season to be Harley (Quinn) in the Batman Adventures Christmas Specials

Looking to the Future in Swamp Thing: Becoming

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Swamp Thing: Becoming, written by Ram V, art by Mike Perkins and Mike Spicer, lettering by Aditya Bidikar

Despite its legendary status in the DC Universe, the Swamp Thing series has spent many years in relative limbo. Created by Len Wein and Bernie Wrightson as a creepy but fairly standard horror comic for DC in the ’70s, the concept morphed into the basis for what is widely regarded as one of the most essential graphic novels ever with Alan Moore and Stephen Bissette’s take in Saga of the Swamp Thing. Many industry greats have tried their hand at the character since, giving us no shortage of excellent runs of many different flavors, but there’s been some starts and stops along the way.

With the most recent prior entry in the Swamp Thing story being a mini-series written by co-creator Len Wein in 2016, the 2021 series, The Swamp Thing Volume 1: Becoming, pans the camera away from Alec Holland as the human basis of the character. Taking a step in a different direction with the introduction of Levi Kamei as the avatar of the Green, this series distances us from the metaphysical concerns of the Swamp Thing itself, instead asking larger questions of humanity. Are we doomed as a species to repeat our mistakes until we tear ourselves apart, or is this a painful growing process in which we are becoming something new?

Covering: Future State: Swamp Thing #1-2, Swamp Thing Vol. 7 #1-4 [Read more…] about Looking to the Future in Swamp Thing: Becoming

The Joker’s “Last” Laugh In The Clown Prince Of Crime

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The Joker has undergone significant change over the course of his history, but one thing that a lot of modern fans might not know is that he was genuinely terrifying dating all the way back to day one. His first appearance in Batman #1 makes no qualms when it comes to portraying him as a remorseless killer, taking the haunting visual imagery from director Paul Leni’s silent masterpiece The Man Who Laughs (1928) and twisting the once-heroic jester portrayed by Conrad Veidt into a murderer with a penchant for elaborate showmanship.

In the comics of the mid-’50s, the Batline had been steered away from the occasionally grisly content of the early days towards more family-friendly fare in response to the birth of the Comics Code. Likewise, the campy fun of Batman ‘66 had become the definitive take on the character in popular culture. Regardless, the Joker has more or less remained a horror across the decades, and when writers began once more to embrace mature themes, he was one of the first to step up the brutality. The Joker: Clown Prince of Crime (1975) shows us a criminal mastermind with a callous disregard for life, regardless of whether or not Batman happens to be around to see it or not.

Discusses The Joker: Clown Prince of Crime #1-10 [Read more…] about The Joker’s “Last” Laugh In The Clown Prince Of Crime