Nothing at our end of the animated realm was ever as well produced and well written as Avatar the last Airbender. The continuation of the series in comic book form has been pretty much stellar.
The art and story are spot on identical to the cartoon, this is a great thing. The art makes you feel like you can hear the voice actors actually saying the words written. Book two keeps the adventure going from book one and fills the gap between the end of the series and the start of the Legend of Korra.
Finding Zuko’s Mother is a great story that fans always wanted to know about and this collection is a 5/5 and a must buy. IF you haven’t picked up book one do so now!
In search of their long-lost mother, Fire Lord Zuko and his deadly and insane sister Azula have brought Avatar Aang and his friends into a mysterious forest, but what they discover within may be more than they can face. Will they too be lost in these woods forever?
Writer: Gene Luen Yang, Michael Dante DiMartino, Bryan Konietzko
Artist: Gurihiru
Cover Artist: Gurihiru
Genre: Action/Adventure
Features: 2 Desktops
Publication Date: July 10, 2013
Format: FC, 80 Pages, TP, 6″ x 9″
Price: $10.99
Age range: 8+
ISBN-10: 1-61655-190-9
I grew up on Godzilla movies, I had hand me downs of the Shogun warriors Godzilla and Rodan toys. I cried when I thought Godzilla died in the Volcano at the end of Godzilla 1985. Godzilla and comics have a strong heritage together; my favorite memory would be Godzilla against the Avengers.
The only thing I ever hated was to sit and watch the old films and see people talk when all I wanted to see was giant monsters fight! Godzilla Ruler of Earth combines that all into one. Solid storytelling and some really good art.
The people we follow are actually there to help the reader along to the monster fights and in this first issue they hit almost every monster known to human kind. I cannot wait to issue two so we can see Godzilla mix it up!
I give Godzilla Ruler of Earth a monstrous 3/5
Godzilla Rulers of the Earth #1
Writer: Mowry, Chris
Artist: Frank, Matt
On Sale: June 26, 2013
Publisher: IDW
Diamond Id: APR130313
Format: COMIC
Price: PI
UPC: 82771400467000131
I have sung the praises of TMNT and IDW a lot these past few months. Honestly I want to be the one to say “This Book Sucks!” But I can’t.
It would be an outright lie if I told you I hated this series and there is no reason to say that. TMNT has been the most consistent story and solid read for months now. Their spin-off one shots are masterful and each color classics makes me happy that I can still say that I love being a turtle fan.
The issue in question made me grab my mouth a few times in that “OMG” type moment, something films have left me not doing in a long time. This issue continues and ties in two other one shots “Old Hob” and “the secret origins of the Foot Clan”. (Both I highly recommended)
Casey is near death and Leo kidnapped, this is how we start this issue and from here on in it goes straight into the pits of hell. The Remaining Turtles lead by Master Splinter search for Leo as Casey fights to stay alive.
This Issue is striking and gripping and all within 32 pages. I think Marvel and DC need to read what a solid book looks like!
This is a no brainier 5/5 and a must add to your pull list.
TMNT (Ongoing) #23
Writer: Waltz, Tom
Artist: Santolouco, Mateus
Cover Artist: Eastman, Kevin
On Sale: June 26, 2013
Publisher: IDW
Diamond Id: APR130356
Format: COMIC
Price: $3.99
UPC: 82771400271302311
Kryptonite is a material from DC comics very own Superman mythology. The ore form of a radioactive element from Superman’s home world of Krypton. It is famously known for being the ultimate natural weakness of Superman and most other Kryptonians.
The word Kryptonite has since become known as an Achilles’ heel, the one true weakness of an otherwise invincible man.
The concept of Kryptonite was conceived in an unpublished 1940 story “The K-Metal from Krypton”, by Superman co-creator Jerry Siegel. The K-metal in the story was a piece of Krypton which robbed Superman of his strength while giving humans superhuman powers, a plot point which decades later made its way into the Smallville.
Jerry Siegel also stated that the name of the planet Krypton was taken from the element Krypton due to the common denominators of high density and viscosity between the two.
(Yeah I don’t quite get it either. Science > Rob Base)
The first “published” use originated in the Superman radio series in June 1943 in the story arc “The Meteor from Krypton”.
Kryptonite covers a variety of colored substances, but usually refers to the most common “green” form. The material is usually shown as having been created from the radioactive remains of Superman’s home planet Krypton, and generally has adverse effects on Superman.
As well as it’s use as a plot device and some “rumors” state it was also a means to allow Superman’s voice actor, Bud Collyer, to take occasional time off. (which was for the most part been debunked – check Comic Book Urban Legends Revealed #76 )
It would take many years for the big evil K -word to make it into the comics. It wasn’t till 1949 that comic book writers incorporated Kryptonite into their stories, as a new danger and weakness for Superman and to add an “interesting” element to his stories.
Editor Dorothy Woolfolk claims she brought Kryptonite to the comics. She told the Florida newspaper “Today” in August 1993 that she had found Superman’s invulnerability dull, and that DC’s flagship hero might be more interesting with an Achilles’ heel (So to speak) such as adverse reactions to a fragment of his home planet.
By the end of the 1940′s comic book heroes became passé and needed to stay relevant in a changing landscape. Kryptonite helped Superman not only stay relevant but made him seem more fallible.
Kryptonite, in its first comic appearance (Superman #61, in 1949), was a rare and unique. It came to earth inside a single meteorite from the exploded planet Krypton. Superman captured the two small pieces of Kryptonite, one from a fake swami (pretending to “hex” Superman with it) and another he purchased from a jewelry store, (wonder what the value of Kryptonite was in 1949?) and threw them into Metropolis’ river.
Overtime, Kryptonite was depicted as being so abundant that many two-bit criminals kept a stock pile as a precautionary measure.
Later it was explained that the explosion of the planet Krypton had opened a “dimensional warp” (similar to a wormhole) which allowed the ship that was carrying the young Kal-El to reach Earth in a relatively brief time, and a large amount of planetary debris had also passed through this “warp” and emerged near Earth at virtually the same time, accounting for the seemingly improbable abundance of Kryptonite material and its availability to Superman’s enemies.
Kryptonite is most commonly depicted as green in coloring, with a few exceptions; it was red in its first appearance in Superman #61 (November 1949). When Superman followed the time trail of a piece of red rock that weakened him, he was able to trace his origin back to Krypton for the first time. Other colors of Kryptonite, having different effects, began to show up frequently beginning in late 1950s comics, reaching a peak in appearances in 1960s Superman series.
To reduce the amount of Kryptonite used in Superman storylines, all known Kryptonite on Earth was transmuted into “k-iron” in a 1971 storyline titled “The Sandman Saga”, though Kryptonite could still be synthetically manufactured by a variety of known and unknown means, and additional material left over from the destruction of Krypton would continue to fall from space.
In the years to come, Kryptonite would continue as a thorn in the side of our big blue hero. Though after John Byrne rebooted the Superman mythos (after Crisis on Infinite Earths), Kryptonite became much rarer in the DC Universe and many of the multicolored varieties were eliminated.
Yet it wouldn’t stop future writers and editors from messing up the K-Metal from Krypton.
I have been a life long Transformers collector and enthusiastic about all its properties (except for the Michael Bay stuff).
Up until the first Bay film, I had over 7000 unique pieces of Transformers toys. I also had every single comic and a few imported books from Japan and one even from Korea.
My love for this property has led to people referring to me as a purist. This really couldn’t be further from the truth.
I accept all the Transformers incarnations. Be it G1 or Prime, I have followed this property with open eyes. I remember the first Transformers comic I got and how utterly confused I was as a kid because the comic didn’t follow the cartoon show.
Heroes like Grimlock where highly intelligent and not some dumb Dinobot. Villains like Rabbat lead the evil Decepticons into battle.
IDW has done an amazing job with the continued adventures from these old Marvel books. But I feel its important to know that if you are a new fan these issues will not help you catch up on the franchise.
So if I was to review each issue I’d be forced to do a 6 page catch up/History lesson on all the books to date. No casual fan can just jump on without reading the Transformers wiki for days.
So I say if you love the Transformers and grew up as a G1‘er you will love the current crop of comics.
“Forever Evil” Launching in September, the seven-part mini-series will be written by DC Entertainment’s Chief Creative Officer, Geoff Johns.
Yeah! I mean Booo. Or is it meh?
Personally I’m no fan of John’s. I found his work on Lantern boring and convoluted. Thoughts?
The term “universe-wide crossover event” makes me cringe. Because I don’t want to buy 500 titles I don’t normally read just to know what Batgirl’s latest issue means. These crossovers are one of the reasons I stopped reading comics 13 years ago.
Having said that, I like the Villain Month idea. One shots, I like. I can buy my Joker issue and be happy.
Chuck:
I agree Roe that’s why I gave up on ever knowing all the subtle nuances of any comic universe.
I still don’t know exactly how Damian died. I’ll find out sooner or later I guess.
Roe:
I almost bought the Batman Inc. issue, but realized I was getting sucked in again. Why did I want it? I didn’t know what was going on in that storyline. I read Batgirl and occasionally, Batman and Nightwing. So I don’t know how Damian died, but it’s moot since he’ll be back, I’ll wager, by Fall.
Rob Base:
Hey DC welcome to “Marvel” 1987, Geoff is over rated and he will never be a Mark Waid.
Geoff only looks good because he is at DC. I hate these giant cross overs. I didn’t mind them once every few years but its the norm now.
This is another reason that I’ll just read Wikipedia
Bob:
Guess its just me. Sorry I have this bad habit of collecting superhero books because they’re fun. And everyone loves villains. I probably won’t get every crossover except the titles I get monthly. Or if it’s a villain that particularly interests me.
I believe they’re doing them as point one issues so you can actually just skip that one if it offends you so much.
I’d like to point out this is The New 52s FIRST company wide crossover and others have been contained with in the family titles and it’s happening in September which has become DCs event month ( new 52 and Zero issues)
I’m a big John’s fan and so I have confidence this will be well done and built from his ongoing threads in the JLA and JL titles. ( and if you think Catwoman is really dead … I feel bad for you ).
Comics are supposed to be fun to read above all else or what’s the point. A month full of villains showcased… Sounds fun to me
Rob Base:
Ok Chuck you need to fire Bob lol. I wish it was as simple as just liking fun books. I love fun books give me Secret Wars back any day. Hell Onslaught was amazing but it becomes tiring after a while to have mass cross overs.
A washed up cop, bodies of dead and abuse children, flashes of moments that could only be interpreted as schizophrenia. This is the story told in this first issue.
“He sleeps, and in sleeping he dreams of small, distorted clouds like crippled children, twisting and crawling across a sky the color of sewer water.”
A once hard-working detective is now alone. He drinks and smokes way too much. His life is in a dilapidated state. And he knows all too well what it all means. All these dynamic images would classify under any well written drama be it on TV, in a book or in a movie.
Yet it’s in the first issue of a comic book, not just any comic book, it’s a Crow comic. James O’Barr has found his rhythm again and these last few crow books are all over the map and all over time.
This story written to take place in the 1970s feels and acts just like as if you are there. This book is a solid 5/5 and should be read right now!
If you have read my other reviews you will know that I am a sucker for all these great Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles comics. I just recently gave The Secret Origin of the Foot a 5/5. This issue stars Old Hob, He is a creation from IDW’s editor-in-chief, Chris Ryall. Yet reading him in this issue you feel like you should already know him.
He loosely reminds me of Hallocat from Archie Adventure Series (bio from turtlepedia.wikia.com):
Hallocat (previously known as ‘Pookey’ before the mutation) was a truckers pet cat, his owner had been illegally dumping toxic waste for a chemical plant whose foreman did not want to dispose of the waste properly in an effort to cut costs. One day, Pookey got under the foreman’s feet, tripping him. In a fit of anger, the foreman picked him up and threw him into a vat of toxic waste (which was actually mutagen).
And this is Old Hob‘s origin (Also from turtlepedia.wikia.com):
Old Hob was a stray cat that came across the Turtles and Splinter after they were dropped by the pair of ninja that had stolen them from Stockgen. The mutagen that was included with them had spilled, and Old Hob had come in contact with the agent as well. He tried to scurry off with a pre-mutated Raphael. Old Hob’s eye was clawed out by Splinter. He would later mutate and team up with Baxter Stockman to get revenge on Splinter and the Turtles. Since the mutagen Old Hob came into contact was contaminated, he was sent to bring in the other mutants, alive or dead, in order to get the mutagen samples from their blood. He was put in charge of a street gang and tried multiple times to take down Splinter and the Turtles.
Old Hob is telling his origin story in a very film Noir style, He has a hatred for humans and a greater hatred for Master Splinter. This story is very existential in its delivery and so typical in its structure. This doesn’t take away from the character at all.
Most Comic book villains fall prey for this very set up, Old Hob may not be The turtles version of Doctor Doom but he most certainly isn’t Paste Pot Pete! He will be a force to be reckoned with.
I am hoping this story picks up and we learn what his plans are. For this I am giving Old Hob a solid 3/5 and once again IDW makes us love being a Turtle !!!!
