Zatanna: Bring Down the House #1 Written by Mariko Tamaki Drawn & Colored by Javier Rodriguez Lettered by Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou Published by DC Comics
The Skinny: The first part of a gorgeous and engrossing Neo-noir take on a classic DC Comics character.
Zatanna is a DC Character that I’m not super familiar with, but I always enjoy when she shows up as a cameo character. A stage magician who can do real magic, there’s a lot going on with her, and so when I saw the first cover for Zatanna: Bring Down The House, written by Mariko Tamaki with art by Javier Rodriguez, I snapped it up. And I’m glad I did. This first issue sets Zatanna up as a character apart from the larger DC Universe. Despite being headhunted by larger hotels and even the Justice League, Zatanna works at a run-down Las Vegas casino, doing two free shows a day for sparse crowds. And she never uses the word ‘Magic’ in her act. She says she does ‘tricks,’ but she does have the eerie feeling that someone has been following her, and has been having nightmares involving her childhood and her late father. But surely all that is coincidence. As is the woman who’s been attending every performance for the past week. This gorgeous first issue feels like something out of DC’s ’90’s Vertigo imprint. So far, this is a story all about a character running from their past, and their destiny, working in a small job for small crowds. Unable to face what they’ve done and their great potential. The narrative is hitting familiar beats, but the setting and character are intriguing enough to keep going. It has that common first issue problem that the cliffhanger arrives just as the action heats up, but the slow burn here is worth the cover price. Rodgiguez’s rich and colorful art help as well, lending the story a Neo-noir flair with the bright colors and sleaze of the Vegas strip. Rodriguez fills his pages with garish colors, clever details, and a strange shadow following Zatanna throughout her day. The layouts build tension masterfully throughout the issue to the final reveal. And if that reveal doesn’t quite make sense yet, well, that’s what issue 2 is for, isn’t it? Zatanna: Bringing Down the House #1 is available now from your local comics shop or digitally from your online store of choice. This is an intriguing first issue that has me on the hook for the next one. I recommend it!
DC Pride 2024 Created by Various Writers and Artists Published by DC Comics
The Skinny: DC once again delivers a beautiful, fun, and affirming collection of Queer stories by Queer creators.
It is June once again, and that means it is Pride month! DC Comics has released their annual oversized DC Pride anthology issue. Featuring a number of stories and pinups by Queer artists and writers and featuring Queer DC characters, this issue is always a delight, and this year’s collection is no exception. Most of the stories in this book can be picked up without relying on current continuity, and a few even serve as intriguing jumping on points for current ongoing series. This is a perfect book for Queer readers wondering if they want to get onboard with comics. The stories are particularly strong this year, and the art, as usual, is superlative. Al Ewing and Stephen Byrne’s moving opening story about the last two members of an alien race teaming up to stop a lingering threat from a thwarted invasion attempt is particularly great. Despite not knowing the characters going in, it quickly established its vibe and stakes without getting bogged down, and it felt like the kind of little story that happens all the time in the DC universe. Ngozi Ukazu, the writer and artist of the upcoming Barda graphic novel also has a compelling Aquaman story, featuring the New Gods’ equivalent of Pride, which was compellingly executed and gorgeously drawn, and really makes me want to check out the upcoming book. Jarret Williams’ and DJ Kirkland’s ‘Bros Down in A-Town’ is less super-heroic but features a ton of cameos from DC characters enjoying an alien food festival. DC Comics has such a rich history of brilliant, strange concepts to draw on, and I tend to gravitate towards those ideas rather than the editorial drive towards scowling on rain-soaked rooftops. Plus, one of my favorite comics artists drew my current favorite DC character, Argus the space corgi, so this one is a winner for me, too. The stories in DC Pride 2024 are all winners this year, including a heartfelt memoir from longtime DC creator Phil Jimenez to close out the book. The stories all vary in tone, but are generally uplifting and beautiful. There is a little bit of something special in each one, and I highly recommend checking it out and passing it along to your LGBTQ+ comics-reading friends. You can find it digitally through Comixology from Amazon or in print at your Local Comics Shop.
If his long-running webtoon Lavender Jack proved anything, it was that Dan Schkade knows how golden-age comics work, and how to take everything that’s great about them and present them for a modern audience. Long-since relegated to reruns, Schkade brings us into his new take on the classic hero in medias res, as we follow the Earthman on an exciting attack on Ming the Merciless that is equal parts rescue and climactic final battle. But when the smoke clears and Ming is seemingly defeated, what happens next? Following a classic newspaper serial format of six short comics and one full page a week, Schkade’s writing is thrilling without getting bogged down or getting confusing by the format, and his art is kinetic and clear in an incredibly tight space. The launch is only a couple of months old, so if you’ve ever been curious about this classic character but hesitant to pick up the originals, this is a fantastic place to start.
Birds of Prey Written by Kelly Thompson Drawn by Leonardo Romero Colored by Jordie Bellaire Lettered by Clayton Cowles Published by DC Comics
Comics are all about reinvention, and this classic team on DC’s super-heroines is getting the band back together in the wake of 2020’s Birds of Prey feature film. Reinventing the team as less of a group of superheroes and more of a heist is always a compelling choice for me, and it puts classic leader Black Canary in an interesting and fun position. The dynamic for the team is fun and explosive, and the requisite inclusion of DC’s breakout star Harley Quinn is well-handled and feels natural. The rest of the team is made up of fun fan-favorites who rarely get their on spotlights like Batgirl (Cassandra Cain) and Big Barda, which is icing on a cool superhero cake.
Hawkgirl Written by Jadzia Axelrod Drawn by Amancay Nahuelpan Colored by Adriano Lucas Lettered by Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou Published by DC Comics
This one is a gimme for my list. Hawkgirl isn’t a character I’m very familiar with, aside from a similar character from the early-00’s Justice League cartoon. Rising star Jadzia Axelrod clearly knows her stuff, though, and tells a compelling and satisfying story in six short issues. Accompanied by her own hit creation Galaxy, who debuted in a graphic novel in 2022, this is a showcase of cool high concepts and character-defining moments, delivered with the force of a superhero diving through a skylight. This is how you do legacy right, stitching character around (and sometimes through) established history while making something new and exciting. This was a six-issue mini, but I hope we see more of these characters (and this creative team) in the future. I could’ve read thirty issues, easy!
Fantastic Four Written by Ryan North Drawn by Iban Coello Colored by Jesus Aburtov Lettered by Joe Caramagna Published by Marvel Comics
I will admit that of all of the various Marvel characters and teams, The Fantastic Four has always ranked near the bottom, personally. They have a fun cohesive design, and smarter writers than I have written about how cleanly their debut marks the end of the Golden Age and the rise of the Silver Age. But aside from The Thing, I’ve never really cared much for them. They feel a bit too rooted in their time and place of creation, products of the Cold War, a nuclear family for the nuclear age. They’ve never really caught with me, and Mr. Fantastic in particular has always struck me as being a cliched relic, a Man of Science accompanied by his literally invisible housewife. But Ryan North has managed to find the great in these characters by driving them out of their secure and comfortable Manhattan skyscraper and sending them out on a trip across the country. As an X-Men fan, making your heroes pariahs is always going to be a step in the right direction for me, and giving them some meaty super-science problems to tackle outside of the mad scientist of the week has done wonders. This is going to be a run for the ages, and it’s (hopefully) just getting started. This is North’s Squirrel Girl writing all grown up.
X-Men Red Written by Al Ewing Drawn by Stefano Caselli, Jacopo Camagni, and Yildiray Cinar Colored by Federico Blee Lettered by Ariana Maher
It was difficult to choose just one X-book to put on this list, but X-Men Red takes the edge in terms of drama, scope, and shout out loud superhero moments. X-Men books are all about being outsiders, but what could be more outsider than an ancient civilization of super-powered beings finally trying to learn how to be at peace after milllenia of war? Marvel has a collection of these types of hidden civilizations, most of which came from the Fantastic Four’s rogues gallery, in fact. But the Araki have something a bit extra that groups like the Atlanteans and the Inhumans just don’t have going for them. Ewing knows his stuff and brings it to the table. It helps that we aren’t really supposed to be sure where we stand with the Araki, with their strange powers and alien morality. But where Blackbolt and his kin feel like plantation owners, perpetually ruling over an underclass they don’t view as human, the Araki are Klingons, strange and difficult, but with a refined sense of honor that can be tested. Having characters like Storm and Sunspot to bounce against them, forming rivalries and friendships, helps. That the strange warlords, who felt like they might invade Earth at any moment felt like they were also on their own back foot, from antagonists like Uranos and Genesis helped immensely as well.
Birds of Prey #1 Written by Kelly Thompson Drawn by Leonardo Romero Colored by Jordie Bellaire Lettered by Clayton Cowles Published by DC Comics
The Skinny: A bold and intriguing first step for a brand new team. Plus Harley Quinn is also here.
Birds of Prey #1 by Kelly Thompson and (artist) is a delightful first issue for a new team book, and like many such books, the first issue is mostly centered around getting the team together. it’s a bit of a whirlwind tour of the DC Universe as Black Canary gathers a team for a dangerous mission to save her adopted sister. There’s lots of action while most of the plot is teased at as being off the page for now. The hook, and the engaging characters, keep the pace going. The team is one of contrasts, with Dinah not having her first pick of DC’s usual heroes. It’s a fun mix of characters that is appealing to long-time fans as well as newcomers such as myself. I never knew I wanted a scene of Cassandra Cain Batgirl and Big Barda fighting 4th World vampires, but it sings on the page. Harley Quinn is the anchor of the team in what feels like editorial reasons, but Thompson turns the unlikely recruitment around in an interesting way that builds up the characters.The art is the real MVP on this book. Romero delivers a clean, heavy-lined style that makes the action easy to follow, with a drop-dead gorgeous splash page early in the issue that I will not spoil. Along with Bellaire’s bold, solid colors, the art has a classic DC style to it that is very appealing. If they added some dot printing, it would feel like this book could have been picked up off a spinner rack in the ’70s or ’80s.This is still an early book, but this first issue delivers with a fun premise, an intriguing mystery, and a last-page reveal that made me shout out loud. I’m placing a large bet that this is going to be the DC book to watch going into the next year, and it is entirely my jam. I heartily recommend you pick up a copy from your local comics shop, or check it out digitally wherever you get your comics.
Batman: The Juro Kuwata Batmanga Volunme 1 Written and Drawn by Juro Kuwata Published by DC Comics
The Skinny: The Other ’60s Batman
During the height of the 1960s Batman TV show, Juro Kuwata a manga-ka who brought the Dynamic Duo to Japan with his own unique spin on the Caped Crusader. The resulting collection was not available in English in a complete format until 2014, but it is well worth your time and consideration. The art is a delightful mix of Golden Age DC and classic manga aesthetics, riding high on an international wave of the live-action Batman TV show’s success. The stories are all fairly straightforward and of their time, but also take some interesting swings. Eschewing the Dark Knight’s well-known rogues gallery, Kuwata turned his hand to making his own villains, opening with the very strong and exceptionally well-named “Lord Death Man” and setting Batman and Robin against a super-intelligent gorilla (not Gorilla Grodd) with a fun twist, a powerful mutant that echoes the creation of Marvel’s X-Men while looking like a weird space alien, and The Human Ball, which probably sounded less hilarious in the original Japanese. Kuwata’s art is striking and iconic, although the stories feel somewhat poorly served by manga’s black-and-white format. Several insert sections also include red tones for a deluxe feel, but one of the key clues for one of the villains includes the fact that his powers were color based. Which came out of left field in this black-and-white comic Batman and Robin also have a distinct feel to them in this version, with Batman being much more of a man of action rather than a detective, and this Dick Grayson is delightfully sassy. While not exactly ground-breaking, this collection of ‘lost’ Batman comics feels both classic and astonishingly different. Kuwata’s style is distinct and iconic, while still highly recognizable, and Batman and Robin’s adventures don’t feel too far removed from his live-action TV Adventures. It is a curious little oddity that is well worth the time of fans of both anime and Batman, if only as a reminder of where the character has gone in his many years of publication history. Batmanga Volume 1 is available digitally from Comixology or in print from your local comics shop.
The Mountain’s Shadow is now available from Amazon and Smashwords!
This year was a rough one for Comics. Covid-19 forced a distribution shutdown, with ramification that were felt throughout the industry. But there were still a plethora of great books that came out this year, and while I don’t have enough space to expound on all the outstanding books I read this year, here are five of my favorites, in alphabetical order. Spoilers abound below!
Empyre Written by Al Ewing and Dan Slott Drawn by Valerio Schiti Colored by Marte Gracia Lettered by VC’s Joe Caramanga Published by Marvel Comics
At first glance, Empyre is just another Marvel Comics alien invasion story. The Earth is pushed to the brink of peril, and then saved at the last minute by Earth’s Mightiest Heroes, etc. etc. But look past the surface, and there is so much more going on.Empyre concludes with a same-sex royal wedding in space, with all the Avengers and Fantastic Four as guests of honor. It reaches to the roots of Marvel Universe history, both in-story and in publication, and embraces that past while stepping into the future. The status quo for superhero comics is typically dark, putting the heroes on a never-ending back foot, with another crisis just around the corner. The end of this book does acknowledge that nothing good lasts forever. But today, the Kree / Skrull War is over, and Comics Are For Everyone. Make Mine Marvel!
Far Sector Written by N. K. Jemisin Drawn and Colored by Jamal Campbell Lettered by Deron Bennett Published by DC Comic Young Animal
This rare gem of a book takes place in a distant corner of the DC Universe, far from the crises of the regular continuity, and also, I suspect, from editorial interference. Given their own canvas to work with, Jemisin and Campbell have built a beautiful, wondrous and troubling world in The City Enduring, a sparkling artificial super-metropolis where three distinct alien cultures live in apparent harmony, until Green Lantern Jo Mullein is called upon to solve their first murder in centuries, and uncovers a chilling web of oppression and dirty politics whose exposure may tear a civilization apart.Jemisin’s writing on this book is consistently amazing. It’s difficult to believe this is her first jump from prose to comics. Propelled by Campbell’s dazzling art, this ongoing title is not to be missed.
Heist Written by Paul Tobin Drawn by Arjuna Susini Colored by Vittorio Astone Lettered by Saida Temofonte Published by Vault Comics
Gritty sci-fi crime dramas seems to be my jam this year, and Heist was another great one. After being set up by an evil executive and thrown in jail, Glaine Breld is out for revenge. There’s just two problems. One, the Dignity Corporation is so powerful it is completely untouchable. And two, everyone on the entire planet wants him dead. No big deal, because he’s got a plan to set everything right. All he has to do is get a crew together and steal the whole planet. Full of twist, dark humor, and the blackest of cyberpunk high concepts, Heist is a hell of a ride.
The Ludocrats Written by Kieron Gillen and Jim Rossignol Drawn by Jeff Stokely Colored by Tamra Bonvillain Lettered by Clayton Cowles Published by Image Comics
This book is weird, and also weirdly horny, for the sake of weird. Delightful and strange, Gillen and Rossignol don’t merely break the fourth wall, but stomp up and down and pee on it for good measure. Stokely’s art is intricate and full of clever sight gags, and the nonsensical plot, which follows a pair of Aristocrats on the case to stop the Hyper-pope from turning the world boring, is a mad-cap romp. This comic is chock-full full of axe-wielding maniacs, nefarious betrayers, and cannibalistic gastronauts, and those are the good guys! The funniest book I read this year!
Slaughterhouse-Five Adapted from Kurt Vonnegut’s novel by Ryan North Art by Albert Monteys Published by Archaia Faithfully based on Kurt Vonnegut’s novel of the same name, North and Monteys bring us along on Billy Pilgrim’s unstuck journey through time, from his capture in World War II and the battle of Dresden to his abduction to the alien planet Tralfamador and back. North’s script does justice to the story, capturing all the comedy and tragedy it evokes. Montey’s art is cartoonish and subtly colored, and is evocative and resonant. I knew going in this would be a book that I would either love or hate, and I’m glad it pulled off so ambitious an adaptation.
Far Sector #1-5
Written by N. K. Jemsin
Drawn and Colored by Jamal Campbell
Lettered by Deron Bennett
Published by DC’s Young Animal
The Skinny: A Green Lantern story unlike anything you’ve read before.
Far Sector is a comic likely unlike anything you’ve read before. Triple Hugo award-winning author N. K. Jemsin has teamed up with phenomenal artist Jamal Campbell to tell the story of Sojourner “Jo” Mullein. The newest member of the Green Lantern Corps, Jo protects The City Enduring, a Dyson Swarm with a population of over 20 billion. Home to three previously waring civilizations, the city has preserved the peace for the last 500 years by forgoing their emotions. But when she investigates the first murder in centuries, she finds tensions ready to snap.
This comic is unlike anything I’ve read from a DC in a very long time. The City Eternal is a very different setting than the rest of the universe, far removed from epic struggles of the Justice League or even the tropes commonly found in the other Green Lantern books. It’s a story about a queer black woman cop (admittedly with superpowers) on her own and in over her head. The setting is constantly surprising, but Jo is the star of the show, and Jemsin sculpts her with more humanity than we get from Hal Jordan or Bruce Wayne.
The comic is further elevated by Jamal Campbell’s stunning artwork. Intricate, richly colored, and imaginative, it’s everything you could want in a space comic. Campbell makes Jemsin’s characters breathe in ways that are far removed from DC’s house style. No easy task when you’re drawing sentient, holographic AI and carnivorous plant people. Also, issue five has the best design for a Guardian of OA that I have ever seen.
Weird, wonderful and completely engrossing, Far Sector is the Space Opera Detective Comic you’ve been waiting for. Issues 1-5 are currently out, so if you can get to your local comics shop, or they can deliver, see if you can order them. And of course you can check them out on Comixology. Stay safe, and be good to each other!
Die
Written by Kieron Gillen
Drawn by Stephanie Hans
Published by Image Comics
Gillen’s story of a group of adults returning to the magical world they escaped as teenagers is a mix of It and the ’80’s Dungeons and Dragons Saturday morning cartoon. Hans brings a unique, painterly style that makes the world feel as strange for us on the readers. The comic itself is a deep, emotional examination of trauma and the rules we live and play by. But as the characters move across the fantasy world, Gillen repeatedly pulls off the trick of exposing the bleeding heart of what Fantasy is and why we make it.
Fairlady
Written by Brian Schirmer
Drawn by Claudia Balboni, Shari Chankhamma, and Marissa Louise
Published by Image Comics
An intriguing mix of mystery and fantasy, Fairlady mixes a modern sensibility with pulp stylings to great effect. A sort of fantasy private eye, Jenner Faulds solves mysteries, bickers with her co-worker at her day job protecting an absent wizard’s tower, and gets bailed out of trouble by her seven-foot tall cat-man bestie. Each issue is a single mystery, and they’re all clever and interesting. Unfortunately, the book was canceled after issue 5, but the trade is available, and this isn’t a book to let pass you by.
House of X / Powers of X
Written by Jonathan Hickman
Drawn by Pepe Larraz and R. B. Silva
Published by Marvel Comics
House of X and Powers of X were a big gamble, and it’s safe to say at this point that it’s paid off. After years of protecting a world that hates and fears them, the X-Men are trying something new, and approaching their enemies as a new force. The idea of a mutant nation has been tried and failed in the Marvel Universe, but this one has a lot of new, big ideas going for it. I can’t wait to see what Hickman and crew get up to next.
Invisible Kingdom
Written by G. Willow Wilson
Drawn by Christian Ward
Published by Berger Books
The incisive writing of G. Willow Wilson (Ms. Marvel, Air) and the art of Christian Ward (Black Bolt, ODY-C)is a heady mix. And the intertwined story of a cargo ship captain working for a monopolistic space corporation and an acolyte in a religious order with dark secrets is a little bit Alien and a little bit Star Wars in all the best ways.
Lois Lane / Superman’s Pal Jimmy Olsen (Tie)
Lois Lane
Written by Greg Rucka
Drawn by Mike Perkins
Published by DC Comics
Superman’s Pal Jimmy Olsen
Written by Matt Fraction
Drawn by Steve Lieber and Nathan Fairbairn
Published by DC Comics
I couldn’t pick between these two standout books, both of which came out around the same time, but are only slightly connected. Both are deep studies of neglected characters that are very different in tone and style from D.C.’s usual fare. Lois Lane is a hard-boiled story about the world’s greatest investigative reporter as she delves into a conspiracy that cost one of her colleagues her life, with help from Renee Montoya, AKA The Question. It plays the Journalist as superhero part to the hilt, and it is something worth cheering for.
Jimmy Olsen is a more comical and surreal update of the silver age teen sidekick, as he goes into hiding after thinking Lex Luthor put out a hit on him. But this is also the comic where Jimmy Olsen finds himself in a prank war with Batman. Fraction is writing at the height of his Hawkguy powers here, and it’s strange, fascinating, and hilarious.
Legion of Super-Heroes: Millennium #1
Written by Brian Michael Bendis
Drawn by Jim Lee, Dustin Nguyen, Andrea Sorrentino, André Lima Araújo and Scott Williams
Colored by Alex Sinclair, John Kalisz, Dave Stewart, and Jordie Bellaire
Lettered by Dave Sharpe
Published by DC Comics
The Skinny: Guess who isn’t in this comic?
First of all, no, this is not a Legion of Super-Heroes book. At least, it isn’t yet. But the concept is entertaining in and of itself, and it looks like it’s getting there in Part 2 of this two-issue series. What this book does do is follow one character, Rose and her alter-ego Thorn, as she lives through one DC Universe ‘future’ after the other, not aging because of something that happened to her during her career as an anti-hero. Something Rose doesn’t even remember.
Each short section of the book does a good job of feeling different, and evoking the character of the setting. The Jim Lee-drawn near future is techy and bright, and very 90’s., while the Batman Beyond section is shockingly violent. The Kamandi section is sad, and beautifully drawn. The fourth section has a very 80’s manga future vibe. I’m not familiar with he character it is referencing, but the sterile gray lines and bureaucracy (and hover scooters) evoked Otomo to me.
Bendis’s writing is fine, but it’s mostly serving the plot and doesn’t give us too much character aside from following this woman who doesn’t age and her 90’s comic book version of Dissociative Identity Disorder. The art is where this comic sings.
While this special issue is more of a curiosity than a great story, It was fun to see these different takes on DC’s ‘future,’ and see a bit of how they are all connected. You can find Legion of Super-Heroes: Millennium #1 at your Local Comics Shop, or pick it up digitally from Comixoloy.
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Chrononaut Cinema Reviews is presented by http://skinner.fm and http://hughjodonnell.com, and is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 3.0 Unported License.
This episode was originally posted at Skinner.FM on Thursday, May 2, 2019.
Hugh J. O'Donnell 
Podcast: CCRC49 -The All-New Super Friends Hour, E1
May 4, 2019
hughjodonnell CCR Commentary, Podcast, Uncategorized Aquaman, Batman, Chrononaut Cinema Reviews, Commentary Track, DC Comics, hugh, Jurd, Opopinax, Podcast, Rich The T T, Super Friends, Superman, Wonder Woman Leave a comment
Tonight your hosts, Hugh of HughJODonnell.com, Rich the Time Traveler, Jurd, and Opop, have a super time with the Super Friends.
Click HERE to listen to the commentary episode.
And click HERE to watch the episode along with us!
Chrononaut Cinema Reviews is presented by http://skinner.fm and http://hughjodonnell.com, and is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 3.0 Unported License.
This episode was originally posted at Skinner.FM on Thursday, May 2, 2019.
Thanks for listening!
