What's your latest read?

[Milk Tray Guy]

On the top of my to read pile for a long time has been Judas Contract. I finally got around to reading it. I found it enjoyable. Definitely vintage Wolfman and Perez. One of the reasons I hadn’t read it before was I figured there was supposed to be a shock when you find out Terra is a spy, and I thought it wouldn’t be as fun if you went in knowing the spoiler. But to my surprise it wasn’t really a spoiler at all because it is revealed almost from the get go.

The dialogue is somewhat hokey and I still hate Brother Blood as a villain, but it was a good read. I love how it shows Starfire as a warrior and Dick as the most foreboding Titans member. He really was Batman-esque especially in his showdown with Slade. Loved when Terra refers to Dick as the weak link and Slade tells her to shut up.

Also I’ve seen Deathstroke’s origin told elsewhere (most recently by Priest) but I think it was best told here.

I'm another one who for some reason has never read The Judas Contract (I did read the kinda, sorta follow up, The Lazarus Contract, which I thought was okay) but reading what you've written here has given me a fresh urge to give it a shot

Have to say I enjoyed the animated movie of TJC. Have you seen it? If so I'd be interested to know how you think it compares.

 

[Slade W]

On the top of my to read pile for a long time has been Judas Contract. I finally got around to reading it. I found it enjoyable. Definitely vintage Wolfman and Perez. One of the reasons I hadn’t read it before was I figured there was supposed to be a shock when you find out Terra is a spy, and I thought it wouldn’t be as fun if you went in knowing the spoiler. But to my surprise it wasn’t really a spoiler at all because it is revealed almost from the get go.

The dialogue is somewhat hokey and I still hate Brother Blood as a villain, but it was a good read. I love how it shows Starfire as a warrior and Dick as the most foreboding Titans member. He really was Batman-esque especially in his showdown with Slade. Loved when Terra refers to Dick as the weak link and Slade tells her to shut up.

Also I’ve seen Deathstroke’s origin told elsewhere (most recently by Priest) but I think it was best told here.

What i like a lot about the story is how it offers through Slade Wilson/Deathstroke a good look at how even heroic individuals can go down a dark path under certain circumstances and how important people in your life are at influencing who you become. Unlike Dick Grayson, who had his parents, Batman, Superman and Starfire, who all had a positive influence on him, and in Batman and Starfires case, stood by him during difficult times, Slade had no family. He was betrayed several times by the army, who he lived for and was willing to give his life for, and him and Wintergreen were almost killed because of this. Unlike Starfire, who stood by Grayson, Slades wife left him (she was right to), which played a big part in making him such a cold individual. His close friend Wintergreen was all he had left. He didn't even become a villain or target heroes until his son died, whom he wanted to honour by completing his sons contract with an organisation called H.I.V.E, which was to capture the Teen Titans.

Deathstroke works very well against lots of heroes, and has been compared and contrasted with Batman, Nightwing, Damian Wayne, Green Arrow, Black Canary, several Titans members, and others. He has been shown to have a lot in common with lots of heroes (Bruce and Dick, in particular), and is a good look at what they possibly could have become under different circumstances.

 

[Slade W]

I'm another one who for some reason has never read The Judas Contract (I did read the kinda, sorta follow up, The Lazarus Contract, which I thought was okay) but reading what you've written here has given me a fresh urge to give it a shot

Have to say I enjoyed the animated movie of TJC. Have you seen it? If so I'd be interested to know how you think it compares.

The movie is ok, but the comic is much, much better IMO. The movie cuts out Slades origin and a lot of the comparisons/parallels between him and Batman/Dick Grayson, which are among the best things in the story, if not the best. The movie changes Slade and Terra a lot. In the comic, the purpose of Terra is similar to that of Carnage and Emperor Palpatine, in that they are supposed to show you what pure evil is, in order to compare and contrast them with the more grey Venom, Vader and Deathstroke. I liked Terra in the movie, but Slade in the comic is a much, much better character than her in the movie, so i think the change ended up with them losing one of the strongest aspects, if not the strongest aspect, of the story. Slade under Wolframs careful hand does not get dominated as much in the verbal sparring as Slade in the movie does. His feeble efforts in this regard against Damian Wayne are teh best example of this, I feel.

A lot of Nightwings story is removed too, which was more interesting in the comic than the movie, I think.

 

[Milk Tray Guy]

The movie is ok, but the comic is much, much better IMO. The movie cuts out Slades origin and a lot of the comparisons/parallels between him and Batman/Dick Grayson, which are among the best things in the story, if not the best. The movie changes Slade and Terra a lot. In the comic, the purpose of Terra is similar to that of Carnage and Emperor Palpatine, in that they are supposed to show you what pure evil is, in order to compare and contrast them with the more grey Venom, Vader and Deathstroke. I liked Terra in the movie, but Slade in the comic is a much, much better character than her in the movie, so i think the change ended up with them losing one of the strongest aspects, if not the strongest aspect, of the story. Slade under Wolframs careful hand does not get dominated as much in the verbal sparring as Slade in the movie does. His feeble efforts in this regard against Damian Wayne are teh best example of this, I feel.

A lot of Nightwings story is removed too, which was more interesting in the comic than the movie, I think.

That sounds interesting.

Okay, thanks for that. I'll have to give it a read.

 

[Babillygunn]

I haven’t seen the movie, but I would second most everything that Slade says about what makes the comic good. I have seen how Teen Titans the show handled Terra and I was quite surprised how the comic portrays her as anger and violence personified. I second the aspect that this being a “birth of Nightwing” story really works as well. The one area I would differ slightly from you, Slade is that I’m not sure that Deathstroke is quite as sympathetic a character as you paint him. He still is willing to leave comrades behind in military ops and he had Wintergreen and his wife and kids, so he wasn’t completely without those who cared for him. He could’ve made better choices, but he was a soldier’s soldier and I think he genuinely missed the thrill of the kill, at least in part.

 

[Milk Tray Guy]

@Babillygunn Okay, thanks

 

[Slade W]

I haven’t seen the movie, but I would second most everything that Slade says about what makes the comic good. I have seen how Teen Titans the show handled Terra and I was quite surprised how the comic portrays her as anger and violence personified. I second the aspect that this being a “birth of Nightwing” story really works as well. The one area I would differ slightly from you, Slade is that I’m not sure that Deathstroke is quite as sympathetic a character as you paint him. He still is willing to leave comrades behind in military ops and he had Wintergreen and his wife and kids, so he wasn’t completely without those who cared for him. He could’ve made better choices, but he was a soldier’s soldier and I think he genuinely missed the thrill of the kill, at least in part.

I agree he isn't that sympathetic. Something that separates him from Bruce, Dick and the other Titans, is that he is very selfish and ego driven. He feels completely useless, worthless and suicidal without the ability to compete out on the field. It is the only thing he feels he can do in his life, that truly clicked with him. Perhaps him growing up without any parents played a big part in this, as he may he felt that he was a reject that wasn't good enough and that he had to prove himself. Perhaps going out on the field is the only thing that gives him an escape from that feeling of rejection too.

Regarding his wife and kids, I do not blame them for leaving him, as his selfishness and ego was endangering them. It was his ego that led to what happened with Joe. I just feel that if his wife had stayed and tried to help him more, perhaps things would have turned out different, but like I said, I do not blame her for leaving, as he was endangering her and Joe.

 

[Babillygunn]

Good points. Slade, Bruce, and Dick are all such well developed characters

 

[Milk Tray Guy]

Finished Infinite Crisis: Fight for the Multiverse vol 1 (trade). It's a tie-in to a video game that I haven't played but so far the story stands okay on it's own. I wasn't sure whether this would have any direct connection to the original Infinite Crisis event or indeed any other comic book Crisis, but outside of a few nods it doesn't really (I actually wonder if they called the game Infinite Crisis so that people would come across it on the shelves alongside the Injustice games).

The broad strokes are here though; a monitor (Nix Uotan) has Harbinger recruit heroes/villains from various worlds to battle a multiverse-threatening 'big bad', which has released demonic monsters - including a Godzilla-like/sized version of Doomsday! - from Earth-13 (a world ruled by magic), unleashing them across the other Earths. It's then a race against time...

It's entertaining, and like the Injustice comics it's a pretty quick read. It's always fun seeing alternate versions of characters fighting alongside the more familiar ones. Here we get variations on Superman, Green Lantern, Supergirl, Wonder Woman, Catwoman, Zod, and Luther, alongside 'our' Batman, Flash, Cyborg, and Zatanna.

I managed to get this quite cheap, otherwise I may not have bought it - but I'm glad I took a chance and I'll be looking for vol 2.

7/10

 

[Babillygunn]

That brings up a question that my son asked me the other day: what earth does Injustice take place on?

 

[Mani-Man]

That brings up a question that my son asked me the other day: what earth does Injustice take place on?

Thats a good question.
I heard that some people said earth 3 but isnt the crime syndicate from earth 3?
The Dark Multiverse can be ruled out because thats where hope and light burns out and when we learned one from Injustice then that nothing could be further from the truth.
Considering we officialy have the Unlimited Multiverses back...it can be anything from 1 to infinity.

It would be cool if they would name it.
Giving it an official belonging would be pretty sweet.

 

[Milk Tray Guy]

That brings up a question that my son asked me the other day: what earth does Injustice take place on?

Thats a good question.
I heard that some people said earth 3 but isnt the crime syndicate from earth 3?
The Dark Multiverse can be ruled out because thats where hope and light burns out and when we learned one from Injustice then that nothing could be further from the truth.
Considering we officialy have the Unlimited Multiverses back...it can be anything from 1 to infinity.

It would be cool if they would name it.
Giving it an official belonging would be pretty sweet.

That gets asked quite bit (some interesting threads on Reddit). I agree the Dark Multiverse and Earth-3 are out. It's not one of the designated worlds in the Multiversity Guidebook (although the Injustice comics were well underway when the guidebook was published). I guess it could be one of the 7 Unknown Worlds that don't have any details shown, "created by an Inner Chamber of 7 Monitor Magi for a mysterious purpose yet to be revealed". If that's the case then the candidates are Earth-14, Earth-24, Earth-25, Earth-27, Earth-28, Earth-46, and Earth-49 (said to be the most mysterious of them all).

Edit: Injustice actually features in Convergence as one of the 50 worlds stolen from 'time and space' by Brainiac (and is ultimately judged a 'failed experiment').

 

[Babillygunn]

@Milk Tray Guy you are a wealth of information! Thanks!

 

[Milk Tray Guy]

@Babillygunn Thanks! Coming from you that's certainly a compliment!

 

[Milk Tray Guy]

Recently finished Justice League: The World's Greatest Super-Heroes, by Alex Ross and Paul Dini. It's a collection of stories originally published separately between 1998 and 2003. Superman, Batman, Captain Marvel Shazam, and Wonder Woman each get a solo tale, followed by one featuring the Justice League together. It's an interesting take, pitting the heroes against real-world problems that hit our headlines pretty much every day. Superman decides to tackle world hunger; Batman attacks the poverty and desperation that leads to crime; Shazam tries to put more hope into the lives of disabled, terminally ill, and in some cases abused children; and Wonder Woman tries to prevent the mistreatment and exploitation of third world citizens. To round it off, the Justice League come together to fight... a disease. Okay, the disease comes from outer-space (a tip of the hat to the familiar 'JL battles alien invader' tales) but where it comes from is pretty secondary to the struggle itself.

I'd never read any of these stories, but the combination of Ross and Dini was enough for me to take a chance and I'm glad I did. I won't spoil, but this book showed why superheroes solving real-life major problems wouldn't necessarily be as straight-forward as some might suppose. It wasn't a straight-through read for me but it did keep pulling me back - and it did make me think. I'll probably think quite a lot about it actually, then reread it in about six months.

One minor gripe. As much as I love Ross's artwork, for me he doesn't quite nail it here with Batman. Not that the art itself is anything short of fantastic, but Batman clings to the shadows. Showing him (for example) standing boldly inside a fluorescent-lit convenience store whilst calmly foiling a robbery doesn't look right. Ross goes for this photo-realistic look... and Batman is a guy who dresses like a bat; more than with any other character, for me it's a fine line between looking absolutely awesome and looking ridiculous, and just occasionally Ross puts a toe over that line.

Overall though, I really enjoyed it. 8/10

 

[MMMMM...Pancakes]

Finally got around to starting Tokyo Ghost and Space Riders. First issue of Tokyo Ghost was just meh (for story), art was awesome. I hope it gets more interesting. Space Riders was pure dumb fun. Looking forward to the next issue of that. Really digging the art on that one too.

 

[Babillygunn]

Milk Tray, thanks for the great review. I’ve had my eye on that collection for a while. Ive read all of those books digitally with the exception of the Wonder Woman story. Ive wanted to read that for a while but never got around to it. Your review sums up my thoughts on the books exactly. I absolutely love those books. I think the Superman story is the most provocative. Like you said, it stays with you for a while. It is interesting that no villain is really needed in that story because mankind is its own worst enemy. The Shazam Power of Hope story really brings the emotion. There are only a few times that I’ve had a comic make me emotional but the panel with Shazam sitting with the dying girl really got to me. The Batman War on Crime story is excellent. I love seeing Bruce interacting with rich fat cats who are corrupt and knowing that it is taking all of his restraint not to beat them to a pulp. Obviously the moment with Batman and Marcus is wonderful and a really moving moment thanks to the perfect marriage of Dini’s words and Ross’ art. I agree with you on some of the choices Ross makes with Batman but I think what Ross is trying to accomplish is to take Batman out of the shadows when he interacts with the kid. It starts with him finding him in the store and then culminates with him stepping into the light on the street in order to bring Marcus literally and figuratively into the light with an embrace. I love that panel btw. I also love that Ross shows Batman’s eyes. Other artists try this, but not with such success. Truth be told, while I’ve read the Justice League story, I don’t remember it like the others. I remember liking it, but it didn’t have the emotional staying power of the solo stories.

I recommend those books to anyone and everyone. They are simply remarkable. I’m glad you brought them up with a tremendous review.

 

[Milk Tray Guy]

Hey Babillygunn. Thanks Those are some interesting points you bring up. I hadn't thought about the 'coming into the light' aspect for Batman in quite that way. When I read it again I'll be sure to keep that in mind. I don't think it'll take away the feeling I have that Batman doesn't look 'right' like that, but it would explain why Ross took the decision to do it.

I absolutely agree with your comments on the individual stories. The scene you mention with the dying girl is a real choker (I thought the twist at the end of that story about the identity of 'the child' was a nice touch). I think you'll enjoy the Wonder Woman tale. She has a very interesting conversation with Clark - and it makes sense that it's Clark she's talking to, not Superman. You remember that famous quote from the movie Kill Bill about Superman? Well this conversation shows how wrong Bill is!

The Justice League story is okay. It has it's own message for sure, but I think the individual tales outshine it. Also, I forgot to mention there's a cool section at the back of the book about Ross's process for his artwork, showing the live models for some of the heroes (including Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman) in costume!

 

[sirmarkus]

The Batman Who Laughs: The Grim Knight #1

Not the worst Dark Multiverse Batman origin, but not the best either.

 

[Babillygunn]

Read Detective 1000. Still digesting all of the stories and will try to get some thoughts together. Off the top of my head I loved Dini and Nguyen’s henchman story and Tynion’s story about Alfred and Bruce discussing making Dick Robin. King’s story with the picture was kind of fun although it does show the family as a bit immature.

Overall, what a fun read. I thought it fairly perfect.

 

[Mani-Man]

I dont know if such "compilation" stories are really the best to celebrate a milestone.
Often they feel a bit lackluster because of how short they have to be.
I love the idea of different artists and writers having a chance to do something in one issue, but i think maybe having one huge story that different writes and artists tell over the course would be cooler.

I dont know, i need to let this all settle for a while because there are a lot stories and styles to digest.
But i definitly love the covers and stuff.

 

[Babillygunn]

I get your point. But I can’t lie, I love the compilation of short stories. We get to see the character (Superman last year, Batman this year) from multiple sides. Plus, by having the stories be so short, the writer has to boil the story down to a particular essence of the character.

 

[Motown Marvel]

Finally got around to starting Tokyo Ghost and Space Riders. First issue of Tokyo Ghost was just meh (for story), art was awesome. I hope it gets more interesting. Space Riders was pure dumb fun. Looking forward to the next issue of that. Really digging the art on that one too.

Space Riders is a damn treasure! Everyone needs to enjoy that book.

 

[sirmarkus]

Detective Comics #1000

Wow, what a great book!

 

[Milk Tray Guy]

Just finished the trade of The Unexpected: Call of the Unknown, one of the eight titles in the 'New Age of DC Heroes' line that launched following Dark Nights: Metal (and the only one of those 'New Age' titles that I've read so far).

It's a very 'cosmic' adventure. Pretty early on I got a strong Jack Kirby/Fourth World kinda vibe; not that the artwork's anything like Kirby's, but there's a definite feel of New Gods/Forever People psychedelic wackiness there! A new isotope of Nth metal is accidentally created, which apparently 'threatens the very fabric of the dark multiverse'! The race is on for the heroes (Firebrand, Neon the Unknown, Viking Judge, and Ascendant) to save the day, a race which takes them to some pretty interesting places and realms, including the World Forge and Castle Frankenstein!

The story's set against the fallout from the Metal event - for the superheroes and for the 'ordinary folk'. The theme of 'rebuilding' is pretty evident (seen on universal, world, and personal levels), and - according to writer Steve Orlando - there's one of 'discovery' as well.

The all-new lead characters are interesting (sadly the one whose background we didn't get to delve into was the one I was most interested in learning more about, Viking Judge!). Huntress and Hawkman provide support to the heroes, and there's a really cool villain - Alden Quench, aka the 'Bad Samaritan'! Think 'reptilian-eyed cowboy, dressed for a Vegas vacation'!

As it went on I was thinking Yeah, I could get into this - only to find that the series finished with issue eight and that this collection is all there is! Shame, I think it showed promise. Hopefully we'll at least see the lead characters again.

Orlando's writing is pretty good (although I found it a little clumsy at times), and the various artists do a good job.

7.5/10