Friday, August 31, 2012

Batgirl #0

Written by: Gail Simone
Art by: Ed Benes

How did Barbara first become Batgirl? What led to her to don the cape and cowl? Witness Barbara Gordon’s shocking injury and her inspiring drive to recover and walk again!

Page Count: 32 | Price: US$2.99 | On Sale Date: Sep 12 2012


Thursday, August 30, 2012

Aquaman 12 :: The Others VI

Writer: Geoff Johns
Artist: Ivan Reis

The penultimate chapter of The Others begins with a redemption of sorts. Anyone who may have felt unfulfilled with the Mera solo story in issue #6, will find Johns and Reis splurging on the redhead in the first stunning pages almost arbitrarily; but this is not a complaint, it is a welcome use of page space that showcases some of her abilities and beauty.

Thanks to her hydrokinesis, Mera is much faster than Aquaman

The rest of the chapter takes place in the tomb of the first king of Atlantis, where Manta finds the seventh relic, and the past year worth of stories coalesce. Several emotional moments prove -especially to his allies- that Aquaman is not a heartless man, while the well coordinated action scenes are superbly executed to give each of the characters an opportunity to shine. Despite some inking mishaps in the middle of the book, this is a fantastic issue!

Saturday, August 18, 2012

The Aquafamily

Art by Jim Aparo

Friday, August 17, 2012

Thursday, August 16, 2012

Batwoman 12 :: Bloodtides

Writers: J.H. Williams III and W. Haden Blackman
Artist: J.H. Williams III

Batwoman keeps her promise to soldier on and continues searching for the missing children from the barrio. In Bloodtides, her search takes her to a twisted house of mirrors, where she and werebeast ally Abbot find Bloody Mary, one of the creatures of myth. J.H. Williams III makes his triumphant return as artist to tell Mary's origin, show Kate winning a few and losing a few, and illustrate the initial stages of Flamebird's rise.

At the same time these stories are told, Wonder Woman fights a handful of Medusa's minions; the narrative is completely different in these sequences, using a poetic approach in the writing, and extremely intricate details in the art, her portion of the issue is almost a completely different book, but beautiful nonetheless. This first chapter of World's Finest has set the bar really high!

Batwoman #12

J.H. WILLIAMS III returns as artist on this new story! An adventure of epic proportions begins here, with BATWOMAN and the werebeast zealot, ABBOTT, hot on the trail of the urban legend BLOODY MARY. The trail leads to a twisted carnival and an abandoned HALL OF MIRRORS, where they face nightmarish versions of themselves… Batwoman seeks an unexpected ally: WONDER WOMAN!

Written by: JH Williams and W. Haden Blackman
Art by: JH Williams

Page Count: 32 | U.S. Price: $2.99 | On Sale Date: Aug 15 2012

Friday, August 10, 2012

Allies

Art by Ardian Syaf

Thursday, August 9, 2012

Batgirl 12 :: Every Time I Fail

Writer: Gail Simone
Artist: Ardian Syaf

The first year of Batgirl ends on a high note when the dominoed daredoll meets Batwoman for the first time ever. This one is huge; two years ago the team-up would have been unthinkable, only a dream; now it is a sweet reality. The inner monologue was perfectly used, and Batgirl's assessment of Batwoman during their fight quickly establishes differences between one and the other, and clarifies to anyone who doubts it: they are not redundant.

Lots of stuff in this issue: The Disgraced gain some depth, the revelation of Knightfall's associate comes as a surprise that was right in front of everyone the whole time; the connection was obvious, and Jim Gordon's anguish is but a sign of the disturbing times coming ahead. Ardian Syaf simply excels, starting with the amazing spread that renders homage to J.H. Williams III's style in Batwoman. A classic issue.

Batgirl and Batwoman by Ardian Syaf

Tuesday, August 7, 2012

Batgirl #12

BATGIRL battles BATWOMAN! KNIGHTFALL strikes!

Written by: Gail Simone
Art by: Ardian Syaf and Vicente Cifuentes
Cover by: Stanley "Artgerm" Lau

Color/B&W: Color | U.S. Price: 2.99 | On Sale Date: Aug 8 2012

Friday, August 3, 2012

Justice League Beyond #10

King Arthur and Queen Mera

The Royal couple and their second child, Marina

Arthur Jr, Mera, and Marina

Mera consoles Aquaman

Marina is all grown up now

Art by James Brouwer