The Invincible Iron Man Vol.1 by Matt Fraction Review

What do you think about Iron Man? Since the 90s Iron Man has been written as a villainous character for example he killed a multiple people in the 90s, He forced superhuman registration and helped make a prison in the negative zone to keep his friends, and all the other villainous stuff he did in the illuminati like send the hulk into outer space against his will. The reason iron man was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby was to see if they could make a weapons dealer a likeable character and they succeeded but in recent years he has been less heroic. Matt Fraction takes IRON MAN back to his roots literally in this book (trade collects the invincible Iron Man 1-19.) and make him a real hero once more.

The Good

The story begins before secret invasion with Tony Stark still the director of shield. The first arc is Tony’s five nightmares it’s a great call back to the iron monger story from the 90s, In this story the iron mongers son (Ezekiel Stane) is seeking revenge on Iron Man for the death of his Dad he is plotting his revenge much like his father by stealing Starks technology and trying to use it against him.  Stane has reversed engineered Tony’s iron man technology and has created suicide bombers and a whole new suit just for himself just like his old dad. This teaches tony a much need lesson in humility. What follows after this story is an iron man spider man team up it’s a great self-contained story but after what tony has done to make parkers life worse I’m surprised he would want to be near him. the next arc is when shit really hits the fan, the story picks up after secret invasion at the beginning of dark reign where tony is fired from shield and Norman Osborne takes his place as director of shield the first thing tony does is destroy all his important information he had left behind when Osborne finds this out he claims tony is guilty of treason and begins a man hunt too find stark. Stark knows that if he is captured all the secrets he poses that are implanted into his brain would be at the disposal of Osborne, so he does the unthinkable and deletes his memory! This cause Tony to slowly lose his memory like a super hero with Alzheimer’s causing him to revert back to the older iron man suits because they are less complex this  Force iron man to as the Beatles say “get back to wear you once belonged “. Matt Fraction has created an amazing snake eating his tail type of story, his writing is impeccable and he makes every character feel unique and different from the last, the banter between Norman and Tony is hilarious it’s great  to see tony on the other side of the coin. As for the Art Salvador Larroca draws Iron Man and all fasciitis of the marvel universe realistic and believable seeing him draw every ironman suit is a really treat his art is like watching a well-directed movie, the colors are also fantastic it really helps the book come to life.

The Bad

The idea of tony deleting his memory is very impractical if you think about it if he heads a hard drive and he was slow deleting his memory why was it selective? Why did he forget the little things first? There Is also a strange love triangle between Tony, Peeper Pots(Tony’s assistant), and Maria Hill(agent of shield) that I don’t even know was happening until Tony and Maria Hill had sex but shortly after Tony says Pepper is the only girl for him. Why does tony have sex with his coworker Maria Hill that’s her boss I didn’t think there  relationship was that romantic like that or is that just a common thing in comic books.

The Score 8/10

If you love Iron man but don’t know where to start this is the best place. This was the first Iron Man solo book that I have ever read and its great read with strong protagonist and great supporting characters that you’ll actually care about. A great Iron Man book that doesn’t make him look like a uber-fascist.

Why The Dark Knight Strikes Again Doesnt Suck!(that much)

What’s that old quote? “You either die a hero or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain.” How does this apply to Frank Miller? In the 80s Miller was a profound comic book writer and illustrator with his critically acclaimed work on daredevil and later changed comics forever with The Dark Knight Returns. Then Miller Continued to make ground breaking indie books like sin city, Martha goes to Washington, 300 etc. And now what do people think of him? Nowadays people regard Mr. Miller as a fallen hero considering most of his work in the last ten years (the dark knight strikes again, all-star batman and robin, holy terror, the spirit) mediocre at best. I find it truly ironic that the character that made him popular a has-been Bruce Wayne is what he embodies in the eye of the public now I believe that just like in his stories he wrote all those years ago, he needs to return or even strike back to his former glory. But for now There are still good things to say about his writing one of his books I enjoy that over people hate is The dark Knight strikes again and his is why it doesn’t suck that much.

How It Began

After the dark knight returns for years many fans speculated and asked for a sequel, for many years Miller said he was not interested.  Until about 2000 Miller in an interview with CBR Miller said” I came up with some ideas and got the itch to play with DC's toys.” And what followed was hated by critics and fans alike. TDKSA was written and draw by Frank Miller with Lynn Varley coloring. The story was spread out into three issues the first came out on November 2001, then January 2002, and the last September 2002. When it came out it was regarded as trash for its strange art and its story.

Why it’s awesome!

Have the political climates of today have you bummed out do you wish that real change would come to the world in its time of need? Are you sick and tired of big corporations running our lives and treating us as Jimmy Olson said it “well paid slaves” Do you wish and hope for revolution that one day things would be set right? How about a revolution led by Batman and his new justice league? That’s what this book is the revolution of the superheroes!

Dissecting the Dark Knight 

The story picks up 3 years after TDKR. It starts much like the previous book with different media outlets commenting on society mostly Jimmy Olson who is speaking angrily against the president claiming that we are well paid slaves and that the heroes that protected us are gone. He asks “where have our heroes gone?” It turns out that all the old Heroes have either been killed or black mailed by the government so that they would not interfere with their plans. In TDKR the U.S President is Ronald Reagan in the comic it’s obvious that he is just a puppet, working for some higher evil it’s the same in this story but in the future they have done away with the puppets now it’s just a computer generated image that is shown on TV. While the computer generated president is giving a speech he starts glitching and people notice, Jimmy Olsen responds” the president of the united states is a computer animated image!” It is then reveled that Lex Luthor and Brainiac are the ones pulling the strings and have been since the TDKR using Kandor as blackmail to keep superman in line with what they want. .” I'll have Superman who's in a very compromised position, to say the least. You'll finally understand why he was playing along all that time in the first Dark Knight.”-Frank Miler not only did they blackmail superman after they gained control of the government they also blackmailed the flash saying that they would kill Iris if he didn’t run on a hamster wheel that would give the electricity to a third of the country, they also cut off green arrow arm, imprisoned the atom in a Petridis, killed the hawks, jailed plastic man in Arkham, put Nano bots inside Martian man hunter head to control him cause him to become a sad drunk. So what happens after the events of TDKR batman wants to get the band back together to free the world from tyranny. So he starts to free his former league members including the flash, the atom, plastic man   and elongated man who wasn’t prisoned he was just selling boner pills and with what after identity crisis the book where his wife is murdered and raped this makes sense for this character. Superman and the remaining members of the old justice league (Wonder women and Captain Marvel) have a meeting to discuss the break out but are interrupted by Luthor yelling at them saying that they need to find out what was going on. So Superman goes to have a talk with Bats and gets the crap beat out of him by the newly formed justice league! Then batman says  After they give Supes a beating they fly the bat wing into Lex Luthor building which is strange considering it came out right after 911 and it has a four page spread of a plane flying into a building. So batman beats up Luthor and marks him with a z for Zorro the movie he saw right before his parents died. In this story Superman and wonder woman are together and have a daughter that they raised in secret fearing that she would become a slave to brainiac, which is crazy because in the new 52 they are also an item.  Shortly after this Superman is called into fight an alien invasion but just a ruse by brainiac saying “Were going to nip this little fad in the  bud with a big splashy spectacle a show stopper if you will…were cashing you in Kent!” Supes replies. Brainiac then destroys metropolis making it look like ground zero.

Bruce and The flash have a conversation and Bruce lets him know how things have changed.  

In the midst in the destruction of metropolis Superman’s daughter comes to save the day and fights Brainiac back she proclaims “father you are wrong this time is ours, this world is ours, the power is ours, the power has always been our". This a response what superman told wonder woman.   After Brainiac is defeated he and Luthor decide to bring the hammer down at the Superchix concert. The Superchix a play on the over sexualized society we live in millers also states this concept with all the news anchor having them be half naked women basically saying that they are nothing more that distraction from the real problems people face. During the Superchix concert Luthor And Brainiac’s plot is foiled by the newly formed justice league and batman say this shortly after batman convince Superman to join his cause So Supergirl and the atom go to kill Brainiac and save Kandor. The atom then frees the kryptonians and they all kill Brainiac. Meanwhile Batman sets up Luthor and has him killed by the son of Hawkman who wants retribution for Luthor killing his parents. While this is happening he convinces Hal Jordan to destroy all the weapons they built in outer space.    After all the bad guys are dead the world is free from tyranny once more thanks to the new Justice League! In final panel batman says this to Catgirl while he is seeing his cave die.

9/11 influenced this book greatly there are many scenes from the book that directly from news casts and famous pictures. I could imagine this is one of the reasons the second and third books were delayed. But honestly this was the best time for this book to come out.

MY Favorite Parts:

What went wrong? The art and the coloring is what this book is hated for the coloring is computer generated and everyone looks like caricaturas of the real thing and there is Also the Joker it was out of left field and executed poorly plus no backgrounds in most of the panels.. It’s like read a dc acid trip about how corrupt and evil our government is and we are too distracted to see it.

What was he trying to say? In every art there Is a message some are right in front of you and others you have to look hard for but there is always a message what I believe miller was trying to say is what happen to freedom? Where are our rights going? When will all human beings be on even playing fields? When will we recognize tyranny for what it is? When will we stop being well paid slaves and gain our freedom once more!

 

Walking Dead:Book One Review

What makes a great story? Is it great characters, a cohesive plot, with an intriguing setting, and a theme that ties everything in a nice bow? There is no one way to make a great story. But that’s what I enjoy and look for in the stories I read. The Walking Dead is by all means a perfect story and I’m going to tell you why.

 
THE GOOD

Where do I start? The first time I heard the words walking dead was on a preview for the upcoming AMC TV show. At first I thought cool an ongoing zombie TV show that takes the material seriously. So that Halloween night after a long night of trick or- treating I came home late and as soon as I was about to hit the hay AMC replayed the series premier and I was hooked, so was the world. The tv show is one of the best of my generation, so when I heard it was based on a comic book it knew it had a lot to live up too. I have finally came around to reading the trade and here are my thoughts I loved every second I spent reading it. Any preconceived notions I got from the TV show were thrown out the window when I began reading I didn’t think I would like it more than the show but I do; its better paced and the decisions they make in the book are more thought provoking, scary, and honestly reflects how society would react if a zombie apocalypse were to happen. For example in the show there are episode where nothing really happens this is never the case in the book something is always happening and it always a turn for the worst. I really liked how the characters coped with their situation like how Shane honestly believes that it will all pass and the government will save him, that’s what keeps him sane and when people pull on the strings that hold his sanity together he goes crazy and the way that it is resolved is more than shocking, it’s something that couldn’t be shown on TV. That is what makes the comic better is that there is no time limit and no restraints. The book covers the first two seasons of the show and where I lost interest in the show was the complete opposite with the book. I read it in one sitting it’s a real page turner. Another thing I found intriguing was that there is no narration or thought boxes. It’s all dialog, which is great because this book is more show than tell. That’s why it plays more like a movie than a comic book. Overall the art is fantastic it definitely has its roots in a comic book style but it goes for a very realistic approach with the characters. Which means everyone looks like real people! Not some muscly archetype of a person. If you like zombies, good story telling, and great art this is the book for you.

 

THE BAD

The only bad part is that it ends.

 

The Score:10/10

If you have never read a comic I highly recommend it because it’s a great place to start, it is a well told story that will captivate you form beginning to end, and makes you question what would you do in a zombie apocalypse?

 

 

Neonomicon Review

What does it mean to push the envelope?  The envelope is what people are uncomfortable with seeing in a form of art. To push the envelope would be to convey freighting and uncomfortable ideas in a form of art.  In other words it is to show things that would be taboo. Alan Moore and Jacen Burrows do all that and much more.

THE GOOD

The words dark, disturbing, and fucked up do not do this book justice. The book is a journey through a dark and evil world that is nearing a pivotal moment in its history. What happens to these characters and the world they live in is not only extremely shocking it will take you by surprise. It might also make you a little squeamish. If you love horror, Alan Moore’s writing, great art, and H.P Lovecraft stop reading this review and go to your local comic shop and get a copy. For example Moore’s writing is superb whether he is just writing dialog or describing the world they live in, he can shift the mood of the book in a snap and he always knows how to create tension and suspense. Jacen is very detailed in his drawing even when you don’t want him to be (read the book! haha). His art looks more real world then comic book style, which is a good thing because the people he draws have natural proportions not extremely giant muscles and huge boobs. As for the story itself it is broken up into main two parts, the first being The Courtyard which is the prelude and then Neonomicon proper. The story takes place in Red Hook where a government agent is investigating some gruesome murders which seem to be linked to the occult. On his journey to discover the truth he goes undercover and finds out that what he thought was right was wrong and this new revelation changes him and makes him commit the same type of murders which he was investigating, that brings us to the second part where two new government agents take on the case that’s when they find the truth and boy is the truth frightening!

THE BAD

If you’re not familiar with H.P Lovecraft (which I am not) the story might get confusing, you should be able to follow along though. If this story was written by anyone else it would be like reading b-movie garbage, but with the wizard writer Alan Moore is he somehow pulls it off. There are very many shocking moments in the book, which sometimes feel like they’re there just for the sake of being dark and twisted if you are sensitive to any think don’t even bother reading,  just dig a hole and put your head into the sand. Read the first page if you can’t stomach that it only gets more fucked up from there.

SCORE:8/10

If you love horror, Alan Moore’s writing, great art, and Cthullu this is a great read for you. The story has its flawless and is a little hard to comprehend at first if you don’t know H.P love craft. But rest a sure Moore does a good job of guiding you through it and you’ll understand when the time is right. Not a perfect story but a brilliant one worth reading.