Author Archives: Phil

Brightest Day #0 (of 4) — Writers: Geoff Johns and Peter Tomasi;  Pencils: Fernando Pasarin; Inks: six people This is worth getting as an epilogue to Darkest Night; it offers more clues about the 12 “resurrected” characters, as Boston Brand (what do we call him now — Liveman?) gets zapped around by his white ring and we see various set-up developments for later comics. Pasarin does a good job making a huge cast, and multiple settings, distinguishable and clear — although the tag-team inking, while understandable, doesn’t help the art. Will I keep reading this as a mini-series? I’m not … Continue reading →

Green Arrow #37 — Writer: J. T. Krull;  Artist: Federico Dallochio I know this is “just” a comic, and applying strict literary standards to it is insane, but geez:  Ollie has “killed” Prometheus, and everyone, including the cops, is now after him for “murder.” Of a genocidal terrorist? Really? Because if some soldier in Afghanistan ran into Bin Laden and killed him, we’d all call him a  criminal? And why a trial in Star City: how, exactly, do they have jurisdiction over a murder of a non-resident of the city that was committed in a pocket dimension, with no body … Continue reading →

Hate Annual #8 — Writer/Artist: Peter Bagge Bagge, whose Hate was one of the high-water marks of ’90s indie comics, is still chronicling the adventures of Buddy Bradley and his now-wife Lisa. They’re now more domestic (they have a six-year-old), but have the same propensity for getting involved with various idiots (parents of other children, in this story), and since Lisa eventually end up onstage at a stripper club, it’s not like they’ve settled down completely. Bagge’s cartoony, exaggerated style is still used to great effect, including on a number of true-life one-page strips on various scientists (Joseph Priestley, Mendeleyev … Continue reading →

The Muppet Show Comic Book #4 — Writer: Roger Langridge;  Art: Amy Mebberson Boom! continues to make this a very solid comic: the colors that just pop, the slick paper and production values, the elaborate, well-designed and true-to-Henson art, and especially Langridge’s stories, which showcase a keen understanding of the characters and what makes them work. There’s no pandering, either: the book is as much for 40-somethings with fond memories of the British TV show as for younger readers. This issue, with everyone back in the theater and a new character showing up, doesn’t have the slapstick energy of the … Continue reading →

Blackest Night #8 ( of 8 ) — Writer: Geoff Johns;  Pencils: Ivan Reis;  Inks: Oclair Albert and Joe Prado Well, that was kind of fun, wasn’t it? I’m not sure we want to go through one again for another ten years or so, but this had all the elements that make a Big Event work — cosmic scope, a cool idea (zombies! With rings!), game-changing events, decent artists and a writer who could pull it all together and make it work. My outer grownup wonders about some of the logic (OK, Ralph and Sue have so much untapped potential … Continue reading →