Daniel Stransky Comic Reviews

Batman 66 is a series that continues to thrill and delight both children and fans of the vintage series. The writing and art both work together to perfectly re-create the Batman 66 experience and the title is particularly moving as a digital title. Dare I say it's....eggcelent. (Sorry, I couldn't resist the pun.) 

The Batman 66line of books is great, but like with any series your mileage may vary from issue to issue. Having the DC2 system in place helped saved this issue but it still managed to seemingly wrap up the main story quite nicely.

Without a cliffhanger or immensely deep plot there's not a lot anyone can say about the book, pro or con. It's a short Halloween tale that DC pushed out a few days before Halloween as a treat for the fans. The final panel of the book, with Batman and Robin sitting with the kids from the story, eating candy, really pushes home what this story is about. It's a fun little tale that will entertain and has a lot of Easter eggs for fans of the William Dozier Batman without throwing too much at you at once. It's something I enjoyed reading and would be more than happy to read again next Halloween.

DC Comics finally gave me a reason to care about DC2 finding a way to use the technology to help engage me into the story even more. Jeff Parker continues to show why he's the writer of the Batman '66series and managed to write a King Tut story that I am incredibly excited to see the next part of, even if this was an issue that's a month too late. Seriously DC...zombies before Thanksgiving? Scott Kowalchuk is on the creative team for the book this issue and I won't say his art sucks, since it is merely different from the work of Shoonover that Igrewaccustomed to during the last arc, but I also won't give his work infinite praise until he shows something that really wows me.

The Osiris Virus is a story that I maintain DC Comics published a month too late, but regardless I really enjoyed the payout. Over the course of the issue you get to see the various citizens of Gotham transformed into green undead characters and that's a lot of fun--especially when it happens to one of the Dynamic Duo's allies. Over all this was a great story and I am pumped to see what the next issue brings.

When you look at the source material it's hard to fault any Batman '66story for failing to live up to the standards set by Scott Snyder on the main Batman book or even by Paul Dini on Batman: The Animated Series. The series still is what it is: a fun continuation of the 1966 adventures of Batman and Robin that can touch on serious subjects but still do so in a campy and overly fun way.

Batman '66 #50 is a fun little story in concept but is bogged down by lazy (and rather disappointing) writing. The rotating carousel of artists in use managed to save this tale and it has me starting to ask if maybe they should take this book anthology style and get different writers to write each story to help give it a little more flair. At least at that point if two stories that are carbon copies of each other come out about a month apart you can chalk it up to accidental poor planning, as opposed to whatever was running through Jeff Parker's mind as he wrote this tale.

Despite the amount of potential that both Marmaduke Ffogg and Lady Penelope both bring to the Batman '66 series it's hard to not feel that the potential was squandered by using the characters in a paint by numbers story. This was really one of the more difficult stories of the series to get through and that is coming from someone who loves Batman '66. Hopefully next week's story will either be stronger or feature Batgirl.

Batman '66 #52 is, at its core, what appears to be the set up for a two or three part back up story featuring everyone's favorite villain playing the hero card. At the end of the day Rob Williams style can be a little bit too zany for the universe (yes that is possible) but it gives the series a nice breath of fresh air from what appears to be a creativity bottleneck with series regular Jeff Parker. Despite feeling forced at times the story itself is genuine and I've been left excited to see what the Joker's grand plan is--and that's all I can really ask for at the end of the day.

Overall, Batman '66 #53 is a nice break from the monotony of the series, which it felt up until now was running on nearly the same plot devices for over 50 issues that the TV series did for 120 episodes. Anytime a new plot device or character is introduced into the series it's welcomed by this reader with open arms, if only to try something new.

Batman '66 Meets the Green Hornet was a fantastic six issue mini-series and issue six wraps up the story quite nicely. I can only hope that the collected edition will feature some kind of extras in it that will motivate me to pick up the bound edition. The worlds of Batman and the Green Hornet blend beautifully in this book and it's a nice change of pace seeing the Joker working with a man like General Gumm, as opposed to another team-up with Penguin, Riddler, and Catwoman. 

The Two-Way Crimes of Two-Facewas initially written as an episode of Batmanthat never made it to production and then was forgotten over time. DC Comics found a way to pay tribute to both writer Harlan Ellison and the entire community of Batman '66fans by brining in some of the finest talent in the industry to put together a phenomenal presentation that shows how amazing the world of Batman '66can look.

Batman: The Jiro Kuwata Batmanga is a new take on the comic book icon presented in a slightly different visual style but pays off fantastically due to the writing. The series is one that can easily be picked up by Batman and manga fans and both parties can have an enjoyable experience.

As I said before, as I read through this story I can't help but wonder what took DC so long to finally get these stories printed into a collection. The writing is great, the art is true to form, and the work as a whole is true to the spirit of Batman. This issue served as a great second chapter to The Revenge of Clayface and I have no doubt the rest of this story will be a blast to read.

Batman: The Jiro Kuwata Batmanga is  eastern storytelling meets western super heroes in all the best ways possible. It almost makes me wonder what other DC heroes would look great getting the manga treatment by today's top manga stars. Overall this book has held itself steady and I can only hope it will slide through the finish line as strong as it started. 

Despite it's lack of a truly moving conclusion and more importantly, plot holes in the writing, The Jiro Kuwata Batmanga is still a unique take on a classic series and I am truly excited to see what issue #24 brings.

Jiro Kuwata spent a lot of time writing over a thousand pages of Batman stories for his Batmanga and getting to see them released now is something special. Each issue sells for $1.99, a price I don't mind paying for 19 pages of digital material. This issue shows both Kuwata's love of Batman as well as his attention to detail, with the wrestling scenes looking particularly nice. This is another 4 part story and so far it's off to a pretty strong start that has left me excited to see what direction Kuwata will take things next.

Jiro Kuwata is continuing to write a fantastic book that consistently makes me excited to read the next issue. I think the real depressing part is that at some point DC will have published all thousand pages of Batmanga and then we will be without the great tales of Kuwata himself. It's at that time I will find myself picking up other releases of his non-Batwork as well as other manga in general.

Chapter 26 of Batmanga takes the tale we've been following and pushes it into overdrive, giving it a nice straightaway into the finish line, without giving up too much of the big reveal that is still to come. Kuwata continues to show why he's considered a master of his craft as he lays out a thrilling tale of mystery (and potentially betrayal).

This issue was particularly interesting as it was well put together on Jiro Kuwata's end. In terms of story this was easily one of my favorite issues of Batmanga since I started reviewing this series--up to a point. That point was at the end and while I can't dock this issue points for a subject that it appears is handled quite differently on opposite sides of the world, it's one that can't help but make me stop and really think.

Batman: The Jiro Kuwata Batmanga continues to take an already weird 1960's version of Batman and add in what a legendary manga writer thinks the character would be up to. The story takes place in America and yet all of the presentation screams Japanese, though that gives this series a lot of charm. This is merely the opening chapter in a three part story but it definitely has me wanting to go back for more.

While I openly sing Seeley's praises for the writing of this story I have to give the MVP award to Marley Zarcone. There aren't a lot of female writers and artists currently working on books for big name publisher's so whenever there is one you know there's a particular talent there. Seeing a book about a female character being drawn by a female character is a particularly good feeling as opposed to seeing a sexist and over-exagerated portrayal of the sex that often finds its way into comic books.

The first issue of Star Trek/Green Lantern:The Spectrum War is a time of peace during what is to become something wild, dangerous, and out of control...I hope. Mike Johnson does a great job of writing both properties in a way that feels natural to the universes while still convincing us that these two series NEED to cross paths. Angel Hernandez hits a home run giving us art worthy of the legacies these two series have left thus far, with coloring in both universes that makes them feel like home. With the bulk of the exposition out of the way its going to be exciting to see what these two throw at us next.

Sadly even the best moments of art and the occasional chuckle from the dialog do little to save this story from its inevitable fate and eventual removal from the minds of fans everywhere as better stories are released.The visual style at times was pleasing and I really am looking forward to seeing where the Freak Show storyline goes, but I hope it shifts gears and takes a different path to its final destination.

The Flash: Season Zero #6 shows that stories can put a focus on the antagonists instead of the protagonists without dragging in a way that makes the story unpleasant. Phil Hester knocks the art out of the park giving particularly nice details to the henchmen located throughout the issue, giving me high hopes for the payoff to this story. Unfortunately while the art was phenomenal the writing left a lot to be desired in the over all scheme of things, but this chapter of Freak Show is still worth checking out.

At first, this series was a bit difficult for me to pick up but it's really starting to gain traction in a way I can appreciate. The characterizations of everyone from the show is starting to make the book feel a lot more like an extension of the show and less like a stand-alone series, though it can be read as such.

It took a while for Flash: Season Zero to really find its identityand the art side of things have definetly done that. Based on the teaser forIssue #9 I feel like the writing may be about to get on the same level, butonly time will. Freak Show was a great story for exposition to help establishboth Flash and his allies but at times I felt the story focused just a bit toomuch on Nathan Bliss's backstory, only to have him taken down by Flash in theend. Given my enjoyment of the show this is a book I will continue to read, butI do hope the overall quality goes up from here.

The Flash: Season Zero #9 is a refreshing change of pace after the overly long saga with Nathan Bliss but the learning curve can be a bit too much. The book is kind enough to give brief descriptions of both Palmer and Smoak, but as soon as Oliver's name came up I officially became dumbfounded--I'm that far behind. That being said there's no reason I can't recommend this issue to anyone looking for an awesome Flash story--I only wish The Hydro Hunter had been in the tale a bit longer.

Following media tie-in series can be incredibly difficult when you aren't up-to-date on the actual series that the book is based on, but the stories can be awesome nonetheless. Despite the vibe I gave off above I was really into this story and thought it had a lot of positive points but I also hope that the next issue is a bit more of a straight forward comics, without as much necessary understanding.

I can't say this issue was perfect mainly due to a few small writing issues that I believe were present in the main story, but thais issue is close to perfection. The art and story come together in a way that made this issue feel real to me, almost as if I were watching the issue on TV in HD. King Shark is a great villain with a lot of potential and it's great to see that his inclusion is being used as a chance to add a bit of humor to an otherwise serious title.

The Kitchen #1 is a dark and gritty crime comic put together by a fantastic team. The book is littered with violence and foul language so I wouldn't suggest picking up this one for the kids. If mob-based crime is your type of story, or you enjoy books with a strong femaleprotagonist, this is one book I candefinitelyrecommend picking up.

Ollie Masters manages to craft a great story, unfortunately full of a lot more exposition, but still an incredibly fun read nonetheless. The concept of three women running a small crime empire in Hell's Kitchen is fascinating and while I know there are going to be bumps in the road this is still one of the books I most look forward to on my pull list. Despite the fantastic writing the real superstar of the issue is Ming Doyle's art. Doyle creates a world I love to see full of character that seem incredibly real despite being drawings on a page.