Comic Book Journal

Dark Reign: Black Panther #4 by Reginald Hudlin and Ken Lashley is a tremendous romp through the afterlife as Black Panther is between life and death, fighting legions of the undead and even encountering a vision of his godlike father in an attempt to fight his way back to life while his sister attempts to gain favor of the gods to take up his mantle upon his departure. This issue is stunning. The story moves at breakneck speed, and there are no dull moments. The dialogue is refreshing, and there is nary a wasted word throughout. I pray the powers that be at Marvel are listening, because this is how a comic book should be constructed. And for the artwork…impressive is the only word that springs to mind. I can’t say enough about Ken Lashley’s layouts and extremely deliberate penciling. The scenes of fighting with legions of undead skeletons, is awesome, and gives me hope that comic book art is not a dying art form. With this dynamic work, new classics have began to be created. On a scale of one to ten, I’m giving this one a ten out of ten. It is absolutely flawless and should appeal to everyone who picks it up, even in the middle of this story arc. Kudos to the creative team, they’ve made this book a rare gem in a jungle of monotony. For more reviews, see http://www.comicbookjournal.net/category/reviews/.

Dark Reign: The Hood #1 is part of a Marvel limited series by Jeff Parker and Kyle Hotz. The Hood and company are basically superpowered bad boys who are into to breaking the law and making money. All in all, the first issue was well-rounded. The characters are distinct and the premise is a genuinely novel idea. Parkers plot work is excellent as the hook at the end with the introduction of the Hood is compelling, I think this could be an extremely popular run and the limited-series could very well expand into a regular monthly read. Hotz’s pencils are unique and they serve to compliment the story in this particular instance. While, not too over-the-top or cartoony he finds a good balance between the realistic and the extraordinary. The colors on the issue pop and the production is slick. Also, there is a bit of edge to the title, which I’m sure will appeal to the adolescent market, and some newer readers. All in all, I’d have to give this book a seven out of ten. Parker strives for originality and he is extremely successful of breaking the mold of the cardboard superhero. For more reviews, and possibly some reader commentary see http://www.comicbookjournal.net/category/reviews/

Batman in Barcelona: Dragon’s Knight #1, is a one-shot by Mark Waid and Diego Olmos which takes Bruce Wayne with Batman in tow to Barcelona to find and destroy Killer Croc. As coincidence would have it, he must confront the killer at the festival of St. George. The one-shot while mildly entertaining, is just that, mildly entertaining. The book, which tells a great story does not make any strides for the future. It doesn’t establish any sort of precedent nor lead into any other story arcs. It’s old-fashioned stand-alone storytelling, which Waid does wonderfully, to his credit. Also, the art is decent. The cover by Jim Lee looks, as always, amazing, but the interior art was just okay. It looked great for the first half of the book, solid and detailed, through the middle though, the artist lost steam, and the artwork became half-hearted and lackluster. With this type of minimal effort put forth, I’d give this issue a six out of ten. It could have been better, but ended up just alright. For more fantastic reviews see http://www.comicbookjournal.net/category/reviews/

Daredevil # 118, which is Return of the King part three, by Ed Brubaker and Micheal Lark, John Lucas, and Stefano Gaudiano, is a nice human-interest Daredevil story, but unfortunately is not anything that has not been done before. The Owl is an old Daredevil foe, and while I’m glad he’s getting his night in the moon, so to speak, this story of the owl taking over Hell’s Kitchen, then Kingpin returning to reclaim the city has been done before. While the plot moves along, it’s a little to whiny for me, with Murdock’s narratives being over the top and borders sulky. The art, while perfect for the story, and delicate in all the right spots is great, but why three artists? the artwork is seamless, and I can’t tell when one style begins and another ends, but it does seem to be a bit much and maybe too much production for a stand-alone Daredevil story, with no deaths, births, giant fights, or universe-altering events. All in all I’d give this issue a solid seven out of ten, it’s a great Daredevil story, but unfortunately it’s a story I have read many times before. For more reviews see http://www.comicbookjournal.net/category/reviews/.

In the preview to Blackest Night we see Green Lantern and the Flash wax philosophocial about the death of Batman. It shows the dual side to Bruce Wayne’s nature, as he was Hal Jordan’s best friend at times then at times, worst enemy. This issue serves as a phonemonial prologue to what is sure to be a highly entertaining series. It will be interesting to see who, if anyone else,rises from the grave. I cannot say enough about Ivan Reis’s artwork. His style is a wonderful throwback and reminescent of the highly stylized and detailed art from, in particular, Neal Adams in the 1970s. Reis is the modern version and his art is dynamic, detailed, and a joy to look at. I think he should be allowed to draw every DC book, or if contracted through Marvel, every Marvel book. Geoff Johns direction with Hal Jordan is getting to be legendary and I can’t wait to see what he has in store for the Lantern with this arc. On a scale of one to ten, I’d give this a solid ten out of ten. I’m hooked and can’t wait for the graphic novel. For more reviews see http://www.comicbookjournal.net/category/reviews/