Archive for the ‘Ivan Reis’ Category

Aquaman #8 Review

Posted: April 26, 2012 in Aquaman, Comic Book Review, DC Comics, Geoff Johns, Ivan Reis, Joe Prado
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Written by: Geoff Johns
Pencilled by: Ivan Reis
Inked by: Joe Prado
Cover Color by: Rod Reis
Lettered by: DC Lettering
Colored by: Ivan Reis, Joe Prado, Rod Reis

Six years ago the news media was all about the King of Atlantis.  Is he the real deal?  How does he breath under water?  Is he truly Atlantean Royalty? And who in their right mind gave him that Zack Morris hair do?  Eight issues ago we were shown an Aquaman that that very few people cared about or even knew existed.  How quickly people forget about their heroes in six years.

But I guess he did run off into the sea, shirt ripped and pectorals bulging, joining a band of vigilante pro-activists who were fighting for…uh…something.  But what he do in that one year?  That’s the real question.  Sure, he was causing some mayhem during his “fight the power” faze, but why did he leave? And how will this impact his life as Earth’s mightiest H2O tolerant, blonde haired heart throb?  The past returns to haunt yet again!

And Arthur’s past certainly isn’t getting along well with his present.  Ya’wara and Mera partake in a humorous exchange of implied sizing each other up!  Leaving Arthur stuck in the middle, finger up his nose, dumb found, and uncertain of what to do.  But don’t worry, before he leaves to go on his nostalgic man hunt, Aquaman puts his hand out towards Mera with a heart felt, “I love you.”

More mysteries build up in this issue – the relationship between Aquaman and the Doctor becomes a little more sympathetic, and Black Manta continues to slither around like a water moccasin, killing everyone from Aquaman’s past.  No thanks to Arthur’s Aqua Teen Hunger Force, armed with ancient Atlantean weaponry.  From six years in the past, this team boosted events to what they are now.  This was certainly a band of heroes who could have challenged the Justice League to a stand still!

There was a lot of really cool paneling and architectural work done on the layout of this issue.  Not really different from anything else I’ve seen, but very appealing and nice to look at.  While I understood what happened in the flashback sequence, however, I couldn’t help but remember the old Looney Tunes shorts where, when calling any man to step forward and fight, comrades took a step backward, leaving the protagonist without a choice…

C'mon guys, we can take 'em...uh, guys...where'd ya go?....oh crap, not again!...um, nice evil doer...

I understand what was going on, don’t worry, (especially since I took it out of context) but there is a certain level of humor in this, wouldn’t you agree?

In all seriousness, however, Reis takes everything he does very seriously; bringing all of his talents to the table, delivering the best work possible from any comic book artist.  While Arthur maintained his green and gold motif from six years ago, he was a lot more savage, young looking (giving a hint of Edward Cullen) and obviously mad at the world.  This is an artist I can trust to be completely honest on every page.

Aquaman continues to be a book I don’t hesitate to read.  Many of the titles I pick up have me wondering if I’ll enjoy it month after month.  There are only a few I don’t worry about at all…and Aquaman is among that elite group of titles for me.

10 out of 10 stars

Aquaman #6 Review

Posted: February 23, 2012 in Aquaman, Comic Book Review, DC Comics, Geoff Johns, Ivan Reis, Rod Reis
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Written by GEOFF JOHNS
Breakdowns by IVAN REIS
Penciled and Inked by JOE PRADO
Colored by ROD REIS
Lettered by NICK J.  NAPOLITANO
Edited by SEAN MACKIEWICZ & PAT MCCALLUM

Do any of you remember, prior to the reboot, there was a back story DC fleshed out about Mera and how she was tasked with killing Aquaman?  Apparently that side of Mera wasn’t wiped out with the last conglomeration of DC continuity.  With their relationship only being as old as four years, Mera still has ill feelings about the land dwellers and their constant and utter underestimation of both her and Aquaman.  However, being a woman living in the shadow of Arthur can make things a little more complicated for her…as well as those surrounding her.

It’s interesting to me that the superhero names that both Mera and Arthur inherited, due to their abilities, don’t seem to be aliases that the two like to use.  Much like with the majority of Marvel Comic’s superheroes, everyone seems to know the identity of Aquaman, not that he was trying to hide it.  The scaly clothing they wear is also not as it appears; everyone (even us readers) seem to have always operated under the assumption that the outfits are some form of costume, when in fact it’s nothing more than regular “everyday” cloths Mera would go shopping in!

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Kind of makes you look at the whole thing from a different perspective doesn’t it?   Not only does Aquaman and Mera get no respect, but they act under the delusion that their wardrobe is considered “normal.”  Four years of being together and they still haven’t figured out that land dwellers (as I put it) really don’t understand them.

But, of course, that doesn’t stop the seedy store manager from puttin’ the moves on the queen of Atlantis!  One thing that this issue does for us is solidify how strong willed Mera is, and show her low tolerance for the surface people’s attitudes.  No doubt, however, most women would love to do to the same thing to seedy men that Mera does to her harasser…

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We also see the major difference between Aquaman and Mera.  Issue #1 showed us an Aquaman who goes through his daily routine, humoring people and their ignorant attitude towards him…Mera is not as nice.  Initially she attempts at being friendly, (Very different from her role s a Red Lantern back in the days of Blackest Night) but one mere incident can bring her back to reality and the realization that she simply doesn’t fit in with “these people.”

Rightfully so too!  For six issues, people have done nothing but patronized Aquaman even after performing his superheroic duty.  Now, Mera is faced with saving a girl from being shot in the face by her dad, and walking right into the last straw  with his unoriginal comment of being a “fish out of water.”  She’s almost willing to kill to shut the ignorant and stupid people up.  But her frustration with people doesn’t stop with their ignorance; it stems towards their illogical loyalty to those willing to put a bullet through their skull.  The sociological implications of this issue are astronomical!

In the end, however, all it took was a brief display of love and kindness for Mera to be at peace with her living situation.  There is hope for us after all!  Thank you Jennifer for giving Mera the hope she needed.

The brother’s Reis, once again, do no wrong, providing us with beautifully sculpted bodies, incredible movements of water, and wonderful scenery.  If you wanted to buy this book for the art and not the story, you wouldn’t be wasting your money. I always buy for the story first, but the art alone is worth the $2.99 price mark.

Aquaman is one of the better titles in DC’s new 52 lineup that is actually doing a good job with rebooting is line.  We haven’t actually started over, but Aquaman’s story is definitely just beginning.

10 out of 10 stars

Aquaman #5 Review

Posted: January 28, 2012 in Aquaman, Comic Book Review, DC Comics, Geoff Johns, Ivan Reis, Rod Reis
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Written by GEOFF JOHNS
Art and cover by IVAN REIS and JOE PRADO
Inked by JOE PRADO & EBER FERREIRA
Colored by ROD REIS
Lettered by NICK J. NAPOLITANO
Variant cover by IVAN REIS and JOE PRADO
Editors by PAT MCCALLUM & SEAN MACKIEWICZ

Out of all of the titles in DC’s reboot, which one would you say is getting the best treatment?  Only those who are picking up EVERY title could truly answer that question.  And while I have my own preferences and favorites, my response to that question would most assuredly be Aquaman.

To start off, Aquaman is seen falling from the sky landing smack dab in the middle of a desert.  His bewilderment is quickly followed by a plea for water.  We soon learn that this plea was not meant so much for dehydration purposes, but more so to activate a small ancient Atlantean communication device with a message of destruction hidden within.

As with all sci-fi soap opera dramas, there’s also a dream-like encounter between Arthur and his father in what turns into an emotionally heart clenching moment of fear and neglect.  Very rarely do we see Arthur in an emotionally vulnerable state of mind, but here he’s as strong as he ever was in past arcs.

The substance of this issue is not within the dialog, but rather in the visuals.  50% of this book is more of an action packed, rock ‘em sock ‘em story where the remaining percentage relies on silence and heat.  The Reis brothers show us what brilliant artistry looks like when you can actually make the readers FEEL what is being portrayed in the art.  I didn’t actually sweat, but the desert splash pages caused my senses to wonder if I was actually experiencing heat or art.  And the contrast between the hot and cool effect when the image of the Atlantean soldier appears is an amazing piece of work.

Going along with incredible artistry, the image of Arthur’s mirage father was mind blowing.  It was a seamless display of a much more painted look in contrast with the more familiar art work from the brothers Reis.

I’m very excited to see where Johns goes with Aquaman. There’s obviously something big coming, and knowing Geoff Johns, that big thing is going to blow us all away!  Back in 30!

10 out of 10 Stars

Aquaman #2 Review

Posted: October 27, 2011 in Aquaman, Comic Book Review, DC Comics, Geoff Johns, Ivan Reis, Rod Reis
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Writer: Geoff Johns
Artist: Ivan Reis
Inker: Joe Prado
Colorist: Rod Reis
Letterer: Nick J. Napolitano
Cover Art: Ivan & Rod Reis

A King And Queen To Respect…
How DOES it feel to be a superhero that no one takes very seriously…except then it comes to supernatural disasters?  I have NO IDEA, But it seems Aquaman is taking it quite well and maintains his composure as a man of honor.  Amongst all of the unintentional jokes and belittling from innocent bystanders and public officials, Aquaman’s self-worth isn’t lowered in the least.  It’s a fantastic display of super-royalty and shows why Aquaman is not a superhero to be laughed at.

At that same token, where Aquaman is fierce and intimidating, Mera is brutal…and scares the crap out of me! She doesn’t care that she’s using the same amount of brutality that “the Trench” uses against them, all she cares about is riding the world of evil.  But it was also nice to be reminded of her loving spirit and how the water follows her commands with such grace.  In so many ways, she reminds me of Wonder Woman; her spirit, love, and willpower equals that of the amazon princess…and it’s perfectly displayed here in #2.

Gore Can Be Beautiful, Can’t it
John’s had created, to put it simply, a colony of some of the creepiest and downright most evil creatures ever conceived in DC’s history.  But what makes it even creepier is the Reis Brother’s visual depiction of the underwater devils; the consumption of flesh and blood, even from their own peers, is a terrifying aspect that will make your skin crawl!  The Trench might just be the most accurate depiction of what animal instincts are really like…all we’re missing is the reproductive craziness that under water seas creatures embark on.

I had to do a triple take, however, on page two, when the fisherman said, in terror, “my God”…but backwards…

Give him a break...If I was about to be eaten alive, I might not be coherent either.

But other than that little glitch, the art is fantastic, filled with so many gothic colors and perfect expressionful faces.  (yes, I made up a word…my blog, my rules!)  But one thing I’ve never been able to get my hands around is the ability artists have to illustrate water and movement THROUGH the water.  Disney amazed me with the Little Mermaid, and Pixar WOWED me with Finding Nemo…now Rod Reis takes me for an amazing ride with every splash and spoolsh he could throw my way.

When All Is Said And Done
Now, RIGHT when I thought I had a handle on the Trench’s motives…which I thought was to eat, eat, and eat some more…the assumed “leader” of the Trench provides the twist!  Now the mystery begins it’s path into the meat of the arc, showing the possibility that the Trench has a deeper, more hidden agenda that’s more than simply eating non-stop.  What it is, however, could turn out to be simply more eating…but with Aquaman as the main course!

9 Out Of 10 Stars


Brightest Day #24 Review

Posted: May 1, 2011 in Blackest Night, Brightest Day, Comic Book Review, DC Comics, Gary Frank, Geoff Johns, Ivan Reis, Joe Prado, Patrick Gleeson, Peter J. Tomasi
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Written By: Geoff Johns & Peter J. Tomasi

Artist: Ivan Reis, Joe Prado, Patrick Gleason, Ardian Syaf, Scott Clark, Norm Rapmund, Vicente Cifuentes, Oclair Albert, Tom Nguyen, Mick Gray, Mark Irwin, & David Beaty

Colorist: Aspen MLT’s Peter Steigerwald

Cover Artist: Gary Frank & Rod Reis

Letterer: Rob Clark Jr.

Editor: Rex Ogle

The Earth Shattering Plot

Swamp Thing is Earth’s ultimate savior, but in order for him to return, someone else must die.  As the newly inducted elemental heroes fight off the Dark Avatar, one hero will sacrifice himself in order to save all of humanity…and the one he loves.

My Awe-Inspiring Opinion

As a lot of you know, my opinion of Brightest Day has been quite low. However, with that being said, as painful as it was, I’m certainly glad I stuck it out all that way through as the series as I found out of Swamp Thing’s return.

However, as awesome as this return is, the issue isn’t perfect and seems to have been thrown together to help wrap up a series that was destined for failure.  The end result of each character’s stories may look as if there’s some semblance of a coherent conclusion, but ultimately makes little sense.

The Hawks turn into the wind, Manhunter becomes the Earth, Aquaman becomes H2O, and Firestorm become fire.  These biological alterations of the heroes of course make sense when thinking of their characteristics, but make little sense with the stories they were caught in the middle of within Brightest Day; The Hawks get caught in an interdimensional duel with Shiera’s mother, Manhunter goes through a lovers quarrel over the longevity of Mars, Firestorm failed in his attempt to save his professor, and Aquaman controlled the dead fish…it just doesn’t make sense to me.

As Brightest Day strung me along with multiple convoluted storylines, I now find myself happy about the return of one character but still confused about where this whole thing is going.  Why did Hawkgirl not return and Hawkman did?  Why is Firestorm uncertain about his future?  Brightest Day did a great job at stringing readers along without giving any indication about what was going to happen and leaving virtually no clues to help solve the mysteries.  Now we are left with even more daunting events and questions which, in turn, make no sense and I sit here thinking to myself that I have absolutely no idea what happened in 24 issues.  #24 only satisfied my geeky side with the return of Swamp Thing but didn’t give me any closure with the series itself, not that I was expecting it too.

It was confusing during Blackest Night and is STILL confusing for me in Brightest Day…How can a Black Lantern exist while the actual hero lives as well?  Firestorm goes up against himself and now Swamp Thing fights the Dark Avatar…which is Swamp Thing.  I feel this concept was never successfully explained which makes everything even more confusing than it already was.

And of course I come to the book’s art, and as I’m sure you can see, it has a jumble of artists.  Save me oh Lord, the jolting effect from one page to the next gave me such an artistic headache that I literally took three Advil and five Ibuprofen just to help simmer the pain.  (That’s completely untrue by the way, no medication was needed.  It was just painful to gaze upon.)  The first splash page of Swamp Thing standing over the world is gorgeous!  Then I turn to the next splash page where Swamp Thing fights the Dark Avatar and he looks completely different with no resemblance from the previous page.  The artistic talents in this issue are amazing, but the toggling eats at my soul.

My Majestically Climactic Conclusion

All in all, Brightest Day is a failure, leaving nothing but confusion, uncertainty and very little closure.  Yeah, sure, Swamp Thing is back and it’s awesome…but the ending doesn’t give readers anything to work off of.

3 out of 10 stars.

Brightest Day #23 Review

Posted: April 10, 2011 in Brightest Day, Comic Book Review, DC Comics, Gary Frank, Geoff Johns, Ivan Reis, Joe Prado, Oclair Albert, Peter J. Tomasi, Tomasi
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Written By: Geoff Johns & Peter J. Tomasi

Artist: Ivan Reis, Joe Prado, Norm Rapmund, & Oclair Albert

Colorist: Aspen MLT’s Peter Steigerwald

Cover Artist: Gary Frank & Rod Reis

Letterer: Rob Clark Jr.

Editor: Eddie Berganza

My Awe-Inspiring Opinion

Ok, let’s get one thing straight here…Brightest Day is a pretty bad miniseries; it’s been filled with confusion and strange happenings that seem so out of place that there really was no way to save it from its eternal damnation.  So the only thing remaining is to give it a dynamite ending!  Now there’s still one Brightest Day installment remaining (coming out on the 20th) and the tension has reached a buckling point and all that lies ahead is a shimmering ray of hope that all will be well……and AWESOME!!!

I typically don’t like stories that use the four elements as part of the plot; they typically get a little too cheesy and ridiculous.  But the way Johns and Tomasi construct this plot twister was nothing short of perfect.  Looking back on how things developed into what they are now also makes perfect sense.  While I don’t think that is a redemptive aspect of the series itself, it helps me to breathe a little easier.

I can tell that the end result of Firestorm, Manhunter, Aquaman, and the Hawks was truly planned out and not improvised as I felt it was as the series progressed.  In fact, I found myself slapping my forehead in disbelief…How did I NOT see this coming?  Brightest Day put so much emphasis on the Earth that I should have at least seen some semblance of the Earth elementals being a major player in the story.

But yet some mysteries still remain.  Hawk and Dove still haven’t been given their destinies, and we remain unsure why Cappy Boomerang has to throw his you-know-what’s at our sweet and innocent Dove.  One more issue to go, let’s hope it’s good!

The story within this issue is tense from start to finish!  Why couldn’t the entire run have been like this?  And all the tension occurs in one central location where all Hell is about to break loose.  It’s simply amazing how well Johns and Tomasi give this single issue such an amazing boost of excitement and awe.  I was blown away!

The White Avatar, which speaks to everyone in riddles and one-liners, really has me perplexed.  I’ve found myself wondering through this series if whether or not the white avatar really knows what’s going to happen as random as everything seems to be.  But one thing’s for sure, he’s funny as hell.

“No need to worry Jason Rusch.  Death sometimes makes you stronger…or simply just dead.”

What mystical being says that something like that?  I’m only now beginning to appreciate the humor of the white Avatar.  But it makes me wonder if he’s going to end up being this flimsy, absent-minded being that’s never sure where he’ at or going.

The return of Swamp Thing caught me by complete surprise.  I guess I’m not paying enough attention to the rumors that have been spreading around the internet.  Bringing back Swamp Thing was a brilliant move on Johns and Tomasi’s part, especially in the WAY they bring him back.  How many debates have been flying around the social networking world about who will be Earth’s ultimate defender?  And how many guesses were there for Swamp Thing?  I would dare say…zero!  But it makes perfect sense as Mr. Alec Holland is, in fact, made of the Earth itself.  I can’t wait to see what is in store for him in the future of the DC Universe!!

This issue had me going nuts over the multiple splash pages and crazy destruction.  The Dark Avatar was incredibly well done, and looked amazingly like Swamp Thing…don’t you think?  This is some of the best art I’ve seen in the Brightest Day title since issue #1.

My Majestically Climactic Conclusion

Overall, #23 is an absolute delight.  The story is fantastically written and finally gives Brightest Day something to be joyful about.  It’s smart and exciting to say the absolute VERY least.

10 out of 10

 

Brightest Day #21 Review

Posted: March 3, 2011 in Brightest Day, Comic Book Review, DC Comics, Gary Frank, Geoff Johns, Ivan Reis, Joe Prado, Patrick Gleeson, Tomasi
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Written By: Geoff Johns, Peter Tomasi

Artist: Patrick Gleeson, Ivan Reis, Joe Prado

Inker: Mark Irwin, Keith Champagne, Norm Rapmund, Christian Alamy

Colorist: Peter Steigerwald, Nathan Eyring

Cover Artist: Gary Frank, Nathan Eyring

Letterer: Rob Clark Jr.

Editor: Adam Schlagman, Eddie Berganza

My Awe-Inspiring Opinion

You know what?  Martian Manhunter has never really been given a story worthy of his awesome character.  Even with Grant Morrison’s exceptional White and Green Martian storyline (One of his very few successes) I’ve never felt that the Manhunter has ever been successfully utilized by DC to his full potential.  However, at long last, hallelujah, the alien hero has finally been given a chance to shine!

J’onn is still fighting with his alien witch friend on Mars, trying to make her understand that he doesn’t want to start a new life with her, while D’Kay works her persistent little tushy off to convince J’onn that loving her is his only option.  Amongst all of the mind games D’Kay throws at him, J’onn remains the immovable object that he is and brings this daunting battle to a burning conclusion.

Speaking of which, here I am slapping myself in the face thinking that Johns and Tomasi were feeding me an obnoxiously obvious plot device.  Earlier in the Green Arrow title, the white lantern’s task for J’onn was to “Burn it. Burn it all. Burn it all down!”  This, as I now see it, was not referring to the Star City forest, but rather to himself and the memories of his past.  This doesn’t necessarily mean he should forget his deceased loved ones, but rather facing his fears in order to move on with his life.  And what better way to jump-start the life of someone who fears fire than by hurtling himself right into the heart of the sun?  Applause to both writers in finally giving Martian Manhunter the literary treatment he’s been lacking for so many years.

But now the bigger question remains, why has every other hero who’s died thus far disintegrate into dust, but J’onn J’onzz melts into the Earth as the white lantern tells him that the Earth has accepted him?  As much as I like this issue, nothing really makes sense yet.  Sure the pieces are coming together, but in an incoherent fashion.  However, I do have a feeling that with four issues remaining in this miniseries, things will be much more tolerable and fun to read.

I’m not trying to say Patrick Gleeson isn’t a talented artist, he’s one of the best in fact.  But for those of you who know me, I believe that Ivan Reis is a force to be recognized.  As I read #21, I kept hoping the artistic talents of Reis would pop up to delight and enthrall me.  I kept turning the pages….and continued to turn them…and turned some more…but no Ivan Reis trademarked work!  WTF?!?  It wasn’t until I got to the last two pages when I finally saw it…ONLY TWO PAGES!!!  I was very disappointed to say the least.

I’m not faulting this issue for that, it’s just personal taste which dictated my thought process.  Gleeson has so much to offer the comic book world and his treatment of the Manhunter’s dilemma was fantastic.  So Gleeson if you’re reading this, please don’t misunderstand me.

The highlight of this issue for me, however, was the cover.  I can’t tell which artistic genius conjured up this beauty, but I’m leaning towards congratulating Gary Frank.  This cover absolutely took my breath away with how well it handles the orange and black shades on J’onn’s body as it melts in with the blinding white light behind him.  I know it’s only March, but some artists are really going to have to work their butts off at beating this as the best cover for 2011.

My Majestically Climactic Conclusion

I still don’t believe that Brightest Day will be saved from its terrible spacing and storytelling, but it’s taking a step in the right direction.  If there were more than four issues left, I’d say the series has a shot and redeeming itself based on what was presented in #21.  But there’s really no way I can see series making a mark like Blackest Night did.  Still, if you’re a Martian Manhunter fan and feel the same way as I do about his career in comics, this issue will be a breath of fresh air.

7 out of 10 stars