Archive for the ‘Jonathan Vankin’ Category

The Search For Swamp Thing #3 Review

Posted: August 30, 2011 in Brightest Day, Comic Book Review, DC Comics, Jonathan Vankin, Swamp Thing
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Writer: Jonathan Vankin
Penciller: Marco Castiello
Inker: Vincenzo Acunzo
Colorist: Barbara Ciardo
Letterer: Dave Sharpe
Cover Art: Ardian Syaf

The Plot

There’s something fishy about John Constantine, always had been.  He’s one of those comic book characters that I can never make up my mind about.  And in this issue he’s motives are finally revealed…in order to bring the world back to normal, and to calm the beast known as Swamp Thing, he must kill Alec Holland!

So question remains…who’s the bad guy if this DCnU preamble?

My Heretical Opinion

Swamp Thing and John Constantine have been allowed by the DCU higher arcs to leave the realm of Vertigo and entire into the more popularly known DC Universe.  The two fellow newcomers have always been at odds, but Swamp Thing has always maintained a consistent, noble trend.  But Constantine has never been that graceful.  This issue is no exception as Constantine decides to kill Alec Holland in order to bring balance back to the world.

Of course, always trust Superman and Batman to intervene when things take a turn for the worst.  As always, Constantine’s interaction with the two power houses of the DCU is witty and just frustrates the Bat and the Alien…always a funny site to see.  However, one thing that seemed quite out of place for me was the sudden change of heart Constantine developed right at the issue’s end,

“Alec Mate, I came here to make a choice for you.  I think you know what that was meant to be. But now, I’m keen to hear what YOU choose.”

I never took Constantine for a flake, so this seemed quite out of character for him.  But that doesn’t mean Vankin didn’t deliver a quality issue, leaving so much more mystery to be discovered and created excitement (for me at least) in what lies ahead for the upcoming Swamp Thing series!

In addition to being a good read, Search for Swamp Thing #3 presents an incredible amount of artistic talents by Castiello.  Much like its previous two issues, #3 is dark and gothic amongst the swampy realm, giving the horror aspect of the yet to be debuted Swamp Thing series a nice warm-up before hitting stands next month.

Castiello also gives each character perfectly sculpted figures and expressive faces.  But I must say, Castiello presents an absolutely gorgeous Madame Xandadu, giving her a mature and respectable demeanor while making her a nice bit of eye candy as well…

Click To Enlarge

So #3 gives us a lot to look forward too, and it’s unclear as to what will happen to Swamp Thing next month.  Swamp Thing is still disconnected from mankind.  We all know the swampy creature won’t bond with Constantine due to his connection the Justice League Dark, so who could the unsuspecting victim be?  Excitement boils within my veins!

9 out of 10

Brightest Day Aftermath: The Search For Swamp Thing #2 Review

Posted: July 29, 2011 in Comic Book Review, DC Comics, Jonathan Vankin, Swamp Thing
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Writer: Jonathan Vankin

Artist: Renato Arlem

Colorist: Barb Ciardo

Letterer: Sal Cipriano

Cover Art: Ardian Syaf, Vicente Cifuentes, & Ulises Arreola

The Plot

John Constantine is making his comeback into the DCU in fine style by going head to head with his old swampy pal.  However, this time is different.  Alec Holland and the Swamp Thing have separated, causing Swampy to get all hot and bothered in search of a new host.  I guess this explains why Constantine is developing a leafy rash on his hand.  Could Johnny-boy be the new host for Swamp Thing?  With Superman’s help, Constantine goes through many trials and tribulations to get to the bottom of this mystery.

Elsewhere, Alec Holland goes on a hunt for the truth of his swampified separation and comes face to face with something I’m sure he wasn’t prepared to see.

My Heretical Opinion

Jonathan Vankin is doing one hell of a job of reintroducing both Swamp Thing and John Constantine into the DCU.  I’ve always loved Swamp Thing and was worried about how this reintroduction was going to play out.  I couldn’t be happier!

Swamp Thing has gone through a few changes over the years; a man who turns into a plant, a plant who thinks he’s a man, it’s all jumped around fairly frequently.  Neither Len Wein nor Alan Moore’s work on the origin story were ever quite canonized.  Vankin, however, seems to be taking both origins and combining them into something very interesting which, I hope, turns into a canonized beginning story of Swamp Thing.

I love seeing Constantine play the tough guy while deep down inside, as his inner monologues suggest, he’s terrified of what might become of him.  We already know Constantine isn’t going to become Swampy’s new host since his involvement with the upcoming Justice League Dark title has been revealed, so the question of how Constantine is going to be affected by this conflict still remains up in the air.  But even more intriguing, why does Swamp Thing want Constantine as his new host?

Superman’s involvement is very entertaining too.  Apart from the hilarious banter that he and Constantine share back and forth, Supes maintains a very uninterested persona in John’s dilemma.  In the last decade, Superman has become one of the most interesting superheroes in the DCU.  Aside from his “grounded” story arc, Superman’s storylines have been nothing BUT stellar, and it shows in this second Brightest Day Aftermath installment.  Superman seems almost TOO willing to let Constantine go into the forest, as if he wouldn’t mind seeing the Australian annoyance kick the bucket.  But of course, in classic Superman style, he saves the day. But it’s nice to see Supes acting in a “questionable” manner for a change.

But the most interesting aspect of the story is, of course, Alec Holland and his search for truth.  This is where the penultimate climax for the story occurs and will undoubtedly push fans into the upcoming revitalized Swamp Thing title.  Is Alec going merg with Swampy again, or will he play an entirely different role?  And who’s the man behind the surgical mask I wonder?  Could it be Lex Luthor, or some other character we haven’t seen in a while who’ll take us by complete surprise once his mask is removed?  These are the things I wonder about, and I’m excited to see the result!

Renato Arlem’s style is interesting.  It’s very dark and gothic (something I personally and artistically appeal too) but all the characters seem very wooden and lifeless to me.  Every once in a while a panel of Constantine’s face appears and it scares the living crap out of me, but most of the time I can’t get past the “boring” nature of the art.  Arlem is talented, don’t get me wrong, but it just isn’t for me.  If it wasn’t for Vankin’s awesome storytelling, this title would put me to sleep.

With Swamp Thing returning, and DC Comics going through a complete revamp of the DCU, I’ve been wondering how well the HORROR side of the company is going to play out.  So far…I like what I’m seeing.

9 out of 10 Stars

The Search For Swamp Thing #1 (Of 3) Review

Posted: June 25, 2011 in Batman, Brightest Day, Comic Book Review, DC Comics, Jonathan Vankin, Marco Castiello, Superman, Uncategorized, Zatanna
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Written By: Jonathan Vankin

Art By:  Marco Castiello

Coloring By: Barb Ciardo

Inked By: Vincenzo Acunzo

Lettering By: Sal Cipriano

Edited By: Rex Ogle

Associate Editor: Eddie Berganza

Cover By: Ardian Syaf

The Plot

The search begins!  And helming this man hunt for Swamp Thing is the British, wise-cracking detective, John Constantine.  But as good as John is, he’ll still need some help along the way.  Can the Dark Knight detective and our fish net stocking wearer of hotness find Swamp Thing before more chaos is inflicted on society?

My Awe Inspiring Opinion

I love Jon Constantine, always have, which has peaked my interests as DC Comics ventures forward with Swampy into the DCnU.  But my time living overseas for two years halted my reading of the said character and kept me out of touch with DC’s hero or horror for some time.  So now, to help prepare me for what I’ve missed, the search for Swamp Thing will allow me to dive deeper into the world of Alan Moore even more than I already am.  This Brightest Day Aftermath has my blood pumping for the start of the Swamp Thing series.

With DC announcing its new line of horror comics, a different writing mentality should be adopted by fans of DC and its heroes.  Swamp Thing has always been a terrifying character and now has been given a chance to reclaim his throne of scares, but first DC needs to reestablish Swamp Thing into the DC Universe with….drum role please….A NEW ORIGIN STORY!!!  (Sarcasm mode initiated)

DC is attempting to merge both origin stories from Len Wein and Alan Moore by Bringing Alec Holland back from the dead, causing a Swamp Thing who thinks it actually is the said scientist to have a major identity crisis in the future.  As terrible as Brightest Day was, it certainly set up the rise of Alec Holland perfectly.

My apologies as I’m allowing my love for Swamp Thing to take over this review of a comic focused on John Constantine.  When I read through this issue the first time, I was a little jolted by some of the dialogue and character interactions…It didn’t feel enough like Constantine.  However, a second read through allowed me to process the character’s depth within this first issue.  Vankin allows readers the chance to become acquainted with Constantine while developing the plot at the same time.  We especially get a double dose of his arrogance as he dared to set foot in the Batmobile with a cigarette in hand, something Batman wasn’t too happy about.

The story has undergone some major changes in the last few months with characters dropping in and out of the plot’s grasp.  Originally, Hawkman was to be in the place where Zatanna now stands.  But going even further back shows multiple characters being toggled back and forth in that exact position, ranging from Martian Manhunter to the Blue Beatle, to shadowy unknown figures of questionable loyalty.  But without a doubt, the inclusion of Zatanna was a smart move as her and Constantine share a history together that I’m sure she would rather forget.

Marco Castiello does some fairly amazing work with his jagged and rough-edged style.  Some of the action scenes felt a little anti-climactic, but there was very little else to complain about artistically.

My Majestically Climactic Conclusion

So overall, this is a quality first issue.  I’m looking forward to seeing how this miniseries establishes what is to be once Swamp Thing #1 pops up on stands in two months.  But of course, who knows what’s going to happen with the reboot.

8 out of 10 Stars