Archive for the ‘Travis Lanham’ Category

Secret Six #33 Review

Posted: May 6, 2011 in Comic Book Review, Daniel LuVisi, Gail Simone, J. Calafiore, John Kalisz, Rachael Gluckstern, Travis Lanham
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Written By: Gail Simone

Penciled & Inked By: J. Calafiore

Coloring By: John Kalisz

Lettering By: Travis Lanham

Edited By: Rachel Gluckstern

Cover By: Daniel LuVisi

The Plot

Like most of Simone’s Secret Six storylines, the twisted sense of family loyalty is brought up as the villain team is impossibly outnumbered by Ragdoll’s minions within the depths of Hell.  The card is still his hands and Scandal Savage will stop at nothing to take for herself.  But the Six will have to fight past their own personal Hells before doing what must be done.

My Awe Inspiring Opinion

As already stated, Gail Simone presents such a fascinating viewpoint to the concept of family love, loyalty, and forgiveness.  Lady Blaze gives the team an ultimatum – serve in Hell as her minions, or suffer an eternity in Hell as the rest of damned souls.  Faced against all odds, Scandal and the rest of the Six determine that they are, and have been ready to die for a long time and will fight Lady Blaze to the very end.

The best attribute the Six has is their unrelenting vigilance in staying true to themselves.  They don’t care if it means living an entire afterlife succumbing to the torturous ways of hell, they all refuse to allow the bad guy to win.

#33 shows the Six as who and what they really are…a villain team.  But even still, it’s hard for us to call them bad guys right?  If we, as readers, only knew the exterior shell of the Six, no one would hesitate to call them bad guys an hate them for it.  But in having 33 issues to truly get to know the team, Simone has shown us six (or seven) villains whose pasts almost justify each character’s defining attributes.  With the exception of Killer Shark, there isn’t one member of the Secret Six who isn’t tainted by their horrid upbringing.  It’s hard not to understand and feel bad for these villains whose human side comes out even more than your average super hero.

This issue is filled with the drama of losing loved ones and reliving painful memories, but Simone allows our hearts to breath with a few humorous moments.  My favorite? King Shark’s own personal Hell is where all he has to munch on are vegetables.  Gail, you have WAY too much fun writing this series don’t you?

Catman finds his way through the desert of Hell to the holding pit of his long dead father.  You don’t read to many stories of a son going to Hell to simply double check  that his father was being justly punished in Hell.  But the icing on the cake is the identity of Blake’s father’s tormentor.  No, I won’t give it away…but it’s a doozy and presents an interesting take on what Heaven could be like for some!

The Six is one big mesh of screwed up characters, sustaining this remarkable semblance of humanity but never swaying away from their horrible past and what it’s turned them into.  Throughout all 33 issues, Simone has posed a very deep and thought provoking question, but that question is hoisted up into our brains even more with this specific arc…When is a person bad, and when is a person evil?  It’s for you to decide that, but Simone makes it very clear in her thematic take on the Secret Six that the answer to that question is not always as clear as we may want it to be.

I’ll never complain about Calafiore’s art work…I just won’t.  It’s so vibrant and gorgeous that I often times get trapped in a gaze of his amazing talents.  Dan LuVisi has been tearing up the coolness with his series of Secret Six covers, #33 being one of his best.  The colors and demonic look are nothing to look down at or criticize…and anyone who does should be shot in the face!

My only daunting moment was the ending.  And this is by no means a negative critique, but it definitely made me wonder what happened.  If this was part three of three, why doesn’t the story feel as if it’s done?  That’s right, Gail has tricked us all!  This story arc isn’t complete, it’s only beginning!  I shake my fist at you Gail Simone, you have tantalized my need for more!

My Majestically Climactic Conclusion

So, all in all, this is a great issue and I commend Simone for writing such innovative material for such an innovative series.  I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again…Please Gail, don’t leave this title!  If you do, I might die!

10 out of 10

Justice League: Generation Lost #24 Review

Posted: April 29, 2011 in Aaron Lopresti, Brightest Day, Comic Book Review, DC Comics, Dustin Nguyen, Fire, Ice, Judd Winick, Justice League International, Justice League: Generation Lost, Matt Ryan, Maxwell Lord, Travis Lanham
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Written By: Judd Winick

Artist: Aaron Lopresti

Inker: Matt Ryan

Colorist: Hi-Fi

Cover Artist: Dustin Nguyen

Letterer: Travis Lanham

Editor: Rex Ogle & Brian Cunningham

The Upsetting, Yet Satisfying Plot

OMAC Prime is on the rampage, copying the League’s powers and overtaking them.  Even Wonder Woman has some difficulties bringing down the big blue meanie.  Elsewhere, Max and Booster go tooth and nail in a knock-down, all-out fist fight, each showing a resilience and stamina that would make the initial fight between Doomsday and Superman look like child’s play.  (Not really, but it was a good comparison nonetheless.)

So what’s the purpose behind this miniseries?  I’m sure you can guess…

My Awe-Inspiring Opinion

Here I am, geeking out over a series which reminds me of my childhood.  Growing up with the JLI took my life for a tale spin and changed it forever.  It is with this team that my love for comics began.  I hopped on board with Generation Lost half way through as my pocket book didn’t allow me to pick it up on a bi-weekly basis.  And now it’s issue #24 and I can’t believe I wasn’t follow the series since it hit comic book stands one year ago.  With issue #24, the conclusion of the best mini-series I’ve ever read from DC Comics has finally become reality, and the beginning of an exciting new revival series is just over the horizon.  And all I can do it wait, tapping my fingers in contagion, and bouncing my right leg up and down anxiously.

From page one to the end, #24 grabbed my attention and didn’t let go.  I was so into the story that I didn’t even hear my wife say “dinner is ready!  Put down you comic hang out with me!”  Yes, I have officially become a terrible husband…but it was worth it!  (Love ya on!)  Judd Winick’s masterful writing drives this issue into its successful conclusion, paying attention to the different personality traits of each individual character; Booster has never felt so determined, Blue Beetle continues to prove himself as one of the more competent youthful heroes in the DCU, and Rocket Red still maintains his goofy yet confident personality that causes me to laugh and cheer for him at the same time.

And like any good soap opera, this last issue leaves you wanting more.  The story is left somewhat unfinished yet successfully ends its purpose, leaving so many questions to ponder upon.  The difference with #24 however is this…The ending sucks!  It takes a lot of balls for a writer in any field to piss his or her readers off with an ending they didn’t want.  Max gets away.  He wins!  Just like the cover suggests.  Seriously, after all that investment we, the readers, put into this series…the bad guy wins.  This is a major literary blow to the head.  And for a brief moment, I wanted to pay the Secret Six to find Winick and end his miserable life by way of torture and death.  I was not happy.

Bu then it hit me, why am I allowing my preconceived notions about what I WANTED from this story to dictate what I think about its quality?  Clearly, Winick had a very specific plan for this series and allowing Max to win was part of it.  This wasn’t an ending that felt out of place nor did it feel unworthy of the great story that came before it…it was a good ending despite not getting to see Maxy brought to justice.  If anything, I’m ecstatic from realizing that the JLI monthly title is so close that I can touch it!

I don’t like the OMACs, and OMAC Prime is no exception.  I certainly wish Winick had chosen a different villain to bring in to fight the JLI.  My fear is that this big blue dummy is going to rear its ugly head over and over, becoming just as overplayed as Doomsday.  Oh well, Can’t have everything good I guess.  I did find it refreshingly interesting that Prime not only inherited his opponents powers, but also adopted their superhero attire as well.

I was sadly disappointed in how weak Wonder Woman felt when fighting Prime.  (It’s those leggings, they’re slowing her down!)  it was such a poor representation of what Wonder Woman has become in Straczynski’s run, and it’s not that great of a story to begin with.  However, the purpose with Wonder Woman’s inclusion in this story was met and utilized quite well…even if I don’t like it.  (ggrrrr)

I loved the fight between Maxwell Lord and Booster Gold – it showed how much growth both characters have undergone in the duration of this series.  I feel Max is being truly genuine in his actions and honestly does believe that what he is doing is the right thing to do.  This, in turn, makes him and even more likable villain because fans will have trouble discerning if they should root against or condone his actions.  Maxwell Lord has moved from being a character I despised to one of my favorite villains!  And it’s only going to get better from here.

And of course, the icing on the cake is Aaron Lopresti sketching everything out.  Hi-Fi is certainly a great colorist, but Lopresti is the force behind this visual masterpiece. Clean lines combined with rough edged artistry can never be underestimated.  And it was nice to see him working on Wonder Woman again…even if it is the ill-favored one.

My Majestically Climactic Conclusion

I had to read this book three times.  It called out to my nostalgia and reminded me of my childhood.  This may not be everyone’s cup ‘O tea, but it served my comics needs SO MUCH MORE than I expected it to.

I raise my glass to you Judd and Aaron, you did great work!  Best Mini-series of 2011, no contest!

10 out of 10 Stars

+ 3 Incentive Points.

Secret Six #31 Review

Posted: March 3, 2011 in Dan Luvisi, DC Comics, Gail Simone, J. Calafiore, Secret Six, Travis Lanham
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Written By: Gail Simone

Artist: J. Calafiore

Colorist: John Kalisz

Cover Artist: Dan Luvisi

Letterer: Travis Lanham

Editor: Rachel Gluckstern

My Awe-Inspiring Opinion

Was it too nerdy of me to hope that the Rivers Mall, depicted as the gateway to Hell in this issue, was actually a place I might have set foot in?  Having lived in Iowa close to seven years, I wondered if this Mall was real.  Sadly, Google was unable could locate a mall in Iowa that was simply called “Rivers.”  Never-the-less, Iowa is without a doubt the appropriate place to helm the gateway to Hell.  I’m just glad Simone didn’t park the doorway at my favorite grocery store ever…Fareway!

Secret Six #31 takes a giant leap into the past when the said title first began.  Do you all remember that dreaded “get out of hell free” card?  I certainly do.  That first arc was what hooked me to the Secret Six and helped me develop my enormous crush on Gail Simone.  The catch is, of course, that only one person can use the card to return from Hell.  We all thought it was gone, but apparently Scandal kept it hidden…until Ragdoll found it.  Now he plans on using to bring his beloved pal back from the dead, which negates Scandal’s purpose of traveling to Hades to rescue her lover, Liana from a fiery pit of despair.

So this arc has been put in place to help resolve Scandal’s love life issues.  So the question is who Scandal will choose – Knockout or Liana?  The Superhero bombshell or the exotic dancer?  In my opinion, Knockout had her shot and screwed it up!  I certainly hope Liana doesn’t get the shaft.

But this certainly brings up an interesting fact huh?  With Black Alice also losing the love of her life to Satan’s throne room and Scandal believing that Liana is dead,  is anyone going to be happy in the end?  I’m sure all of us reading the Secret Six can do the math that 6 + 2 does not equal six.  Two members are going to have to drop out of the mix, and with Black Alice already stating she will never see the team again, we can assume that one more sixer remains to be booted off the team.  My hope is that one fishy fellow is left to burn, but I have a sneaking suspicion that someone else is going to be left behind.  (Darn you Tim LaHaye and Jeremy Jenkins!)

 

As always, Simone leaves room for further character development as Ragdoll is portrayed in an even darker tone from we’re used to.  He might be the funny man on campus, but he should never be underestimated as he can pack one hell of a manipulative punch to the face.  But Scandal is no push over and can certainly handle herself.  The battle between Scandal and Ragdoll over who gets the card is one of the better comic book fight scenes in history.

To make someone look as if they are ready to kill without giving it a second thought, that kind of talent lay only in the hands of few.  Calafiore certainly gives Scandal and Ragdoll that terrifying look of killer instinct and plasters it all over their faces.  But even more impressive is the look of pain and terror within our mysterious stranger before and after he drips the hot sauce right onto his eyeballs.  Calafiore may sketch out faces that look almost identical, but no one should doubt his ability to visually enhance the tension within a story.

My Majestically Climactic Conclusion

Yes, Doom Patrol is coming to an end, sadly.  But the Six is still around with no end in sight.  The bad guy books are done yet!  While Secret Six #31 requires some research if unfamiliar with a few aspect of the plot, it’s still a great place to start if you haven’t already.

9 out of 10 Stars