Comic reviews at the rainy beginning of the summer holidays.

It’s finally here! After probably the longest 12 weeks of work I’ve ever done it’s finally summer…and it’s raining. Bah bloody Manchester. Never mind I’ve got comic and snacks galore to settle into five glorious weeks off. Here are the comics I’ve read this weekend.

Doctor Fate

Issue 2 DC Comics

This series was one I was looking forward to a great deal since it was announced. Two issues in it isn’t quite what I expected…in a good way. Much like the relaunch of Martian Manhunter this is a new approach on a hero I’d always found visually cool but a little impenetrable. This is a comic that isn’t afraid to be a comic. It has a self confidence and a self awareness that means Paul Levitz can comfortably settle into well worn conventions of a young hero gaining strange powers whilst Sonny Liew plays around fantastically with the size, shape and orientation of the panels. Like I said although Levitz is treading a path so well worn he develops character here very skilfully as Khalid becomes a character we care about and his relationships with his girlfriend and family are given emotional depth. Liew is the star here with his wonderfully expressive cartooning and great understanding of how to make a page layout reflect the plot and feelings of the characters. He is the aspect of this comic that will keep me coming back for more.

We are Robin

Issue 2 DC Comics

This might be my current favourite comic being published. Two issues in and I love this series. The premise intrigues me, the artwork is superb, the story is great and Duke Thomas is a fantastic addition to the Batman mythos. This issue Bermejo expands on the character development of Duke from issue one as well as the mysteries surrounding the anonymous benefactors of the robins and the city’s homeless. I fear that both the teens and the unfortunate souls left over from the Joker’s virus in Endgame are being manipulated by dark forces. Bermejo is a very capable writer and Rob Haynes/Jorge Corona make a great team giving the comic a very different angular and expressive feel. I can’t wait to see where this book goes.

Cyborg

Issue 1 DC Comics

I had high hopes for this comic. It’s a great chance for a prominent black character to finally get his own series, moreover one written by a black writer and drawn by an artist of the highest caliber.

Unfortunately this issue fell a little flat for me. This is split into two sections.

One follows Cyborg trying to make sense of his most recent ‘death’ with the help of his douchebag dad and the other following a battle between aliens and some humanoids using tech very similar to Cyborg’s.

The problem is that the sections that focus on Cyborg don’t really add up to much, I suppose they tell the reader what he feels about his dad and his unique situation but so did Justice League back in 2011. I found myself much more interested in the secondary story which isn’t a good sign. The artwork in this issue is very solid but then it’s Ivan Reis so it would be, I think he’ll be a great fit for the technologically charged conflicts of this series. I’m hoping that this series picks up after this issue and gives me a reason to root for Cyborg beyond pity. I’ll give it another issue or two, just like I did with Omega Men and I certainly wasn’t disappointed there.

Five Ghosts

Issue 17 Image Comics

I can’t believe this series is already on the home stretch to finishing. It feels like only yesterday I picked up issue one on the strength of the concept sold by the cover. One of the things I’ve enjoyed the most about this series is how easy it is to dip in and out of this beautifully pulpy tale. The story is not complex but it is filled with emotion and intrigue. It works when read as a collection of issues and in smaller chunks like this. I feel like Fabian has developed very nicely as a character over the course of this arc. Barbiere has put him through the wringer forcing him to embrace his gifts fully both good and bad as he has transitioned from out of control monster to the hero we always hoped he could be. Mooneyham’s art is simply amazing, so retro in its composition and line work, coupled with Lauren Affe’s immaculate colour work this book looks like a forgotten gem from the 70's found in an attic. If that didn’t sound like a compliment it was meant to.

Wolf

Issue 1 Image Comics

For me reading an Ales Kot comic is a truly unique experience. I think he is a writer that had produced some excellent work but one that sometimes gets wrapped up in his ideas and sacrifices clarity of storytelling.

I’ve only just finished reading Zero and already want to re read it to decipher its meaning.

I feel like I’ll have a similar experience with Wolf. Not that it’s a bad thing, in a medium like comics where change is glacial for most mainstream characters and the outcome of plots is predicable. For example Spider-Man isn’t going to die and get replaced by Doc Ock for like a year…ok bad example but you get my point. It’s nice to have dense books that require thought and consideration.

This issue is full of interesting ideas and is written with a odd storytelling structure particularly when the second storyline just feels like it’s getting going before it abruptly stops and switches back to the main story. The artwork by Matt Taylor and colourist Lee Loughridge is fantastic. Capturing at once the neon jungle that is LA and the supernatural undertones of the series’s premise.