Face-Off: Frank Quitely's Alan Moore & Louie Joyce's Frank Miller

Two of comics' most celebrated creators get their own title/typefaces.

Click image to enlarge, and try to spot the hidden messages on his beard.

Alan Moore might not be the nicest person around, but there is not doubt that he has done a lot to revolutionize the industry through his masterful writing skills and though-provoking stories, making him arguably "The Greatest Comic Book Writer Of All Time". Frank Quitely captured his presence perfectly with this sketch.

Check out Moore's mighty beard. It says a lot. See if you can find them.

Click for biggie. Its amazing to see all these words forming a human face.

Frank Miller is known for his works in the 80's such as the black-and-white crime-noir novel Sin City, 300, and the popular The Dark Knight Returns and sparked a trend in the comic book industry that pointed towards more mature and "dark" storylines partnered with  more aggressive and provocative imagery and dialogue. Here Louie Joyce created an astonishing Miller portrait made up of some of his titles and quotes from his works. 

I bet you already saw the infamous "Goddamn Batman" line even before you read this.

[via ComicsAlliance and BleedingCool]

All-Star Superman DVD Box Art and Trailer

Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely's award-winning 12-issue limited series All-Star Superman is one of my most favorite Superman tales and arguably the best ever told. It takes the Man of Steel back to the roots of his character by playing with his mortality and focuses on how he spends his last moments on Earth after finding out that he is suffering a severe case of radiation poisoning.

And now, DC is bringing the whole comic book to life with an original animated movie and is scheduled to be released on February 2011. I can't wait to get my hands on this to witness the world's greatest superhero save the world - ONE LAST TIME.

Check out the DVD Box art and the trailer below for some All-Star goodness.

All-Star Superman Trailer:

 

 

[image via MTV.com]

Comic Book Review: WE3

 WE3

Writer: Grant Morrison

Artist: Frank Quitely

Issues: 3

Published by Vertigo

This is the first time that I've read a comic book with animals as the center of attraction. Yes animals. Mainly a dog, a rabbit, and a cat in a sci-fi action story of friendship and freedom.

Trained to replace human beings as soldiers in warfare, these robotic-ally enhanced animals - who call themselves WE3 - escape the captivity of the US government after hearing that they are going to be killed by the same people who created them. And as they journey across the country, they are hunted down by the army together with other robot controlled animals, with varying reactions as they cross paths.

Grant Morrison puts forth a futuristic concept of animal soldiers: They are armed with suits or robot armor with various weapons like claws, missles etc and computer programmed helmets to help them communicate and understand human beings. They're trained to be ruthless and aggressive against the enemies of state and eliminate any hostile forces, replacing human beings as the ultimate war machines.

Comic Book Review: All Star Superman

 

All Star Superman

Issues: 12

Written by Grant Morrison

Art by Frank Quitely

Published by DC Comics

Obviously whoever visits this site knows who my favorite comic book character is - yes, the Big Blue Boy Scout, the Last Son of Krypton, the Man of Tomorrow... Superman. 

He's been in the comics industry for 70 years and counting, and his enduring popularity is the stuff of legend. You could see him almost everywhere and anywhere: to tshirts, dvds, toys, internet, comic books, books etc. Hell, i even see the iconic Superman "S" shield painted on jeepneys and tricycles.

So since I love Big Blue, I picked up this book, All-Star Superman.  At first I thought it was a Superman story with all big DC characters such as Wonder Woman, Batman, etc.  But no,  there was no Batman or any of the Justice League members, except for Lois Lane of course, his arch-nemesis Lex Luthor, and a couple of other supporting characters like Jimmy Olsen! Not only that, it also features characters from Krypton and Superman's history that I've never heard of before who gets their their own shot at the Man of Steel.

Superman is living the last year of his life after being diagnosed with a fatal dose of radiation poisoning. This raises up a whole bunch of questions like: "What your days are numbered? What would you do to make it all worthwhile?"  Morrison plays on the hero's mortality here which sets up a very beautiful and touching story with Superman trying to accomplish 12 tasks, including one last attempt to save mankind before he dies - that I believe is one of the greatest accomplishments he has ever done in his 70 year existence.

Colorful, heartwarming stories and plot devices will sometimes rip your heart out while some chapters will make you smile and make you feel so good that you just want to read it all over again. Grant Morrison concocts perfect mix of Golden and Silver-Age-esque storylines partnered with Modern-Age Superman sensibilities that wonderfully works wonders.

Another great thing about this book is that everybody almost gets his/her own spotlight , from Supes himself,  up to Jimmy Olsen who actually gets to become a big-bad-ass monster! In addition to that, you will also get to see a Superman co-creator draw his greatest creation, relived for the very first time in modern comics, and many more.

 The essence of Superman.

There is action, drama, romance, heart-stopping scenes,  and of course, an incredible finale (against Solaris and Lex Luthor) and that would make even the most hateful Superman guy out there love him.  A simple story made from years of collected Superman tales and masterfully weaved by Grant Morrisson tells us exactly why Superman is the greatest superhero of all time.  Add Quitley's refreshing art, and it gives us more than we could ask for a Superman novel.

To me this is one of the best Superman and DC comic books/stories of all time. It is an epic that would be remembered forever as arguably the greatest - if not the greatest - Superman tale ever told. If you haven't read this yet, go pick it up and savor the adventure of a lifetime with the hero who started it all.