Time for some Walking Dead!

I know there's already a hit TV series under the same title, so I thought before watching it, why don't I read the comic book itself? I heard a lot about this graphic novel and maybe its time for me to grab those copies, drown myself with some zombies, and see what the fuss is all about.

Currently read issues 1-10 in a span of an hour and a half before going to work. Yeah, i read ten copies that fast, because when you got something this good, you just get hooked and flip the pages till you get to the next issue. (Damn those cliffhanger endings, they just keep you coming back for more. )

And believe me when I say that it is not your ordinary zombie story. It has that George Romero (yeah, the Night of the Living Dead guy) taste, but better.

I've still got 60 or more issues to go, so I may not be doing any comic book reviews this week - unless I remember any of the titles I've read eons ago.

Comic Book Review: Superman: Earth One

Superman: Earth One
Writer: J. Michael Straczynski
Artist: Shane Davis
Pages: 127
Release Date: October 2010
Publisher: DC Comics

A modern Superman for a modern audience. A 70-year old hero making his presence felt in a new world of Bieber acts and Twilight fangirls.

The first project in DC's line of "Earth One" novels, this re-imagining of the Superman mythology took me by surprise - and with plenty of good reasons behind it.

Synopsis: 

21-year old Clark Kent goes out and steps into the real world for the first time. He isn't Superman yet, and not quite Superboy. A big question lingers in his mind: Why the hell should he become a superhero when he can become anybody that he wants to? Like being a successful star athlete. A business man maybe? Or even a scientist, and be able to generate tons of money that will support him for a life time.
 But when otherworldly forces threaten to destroy his adoptive home world (Earth), Clark must make the biggest decision in his life and choose: to ignore the impending death of billions of people and the planet that adopted him, or embrace his inner strength and become 

the hero that he was destined to be. 

I felt that the idea was absurd at first and that it might not work, but man I was wrong. This is  exactly how Superman would be if he ever debuted in the 21st century. Targeting old  fans and a new audience, I would say  J. Michael Straczynski (writer) and Shane Davis (artist) did a hell of job bringing a new flavor to the mythos and origin of the Man of Steel. They just kept me flipping the pages up to the last.

Elements of the character are still the same, with the only difference this one being more brooding, dark and angry. Clark Kent in here is a 21 year old guy who steps for the first time in the real world and he doesn't know what to do with his life - what kind of job would he take and what is the best for him. And I was able to relate to it  because this is what every young adult feels/felt in this stage of his/her life: undecided, fickle-minded, selfish, and just can't quite figure out what it is that he/she wants. It was the perfect emotional illustration.

 Clark visiting his foster father's grave. 

Probably my favorite panel in this comic.

JMS and team captured the Daily Planet and its characters well too.. great characterization for the supporting cast like Perry White and Lois Lane. Oh I forgot, Jimmy Olsen... he gets an upgrade in the book. He's kind of a bad-ass now. Read it and you'll know why. 

The origin of Superman was also changed a little bit - I mean, it is still the same, with the planet Krypton on the brink of destruction, Jor-El and Lara (Superman's real parents) putting the baby Kal-El (Superman) on a rocket ship to escape towards earth and all that... - with the cause of Krypton's destruction explained, and it does make sense. 

Davis' art is fresh and he gave the whole thing a kind of "manganized" feel (anime style illustrations),  new hairstyles and fashions, and even gave Metropolis more life and light than ever, without disrespecting the whole mythos. His take on the iconic Superman suit was great which I think should be used in the next Superman movies. Shane took his game to the next level here and was able to breathe new perspective in terms of the artistic side, which Superman comic books need nowadays.

Decisions... decisions... decisions...

Ah... finally!!!

Now on to the ONLY negative: the villain. I felt that the new villain is weak. He leads a legion of high tech aliens that actually looks like a cross between Gundam and Neon Genesis Evangelion. And the villain itself looks like Sting (the professional wrestler)! I still can't fathom how can they put Sting in there flying around like X-Men's Archangel. I thought it was funny.

But still, hats off to Davis and JMS for coming up with the idea of a new villain for this modern Man of Steel. 

 Supes' first fight.
See that chalk-white guy at the bottom right?

But other than that, it was a good book. Not as great as every one wanted it to be, but it was damn good and worthy of your precious time. Do yourself a favor... get this graphic novel and read it ( I have the damn link below!!!). Recommend it to others. It was written for fans and non-fans alike and for sure you will not be disappointed.

Rating: 4/5

Download Superman: Earth One via Hotfile (99 MB)

Comic Book Review: Superman Secret Identity

Probably my favorite Superman comic book... for now... ( I haven't finished the newly released Superman: Earth One yet), this book explores the life of a teen named Clark Kent. Yes, I know the names are the same, and you might be thinking that it will be the same old song, same old dance. How many reincarnations of the Superman origin have we read/heard anyway?

**MINOR SPOILERS FOLLOW**

Clark Kent is a young boy living in Picketsville, Kansas, in a world where superheroes only exists in comics (just like the real world).  He is not totally giddy about having the name of the fictional superhero, because he only receives Superman-related gifts during Christmas, and he is getting tired of getting the same gifts all over again. Not to mention that he always puts up with being the target of many Superman jokes and is bullied often at school. One day, after awaking from a bad dream while on camping, he realizes that he is floating... no flying! Realizing that he has the same powers as Superman, (you know, x ray vision, super breath, super speed, invulnerability - the whole shebang) he goes on to save and protect people during the weekends while keeping his secret identity. 

That's just he beginning of the story. He eventually becomes Superman and gets to marry a woman named Lois. (not the Lois Lane of DC continuity). There are a lot of adventures featuring him and the US government, who is tracking him down, trying to pin him to get to know his real identity and to use him as a weapon. 

From that point onward, the story of our hero just becomes as complicated as ever. How will he fend off these guys? Can he survive their relentless onslaught without his loved ones getting hurt? How would he protect everybody? What about his dreams, his career and his plans of probably... having his own family?

Superman: Secret Identity is a well-written story that transcends any Superman titles or story arcs ever. It presents a very realistic view on the life of the Man of Steel, of what he would look like if he had the same problems as ours and also shows the kind of resolution that he would have to do given those circumstances. Everybody could relate to this story, because the writer "humanized" Superman to the point that he is as confused, angry, and frustrated - just like any of us would be - in some parts of the story. The Last Son of Krypton has never been this vulnerable.

If you are tired of the current flow of Superman titles you've been reading lately, sick of the usual origin story and villains, try this book. It will give you a whole new perspective on our hero while getting the romance, suspense and  that down-to-earth Superman story that has never been told before. Of course, it is also hopeful and touching down to the very last pages which should be a fitting end to any Superman saga they plan on putting in the movies. The illustrations nice and fluid and is a perfect complement to the story. You would really get to feel "Superman in the real world".

Superman: Secret Identity is as good as any comic that I have read for a while and reading it was fun. Definite read. 

Superman: Secret Identity is written by Kurt Busiek with illustraions by Stuart Immonen. Published by DC Comics.

Comic Book Review: The Dark Knight Returns

The Dark Knight Returns
Writer: Frank Miller
Penciller: Frank Miller
No of Issues: 4
Published by DC Comics

DKR is set in the future DC universe (year was never specified), where costumed superheroes and vigilantes (except for Superman) were either forced to retire or driven away by leery citizens. It has been 10 years since the last sighting of Batman due to the death of Jason Todd (the second Robin), and a new group called "Mutants" runs rampant and is instigating terror Gotham City. To add  to the injury, an old nemesis again comes back and a middle-aged Bruce Wayne is forced to don the costume once more.

Its a story of an old Batman trying to make himself relevant in a dystopian world, and because of his vigilantism, he finds himself at odds with the United States government who stops at nothing to apprehend him. Superman is also here, but more of just a supporting character, and merely acts as a puppet for the US Government, as he believes that it is the only way for him to do some good.

 (Batman was inspired from the likes of Zorro, 

and he certainly looks like him. Just change the cowl to the Zorro mask.)

Now for the following paragraphs... I'm veering away from the consensus. And I think I'm gonna get murdered for it, but what the hell...

The Dark Knight Returns (written by Frank Miller - yeah, the same guy who created 300) was not as good as it was advertised. Not as great as it was described by critics. It didn't deserve to be in that no.2  spot as one of the greatest Batman books of all time and I'm just clueless as to why people are raved about it for so long.

Let's face it: every great comic book is packed with great art. And this is where this graphic novel truly fails miserably.

The storyline is hard to follow and it gets even worse because of too much text crammed in the pages.  I had a hard time reading the book really, and there were times where I had to stop reading because I got tired of reading cluttered texts and pictures. Images we're too crammed in, making it look awfully unorganized and rubbish. The art wasn't too pleasing either. Its horrible - Bats and Supes being too muscular and bulky in this book was probably the worst rendition I've ever seen. It was putrid. Graphic novels should be easy to the eye, not otherwise.

 (the first time i saw this on Google Images, 

i thought it was a fan artwork.)

But I have to give credit where credit is due here: Frank Miller made an outstanding Batman story. One that has never been written before and one that truly epitomizes the true essence of the "dark and gritty" essence of the Caped Crusader and Gotham City.

Here is Gotham's protector, trying to defy Father Time while trying to save his beloved city from all the evil that he swore to eradicate since childhood, taking him to the extreme limits of his physical and mental capabilities. Even coming face to face with the most  sinister of villains of years past, plus standing toe to toe against the Big Blue Boy Scout in one climactic a fist fight just to get his job done.

His characterization is very humanized, and I like how he made Superman so humanly real rather than the almost- Godlike character we used to see. And Batman is as brooding, twisted minded and bad-ass as ever even at a very old age. And with that I give both the story and the character-build up 4 stars.

All in all, I was disappointed with the book mainly because of the art. It wasn't  that bad though because Miller delivered a classic Batman story that would eventually redefine both the Dark Knight and "graphic novels" for good. But then again, this could have been better had Miller got a bona-fide artist to do that other side of the equation. That would have made it the greatest Batman graphic novel ever in my book.