3D Models by David Munoz Velazquez

I don't who David is, but I really applaud him for his wonderful 3D model of the Man of Steel. And what makes it even better is that he used Christopher Reeves! Its old school meets modern Superman... and its good... real good.  (See more of his mouthwatering art in his gfx site here.)

He's got other works such as paintings, drawings and more 3D models featuring Batman, Dragonball's Freeza, and a Star Wars Storm Trooper. Gotta love 'em.

This is how Superman should be done. Man, I want this as a poster!

Green Arrow Year One

Green Arrow: Year One
Writer: Andy Diggle
Artist: Jock
Published By DC Comics

I have never been a fan of Green Arrow and never read a single GA comic book. But since I see the character in CW's "Smallville" every week, I kinda got interested in looking out for a good GA title. And thank God for Andy Diggle and Jock for creating Green Arrow: Year One.

The story tells us how Star City's resident billionaire playboy Oliver Queen changed his ways from a happy-go-lucky and reckless guy with no sense of direction, to a Robin Hood-esque hero who fights for the oppressed after being stranded in a deserted island for two years where he learns how to hunt  for himself using his wit, resourcefulness, and archery skills. Things were looking good for Ollie until he discovers that the island is not really deserted as he initially thought, and from that point on, we get to see his character develop to the hero that he is destined to become. 

Diggle is absolutely masterful on his writing and I really liked the way he gave emphasis to the Oliver Queen's transformation to Green Arrow. His storytelling and pacing is great, and combined with good characterization, i can't really say anything else but praise for doing such a great job. Same thing with Jock who just killed the whole book with his impressive illustrations and panels, backing up Diggle's writing while providing action-packed art that will surely make you wishing a Green Arrow movie soon.

 

I would recommend this comic book to anyone even to those who aren't familiar with Green Arrow. Diggle makes it easy for everyone by creating a story that is easy pick-up and understand even by new readers. You won't need a comic book background or GA history lessons to enjoy this book because the whole thing is just that plain and simple. Its Robin Hood meets Robinson Crusoe with high-octane action sequences ala-Die Hard. A definite four-star blockbuster from DC.

Download Green Arrow: Year One via Hotfile (66.2 MB)

Comic Book Review: The Walking Dead

The Walking Dead
Writer: Robert Kirkman
Artists: Tony Moore and Charlie Adlard 
Issues: 78
Published by Image Comics

Zombies. Death.

That's what you think when you talk about the living dead: walking carcasses that roam around looking for flesh and ready to devour.

But that's not what The Walking Dead comic is all about. It is more than just zombies and death itself. Actually, it is the opposite of all that. It is a story about life.

The whole story is centered around Rick Grimes, husband, a father of one and a police officer from Kentucky who wakes up in a hospital from a semi-coma after getting himself shot in a middle of a gunfight together with his friend, Shane. He finds out quickly that nobody is around at the hospital, only to learn that the whole world has been stricken by a zombie apocalypse. He then begins his journey and hopes to find his wife Lori and son Carl, and other possible survivors while trying to set-up a peaceful and normal life in an otherwise abnormal world.

The walking corpses aren't the ones who are making the noise here.What makes the whole thing so good are the interactions between the characters in the story and how their characters develop as they go into different emotional and mental challenges. Each and every character has a different personality that complements the main character and all others, and combined with a great story filled with topsy-turvy turns, surprises, betrayals and "oh shit" moments, The Walking Dead gives you a perfect balance of just about everything in the emotional spectrum.

When it comes to the art, it is good and definitely gives off such emotion from the characters. It was a nice thing that they did the black-and-white colors on the whole book. I can't imagine it being colored, due to the fact that there are a lot of gory scenes that some people might not be able to take.

To wrap up, The Walking Dead gives us a glimpse of how a zombie apocalypse looks like, and how would human beings think and react in that environment. You will wonder how possibly you can survive in such a stressful and terror-filled world, where death is just always one wrong move away. 

But more than surviving the zombies themselves, The Walking Dead shows that the real fight for survival is not against the dead - but with the living, yourself...and your sanity.

Rating: 5/5

Francis Manapul Does "The Flash" Like No Other

Filipino-Canadian comic book artist Francis Manapul was given the opportunity to work with DC's Chief Creative Office and big time comic book writer Geoff Johns on a new Flash comic book series and he sure embraced it and took on the challenge of bringing the speedster back to the comic book mainstream.. Manapul has been working with DC for almost 3 years now and to have his own monthly series is a sure testament to his artistry and talent.

The guy has really upped his game by taking our beloved speedster to life with great attention to detail and clean lines. And asides from working with The Flash, he also works as an illustrator in Adventure Comics (which stars Superboy and the Teen Titans) and Superman/Batman. And be sure to check out his devianArt page and website  - which are full of really nice sketches and inks. For the meantime, we have some of  Manapul's Flash preview and cover sketches, as well as some Superboy and Krypto moments, and a classic Joe Shuster Superman take.

Check some of his works:

 [images via Francis Manapul's devianArt page]