Ears

Since its original publication back in 1988, Alan Moore and Brian Bolland’s “Batman: The Killing Joke” has been called both the definitive Batman vs. Joker story and the greatest Joker story ever published. In fact, it’s even considered by some to be one of the greatest comics of all time. When it was first published, though, most of the discussion was centered on the scene where the Joker shot Barbara Gordon and the subsequent acts he committed against her, including the implication that he raped her, and that conversation rages on today. While the graphic novel was widely praised, the controversy overshadowed some of the comic’s other shortcomings and continues to do so today, and those elements of the story don’t stand up as well against today’s interpretation of Batman. Conversely, though, modern social sensibilities actually serve to heighten the story’s impact. For decades, Batman has been established as a superhero who never kills, but this longstanding credo seems all-but-fo

Though Giuseppe Camuncoli’s standard-edition cover puts Bizarro and Artemis dead in Red Hood’s sights, two of these so-called Outlaws don’t appear in Scott Lobdell and Dexter Soy’s “Red Hood and the Outlaws: Rebirth” #1. Instead, Lobdell provides a fun and accessible refresher on Jason Todd’s present as well as his pre-Red Hood days, spanning from his very first meeting with Batman to his current relationship with his former mentor. This “Rebirth” issue is a wise and welcome prelude to the upcoming series and establishes the reasons behind Jason’s present actions, even as it recounts his origin, death and rebirth. Existing fans know that Jason’s resurrection is rooted in a far-reaching and cosmically convoluted key moment from a couple of continuities ago. Lobdell is smart enough to recognize that newer readers don’t need to know anything about Superboy-Prime’s reality-bending super-punch, which originally played a part in Jason’s rebirth. That might not even be the case any longer i

The first half of “Years of Future Past” #4 is on track with the first three issues; we’re getting an exciting and fun story which takes the initial “Days of Future Past” setting and extends it into a new, dangerous saga. However, with two different characters performing sudden turns in the second half of the issue, Marguerite Bennett and Mike Norton’s comic comes across a little rushed. The first half of the comic is more or less smooth sailing. Bennett and Norton give us the showdown between our heroes and the remnants of the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, an apt choice considering that many of them were introduced in “Days of Future Past.” Even the climactic save at the midpoint doesn’t feel out of place; it’s been set up nicely in previous issues and the proverbial cavalry riding in is a moment to cheer. The sudden revelation of Magneto’s greater goal (to say nothing of the decision that Cameron has after learning this) makes “Years of Future Past” #4 feel a little frantic. Magnet

Marguerite Bennett appropriately leads off with the pasts of two characters who epitomize the hope for the future in “Years of Future Past” #2, with a pair of juxtaposed flashbacks to Christina Pryde (Piotr Rasputin and Kate Pryde’s daughter) and Cameron (Logan’s son). The two were among the last mutants to be born in the dystopian, anti-mutant future and have two very different and opposing childhoods because of it, which are convincingly portrayed by Bennett and artist Mike Norton before the action returns to the present as the former X-Men find themselves caught up in a setup orchestrated by anti-mutant crusader and American President Robert Kelly. The brief opening flashback is well-executed all around, with the narrative superbly paced by Bennett and Norton and enhanced by opposing color schemes from FCO Plascencia, who likewise blends these schemes when the two characters first meet. The next page, a crimson-rich and dynamically designed splash featuring the escaped mutants on

Clocking in at thirty pages, “Years of Future Past” #1 spends a lot of time informing readers that the mutants are living in deplorable conditions under the heels of human fascists led by President Robert Kelly. Writer Marguerite Bennett and artist Mike Norton revisit the not-as-far-away-as-it-once-seemed future and check in with the surviving mutants of the internment camps, adding to the cast of the classic “Days of Future Past” storyline and shifting the setting to the patchwork planet of Battleworld under the watchful eye of the self-appointed “God” Doom. The landscape of the future has shifted enough to restore X-Men to this tale. Wolverine, Magneto, Rachel Grey and Colossus all make appearances, as does Kate Pryde. After all, it is Kate’s daughter who serves as the gateway character in “Years of Future Past” #1. Bennett introduces readers to Christina Pryde (or Chrissie as Wolverine — and only Wolverine — calls her) and, through her, describes the setting of Battleworld and th

This one came out of nowhere and caught me completely by surprise, like a monster out of the closet or a beastie under the bed. I remember the original title having a flurry of excitement around each new issue back in 2005 (I believe) but it has been a while since I’ve seen or heard anything about a new story featuring Joey Price, his loveable menagerie, and gal pal Courtney. Originally released at this year’s Comic Con International in San Diego, this volume of “Lions, Tigers and Bears” is available everywhere now. While this book was clearly intended to be a miniseries, it works nicely as a complete package. I could do without the interstitials with the character heads on them, but like “dead” pages or covers in any collected edition, those pages are quickly dismissed as they help keep the story’s pacing on track. That story, written by series creator Mike Bullock, delves into the Shadowlands in search of Courtney’s cousin, Beth, who gets snatched away by Grillus, one of the evil

Man-Thing is driven by fear. Given that Marvel has this “Fear Itself” event going on, there might be some effect on Man-Thing, right? Right! Compelled by emotion – especially fear – Man-Thing reacts to those emotions frequently with tragic results to those unlucky enough to know his touch. Such is the case in this book as Brandon Montclare writes Man-Thing amok in Manhattan. While it would be a natural leap to have Man-Thing be tracked down by his current “team,” the Thunderbolts, it also wouldn’t do much to play up some less prolific characters in the Marvel Universe, such as Howard the Duck, Nighthawk, and Frankenstein’s monster (making it a two-for-two week for those looking for Frankenstein’s monster adventures from the Big Two this week). Add in She-Hulk to balance out this load of nuts and the story almost has legs. Of course, with Man-Thing being tied to the Nexus of all realities, anything is possible, and some really odd things happen in this book. One of those odd things

This book surprised me in more ways than one. It’s a story we’ve all seen — or maybe even lived — before. This is delivered as a coming of age tale where the protagonist must set aside his childish ways and dreams, but just can’t let go. Captain Long Ears — an imaginative eight-year-old boy whose real name is Michael — and his partner-in-fun, Captain Jam, set out to find the long-missing Captain Big Nose. Long Ears is dubbed so due to the rabbit costume he wears, complete with a headpiece that has long ears. Captain Jam, however, is a stuffed gorilla, not much bigger than a common teddy bear, but when fueled by Michael’s imagination is life-size and capable of helping Michael do great things. At least great things within the landscape of Captain Long Ears’ fertile imagination. The story here is deceptively long, weighing in over one-hundred-fifty pages, but it moves quickly. At first blush, it seems like an interpretation or homage to “Calvin & Hobbes,” but this story quickly d