Comic Geek Reviews

New Super-Man (Kong Kenan)

DC Universe Rebirth Special: First Look

Robin and Superboy Sketch Art

Action Comics #956: Solicited Cover

Review: Moon Knight #1

“Marc Spector (a.k.a. Moon Knight/Jake Lockley/Steven Grant) has been fighting criminals and keeping New York City safe for years… or has he? When he wakes up in an insane asylum with no powers and a lifetime’s worth of medical records, his whole identity (indentities) are called into question. Something is wrong, but is that something Marc Spector himself? Jeff Lemire (EXTRAORDINARY X-MEN) and rising star Greg Smallwood are calling everything you know about Moon Knight into question.”

Writer: Jeff Lemire

Artist: Greg Smallwood

Color Artist: Jordie Bellaire

I'm slowly becoming a fan of Lemire's work with Moon Knight #1. It is captivating and unsettling all at the same time. With all the previous runs of Moon Knight, Lemire took an advantage from past works and incorporated it to a new status quo. We delve deep into Marc Spector's mind and experience his possible insanity in an asylum.

The whole narrative feels like a puzzle being pieced together. Lemire did a great job in setting up an unnerving story where the reader is left asking questions by the end. The dialogues between the other characters were off-putting, which I believe was intentional to produce an eerie vibe in the book. Marc's interaction with some of the characters might alienate new readers. However, those who have read past runs may be up for a good ride.

On the other hand, the art perfectly fit the book's tone. The first few pages felt like looking on mythological paintings with Khonshu as the main focus. The actual art was not groundbreaking but it was essential in setting the mood. Many facial expressions depicted the character's emotions, especially Marc's. His insanity can be seen through the art alone. The empty spaces between the panels had mostly white backgrounds in it. It was fine in this particular book, as it portrayed Moon Knight's signature color but not excessive in any way. I really enjoyed the colors in the first few pages, and hoping to get more of those as it was captivating to look at. The rest of the colors were acceptable but it shines in certain situations.

Moon Knight #1 is an amazing psychological story where you are left wondering by the end of the book. Is Marc really Moon Knight or are those all in is head? The book strikes this question many times and the execution was great. Although completely new readers might be confused on certain character interactions, it might just be enough for them to continue picking this book up.

The Joker: Suicide Squad Trailer

Review: Justice League: The Darkseid War Special #1

Writer: Geoff Johns

Artists: Ivan Reis, Joe Prado, Oscar Jimenez, Paul Pelletier, Tony Kordos

Colors: Alex Sinclair

“The massive “Darkseid War” epic continues to set the stages for the future of the DC Universe as we reveal the secrets behind its newest major player: Darkseid’s daughter, Grail! And if the Justice League is not careful, the spoils of war will all end up with her! See the truth behind Grail's role in this war and the future of the DC Universe as she tears her way across it.”

It has been an awesome ride in the Darkseid War that began in Justice League #40. Since then, we've experienced a completely new concept of the main DC pantheon becoming literal gods in their own right. In this special one-shot, Geoff Johns, accompanied with a bunch of artists, brings you the origin of Grail in the Justice League: The Darkseid War Special.

Grail is born and destined to be evil, but her mother teaches her how to control the darkness inside. I especially liked how Grail's origin was told in here. It gave me something to care about her character. When I first saw Grail in previous issues, she started as a vague character who I didn't really care about. But here, I sympathized for her while going through the story. I really liked her as a kid struggling between good and darkness while being treated by everyone around her as evil. On the other hand, Jessica Cruz is also given a share of the spotlight with a few pages. We see a glimpse of her becoming the Green Lantern that she is supposed to be when DC Rebirth comes into play.

The amazing storytelling by Geoff Johns is great and even more so with the art. Both worked so well together. The book felt like a story from legends and mythology, which is supposed to be that way. The emotional weight of this issue was carried by the art. There are many times where various emotions were portrayed almost perfectly. The panels also flowed smoothly with the story. Trust me when I say that it will not confuse a new reader with flashy panels, but instead sticks with a more simplistic style. The only gripe that I have with this issue are the ads. There's a splash page that contains an ad of Future Quest which completely threw me from the book's overall mood.

Other than poor placing of advertisement, this is truly a villain's story where Geoff did a great job in adding more dimensions to the character Grail. The ending didn't really surprise me that much. Nevertheless, I will be continuing on picking this up. It has been an awesome experience so far.

Weekly Pull List (4/6/16)

Superman #51 (Super League Part 1)

Justice League: The Darkseid War Special #1 (One-shot)

The Infinity Entity #4 (Final Issue!)

Marvel’s Captain America: Civil War

Concept Art for Rebirth

Wonder Woman by Greg Rucka

Titans by Dan Abnett

Superman by Peter Tomasi and Patrick Gleason

Nightwing by Tim Seeley

The Flash by Josh Williamson

Detective Comics by James Tynion IV

Batman by Tom King