Batman/Elmer Fudd #1

Recently (like last week, at least when I wrote this), Comixology were doing some sort of sale which included both Batman/Elmer Fudd #1 and the Swamp Thing Winter Special for £0.69/$0.99. Now, seeing as they were on my wishlist (having been amongst the top 100 comics of 2018 on the Professor Thorgi Youtube Channel), I decided I'd spend a little bit of the my spare change and nab them both while they were cheaper.

Batman/Elmer Fudd #1

And while, I haven't yet checked out Swamp Thing, a few nights ago (while waiting for the washing to finish) I decided to have a read at this Bats/Elmer combo and see what it's like....

..... and it's pretty darn fun!!

Batman/Elmer Fudd #1 is a very noir-esque tale which follows the latter as he goes about 'hunting wabbits' in an effort to avenge the murder of his love, Silver St Cloud. However, upon finding his prey, Bugs 'the bunny' others Fudd the name of the man who hired him to save his own skin: Silver's ex-lover, Bruce Wayne. But when Batman swoops in to confront Fudd's mission, the two must set aside their differences in order to get to the truth.

Now, as I read this, all I could think was how Fudd centric King's story was. However, that is in no way a bad think as I thought Elmer Fudd was portrayed as an immensely competent character (albeit rather gullible) who fit so perfectly in this Batman/noir world. Of course, this was probably helped by Lee Weeks gorgeous art as he produces a really good Noir atmosphere with his art (which I now recall from Daredevil: Dark Nights).

Elmer Fudd appears to be
one of the few characters who
can go toe to toe with Batman.

And then there's the cameos. I know looney toons has a large array of four characters but I didn't realise how many until I tried yes song them all here. Bugs Bunny is, naturally, the biggest here and his place as the antagonist makes sense, but I never realised what a nasty piece of work he actually is until reading this made me think back. All the other characters, meanwhile, aren't as well fleshed out but it was fun to read through and connect the dots between their regular characters and who they are here.

Meanwhile, the backup story, which is a rehash of the 'Duck Season, Rabbit Season' cartoon but mixed with Batman, is quite different in terms of it's tone. However it was still quite a giggle, with King seemingly 'getting' the humour of those old cartoons down perfectly.

In the end, while it probably wasn't as thought provoking as some of my other recent reads, I really enjoyed this incredibly fun and beautifully drawn story. In fact, if reading this comic has taught me anything, it's that Elmer Fudd is actually an incredibly compelling character to follow and makes me see his cartoon appearances, while still antagonistic, in a whole new light. If DC made a mini-series following this rendition of the character (ideally with King writing), I would not be against it.

Avengers Undercover

As I begin writing this post, I think back to when and why I picked up both volumes of Avengers Undercover.

The when is pretty easy as I picked it up along with Marvel 2-in-1 Volume 1 back in November. It was Black Friday week and while looking for a second title to make buying to get the marks on my loyalty card worth while, I found both volumes in their second hand section for half price. They were in very good condition too so I'm not sure if 'second hand' could be a valid description.

However, beyond the money saving aspect, the 'why' I bought the series is something a little difficult to hold down. I know it wasn't a spur of the moment purchase but rather it was something I had planned to pick up, but I don't know why. I had picked up the first issue of Avengers Arena way back when and almost immediately dismissed the title as 'not my thing.' However, many years later and I found Dennis Hopeless' whole Avengers saga (Arena and Undercover combined) to be something that was piquing my interest.

Therefore, seeing both volumes of Avengers Undercover here seemed like and appropriate purchase (albeit not the chronological one).

So, Avengers Undercover takes place (if you hadn't guessed) after Avengers Arena, where 16 young superheroes are kidnapped by the villain Arcade to take part in a Hunger Games-like death match, only with added superpowers. Now, the survivors are ....well, surviving. Struggling to move on from the traumatic experience they took part in, all the while being vilified or mocked or spoken about by a public who watched the whole event from the comforts of their home.

Avengers Undercover Vol. 1 & 2.

But one other thing which seems to unite them is a vengeance on their missing captor and when one of their number disappears in his search for Arcade, the remaining survivors band together to travel to a Supervillain city to find him. However, when they arrive their fame provides them with an opportunity to be heroes again, by playing the part of villains in order to destroy this city from within. A plan which couldn't fail, right?

Now, I'll be honest. Despite having enough interest in this series, I found myself seriously lacking the enthusiasm to actually pick it up and start it. Even after four months of sitting on my shelves, I've gone on to read Avengers Forever, Marvel 2-in-1 vols. one and two, Batman: White Knight, The entire Slott Fantastic Four, No Justice, New Frontier, God country, FF Masterworks, Super Sons of Tomorrow AND Superfreaks before it. If that isn't a sign in 'meh'ness, I don't know what is!!!

 

However, now I feel like I've done this title a real disservice because, 10 issues later, I absolutely loved this series. In a world where the big 2 employ an 'illusion of change' over all their characters, this series felt different and full of consequences and, effectively, unpredictable in how it would end.

 

I think what it is I enjoyed about this series was how inverted everything we know about superhero comics as they are. I mean, rare do we see heroes 'Breaking Bad' or going 'undercover', given their natural heroicness (is that a word?) prevents them from being taken seriously. However, given the 'damaged' position that these characters (who aren't particularly big name characters) find themselves in at the beginning, I like that it feels realistically sound that they could conceivably do this.

 

However, Hopeless seems to do a lot more than making a engrossing conspiracy thriller-esque story, instead making it seem like maybe the bad guys side isn't, necessarily, the wrong side. As I read through this series (particularly the first trade), I found myself asking a number of questions: 

• Why haven't the heroes gone after arcade? I mean, nine times out of ten they happily go after villains who have hurt their own but these 'kids' don't seem to get the same respect.
• When these kids commit a 'questionable' (and I put that lightly) act in order to acquire justice for themselves, I noticed Shield were awful quick getting there to arrest them. Again, could/would they have picked up Arcade as quickly?
• When offered the chance to join the Masters of Evil, I thought Zemo actually made some good selling points. The point how everyone has skills which are greater than others, so why are these Superhumans expected to use them in altruistic ways?
• I thought that, in the context of the world's current political climate, Zemo's reasons for his plan are actually really understandable. (That said was his plan a little too intricate?)

Nonetheless, these questions aside, I loved this series for a lot of reasons:

• The characters, particularly the 'heroes'. Hopeless really wrote them well, making them feel realistically damaged and broken and I actually cared about (most of) them. I admit I do wish I knew who they all were better to start with but that's probably my fault for reading this before Arena.
• The villains too are pretty awesome. Zemo and Hellstrom are incredibly charismatic and actually made me think that their line of thinking might actually have some benefits. Constrictor and many of the side players, such as Excavator, are equally enjoyable. Madame Masque is too, although I did think she was too 'nice' compared to how she should be.
• The art in this series was gorgeous throughout almost all of the issues, with Kev Walker and Green's styles looking very much the same, especially the Hell town scenes which are beautifully hellish, but with a neon-like hint. The Tigh Walker issue wasn't as impressive to me but, despite a difference in style, it didn't affect my enjoyment.

In the end, I was actually stunned by how much I enjoyed reading this. I had almost expected to read through it and then sell it on, something of a throwaway story. However, now that I've finished I'm annoyed with myself that I 1. discounted it for all these months and 2. Didn't give Arena more of a chance back when that first issue came out.

I guess it now means I've have to go back and pick up the Avengers Arena trades.

 (And when I say 'have to' I do mean 'want to'!!!!)

The Vision

So, a funny anecdote before I begin. When I turned 34, my brother bought me two graphic novels; Power Man and Iron Fist Volume 1 and the Vision Volume 2. I never quite understood why someone would buy a second volume before a first, but my brother did.

I still love him for getting me comics for my birthday though!!!

(From here on in there might be spoilers. Sorry.)

The Vision is something I've been meaning to write about for a good long time. After picking up (the latter) half of the series in 2017, I didn't get around to reading this series until late 2018 (at least six months after getting volume 1) as I was currently taking a break from writing/blogging.

The Vision Vol. 1 & 2

Well, I'm back here now and having gone great guns in the last couple of months and with only a couple of bus reading weeks left (baby no.2 is a week away as I write this, meaning the bike will return afterwards), I figured it would be good to re-read this series and see if it gave me just as many thoughts as the initial read through did.

Guess what? It did!!!

So, to the two people who haven't read it (in fairness, I'm probably being generous as I'm sure I was the last person to actually read this series in the world), The Vision follows the eponymous Avenger of the same name, as he goes to the next stage at becoming more human; by building himself a wife and twin teenage children (as I write this, all I can think of is Red Dwarf and Lister building a robot Marilyn Monroe for Kryten's 'farewell' party). Now, the Vision, his wife Virginia and children Viv and Vin have moved into a normal house in a normal neighbourhood in order to pursue a normal life. However, normal does not appear to be part of their programming as events conspire against them, forcing each of them to be more human than they may have imagined they could be.

I deliberately kept the events of the story from my little 'synopsis' there, but I gave it some gravitas to make my point which is that this series by Tom King and Gabriel Hernandez Walta is incredible, amazing, outstanding and poignant.

While it did take some time for me to get there (the majority of the first issue felt pretty standard to me), once the series really got going, I was absolutely captivated by the characters and their story. A lot of things about what King tried to say and do really spoke to me as I read through these books and found, maybe as a result of our similar status' as husbands/fathers, that I really connected to and embrace the Vision's plight throughout.

The Vision reminds me of an episode of Star Trek Voyager, where the Doctor (played by Robert Picardo) created a holographic 'perfect' family to enhance his bedside manner. However, when it is pointed out that they are too perfect and not real, changes are made which sees a more realistic outlook of family life, but also a more painful one.

I think the same thing occurred here. Almost from the get go, while the family seems eerily 'perfect', the cracks begin to show with the very first tragedy as each character seems to struggle with the part that they are playing, maybe similar to how method actors perform their roles (i.e. getting fully invested).

I think this is best exemplified by Virginia, who takes to her wife/mother roles far too well and beyond maybe what she was programmed to be. Her struggle, best shown in her 'stammer' which appears quite early on, makes me think of Westworld (which I've recently watched) and how the characters struggle with their speech as they go beyond their programming.

In truth, watching Virginia in this book is immensely intriguing for I think she has an incredible arc of trying to reconcile who and what she is. Of course, that doesn't mean the other characters are any less compelling to me as Viv's compassion for her friend and Vin's obsession with Shakespeare as the series progress implies their ever growing empathy and need for justice from their initial 'blank slate' which (in my opinion) is just as interesting as watching any 'real' child grow.

However, for me, it was always the Vision that kept me reading as his arc felt so resonant to me personally. Pretty much throughout this story, his actions not only make sense to me but could (quite possibly be) be the exact actions I might make in his situation. Some of these are:

• When he thinks 'He must love her', which really made me think his marriage was a analogy for an arranged marriage.
• When he say 'press that button and I will kill you' to Tony Stark in response as they try and save his daughter makes perfect sense. What parent won't go all the way for their children. This is the same again during the finale
• His reminiscing of his son later on and how, at the time, he was 'too busy'. I know I'm guilty of this on occasion and this was a scene which made me think.
• Lying for his wife because, when your backs against the wall, who wouldn't for the person they love?

I could probably go on and on, but I'm running out of lunch and still have some other stuff I want to talk about.

This other stuff regards the Avengers and their 'impact' in the ongoing narrative. As I continued to read through this, all I could think about was how antagonistic and just plain wrong Earth's Mightiest Heroes were when it came to their place in the making of this story.

While I understand that they came from a place of concern, I found it odd that they had so little trust in their teammate the Vision that they had to plant a spy on him (by the way, I'm sure Victor was meant to be a drug addict based on his flashback scene). This action led to three deaths when Victor panicked and no one seemed to be held accountable apart from the 'innocent' (and I do use that term loosely given earlier actions) Visions, who seemed to be unjustly imprisoned. From this, not only could I completely get the Vision's logic for his final actions, but I also wonder if the Marvel trinity were ever arrested as accomplices to murder/manslaughter?

I'm running out of time now so I'm going to try and end here. All in all, the Vision was a truly groundbreaking series, deserving of all the praise I heard it getting. This was an evolution to the Fraction/Aja Hawkeye series as it focused on a real life aspect of a hero and not his 'heroics'.

I must confess that I'm now incredibly despondent with the revelation that Chelsea Cain's sequel series was cancelled because King's original having ended the way it did offered so much rich story to continue with. A grieving widower, a single parent, a hero betrayed by his friends, a man trying to move on with his life, a robot attempting to conquer the most painful aspects of humanity. There were maybe more, but these alone would have gotten my money for without a second's hesitation.

However, it's not going to happen and, as sad as it is, that's ok. I really loved reading the Vision, both the first time and the second. Regardless of where the characters/series goes, it was one hell of a terrific read.

My Pull list: January and February 2019

So, I'm a little bit late with writing this (or a lot in the case of January). The reason being is twofold. 1. I've just been feeling incredibly lazy and 2. I've being burning the lunchtime oil on other posts of other books as well as reviews for Pipedream and the odd bit of scripting.

Also, I wanted to go through the 2018 Fantastic Four issues before getting this years books looked at (and that has also taken a bit of time to get to).

Star Trek IDW 20/20
Image from Comixology

My first pull list read for the year was Star Trek: The Next Generation: IDW 20/20, which was one of a selection of one shots which IDW released throughout their various comic series to celebrate their 20th anniversary (I think?), with each issue focusing on events 20 years in their comics respective pasts or futures. This issue went backwards as we got to see the beginning of Captain Picard's tenure as commander of the U.S.S. Stargazer as well as an early encounter between him and Jack and Beverly Crusher.

Now, I've always loved Star Trek the TV show, but the comics never really appealed to me. However, while Star Trek: The Next Generation: Mirror Broken certainly changed that and help hook me in, I struggled to find a subsequent run which I enjoyed just as much. This one shot, unfortunately, continue that run as it still failed to live up to my lofty aspirations set by Mirror Broken. I think the thing that got me about it was how' you are here' it was, not really setting everything up sufficiently and assuming you would know all the players which, while I do, it doesn't hurt to start the story at the beginning instead of halfway through.

That said, it wasn't all bad as the premise was an interesting one and, I have to confess, if they made a mini-series charting this early life of Picard I would pick it up, especially if J.K. Woodward was drawing it. I really love Woodward's art (it's lack of presence may have been a key reason for my problems with Through the Mirror) and to see him so accurately portray Picard and Beverly but with a younger slant was just gorgeous. For me, this art was what I enjoyed most about the issue but I think the same could be said about anything with Woodward's art (I still maintain that he should draw Star Trek on an ongoing basis.

Overall, however, I think I could take or leave this issue. While it was gorgeous to look at, it was only an ok read. However, if they David and Woodward came back to do a mini to follow on from this, I'm not sure I'd say no.

Fantastic Four #6, the
beginning of the Herald
of Doom. Image from
Comixology.

Next was Fantastic Four #6 and #7 (which, admittedly, were released a month apart. However, because they are the same story arc, I'm going to rope them in together). These two issues started a new arc in Dan Slott's run as the First Family, fresh from the Thing's wedding to Alicia Masters, race to Latveria to face down the returning Galactus, despite having been warned off by Dr Doom who has plans of his own when combating the devourer of worlds.

This arc took me a couple of reads to get on board with, as after my initial catch up and read through of the first couple of arcs for this new run, I did worry. This certainly was the case with issue 6, as I struggled to find the story overally compelling, although the characters and their dynamics certainly felt familiar and made me happy to see. The things which I think got to me was:

1. The almost immediate use of the FF's big two villains (I'd have thought they'd be held until later in the run)
2. How this arc seemingly undoes all of Doom's 'growth' in Invincible Iron Man, Infamous Iron Man and Marvel 2-in-1. And
3. How the book immediately seems to jump into standard superhero fares, despite my hope that it would mostly avoid that.

(Also, I got to me how Reed called Doom 'Doom' as he always calls him 'Victor'. However, that's a small thing).

Fantastic Four #7 and this
Ribic cover is gorgeous.
Image from comixology

Thankfully, issue 7 fixed those niggles I had for issue 6 (although, maybe not point 1, entirely) and has turned the arc around for me as I got to see the Fantastic Four more in the light that I know them as. It also helped that this issue started to open up the plot a bit more (something I struggled with prior) and explain the reasons behind both Galactus' and Doom's actions. In fact, I enjoyed hearing Doom's actions as they implied that he hadn't simply been reset.

Meanwhile, I loved the art of both issues, with Jason Kuder's style making me think back to the Waid/Wieringo run (although the story did that too now that I think about it) and Esad Ribic's covers looking truly spectacular. Suffice to say, while I may have been worried to start with, this arc turned me around as it has gone on and I am looking forward to issue 8.

And with that, January and February's pull list is all read up. It's been an ok couple of months worth of titles (for me anyway. Everyone else, this is a third of a week I bet) but hopefully, with the return of Lazarus, Detective 1000 and the end of Black Science, March's pull list will be far superior.

Dan Slott's Fantastic Four (so far).

(Note: This is my thoughts on Fantastic Four #1-5 as well as the Wedding Special. Some spoilers may be included. Sorry.)

As I write this, it is the day after February's final New Comic Book Day and I had picked up issue 7 of Dan Slott's Fantastic Four run. As I walked back to work, I found myself having some trepidation with reading it. I found myself wondering 'am I actually enjoying this series or am I just picking them up for the sake of it?'

Therefore, as I wanted to return to writing a post a month about the comics I pick up from my pull list and this was only the second month of 2019, and so having little in the way of catch up, I thought that I would go back through the first five issues and the wedding special and lay out what I thought about them.

The entire of Dan Slott's Fantastic Four so
far (the digital copies anyway)!!

This first arc (or two if Comixology is to be followed) from Slott, Pichelli, Casselli, Kuder and more and various others follows two plot threads: The first being the return of the Richards family, while the second focused on the wedding of Ben 'The Thing' Grimm to Alicia Masters. Now, I could try to be more in depth about what exactly happens in these first six issues but 1. this may push into spoiler territory (which I'd like to avoid and, besides, it's better to find out when reading) and 2. what I've said are pretty much the meat and potatoes of the series so far.

Funnily enough, this simple level of storytelling is actually what I prefer and after hammering through all these issues I realised that I do really enjoy this run so far.

I'd previously post about the return of the Fantastic Four and how, while I thought Slott would do some big cosmic stuff, I was worried about how he'd handle the characters in general. Fortunately, the worries have thus far been proven to be completely unfounded as all these characters feel exactly as I believe they should be after who knows how long I've been reading them.

With the first three issues, revolving around the return to the Marvel Universe of the Richards Clan, the book felt exactly as I know it from the get go. These first three instalments really felt like Slott was showing me (and naysayers in general) not to worry as he gave us a specific focus of the books identity with each issue. The first issue focused on the characters in their normal lives, playing out their family dynamic than their superheroing. Meanwhile the second issue was more about the outlandish, incredible, exploration notion that the team have always strived to be as it followed the Future Foundations escapades during their 'missing years'. Finally, the third issue felt like a combination of the two while focusing on some big action/superheroics. For me these three issues felt like quintessential FF in both look and feel, action and reaction.

Now, the fourth issue was, for me, the let down of the first arc. That's not to say that it was bad in anyway as the FF return to Earth to find a Fantastic Four-like analogy having taken over their home and possibly their place in the MU. I enjoyed this as, once again it showed off the characters exactly as I remembered them; with Torch jumping straight in and Reed making some cool deductions at the end. However, I felt that this issue was included for little reason beyond moving the team to a new base (which doesn't make it a bad thing).

However, it's the Wedding Special and #5 which were the best of the bunch in my opinion. These two issues, which presented the lead up to as well as the wedding itself, showed the family perfectly as a family. Now, I don't know if I've mellowed in my old age but watching the Batchelor/Batchelorette parties, seeing Ben get permission to marry and even Reed's decision on a Wedding Gift were infinitely better reads than them defeating Galactus or going to Hell or almost all of the other adventures they've been on. And what made these issues better were the art talent they got (not that Pichelli and Casselli's first four issues weren't awesome) as Michael Allred beautiful homage of early Kirby work (which I recognised panel for panel having read it recently) was perfect while I absolutely loved Adam Hughes single panel showing the ladies out on the town.

All of this was capped off with a final shot of the newly happy couple which just took my breath away in both look and dialogue.

So, I've gone on a bit longer than I expected to go but, suffice to say, I think my worries as I picked up issue 7 were seriously out of whack. I will admit I'm a little worried about seeing the Four fight Doctor Doom so early in Slott's tenure, but he's proven me wrong before and so I'm willing to read/re-read them knowing they'll probably meet my seal of approval.

DC The New Frontier

When I announced on Twitter that I would be reading this DC New Frontier about a week ago (as of when I wrote this), Artist Robert Ahmad's response was 'About God Damn Time!'

My response to him was 'All good things come to those who wait.'

Never have truer words been spoken!!

DC: The New Frontier is (almost) the last of my Birthday/Christmas bundle (with the exception of New 52 Action Comics volume 3) and it ended up as the finale of all these comics for a couple of reasons. Firstly, and primarily, its size (500 plus pages) was something that made me decide that I wanted to leave until the end and after I had written all the regular-sized trades I had in my to read pile.



DC: The New Frontier.

However, the deciding factor was my trepidation about reading it. DC: The New Frontier is one of those books which always appears on every must read list I've ever seen or heard about and that, if for no other reason, was why I wanted it. However, I had watched the animated adaptation and wasn't all that impressed by it and, as a result, feared whether I would actually enjoy reading this. After all, 500 plus pages is a lot of book to force myself to read if I don't enjoy it.

Thankfully, as I closed the back cover to this behemoth of a comic, I'm glad to say that this was a fear which was totally unfounded!!

Taking place from the end of the Second World War and through the Korean War and McCarthyism, DC: The New Frontier follows DC's greatest silver age as they live through the silver age. A time of paranoia, communist witch hunts, and space races, we see the origins of some of our favourite heroes as they struggle to be the heroes we know in this past environment. Meanwhile, as these characters come into their own, they find themselves on a collision course of a terrible evil with which they may not survive.

So, my mandatory synopsis/selling spiel done, let's get down to what's really important; my thoughts and general ramblings.

In short, I F*&%$*£ loved this book!!! While the fear of what I was going to think existed from the moment I opened that front cover, as soon as I saw that first panel I was hooked. DC: The New Frontier is such an immensely beautiful, compelling and immersive book that I'm not sure I've ever been hooked by a comic as much as this one in the nearly twenty year reading history I have.



I consider this the 'Armageddon' shot.

There is so much I enjoyed about this title which make me laugh a little because I have found myself struggling to remember how it started (but I have skimmed back over it as I write this). This ultimately is the title's greatest achievement; it's content. The New Frontier is dense and I don't mean hard to read or stupid but jam packed from beginning to end. I loved how much Darwyn Cooke (who I'm going to name, despite everyone knowing he wrote this, because I now owe him that much) fit into this series.

This title really has two, maybe three, primary protagonists; Martian Manhunter, Green Lantern and Wonder Woman, but even though this is their story ultimately, the number of characters included in here is earth shattering. But what's the amazing part about all this isn't the number of characters that were included but the fact that each and every one of them feels filled out and spot on perfectly depicted in character and appearance (albeit with a more Golden Age tilt). As I read through this, I felt like I recognised and understood every character; From the Losers to Rick Flagg, the Challengers to King Faraday, not one of them seemed shoe-horned in or surplus and included just for fun or as an Easter egg.



The title's panel layout. Always three panels going the width
of the page, or a variation that there of.

Of course, the characters aren't all that drew me in. The story is a mixed bad for me as the big bad, save the day aspect was really cool and helped end the story beautifully. However, for me, the part of this story I loved was the day to day living of these heroes through Cooke's realistic depiction of 50's America. I really enjoyed reading as the superheroes we all know and love and have grown up with were confronted with the real life struggles of the era as the power-fearing government forced them to be controlled in various ways (I.e. Registration, retirement, incarceration etc.) As I read it, and stopped to reflect, it occurred to me how relevant the New Frontier's narrative is to our current day world, with so much fear mongering and discrimination by those in power and the struggle by those willing to stand against it to make a difference.

Sorry, more politics than I care to bring to this door.

That's not to say the big bad, save the day aspect was bad or boring, because it wasn't. The title's giant action sequence, coupled with the characterisation and the 'McCarthyism' really helped make this book feel epic. Now, I've bandied that word around a bit in the last few months as I've been reading some notable event comics such as Avengers Forever and Justice League: No Justice. However, with DC: The New Frontier, I have to admit that I'm confident that 'Epic' has never been more appropriately placed than right here.



Amongst the special features, I
REALLY love this cover!!!

The art meanwhile....well, what do I say about the art? Much like the rest of the book, I absolutely adored the art, which has this tremendous art deco look which really makes it feel like the story is matching the era it is set in. Everything, from the characters classic looks to the architecture and beyond, just fits this series so tremendously and I now have a hard time believing anyone else could better it. However, what I really love about this is the panel layout, which sees almost every page broken down into three panels (or at least uniform thirds of the page for larger panel counts). This not only added to the stylisation in my eyes but also, I think, helped with the pacing and the flow of the comic as I found myself easily following the story because of it. As a result, it felt like I just flew through my reading of it as I burned through 50 pages every 20 minutes (A 30 page comic usually takes me 15 to read), although this may have been down to the fact I enjoyed it so much as opposed to the layout of the pages.

Now, I could probably go on and on about this, but I'm running out lunch time. So, in the end, it's fair to say that I didn't just enjoy this but loved it immensely!! I've often been told that DC: The New Frontier was this tremendous piece of fiction, up there with Shakespeare or other hyperbole, but I also assumed this to be hype. No comic is that good, is it? Well, I now consider myself well and truly schooled. The GN is, without a doubt, the star of my collection (and it's jumped some good stuff to get there) and I plan to read this incredibly regularly if time and my family allow it.

I'll finish up now by saying that, yesterday, I had a tweet from Andy W. Clift, who said about DC: The New Frontier that 'It's a true testament to the master that was Darwyn Cooke. That book will last for generations.'

I never thought that would be true of anything I've read, but with this, Andy nailed it on the head.