• Batman Detective Comics #848
• Guerillas #1
• Criminal #5
• Scalped #21
• The Lone Ranger #13
• Buffy: The Vampire Slayer #18
• Ex Machina #38
• Final Crisis: Revelations #2
• Lucky #2

Reviews after the jump...

Detective Comics #848 underwhelms this week, continuing to elicit an overall lukewarm and quickly withering response in me to the "Heart of Hush," story arc in general. Last month I expressed my general antipathy for Hush as a character and the belabored flashbacks necessary (micro-thin veneer of pathos? Check. My total lack of interest? Check.) to make Hush remotely interesting. At this point I'm wondering if Dini is just in a pissing match with Grant Morrison's Batman R.I.P. arc as they've got parallel criminal masterminds who have knowledge of Batman's secret identity enlisting other villains to wear Batman down to presumably kill/break him once and for all. For real this time, definitely (maybe). While Batman R.I.P. is shockingly absurd and surreal at times-- it's genuinely intriguing and suspenseful. When was the last time Batman was so unpredictable? (Or poorly dressed, I mean a purple cowl w/ clashing red/yellow tights? Girl, that outfit is busted....)

Relative to the lysergic highs of Morrison's opus, Dini's more coherent but dull storyline is definitely suffering by comparison. Aside from some face-kicks that just might mildly thrizzle the ISB (or like-minded face-kicking enthusiasts), DC#848 is a dud despite potential for high-stakes action (the lives of Catwoman and some random kidnapped kid, "hang in the balance!"). But since this is a superhero book, "high-stakes action" is by definition: average, and the issue's ending takes titular literalism to a place where groans go to die.

And those groans are only then resurrected, 'roided-up, and freed to smash pre-existing expectations of mediocrity with... Guerillas #1, a Vietnam war book with the worst twist-at-the-end, this side of a stirred-Hákarl martini. Right up till the end the book is innocuous and enjoyable enough, the art serviceable if lacking in subtlety as it conveys the story of cowardly new recruit to the US armed forces. Flashing between the horrors of war and the more mundane traumas that led him to enlisting, the story seemed to be a genre exercise-- Vietnam war as bildungsroman. Page after page we get brief introductions to other soldiers before they're immediate shot and killed bye enemy snipers. The cowardly private manages to survive the massacre of his entire troop, with a large mass of Viet Cong on the verge of discovering him when he is miraculously rescued by savage, shadowy soldiers.

And spoilers be damned with a cover price of $5.99, I can't warn enough folks away-- the last page reveals that dude got rescued by ARMED MONKEYS in G.I. fatigues. Even as a comic-book-reading anti-war pinko-mofo-liberal post-punked so-and-so, I gotta say I was bothered by such a silly-ass rendering of a very real war. I'm sure there are folks who are gonna get some LAFFS out of monkeys shooting up Viet Cong, but this makes Marvel Apes seem outright classy in comparison. Cripes, I can't believe I even had to type a sentence that distinguishes a comic that features Captain America as a gorilla as classier than any other comic.

All is not dark this week, or rather there's some darkness worth recommending with Criminal #5 . Part two of, "Bad Night" continues to smolder and spark as Jacob's life continues to run off the proverbial rails. I'm running out of synonyms for both "murky" and "awesome," to describe Brubaker's compelling crime series, but suffice it say that you get something "murksome," when you add together: conflicted sex, hastily drawn guns, a dead body, and Frank Kafka chiming in with his cartoon P.I. advice.

Speaking of running out of ways to say something's "murksome," Scalped #21 kicks off a new storyline, "The Gravel In Your Guts." With the previous arc settling into a nihilistic idyll, we see more action in this issue than we've seen in the past three. Opening with a classic flash-forward cliff-hanger, Red Crow reluctantly enters a cafe an unloads his gun-clip inside before jumping back to the present and leaving us dangling. We then catch up with Dino Poor Bear getting pulled over, robbed, and forced to act as a drug courier for one of Red Crow's thugish cops.

Even with two unnamed dead bodies in the casino, it's a relatively bloodless issue and this relative lack of violence seems to be about all the good will writer Jason Aaron can muster for his characters. For every reprieve from trauma and bloodshed-- it only seems to make these characters' collective future seem fraught with greater misery. At the end of the issue Red Crow is offered a significant opportunity for redemption, but it hinges on him living a "harmonius life. No fighting, no arguing. Everything [he does] must help to purify this soul." And with our little glimpse of the future and the fact that this is Scalped we're reading, well there's a better chance of me endorsing a national security strategy centered around a counter-insurgency strike force composed of primates. Heeeey, I have an idea for a comic to pitch.....

The Lone Ranger #13 is slowly paced for a comic that's primary action is set putting out a fire. A slow pace isn't a bad thing necessarily, but instead of drawing out tension the way Scalped did with their last arc, the Lone Ranger seems to be losing momentum. There just isn't a whole lot happening in the issue or behind the scenes to keep me on the hook. I started reading LR based on the recommendation of an acquaintance, skeptical that I'd be interested in the grim and gritty revamp™ of the classic Western hero. Surprisingly, I loved it. The comic was faithful to the story and origin (a group of betrayed Texas Rangers left for dead, with a lone survivor) but matched its tone to the bleakness of the modern Western film, rather than the grinning cheer of the original radio serials. But after a long hiatus the title has returned without a strong direction, just stretching established plot threads without giving us a whole lot more to chew on.

Buffy: TVSS8 #18 is packed-full of the pithy Joss Whedon dialogue that's enamored nerds everywhere. [My laptop's presently out of power, I'll post a particularly pithy panel por example later on, I promise...] Things are getting more confusing for Buffy in the far-flung future, but despite a few cliff-hanger conflicts and a double-cross-- this issue is breezy and I daresay, "witty romp" in classic Whedon style.

Ex Machina #38 is another title that seems to have lost some of its ineffable zang. Some solid character stuff going on (Helloooo, chief!) but the political parallels and issues Brian K. Vaughn raises by framing the action in NYC's 2004 Republican convention would be more compelling if we didn't presently have a white hot presidential race demanding our attention .

Final Crisis: Revelations 2 of 5 is a weird read, and not in a good way. I'm picking it up because I'm a Greg Rucka fan but will probably drop it after this second less-than-satisfying issue. FC: Revelations attempts to map out the metaphysics of the DC universe, and it's just a mess of muddily rendered characters, shallow religious allusions, and strange, strange choices. I recently finished re-reading all the Gotham Central TPBs and I can't help but miss the more mundane police detectives we used to know. Renee Montoya (now the Question,) and Crispus Allen (now the Spectre) are no longer (and haven't been for a while) relatable characters thanks to bloated storylines like the largely mediocre 52 and just-plain-awful, Countdown to Final Crisis. Having skipped much of the latter story, Montoya's connection to the already hokey cult of the "crime bible" stuff was lost on me as was any emotional resonance with Crispus Allen's turgid Spectre-related inner turmoil.

Honestly, I don't mind that Montoya is the Question, it's a character evolution that has a lot of promise (which has largely been squandered). Allen as the Spectre is a less pleasing choice, it just seems like a lazy mish-mash of DC past/present that clashes with both characters roots other than that the original Spectre was a cop, too. (The Spectre as a character has kind of jumped the shark in a lot of ways but that's a whole other subject of discussion...) I just miss the very real flaws, passions, and circumstances readers used to get out of Brubaker and Rucka's Gotham Central. Mirroring the best TV police procedurals, Gotham Central had tight pacing and efficiently engaging character work-- all the basic requirements for fantastic drama with believable stakes for the ordinary cops who dealt with Gotham city's super-villainous crime. So it's a bit jarring to find these characters in a comic that seeks to map how the DCU's God(s) relates to the New Gods of the Fourth World and how that relates to new religions, ancient (but heretofore unknown) prophecies and... it's a mess, essentially because there are too many pantheons to reconcile and far too much omnipotence to go around.

Gabrielle Bell's Lucky (Vol. 2) #2 is an airy antidote to FC: Revelation's dreary self-importance. While she's an Ignatz winner for "Most Outstanding Mini-Comic," I'd previously only encountered Bell's work in anthologies. Bell mixes short, anecdotal travel-diary style entries with a few longer (but still brief) stories about disconnection and the common search for personal relevance. The most affecting story is about Bell running away from home at age 11, and how acutely isolation is felt in adolescence.

p.s. Before it's assumed that I'm an anti-primate species-ist, let me remind you that #48 on my Hembeck 100 favorite things about comics list was, "Gorillas who are often accompanied by brains in jars." Apes (both greater and smaller) and the subject of war deserve more craft and attention than a simple gotcha ending is all I'm saying.

]]> http://readrant.wordpress.com/?p=2663 Fri, 19 Sep 2008 21:10:22 +0000 seventhsoldier http://readrant.es.wordpress.com/2008/09/19/seventhsoldiers-the-best-of-the-best-and-the-restin-the-nest/

All-Star Superman

Yesterday, All-Star Superman – otherwise known as Grant Morrison’s ASS – came to an end, finally.  With the stated objective of telling the definitive Superman story, Morrison and artist Frank Quitely set a rather high bar for themselves, setting up against such classics as Alan Moore’s Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow? and Alan Moore’s For the Man Who Has Everything and…uhhh…just, really, Alan Moore.  With the last issue on the stands, we can finally look back at the series and ask: Did All-Star Superman make a mistake by setting the bar so high?

Nope.

It cleared it.

Morrison and Quitely made sure to touch on as many aspects of the Superman mythos as humanly possible in a twelve issue series, with an issue featuring Lex Luthor, an issue about Jimmy Olson, a trip to the Bizarro Cubed Earth, and more.  Many comic fans who aren’t reading the series have derided All-Star Superman as a Silver Age throwback, completely missing the point – to provide a continuity-free retrospective on the history of Superman, be it Golden, Silver, or Modern.

The book isn’t flawless, of course.  The Bizarro two-parter can drag on, which is a shame given that it’s the only two-parter in the series, the rest of the book composed of a series of one-shots tied together by the central conceit of ‘How would Superman react if he knew he was going to die soon?’  But, beyond that, the book hits a variety of emotional highs and lows, has insane, epic action, and just in general manages to succeed.

It isn't flawless, but looking back on the series as a whole, this is the only mainstream comic work that I imagine stands a chance of being mentioned in the same breath, 10 years from now, as Watchmen or The Sandman.

Grade: A+

Final Crisis: Revelations #2

Final Crisis: Revelations is a great many things.  It's spiritual sequel to both Infinite Crisis and 52.  A direct sequel to The Five Books of Blood.  A tie-in to Final Crisis.  Under a lesser writer than Rucka, this might be too much material to work into a 5-issue series, but it does well. 

This issue is the first that feels like a 'traditional' tie-in, in the sense that it takes a standard character - The Question - and uses the current event to shake up that character's status quo, introduce a new enemy based on the major event, etc....  The issue feels very traditional in many ways, but it's still good.  The long-needed introduction of an element of balance to the Spectre occurs, a major reveal regarding one of DC's older villains, and a reunion of sorts between Cris and Renee in their new roles all keep the action rolling, but it's the emotional core of the issue that makes it great.  This is Rucka revisiting his old toybox, and it seems like he's having a good time doing so.

The revelations of this issue all felt natural and needed, the action was engaging, and emotions ran high.  All around solid, but nothing spectacular.  A competent tie-in, and a strong issue on its own.

Grade: B+

Secret Six #1

Everyone's already said most of what needs to be said, but Simone really nailed it, here.  The twisted humor and uncomfortable camaraderie of the Six are perfect, and the new villain is intriguing.  All-in-all, a solid start to this new series.  Hopefully, it'll be around for a good little while.

Grade: A-

Captain Britain and MI:13 #5

For anyone wondering if the quality of Captain Britain would keep up once the Secret Invasion tie-in ended, the short answer is: "Hell Yes."  Cornell and crew are now using the book to look at a variety of British heroes, so this issue sees cameos from more than one, of all calibers - from nobodies like Captain Midlands to bigger characters some people might not know were British, like Blade.  The issue is fun and engaging, but it's still set-up, and it leaves off with a frankly ridiculous cliffhanger.

Oh, Blade.  You aren't a team player.

Grade: B+

Fourth Wall Weekly #22: The COMICS Show Notes For The 2nd Week of September

Mainstream Weekly:

MARVEL

On The Invasion Front:

• Secret Invasion 6 [00:39]
• Deadpool 1 [09:59]
• Ms Marvel 30 [14:18]
• Secret Invasion: X-Men 2 [18:32]
• Secret Invasion: Runaways & Young Avengers 3 [22:21]
• Secret Invasion: Inhumans 2 [23:32]

Regular Titles:

• Ultimate Origins 4 [24:37]
• Amazing Spider-Man 571 [30:36]
• The Stand: Captain Trips 1 [37:37]
• X-Men Magneto: Testament #1 [38:49]
• Wolverine - Saudade [41:42]

DC

• Green Lantern Corps 28 [44:52]
• NEWS: All-Star Batman & Robin The Boy Wonder 10 [47:48]

Independents Day:

• Last Week’s Review: The Roberts [52:06]
• Welcome to Hoxford 2 [52:52]
• Epilogue 1 [56:10]
• Dead, She Said 3 [57:24]
• The Straw Men 2 [59:53]

Trade Show:

• Omega the Unknown Premiere HC [1:03:04]
• Frank Miller’s Bad Boy [1:03:42]
• Daredevil Guardian Devil 10th Anniversary Edition [1:05:55]
• Gotham Central Vol. 1 In the Line of Fire HC [1:06:49]

Well, I think you've got to give this mini-series credit for living up to the title.  The revelations come fast and furious in issue 2.

Apparently, god doesn't just have a spirit of vengeance.  He also has a spirit of Mercy who acts as a counter to the Spectre (and conveniently stops Cris Allen from killing his former partner, Renee Montoya.)  She also lays a major head trip on the latest host of the Spectre.  If god has mercy, why was Cris Allen forced to kill his own son?

The second major revelation of the issue really ties this mini-series into the main story of Final Crisis.  The prophesies in the Crime Bible finally start to come true as the Order of Stone acquires the Spear of Destiny.  They use the Spear to reveal the central figure of their religion, Cain.  I won't spoil Cain's identity here except to say that he is a known DCU character and that it makes perfect sense that he could be the biblical figure.

Speaking of the good book, Revelations also has a biblical meaning.  In the bible, the Book of Revelations is the story of the end of the world.  Once Cain is revealed, the Anti-Life Equation is unleashed upon the earth.  Through Renee Montoya, we get to see a more street-level perspective of the end-times which are being depicted on a grander scale in Final Crisis.

I found the final pages of this issue to be pretty chilling.  It's the super hero equivalent of a good zombie movie.  Ultimately, there is no escape.  By resisting the Anti-Life Equation, Renee is subjected to the horror of seeing the rest of the world fall apart around her.

There is so much good stuff in this issue and surely there is more to come.  The issue clearly sets up a confrontation between Cain and the Spectre.  And the final page teases us with a cliffhanger that leads into the events of Final Crisis #3.

Like so many of the Final Crisis tie-ins, this mini-series is stellar work.  It's not required reading, but you definitely shouldn't miss it.

I still need to read Five Books of Blood and reread 52 to understand some of this stuff, so bear with me. The first thing you'll notice while delving into this comic is Tan's beautiful art. Whether it's the gritty street material (Rucka writing something gritty?) or the cosmic Spectre stuff, Tan nails it all and manages to make it seem fresh. Well done sir.

Spectre is trying to punish Renee for things she thinks she isn't guilty of. We get some extra emotion (don't worry there's more) because Renee and Cris (Spectre) used to be partners. There's also some spear of destiny business that I'm a little fuzzy on. A fight occurs, but it's stopped by Spectre taking Renee somewhere. Renee is pissed about some prophecy being fulfilled if she can't stop it.

Where did Cris take her? To see her old flame, Batwoman, of course. This is supposed to be a kindness before he kills her. He then takes her to the Bat Signal to do the deed. Before cosmic Cris can whack Renee, the Spirit of Mercy shows up. First Libra, now this. Spectre can't kill anyone (except flamey and rapey).

Things start to get biblical and that aforementioned emotion kicks in as well. Why is Cris mad that the Spirit of Mercy shows up? Because he already had to kill his son as the Spectre! Why didn't Mercy show up then? Tough stuff! We cut to some more of that spear of destiny stuff and Vandal Savage (Woo hoo!) is there as well. Stuff gets talke.. oh my God! She just stabbed Vandal with the spear of destiny!

Vandal loses his shirt in typical William Shatner fashion and looks all badass with the spear of destiny and a mark on his face. He's all "Where is the one who marked me? Where is the spirit who must die? Where is Spectre?" Whoa, this shit just got real.

We're back to the Renee, Cris, and Spirit of Mercy (who is a nun in her human form named Clarice). Things are normal and then anti-life people show up! They attack and Spectre can't do much to stop them (God doesn't have much power does he?). Renee gets teleported again and she sees Batwoman on the floor. She's ok right? Oh no! She's speaking anti-life!

Whew! Was the last issue this epic? As I said, I was a bit confused in some parts. Please, if anyone could let me know what books to read to understand this stuff it'd be most appreciated. Other than that, I loved it. As I said, it looks great and Rucka is writing some interesting stuff. There are some genuine shocks in here (if you didn't read my spoilers) and some big things appear to be happening. I like self-contained books, but it's nice to read a comic that seems incredibly important to Final Crisis as well.

Ultimate Iron Man 2 #5 (***)

The last issue came out five months ago. How stupid is that? It missed out on all the Iron Man movie hype. I certainly had to read the recap and I still couldn't really remember much about the previous issues. Kick-Ass also came out this week. It had been quite awhile since that last issue and yet I remembered almost everything about it. That pretty much lets you know about the quality of this mini. There isn't much of a resolution to this story. This makes 10 issues now of Card's Ultimate Iron Man and yet the Iron Man at the end of this story still isn't the Iron Man in Ultimates. So, are there still going to be more of these? But this isn't a bad issue or even a bad mini-series. It's even possible that if you read the whole thing back to back, without the 5 month gap, this could be pretty good. This is still well-written. Just about all the characters are intriguing. Ferry's art gets the job done and it surpasses mediocre. So if you've been thinking about picking this up in trade, it certainly isn't bad and it's even a bit entertaining, just be prepared for the lack of resolution. Who knows? After Card writes five more of these it may actually link to the current Ultimate Iron Man.

Daredevil #110 (****1/2)

This is the conclusion of Brubaker's best arc on Daredevil. I suppose this arc isn't so impressive on the surface, but it was executed flawlessly. This has been a compelling mystery with the ongoing Daredevil theme of redemption. Daredevil's self centered masochistic nature is examined and he is told by the people he cares about to snap out of it. The supporting characters play a strong role here without overshadowing Matt. Michael Lark and Stefano Gaudiano handle the art chores wonderfully. They're always up to the task, whether that be a gritty action sequence or a complex dual narrative. Both of those appear in this issue I might add. What was in some ways the strongest part of this story was Daredevil overcoming some of his flaws, restoring a sense of positivity that isn't often seen within the pages of Daredevil. That was quite refreshing. If Rucka is indeed responsible for this shift in tone as I suspect he is, I will be truly sad to find his writing absent next issue.

Secret Invasion: For the past decade at least the Summer has been the time for large scale comics events and crossovers.  Actually for the past few years the events have all kind of blended together to the extent that some fans are complaining of event overload.  Secret Invasion is Marvel's entry this year, and it concerns an alien invasion of shape shifters who have been posing undetected as some of Marvel's most well known characters (in some cases for quite some time).  The book has received decent reviews overall and I've been enjoying it, but there are accessibility issues for those who haven't been following the last few years worth of Marvel stories.  In the end it will probably prove more significant for the effect it has on the Marvel line to come than for the story itself.

Final Crisis: Final Crisis is DC's answer to Secret Invasion.  It's being marketed as the day evil won.  The writer on this one is Grant Morrison, a personal favorite but someone who's more eccentric writing tendencies don't always lead to clearly told stories.  Final Crisis has also suffered from poor editorial control (the story did not match up with many of the details from the books that led into it, including the death of a major character).  Again I fear it's going to become essential reading because of its effects (notably the return of the Silver-Age Flash, Barry Allen) and not because of its own merits.

Final Crisis: the Legion of Three Worlds: The Legion of Three Worlds is a pseudo-spin-off of Final Crisis (because the worlds Final Crisis are in the title), and so far it's shaping up to be far superior to its parent book.  The story, crafted by the workhorse Geoff Johns and drawn by George Perez at the top of his game, is an attempt to redefine the Legion of Superheroes, one of DC's best loved but most muddled books.  Early reviews have uniformly praised the book and it is becoming a series I am greatly looking forward to the ending of.

Green Lantern: Another Geoff Johns book.  Johns relaunched Green Lantern a number of years ago now, bringing back classic ring bearer Hal Jordan and focusing on crafting a true mythology for the character.  Having succeeded at his initial goals he has worked to steadily up the ante on the action in the story.  Last year he gave us the Sinestro Corps War, in which a Universe wide battle broke out involving most of the villains from the biggest events in DC history.  Since that time he's been steadily building to The Blackest Night, a story which probably has more buzz going for it than anything in comics at the moment (including the 2 current events).  Keep an eye out for it.

Batman: RIP: In a similar bit of character redefinition, Grant Morrison has been steadily working on a deconstructionist take on Batman for awhile now.  His run has met with mixed reviews so far, albeit with a few standouts to date (the League of Heroes collaboration with J.H. Williams was one of my favorite comics last year).  But the culmination of his approach to the character is in the current story arch, in which Bruce Wayne suffers a massive psychological break and all of the events that led to the creation of the Batman are thoroughly reexamined.  It's been a riveting story and it seems pretty certain that the Batman coming out of it will be different than the one that went in to it.

The Punisher: Garth Ennis has just wrapped up what has been by far the best take on the Punisher in the character's history.  Make no mistakes this is an adult comic, in which the Punisher is portrayed as a near mythical force of nature.  It it grim, it is tightly plotted, the art is gorgeous, and it left me never wanting to read another Punisher comic because everything else can't help but come across as a disappointment after this.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season 8: Exactly what it sounds like.  Joss Whedon has reassembled a large portion of his writing staff from the classic show along with a number of comics writers with tv writing experience and has crafting a follow up season.  And it's really good.  If you were a fan of the show or know someone who was make sure to pick up this book as it has lost none of what made the Buffy great to begin with.

The Umbrella Academy: Easily the most enjoyable comic last year.  My Chemical Romance's front man Gerard Way has crafted an entirely original take on superhero comics (or is that dysfunctional family stories).  The art from Gabriel Ba is perfectly suited to the material (I don't know of anyone else who could nail something like a robot zombie Gustave Eifle with such wild abandon).  The sequel launches next year.

Criminal: Criminal is a show case for Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips to tell the sort of crime stories they love.  Besides the story each issue (which have consistently been the most well crafted comic of each month) the comics contain a wealth of interviews, reviews, and letter columns concerning the history of the crime genre.  The book is nearly as good as a reference resource as it is for the stories.

Collections: The last few years have been a great time for collected editions.  Bookstores and libraries have opened up to nicely bound editions and the major publishers have been doing a great job of dusting off their back catalogs.  A few archival projects are of particular note.  DC has been republishing some great hardcover editions of James Robinson's Starman, Grant Morrison's JLA, and everything Jack Kirby did for them in the 70's (The Fourth World Omnibus' have a place of honor on my bookshelves).  Some other recent highlight are Image's collections of Mike Allred's Madman, Oni's new editions of Greg Rucka's Queen and Country, and another personal favorite, Marvel's recently released omnibus edition of Howard the Duck (which really is an essential read, albeit a pricey one).

[caption id="attachment_203" align="alignleft" width="200" caption="Final Crisis - Revelations #1"][/caption]

Final Crisis - Revelations #1

Dc Comics

Written by Greg Rucka

Pencils by Philip Tan

What is the deal with people using the word Revelations in titles? Are they trying to be high brow? Are they trying to invoke Biblical themes of judgement and destruction? Are they trying to show they know what they're talking about? Because it's not working, people! It's Revelation. Not Revelations. There was one vision given to John written down in the New Testament. Not plural. You use Revelations and I'm going to write you off as a try hard. Sorry, that's just the way it is.

Anyway, let's talk about the Spectre.

The Spectre is a comic book character created in 1940. Police officer, Jim Corrigan, is murdered. His ghost is bonded with The Spirit of God's Vengeance and becomes The Spectre. He goes around finding people who are guilty and condemning them with an ironic punishment. For instance, a man who kills his parents with rat poison would be eaten alive from the inside by rats, etc. These days The Spectre is hosted by deceased police officer, Crispen Allen.

In Final Crisis, the superhero J'onn J'onzz: The Martian Manhunter, was brutallymurdered by a group of super villains. Final Crisis - Revelations follows up the consequences of this murder. Doctor Light and Effigy, who were accomplices to the murder, are the first to be literally snuffed out by The Spectre. But when The Spectre goes after the one who committed the deed, the mysterious Libra, he finds himself impotent to stop him. The Spectre then encounters Renee Montoya, aka The Question, who has recently become the leader of a faction of the Religion of Crime.

The DC Universe is a fantastic place. Aliens, magicians and technological geniuses work together for good or ill. Wonder Woman receives her powers from the Greek Gods. Blue Devil became a demon after a Faustian pact with an evil being. Deadman continues to exist because of Rama Kushna, the face of the universe. Captain Marvel takes on his super heroic form when calling out SHAZAM (an acronym for six figures of myth), a word given to him by an ancient wizard. Raven is the daughter of a demon from another dimension. So how does God fit into all of this?

The answer is not well. The Christian God is the one and only God, the almighty. It is not possible to integrate God into such a world as the DCU without weakening his power or making him irrelevant. God either can't act or won't act. He is either powerless before those other powers or he's indifferent and distant. This is not the God of the Bible. This is the problem that is faced by anyone who tries to write for The Spectre. Woflman and Perez held off The Spectre until the last minute in Crisis on Infinite Earths because The Spectre was too powerful. Even then they had him hold back.

In Final Crisis - Revelations, not only is The Spectre powerless to stop Libra, Libra is able to overpower him. This lessens the omnipotence of God. He is not all powerful. The nature of God is compromised.

When Crispin cries out to God because of this injustice, we are presented with a God who is distant. He doesn't explain himself. His actions appear arbitrary. God moves in mysterious ways, but these ways do not appear to be just. This is not the God who revealed himself through his Word and sent his son Jesus to deal with the problem of sin.

The Lord does say "Vengeance is Mine" (Deuteronomy 32:35). He is a God of justice and he will punish those who reject him. The problem with The Spectre however is that it ignores the cross. Everyone is deserving of punishment. It's not jsut murderers who are guilty. If The Spectre was doing his job properly, everyone would be subject to his ironic punishments. But because of his love and mercy, God sent Jesus to die on the cross and pay that punishment for us. All who accept the gift of Jesus are now free from the consequences of sin. However, God is a patient God. He is holding off judgement, holding off his vengeance, so that people will turn to him (2 Peter 3:9). The Spectre isn't necessary, as the day will come when everyone will come under judgement and face the prospect of God's vengeance.

The need for a human host for The Spectre is a boon for writers, but a loss for the doctrine of God. Crispen Allen presents a human element to The Spectre. We can relate to his doubts about the job before him. Our difficulty to understand is his difficulty. A Spectre without a human host is like trying to relate to a cyclone - a force of nature which we cannot relate to or understand. The downside is that God cannot act without man. A human is needed to bring control and justice to God's Vengeance. This is such a human centric view that ignores God's virtues. God is just. God is loving. God know what is best for his creationl. God doesn't need us in order to be more human, we need God in order to be more like him.

I'm interested to see where Rucka takes this series. It's about time someone dealt with Doctor Light. And I'm really keen to see where Rucka takes the storyline with the Religion of Crime.

Batman #679 (****)

Finally! An issue of RIP I can understand! I’m so late on this, and everyone else has said everything worth saying, I’ll keep this short. The Batman of Zur-en-arrh is OUTSTANDING FUN! Dude, he cuts out his own tooth!?! Converses with imaginary gargoyles and Bat-Mites!?! Beats the living crap out of everybody!?! And next, The Joker!?! OMG!!! I approve.

Detective Comics #847 (****)

This issue, Dini continues with the telling (or is that re-telling?) of the "Origin of Hush". So far, I like it. I like it better than the rushed garbage that was the introductory Jeph Loeb story (even if it was 12 issues of Jim Lee). But, I don’t like how civil Selina and Zatanna were. I was definitely looking forward to that fight. How do you guys feel about the Scarecrow retcon? Is this cool? I’m on the fence. I need more input. But, so far, like the rest of his run, I’m enjoying this arc.

Robin #176 (****)

Whoa, is this better than the first issue? Hell yes! My favorite stuff, and the RIP junk is nice but I really don’t care about it so much in a book starring Robin, anyway, the best stuff about Fabian’s run so far is that, unlike Dixon, he’s got Tim acting exactly as you’d expect a teenager to act in response to the return of a presumed dead girlfriend. RIGHT!?! He finally admits that he’s pissed at her. Screw Batman RIP, this is what I want from my Robin. Robin’s inability or refusal to act like a real person was one of my biggest complaints about the Dixon stuff, and I’m glad Batman editorial or Fabian or both have decided to do something about it. Well done, sirs.

Nightwing #147 (***)

Um, how does this tie-in to Batman RIP? And where the hell has Two-Face been since One Year Later? Please, explain. Aaaaand, I still hate the way Tomasi writes Dick, er, Richard. Whatever. Maybe Tomasi can only write villains? His black Adam was crazy scary as was his Mongul, and the villains in the "Manhunter Memorial" tie-in were spot on, but his Green Lanterns SUCK, his Justice League SUCKS and his Richard Grayson SUCKS. DC, give this man a villain book!

Final Crisis: Revelations #1 (****)

This was very nice. Spectre killing bad guys? FINALLY! Anyone else grossed out by the way Spectre deals with Effigy and Dr. Light? Oh, since they're dead, does that mean they’ll both show up in Reign in Hell? That would be cool. What else was cool, how about more infos on Libra? SWEET! Who is this guy? Seriously! The revelation is gonna be sick, I tell you. Oh, is that what the title is referring to? Mayhaps. Question was in here as well, and that stuff was nice, but I’m still not sold on her character. It’s well written, but I just don’t care about Montoya. Since this is a tie-in mini that Grant specifically asked Rucka to write for him, I’m reasonably sure that by the end, we’ll come to view this series as fundamentally essential to the Final Crisis epic. It’s definitely been the best of the tie-ins so far, although I have yet to read Legion…

Final Crisis: Director’s Cut #1 (****1/2)

Why buy this? A number of reasons, actually. 1) The black and white J.G. Jones pencils are A-M-Z-I-N-G. Just, WOW. Without the color and the word balloons, his skill really shows through. And if you had any questions about what was going on, these uncluttered pages answer them. I would definitely buy a hardcover like this. Seriously. It’s like the Ultimate DVD Special Edition. 2) Full Morrison Script. And, um, CRAP this is hard to read. I feel sorry for Jones. Seriously, this stuff is insane with the heavy. The description of the "Orrery of Worlds" is migraine-inducing. 3) By far, the best reason to buy this is the interview with Morrison and Jones in the back. The comments are revealing to say the least. Morrison and Jones explain scene and dialogue choices, metaphors, motivations, as well as hints of things to come. Usually, these Director’s Cuts are a lame attempt to grab more cash, but in this case, if you’re trying to decipher the mystery that is Final Crisis, this is a must-buy. For real though, this is by no means necessary reading. BUT, if you are already enjoying this series, this is definitely worth checking out. Or, wait for the hardcover/omnibus/abosulte edition. I'm sure it'll be reprinted in there.

Astonishing X-Men #26 (***1/2)

This is the second issue of Warren Ellis and SImone Bianchi's new direction on this title. I know a lot of people disliked the first issue and most of that hate was toward Ellis. Criticisms such as the writing being messy and the feeling of a CSI copy that plagued the first issue hopefully won't continue. The writing is top notch. The X-Men seem like they are real people. They're all quite comfortable with each other. There are many jokes and quips that are friendly that thankfully don't get tiring. Ellis is putting his own unique spin on the book that is quite refreshing. The weakness in this issue is in Bianchi's art. It's stiff, flat, and has already worn out its welcome. The art is also confusing and if it weren't for the dialogue, there are times when I wouldn't know what was going on. The lack of backgrounds completely hinders certain scenes. This is a bit funny because the artistic highlights in this issue are when Bianchi does render the backgrounds. This is supposed to be the flagship X-Men title and one of the creators isn't performing well. Hopefully Bianchi's art will improve like Ellis' writing improved next issue.

Final Crisis: Revelations #1 (****1/2)

In Rucka's interviews about this book, he has praised it incredibly. He said that this may be the best thing he has ever written and that it is one of the best looking books his name has ever been associated with. Thankfully, this series may actually deliver. This is very dark material. Philip Tan's art fits the story perfectly. A lot happens in this book which is always a good thing. Ruckadoes a wonderful job providing the set-up while telling an incrediblyenthralling tale that also ties into Final Crisis. Like FC Rogue's Revenge, this is a book you can read without reading Final Crisis, but this seems to be more important to the FC story than Rogue's Revenge at this time. I was very impressed by this first issue.

Written by Greg Rucka, you knew that Final Crisis: Revelations stood a good chance of being great - and for the most part, it lives up to its potential.  Throughout FInal Crisis, you may have noticed one or two things.  Renee Montoya, for one, seemed to know a lot about what was going on - more than anyone else, for one thing.  And just how was Libra holding onto such a volatile group of people without an ounce of fear.  Taunting Vandal Savage, Lex Luthor, and more, without fear of reprisal?

Revelations gets into all that.  Crispus Allen, who became the Spectre in Infinite Crisis and then promptly disappeared (The Spectre being one of the characters DC seems to love in concept, but just can't seem to figure out how to use) returns here.  When Libra and his Society killed the Martian Manhunter, that was genocide, as he was the last of his race.  God's pretty unhappy about that, and when you do something that pisses God off, you get The Spectre.  The book opens with the Spectre going through the list of people who were involved in the event - Dr. Light, just to name one, gets some long-overdue comeuppance.

But the first big twist of Revelations is that not all is as it seems with one person the Spectre goes for - it seems that Evil has it's own spirit and the Spectre is seemingly powerless in front of him.  Meanwhile, Rucka also returns to another favorite is his, Renee Montoya, now the Question.  When last we saw Renee (in the excellent The Question: The Five Books of Blood), she had become the leader of the Religion of Crime, but now she's betrayed them, and she's using the Crime Bible to try and follow and predict the movements of the Dark Faith.

Artist Philip Tan is responsible for both the cover art and the interior, and he surpasses JG Jones on art duties (though Jones' layouts are still superior).  The art is dark and moody, but Tan shows that he is more than capable of doing some nice action scenes.  

Overall, it's a good opening chapter.  It's action and mystery.  Rucka does a great job of characterizing Montoya, and he finally gives Crispus some screen-time as the Spectre, and finally gives the Spectre something to do.  An enjoyable, albeit dark, read.

Grade: A-

In 1998, Oni press started publishing novelist Greg Rucka's first attempt at writing comics. This was, it turned out, the beginning of a leap forward in Rucka's career: while he was fairly successful and respected as a novelist, he was tremendously well-received in the comics field. Since then, Rucka has written known characters for Marvel and mostly DC, has invented at least three new series (Gotham Central and Queen & Country being the most prominent), and has received three Eisner and one Harvey awards. He is considered one of the most important voices in contemporary mainstream comics.

Ten years later, reading Whiteout, which was first collected into a trade paperback only in 2007, one can see why.

Carrie Stetko is the U.S. Marshall to America's largest base of operations on the continent of Antarctica – McMurdo base. She's not generally a happy person, but down at the bottom of the world, in what's known to the few local inhabitants as "the ice", she's as happy as she's likely to get. And then someone has to go and commit a murder on her turf.

Stetko, bulldog like, sinks her teeth into the case, initially with very little success but much attitude. As things progress, they also deteriorate: teamed up, against both of their wills, with English spook Lily Sharpe, they face an increasing body count from a faceless foe in a fur hat. Stetko, on the edge of the world, is forced to relive old memories and re-evaluate her allegiances.

Rucka delivers a solid detective story. While not groundbreaking, it is certainly a well-crafted Whodunit, keeping the suspense up without losing credibility. It is, however, Rucka's attention to detail that makes this a winner: his solid research on Antarctica, crisp and reliable dialogue, and believable characters. While the heroine is indubitably Stetko – and what a memorable, no-nonsense, tragic character she is – the supporting cast all make sense and are not left behind.

Rucka, however, didn't achieve all of this on his own. His partner, artist Steve Lieber, is responsible for everything but the words – pencils, inks, lettering, it's all Lieber. Here, again, there's nothing groundbreaking – the paneling is very standard, the art straightforward without slipping into excessive realism. But, again, the attention to detail shines through: the way his snow looks when one falls into it is quite different than the way it looks when blown by 300 km/h winds; the McMurdo buildings look right; and the human body reacts properly when bent in odd-angles by an angry U.S. Marshall. More than this, though: Lieber's cold, sterile, wind-swept Antarctica is as fresh and liberating as it is deadly, and one can see what Stetko finds in it and why she cringes from the hot, crowded, messy company of other humans.

Whiteout hasn't reinvented comics, nor does it really stretch the boundaries of the genre – any genre. But it is a work without flaw, pristine and beautiful, and that is certainly enough.

Liberty Comics (*****): Don't those covers rule? Especially the Mignola one, I laughed out loud when I saw that! There's even a bit of Frank Miller art on the back that is pretty creepy in typical FM fashion. I feel a bit silly reviewing this, but I guess I'm more like talking about it. This is charity book which I often love because they often have awesome people on it. Inside the book you get a story from Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson (Yay The Boys rule!), Darwyn Cook, Mark Millar and John Paul Leon, Arthur Adams (Oh yeah Monkeyman & O'Brian), Rick Veitch, Richard Starkings and Moritat, J. Bone, Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips (Criminal baby!), Scott Dunbier and Shawn McManus, and Mark Evanier and Sergio Aragones! That is a lot of awesome creators and there are cool characters featured as well. Now, there aren't really any stories here. Don't feel that you need to pick this up to get everything about The Boys. These are all a bunch of short stories about censorship and quite a few of them are a lot of fun and made me laugh out loud. I especially enjoyed The Boys one and the Monkeyman & O'Brian one, damn Arthur Adams rules! So the book is pretty awesome and it supports a good cause. What's better than donating your money while getting an awesome comic?

Daredevil #109 (****): It's nice to finally see Daredevil as a good book again. Don't get me wrong, I still consider Brubaker a great writer but I think he may be a bit lazy or something. It seems that when he puts his time into a book (Captain America rules!), he writes extremely well. The rest of his books however, seem to usually be mediocre or worse. Unless he's working on the book with another writer of course, like with Greg Rucka on this issue, or Fraction on Uncanny X-men and Iron Fist, or even the first Daredevil arc he did which was mostly Bendis. This was a solid issue with some nice character moments, some bad-ass Daredevil moments, and a hell of a last page reveal. It's still nowhere near as good as people seem to think Brubaker's run has been, but it's a hell of an improvement. I hope Brubaker will step down on this book soon and maybe Rucka could take over.

Esta postagem é baseada no artigo Crime fiction: Around the world in 80 sleuths [Romance policial: a volta ao mundo com 80 detetives] de Jonathan Gibbs.  Que saiu na terça-feira passada, dia 22/7/2008, no The Independent, na Grã-Bretanha.

Como sabemos a Europa está entrando de férias – o mês mais popular para férias UE é agosto.  Assim, Jonathan Gibbs, nos dá a idéia de viajarmos pelo mundo com os nossos detetives, sem sair de casa, economizando não só a preciosa gasolina, mas aprendendo sobre mais lugares do que uma viagem faria possível.   A lista é longa.  Fiz uma busca na internet onde encontrei diversos livros em português.  Mesmo sem passarmos por 80 detetives, podemos dar a volta ao mundo.

E você, pensando em tirar férias?

Explicação dos códigos de cores:

Azul: país ou cidade que visitamos. 

Verde: título da obra.  Sempre que possível a sugerida.  Se não é possível mas existe outro livro do autor em português colocamos o título aqui e mencionamos o livro sugerido que ainda não está traduzido.

Cinza claro:  Nenhuma obra do autor encontrada em português.  Mas mantive aqui na lista para aqueles que lêem também em inglês e que gostariam da sugestão.

NB: se a obra não existe no Brasil, mas descobrimos que existe em Portugal, coloquei aqui a versão portuguesa.

Vamos viajar:

1. Groenlândia: assassinato em Copenhaguem.  Mas Smilla Jaspersen  vai até a costa na busca do assassino no livro de Peter Hoeg.  [Senhorita Smila e o Sentido da Neve, Companhia das Letras: 1994] 

2. Reikjavik: Arnaldur Indridason com seu inspetor  Erlendur dá o tom à Escandinávia.

[A cidade dos vidros, Record: 2008]

3. Ilhas Shetland: Ann Cleeves, sem tradução para o português.  Sugestão: Read 'Raven Black' (Ed. Pan)

4. Glasgow:  Sem tradução para o português.  Sugestão: 'Garnethill' (Bantam Ed.)

5. Edinburgo: Inspetor Rebus, de Ian Rankin passa seu tempo nesta cidade.  [Questão de sangue, Companhia das Letras: 2007]  Sugestão: 'Knots and Crosses' (Orion Ed.)

6. Irlanda do Norte: Sem tradução para o português.  Irlanda do Norte é o  local  onde o bibliotecário Israel Armstrong decifra os mistérios, criados por Ian Samson.  Sugestão: 'The Case of the Missing Books' (4th Estate)

7. Irlanda Rural ou o Interior da Irlanda: Leonie Swann é o escritor que recomendam nesta área.  A Editora Rocco estava programada para lançar um livro no segundo semestre de 2007 – o primeiro deste autor no Brasil – mas até agora este lançamento não aconteceu.  Sugestão:  'Three Bags Full' (Ed Black Swan)

8. Dublim:  Autor: Declan Hughes.  Até agora sem tradução para o português.  Sugestão: 'The Wrong Kind of Blood' (John Murray)

9. Yorkshire: Autor:  Wilkie Collins, A Pedra da Lua, Record: 2001

10. South Wales  Autor:  Robert Lewis. Até agora sem tradução para o português.   Sugestão: 'The Last Llanelli Train' (Serpent's Tail)

11. Oxford Autor: Colin Dexter, O assassinato no canal de Oxford, Paulicéia: 1991

12. Londres: Autor: Derek Raymond, também conhecido como Robin Cook.  Diversos títulos em português. 

13. Brighton  Autor: Peter James Até agora sem tradução para o português.   Sugestão: 'Dead Simple' (Pan)

14. Normandia: Georges Simenon, Maigret e a velha senhora, Livros do Brasil: 1995; Diversos títulos em português. 

15. Paris: para ler alguém além de Maigret, procure pelo Inspector Adamsberg nos livros de Fred Vargas, O homem dos círculos azuis, Editora Cia das Letras, 2006.  Outros títulos em português.

16. Galicia:  policial Leo Caldas é o herói deste escritor noire Domingo Villar. Sugestão: 'Water-Blue Eyes' (Arcadia)

17. Lisboa: o inglês Robert Wilson criou o Inspetor Zé Coelho no Portugal de hoje em:  Uma pequena morte em Lisboa, Editora Record, 2002.

18. Madrid: livros de Rafael Reig . Sugestão: 'Blood on the Saddle' (Serpent's Tail)

19. Marselha: escritor Jean-Claude Izzo, histórias de guangues organizadas ou desorganizadas.  Inspetor Montale resolve.  Caos total Editora Record, 2002. Outros títulos em português.

20. Berna, Suiça: escritor, Friedrich Glauser tem o seu personagem Sargento Studer resolver crimes nos Alpes.  Sugestão: In Matto's Realm (Bitter Lemon Press)

21. Meiringen, Suiça.  Arthur Conan-Doyle, Memórias de Sherlock Holmes.  Há duas edições brasileiras no momento. Editora Martin Claret, 2005  e também Editora LP&M , 2005.

22. Toscana: autor Michele Giuttari com seu super chefe de policia Michele. Sugestão:

'A Florentine Death' (Abacus)

42. Honolulu: Só há um grande detective havaiano, e seis livros de suas aventuras.  O autor é  Earl Derr Biggers e o detective: Charlie Chan com sua grande gfamília de 14 filhos. [apesar de eu ter lido Charlie Chan em português ainda jovem, não encontrei nenhuma edição brasileira no momento].  Em Portugal seus livros estão circulando. A casa sem chaves, Editora Livros do Brasil: 1991.  Há outros títulos em Portugal também, pela mesma editora.

43. Seattle: GM Ford.  Sugestão: 'Fury' (Pan)

44. São Francisco – Sugestão: Cinnamon Kiss (Phoenix), não existe ainda no Mercado brasileiro, mas há diversos outros livros de Walter Mosley em português.

45. Los Angeles James Ellroy criou o Detetive Lloyd Hopkins, que exemplifica seu trabalho.  Los Angeles, cidade proibida, Record, 1997. Há outros títulos do mesmo autor em português.

46. Las Vegas, o divertido livro de CaroleDouglas:  'Catnap' (Forge)

47. Chicago: a autora Sara Paretsky já fartamente conhecida no Brasil é a recomendada.   No ardor das chamas, Editora Rocco, 2001.

48. Ontario:  o canadense  sempre coloca suas histórias no frio do Canada.  Sugestão: 'Forty Words For Sorrow' (Harper)

49. Montreal: Kathy Reichs, Segunda-feira de luto, Editora Ediouro: 2006. Sugestão feita: 'Déjà Dead' (Arrow)

50. West Point, New York --  o romance de época de Louis Bayard, O pálido olho azul, Editora Planeta do Brasil, 2007.

51. Massachusetts: A série de Jesse Stone, que se passa na pequena cidade de  Paraíso, é produto da mente de Robert B Parker.  Seus livros só encontrei em português de Portugal, pela Editora Europa-America.  Entre diversos títulos não achei a Sugestão: 'Night Passage' (No Exit Press)

52. Nova York: descubra  Rex Stout.  Seus romances são liderados pelo detetive Nero Wolfe.  Apesar de diversos títulos existirem no Brasil, o livro recomendado, só aparece na internet com a edição de Portugal.  Orquídeas Negras, Editora Livros do Brasil: 1997.

53. Brooklyn: Jonathan Lethem escreveu este livro de suspense com um detetive Amador com a syndrome de Tourette.   Ótimo livro fora dos padrões.  Brooklyn sem pai nem mãe, Editora Cia das Letras, 2002.

54. Washington DC é território de George Pelecanos que escreveu uma dúzia de livros passados nesta capital.  Sugestão: 'The Big Blowdown' (Serpent's Tail) . Não achei, mas há diversos títulos traduzidos para o português.

55. New Orleans: Dave Robicheaux Sugestão: 'Heaven's Prisoners' (Phoenix)

56. Miami: Nick Stone  e seu Max Mingus.  Sugestão: 'Mr Clarinet' (Penguin)

57. Havana: Leonardo Padura fez seu herói o detective cubano Mario Conde, conhecido no mundo.  Sugestão: 'Havana Blue' (Bitter Lemon)

58. México: Paco Ignacio Taibo II é o escritor policial do México.  Conheça: Mortos incômodos, falta o que falta, Editora Planeta do Brasil: 2002

59. Caribe: na falta de autores locais, a sugestão feita foi o livro de Agatha Christie, O mistério no Caribe, Editora LP&M: 2007, estreando Miss Marple.

60. Rio de Janeiro: Inspetor Espinosa de Luiz Alfredo Garcia-Roza foi sugerido com o título: O silêncio da chuva, Editora Cia das Letras: 2000; ou Editora Cia de Bolso: 2005 

61. Buenos Aires: Manuel Vazquez Montalban fez desta cidade a localização do maravilhoso policial: O quinteto de Buenos Aires, Editora Cia das Letras: 2000.  

62. Marrocos: Abdelilah Hamdouchi é o primeiro autor árabe do gênero policial a ser traduzido para o ingles.  Sugestão: 'The Final Bet' (Modern Arabic Literature)

63. Argel:  Yasmina Khadra em geral tem suas histórias passadas em Cabul.  Mas em Double Blank (Toby Press) a localização é a cidade de Argel.  Outros livros deste autor podem ser encontrados em  português.

64. Israel: Os romances deste herói, Omar Yussef, professor de história, são muito interessantes pelo conteúdo, leia de Matt Rees, O traidor de Belém, Editora Planeta do Brasil: 2007.

65. Egito: Voltamos a Agatha Christie com Morte no Nilo, Editora Nova Fronteira: 2006. Um clássico com Hercule Poirot.

66. Jeddah: Zoë Ferrari: Sugestão ‘The Night of the Mi'raj' (Little, Brown)

67. Botsuana, o maravilhoso  Alexander McCall-Smith é o autor do livro recomendado:  Agencia n° 1 de mulheres detetives, Editora Cia das Letras: 2003.

68. Mumbai Vickam Chandra.  Sugestão: 'Sacred Games' (Faber)

69. Calcutá:  Satyajit Ray mais conhecido pelos seus filmes é também autor.  Sugestão:   'The Adventures of Feluda' (Puffin)

70. Mongólia:  Michael Walters: Sugestão, 'The Shadow Walker' (Quercus)

71. Mar de Bering: Nada melhor do que Estrela Polar, Editora Record: 1989 de Martin Cruz Smith, o livro seqüencia de seu favorito do público Parque Gorki.  Estrela Polar só achei em sebos, parece estar esgotado. Há outros livros do autor em tradução.

72. Beijing: Diane Wei Liang, O olho de jade, Editora Record: 2008 criou a detetive Mei Wang.  A recente publicação no Brasil nos deixa ver um pouquinho da China atual.

73. Tokyo:  há alguns detetives japoneses, mas para um tradicional livro policial passado no Japão sugestão:  David Peace, Ano zero, primeiro volume da trilogia.  Recentemente traduzido para o português, publicado em Portugal: Tóquio, ano zero, Editora Tinta da China: 2008

74. Shanghai: Qui Xiaolong criou o Inspetor Chen.  Ótimo retrato da China atual.  Sugestão: 'Death of a Red Heroine' (Sceptre)

75. Laos: O humor do escritor inglês Colin Cotterill permeia as páginas de seus livros.  Sugestão: 'The Coroner's Lunch' (Quercus)

76. Bangcoc: O canadense Christopher G Moore já há tempos é conhecido pelo seu detetive americano na Tailândia.  Sugestão: 'The Risk of Infidelity Index' (Atlantic)

77. Territórios do Norte [Austrália]: Sugestão: autor australiano Adrian Hyland,  'Diamond Dove' (Quercus)

78. Vitória, Austrália: Recomendação: Peter Temple, The Broken Shore.  Deste autor só encontrei um outro livro, em Portugal: Abismo de Sangue, Editora Gótica: 2008.

79. Nova Zealândia:  Ngaio Marsh é uma escritora clássica de policiais.  Junto com Christie, Sayers e Allingham é uma das rainhas do crime.  Diversos livros dela se encontram traduzidos e esgotados.  Só encontrados por mim em portal de livros usados. Sugestão: 'Vintage Murder' (Harper)

80. Polo Sul: Greg Rucka romance gráfico: Whiteout: morte no gelo, Editora Devir: 2007

Assim termina a nossa lista.  Mesmo sem todos os títulos mencionados, poderemos fazer uma volta ao mundo com estes detetives.  Espero que vocês aproveitem para pegar uma carona.

Bon Voyage!

Аз очаквам филма с ОГРОМЕН интерес, и се подготвям гледайки Batman: Gotham Knight

Ако се чудите какво е това, обяснявам бързо. Batman: Gotham Knight e "филм" издаден директно на DVD и съставен от 6 кратки епизода, който разказват случки в периода "Batman Begins" и "The Dark Knight", както и малко за миналото на Брус.
Различните епизоди са написани от Josh Olson, David Goyer, Brian Azzarello, Greg Rucka, Jordan Goldberg и Alan Burnett; и също така имат тотално различна визия (правени са от четири различни студиа). Батмън е озвучен от Kevin Conroy, който е и любимият ни прилеп в оригиналната DC Animated Universe.

Най-точния начин да опиша този "филм" е като ви припомня за "The Animatrix", в която нещата се развиват по-сходен начин (само дето там епизодите бяха 9) или пък "Dark Fury" - кратка анимация, която разказва събитията между "Pitch Black" и "The Chronicles of Riddick".

Шестте епизода в Gotham Knight, са както следва:
1. Have I Got A Story For You (Studio 4°C)
2. Crossfire (Production I.G.)
3. Field Test (Bee Train)
4. In Darkness Dwells (Madhouse)
5. Working Through Pain (Studio 4°C)
6. Deadshot (Madhouse)

Из различните епизодчета, ще видите "Плашилото" и един много смъртоносен снайперист, както и малко повече за развитието на сътрудничеството между шефа на полицията Джеймс Гордън и Батмън.

В общи линии остро препоръчвам на феновете ;) а ако още не сте убедени, ето ви и едно трейлърче

[vodpod id=Groupvideo.1388588&w=425&h=350&fv=%26rel%3D0%26border%3D0%26]

PS: Ааа да, филмът можете да си свалите от тук - Batman - Gotham Knight а субтитри от тук. Приятно гледане.

• 1985 #2 (****): I’m really liking where this is headed. See, you can’t call me a Millar hater! Some of his stuff is utter garbage, and some of it, when he puts the research and thought in, turns out quite fantastic. Here’s hoping I’m right about this one.

• Conan the Cimmerian #0 (****): Bruce Castle’s review of this was spot on. It was a very, very, VERY good sword and sandal read. Unfortunately, I think I’m done with Conan for now… or, I may pick up the first issue when it ships! I just don’t know!

• Daredevil #108 (****): It just keeps getting better! Dear Greg Rucka, please never leave. No more brooding! No more Mila! No more Emo!

• Fantastic Four #558 (****1/2): This was really good. Really, really good. I can see clearly now what Millar is doing and I love it. The interweaving of the subplots over multiple 4-part story arcs is finally starting to pay off. I haven’t been this excited about reading Fantastic Four since JMS first took over the book. I know I was harsh on the first couple of these, but now that the engine is revving up toward max RPMs, I couldn’t be happier. I just hope he doesn’t blow his load too soon. But, I still think the Galactus suit was a lame idea. OH! Almost forgot, little Val is a genius!

• Ghost Rider # 24 (****): Love the new artist. Love the new direction. If this is what we can expect from the rest of Aaron’s Ghost Rider run, I think I can finally put myself safely in the “on board” column. It was touch and go there for a while with a couple of stinkers mixed in with the gooders, but this issue has restored my faith… for now! Ha-Hah, you just never know! Next month I could be bashing it again! Help, I’m in an abusive relationship and I can’t get out!*

• Iron Fist #16 (*****): Terrific series finale, bravo to all involved, especially Matt Fraction. I can’t wait for the “Heroes For Hire” relaunch this fall… wait, what? Not cancelled? New creative team? Get OUT of here!

• Iron Man: Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. #30 (****): Still not the Knaufs, but adequate. Actually, more than adequate. This Moore guys is doing a bang-up fill-in! Overkill Mind! Star Squad! Paladin messing up Iron Man’s fascist face! YES! YES! YES!

• The Punisher #58 (*****): Every month I get a little sad. New Punisher issue only serves to remind me of its imminent cancellation. Well, pretty much, right? I like the new guy, his Foolkiller was good, but no one’s ever going to top Garth Ennis. Oh, I should say something about this issue. It was really good, as usual. They always are. Sad face.

• Thunderbolts #121 (*****): OH GOOD GOD! This was epic. And now it’s over. Forever. I don’t care that this book shipped once a quarter, it was totally worth it. But, I don’t think Ellis is leaving because of lateness, I think he’s just done. Is that true? Does anybody know? I’m seriously asking a serious question here…

• X-Factor #32 (****1/2): In this issue, Madrox tells Cooper to get stuffed and finally takes responsibility as the father of Theressa’s baby… and just like that, *POOF*, X-Factor is a 4-5 Star book again. Why? Because we’re back to focusing on the drama, baby, and not the action. Yay! Thank you, Peter David. I don’t know what happened to you or why you had to phone the past 6 months in, but I’m glad you’re back. Now, if only I could say the same thing about She-Hulk. UGH!

• Young Avengers Presents: Hawkeye #6 (****): This was easily the best of the series. Fraction is just on fire this month (although his Punisher still sucks ass). I loved how much of a dick Clint is when he makes Kate cry. Ha-Ha! But then, it was just Clint teaching her a lesson all along! Oh snap! Shit, I wish Clint had his own team book or something. He works w