Darby Harn | FanFiAddict https://fanfiaddict.com A gaggle of nerds talking about Fantasy, Science Fiction, and everything in-between. They also occasionally write reviews about said books. 2x Stabby Award-Nominated and home to the Stabby Award-Winning TBRCon. Tue, 17 Jun 2025 01:15:20 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.8.1 https://fanfiaddict.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/cropped-FFA-Logo-icon-32x32.png Darby Harn | FanFiAddict https://fanfiaddict.com 32 32 Review: Super Visible: The Story of the Women of Marvel Comics https://fanfiaddict.com/review-super-visible-the-story-of-the-women-of-marvel-comics/ https://fanfiaddict.com/review-super-visible-the-story-of-the-women-of-marvel-comics/#respond Tue, 24 Jun 2025 14:13:00 +0000 https://fanfiaddict.com/?p=87846

Synopsis:

Inspired by the hit podcast The Women of Marvel and co-written by the #1 New York Times bestselling coauthor of Beautiful Creatures, this eye-opening and engaging book celebrates the women who have helped make Marvel one of the most successful comics and entertainment companies in the world.

Rating: 9/10

Review:

Written by Margaret Stohl, novelist and comic book writer (The Life of Captain MarvelBlack Widow: Forever Red), with Jeanine Schaefer and Judith Stephens, Super Visible: The Story of The Women of Marvel Comics is an essential record of Marvel from its Mad Men 60s to its more diverse and never more popular present. Thanks to the oral histories interspersed within the book from dozens of key female figures, you get a front-row seat to the mythic origins of Marvel.

Many comic book fans pride themselves on their knowledge of comic lore, but even the most Jeopardy-ready superfans will find this essential text illuminating and rewarding. You simply can’t put the book down. As soon as Stohl delivers a peek into the famed Marvel Bullpen – The Virginia Schedule, for example – you’re pulled into the advent of the X-Men, and then their pop culture explosion in animation and beyond.

The book gives a long overdue look behind the comic book page to reveal how instrumental women have always been to the publisher. The book begins with a bang: Patricia Highsmith, the legendary writer probably best known for The Talented Mr. Ripley and The Price of Salt, the basis for the movie Carol, worked for Timely Comics in the 30s before Marvel was truly Marvel. While some names are likely familiar to comic book fans, many are not, but in quick, effortless fashion, the book introduces figures who feel like old friends.

Women responded to fan mail as Stan Lee, wrote the Bullpen Bulletin famous for its direct address from Stan to the reader, and also ran interference – literally – at the office door. As women became more creatively involved in the 1980s, with Ann Nocenti and Louise Simonson among those whose contributions were legendary for X-Men fans, Marvel Comics began to distinguish itself in the industry.

Nocenti, who elsewhere has spoken of the fight scene in superhero comics as a ‘tumor,’ laments in her comments that she felt as though she couldn’t be pigeonholed as a ‘female writing female characters.’ That led her to write several (amazing!) runs on very masculine titles like Daredevil and The Punisher. The same goes for Louise Simonson, who avoided the trap many female-led titles fell into, being canceled after only a few issues by focusing on group books. Her efforts were essential to the X-Men’s 80s and 90s legacy.

The book also establishes that women’s contributions in the indie scene benefited Marvel and the industry. Trina Robbins, among others, were instrumental in bringing women into the creative fold and then the spotlight with Big Apple Comix and other titles. Robbins’ ability to move back and forth between New York and California, as well as bring established creators with her into the indie space, had a profound influence on the 80s indie boom that eventually yielded Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, among others.

The book is a welcome insight into an aspect of comic book history many are unlikely to know much about, but everyone should.

]]>
https://fanfiaddict.com/review-super-visible-the-story-of-the-women-of-marvel-comics/feed/ 0
Review: Wraith and the Revolution by A.J. Calvin https://fanfiaddict.com/review-wraith-and-the-revolution-by-a-j-calvin-3/ https://fanfiaddict.com/review-wraith-and-the-revolution-by-a-j-calvin-3/#respond Tue, 17 Jun 2025 16:30:00 +0000 https://fanfiaddict.com/?p=101158 Synopsis:

Kye Verex is trapped.

Due to a fluke of genetics, the decisions of the galaxy’s elite, and a lack of finances, he’s stuck on his polluted and noxious home world indefinitely. And it’s slowly killing him.

Then his more fortunate sister returns one day, bringing the promise of salvation. Kelsey has always hoped to find the means to pull him out of his desperate cycle of survival, but it has taken years. Now, she has a plan, one that will cure his genetic condition and clear him for interstellar travel.

The catch?

He has to sign over his very existence – and a portion of his humanity – to Zylar Inc., the galaxy’s most prominent and notorious corporation, in exchange for the necessary treatment. Is his cure worth the cost?

Review:

What are you willing to trade for a better life? That’s the central question in A.J. Calvin’s fantastic new novel, Wraith and the Revolution. The book presents a complex and highly detailed peek into the future, in which humanity thrives in a galaxy teeming with strange, fascinating life. Unfortunately, humanity barely regards its own living.

Earth is a cesspit of toxic shit,” the main character Kye says early on, and his life there is sifting through an irradiated wasteland dominated by dangerous creatures. He suffers from a medical condition for which there is no cure, and puts a very low ceiling on his life. His life isn’t all bad, however. He scavenges alongside his close friend Pablo, and their deep, funny bond is the heart of the novel.

Kye and Pablo are warm, hilarious, and utterly human in their breezy yet complicated relationship. Humanity often seems unrecognizable in the book, and literally morphs into something else as Kye accepts an offer to improve his lot in life. He gets a chance to upgrade figuratively and literally, to leave Earth behind and Pablo, too, but the cost is great. All he has to do is let an intergalactic megacorporation enhance his body and as his sister says, ‘become half-machine.’

You find yourself not wanting him to take what is obviously a bad deal, or leave behind Pablo, who is his soul mate in so many ways. The story could potentially benefit from a little more pressure on Kye to make this choice than it applies, especially with his sister’s manifest caginess about this seemingly great offer. But Kye’s journey is one we all face today. What is it to be human when our humanity is rapidly evolving? Are we our circumstances, or are we our potential? What’s human in us, if we’re more machines in body, or simply cogs in one?

The book asks huge questions while also providing lots of action and deep worldbuilding. The Botanaari are among the most fascinating, complex alien races I’ve read in recent science fiction. The book goes from the pits of a dying world to the florid heights of alien ones, traveling through abject poverty to the crux of cosmic power, and tells a thrilling story along the way.

]]>
https://fanfiaddict.com/review-wraith-and-the-revolution-by-a-j-calvin-3/feed/ 0
Review: Absolute Green Lantern #1 https://fanfiaddict.com/review-absolute-green-lantern-1/ https://fanfiaddict.com/review-absolute-green-lantern-1/#respond Wed, 09 Apr 2025 16:00:00 +0000 https://fanfiaddict.com/?p=93202

Synopsis:

Without the Corps… without the ring… without the willpower, what’s left is the Absolute Green Lantern!

Review:

Absolute Green Lantern #1 rounds out the second wave in DC’s grand new experiment and continues the winning streak. The ingredients of the classic Green Lantern story are there – Hal Jordan receives a cosmic boon from a strange alien – but the results this time are far less space opera and more cosmic horror.

Al Ewing’s story begins with a startling mystery, with an exhausted, haunted Jordan wandering through the desert. That mystery quickly escalates into outright horror when a police officer pulls up behind him.

With six books on the shelves now, the Absolute DC playbook seems to be to turn the typical hero origin story inside out. Absolute Batman #1 gave us a working-class Dark Knight as opposed to a rich one; Absolute Wonder Woman #1 makes Diana a witch raised in Hell as opposed to a princess on Themiscyra. Ewing makes Jordan the villain as much as he is the victim here, though how and why is unclear.

The Green Lantern mythos may be fundamentally different in this new universe; it seems to be, given the few context clues. A ring may not be involved, and there may be an inherent duality to the power granted, if it was granted at all. A new hero, Jo, takes the Green Lantern role at the issue’s end, though we know little about her. Her power source appears to be a lantern-shaped necklace. The mystery works in favor of the story, as do the horror elements (a roadside diner becomes the scene of such incomprehensible terror it’s mostly implied).

Jordan is carrying around – well, it looks like Venom goo – in his jacket pocket. The issue leaves it a mystery, but he picked it up trying to help when an alien arrived in Evergreen and mysteriously caused the death of a biker. A dark symbol represents what he’s concealing – a black hole, possibly – and it creates an instant duality between light and darkness, good and evil, complicated by Jordan’s inability to control the power he’s stumbled upon.

Ewing has done terrific work the last few years, most notably the Eisner Award-nominated run on The Immortal Hulk. Horror played a key role there, too, and if that book is any indication, things are going to get rough for Jordan and company. Ewing added significantly to the Hulk mythos during that run, and it’s plain to see from this first issue that he’s going to do the same for Green Lantern as well.

Jahnoy Lindsay’s art is a little rough at first. The lines are so thin and pointed as to appear manga-inspired, but then, as you get into the book, his facility with different faces and bodies comes through. The color work might overwhelm the thinness of his line at times, but overall, the art style is unique.

Absolute Green Lantern #1 is a bold departure from typical Green Lantern lore, though one with tragic echoes. Hal Jordan infamously turned evil in the early 90s, killing all the Green Lanterns and paving the way for Kyle Rayner (and sadly, the Fridging Trope). So far, it’s uncertain if Ewing is playing off that story at all, but it certainly seems that Hal Jordan is in for another dark turn in this comic.

]]>
https://fanfiaddict.com/review-absolute-green-lantern-1/feed/ 0
Review: Absolute Martian Manhunter #1 https://fanfiaddict.com/review-absolute-martian-manhunter-1/ https://fanfiaddict.com/review-absolute-martian-manhunter-1/#respond Wed, 02 Apr 2025 16:00:00 +0000 https://fanfiaddict.com/?p=93200 Synopsis:

Beyond Mars…beyond physical form…beyond Human Understanding…all that’s left is the ultimate alien: the Absolute Martian Manhunter!

Review:

Why do people do what they do?

That’s the question of Absolute Martian Manhunter #1, the boldest experiment in the Absolute DC initiative so far, and perhaps the strongest. Written by Deniz Camp with art – the word is wanting – by Javier Rodriguez, this first issue achieves something very difficult in comics and consequently very rare. The book is simultaneously subtle and loud.

You gradually piece together that a suicide bomber nearly killed FBI agent John Jones. Why is anyone’s guess, and it plagues the workaholic Jones as much as the strange multicolored smoke he seems to see everywhere.

Rodriguez’s art emphasizes the disquieting mood, even as it threatens to burst with kaleidoscopic fervor (which it eventually does in the book’s final pages). Jones sets out on an investigation into the bomber, against the wishes of his superiors, his wife, and his common sense, but he’s driven.

Why do people do what they do?

Art by Javier Rodriguez

Who are people? What do we really know about them? The question lingers over John and the reader as the book’s big twist – not unexpected, but delivered with a unique and by-now standard Absolute DC joy – unfolds. Camp’s script builds to its crescendo slowly, working in perfect harmony with Rodriguez’s colors. The colors create a very Watchman-like mood in the beginning with its contrasting blues and oranges, reminiscent of John Higgins classic work on that title. The lettering also conveys the creeping sense of something being very wrong, as the narration gradually advances into something else.

The smoke John perceives gradually clarifies as the thoughts of others. He can read minds after his injury, it seems, but it doesn’t end there. He’s not himself. He may not even by John anymore. The bomber, a good boy so far as his mother was concerned, wasn’t the same man others remember, either. We experience who the bomber was with John thanks to his telepathic experience. Camp’s tying John’s experience of dislocation with that of the bomber takes the book past standard superhero fare to create something deeply psychological, unexpected, and promising. This first issue feels hard to top in its kinetic page-to-page full-color joy, but there is so much more to know and learn about this character and world.

Art by Javier Rodriguez

It’s as much a domestic drama as it is a sci-fi horror mashup. Jones’ wife is, at best, a work widow. His son is making clay figures of his family with his dad as the Martian we eventually understand him to be, in an almost Close Encounters of the Third Kind homage. Jones is a workaholic, an absent father and husband, and perhaps, not even human anymore.

As with Absolute Batman #1, this is a reconfiguration of a classic DC Comics superhero. Martian Manhunter, also known as J’onn J’onzz, first appeared in Detective Comics #225 back in November 1955. A core member of the Justice League, he’s essentially a Martian refuge with shapeshifting abilities who poses as a human. His malleability makes him even more prime than other DC characters for a modern update, and Camp and Rodriguez have raised the bar.

With psychedelic images which recall heady music posters from the 1960s, and a smart, sly mystery that asks as much of the reader as it gives, Absolute Martian Manhunter #1 creates something unique and powerful.

]]>
https://fanfiaddict.com/review-absolute-martian-manhunter-1/feed/ 0
Review: Absolute Flash #1 https://fanfiaddict.com/review-absolute-flash-1/ https://fanfiaddict.com/review-absolute-flash-1/#respond Thu, 20 Mar 2025 16:33:00 +0000 https://fanfiaddict.com/?p=92107

Synopsis:

Without the mentor…without the family…without the Speed Force, what’s left is the Absolute Scarlet Speedster!

Review:

The Absolute DC experiment continues with the fourth title in the franchise, Absolute Flash. As one of the core DC superheroes, The Flash is key to any approach to the larger universe, especially in recent years. This take on the character suggests something similar, but there are far more questions than answers in the first issue.

Writer Jeff Lemire (Sweet Tooth) and artist Nick Robles present a fast, intriguing story with bold, striking visuals. Lemire’s knack for the off-kilter manifests in the story early and often. There are hints of time travel and government conspiracies, as well as nods to greater DC history (the Barry Allen Easter egg at the end is… well, to die for).

This take centers on Wally West, who longtime DC fans know as the third incarnation of The Flash. Introduced in the 1990s, Wally is a younger, more modern character who has since become as beloved as Barry Allen and Jay Garrick, the Silver and Golden Age Flashes respectively. So much of The Flash’s story in the mainline continuity is about legacy, a tradition going back to the landmark “Flash of Two Worlds” story from The Flash #123, which arguably established the multiverse concept in superhero comics.

This first issue is titled “Of Two Worlds,” an interesting nod that doesn’t get much in the way of investigation. Like much of the story, it may be about the future. We’re going back from it to the past right away to learn who Wally West is.

Here, Wally’s an Army brat, the son of a man bouncing around from assignment to assignment. Something strange is up at the base – though Barry Allen just invites Wally down to view what I can only assume are ultra trop secret experiments on animals – and Wally’s father wants to keep his son away from it.

Wally’s also bouncing around in time it seems, running so fast he races back into his consciousness days before. That plot thread is left unresolved – and dangling for future exploitation – and it leaves the issue feeling a little less grounded than say Absolute Batman #1 or Absolute Wonder Woman #1. That’s unexpected, as Wally is by far the most grounded of the Absolute heroes to appear so far in terms of who he is as a person. He’s a normal teenager, it seems, until he’s not.

You connect easily with Wally. He has no friends, no roots, and no mother. He’s looking for something to hold him down, but from the first page, he’s skipping across the desert and maybe (probably) time, as well. Wally’s experience echoes the modern one, where life occurs so rapidly, and often scrolls by so quickly, you’re left witless. The entire issue unfolds like a social media feed, giving us context only through association, and our familiarity with the characters and their histories.

Robles’ art lends the book a slightly edgier look than most superhero fare, and his approach to Wally’s super speed is very dynamic. The colors by Adriano Lucas amplify the speed effect, and overall, contribute to making this issue absolutely pop. Strong reds, yellows, and blues skew toward a 90s DayGlo vibe which sets the book apart from the other Absolute books, where so far, the color palette is fairly muted.

Overall, the book is off to a strong start that sets it apart not only from the DC mainline universe, but the other Absolute books as well.

]]>
https://fanfiaddict.com/review-absolute-flash-1/feed/ 0
Review: Helen of Wyndhorn by Tom King and Bilquis Evely https://fanfiaddict.com/review-helen-of-wyndhorn-by-tom-king-and-bilquis-evely/ https://fanfiaddict.com/review-helen-of-wyndhorn-by-tom-king-and-bilquis-evely/#respond Tue, 04 Mar 2025 15:30:00 +0000 https://fanfiaddict.com/?p=89207

Synopsis:

A gothic sword and sorcery epic graphic novel that’s Conan the Barbarian meets The Wizard of Oz. From Tom King and Bilquis Evely, the Eisner award-winning, bestselling creative team of Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow.

Review:

Rating: 8/10

By turns Conan The Barbarian, Turn of the Screw, and an Isekai adventure, Helen of Wyndhorn shouldn’t work but it does.

Oh, does it work.

Helen of Wyndhorn reunites the team of writer Tom King, artist Bilquis Evely, and colorist Matheus Lopes from Supergirl Woman of Tomorrow, an instant modern classic (and upcoming movie). Now available in a hardcover collected edition from Dark Horse, it’s a portal fantasy laid over with the paranoia and suspicion of Gothic fiction, all packed inside the tidy box of sword and sorcery. The degree of difficulty here is immense, but like Supergirl, which was essentially True Grit in space, King mashes genres like few others. Evely creates a dynamic partner who renders beautiful imaginary worlds with scrupulous and scrumptious detail. Her intricate work evokes Mobius, but it’s far more fluid.

Evely’s sublime, immaculate art immerses you in a dense, layered mystery that counts among King’s most complex narratives, playing with literary structures to create a story constantly questioning its own authenticity.

The story begins with a young man named Tom interviewing Lilith, an elderly woman who was once a governess in the 1930s. Lilith is right out of a Henry James novel, as is Wyndhorn Manor, the Gothic estate where she delivers a young, brash, and wayward Helen Cole to rehabilitate after her father’s passing.

Helen’s absent grandfather owns the mansion, and a good deal of the mystery early on, but the focus is on Helen. She drowns her grief in cigarettes and alcohol, though it’s clear that she and her father led something of a reckless, carefree life.

Her father was C.K. Cole, the author of a fantasy series called Othan The Conqueror, very much in the vein of Howard’s Conan works. He’s the void in the center of the series, utterly absent, but omnipresent.

The payoff for sword and sorcery fans is worth the wait as Helen’s grandfather finally returns home and saves her from a hideous monster he may have brought with him. The door swings open on the series to reveal her father’s stories may have been inspired by a real secondary world, and Helen’s grandfather is himself Othan. Maybe.

In the end, the truth doesn’t matter in Helen of Wyndhorn.

As the strange tale of Helen Cole and Wyndhorn Manor unfolds, passing through successive narrators and mediums, it becomes less about whether any of it actually happened. The value of the story is what matters to Lilith, Thomas, or the kids collecting comics based on Othan decades later who have no idea the history of the character.

The volume ends with what feels like the promise of more adventures in this universe, and it’s exciting, as for me the value is in what lies beyond. As much as Evely depicts of The Other World, much of it is only scarcely glimpsed, and often only related secondhand. Helen’s journey feels increasingly secondhand as well, as she transitions from the prodigal daughter to a somewhat standard hero archetype. She trains, she grows, she fights, she succeeds and fails. She follows in her father’s footsteps literally, it seems, fulfilling her grandfather’s need to heal his broken relationship with his son and her need to fill the void he left in her life.

The personal dynamics are compelling, especially the ones left largely to the imagination. The butler is an enigmatic figure, certainly from The Other World, but essentially a mystery. Lilith teeters, depending on your reading, between a maternal figure for Helen to a romantic one. Helen spends an enormous amount of time in Lilith’s bed, which Lilith is often determined to get her back to, and it feels a tad Carmilla at times, though the mood is so drenched in Gothic that overanalysis is almost demanded from the reader. Who these people really are, what their true connections might be, is like everything in the story entirely subjective.

Objectivity is not King’s interest. The story is, and the story sweeps you along, even as the art forces you to wallow on each glorious panel, making for a truly enjoyable reading experience. Highly recommended.

]]>
https://fanfiaddict.com/review-helen-of-wyndhorn-by-tom-king-and-bilquis-evely/feed/ 0
Review: Ultimate Wolverine #1 https://fanfiaddict.com/review-ultimate-wolverine-1/ https://fanfiaddict.com/review-ultimate-wolverine-1/#respond Wed, 29 Jan 2025 17:00:00 +0000 https://fanfiaddict.com/?p=87844

Synopsis:

THE MAKER’S ULTIMATE WEAPON! 

Review:

Rating: 7/10

Marvel didn’t have to go this hard.

But they did. No one is cooler than Wolverine, so it was inevitable that the newly minted Ultimate Universe 2.0 from Marvel Comics, beginning with last year’s Ultimate Spider-Man #1, would introduce its version of the X-Men’s famous gruff Canadian.

Writer Chris Condon (That Texas Blood) and artist Alessandro Cappuccio (Moon Knight) produce a captivating, brutal, and shocking new take on Logan. The story hinges on a crackerjack idea: Wolverine as The Winter Soldier. This makes enormous sense, as Logan was alive and active during World War II. Pancaking The Winter Soldier and Weapon X programs creates a new dynamic, but that’s not quite what is happening in this issue.

Because it’s a different universe, Logan is actually a product of The Eurasian Republic, run by the Russian triumvirate of Colossus, Magik, and Omega Red. This is more in line with the Age of Apocalypse dystopian take than anything else. It appeals, but for me, some of the potential in Logan being The Winter Soldier is lost because of this new circumstance he’s put in. Like Age of Apocalypse, this is a dark, gory book. Logan is a faceless, voiceless killing machine whose victims include major X-Men characters.

Art by Alessandro Cappuccio.

The comic is a mixed bag for me. Alessandro Cappuccio’s art renders a moody, dark, dynamic world through powerful storytelling. His take on Wolverine, particularly the face mask, creates the most visually interesting variation of him in years. The mask has a vaguely Darth Vader quality to it, and only heightens Wolverine’s mystery, detachment, and intimidation. Cappuccio renders the page in what appears to be colored pencil, giving the action a slightly hazy (though no less graphic) quality that might have been overwhelmed by a heavy ink line.

Condon’s plot is quick, lean, and engaging. Mileage will vary on the ending. For me, it’s boring to find Nightcrawler depicted so strictly by his faith again, though this is a variant. And he’s a variant who is immediately killed. He and Mystique, both rebels against the Republic, are brutally assassinated by their former friend. It’s shocking, it’s engaging, but it pings too loudly for me off of where the original Ultimate Universe ended. That project descending into violent anarchy, killing scores of characters in often grotesque fashion, nowhere more shocking than in the Ultimatum crossover.

For me, it’s far too early to kill off such major characters as Nightcrawler and Mystique, especially with such promise in this premise. The shock value works, I think, for the purpose. You have no idea what’s going to happen in this universe. Anyone could die. We’ve been down this road before in an Ultimate Universe, and it left the project in a dead end. But we’ll see where it goes.

Art by Alessandro Cappuccio

Despite my reservations, the comic succeeds on the same level as the other Ultimate Universe 2.0 projects, as well as DC’s current Absolute initiative. Legacy characters get new, exciting, and in many cases, necessary updates. I’d argue Wolverine is a character in need of some renovation. He’s been dead, upgraded, dead again, and generally without direction in the last ten years or maybe more. He’s Wolverine, so all things are forgiven, but his mystique has worn off.

The Winter Soldier angle brings the mystique back. The Ultimate Universe is very different from the mainline Marvel Universe, so the backstory and history vary, taking a little air out of the concept, but it still works. Logan is a mystery again, a monster created and controlled by greater monsters, and we root more for his future than ponder his past.

]]>
https://fanfiaddict.com/review-ultimate-wolverine-1/feed/ 0
Review: Free by E.B. Roshan https://fanfiaddict.com/review-free-by-e-b-roshan/ https://fanfiaddict.com/review-free-by-e-b-roshan/#respond Wed, 15 Jan 2025 16:05:00 +0000 https://fanfiaddict.com/?p=85850

Synopsis:

An accident brought Rex’s career as an interplanetary bodyguard to an abrupt end. Now, he spends his time tending fruit trees and dreaming of his exciting past. One day, he gets an unexpected opportunity to pick up a ray gun again, but things aren’t how he remembered them…  

Review:

Rating: 6/10

A middle-grade indie graphic novel with an ambitious storyline, Free by E.B. Roshan offers something for readers of all ages. Rex is a fruit picker who’s a little surly about his circumstances, and by the end of the first act, we find out he had been a warrior who lost his leg in a space battle.

He longs to return to the stars and a life he thinks is much more worthwhile than picking fruit on a remote moon. When the fruit farm’s very feudal overlord shows up for their dues, he gets his chance.

Free is a black-and-white graphic novel that uses many shades of gray, and it’s a considered choice for this story. The somewhat simplistic art style – Roshan deploys a thick, wormy line within very static panels – contrasts with a weighty storyline. Class politics, personal responsibility, and hints of PTSD crop up along with standard – and fun – scifi tropes like flying saucers.

Rex wants to be free from his moribund life, and he gets his freedom, or so it appears. Quickly – very quickly – he becomes an enforcer for Sir Sarpedon. Rex seems a little too ok with pushing around farmers for their dues for this lord he just met, but he draws the line at Sarpedon being rude to a waitress.

Art by E.B. Roshan

In fairness, she reminds him of a friend he left behind, but Rex isn’t exactly a paragon of virtue. Not that he needs to be. Morally ambiguous characters work just fine in children’s books, whether it’s The Grinch or Ebenezer Scrooge. Rex certainly doesn’t go that far, but he’s not perfect. For young readers, there’s a strong moral within the story that never gets too heavy-handed, and a worthwhile arc for Rex.

Though the story offers some interesting dynamics, the art and general layout do not. Panel to panel, the pages feel boxy and hemmed in at times, closing the iris on what is otherwise a very big sci-fi canvas. The art also lacks depth of field or a sense of perspective. For younger readers, this may not be significant, but for many, the reading experience is likely to be flat.

At 125 pages, the story is a quick, easy read for its audience. Things wrap up in a hurry without too much development, but there’s a lot lurking under the surface that Roshan does a good job of suggesting. Rex’s thoughts of the farm, his friend there, and his trauma manifest in panels that impose on his current circumstances. His future is also hinted at, with the possibility of further adventures down the road.

]]>
https://fanfiaddict.com/review-free-by-e-b-roshan/feed/ 0
Darby’s Best Comic Books And Graphic Novels Of 2024 https://fanfiaddict.com/darbys-best-comic-books-and-graphic-novels-of-2024/ https://fanfiaddict.com/darbys-best-comic-books-and-graphic-novels-of-2024/#respond Tue, 31 Dec 2024 20:26:41 +0000 https://fanfiaddict.com/?p=85852 After what has seemed like momentary stagnation, comic books and graphic novels reflected a turbulent, erratic year with vital, innovative, diverse stories. From superheroes to fantasy landscapes in the backyard or someone’s mind – or both – comics like Absolute Batman took big chances and delivered in big ways for readers.

My biggest regret in 2024 is I didn’t read nearly enough. The real world drove a truck through my ability to do much of anything from the summer on, so it was a challenge to even get to the comic book store. The effort was more than worth it. While this list will have some big omissions thanks to how thin my TBR was for once, it’s by no means comprehensive. Much broader year-end lists can be found here and here, and paint a much clearer picture of how alive 2024 was.

With that said, here are my favorite books of 2024, in no particular order:

Helen of Wyndhorn by Bilquis Evely.

Helen of Wyndhorn, Dark Horse Comics

Helen of Wyndhorn reunites the team of writer Tom King, artist Bilquis Evely, and colorist Matheus Lopes from Supergirl Woman of Tomorrow, an instant modern classic. By turns Conan The Barbarian, Turn of the Screw, and an Isekai adventure, Helen of Wyndhorn shouldn’t work but it does. Oh, does it work.

It’s a portal fantasy laid over with the paranoia and suspicion of Gothic fiction, all packed inside the very tidy box of sword and sorcery. The degree of difficulty here is immense, but like Supergirl, which was essentially True Grit in space, King mashes genres like few others. Evely creates a dynamic partner who renders beautiful imaginary worlds with scrupulous and scrumptious detail. Her intricate work evokes Mobius, but it’s far more fluid.

Evely’s sublime, immaculate art immerses you in a dense, layered mystery that counts among King’s most complex narratives, playing with literary structures to create a story constantly questioning its own authenticity.

Absolute Wonder Woman by Hayden Sherman.

Absolute Wonder Woman, DC Comics

Superhero comics always go through cycles, and there was a sense in 2023 that the genre, in comics and beyond, was getting a little stale. The Absolute DC Universe, an initiative from DC Comics that takes classic heroes and reimagines them for the modern day, introduced a massive jolt of energy into the genre. Of the three available titles so far, Absolute Wonder Woman stands apart.

That’s saying something.

The entire program excels in delivering timeless characters with a fresh new perspective, but Absolute Wonder Woman #1, written by Kelly Thompson with art by Hayden Sherman and Jordie Bellaire, arguably takes the biggest chances. The first three issues deliver a familiar but very different Diana, who is now the last Amazon, the daughter of Circe, and consequently a witch. These dramatic differences in her story offer possibilities and make concrete – or clay – what had been a somewhat nebulous origin in the mainline universe. Wonder Woman is an icon, but it’s debatable if she’s always been a character.

Here, she feels like a fully dimensional character with her own solid and distinct origin that leans on previous continuity while also springing from it. Each issue delivers a classic comic book battle between the hero and impossible odds, while also providing quiet character moments where Thompson leverages her best creative choices. Issue #3 is an instant classic, where Diana’s classic decision to leave Themiscyra for Steve Trevor is deepened, personalized, and made even more mythic in a moment that fans have been talking about since it dropped.

Ultimate X-Men by Peach Momoko.

Ultimate X-Men, Marvel Comics

Along the same lines as Absolute DC, Marvel found its greatest commercial and creative success of the year in its rekindled Ultimate line. Returning to the brand that also kickstarted a creative renaissance in the early 2000s, Marvel took Spider-Man, X-Men, and others into a new era. Ultimate X-Men, written and drawn by Japanese superstar artist Peach Momoko, is perhaps the most ambitious and creatively distinct superhero comic of 2024, let alone the decade.

Momoko recasts the classic X-Men dynamic in a Japanese school, and while the franchises’ expected visual markers may not be there, with her unique work in watercolors and manga-influenced style, the book isn’t like any other in the genre. Ultimate X-Men is a coming-of-age story that pulls no punches, depicting the wonders and horrors of being a young person coming into superpowers in ways that challenge and shock. Suicide, body horror, and other heavy themes play out in the book, taking classic X-Men tropes and rendering them in a modern way.

Final Cut by Charles Burns.

Final Cut, Charles Burns

Final Cut by Charles Burns twists artistic ambition with cold, hard reality and delivers a powerful story about love, obsession, and creative boundaries. Burns, who readers most likely know for the seminal Black Hole, blurs the line between fantasy and reality, with the comic book panel becoming a lens into the sci-fi movies the main character Brian loves so much. Brian’s desire to make his own movies, featuring his unrequited love Tina, goes to some unexpected places.

Burns’ iconic thick, heavy line chisels a practical reality that is constantly under threat by the fantasy playing out in Brian’s head – maybe – and pushes the limits of what the comic book page can do. One of the medium’s most gifted independent creators, Burns delivers another classic readers will be scouring through for years to come.

Absolute Batman by Nick Dragotta.

Absolute Batman, DC Comics

As much as I’m reluctant to go to the superhero well too much, let alone the Absolute DC one, there’s no question that Absolute Batman is among the best comics of not only 2024 but recent years. Writer Scott Snyder and artist Nick Dragotta utterly reinvent The Dark Knight textually and visually, creating a lively, compelling, and fun new take that is as much The Wire as it is Batman.

We now have a blue-collar Batman, with none of the wealth or all those wonderful toys that come with it. He operates in a much darker Gotham, under attack from forces as rich and powerful as his mainstream counterpart. The book speaks to the moment, not only in its upending of the traditional class dynamics in Batman comics but also in the art style. Dragotta delivers a more manga-influenced Caped Crusader, rendering pages both dense and nimble at the same time.

The book is modern commentary, pure superhero pulp, and a testament to everything that came before in Batman comics. It’s a fascinating read and a welcome one, given the fact the first issue is the highest-selling comic of 2024.

Honorable Mentions: When We Transform: A Superhero Tale of Transition (Tomi Trembath), Something Is Killing The Children (BOOM!), Poison Ivy (DC), Ultimates (Marvel), Batman and Robin: Year One (DC), Saga (Image), Ultimate Spider-Man (Marvel).

]]>
https://fanfiaddict.com/darbys-best-comic-books-and-graphic-novels-of-2024/feed/ 0
Review: Absolute Batman #3 https://fanfiaddict.com/review-absolute-batman-3/ https://fanfiaddict.com/review-absolute-batman-3/#respond Fri, 20 Dec 2024 21:00:00 +0000 https://fanfiaddict.com/?p=85270 Synopsis:

Batman and Alfred have formed a tentative alliance, but the Black Mask has some new friends too…

Review:

Rating: 9/10

In standard Batman lore, Bruce Wayne uses his extreme wealth to combat corruption. In the Absolute Universe, he chooses to corrupt himself – kind of – to achieve extreme wealth. The gray has never been grayer for The Dark Knight, and Absolute Batman #3 proves this is a comic for the moment.

Gotham becomes a battleground figuratively and literally for wealthy elites whose ambition is destabilization, from which they profit. In fact, Gotham is the intended site for a for-profit, black-site prison that factors in the Black Mask’s layered plan to undermine the city. His ambitions involve advancing a corrupt mayoral candidate to parrot his talking points and effectively pay off Batman, which Alfred Pennyworth advises the young hero to accept.

Political and corporate sleight of hand is a disturbing fact of the real world, and one rarely obvious in the moment. Vision becomes a prominent theme in this issue, as a young Selina Kyle implores Bruce Wayne to only see what’s right in front of him. Meanwhile, Alfred wants Batman to take the deal not to yield to criminals, but to play a long game. Batman can exploit their money to fight them and allow Alfred’s still secret organization to get closer to taking down The Party Animals. It’s as much stagecraft as it is undercover work, with powerful forces pulling heavy strings not just from the Black Mask’s yacht but Washington and perhaps London.

Young Bruce Wayne and Selina Kyle tease their futures.

Nested deep within the story is the symbolism of the bat, and a reminder that contrary to popular belief, bats aren’t blind. Though it seems Batman may be wandering into traps far more complex than any one person can appreciate, he may be setting one of his own.

Against all of this, writer Scott Snyder offers deep character work. This issue flashes back to Bruce’s youth and his friendship with Selina Kyle. Her kinship with stray cats is firmly in place as a teenager, and so is her affection for Bruce. They have a contentious relationship, though, with Selina keeping him at arm’s length for reasons that aren’t clear yet. We’ve met Bruce’s other friends in adulthood – all villains in mainline continuity – but we’ve yet to meet the present-day Catwoman. Something tells me she’s not going to be what anyone expects.

Snyder also twists the knife on the concept of leaving Martha Wayne alive. She’s now the deputy mayor of Jim Gordon and an obvious target for Black Mask. Her commitment to serving Gotham motivates Bruce to take blood money as much as the opportunity it represents. In just a few issues, Snyder builds a complex, lived-in world that has as much to do with The Wire as it does Detective Comics.

Alfred rides the Bat-Dump Truck.

Nick Dragotta’s art continues to separate the comic from mainline Batman books and just about everything else on the comic rack. Everything about his Batman is big, including the now infamous Bat-Tonka, a giant dump truck that gets the spotlight in this issue. Alfred gaslights the ridiculousness of the vehicle as Batman converts it first to a race car and then a submarine, but as much as Absolute Batman revels in a cruel reality, it leans heavily into the fantastic.

Superhero comics have veered far from the campy and crazy in recent years, so much so that Ozwald Cobblepott is just Oz Cobb in Matt Reeves’ highly practical The Batman universe. James Gunn’s upcoming Superman movie is embracing the more comic book-ish elements of the Man of Steel’s lore, and it’s great to see Absolute Batman steamroll right into its own unique crazy. With the real world becoming more and more unbelievable, comics should try to keep pace.

]]>
https://fanfiaddict.com/review-absolute-batman-3/feed/ 0