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:D
This is great.So much going on both above and beneath the surface.
What i like about the films is that they didn t go for actors who resemble the characters looks-wise, but for someone who could capture their essence more or less. I hope they can complete the trilogy on the screen, even though the actors are getting a bit too old. As always, Hit-Girl steals the show. She is cooler than Black Widow.
Welcome to Millar fandom. :D
DC collected the N52 Suicide Squad book in five TP volumes, the first four of which are an absolute blast to read. Giving the likes of Deadshot, Harley Quinn, Amanda Waller, King Shark, Captain Boomerang and many more some great stuff to do, these two dozen issues qualify as addictive reading material. Cleverly written, spectacularly drawn and densely plotted, the missions our deranged psychopathic loonies are sent on are a lot more fun than what is shown in WB's recent Suicide Squad live action film.
And then the final couple of comic issues, collected as volume 5 of the TP publication, happened. For those who, like myself, are very selective about which N52 titles to read, confusion reigns supreme as the Suicide Squad story suddenly and completely out of the blue crosses over with the Crime Syndicate event which I must assume got worked out in other N52 titles in much more detail. Characters drop in and out unannounced and uninteresting or unclear things happen all the time. Like a runaway greenhouse effect, this so-called climax to the N52 Suicide Squad book piles up more mess with every new page. The actual suicide squad hardly gets anything to do anymore and our focal characters - Deadshot and Harley first and foremost - have been stripped from their character traits and typical mannerisms by the time we reach the conclusion, which isn't a conclusion at all but actually sets us up for more Suicide Squad which - hopefully - never happens, at least not in this incarnation...
Staying strong during the first 80 % of its run and then losing all of its appeal, the N52 Suicide Squad is a title I can only recommend with reserved appraisal. I'd suggest you read the first 24 issues or so and then decide if you wish to continue at all. The good thing is that after vol. 4 of the TP, one could, if so desired, pretend that the story is over... And for the record, those first 4 volumes are a blast!
Make no mistake about what the cover to this graphic novel promises: this story isn't about the Batman - it's about the author. Paul Dini, the acclaimed Batman writer behind many of the episodes and movies in the Bruce Timm universe as well as some of the Arkham video games and their tie-in comics, wrote a book with himself as the lead character in it. But before you call him arrogant and pretentious, understand where he comes from.
In 1993, Paul Dini, the REAL Paul Dini, got mugged. He got beaten up and was left for dead. The wounds took their time to heal and emotionally, the experience threw Dini off balance as it might all of us. In the middle of co-writing BATMAN: MASK OF THE PHANTASM Paul Dini had to recover from trauma. But how does one do that?
One possible way is to artistically let it out of your system. And thus, nearly a quarter of a century since the events, Dini finally found a way to exorcise his demons by writing a story in which Batman guides his inner reasoning towards a better place. As he recalls specific details from his early struggle to cope with the nightmares and self-loathing, he lets Batman, Poison Ivy, Penguin, Two-Face and Joker duke it out over who gets the dominating thoughts squeezed into his anything but sober mind.
While the uninformed Batman fan may be unpleasantly surprised to find this story anything but a typical Batman action adventure - you should read some comments on Amazon; many are hilariously unjustified because the reviewers were clearly expecting something else (read the back cover, folks!) - this book is a brutally honest autobiographical essay about how to get out of a dark place in your life. I respect Paul Dini for writing this. Reading DARK NIGHT didn't give me a lot of "fun", which was never its intention I can imagine, but it definitely kept me fascinated. Not a book I'd automatically recommend but if you want to experience how a Batman writer can find courage under the famous cape and cowl, I'd say read this book!
This is one of the many reasons why I love Paul Dini. You can see so clearly how much of a compassionate, feeling fellow he is, and using his art to express these kinds of personal demons to bring them out and into the light is brave and worthy of praise. 20 years after the animated series began, and he's still doing magic with Batman and his world. It's clear how much these characters mean to him; this is a man who will beautifully tear up while discussing the killing of the Wayne's and Bruce's relationship with his Bat-family, after all.
@DarthDimi, if you've yet to read the book Batman: War on Crime that Paul wrote for Alex Ross to illustrate, I would suggest reading it ASAP. It's one of the most masterful portrayals of the character and his world we've seen, with a moment in it that has made me cry a river each time I read it. It's a Batman story not to be missed that gets to the emotional essence of who he is, what he means to the world and why he fights the war against crime that he does.
About a year ago, I purchased all of The Man With No Name issues (11 in total) and read them word for word. I enjoyed the first story arc as well as the art, but the second one was rather disappointing, even though it brought some connections to the eponymous character's past.
Yesterday, I took a hold of all the remaining installments in the series by Dynamite Entertainment, called The Good, The Bad and The Ugly which is divided in eight issues and contains an original storyline, contrary to one's belief it might be an adaptation of the 1966 film of the same name. I've read the first issue and I love its pacing. Definitely executed better than the James Bond comics so to say, but sadly, Dynamite is no longer publishing comics based on the character.
Going forward with rest of the issues and the reviews will soon be posted.
The sixth Bernard Prince album by Greg and Hermann, from 1968. One of the albums I haven t previously read. Fantastic artwork, great story.
Finally completed...
A Belgian comic about Ian Fleming
Despite my almost exclusive preference for English comics, I am prepared to make one or two exceptions and read a European 'comic strip book' every once in a while. LARGO WINCH and TINTIN are the ones I care about most. A few years ago, however, I discovered, almost by accident, SPYNEST, a soon-to-be three-parter which would provide a fictionalised account of Ian Fleming's war time adventures. Written and drawn by Belgian artists no less, SPYNEST radiates nothing but love for James Bond's heroic creator. Fleming is a womaniser but he's also quite good at dodging all sorts of Nazi attacks. He's clever yet at times lets his attention slip in favour of a quick glance at a beautiful female. Assisted by a gorgeous woman of native American descent, Fleming must gather evidence of a new super weapon the Germans are working on, later known as the atomic bomb. By car, plane and boat, Fleming and his allies must shoot in and out of occupied Europe, abduct British royals who openly sympathise with Hitler, defuse dangerous bombs and fight some sexy as well as robotic opponents.
Fiction and non-fiction
While most if not all of the story is made up, the writers do not shy away from incorporating historical events, some of which are intimately tied with Fleming's real war time experiences. Little nods are subtly given to James Bond, and the fun is in spotting them whilst reading. One of the antagonists of the book is a partially mechanical steampunk sort of Nazi who reminds us of Major Maxim from DANGER GIRL and Karl Ruprecht Kroenen from HELLBOY. Ergo, it really is a fantasy tale. Nevertheless, Churchill finds his way into the plot too and some of the things said about him or done with him are grounded in historical fact. This deliberate mishmash between fact and fiction makes the book highly entertaining.
The third part delivers the gold
While the first two parts of the story are engaging, exciting and fun, the third is where the truly great stuff comes into play. None other than Fleming's cousing Christopher Lee enters the story as an active agent. In the epilogue of the book, some quotes by Lee are printed and the artists actually recreated a famous shot from THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN GUN.
Why read this book?
With three parts, each some 48 pages long, SPYNEST has now finally come to a conclusion. The first part opens with Fleming writing the famous first words of his novel CASINO ROYALE and from there on, we enter a perfectly safe-for-work WWII adventure starring the man who gave us Bond. The art is excellent, the dialogue sufficiently enjoyable though far from 'Alan Moore' superb. But Bond fans who are curious about Fleming, should definitely give the book a chance. There's only one problem: it's printed in Dutch and French but to my knowledge not in English. However, English versions are available if you know where to look for them..
Highly recommended to the members of this community...
Anyways, I managed to download all the three parts. If anyone is having an issue with it, I can reupload it to a place where ads are nonexistent.
Regardless, it's an enjoyable ride. Bond fans would love this comic book. Recommended.
The writing and art style is way too similar.
There's hints of Danger Girl for sure, though I would argue that Campbell's comic is slightly more sophisticated.