"Batman/Superman" writer, Greg Pak, takes over Action Comics

A few months ago it was announced that Andy Diggle would be taking over the Superman series, Action Comics. He then quit due to problems over at DC Comics and his third and final issue was published this month. Then, Scott Lobdell, writer of "Superman", is taking over for a few months as a stand-in but it seems DC have found a new full-time writer for the series in writer of the upcoming "Batman/Superman" series, Greg Pak.

The cover to "Batman/Superman" #1, by Jae Lee.
 Issue written by Greg Pak with art by Jae Lee.

Greg Pak will be writing this series accompanied by pencils by artist, Aaron Kuder.

Now, I don't think any official start date for Pak's run has been announced by DC Comics yet, but I assume he'll be taking over in November, the soonest month that DC haven't already solicited. Good luck to Greg Pak on his run on the series, let's hope this one lasts longer than the previous time DC hired a permanent writer for the series!

The previews for "Batman/Superman" #1 look great so I'm sure this will be a good run for the book!

( Source: USA Today )

Review: Man of Steel

Warning: There are Minor Spoilers for the film below, nothing huge that will ruin the film for you, but if you want to go into the movie completely spoiler-free, come back to this once you've seen it.


Best Superman movie of all time. Quite a bold statement to begin a review with, I know, but I thought I'd get to the point. I honestly feel like that statement is true. To be honest, and I'll go straight in and say it, I feel like this is the greatest comic book movie In recent history. Into more specifics, I guess:

This film does in the first three minutes what a lot of films only do around an hour into them, it jumps almost immediately into the action and into the main theme of the soundtrack. It won't be much of a surprise to you that the movie begins on Superman's home planet: Krypton, but this is a very different Krypton from what we've seen in the previous films. This incarnation of Superman's father, Jor-El, is also quite a big departure from the usual scientist, he gets quite a lot of action revolving around him in the first scenes of the film, and as unexpected as that was from a character who you hardly ever see fighting, even in the comics, it was probably one of my favourite scenes of the film. Also, the action scenes on Krypton are really breath-taking, some of the best cinematics I've ever seen in a film.

After the first twenty minutes or so, the film does tone down the action a little bit, this felt like quite a drastic change for me, but the scenes in that section of the film were enjoyable nonetheless. In fact, the Smallville scenes are some of the most interesting, it really shows a good insight of how it would be growing up on Earth, trying to be a normal child with all of these incredible abilities and the Kents' struggles to keep their adopted son's secret being revealed.

The film jumps back and forward between three phases of Clark Kent's life, his time as a child in Smallville, him in his late teens to early twenties and the current time. At first the changes were a little bit confusing, jumping from significant points in his life really quickly, but in time you get used to it and can really appreciate the method of storytelling used. In fact, one of the most moving scenes in the film takes place in one of these flashbacks, and it really strikes you right in the heart, I won't spoil it but I think you'll know which one I mean if you've seen the film and you'll definitely spot it when you see the film if you haven't already.

Every character in this film is played just right. Michael Shannon's Zod is the man willing to do anything to protect the Kryptonian race, Amy Adams' Lois Lane is the often overly reporter fascinated with Superman ( And I think I prefer Amy Adams' Lois Lane to the one appearing in the actual comics ), Kevin Costner's Jonathon Kent is the loving father who is willing to sacrifice anything to keep Clark Kent's secret safe, even if he's not his natural child, and pretty much every character in this film feels like the character they're based on, the reason I didn't include Henry Cavill's Superman in the list above is because I feel like he's just Superman, and the best portrayal of him away from the comic books I've seen.

See, one thing I've always wondered about Superman movies is: How do you make the final battle interesting? More than just another punch up. To me, the final fight in a Superman movie, or any movies like this, has to have some sort of personal impact on the protagonist. I feel like this film accomplished that, and I won't spoil it, but I feel like it made this huge, violent physical fight between Superman and General Zod moving in a way. The circumstance Superman is put in really brings out one of Superman's core themes that I think is often overshadowed by all of his powers, he's willing to sacrifice anything to save the lives of humans.

This film has some amazing cinematics, it really shocked me just how amazing it was. I saw the film in 3D and it really took my breath away, I watched the final thirty minutes of the film with my mouth open, I was just so taken a back by it.

Drawing to the end of the review now, I thought I'd mention that I sat through the entire credits of the film, and it wasn't to see if there was a post-credits scene, I needed time to think about the film, I was so amazed by what I'd just seen, I just sat and listened to the soundtrack as I thought what a brilliant movie it was. In fact, I saw this film with my Dad and my Sister, when we'd gotten out of the cinema, I didn't speak to them for around twenty minutes, I just couldn't speak, I couldn't walk properly, I know that sounds like I'm exaggerating but I'm honestly not. It was such a moving and epic film that I was literally speechless. No film has ever done that to me before, but they'd captured Superman so perfectly and shown just how brilliant he can be that it was overwhelming.

The final main point I'll mention is one that I only realised the morning after seeing the film: I wanted Superman to win. I know this is a bit of an odd statement, but let me explain; When I watch superhero movies I always want to know what would happen if the Villain won. That's a side of the story that has always interested me, and I've always wanted to see that happen. But this was a different story all together, Zack Snyder, David S. Goyer, Christopher Nolan, Henry Cavill and all of the other actors involved with the film had done such a great job with the Superman character and made me really care about him and his supporting cast that I really, truly wanted Superman to beat Zod, to win the battle and save the Earth, this is the first film that has made me truly want to see the protagonist win for a while, and I was very impressed.

Overall, after way over a year of waiting and suspense, this film delivered. Not only that, but it exceeded my expectations and was so much better than I could have ever imagined. I don't feel like any film will stand up to this one for a long, long time. The greatest comic book movie in recent history, overtaking all of Marvel's franchises and even, in my opinion, the Dark Knight trilogy. This is a film that you'll want to see over and over again, as I do. The Last Son of Krypton is shining brighter than ever before! Thank you, Zack Snyder!

Rating: 10/10!

I was so tempted to give it eleven, but I know it doesn't really work that way, just know that this film is honestly amazing. The best I've seen pretty much since I was born. That's a huge statement to make, but I'm being honest. This film is Truly Unmissable.

Review: Superman Unchained #1

This series was always going to be good. I mean, it's written by the current "Batman" scribe, Scott Snyder, who has written some of the best stories in the New 52, let alone Batman ones, and pencilled by Jim Lee, who is one of the greatest artists in comics. I went into this series with huge expectations and when I'd finished, I was blown away by it!

I'm determined not to spoil anything in this review, but the ending is genius. Scott Snyder takes a huge historical event and builds it perfectly into this story, and although that method can be used quite a lot in comic books, Snyder pulls it off really well, and it fits into the story brilliantly. He's setting up a really interesting plot, that is turning into a huge mystery, the premise of that aspect alone has me hooked.

Reading through this issue, I realised that these are the best portrayals of Superman and his entire supporting cast in around two years, Snyder has got these characters spot on, and these are what I see as the definitive portrayals of these characters, he wrote everyone perfectly, especially Lois Lane and Jimmy Olsen.

One of the thing Scott Snyder does well is having the characters explain events from their childhood and tie them to the current events in the hero's life. He does it all of the time in "Batman" and having Superman compare the trip from outer space back to earth to one of his childhood games from Smallville was a great scene.

Now to the art. I was expecting Jim Lee's pencils in this issue to be brilliant, and they were. Seriously, I don't know how he does it, but Jim Lee is one of the best artists in modern comic books, and I feel that with every issue he draws, he improves. This issue has amazing art, and that is not an exaggeration, and that four page, two-sided fold out... Just brilliant.

However, part of the fold-out is my only problem. It's nothing on the part of the creative team: The writing on the pages was great, the art was great, but how it was organised was stressful. When folded up, the pages had glue to keep the corners together, which then left marks on the page, and it just felt badly laid out.

This is a brilliant issue, truly outstanding, and I can't wait to read more of it.

Rating: 9/10

Review: The Movement #2

I'm just going to start off by saying that this is going to be a very short review, sorry, I feel really tired today. If my review doesn't quite do justice for the issue, just know that it was great and you should definitely buy it!

I'm really enjoying the Movement, it's currently on it's second issue and I feel like it's really got off to a good start.

This series is being written by Gail Simone, who is an excellent writer, she's managed to me care about the cast of this book, who are mostly new characters, and if any are pre-existing, I've never heard of them, and doing that is a sign of being a great writer.

She's also come up with an interesting premise for a series here, and I really enjoy reading about the corrupt police force and crumbling society, it makes for a brilliant read!

Also, this issue has a lot of charm, the fact that the team held a council of war in a play room was just brilliant, and it really lightened up the morning for me! There are some more little moments in this issue that I really loved but I don't want to spoil them, I think you should definitely read them for yourselves.

Now onto the art by Freddie Williams II! I'm starting to enjoy Williams' art the more I see of it, at first I wasn't a big fan but I think it's really growing on me. I think his style really suits this book, and he is one of the best fight-scene artists in comics at the moment. There is a big fight in the later part f the issue and I feel Freddie Williams II really did a great job on it.

In summary, a great issue that managed to keep up to the standards of the first. Definitely a must-read!

Rating: 9/10

DC Comics reveal Jim Lee's "Superman Unchained" two sided in-issue poster

Today seems like a good day for teasing Superman stuff. First, we had a new trailer for the upcoming Man of Steel movie and now DC have treated us with some interior pages by Jim Lee for next week's Superman Unchained #1.The poster is 4 pages big on each side, meaning you have to turn it around to see the whole thing. Well, without further ado, here they are:

                                                                   

Or here's a more helpful view of how the poster works from Scott Snyder's Twitter:

 

 

Superman Unchained #1 by Scott Snyder and Jim Lee hits stores on June 12th from DC Comics.

 

 

 

Review: Kick-Ass 3 #1

Spoilers for the issue below!

I'd never read an issue of Kick-Ass before this, I'd heard a lot about the two previous series and it's something I'd been wanting to try for a while. I felt that with the launch of the third and final instalment of the main Kick-Ass  story it was a good time to give the book a shot, so I did, and I loved it.

I  think that Mark Millar has come up with a really interesting idea with this series, it's definitely a different type of book compared to all the others on the shelves right now. I was expecting the same sort of Comic book that you see all the time but it just feels different. At the start of the issue a group of heroes team-up to break Hit-Girl out of prison and they straight up get scared and admit they're nowhere near ready. They run away. That's not what you see in many comics, if any, and it's my favourite scene from this entire issue, maybe out of all of the comics out this week.

This book shows just how good a writer Mark Millar can be, it's a unique book and has a really different feel to it, you get the feel that these are real "street-level" characters, not like how characters like Batman are, they're actually walking down the streets. They're literally Street-Level, I really loved that aspect of the book.

I also love the interaction between the characters, especially between Kick-Ass and his friend, Todd. They act like proper teenagers towards each other, I love that aspect of the issue, they act like what I imagine a teen in this situation to act like.

The only real complaint I can find for the story is that despite this being an issue 1, it's not the best place for new readers, I knew I'd be a  bit lost going into it since I haven't read any Kick-Ass before, but I was a bit confused by something. I definitely recommend reading the first trades before this, or watch the films. At the very least, read up on the plot on the internet, I think you'll really benefit from that if you're getting into the story with this issue.

Just one last point on the story, there are references to comics in the issue. It was a shock to see Batman and Fantastic Four references in this issue, it's yet another thing you don't see in other comics, and it really adds to Kick-Ass and Todd's characters to use these, considering they work in a comic book shop.

Now to the art by John Romita Jr. I'm a big fan of Romita Jr's work on Amazing Spider-Man and was looking forward to his work on the issue. I enjoyed it but feel this wasn't his best work; At times, the faces looked a little off and there were a lot of times where the characters looked a little younger than they should have. Apart from that, I really enjoyed his art and think he draws a Kick-Ass Kick-Ass! (Sorry, had to).

In conclusion, a great issue and a good start to the final instalment of the Kick-Ass story. Amazing writing and good art, worth picking up! But you would benefit from reading the first trades before this one.

Rating: 8/10

Review: Green Lantern #21

Usually when a creator change takes place on a big title like Green Lantern I'm a little hesitant about the next writer's run. That wasn't the case for Green Lantern #21, I'd spoken to new writer, Robert Venditti, before and was certain he would do well on this issue, I wasn't disappointed at all.

I'm not going to spoil the issue, because I think you should go out, pick it up and enjoy it as something completely new, without any real knowledge of what's going to happen. The issue has a brilliant start that really gripped me and made me want to keep on reading the issue, then it jumps to a different part of the story, the suspense of seeing the opening scene really keeps you interested right through the entire issue.

Venditti has shown how good a writer he is with this issue, he's shown a clear understanding for all of the characters and respect for the finale of Geoff Johns' run and yet put his own spin on it and make it really interesting.

He's managed to write a brilliant book here and has really built off of the final issue of Johns' run and made it into an interesting new story for Hal Jordan. Another thing I love about this issue is the inclusion of so many characters from the Green Lantern universe, I won't go into specifics but I think Venditti really understands who the Green Lantern fans want to see in the series.

Now onto the art, by Billy Tan. I think Billy Tan is a fantastic artist and did really well on this issue. However, one slip-up did keep jumping out at me throughout the issue: There are quite a lot of pages where the Lantern characters don't appear to be wearing their rings yet are still using them. I know this might seem like a minor problem but this did really stand out to me while reading the issue. Apart from that, I really enjoyed Tan's art in this issue.

In summary, a great beginning to this new era of Green Lantern comics, the Lanterns are shining brighter than ever before with Robert Venditti on board!

Rating: 9/10

Review: The Superior Spider-Man #11

Minor Spoilers for the issue below!

Superior Spider-Man has been quite a good series overall, I have to say, this issue wasn't the best., there were a few exciting moments but I don't feel it was as good as some other of this series' issues.

Just a brief summary of what this issue is about, Otto Octavius, along with J. Jonah Jameson, Glory Grant and Norah Winters travel to the supervillain prison, the Raft, for the execution of the Spider-Slayer, A.K.A. the man who murdered Jameson's wife. I have to say, I wasn't particularly excited by the premise of this issue, I think this is because I don't really care about Spider-Slayer as a villain, he's just not too interesting in my opinion.

This issue was Co-Written by Dan Slott and Christos Gage, and they did do a good job on the issue. Basically, this issue did have good writing, I just wasn't too keen on the plot. The scripting aspect of the issue was good, and I really enjoyed one little scene between Otto and Norah Winters while on the raft and the college scenes on the first few pages, I just don't think the overall plot was as good as some other issues.

Now that I'm done talking about the writing, onto the art! The penciller for this issue was Guiseppe Camuncoli, who is a brilliant artist! He is one of three rotating pencillers for this series and his issues are some of the best in recent Spider-Man comics. He draws a really different Spider-Man to the other artists on the series, he appears more muscly and Camuncoli draws that well.

Another point on the art, the colours. The current Spider-Man colourist is Edgar Delgado, who has done all of the Superior Spider-Man series and a lot of the previous title, Amazing Spider-Man. He is a very good colourist and I think his issues with Camuncoli are the best for both of them. Camuncoli's pencils and Delgado's colours work together really well, and it makes some really good art.

Overall, this issue had an alright plot, good writing but brilliant art.

Rating: 6.5/10

Top comics for June 5th 2013

Welcome to Top Comics! I'm sure you can guess from the title what this feature's about, but if not here's what it's about: Basically, I'll pick out some comics that I think are the top ones for this week and that I think you should pick up. There are some pretty important and good-looking comics out this week so here we go!

Kick-Ass 3 #1

This is the third and final instalment in Mark Millar and John Romita Jr.'s hit comic book series, Kick-Ass. I have to admit, I've never had the chance to read Kick-Ass, but it's something that I've been interested in for a while; I'd flicked through the book and seen scans on comic book websites, but most recently, I read an interview with Mr. Mark Millar, he discussed this series and I have to say, it got me hooked. You've probably heard of this series from the movie that came out a few years ago and it's upcoming sequel, Kick-Ass 2; These were based directly off the books and you can see they've done extremely well, meaning that the comic series can only be as good, most likely, better. From what I've seen of Mark Millar and John Romita Jr.'s previous work on titles such as the Ultimates ( Millar ) and Amazing Spider-Man ( Romita Jr.), this is set to be a great book and it looks like one of this week's must-reads!

Green Lantern #21

Recently, DC Comics writer, Geoff Johns, left the Green Lantern title, he'd been writing the book for around nine years. Basically, the new writer, Robert Venditti, has a lot of pressure on him to get this first issue right; I've spoken to Mr. Venditti recently about his upcoming Green Lantern run and I have to say, I'm certain he'll deliver. This is a new era for Green Lantern and I, for one, am excited to read it! Not to mention artist, Billy Tan, DC Comics recently posted some unlettered preview pages for this issue and his art looks like a great fit for this series! If you're a DC Comics fan or just a fan of comics in general, this is worth picking up. It's a good jumping on point for new readers and is set to be an exciting start of a great new run on the book!

The Movement #2

DC Comics launched two new series last month, The Movement and The Green Team. Both are great books but obviously I'm focusing on the Movement here. This new series is being written by current Batgirl-scriber, Gail Simone; Gail is a talented and brilliant writer and every book that she writes is always a good read. It's being pencilled by Freddie Williams II, a great artist who really shone on the first issue of the series, both creators make a good team and are really doing an extraordinary job on this series. If you're a bit worried about the fact you haven't been keeping up with this series, there's obviously an easy solution to that problem, pick up both issues of the series tomorrow; Trust me, it's really worth it, you'll definitely enjoy this series!

 

Superior Spider-Man #11

Onto the final comic in this feature, Superior Spider-Man! I honestly don't know how the writer of this series, Dan Slott, has come up with his ideas for this series but I love them. It has a lot of unique ideas and is a fun and witty book. In case you didn't know, Doctor Octopus is Spider-Man, this makes for a great ongoing series and despite any bad comments it's been getting, it's a truly amazing (or Superior) series! This issue is pencilled by returning Spidey artist, Guiseppi Camuncoli, who is a Spectacular ( How many adjectives are there that haven't been used for Spidey series?!) artist for this book. It's also co-written by Christos Gage, the last arc he helped to write with Dan Slott was the great Hobgoblin arc between Amazing Spider-Man 665 and 668, he and Slott make a good writing double team!

Conclusion

So, those were my top four picks from all of the comics coming out tomorrow. These are definitely worth picking up and I'm sure you'll enjoy them!

Preview for Hawkeye 11, "Pizza is my buisness", released.

When I first started reading Matt Fraction and David Aja's Hawkeye series ( with Matt Hollingsworth on colours ) I'd already seen endless good reviews and I'd never actually heard of anybody who hadn't liked it. This along with all the scans and pages posted on comic sites convinced me to go and buy my first issue of the series, issue 9. I've now decided to be a regular reader and I'm going back and getting all the issues I've missed. It's one of the best books out there at the moment, seriously, it's a charming and witty series with great writing and amazing art.

Hawkeye #8, Maybe it's the hat? Or the hair?



Cheer up, Pizza Dog.

Now, before I started reading this series one thing really jumped out at me from the articles I'd read on it. Pizza Dog. In case you don't know, Clint "Hawkeye" Barton saved a pizza-loving dog from the tracksuit mafia. Really, A superhero who owns a dog who loves pizza. Take that, Green Arrow!


Anyway, what I'm building to here is, this issue is completely focused on Pizza Dog. A whole 20 page comic focused on Hawkeye's pizza-eating dog who's investigating a murder. Wow. Just...Wow.

Here's a few preview pages ( originally from Comic Book Resources . Head over to their preview for the last page )

 

 

 

Hawkeye #11, "Pizza is my business", by Matt Fraction, David Aja and Matt Hollingsworth is released on June 26th. It's the craziest and greatest idea for a comic ever.

Interview: Ryan Stegman talks Superior Spider-Man, Spider-Man 2099, Scarlet Spider and more!

 
Harry: First off, Thanks for doing this interview, Ryan!

I'm going to start off with a few questions about one of the books you used to draw, Scarlet Spider!

How much of a say did you get in what the character was like,  considering Kaine was changed in a big way from his former villain identity?

Scarlet Spider by Ryan Stegman

Ryan Stegman: Hm...Most of that stuff was Yost. I got to re-design the character's costume and I made the decision to maintain his bulk, so to speak. I wanted him to look more intimidating than Peter. I do think I suggested we cut his hair and get rid of the beard so that he was more identifiable to the reader. But I think I may have suggested that and Yost said, "Oh yeah, I already planned on that." We were really on the same wavelength with everything.

Harry: Even though you don't draw the book any more, you're the cover artist on the series. Do you ever enjoy this more than interiors? Considering you still get to draw the character but you don't have to do as much for the deadline.

Ryan Stegman: No! I don't have anything against covers. I enjoy doing a few of those a month. But I'd lose my mind doing just covers. I like to tell stories. And I like to tell stories panel-to-panel. You can tell a story on a cover, sure, but you only get one image and story is generally subordinated to other aspects like design and making it "pop" of the shelves. 

I am currently in a week where I'm just trying to pump out four different covers and it's really tough because I like to think about a cover for a few days before doing it. Just marinate on it while doing other pages. Maybe I'll think about it when I go for a run, or something will come out of nowhere and hit you. But when you have to do a bunch of covers in a row you don't get that time to conceive and it makes it really, really hard.

Harry: Did drawing Kaine give you more experience for drawing web-slingers when it came to drawing Superior Spider-Man?

Ryan Stegman: Absolutely. I mean, I've kind of always drawn web-slingers in my spare time. But yeah, I really got to learn how to sequence action with Spider-characters throughout that book.

Fantastic Four by Stegman

Harry: You also had a run on Fantastic Four before it's renumbering, do you take a different approach to drawing team books than you do solo books?

Ryan Stegman: Yes. It's much harder! I really think about composition when I'm drawing on interior pages. And the more characters you have the more unruly the composition gets. Because there are so many variables that are difficult to control. So the planning stage takes longer. It all takes longer! 

Harry: Do you prefer any aspects of either type of book? For example, drawing backgrounds, there being less to draw in team books.

Ryan Stegman: I think I prefer doing a single character book because I can really connect with one character. The best example that I can give is that when I did my first issue of Amazing Spider-Man, 665, I felt like I connected immediately. I knew exactly what to do with the character. All my focus was on him. 

In Fantastic Four I felt like I really started to get it in my 3rd issue. Because I had all these little scenes with each character and we had to give each one their own emotional weight. So when I finally figured it out, my run on the book was essentially done!

Amazing Spider-Man 665 interiors
by Stegman

Harry: Onto your current project, Superior Spider-Man, which I'm really loving by the way!

This is obviously quite a controversial book, with one of Peter Parker's deadliest villains, Doctor Octopus, taking control of Spider-Man's body and taking on the role. Do you ever find negative comments distracting or unnerving or do you find it easy to carry on making the book and ignore them?

Ryan Stegman: Well, I only really get down when I read negative comments about my side of the book, meaning the art. Because I read the scripts. I read the book. I've read Dan's run on the book. I KNOW, in my mind, that it's a great story. So it's almost like an outsider looking in. I read negative comments about the story and just have a different opinion.

But when it's my art, that is harder for me to be objective about. Because I can't say definitively that what I do is good or great. That's for others to judge. So if somebody hates it I take it into account. Possibly to a fault! 

Harry: Are there any specific changes you make to drawing Spider-Man between Peter Parker and Otto Octavius?

Ryan Stegman: Only in his mannerisms and facial expressions. I draw Ock/Peter exactly as I would Peter just with arched eyebrows or maniacal smiles etc. 

Superior Spider-Man by Stegman

Harry: Do you prefer drawing the Superior costume or Peter Parker's costume?

Ryan Stegman: Both are cool. The Superior costume isn't different enough for me to really have much of an opinion. I will say that we did away with the webbing on the triceps that Parker had and that makes it way easier to draw!

Harry: On this series, there is a team of rotating artists, consisting of you, Guiseppe Camuncolli and Humberto Ramos. Are there ever times when you think "I would've loved to draw that issue" etc.?

Ryan Stegman: Well I'd love to draw every issue! But no, I am a huge fan of both artists and I love seeing how they do their issues. I'm really happy with the issues I got to do.

Harry: How is it decided which artist draws which issue?

Ryan Stegman: That's a question for Wacker! But I think he does a good job with that. He knows what our strengths are.

Harry: The writer of the series, Dan Slott, obviously starts setting up major storylines a long time before they happen. Does he usually tell you the things he's leading up to so you know a long time in advance?

Ryan Stegman: Yes. I'd like to take a journey through Dan's mind someday. It would be fascinating and terrifying. Dan will call me on the phone and just machine gun idea after idea and it's amazing. I could listen to him ramble on about this stuff all day. But yeah, I probably know what the plans are for the next two years or so right now.

Harry: (SPOILERS AHEAD) Now, the most recent issue of the series was #9, this was probably one of the biggest issues in the series and involved Otto Octavius erasing Peter Parker once and for all. Obviously this will have a major impact on the series, how do you think it'll change the tone of the book?

Ryan Stegman: Well, I drew the next issue so I don't want to give too much away. But you can rest assured that Ock is going to spread his wings and really be himself.

Inside the head of Peter Parker and Otto Octavius

Harry: This issue was mostly set inside Peter Parker/Otto Octavius' head. Was it fun to get to draw in such an odd setting?

Ryan Stegman: Oh yeah. It was awesome. I love drawing stuff that isn't real. Anything that will let me be imaginative and go nuts. And that was definitely an issue where I got to do that.

Harry: Will this change the way Otto acts in the series?

                                                                                Ryan Stegman: He will be more Ock-y than ever!

Harry: Onto some questions about a recent piece of news for the book, the return of Spider-Man 2099. Was it fun to draw such a classic character or was it a little bit intimidating?

Spider-Man 2099 convention sketch by Stegman.

Ryan Stegman: Well, if I was going to be intimidated by anything it'd be drawing Amazing Spider-Man. So no, this is just fun! I love his costume. And I just can't wait to get into the story and draw him in action. It's gonna be too much fun.

Harry: What can you tease about his upcoming appearance?

Ryan Stegman: Really, all I can say is that I hope we can bring him back right. I hope that it is so well received that we see a lot more of the character in the coming years.

Harry: One last Superior related question, is there anything you can tease for the series?

Ryan Stegman: No! Haha. Everything is under lock and key!

Harry: And just one general question. If you could draw any character or series from any publisher, who/what would you choose?

Ryan Stegman: My own characters! I love to create. Spider-Man is the gold standard at the big 2 for me. It's what I always wanted. Beyond that, the only thing that's really left is my own characters. In a perfect world I'd somehow alternate between Spider-Man and my own characters!

Harry: Thanks again, Ryan!

Ryan Stegman is one of three rotating artists on Superior Spider-Man, issue #9 is on sale now!

You can also catch him on his twitter page.

Review: Superior Spider-Man #9

Well, a lot of people are going to be upset with Dan Slott today. I'm not one of them, however, and I loved this issue.

I've loved every issue of Superior Spider-Man from the beggining and have loved Slott's whole run, and I've not been one of the "You ruined my childhood!" people.

Superior Spider-Man #9

Now that I'm done with that, let's get onto the full review!

The writing in the issue is very clever, as it always is with this series. It's an interesting plot and it had me hooked from the first page. Slott really writes these characters well, and comes up with some of the most unexpected twists in comics. I'm not going to spoil the story, you should definitely read it for yourself, but, obviously, people have already spoiled it.

I absoloutely love Ryan Stegman's art, I always think it's a shame with the rotating art team whenever he takes a break from the book. I do like Guissepe Cammuncoli and Humberto Ramos' art a lot, but I feel like Stegman's is a perfect fit for the book. Put together with the colours from Edgar Delgado, the art really adds to the book.

And because letterers never get any recognition in comic books, Chris Eliopoulos did a great job on the issue!

Altgether, another great issue in the series! Unexpected ending and a brilliant story, 10/10!

DC Comics tease... The Joker's Daughter?

DC have started a new feature on their blog called "What's new in the New 52?", the second edition went up today and they teased something rather interesting. The Joker's Daughter.

The only text DC posted reads, "Something evil lurks under Gotham City and it wears the Joker's face"

The Joker's daughter design, drawn by Brett Booth.

The original Joker's Daughter was Duela Dent, the daughter of Harvey Dent, A.K.A Two-Face. She, however, took on the name of the "Joker's Daughter". Her origin then got a bit more confusing, she was then the Daughter of the Earth-3 version of the Joker, the Jester, a hero on that world. She's worked with the Teen Titans a few times and was pretty much a good guy, I think.


So, what do you think of this? And what's the Joker going to do without his face? I mean it's pretty important...

I'm pretty sure this will  be in the main Batman book, by Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo, who have pretty much taken  charge of Joker in New 52, and have done a lot to do with what the city's really like, including how it was built and what's underneath it.

Here's DC's article: http://www.dccomics.com/blog/2013/04/18/whats-new-in-the-new-52-%E2%80%93-jokers-daughter

Interview: Brett Booth on Comics, Nightwing and more!

CS: First off, Hi, Brett, thanks for doing the interview!

BB: You are most welcome!

CS: Brett, how does drawing a solo book like Nightwing compare to a team book such as Teen Titans or even crossover stories, like the Culling story?

BB: It's different. WAY more backgrounds! There are different tricks you need to do. In a team book you can use the other characters to create depth, in a solo you have to do it with backgrounds. The Culling was a bit different, that's a crossover kinda thing and that can get messy. So much in every panel, you just want it to end!;) With a solo you can focus on just the main character more, so he or she needs to look good!

CS: Is there any particular aspect of a character that you add or exaggerate when you're drawing Bat-related characters like Dick and Tim?

BB: Well, I try to make their agility pop. They are the more acrobatic characters so they move with more of a purpose. And Dick needs to reflect this even more than Tim. He needs to be agile yet graceful, flashy yet elegant. Hard to do right and I have plenty of scrapped pages to show this. It needs to be 'right'.

CS: How closely do you work with a writer when you're drawing a book? And do different writers control different amounts of the storytelling duties?

BB: It's different with every writer. Scott left me alone after some headbutting at the beginning. Took me a bit to figure out how to do the panels for him to show the story and not over panel the page. I usually call them up and talk to them if I want to move something around or tweak it. Most times they're game, anything to make the book look better!:)

CS: Now, onto some questions about your new book, Nightwing!

How does it feel to be joining the book in what seems like a new beginning for the character and the series? With Dick Grayson moving to Chicago after Gotham, and, I'm assuming, a new supporting cast.

BB: Well... MOSTLY new cast. It's both easier and harder. Now everyone has to be introduced and this can be a slow process. With the old city you could just drop a name and you knew who they were, now you have to explain everything. On the other hand I'm not stuck drawing to someone else's designs so more freedom

CS: I've noticed that your Nightwing costume is a little different to Eddy Barrows and Juan Jose Ryp's. Specifically the finger stripes, belt and neck. Were the small changes your idea?

BB: Kyle and I were talking and he mentioned the finger stripes. They couldn't figure out a way to do them with the new gauntlets. So I took a stab. After the stripes, we decided to see what else we could tweak and after a few designs we had something we liked. We were going to work up to the changes but our Editor said to just go for it, and we did.

CS: Is there anything specific you like to do for drawing Nightwing? Any specific research for his style of movement?

BB: Not really. Because you sort of have to pose him for what he's doing. Forcing him into some pose just 'cause I saw it doesn't quite work. He really needs to flow on the page but that needs to work with what he's doing

Nightwing Design, by Brett Booth. With added finger stripes!

CS: Now, you've drawn a lot of Nightwing for your weekly Sketch Saturday that you do on your twitter page, did drawing Nightwing in a book feel slightly easier than drawing a character you'd never drawn before?

BB: Yeah, because I already have a feel for him. With all those sketches, they serve a few different purposes, one is me getting a feel for a character. It usually takes me a few issue to get a proper feel for someone. This way I knew what I was doing right out of the block!

Sketch Saturday Nightwing, by Brett Booth

Sketch Saturday Nightwing, by Brett Booth

CS: How much research do you do before drawing a city? Is it harder to draw real cities than Fictional cities, and which do you prefer?

BB: It depends, if I have to do something specific I'll try and get some shots of what I need. Most cites look pretty much the same. Average person wouldn't know the difference if they were magically plopped into one. 

I prefer fictional, because I can make the city do exactly what I need it to do! And what's in my head is simply cooler;P

CS: Is it nice to still be working with the same inker and colourist, Norm Rapmund and Andrew Dalhouse, that you were on Teen Titans?

Nightwing print, by Booth, Rapmund and Dalhouse

BB: Yep! We're one crazy dysfunctional family! But we can count on each other to get stuff done!

CS: Can you say which issue you're on at the moment?

BB: Was in the home stretch of 21, but got pulled off to help on another book. So 21:)

Sneak peek at Nightwing #21, by Brett Booth

CS:  Is there anything you can tease for the upcoming arc in Nightwing?

BB: Nope;)

CS: A few more general questions here.

Now, you do a lot of costume designs for characters in the New 52, if you could re-design any of the existing characters who would you pick?

BB: Hmmmm.... not sure. Earth 2 Flash I think. I just don't like that helmet... I know, WW 1 but with all the changes on Earth2  that would have been a good one. I know I'm in the minority on that!

CS: are there any characters, from any company that you'd like to draw in a regular book?

BB: Besides Wally West and Ted Kord? Booster Gold! Cyclops from the X-men. He was may favorite character growing up!

CS: And one crazy question, if Dick Grayson was a fruit, what would he be?

BB:  Pineapple... Wait that's Ted Kord.... Blueberry

CS: Thanks again, Brett!

BB: Best!

Nightwing #19 is released on April 14, and is written by Kyle Higgins and pencilled by Brett Booth. With inks and colours by Norm Rapmund and Andrew Dalhouse.

You can also catch Brett on his blog, http://demonpuppy.blogspot.co.uk/ . And his twitter page, https://twitter.com/Demonpuppy .

So, who managed to get 700 free Marvel comics?

You might remember a couple of months ago Marvel dropped the news that they were giving away 700 free issues. This was a pretty massive new, and, yes, I was a bit excited . Well maybe some more than  a bit, but who doesn't love free comics?


But, basically, it didn't work. It was a pretty good idea on Marvel's part but Comixology wasn't quite ready. So; imagine a sea of angry and impatient comic book fans all racing to their computers and tearing through the internet to one single web-page. Yup, the web page can't take it and, basically, the whole site crashes.

So, while we were all living in a free comics-less wasteland called the internet, people over social media started to think "was that REALLY a good idea, Marvel?" Probably followed by some useless faces or hashtags you have to think ages about to work out... Anyway, back to the point, Marvel started to think  about what to do. After a month or two, A sign up turned up, you could sign up and Comixology would e -mail you when they were ready to put up the books.

This is obviously better than  no comics at all, the problem was, if you didn't sign up quickly, you couldn't get the free comics.

Luckily, I managed to sign up in time and got, well, a lot of them. (700 of 720, in fact)
But anyway, did you manage to get free comics or did you forget after it broke the first time?

- Harry, CrimsonSquire

Welcome!

So then, welcome to Crimson Squire Comics, my new blog about the world of comic books.

You could've seen me in two places, most likely my Twitter account, @CrimsonSquire. And if you're very lucky you might spot me doing some occasional posts on my Comicvine.Com account, also CrimsonSquire ( Well, I say lucky...).
So, I'm going to talk about pretty much just about comic books, maybe some film or TV things though.
So, thanks for visiting the new blog, hope you stick around and keep reading!
-Crimson Squire ( Or, Harry)