Batman Fear State Alpha featured Reviews 

Wrapping Wednesday: Micro Reviews for the Week of 9/1/21

By | September 6th, 2021
Posted in Reviews | % Comments

There’s a lot to cover on Wednesdays. We should know, as collectively, we read an insane amount of comics. Even with a large review staff, it’s hard to get to everything. With that in mind, we’re back with Wrapping Wednesday, where we look at some of the books we missed in what was another great week of comics.

Let’s get this party started.

Batman: Fear State Alpha #1
Written by James Tynion IV
Illustrated by Riccardo Federici
Colored by Chris Sotomayor
Lettered by Clayton Cowles
Reviewed by Quinn Tassin

Gotham City really can’t catch a break, huh? After last year’s “Joker War” storyline, scribe James Tynion IV brings us yet another epic story that touches every corner of the Batman line. He demonstrates a clear comfort with storytelling of this scale in “Batman: Fear State Alpha” #1. The issue ably hops from subplot to subplot, setting up all of the major threads that Fear State will be following. The core story here is, of course, the ongoing corruption of Simon Saint and Mayor Nakano, whose big plans are finally being set into motion with Scarecrow. The premise of Saint using Scarecrow’s academic research on shocking society into mass change is really very interesting (and clearly takes more than a little inspiration from Naomi Klein’s “The Shock Doctrine”) but for the most part this issue feels like it’s lacking any particularly strong moments.

Tynion, to be fair, is a very good writer so even an issue that’s more about teeing up a bunch of stories than telling any of its own has plenty of good beats. Harley appealing to something inside of Queen Ivy and the Nakano/Montoya phone call both stand out and there’s the ever-promising partnership between Barbara Gordon, Stephanie Brown, and Cassandra Cain. That all of the none of this feels like a real story is not ideal but it seems like the stories spinning out of this potpourri of setups are going to be mostly solid.

As for the art, illustrator Riccardo Federici and colorist Chris Sotomayor do solid work together. There’s an atmosphere to the issue- one of uncertainty and anticipation- that’s almost entirely reliant on their work. The feeling that the big, bad things happening are just a prelude to even bigger, badder things is palpable which is absolutely awesome. Special credit goes to Sotomayor, whose coloring decisions feel clear without being overbearing. Take the scene with Saint in his very red control room, for instance. The general colors used there could feel cartoonish (the bad kind not the fun kind) but he keeps them just subdued enough and they compliment the art style in such a way that it feels more grounded. Queen Ivy’s underground domicile, too, is a moment where Sotomayor really just flexes on you, imbuing it with equal amounts beauty and danger. Federici’s pencils are broadly strong- he brings grit without the pencils feeling at all try-hard- but he falters a lot when it comes to illustrating faces. In a close up, he does good work but essentially any time more than one character is in a panel, it’s a little tough to look at.

On the whole, “Batman: Fear State Alpha” #1 does a good job making Fear State seem interesting and that’s the issue’s main job. As a story in its own right, the endeavor has a tonal through line but lacks focus or any strong hooks.

Final Verdict: 7.5- “Batman: Fear State Alpha” #1 is a sprawling setup for the latest Gotham epic that delivers on intrigue but not much more

Black Hammer Reborn #3
Written By Jeff Lemire
Illustrated By Caitlin Yarsky
Colored By Dave Stewart
Lettered By Nate Piekos of Blambot
Review By Henry Finn

The third issue of “Black Hammer Reborn” is an invigorating family melodrama that manages to tie together threads from issue 1 that span three generations. Jeff Lemire crafts a story that explores the all-too human themes of identity, inadequacy, and the need to be seen.

What stands out about this issue is how Lemire uses familiar scenes from major superhero comics to deliver deep emotional payoffs. For instance, everyone has read the oft-depicted moment when a superhero encounters an inept villain that typically serves as fodder to open an issue with some action and humor before the heavy appears. Typically these scenes end with the villain webbed to a street light or tied together with a bar of steel. Instead Lemire uses this moment to insert an important backstory to add weight to a our-marriage-is-falling-apart argument Lucy and her husband Elliot are having about his infidelity. He explains that he feels inferior and we flash back to the moment they met. Elliot was the inept underpowered super villain that Lucy clobbered easily and yet instead of putting him behind bars, she let go, eventually marrying and sharing two children together. When we return back to the present, there is more dimension to their argument because of that flashback. It wasn’t just a cape punching a villain, but the moment of inception that would fetch them for decades. Lemire gives us the action fans of the genre expect along with the emotion along with page-turning penny drops every 5-6 pages.

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Caitlin Yarsky provides a minimalistic approach to her storytelling and rendering. For her layouts, she sticks to 4-6 panel pages with a few splash pages and double-page spreads to remind us that the backdrop for this melodrama is world-ending stakes. She sticks to mostly medium shots and closeups for the duration of the book but what bothered me was how most of the panels seemed to follow the same viewing plane. The lack of visual stimulation creates an effect of giving the script more shine, but the best comics are a balance of interesting storytelling choices to go along with a strong script.

Yarsky also leaves many panels without any background detail at all, and does not texture any of her images with cross-hatching or black shadows, which gives colorist Dave Stewart more opportunity to affect the visual storytelling. He also keeps it simple, but never forgets to add texture and three-dimensions with his tasteful use of shadows and contrast. This combination plays well when the panels have a lot going on, such as when debris from a parallel dimension zaps onto the planet. I think what is lacking however, is the extra poetic punch that a really thoughtful closeup or peculiar framing of a subject can achieve when not overused.

Hopefully in future issues Yarsky takes the script to the next level when the images say something in and of itself. Tom King and Gabriel Hernandez Walta achieved this symbiosis in a similar slow-boiling family melodrama with apocalyptic ramifications during their run on “The Vision.” Separately excellent and full of meaning and yet propelling each other to a deeper meaning when together. That is the potential this book has that has thus far been missing from the series.

Final Verdict 6.5 – A really well-written story with just serviceable art to go along with it.

Lucky Devil #2
Written by Cullen Bunn
Illustrated by Fran Galan
Lettered by El Torres
Reviewed by Alexander Manzo

This issue of “Lucky Devil” has the set-up vibe for things to come. The main character Stanley is trying to recruit followers to his movement feels as if Cull Bunn is trying to rope you in with what is to come. Bunn does a good job of keeping the reader on the edge of their seat by wondering what exactly is to go next, and just a tiny taste of his power is enough to keep the pages turning. There is also this feeling of blood in the water that Bunn creates by showing different side characters alerting their superiors to Stanley’s powers and to be ready. Bunn also adds humor to the story during that “torture” scene as he throws away a gun left behind and continues his selling pitch for the remaining class members. Bunn creates Stanley to be this self-centered character that feels like his powers will be the only way to stay on top instead of realizing what is truly coming after him.

Fran Galan does a great job by balancing the line between a cartoon style and realism. If he was older and more evil, Stanley would have these similarities to Shaggy from Scooby Doo. This style helps make this dark and edgy storyline a bit more animated and fun for the reader. Galan can get grittier, especially during the skin removal scene when the victim screams in pain, and the reader can see all of the bloody muscles in his body. The otherworldy premise that Bunn has crafted alongside Galan’s art style creates a quirky atmosphere for the reader to not feel like it’s a story of pure evil despite the character’s backgrounds.

Galan also does a great job of creating demonic vibes in the various scenes with his color choices. For example, during the party scene where he’s talking to the high priest from the church of Lucifer, there’s this haunting orange surrounding the characters that feel like the conversation is taken place in hell. On the final page of the issue, as the three demons emerge from the grave, there’s this pink mist surrounding them that delivers a chilling cliffhanger reminiscent of Stranger Things and the Demogorgon.

Final Verdict: 9.0 – It’s a fun story featuring demons, skin removal, and a party for the masses.

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Midnighter 2021 Annual #1
Written by Becky Cloonan and Michael W. Conrad
Illustrated by Michael Avon Oeming
Colored by Taki Soma
Lettered by Dave Sharpe
Reviewed by Gregory Ellner

“Midnighter 2021 Annual” #1 is an odd piece. While the writing from Becky Cloonan and Michael W. Conrad (who also collaborate on the ongoing “Wonder Woman” run) is entertaining, it can be a bit difficult to follow, let alone care, about what is actually happening on the page. The fact that “Midnighter 2021 Annual” #1 follows up from backup stories in “Action Comics” and “Future State: Superman: Worlds at War” does not help matters, with the resultant plot having perhaps been better served being called an annual for the ‘Future State’ incarnation of Midnighter than acting as though it is his primary timeline version.

Rather than be a standalone story fans of Midnighter and Apollo could pick up at their leisure (as is the case with many other annuals), the result of Cloonan and Conrad’s efforts is too much of an extended issue to tie up a backup story to be inclusive for other readers. Having next time no context given on what is going on leads to a likelihood that readers may have difficulty connecting to the story; a perhaps ironic turn of events given its focus on certain people lacking empathy.

Michael Avon Oeming does a rather good job of making the artwork feel somewhat exaggerated and cartoonish, adding to the sheer ridiculousness of some of the situations. Such a direction is not without its complexities: on the one hand, it seems to fit the way Midnighter does not seem to care at all about graphic violence; on the other hand, the exaggerations make taking any given moment at all seriously far more difficult, including physical or verbal fights, and so may make the already strained task of empathizing with a story that is nearly completed all the more difficult.

Taki Soma’s colors do not make the problems inherent in the conclusion to ‘The Passenger’ any more insurmountable, but not do they make them all that much easier to handle. The hues and tones are a good fit for the art style, helping to create a sense of borderline black comedy at times, but also does not make the more subtle moments any easier to address.

Final Verdict: 6.0- Perhaps this annual is good for those who were already following the story of Future State’s Midnighter, but for others, it is not particularly inviting.

The Witcher: Witch’s Lament #4
Written by Bartosz Sztybor
Illustrated by Vanessa R. Del Ray
Laid Out by John Star
Colored by Jordie Bellaire
Lettered Aditya Bidikar
Reviewed by Conor Spielberg

The issue starts in medias res with Geralt being forced to fend himself off against a small onslaught of guards. The combat that unfolds isn’t always clear, obscured in the overall darkness of the comic that isn’t so overwhelming in later scenes. Most of the background and all of the panels are black, which results in the panels often not being clearly defined. This dark background is highlighted even further by Geralt’s signs which brightly dazzle the surrounding area and shine the entire panel in Jordie Bellaire’s coloring.

Messy inking and penciling combined with the color pallet that contrasts in light and dark makes a strong impression stylistically and conveys a sense of dreariness and pessimism that so often permeates the world Geralt lives in. After the quick and dirty fight sequence ensures that they have the reader’s attention, Bartosz Sztybor reveals in the climax unfolding as Lamia and Geralt debate the themes of the books. Because The Witcher so often applies a strong sense of noir elements to its stories, it is only now on the final issue after all the reveals have occurred that the themes can be clearly explored by every character.

Sztybor has the good sense to prioritise his contribution to the creative process for the final issue but still introduce the issue with action that puts the unique art style at the forefront .

Final Verdict: 6.8 – Hard to follow the action at times but a cool artistic choice for a well told story


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