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 #118
Written by Joshua Williamson
Illustrated by Jorge Molina and Mikel Janín
Colored by Tomeu Morey
Lettered by Clayton Cowles
Reviewed by Quinn Tassin
It’s been a big decade or so for Batman and for “Batman.” Much of the content of Scott Snyder, Tom King, and James Tynion IV’s runs on the series saw escalating stakes for the caped crusader and near-constant wars or takeovers of some sort for Gotham City. There’s been a lot of genuinely great content in there but- whew- there’s also just been a lot. With Joshua Williamson’s first issue writing one of the biggest superheroes of all time, we’ve got three great things: some catharsis, some old fashioned, simple Bat-action, and a trip out of Gotham.
“Batman” #118 opens with the catharsis- the people of Gotham celebrating after the latest in a series of massive crises for the city. Textually, it makes sense but this is the rare moment where the meta-textual satisfaction feels just as real. We readers have seen the city going through a lot for a long time and it really does feel hopeful to see the normal people partying and watching fireworks. Then there’s the classic action. Batman scaring a couple of petty thieves in an alley. Some members of the rogues gallery crash a rich people party and Batman beats them up. We’re back to the basics, if only for a moment, and golly does it work. And then there’s our international murder mystery- why did the members of Batman, Inc. kill Abyss and what did Lex Luthor have to do with it? That last part introduces a cool character named Detective Cayha but other than that it’s mostly vibes. They’re good vibes though! Color me intrigued.
The art, primarily by Jorge Molina is excellent. Mikel Janín pencils two pages which are solid but not notable but for the fact that they flow strikingly with from Molina’s pages. Molina has demonstrated himself one of the best artists in the business time and time again and seeing him lend his talents to Batman and Gotham is a treat. He brings an incredible amount of detail and care to the issue, making the city and its people feel alive, and making a real statement with his take on Batman. That image of Batman on the roof with fireworks going off behind him is something to behold. It captures the thematic core of the first two-thirds of the issue- Gotham’s joy running against Bruce’s lack thereof- beautifully. It’s also just awesome. The Billionaires Ball featuring Gotham’s wealthiest dressed as Batman’s villains is a real highlight. The splash of everyone’s costumes is gorgeous. The encounter with the actual villains is thrilling and dynamic. Those final pages in Badhnisia, too, are stunning. The subtle-MVP here is colorist Tomeu Morey. This is as vibrant an issue of “Batman” as anyone’s ever read. It’s filled with lush colors that bring an unbelievable sense of life to the comic. It’s smaller things like Firefly’s flamethrower, fireworks, and the light of a television get the extra touch that make Tomeu’s work really notable, though.
God, “Batman” #118 is good. Williamson is one of DC’s best writers and he clearly gets Bruce Wayne as a character. He gets how hard it is for Bruce to stay still, that he needs something to fight, and that at his core he’s really soft. Just look at that reminiscing scene and the adorable Batman autograph he left with that little girl. We’ve got yet another strong Batman run on our hands.
Final Verdict: 8.8- With “Batman” #118, Joshua Williamson makes it clear that we’re at the start of another great run for the Caped Crusader.
Written By John Lees
Illustrated By Alex Cormack
Continued below
Colored By Ashley Cormack
Lettered By Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou
Reviewed By Henry Finn
With “Crimson Cage” #1 writer John Lees artfully renders a wrestling drama heavily influenced by Shakespeare. His love and knowledge for the art (yes I called it an art) of wrestling is apparent in every page. The book opens with a match between our hero Chuck Frenzy and a behemoth named the Abominable Grudd and as he throws Chuck’s lover Sherlene off the ropes, she breaks her fall with her arms and hands flat out. Later in the locker room Grudd cries over the thought of hurting her and Chuck reassures him that Sherlene “sold” it big, and she knew what she was doing. It’s these little moments where the dialogue feels deeply native to the world Lees is depicting that we see his appreciation for the sport shines. The book is a compelling page-turner because Lees creates a truly sympathetic hero with an emphasis on pathetic. His journey within just the first issue leaves us with a sense of dreadful inevitability towards a violent end.
Illustrator Alex Cormack brings an impressionistic and Faustian approach to the storytelling. Most of the backgrounds are colored solid deep blacks, with the characters blending into the darkness constantly. He fills the pages with many closeups of the characters to put you right into the action and emotion. In a scene that finds Frenzy sitting high above the city on a single I-beam, Cormack manages to make you feel subtly nauseous by drawing the character’s clothing and hair flapping in the wind and a lot of negative space.
Colorist Ashley Cormack is the perfect compliment to Alex. She sticks to simple and dreary color palettes to allow the blood to stand out. Every location is draped in muted reds or oranges that feels like purgatory or hell. In the end, all three elements of writing, illustration, and color come together beautifully to craft a special debut issue that is perfect counter-programming for the holiday season.
Final Verdict: 8.5 – One of the best first issues of Upshot’s premieres this year.
Devil’s Reign #1
Written by Chip Zdarsky
Illustrated by Marco Checchetto
Colored by Marcio Menyz
Lettered by Clayton Cowles
Reviewed by Alexander Manzo
The “Devil’s Reign” is the beginning of a mini-event that starts with a massive bang as Wilson Fisk uses his political power to settle a personal vendetta between himself and Daredevil that has been growing for years. Chip Zdarsky tells this opening chapter by bouncing between Fisk and the various superheroes located in New York. Still, the reader can feel his influence on every page and panel. Having Fisk utilize the Thunderbolt team to hunt down the superheroes and attempt to put them into custody feels like a solid tactical decision. Zdarsky is showing that they may or may not be able to stop them for the time being, but they are slowly getting backed into a corner where if they want to comply with the rules and laws they preach so hard for they will put their “guns” down and adhere to it. It may not be the most original idea with influences like Civil War but it certainly feels more brutal in its execution, which again relates to Fisk’s power and anger built up. It’s not the only emotion exhibited throughout the issue, though, because this underlying sense of pain comes with having his memories wiped from him due to Zebediah Kilgrave’s children, which gives him this sense of empathy. It creates a question of, “Did Daredevil do this to everyone?”
Marco Checchetto is a veteran Marvel artist and has had plenty of practice with Daredevil and Kingpin with the latest run with Zdarsky. In this issue, he not only gets to put those hours of work on display but also, along with the over superheroes and Thunderbolt units in action. Most first issues for any series, or mini-event, may get an action sequence to hook the audience somewhere in the middle. Still, Checchetto gets to show off his range with three huge sequences featuring various superheroes and members of the Thunderbolt unit.
The vibe of this book would not be complete without Marco Menyz’s work. This issue has Fisk’s fingerprints throughout it, and Menyz’s slightly darker tones for each page and panel create this Star Wars Order 66 feel. Each interaction with the various characters gives the reader this feeling that something terrible will happen, not necessarily deadly, but put them to the test in some way.
Final Verdict: 9.0 – This book comes in hot and ready-to-go with action, tactical moves, and just straight brutality. Yet Zdarsky and the team have still found a way to make the readers empathetic towards Fisk.
