Fantastic Universes

"The Anatomy Lesson" Director: Michael Goi Writer: Noah Griffith, Daniel Stewart & Mark Verheiden Starring: Crystal Reed, Will Patton, Derek Mears, Maria Sten, Ian Ziering, Virginia Madsen, Henderson Wade, Kevin Durand, Selena Anduze, Al Mitchell, Macon Blair and Jason Davis Review by Steve J. Ray The way episode 8 ended, I had a feeling about where this chapter would take us, and what it might be called. It's so nice being right. "The Anatomy Lesson" does a fine job of translating one of the greatest comic-book stories of all time to live action. The plot by Noah Griffith and Daniel Stewart, with a taut, suspense-filled script by Mark Verheiden, manages to combine the vintage re-telling of Swamp Thing's origin from Saga Of The Swamp Thing #21 (also called "The Anatomy Lesson"), issue #28 ("The Burial"), the first hints at Matt Cable's fate from issues #26 and #27 ("A Time Of Running" and "By Demon...

"Oracle Rising" - Part One Writer: Cecil Castellucci Artist:  Carmine Di Giandomenico Color A rtist: Jordie Bellaire Letterer:  AndWorld Design Review by Fay Clark Batgirl is starting fresh after the end of the  last issue . While all her friends and enemies are moving on with their lives, Babs is stuck in a fight in  Batgirl #37.  Having had some upgrades the villain thinks he’s finally going to win! Can Batgirl withstand the new tech? Or will she need some help to swat the annoying villain? We jump into  Batgirl #37  with an immediate throwback to a villain I’m sure none of us were too happy to see. New writer Cecil Castellucci has done a very good job at keeping the same thread that Maighread Scott was weaving with these characters. Although not written by the same person,  the unique voice personalities still shone through really well. I’ll be honest I was slightly worried, as I thought no one would be able to create the same kind...

“Batman: Curse Of The White Knight” – Book One Writer and Artist: Sean Murphy Color Artist: Matt Hollingsworth Letterer: AndWorld Design Review by Steve J. Ray This series is the comic-book equivalent of “That difficult second album.” Whenever a musician or band break into the scene with an outstanding debut, the pressure is on to deliver something just as good, if not better, but with the added pressure of not just re-hashing what came before. Don’t get me wrong, Sean Gordon Murphy has been making comics for a fair while, but the original  Batman: White Knight  was his first work for a major publisher where he took the reigns as both writer AND artist. It was also a smash hit, has become a cult classic and a fan favorite. I’m very happy to report that  Batman: Curse Of The White Knight  #1 doesn’t disappoint. Murphy succeeds in picking up seeds from his first story, whilst simultaneously weaving some new and intricate sub-plots. There’s that mysterious o...

“The Last Lord Of Order” Writer: James Tynion IV Pencillers: Daniel Sampere and Mark Buckingham Inkers: Juan Albarran and Mick Gray Color Artist: Adriano Lucas Letterer: Rob Leigh Review by Steve J. Ray Fill-in issues, or those that tie into big, company-wide crossovers, are a necessary evil in the comic-book industry. At worst they’re throw away entertainment that neither further the plot nor really provide anything new to readers of either the event, nor the ongoing book. In the hands of a great writer however, they can be so much more.  Justice League Dark  #13 is the perfect example of a fill-in/tie-in book done 100% correctly. This comic gets everything right. Broken up into three chapters, the issue gives us the aftermath of the incredible “ Lords Of Order ” storyline ( JLD 8-12), takes us back to “ The Witching Hour ” ( JLD  #4,  Wonder Woman  #56-#57,  Wonder Woman/JLD  #1 and  JLD/Wonder Woman  #1) and ties int...

“Greetings From Gotham” Writer: Peter J. Tomasi Artists: Doug Mahnke and Jaime Mendoza Color Artist: Dave Baron Letterer: Rob Leigh Review by Steve J. Ray Detective Comics  #1008 is a riot. The Joker’s back and is holding a fairground full of Gothamites hostage using booby trapped collars full of killer smilex gas. Can Batman stop him in time? What will crack first; Joker’s smile or his teeth? Could Batman BE any more grumpy? Just how dry can Alfred’s humor get? All these questions and more are answered in 20 pages of pure joy. There have been a veritable truckload of “Year Of The Villain: The Offer” intro issues now, some of them great, others… not so much. Writer Peter J. Tomasi has brilliantly chosen to mark the event with a throwaway line from Mr. J at the beginning of the issue, and then ignored the crossover completely ’til the last two pages. The writer has opted instead to give us a crazy carnival ride, featuring comics’ greatest odd couple. This one issue has ...