Joshua Evans Comic Reviews

Part 3 of this story continues to be just as strong as part1.

This fourth installment of "The Oz Effect" arc plays the panels fast and loose, cutting with cinematic precision between the individual quests of all major players. The irony of the paradise Mr. Oz promises, in the face of the Armageddon he's creating, comes to blazing breathing life with every page turn.

Being Superman is a tough job. And the fact that it doesnt break him shines an inspiration out of the pages that makes it impossible to regret reading.

And probably the best aspect of this entire book is that none of its complexity is obvious. You can't see any of the moving parts; it's just a fun, strange story. A magnetic journey.

This epic, elseworld miniseries set in Gothams dark nights exposes us to the critical question of identity.

The art is breathtakingly dark in its vibrant expressions. There's not a whole lot of smiles going on in this book, which opens us up to the many subtle variations the face is capable of making. Ive noticed a consistency of imperfections as well: at times Batman is slim, and in other panels hes too bulky. I am unsure if thats intentional, but the effect is an eye catching one that doesnt disrupt the flow of the story. It actually has the opposite effect; because the entirety of the tale is so intelligently executed, it makes me ask myself why is this here? Anytime a flaw can draw you deeper in is a sign of a good story being done well. Also, I want to say, Im totally digging the jacket over Nightwings outfit. I didnt think Id like it, but I do. I really do.

It's so close to "real life" in its dark, ambiguous style because in real life there is no one style of everything.And that's what's makes this book beautiful.

I'm actually quite fond of the illustrated renderings, because it's so inviting. It hearkens back to the old styles where it's a bit over the top, but just enough so that it's totally engrossing. Stunning actually. It's almost like watching a cartoon. And, my word, every action scene of Black Lightning crackling with power"? To die for.

This story is one of the best things happening in comics right now and Im so excited for issue five, because we all know- whether its accepted or not- there is one thing on the other side of every gift.

Just a really exciting story that delivered more than you might expect it to.

I loved the artwork in this issue. There wasnt necessarily a high volume of fine tuned detail or a loud color palette, but the whole bloody thing felt like an adventure! Every scene visually took me every where I needed to go, which is good. If you can evoke that sense of participation with your illustrations, then almost nothing else matters. The scene that stands out the most to me is probably the simplest, but I found myself flipping back just to look at it again, because it was so perfect. Transcendent almost. There is an isolated shot of a mountainside, with about a few hundreds stories worth of elevator shaft running down it. Greenery dots the mountain all the way down. Words dont do it justice, but youll know it when you see it. It just takes you there.

On the whole, though, this spy-tastic roller coaster was a great whirl that capped off in fireworks at harvest time fashion. I enjoyed myself with this book.

All in all an exceptionally thrilling chapter in this ongoing miniseries.

Theres an intuition behind the strokes of this issue, that lets you know the artist truly understands the gravity of this sacred world theyre playing in. I enjoyed this thoroughly.

The artistic illustrations werent particularly breathtaking, but thats not to say that they were lazy or crude either. In point of fact, it reminded me heavily of the old school Scooby Doo or Tom and Jerry cartoons. Quirky and eye catching with bold dashes of color. Perhaps not ideal for winning nominations, but absolutely spot on for winning the hearts and imaginations of kids. To this point, I also hold that there is an underlying precision to the art, tying it all together. Theres an intentionality which separates it with sharp distinction from the half cocked renderings proffered in other childrens media.

The artwork hearkens to the better stylistic renderings of the mutant brothers over the years (and there have been many). Theyre muscular, not too bulky, but ALSO not too thin! The NYC detail was fitting, but at the same time I noticed there were no wasted scenes of rampant city scenery which I believe is because we already know what New York looks like. Assuming the intelligence of the reader always pays marvelous dividends. One really unique scene that Im stoked to return to in future issues is the depiction of a bio-techno mutant turtle controlled by what appeared to be some variant of virtual reality goggles. Making something like that work in the frame-by-frame imagery of comics is just talent showing off and I loved every nuanced pixel of it.

The artwork rang with the culture of its environment and I felt it. Continuing to love this story arc.

This latest Image offering is just so tantalizingly good on so many levels and has all the elements to really go the distance, and become a sprawling saga that the industry will never forget.

Hawkins and Cady's story is fantastically well paced and delivered with the confidence and authority of someone who knows what they're doing. There is no trying here, or hemming and hawing about the execution. They know what they are doing and they do it. With so many comic books being cranked out across myriad forums these days, the significance of having a strong first issue cannot be overstated.

This was a really curiously engaging read, and Im eagerly awaiting how they plan to deliver on the ever-raising stakes.