Pop Mythology Pop Mythology: Movie, Book, Comic reviews & commentary
‘Twas the night before Christmas
And all through the house,
Nobody was stirring
And I had comics to browse.
The comic book stack was set
By the computer with care
With a list and a scotch
Reviews were ready to share.
The list for this week
Is before you to peruse,
Let us see what was good
And what you should refuse.
DC Comics
Marvel Comics
Image Comics
Batman Annual #3
A wonderful tale of madness
By James Tynion IV, you know.
We see the depths of depravity
To which the Joker will go.
An “Endgame” tie-in that will delight
and summarizes the Joker in five years ‘til now.
We see how randomly spiteful he is,
To him minor events mean much and how.
Buy this book, it won’t disappoint;
These days, Batman has risen much above the clatter,
That even non-Batman fans must wonder
Just what is the matter?
The answer is simple,
It’s perfectly clear.
It’s more obvious
than the sound of reindeer.
The writers for Batman these days
Are no random outsiders.
They truly know Batman well,
Like Tynion and Scott Snyder.
Robin Rises Alpha #1
Seemed a bit hectic – rushed, if you like,
Though no one could slight
Andy Kubert’s stunning pencils,
– what a glorious sight.
There was clearly information you needed
To read, and understand this tale,
Damian Wayne and Apokolips
And the entire Bat-Squad detail.
It was fast, it was quick,
But it was a very thick book.
About forty pages of work,
A great deal of effort it took.
Still, I would say not an essential read,
So skip this one unless you really need.
As clearly, Damian’s back and there’s more later on,
So just wait a bit: more will be revealed anon.
Sinestro #8
I’m liking Cullen Bunn’s take on this book
As I read it more – I’m glad that I stayed.
The forces of New Genesis discover more
Of what stuff Sinestro is made.
As a bonus, you will discover
The variant cover by Darwyn Cooke,
Of whom I am a great fan. A great artist to
Draw a cover for any comic book.
Bunn understands that Sinestro is ego,
Insecure, but driven to succeed.
A true megalomaniac, but a powerful foe
Who will use everyone and anyone indeed.
It definitely has gotten better,
Of this I am glad.
I enjoyed reading this issue,
It wasn’t half-bad!
Uncanny X-Men #29
Definitely a pivotal issue to read
And I can’t help but think,
Is this the one that will
Make the X-Men not stink?
Stories about time-travel
Are always a chore
Because writers don’t know,
Like you, what’s in store.
Though it seems to me
That this might be a quick fix,
The chance that Professor X
Comes back is worth the risk.
All New X-Men Annual #1
The end to the tale of Eva Bell,
Where she disappeared a few issues ago.
A story that got forgotten,
But in truth, it should have stayed so.
Andrea Sorrentino’s art is a little hard to take,
massive two page spreads in place of dialogue.
It’s a hurried tale, rushed, a little confusing,
Another X-Men story in a time-travel fog.
Still, it’s this character that Bendis has charged
With making the X-Men a premiere title again.
We’ll see if the gamble pays off
And prestige returns to the mighty X-Men.
Superior Iron Man #3
I’ve never liked a Marvel title with
The word “Superior “in front of it.
This might prove an exception to that
And make it a view I have to omit.
To see Stark revel in vice
Makes me enjoy his character even more.
Heroes aren’t heroes unless they learn
To be better than what they abhor.
Stark went through a crisis like this
Remember ‘Demon in a Bottle,’ my Iron Man fans?
It’s a progressive understanding of a hero who fell
But then got up when he had to take a stand.
I hope that ‘Axis’ will show this to be true
And that Stark will learn yet another lesson well.
To be God and play human is a twist
But let’s hope he returns to this human shell.
Mercenary Sea #8
One of my favourites to be sure,
War stories are a blast to read.
Yet this one has a swashbuckling twist
That makes it something special indeed.
This issue is finally the beginning of the search
For Koji-Ra, a mysterious Island.
To recover treasure and all sorts of things,
Our heroes have much to apprehend.
What’s really cute, is at the end,
There’s a special insert for a reason.
This book was released on Christmas Eve,
An appropriate extra for the right season.
Rasputin #3
Wow … finally. A little bit more
Understanding of this book and
Its characters and of the
folklore of this Russian land.
The first two issues were incredibly slow.
They were minimal and revealed very little.
I was about to give up but I am glad I did not,
For there is a great more to this here riddle.
Graveyard Shift #1
It’s a vampire book – this much is true,
But I don’t want to turn you off by that.
It’s a solid story and great art to boot,
I’m just not a vampire-lovin’ type of cat.
Jay Faerber has done a pretty good job
Of presenting straightforward characters and plot.
Fran Bueno’s art is top knotch
And her talent is something I enjoyed a lot.
So my pick for this week,
If I can continue your attention,
Must go to Batman Annual #1,
my own surprised contention!
As I said, Tynion has demonstrated
That the Joker he clearly knows.
He’s not just a deranged clown,
He is the face of madness and it shows.
To imagine torturing a person so protracted and long
With such precision and detail precise.
That there can only be one outcome
That one must fall into insanity’s vice.
Good work to James Tynion IV, in adding to “Endgame”;
I congratulate you on opening my eyes.
I now appreciate the Joker on another level
That it makes me wonder what will Snyder devise?
And with that I say, to all a good night!
I now must away to my slumber cot.
For my children will wake me in a few hours
And share with me just what Santa has brought.
But this has been my own Christmas gift:
To read these titles and share my thoughts.
I hope that these meandering rhymes have
Entertained you—well, at least somewhat.
So Merry Christmas to all,
And a Happy New Year too!
I’ll be back again next week,
So I bid you adieu!
