Book Review - Superman: Year One

Despite all the backlash Frank Miller gets these days, I still think he is a good writer. He comes up with some really great stories, and they always focus on the emotions of the characters. So when I heard he was tackling a Superman story, I was excited.

Superman: Year One 1 is the first book in a trilogy of graphic novels featuring Superman. It is available in paperback and electronic comics.

The Good

Story. This book had a great story that moved at just the right pace. It felt like classic Superboy in Smallville and yet modern at the same time. It was true to the Superman mythos while bringing something new to the picture.

Art. The art was very nice and fit the story Frank was telling.

Changes. This story made several changes to the Superman mythos that all made sense and provide a lot of interesting stories to explore.

The Bad

Matt Murdock. Frank Miller has made Clark Kent act like and talk a little like Matt Murdock in the Man Without Fear mini-series. While that is one of my favorite stories of all time, this felt a bit like a rip off of that. I'm not sure Clark and Matt are really that similar.

What I Would Like to Have Seen

I wish Frank had made Superman's mom more human and less of a plot device.

Overall

Superman: Year One 1 had a great story that moved at just the right pace. It felt like classic Superboy in Smallville and yet modern at the same time. It was true to the Superman mythos while bringing something new to the picture. The art fit the story, and I like how young Clark looks like Tom Welling from Smallville. This story made several changes to the Superman mythos that all made sense and provide a lot of interesting stories to explore. I just wish Clark's mother had been less generic helicopter mom and more Martha Kent. I give this book 4.5 out of 5 eReaders.

     

Book Review - Xerxes: The Fall of the House of Darius and the Rise of Alexander

I remember the first time I discovered 300. I had walked into a comic shop, and they had a short bookshelf with graphic novels and comic book trade paperbacks on it. I was instantly drawn to a book that looked like a children's storybook but for adults. It was by Frank Miller, someone who I knew from his run on DareDevil. I was instantly a fan. I had never seen a more beautifully rendered comic book story.

Xerxes: The Fall of the House of Darius and the Rise of Alexander by Frank Miller and Alex Sinclair is a collection of 5 comic book issues that were always meant to be collected in a widescreen hardback. It is available in Hardcover and digital formats.

The Good

The Art. The art is some of Frank's loosest, but it is still really beautiful, especially with Alex Sinclair's colors making it look painted.

Narration. This story is mostly narration, a storyteller telling the overall story of Darius, Xerxes, and Alexander with pauses for a few specific events. The narration is some of Frank's best. It's quick, it's clean, it's clever, and it includes the Greek gods in a really clever way.

Color. The colors in the first issue are a little overdone, but by issue three they just sing.

The Bad

Disjointed Story. Frank began this story years ago completing two issues before moving on to other projects and then finally returning to complete it, and the story shows. The first two issues are a completely different style and story than the last three. They read like comic books telling a sequel to 300 while the last three issues feel like a storybook that gives a brief overview of the events from Darius to Alexandre.

Large Brush strokes. 300 told a tale that lasted a little over 3 days. This one covers decades and so tells the story with large brush strokes leaving out so many of the smaller stories and characters and character developments fans fo the first story were expecting.

Loose/Shaky Art. Frank's art has always been loose and shaky, but it's gotten near intelligible in some parts. His sense of design isn't as strong as it used to be, but it still light years ahead of most current comic book artists.

What I Would Like to Have Seen

I wish the story had continued like the first two issues to tell a story instead of a broad overview of history the last three issues painted. I also wish the art in the first two issues had been as strong as the last three.

Overall

Xerxes: The Fall of the House of Darius and the Rise of Alexander by Frank Miller and colors by Alex Sinclair is a visual delight with epic narration. The art is some of Frank's loosest and ranges from nearly indecipherable images to gorgeous designs. The story is a bit disjointed with the first two issues reading like a comic book sequel to 300 while the last three issues feel like a storybook that gives a brief overview of the events from Darius to Alexandre. While not as good as the first, it's still a beautiful volume to look at and a lot of fun to read. I give this book 4 out of 5 eReaders.

   

Comic Book Review: Dark Knight III: The Master Race (mini-series)

I know this will sound strange, but I was not a fan of Frank Miller's Dark Knight Returns but loved Dark Knight Strikes Again! Now, before you start casting stones, let me explain.

Dark Knight III: The Master Race is a dystopian future, superhero comic book mini-series and a sequel to The Dark Knight Returns and Dark Knight Strikes Again! It's available in print and digitally and will soon be collected.

The Good

Artwork. Andy Kubert is the penciler on this series, and his work has never looked so good. He perfectly captures the Frank Miller vibe from the original mini-series, but infuses his own style and current artistic sensibilities into it to create a modern-looking homage with the fun and flavor of the original but none of the dated look. The inking and coloring are good, but not stellar.

Story. The story is really, really good. It's one I've never read before, which is surprising because now it seems so obvious and such an essential part of the mythos. It involves many characters from Dark Knight Strikes Again! and basically continues that story with a few nods to the original. Unfortunately, the story isn't well told. The idea is great; the execution not so much.

Mini-comics The mini-comics are the best part. The first three have varying artists, but by issue 4 Frank Miller takes over the artistic and storytelling chores, and each is a little masterpiece. They are bold. They are exciting. They fill in gaps of the main story further exploring the individual characters in this universe. Each one is very short, and yet tells so much story, much like the classic Will Eisner The Spirit comic strips in newspapers of the 50s. These are the reasons I rushed out to buy each issue the second it was on sale.

The Bad

Pacing. The story is very unevenly told with some scenes being cut short and not fully explored and developed and others being drug out too long just to fill a certain page count.

Filler Pages. The last half dozen pages or so of each issue are basically uncolored artwork from the issue. While it was nice to look out, the pages could have been much better utilized to tell more story instead of cutting so many scenes short.

What I Would Like to Have Seen

I wish this comic had followed the pattern of the first two mini-series and had only three or four issues that contained two to four issues worth of story. That would have fixed the pacing issues, although I'm not sure how the mini-comics would have worked.

Overall

Dark Knight III: The Master Race tells a really interesting story that's never been told in DC lore with incredible art but not-so-great pacing rushing certain scenes while stretching others out way too long. The mini-comics were the real jewels of the mini-series and the reason I rushed to read each issue. I give it a solid 4 out of 5 eReaders.

     

Movie Review: The Spirit (by Frank Miller)

I'm a huge Frank Miller fan and have been since Sin City: Hell & Back, 300, and the Dark Knight Strikes Again! I also enjoy classic comics from the early 20th Century, so combining the two should create a masterpiece, right? Right?

The Spirit is a 2008 action comic strip noir film from comics legend Frank Miller based on The Spirit comic strip which appeared in newspapers throughout the late 30s and 40s created, written, and drawn by Will Eisner. It's rated PG-13 for language, violence, and nudity, and is appropriate for teens and up.

Overview

The Spirit is a cop who everyone but the police chief thinks is dead. He battles a wild villain, The Octopus, and a former lover.

The Good

Style & Visuals. This film is absolutely beautiful to behold. It looks like nothing else you have ever seen with an amazing mix of Frank Miller's chiaroscuro artwork and classic Hollywood film noir. The style alone makes this movie worth watching.

Actors. This film features a lot of really great actors from Gabriel Macht to the father from Wonder Years to Beckett from Castle. Their acting is really good, but is marred by bad dialogue.

San Serif Story. Half this film features a story taken from the comic strip about The Spirit's first love, and it is a really good story. Unfortunately, it isn't the only story.

Credits. The credits are Frank Miller's storyboards which are works of art and make a really unique and fun credit sequence that I've watched several times.

The Bad

The Octopus. Samuel Jackson plays the Octopus, but instead of following the comic strip version, which was pretty cool, he was written and directed to portray the character as a live action Wile E. Coyote from Looney Tunes, which did not work at all. Ridiculous and unwatchable doesn't even begin to describe this character. In fact, I usually just cue past all of his scenes, and it makes for a pretty good movie.

Dialogue. The dialogue is awful. It is stiff and feels like an amateurish attempt to capture classic Hollywood detective movies. The narration is pretty good, but everything else is terrible.

Pacing. This movie is very slowly and unevenly paced.

What I Would Like to Have Seen

I wish the Octopus had been portrayed more like he is in the comics, as a mysterious hand controlling crime in the city with a big reveal at the end. I wish the movie had better dialogue and was edited more tightly with more exciting music. There are a lot of great elements and great story that just aren't presented well, but could be.

Overall

The Spirit is a beautiful film with more style and gorgeous visuals that almost any other, a great story, and great actors. Unfortunately, it is mired by a lousy second story, an overly cartoony villain, and dialogue that will make your ears hurt. I give it 3.5 out of 5 boxes of popcorn.