I had a conversation about reviewing webcomics, and it’s also a suggestion I’ve received via e-mail the past few weeks. I appreciate the suggestion, but I won’t be doing that, for a number of reasons,
1. I don’t think there’s any point in reviewing something that is available for free. A review helps you decide whether or not to make a purchase.
2. People don’t take reviews of webcomics seriously because, when it’s been done in the past, it’s been done maliciously - simply to rile people up. There’s a serious credibility deficit, unfortunately.
On to the reviews! The first one is a Frank Miller recommendation in sharp contrast to the negative review I gave last week. They’re both a little shorter than usual - apologies, it’s been a busy few weeks with all the projects on my plate.
DARK KNIGHT RETURNS
by Frank Miller
The deal: Dark Knight Returns is a miniseries from DC that has been collected into a trade paperback. The cover design is very cool, with a modern aesthetic take on the original art that speaks volumes.
The summary: Dark Knight Returns is about an aging Batman’s return to the streets and rooftops after a ten year absence. In the time since he “left”, Batman has become even more of an urban legend. Crime has proliferated and evolved; most of the old villains are locked up in Arkham, but now it’s gangs of young people that rule the streets. Something inside Bruce Wayne (although it’s argued that he’s always been Batman) claws and screams, and suddenly an aging 50 year old Batman is swinging through the city to recapture Harvey Dent (a supposedly re-habilitated Two-Face). Batman begins to systematically clean out Gotham City. His age and lack of understanding of the new generation are constantly apparent. He faces off against the Joker and even Superman, which ultimately brings the book to a dramatic conclusion. This all happens against the backdrop of the Cold War and the Reagan era, and the role that politics and the media play within the story still seem surprisingly relevant today.
The review: Dark Knight Returns is arguably Frank Miller’s break-out work. He was the one who reinvented Batman from the Adam West Superfriend to the character he is today. Even reading it now, outside of the context of the time period it was written in (and that’s very important), it’s clear that Miller was approaching the character from an entirely different viewpoint than everyone else. Why write about an aging Batman, past his prime? Because it’s damn interesting, for starters. Miller uses the book to show the dichotomy of method between Superman and Batman as well, and while it’s clear he has no real affection for Superman, his argument as to why the character is flawed is interesting. Likewise, his grounding superheroes in the context of politics and the media is also interesting, and definitely a symptom of the times - Ronald Reagan shows up more than once, and the media argues about Batman’s morality for pages upon pages. A younger Robin, an older Joker, and the new danger: gangs, represented in this story as the Mutants. The generation gap is obvious, too - Miller plays on this, making Batman out to be a sly, hardened old man outside his time, who slowly but surely begins to grasp how he can bring his own image into the new age.
It’s also worth reading Dark Knight Returns simply as evidence of pop culture during the 80s - it’s a neat view into what people thought the future when projecting off of their current events, and moreover it functions as a rather strong reactionary piece.
The recommendation: If you like comics but reading superhero comics is like pulling teeth for you, you may want to give this a shot - it is not your typical approach. I actually recommend it highly, simply because it was such a pivotal book when it came out. As a side note, don’t mix this up with Dark Knight Strikes Again - two completely different books.
from DC, American Comics, $14.99 ($10.19 on Amazon right now), 224 pages
INCREDIBLE CHANGE-BOTS
by Jeffrey Brown
The deal: Incredible Change-bots is a small format book (6.3 x 5.1″) from Top Shelf Productions. It is full-color, and printed on nice thick glossy page stock.
The summary: Incredible Change-bots is about a group of sentient machines from Electronocybercircuitron. On this planet, there are two major political parties - the Awesomebots and the Fantasticons, led by Big Rig and Shootertron respectively. They destroy their own planet and thus board a ship to Earth, where their battle continues with their new human allies.
The review: You’re either laughing after reading that summary, or you’ve already closed your browser. For those of you still with me, I just want to say, Incredible Change-bots makes me laugh my ass off. It’s a pretty direct parody of Transformers, but it’s done like a little kid would do it - all the drawings are somewhat askew and the whole thing appears to have been meticulously colored with Crayola markers. The author manages to sneak a few political/religious/social jokes in there, but for the most part it’s silly versions of typical Transformers tropes, stilted dialogue, and robots questioning their own sexuality. Epic robot fights, moments of nostalgic tribute, and bouts of morality abound. In short, it is good, dumb fun. I keep flipping through it and noticing little details in the background. The pictures alone are enough to make one laugh out loud, and the glossy stock the book is printed on makes it very nice to look at.
My one gripe would have to be that the binding is in Japanese, and that makes it hard to spot on a shelf - look for a small book with blue Japanese characters on the binding.
The recommendation: If you’re looking for something fun and easy to read, and you are or were a Transformers fan, find this book and give it a shot. The humor can be a little bizarre at times and it’s not for everyone, but there’s definitely an audience for this book and you might be it.
from Top Shelf Productions, American Comics, $15.00 ($11.70 on Amazon right now), 144 pages
