#Joe Staton Artist

[savage-kult-of-gorthaur]

"AS A NATIVE OF KRYPTON I, KARA GAINS GREAT STRENGTH, SPEED, THE ABILITY TO FLY, VIRTUAL INVULNERABILITY..."

PIC(S) INFO: Resolution at 1500x2288 -- Mega spotlight on character art of Kara Zor-L, a.k.a., "Power Girl," artwork by Joe Staton for "Who's Who: The Definitive Directory of the DC Universe" Vol 1 #18. August, 1986. DC Comics.

PIC #2: Resolution at 1240x1884 -- The same character art with different color grading.

POWERS AND ABILITIES: "As a native of Krypton I, Kara gains great strength, speed, the ability to fly, virtual invulnerability, and limited super-senses from exposure to yellow solar rays and the effect of Earth's reduced gravity. She has had little to no formal training in the use of her powers, and has no acquaintance with combat techniques or weapons."

-- "WHO'S WHO: THE DEFINITIVE DIRECTORY OF THE DC UNIVERSE" Vol. 1 #18

Sources: http://firestormfan.com/2014/03/17/whos-who-18 & Pinterest.

[infinityinc4ever]

Joe Staton was THE Huntress artist in the early days!

[cantsayidont]

September 1980. Yet another change in direction for the Bronze Age Wonder Woman, and the addition of a new eight-page backup strip starring the Huntress, daughter of Earth-2's late Batman and Catwoman. The "new twist" for Wonder Woman was the second return of Steve Trevor. Steve had been killed off back in 1968 (in WONDER WOMAN #180); he returned briefly in 1974 as a "mentally-induced" illusion and was resurrected for real two years later (in WONDER WOMAN #223). He died again in WONDER WOMAN #248, leaving Diana bereft. In the issue before this one, Hippolyta prays for Aphrodite to cut Diana some slack, which the goddess does by using the Mists of Nepenthe to erase Diana's memories of Steve. Almost immediately after that, the Steve Trevor of a parallel Earth crash-lands near Paradise Island and is rescued by Diana as she did in her first meeting with the Earth-1 Steve. In this issue, Aphrodite says she can't send this Steve home, "for even I do not know from which of an infinity of worlds he came," so Hippolyta sends Diana to take him back to Man's World and resume her role as Wonder Woman, while Aphrodite uses the Mists of Nepenthe to "cause every man, woman, and child on Earth to forget that Steve Trevor ever died." The only one on Earth who remembers the truth is Hippolyta. (This blew up later: Diana eventually discovered that her memories had been altered and was not happy about it, although she and this Steve got married during the Crisis.) All very messy.

The new Huntress backup strip picked up from Helena Wayne's short-lived feature in THE BATMAN FAMILY, which had ended temporarily when that book was folded into DETECTIVE COMICS. Initially written by Paul Levitz and drawn by Joe Staton (inked in this first three-part story by Steve Mitchell), the eight-page strip quickly overshadowed the main feature in quality and coherency, and the conventional wisdom was that between 1980 and 1984, many readers were buying this book for Helena rather than Wonder Woman. The strip lost some steam in 1982 with the departure of Levitz, succeeded by Joey Cavalieri, and then the loss of Staton, leading to more than a year and a half of artistic musical chairs. The backup was finally dropped from WONDER WOMAN in 1984, but the final installment in issue #321 proclaimed, "Word has it that people want a full-length Huntress comic every month…so we're working on it--no fooling! Keep your eyes open for a mini-series, coming soon to a comic rack near you!" In the letters page, editor Alan Gold said there would soon be a four-issue miniseries by Cavalieri and Eduardo Barreto, but it never materialized, and the Huntress met a much crueler fate in CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS.

Without her, WONDER WOMAN was soon demoted from monthly to bimonthly status, managing only eight more issues before it was canceled in early 1986 in anticipation of its post-Crisis relaunch.

[salemscomiccorner]

Salem’s Picks of All Time

With plans of doing weekly/monthly/yearly picks, I thought it would be fun to post which comics are my all time favorites!

In no particular order:

New Mutants #1-54

By Chris Claremont

Standout artists: Bill Sienkiewicz and Alan Davis

Cover Artist: Bob McLeod

Chris Claremont’s run on New X-men is just incredible. While some things aged poorly (looking at you Amara), there’s still so much to enjoy in this run. The characters are so lovable and they act like believable teenagers most of the time. This is also a must read for Magneto fans. He’s such a great headmaster to these kids.

Favorite Characters: Cypher and Warlock

Fallen Angels

By Mary Jo Duffy

Standout Artist: Joe Staton

Cover Artist: Kerry Gammil and Tom Palmer

This is a great character study series for all of the characters that appear, but especially Sunspot and Warlock. Plus, who wouldn’t want to read a miniseries featuring two intelligent cybernetic lobsters?

Favorite Characters: Warlock, Multiple Man, and Boom-Boom

X-Men: Season One

By Dennis Hopeless and Jamie McKelvie

Cover Artist: Julian Totino Tedesco

This is a fantastic place to start with the X-men. It’s a fun modernization of the silver age team with Jean as a believable and likable narrator. Highly recommend if you’re wanting to jump into the X-Universe!

Favorite Characters: Marvel Girl and Iceman

Young Avengers

By Allan Heinberg and Jim Chueng

Cover Artist: Jim Cheung

This was one of the first comic runs I ever read and it holds a special place in my heart. I wasn’t the biggest fan of how they were characterized in Gillens run so this remains one of the only Young Avengers runs that I would recommend!

Favorite Characters: Wiccan and Speed

Longshot

By Ann Nocenti and Arthur Adams

Cover Artist: Arthur Adams

Longshot starts off pretty goofy but it quickly makes it clear that Longshot as a character is a tragedy. He’s incredibly charming and you want him to succeed so badly that it’s disheartening to see him show up in X-Men after the hopeful ending of this run.

Favorite Character: Longshot (pfft)

Impulse

By Mark Waid

Standout Artist: Humberto Ramos

Cover Artist: Humberto Ramos

Another one of the first runs I ever read! Mark Waid is the guy for all things Flash and this is no exception! This is a fantastic run that stays pretty lighthearted but still deals with some heavier topics with a sense of grace.

Favorite Characters: Impulse and Preston Lindsey

Young Justice

By Peter David and Todd Nauck

Cover Artist: Todd Nauck

This run is honestly just a lot of fun. If you’re in the mood for fun 90’s shenanigans that sometimes get really deep, I’d definitely suggest this one! It’s nothing like the show!

Favorite Characters: Wonder Girl and Impulse

[zahri-melitor]

DC Artists Tournament - Round 3

Fan submitted propaganda below:

Norm Breyfogle:

Has a striking, highly expressive, and distinctly recognizable style with harsh angles and dramatic atmosphere among other attributes. Contributed to many iconic and beloved Batman stories in his day, often collaborating with writer Alan Grant on them (but not always). Co-created multiple enduring characters. In a Breyfogle-illustrated book, story and art almost become inseparable from each other.

Joe Staton:

He's not a super known artist, but I'm nominating him because I just read Huntress 1989 and I just really like the way he drew Helena there. She looks like a person and not an airbrushed doll

[smashedpages]

Released on this date in 1983, Legion of Super-Heroes #300 by Paul Levitz and Keith Giffen featured a host of guest artists that included Kurt Schaffenberger, Howard Bender, Curt Swan, Dave Cockrum, James Sherman, Joe Staton and Larry Mahlstedt.

The characters on the cover itself were drawn by a whole bunch of different artists:

Carmine Infantino and Bob Oksner (Supergirl), Paris Cullins (Invisible Kid), George Pérez (Colossal Boy), Joe Kubert (Dawnstar), Kurt Schaffenberger (Superboy), José Luis García-López (Sun Boy), Don Heck (White Witch), Jim Aparo (Karate Kid), Jan Duursema (Queen Projectra), Gene Colan and Frank Giacoia (Timber Wolf), Dave Cockrum (Phantom Girl), Walter Simonson (Blok), George Tuska and Mike DeCarlo (Star Boy), James Sherman (Dream Girl), Howard Chaykin (Brainiac 5), Curt Swan (Ultra Boy), Howard Bender and Dave Hunt (Wildfire), Keith Giffen and Larry Mahlstedt (Cosmic Boy), Dick Giordano (Saturn Girl), Mahlstedt and Giffen (Lightning Lad), Gil Kane (Mon-El), Trevor Von Eeden (Element Lad), Joe Orlando (Chameleon Boy), Ross Andru and Romeo Tanghal (Shadow Lass), Ernie Colón (Duo Damsel), Joe Staton (Bouncing Boy), and Giffen and Dan Adkins (Proty II).

And the extra-length story itself featured several possible futures for the Legion, as well as guest appearances by just about everyone associated with the team, including Superboy and Supergirl.

[symbolpending]

Showcase #99 - The Crater That Was Keystone City

Pee Gee vs Brainwave with a fate of Keystone City at stake!

THE CRATER THAT WAS KEYSTONE CITY SHOWCASE PRESENTS #99 Published: 17th January 1978Cover Date: April 1978Cover Artists: Joe Staton / Dick GiordanoWriter: Paul LevitzPenciler: Joe StatonInker: Dick GiordanoColourist: Adrienne RoyLetterer: Shelly LefermanEditors: Joe Orlando Introduction Apart from a few pages, we’re well out of the formation of the rebooted Pee Gee, instead, we see how she’ll…

[fyeahbatcat]

Do you, Bruce Wayne and Selina Kyle promise to forsake all others and reserve your warped, angst-ridden, dysfunctional nincompoopery for each other, thereby saving at least two innocent people and providing untold hours of fascinated diversion to the rest of us who might otherwise think WE have screwed up relationships! - Dick Grayson, Cat-Tales 

[ufonaut]

The rare 1987 History of the DC Universe poster with 53 characters by 54 different artists (most being the original creators of these characters)! While this was initially meant to be the crown jewel of a hardcover edition of the aforementioned series, the poster ended up as a limited edition direct order product and then a wall mural at DC’S New York offices until their closure and move to Burbank. The characters/artists present are:

Tommy Tomorrow - Jim Mooney

Phantom Stranger - Jim Aparo

Swamp Thing - Stephen Bissette & John Totleben

The Question - Denys Cowan

White Witch - P. Craig Russell

Alan Scott - Mart Nodell

Guy Gardner - Joe Staton

Hans von Hammer/Enemy Ace - Dave Stevens

Plastic Man - Bill Sienkiewicz

Darkseid - Jack Kirby & Mike Royer

Ragman - Keith Giffen

The Ray - Al Williamson & Brett Blevins

The Spectre - Michael Kaluta

Silverblade - Gene Colan

Robotman - Steve Lightle

Lady Blackhawk - Brian Bolland

Black Condor - Michael T. Gilbert

OMAC - Jim Starlin

Hawkman  - Joe Kubert

Martian Manhunter - Arthur Adams

Paul Kirk/Manhunter - Walt Simonson

Aquaman - Paul Norris

Warlord - Mike Grell

Power Girl - Mary Wilshire

Sgt. Rock - Andy Kubert

Hal Jordan - Gil Kane

Captain Marvel - Kurt Schaffenberger

Batman - Bob Kane

Superman - Curt Swan

Wonder Woman - George Perez

Blackhawk - Howard Chaykin

Arion - Jan Duursema

Barry Allen - Carmine Infantino

Zatara - Jim Steranko

Zatanna - Gray Morrow

Deadman - Neal Adams

Adam Strange - Murphy Anderson

Rorschach - Dave Gibbons

Chop-Chop - Dave Stevens

Jay Garrick - Jaime Hernandez

Judomaster - Frank McLaughlin

Hourman - Gilbert Hernandez

Vigilante - Dan Spiegel

Tomahawk - Frank Thorne

Metamorpho - Ramona Fradon

Etrigan - Matt Wagner

Amethyst - Ernie Colon

Robin - Bob Kane

Wildcat - Irwin Hasen

Cain - Joe Orlando

Captain Atom - Pat Broderick

Mister Miracle - Steve Rude

Sarge Steel - Dick Giordano

[ladythatsmyskull]

Covers for Haunted Love: Tales of Gothic Romance (1973-1975).

Artist issues (Alphabetical)

Frank Bolle: 2

Don Newton: 8, 9

Enrique Nieto: 7

Joe Staton: 4

Tom Sutton: 1, 3, 5, 6, 10, 11

[savage-kult-of-gorthaur]

EXERTING POWER WITH A RUGGED GIRLHOOD IN THE DC UNIVERSE -- AMERICAN STYLE, BABY!

PIC INFO: Resolution at 960x1250 -- Spotlight on Kara Zor-L, a.k.a., "Power Girl," artwork by the classic Joe Staton and colored by Laura Martin. From the private collection of "Scooby Snacks" (via Comic Art Fans).

EXTRA INFO: The original owner of this had it drawn by Joe Staton at Terrificon 2019 (Uncasville, CT) and colored by Laura Martin at Heroes Con 2022 (Charlotte, NC).

Source: www.vaultcollectibles.com/2022/07/05/joe-staton-laura-martin-original-art-sketch-power-girl.

[dirtyriver]

History of the DC Universe Hardcover Collection poster.

In order to create a final piece that was well-composed and tight, a different approach was taken relative to other "jam" compositions where numerous artist contributions were required. Joe Kubert was brought-in to come-up with a design and layout. Once the layout was decided upon, Dave Stevens was drafted to transfer very rough pencils of the layout to three artboards. Dave Stevens' assignment was to provide each artist with a basic size, position, and layout for the character they were being asked to draw.

DC Top Row: Tommy Tomorrow/Jim Mooney; Phantom Stranger/Jim Aparo; Swamp Thing/Stephen Bissette & John Totleben; The Question/Denys Cowan; White Witch/P. Craig Russell; Green Lantern (Alan Scott)/Martin Nodell; Green Lantern (Guy Gardner)/Joe Staton; Enemy Ace/Dave Stevens; Plastic Man/Bill Sienkiewicz; Darkseid/Jack Kirby & Mike Royer; Ragman/Keith Giffen; The Ray/Al Williamson & Brett Blevins; The Spectre/Michael Kaluta; Silverblade/Gene Colan; Robotman/Steve Lightle; Lady Blackhawk/Brian Bolland; Black Condor/Michael T. Gilbert; OMAC/Jim Starlin.

DC Middle Row: Hawkman/Joe Kubert; Martian Manhunter/Arthur Adams; Manhunter/Walt Simonson; Aquaman/Paul Norris; Warlord/Mike Grell; Power Girl/Mary Wilshire; Sgt. Rock/Andy Kubert; Green Lantern (Hal Jordan)/Gil Kane; Captain Marvel/Kurt Schaffenberger; Batman/Bob Kane; Superman/Curt Swan; Wonder Woman/George Pérez; Blackhawk/Howard Chaykin; Arion/Jan Duursema; Flash (Barry Allen)/Carmine Infantino; Zatara/Jim Steranko; Zatanna/Gray Morrow; Deadman/Neal Adams; Adam Strange/Murphy Anderson; Rorschach/Dave Gibbons.

DC Mezzanine row: Chop-Chop/Dave Stevens; Flash (Jay Garrick)/Jaime Hernandez; Judomaster/Frank McLaughlin.

DC Bottom row: Hourman/Gilbert Hernandez; Vigilante/Dan Spiegel; Tomahawk/Frank Thorne; Metamorpho/Ramona Fradon; The Demon/Matt Wagner; Amythest/Ernie Colon; Robin/Bob Kane; Wildcat/Irwin Hasen; Cain/Joe Orlando; Captain Atom/Pat Broderick; Mister Miracle/Steve Rude; Sarge Steel/Dick Giordano.

[the-gershomite]

Superman Adventures #41 March 2000 (11-20 of 22)

writer: Mark Millar

inks: Terry Austin

letters: Phil Felix

colors: Marie Severin

page 11 artist: Bret Blevins

page 12 artist: Mike Manley

page 13 artist: Darwyn Cooke

page 14 artist: Rick Burchett

page 15 artist: Aluir Amancio

page 16 & 20 artist: Neil D. Vokes

page 17 artist: Cameron Stewart

page 18 artist: Philip Bond

page 19 artist: Joe Staton

[maximusmaximomax]

The Brave and the Bold #148 Writer-Bob Haney Artists-Joe Staton and Jim Aparo Colors-Jerry Serpe

[thegeekerynj]

All Death Metal Review (And nothing from Sweden!)

Death Metal: Trinity Crisis One Shot 

Writer: Scott Snyder   Artist: Francis Manapul

‘And who are YOU supposed to be? I’ve faced enough Dark Knights that no Batman scares me anymore!

Ha! Then it’s a good thing I’m not a Batman! I’m his MOTHER!’

———————————————————————————————————

Sweet Christmas! That took me by surprise!

Harley kissing Jonah Hex, that was really sweet, and gods awful creepy, and kinda gross,  after the exchange, and some thought…

This is it, Gentle Readers… the Beginning of the End of the Beginning of… Oh, crap, now I’m lost… This is where the story starts rockin’!

The Gang’s all together, and the Black Lantern Bat has determined what they need to do.

The plan? Split up, naturally. That AL-ways works…

When we left them in DM #3, the Lanterns are protecting the Home Base, and taking out the Crisis Energy Antennae on the Earths left in the known Universes, The Flashes are off and running through the Speed Force, trying to find Metron, and stay ahead of the Bathattan who Laughs, while the Trinity (Superman / Antilife, Black Lantern Batman and  Warden Wonder Woman) along with Swamp Thing, Harley, Hex and Jarro, head for Castle Bat, to gain access to the Crisis Earths, where the Crisis Energy is being harvested for Perpetua.

**WHEW!**

Getting into the Castle involves getting past an army of Dark Knights… and we have a bunch of real winners here! 

Bat Monday - Salomon Grundy in Bat ears, I could have busted a gut laughing, until I thought about what kind of weapon a zombie with Batman’s training could be, and shivered…

Kull, the daughter of Batman and Wonder Woman, corrupted by the Dark Universe…

Ark, the living embodiment of Arkham, with all of the knowledge and abilities of ALL her worst inmates…

Chiroptor, the amalgam of Batman and Chemo (Great Elder Gods!!)… 

And the Pearl, Martha Wayne, in the equivalent of HellBat Armor, complete with her iconic pearl necklace.

This is a real mindscrew for Batman, and the panels depict it, most intently.

One nice thing about Scott Snyder… he is consistent about tying up loose ends. Once we are in Castle Bat, we find out what happened to Barbatos, the Big Bad from Dark Nights: Metal. Not that we were actually wondering, since we got Perpetual, and the Batman Who Laughs, but, like I said, it ties up the package nicely.

Then, we are introduced to the character I have been most happily waiting for… the Robin King, and his Utility Belt of Death!

Gentle Readers, this is the story we have been waiting for, the chapter which tells us what the Heroes Plan of Action is, and where the story has been going, for over 40 years. You see, the opening page of this book tells us where this story began… with Marv Wolfman and George Perez, and Crisis on Infinite Earths!

Not to spoil too much, but Crisis, Infinite Crisis, and Final Crisis, ]well… they have all played a part in getting us to this story. It seems, the “Crisis Energy’ has fed Perpetua while she was trapped within the Source Wall, and, now, she wants it all, so she can recreate the Universes in her image.

Great job, if you can get it…

I can’t say enough good things about this story and artwork, as Snyder and Manapul have put together a really tight, hard hitting bottle / lead story, bringing us to the next step in the saga… 

Jeebus on a popsicle stick, I hope no one lets me down… that will hurt!

Out of 5🌶        🌶🌶🌶🌶.5

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Death Metal: Multiverse’s End #1

Writer: James Tynion IV   Artist: Juan Gedeon

‘Mr. Rabbit?

Yes, Young Lady?

Thank you for saving me.

What a kind thing to say! It was so scary out there, and you stayed so brave. I don’t think I could have done it without your courage.

You’re really, really soft.

I use a special carrot shampoo.

———————————————————————————————————

Once upon a time, about a million, bazillion years ago in cranky fat man years, somewhere around 1982, Roy Thomas and Scott Shaw! brought Earth-C into the DC Multiverse, the earth of anthropomorphic animals… yes, they brought Super-Hero Cartoon Animals to the Super Hero Universe.

Our introduction to this Earth was Rodney Rabbit, a comics writing and drawing hare, who created the Just’a Lotta Animals comic by day, and was Captain Carrot, a Superman-esque rabbit, who got his powers from super charged carrots, when danger struck.

But, I digress… because I got really excited!

So, we have teams on the 6 Earths, each Earth holding a tuning fork, focusing the psychic pain energy of the population to Perpetual, powering her attempts to recreate the Multiverse in her image. The Earths in play, Earth - 3 (Crime Syndicate), Earth - X (Nazi Earth), Earth - 29 (Bizarroworld), Earth - 43 (Blood League World) and Earth - 50 (Justice Lords Earth) are all worlds of pain and suffering.

Their energy is the right flavor for destroying, and creating.

The heroes, organized and led by the Green Lanterns of Sector 2814 (Hal Jordan, Guy Gardner, John Stewart, Kyle Rayner, Jessica Cruz, Simon Baz), are working to take down the Antennae before the energy can be fed to Perpetual to power her Cosmic Undoing. 

So, teamed with the Lanterns, we have Hawkgirl, Kid Flash (Earth-22), President Superman (Earth-23), Wonder Woman (Earth-6) and Captain Carrot, all hellbent on stopping the respective Antennae.

The problem… Each Earth’s inhabitants have been laced into the antennae, to directly feed the psychic energy to it..since the energy is effectively terror, well, what better way to induce some? Of course, this isn’t the only problem to be contended with…

Leave it to James Tynion IV to come up with a way to make a villain creepier than the Batman Who Laughs… How, you ask? Well, take the true polar opposite of Batman, and make him realize HE IS what Giggles says he is, and you have an interesting new ballgame.

You see, while the Batman who Laughs is the Ultimate CORRUPTED Batman, Owlman is the Anthesis of Batman, the purest EVIL to the Batman’s GOOD. And he plans to make sure that he continues to be the True Opposite…

Gedeon’s artwork is rough, but considering the story being told, and the pain portrayed by the characters, it fits, perfectly. Some times, I see Joe Staton and Nic Cuti in these pages, a little cartoony, but that’s not a complaint… The story concentrates a bunch on Guy Gardner and Cap, so, it seems to fit (and the art is reminiscent of the ‘A Guy and his G’Nort’ storyline from 1991). 

All in all, a very good story, and a fantastic use of a truly underused treasure.

Out of 5🌶        🌶🌶🌶🌶

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Speed Metal #1

Writer: Joshua Williamson   Pencils: Eddy Barrow   Inks: Eber Ferreira

‘Hey, Flash Family, Is it true a Flash has to die in every Crisis?!’

———————————————————————————————————

And the levels of snark from the Darkest Knight have reached Epic Levels!

The first three pages of this issue give us a rehash of everything  having to do with Wally West, since the beginning of the Rebirth Era, from Barry pulling Wally out of the Speed Force, to Barry and Batman finding the Comedian’s Smiley Face button embedded in the Batcave wall, to the events of Heroes in Crisis and Flash Forward.

The action picks up as Barry, Wally, Wallace and Jay leave the Batman’s Vault, in search of Metron’s Chair, with the Darkest Knight hot on their trails. 

In the Speed Force.

With the Darkest Knight’s presence corrupting the Speed Force, Barry and Wally bickering the entire time, I’m reminded of why I hated the post Crisis Flash… Wally wasn’t mature enough to wear the mantle of Barry’s fame.

Sure, he had the speed, he was even faster than Barry, but he was still the same jealous little kid inside, the one who needed to be patted on the head, the one who couldn’t get on with the Titans, even though he was probably the most powerful of them. 

He was just an immature kid, and here, Williamson dragged that all into the foreground once again.

All so Wally West, the King of the Redemption Arc, could have another Redemption Arc…

Sorry, that did me in. 

The rest of the story is pretty good… the art is wonderful, the Jay / Barry / Wallace interplay is really kinda neat, and all the Black Flashes… well, I’m a sucker for Death icons, so a mass of Death Speedsters, well that’s fun with a CAPITAL F!

But, did we need another Wally gets to whine story?

Sorry, this wasn’t the finest arc of the Death Metal Saga.

Out of 5🌶        🌶🌶🌶

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Death Metal #4 ‘Shot In The Dark’

Writer: Scott ‘Scream King’ Snyder   Artist: Greg ‘The Muscle’ Capullo  Inks: Jonathan ‘Bloodied’ Glapion

“So, ever wonder why you never see A Harley Who Laughs’?’

———————————————————————————————————

And, that Gentle Readers, is the crux of one of those puzzles about this series… Why don’t we ever see more twisted versions of the Villains who infest Earth Prime?

The Robin King (this is the character who rates SECOND on my memorable Characters list, especially with his own One-Shot—— Who’s First?? Time, Gentle Ones in time…) puts the explanation out there, and it is very simple.

And worth the read… But, I digress.

So, Issue 4 picks up with Sergeant Rock describing what has been happening on Earth - Prime, and we finally get to see who has been carrying him around… AMBUSH BUG! Yes, the character that made the Fourth Wall more transparent than an open Anderson window has been carrying Rock around as his own personal narrator…

Which, if you know the Bug, is a joke unto itself.

So, here we go, the ride is picking up steam, and we are now following 6, count’em SIX, separate story lines. A guy could get whiplash, or Bullwhip or some other third rate character… But, I digress.

We have the Trinity storyline, the SpeedMetal storyline, Multiverse’s End, and the Lantern Storyline from the last issue, the Justice League / Legion of Doom story… am I forgetting anything? 

Oh, and of course, the Robin King.

Where to start with this… I guess the simplest place to start is the artwork.

Greg Capullo’s pencils are absolutely wonderful. For anybody who it's to watch the process of drawing I want to watch so he's got a really wonderful touch I recommend Greg Capullo’s Instagram site. As he's drawing pages for these books, he posts the pencils as he finishes pieces of the process . Normally, he has six or seven photo panels showing exactly what he's been doing.  In man cases, this involves crowd scenes, with extensive detail. His work is beautiful, it’s easy to see why he is such a sought after talent.

Jonathan Glapion’s inks on Capullo’s pencils are comparable to Austin on Byrne, and Janson over Miller, Janson over Colan… Enhancing, and not hiding the intricate detail rendered in the pencils, adding that last flash of lightning to bring it all together. The balance struck between them is almost organic, a constant growth between the two, bringing them to levels bordering on the true Classic Art teams of the last 50 years.

I do not make these comparisons lightly

Now, to the story. Scott Snyder is powering a roller coaster with a rocket sled. The coordination between the different aspects of these stories is both intricate and daring. With all the different aspects of this story spinning like plates on sticks, Snyder juggles the plot lines, and what is left to him by the myriad of writers as Emmet Kelly did in the heyday of Ringling Brothers.

His deft touch, and subtle influences are balanced by lace covered sledgehammer blows, leaving the reader reeling, and wanting so very much more.

Scott Snyder, much like Tom Taylor, has pulled out all the stops, cut the brake lines, kicked out the jams, insert favorite euphemism for creating a high speed, non-stop mad ride to Hell!

And, much to my wallet’s chagrin, I am very happy about it.

Now, as it crosses to other books, and other writers pick up the reins, I am sure Snyder will still be the whip hand driving the story, not allowing some of these writers to go too far astray (unless it’s Tom King… then, well Woo Hoooo!)

I can’t say enough good things about this story, or the team creating it. I’m beginning t feel a little biased, but, what the heck.

Out of 5🌶        🌶🌶🌶🌶.5

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Death Metal: Robin King #1 ‘The Robin Who Would Be King’

Writer: Peter J. Tomasi   Artist: Riley Rossmo

‘Aw! Come on, this is the fun part!

Get up and let’s FIGHT!’

———————————————————————————————————

Games, within games, within games…

So, the Batman who Laughs wasn’t infallible.

And the Robin King is going to be the bigger threat to the Darkest Knight than any combination of the Trinity, Flashes or their cohorts.

At least, that’s my takeaway from this issue.

We continue the story of the Robin King, as started in the Tales of the Dark Universe one shot.  Bruce has grown up, and grown into his sociopathy, and genius. He has used the family fortune to get all the training necessary, and to accumulate all the tools, to begin his reign as the true Evil Overlord of Gotham.

Utilizing his accumulated weapons, he has taken out Commissioner Gordon, Firestorm, Animal Man, Adam Strange Blue Beetle (Ted Kord), and the Red Tornado, all in truly spectacular and extraordinarily grisly fashion.

While the Black Hole Implosion for Firestorm was a particularly well thought out death, I think, so far, the ‘Mortal Coil’ Death, for the Red Tornado was the most imaginative… making his powers totally uncontrollable, while moving him closer to his ultimate dream, to be a real person, before his form totally destroys itself from the stresses of his own speed.

Marvelous! Fantastic! Gross!

Enter the Batman who Laughs, with the proposition to make the Robin King special, one of his own…

But, he’s a Robin, so, off to the Groblin Pit he goes!

Hence, his mistake, and possibly another chink in the boiler plate of his plans… since Bruce Wayne is NO Robin!

Peter Tomasi’s scripting for this issue is simply remarkable. The creep factor he brings to this iteration of Bruce Wayne is almost eviscerating. Reading this was painful to my eyes and psyche, feeling the levels of insanity drip off the page, and scratch across my mind like a little bird’s unnaturally sharp talons.

He really hit all the horror factors.

Then, there was the artwork for this story. Riley Rossmo’s artwork set the mood for this story. His shattered pencil / inks style, which can be distracting, was integral to telling this story. It allowed the Reader to view this story as if it were playing out in Bruce’s mind, its all the fracturing being how he is viewing the world.

For me, this story has been the highlight of the series… thus far. I am anticipating this, which is near the midpoint of things, is setting up the Wednesday Night Episode…so, - 

Tune In, Gentle Readers! 

Same Bat-Time

Same Bat Channel!

The Best Is Yet To Come!

Did I neglect there is a B-story, with Signal, Spoiler, Orphan and Red Robin taking on Quietus, the amalgam of Batman Ras’ al Ghul and Duke Thimas, from another Dark Universe, written by Tony Patrick and drawn by Daniel Sampere?

This story brings in a plot line for ‘What’s happening for the Other Bat-Family Elements’, as they try to find their way through Castle Bat’s myriad streets… 

I am guessing we will start to see more of these stories.

I am completely fine with this, rather than having to recap things later…

Out of 5🌶        🌶🌶🌶🌶.5

[transguygardner]

my favorite part of going to a comic con while wearing my guy cosplay (if i hadnt been there to meet joe staton lol) was when artist alley vendors would start arguing with me about which green lantern was the best