3 Razors

Batman: Year One

/ / Home Video
  • Title: Batman: Year One
  • IMDB: link

batman-year-one-dvdThe latest straight-to-DVD animated release from DC Comics and Warner Premiere is extremely faithful adaptation of Frank Miller‘s retelling of Batman’s origin and the early days in the careers of Batman (Ben McKenzie) and Jim Gordon (Bryan Cranston).

Batman: Year One is a good, not great, entry into the DC Animated universe. It isn’t a success in terms of Batman: Under the Red Hood or Justice League: The New Frontier. However, it works better than the Superman/Batman animated films or Wonder Woman. In terms of a mixed success I’d compare it to Green Lantern: First Flight, and Green Lantern: Emerald Knights.

The film does a good job and capturing the look of David Mazzucchelli‘s art from Frank Miller’s Batman: Year One, although it does have a decided Japanese animated look and feel. With a couple of exceptions, including the opening shot of Bruce Wayne returning to Gotham and Gordon unburdening himself to Essen in the diner, the film follows the comic nearly as closely as Sin City.

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Snake Eyes #6

/ / Comics

snake-eyes-6-coverWith the world on the edge of a unstoppable pandemic Snake Eyes and the infected Duke travel to Zimbabwe to track down Dr. Rodrigo Vargas, the Cobra scientist responsible for the Madness Bug, in hopes that he’s also created a cure.

Writer Chuck Dixon gives us another issue of Snake Eyes being a bad-ass (which Casey Maloney’s art shows off oh so well), and, really, what more do you want? We also see Duke’s out-of-the-box thinking to get Vargas to relinquish the location of his cure.

After a bit of a transition issue last month things start to pick up again with the hunt for Vargas and the cure (even if I do still miss Agent Helix and Snake’s team from the last story arc). Now we just have to wait and see if Snake Eyes can get his hands on the antidote before everyone infected, including Duke, succumbs to the madness. Worth a look.

[IDW, $3.99]

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Green Lantern #2

/ / Comics

green-lantern-2-coverThe theme for issue #2 of the new Green Lantern series seems to be Don’t Look a Gift Horse in the Mouth. Sinestro offers Hal Jordan his own power ring (or a close approximation of it) and Hal’s response is to try and take his former mentor’s head off. Classic Hal.

The issue does a good job riding the mutual animosity the two characters have for each other as well as giving us a situation dire enough for them to be brought back together. Hal wants his ring back, and, whether Sinestro wants it or not, the Green Lantern needs Jordan’s help to save his home planet of Korugar from his Sinestro Corps.

Honestly, I have mixed feelings about this storyline that seems to continually undercut Hal Jordan’s standing in the Green Lantern Corps. Before the DC Reboot, even with his “issues” (you know, killing half the Corps and trying to reform reality in his image), Hal Jordan was regarded the greatest Green Lantern of all-time.

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Batman and Robin #2

/ / Comics

batman-and-robin-new-52-2-coverThe second issue continues to focus on the relationship between Bruce Wayne and Damian, but (like most of the New 52 titles) it is a step up from the first issue. We see Batman’s concern over his son’s past and the violence within him but also a proud moment where he sees Damian able to control his fury in taking down some gun-toting thugs on the streets of Gotham.

The issue also continues to give us a little more insight into the deadly vigilante known as NoBody who appears to be someone from Bruce Wayne’s past. I do have some concerns with the first villain out of the gate being someone who knows Bruce Wayne is Batman, but that’s second to my concern over the casual mention of Ducard.

For those who don’t remember, Ducard was the character played Liam Neeson in Batman Begins (before he was shown to be Ra’s al Ghul in one of the most disappointing reveals ever). Although I understand the reasoning for bringing in a character fans of the movie will recognize, I’m very concerned how much this might effect Bruce Wayne’s early history in this new DCU.

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