'Detective Comics' #23 Comic Review

I like it when a Batman title actually focuses on the central character’s gimmick. Especially a Batman title entitled Detective Comics. In this aspect the book does well. I felt throughout as if it was inviting me to piece everything together bit by bit before confirming what I had deducted as truth from what I was given, rather than slapping me in the face with a great big fish named ‘Plot Construction Blatancy’. This made the book that little bit more enjoyable to read, and left my pre-set daily requirement of detective work partially satisfied.

The art, in comparison to last month’s issue was a bit disappointing for me. Granted, it can’t always be raining and dark in Gotham city but it still didn't have the same atmospheric quality that the previous issue had, although the expressions on Batman’s face in this book are still hands down the best Batfacial expressions of the New 52, and the added stubble makes him seem just that little bit darker. In the back up however, the art is stunning. The level of detail in the drawing and the realism in the colours was immense, well above that of the issue’s main feature, surprisingly enough, the best element of it being the colours chosen to represent the masses of blood and gore that filled numerous panels in the backup.

The recently re-introduced ‘Anti-Batman’ villain named Wrath continues to develop well, with his character receiving more flesh not only on the mask, but also on the man behind it (read to find out). This is also the case for Bruce Wayne, who holds a fairly significant amount of space in this issue, which is more than welcome considering how scarce old Brucey Boy’s appearances have been in this title. Alfred’s appearance is also very welcome, and genuinely interesting and useful in advancing the story and adding a greater level of threat in the reader’s view of Wrath.

The execution of this issue’s main points is effective and relatively fast paced, although I must admit, I felt that the main conflict between Wrath and Bats had a fairly cheap ending to it that was intensely clichéd and forced, but the actual meat of the fight was enough to show off Layman’s action scene skill, add in some real time detective narration from Batman and also add more substance to Wrath’s mannerisms and individual voice as a real character. However, I feel there is still more work to be done on advancing his charisma, even in spite of the character’s intriguing connection to Wayne Enterprises and Bruce Wayne.

One thing that I must give credit for is the way that the backup is executed. The merging of flashbacks over narration may be a common storytelling technique but in the backup it is used to damn good effect. Coupled with the art, I really felt for a character that I knew hardly anything about, whilst also developing a severe dislike for another unfamiliar character. This, for me, is what a comic book should be able to deliver as its bread and butter, so it’s a shame that the main story hasn't managed to inspire the same sense of dislike towards its main villain that the backup managed to for me.

Verdict:

While the art may not have been as striking as the previous issue, and with Wrath still remaining that little bit too undefined, I still feel that Detective Comics #23 does enough to still increase my interest in this arc, whilst also providing a genuinely interesting and welcome backup that is of a real benefit to the main story.

Final Score:

8/10

 Copyright Jamie King 2013, All Rights Reserved, permissions may be granted upon request.

'Green Arrow' #22 Comic Review

After the ‘Kill Machine’ arc concluded, I felt as if my longing for a good Green Arrow run had come to an end. Lemire’s writing and Sorrentino’s artwork were perfect for me, I loved the sense of direction and purpose in the story, I loved the new villain Komodo and I adored Sorrentino’s flawless artwork (now my favourite artist in any field). Could the start of the next arc have the same effect on me? You’re damn right it could.

This issue covers the first New 52 appearance of one of Green Arrow’s few regular villains, Count Vertigo, with a fantastic redesign that fits the character’s new personality and tone perfectly. Fitted with appropriately spiralled body paint and a visible Vertigo device thing (how intelligent of me) he looks far better than his previous incarnations. The whole book, as usual, looks stunning. Sorrentino excels in not only the little details, but also his amazing splash page work (it certainly blew Green Arrow’s mind). With the Count’s power being the ability to induce Vertigo to his enemies, Sorrentino decides to take this and play with it, using his trademark loose panelling in a new, highly effective way. The issue also showcases Ollie’s skill in taking on multiple foes, shaking off the view of him only being useful against one target behind a bow.                                    

Splash, ahhahh, savior of the universe.

The story, whilst standing on its own legs, also holds ties into the previous arc in terms of the way it deals with Ollie’s origins and his family ties (one helluva twist at the end, believe me). I found this to be a fairly welcome element as it gave the first arc an even bigger sense of meaning than I had originally expected an arc like that to have. It also reassured me to know that Jeff Lemire wasn’t giving up on his promise to flesh Ollie out more than his predecessors had, and is still intent on making Oliver Queen, not Green Arrow, feel more like a real person than just a name.

In this issue, the relationship between Fyff, Naomi and Ollie is shown off properly for the first time, with a lot of good ol’ friendly banter being tossed around between the three of them, as well as some new trick arrows (still no sign of that boxing glove arrow yet…) that help to give them more of a team feel, whilst still allowing Ollie to have his book without them invading it. It’s also a pleasantly funny break from the new more serious status quo of the title which, although being my preferred theme, felt sometimes too prominent in the first arc.

Also making their New 52 debuts are a re-designed Clock King, and ex-villain Shado who appears as an ally in this issue. Tockman’s role in the issue may be a minor one compared to Shado and Vertigo’s, but at least he is still there (a sign of more great things to come perhaps?)  While Tockman is now totally different to his previous incarnation, Shado has remained very similar to her pre-N52 counterpart.

My one gripe about this issue is mainly to do with one line on the book’s first page involving a joke about Arrow’s entrance to the castle in Vlatava, using the old “so much for the subtle approach” type line, despite walking straight up to the front door with nothing but a hooded rag to cover his suit, which instantly reminded me of the Halo trailer at E3 involving a cloaked Master Chief. Very silly indeed.

Verdict:

Green Arrow is my favourite comic book running right now and is on the fast track to becoming DC’s best not only in my opinion, but in the opinion of many others also. This issue has it all, action, humour, a classic villain and above all, mystery. Pick this book up now! Trust me, you won’t regret it.

Score:

10/10

-Jamie

Copyright Jamie King 2013, All Rights Reserved, permissions may be granted upon request.

'Dead Space' (2008) Game Review

“In space, no one can hear you scream.” That famous tagline from Ridley Scott’s classic Sci-Fi horror ‘Alien’ gets thrown around quite a lot. I now have to assume that this line cannot be applied to Visceral Game’s astoundingly scary survival horror title ‘Dead Space’. Not only will people hear you scream, people will also melt around you, Raiders style, as your ridiculous real body motions of fear during an escape send shivers down the currently melting spines of your comrades as they watch you succumb to what many in the 1500s may have assumed to be a severe case of good ol’ demonic possession.

The game follows CEC Engineer Isaac Clarke as he boards the Planet Cracker class mining vessel named the USG Ishimura after communications to the ship were lost during its illegal mining operation on the colonist planet of Aegis VII. The reason for Isaac’s posting on the Ishimura not only being a result of his engineering skill, but also his personal ties to one of the crew members, his girlfriend, Nicole. However, as with all the best horror works, things didn’t quite go to plan.

This game, is fantastic in so many ways. The atmosphere it creates is second to none among other survival horror games of its time, and many of the previous generation’s offerings.  The HUD offers no safety in game, as you are still left in play when checking your inventory which is displayed as a holographic panel projected by your engineer suit’s ‘RIG’, along with your healthbar which is displayed along Isaac’s back as blue segments, turning green, yellow and red according to the number of hit points that remain lit. Even the tutorial panels are projected by the ‘RIG’, again offering no protection from any enemies nearby. Rather than the more traditional compass or waypoint for objectives, Dead Space opts again for a more immersive approach in this regard, having a holographic locator activated in Isaac’s hand that traces a glowing blue line on the floor towards his next objective. All these features merge to create a game that is built upon almost total immersion. Even items inside lockers or the corpses of enemies come up as a projected panel. The controls are also very well done, with a Resi Evil style aim system, and a simple melee system to boot.

The enemies themselves take the form of Necromorphs. These are ex-humans who died and became reanimated into terrifying creatures, similar to The Thing, that come in several varieties. Every weapon in their arsenal, be it blades on their arms or spikes fired from their dangly mandibles, is supposed to be composed of something within the human body, giving them a very organic, alien, but also quite human appearance, and one that I found quite refreshing compared to the usual bipedal zombies from other games of its kind. Perhaps one of Dead Space’s most unique features is its kill mechanic. Rather than placing most damage points within shots to the head, Dead Space instead decides to make dismemberment the most effective way to dispose of enemies, adding a very original and gory touch to an already very uniquely terrifying experience.

Resource scarcity is punishing in Dead Space, forcing you to ration ammunition and prioritise which weapons are more useful and when to use them. This sense of desperation as the ammo counter falls adds to the tension, creating an effect similar to that which was created by the ammo levels on the Sentry Guns and Pulse Rifles in Jim Cameron’s ‘Aliens’. It also adds to the difficulty of the game. It can be truly torturous at times, especially if you wrongly prioritise one weapon over another in a situation, a scenario all too common for those who wish to simply storm through the game all guns blazing. There is always of course the two option melee system of a semi rapid punch for standing enemies and a slow but effective ghetto stomp for grounded enemies, as well as a ‘Kinesis Module’ which allows you to use the game’s wide array of inanimate objects as weapons, also allowing you to use the limbs of your Necromorph foes against them. Either way, it’s far more appealing to have a fully loaded Plasma Cutter at your disposal rather than your hands and feet…as well as other people’s hands and feet.

Surprisingly enough, despite having a mute protagonist (if you ignore his cries of pain that is), the game’s story is still pretty enjoyable, with a plot twist that I had in a way predicted but still had to appreciate as I was a bit blindsided by it in the end. The world that is built up also gives a sense of real thought having been put into making the world of Dead Space as real as possible. I also really felt for Isaac more than most videogame characters, and he currently stands as one of my favourites.

My only gripe with the game lay in the sometimes repetitive mission structures, which at times followed a pattern of finding your ally, getting told to do something, then going off to find another ally. Apart from that, I really can’t complain, whilst many note the melee system as a problem when overwhelmed by enemies, I found it to simply add to the tension for better.

Verdict:

Dead Space was a breath of fresh, blood tinged air in a world of action horror and cheap jumps scares that actually has the amazing element of a story! A real, functioning story! It also plays well and keeps you constantly on your toes. If you like being scared, and if you like survival horror games, you’re gonna love this. Imagine Alien as a game, ramp up the fear and gore by 100. Voila.

Score:

10/10

-Jamie

Copyright Jamie King 2013, All Rights Reserved, permissions may be granted upon request