scans_daily

Sigil is a four-issue limited series, the second of two CrossGen titles - the other being Ruse - to be recently revitalized by Marvel. Since the fourth issue just came out last week, I figured this was as good a time as any to do a post about it. The trade - called Out of Time - comes out in September.

I think there's a fair amount about it that would make it of relevance to

scans_daily, including the facts that the protagonist is an interesting teenage girl, that it passes the Bechdel test at some points, and that there are pirates (including an awesome lady captain) involved.

What brought it to my attention, however, were two of the names on the cover (by Jelena Djurdjevic) of the first issue - Mike Carey and Leonard Kirk. As a fan of both Carey's work on The Unwritten and Kirk's work on the first Agents of Atlas miniseries, the idea of a collaboration between the two had instant appeal for me. As I found out later, the storyline and art (including some really nice colouring by Guru eFX) would justify my interest.

13 scans from two issues - 7 from #1 (22 pages) and 6 from #2 (20 pages). The images are different sizes because some are taken from previews and some are my own scans.

Note: There are scenes of grieving (a funeral; in the second set of scans) and scenes of bullying (in both sets of scans).

( Sigil #1: In which we meet our heroine )

( Sigil #2: In which Captain Sin is awesome )

Part two coming soon!

This is a big one. Grab a snack.

I've been putting off reviewing Batman: Face the Face for five years now. Every time I started, my criticisms melted down into curses and incoherent ranting, until my computer screen became obscured by rabid spittle. Okay, it wasn't THAT bad, but still.

In some ways, it's actually an ideal introductory trade paperback to get into Batman. Like Hush, it's a murder mystery that also serves as a tour of Gotham's inhabitants, and it was immediately followed by Grant Morrison and Paul Dini's runs. Unfortunately, it's also deeply frustrating, especially if you're a fan of Harvey Dent.

This was the first story to use the character in the three years since Hush, since Loeb supposedly had plans for Harvey hich kept him in limbo until those plans would reach fruition. They never did, and I think folks at DC wanted their precious status quo back in place. I also understand that Two-Face is Dan DiDio's favorite villain, which may have been a factor. In any case, Face the Face is one of the most significant Two-Face stories in canon, and also one of the most painfully frustrating. After five years, I finally have the words to explain just why.

( The lost year of Gotham's Unknown Protector, Harvey Dent )

Batman: Face the Face can be purchased here if you wish to read the story in full, including the Tim Drake subplot, several other Rogues doing their Rogue things, and the entire issue dedicated to Harvey and Two-Face's discussion. As mentioned above, it also serves as a gateway to the comics which are coming out today, leading directly to Dini's Detective Comics and Morrison's Batman.