I expect more convoluted plans end this way

[philippos42]

Wonderella deconstructs one hoary writing trope hard.
( Read more... )

Sintext is for the weak

[philippos42]

( Are you Santa? )

How much effort would it take to keep up a kiss like that?

[blackruzsa]

Red Robin #23 preview on CBR, one page. Tim's very own Catwoman, Lynx.

Gotta wonder if Bruce ever pulled anything like this.
( My icons don't agree with this, but hey.  )

Two-Face Tuesday! The final tragedy of Harvey Dent in Frank Miller's "The Dark Knight Returns"

[thehefner]

When people talk about some of the greatest Batman comics of all time, Frank Miller's The Dark Knight Returns is usually listed as number one.

I used to agree, but the older I get, the more I find TDKR to be unbearably ugly. Conversely, I find that Miller and David Mazzucchelli's Batman: Year One gets more powerful and humane with each passing year. I think it's because comics creators learned an awful lot of bad lessons from Miller and Janson's TDKR, and I can't read that book without seeing all the negative influences it's since had on Batman and comics in general. Regardless, TDKR a historic work, filled with scenes and moments that burn into a fan's memory.

But in all the retrospectives and articles I've seen about TDKR, I've noticed a distinct lack of mention for the Harvey Dent subplot. Sad thing is, I can understand why. Even for a fan like me, Harvey's story (and what it means to Batman) slips between the cracks when it comes to stuff like the Mutant mud-pit fight, the sounds of the Joker breaking his own neck, and the climatic battle with Superman. I suppose it's because those scenes are visceral, the kind of moments you can sense on several levels, whereas Harvey's story is more of a psychological portrait. Not even that: he's just there to serve as a reflection to Bruce's psychological portrait.

So let's shine the spotlight expressly upon this neglected subplot of a great work, to see what Miller had to say about who Harvey was, what Two-Face is, and just how exactly he relates to Batman.





( We must BELIEVE in Harvey Dent behind the cut )

If you're one of the few who's not yet read The Dark Knight Returns, it can be purchased via Amazon.com, but you're also likely to find it at most libraries that carry trade paperbacks and graphic novels. It's one of the standards, after all.

Halo Jones part 2: aboard the Clara Pandy

[whitesycamore]

Unlike part 1, there's not much of a plot here, just a few pages that set the mood for the second (and my favourite) part of the book.

( Nine pages from the Ballad of Halo Jones TPB under the cut )

A little something else from 2000AD - Meet DR and Quinch

[icon_uk]

Looking at whitesycamore 's posting of Halo Jones, reminded me that in the earlier post, someone noted we don't have any DR and Quinch on S_D.... and that just plain ain't right!

DR and Quinch are the creations of Alan Moore and Alan Davis back in 1983, and if that combo doesn't at least leave you wanting to see a LITTLE more, then you can check your geek cred at the door methinks. ;)

Our Devastating Duo had many adventures, but this is their introduction to the readership of planet Earth.

They first appeared, not in their own strip, but as one of Alan Moore's legendary contributions to 2000AD's "Time Twisters" series; short, done-in-one stories with the core concept of time travel somewhere within them. Moore's tended to be VERY clever and elegantly convoluted... but, as you will see, not ALL of them.

I should add that, as is nearly always the case in Moore and/or Davis work, cutting it to a 1/3 is a positively painful work. This is approximately 2 pages out of 6, and I hope this might encourage you to seek out the collected works, because I've had to hack great swathes of fun out of it.

So, without further ado.

( D.R. and Quinch have fun on Earth )

The saddest book you ever had to read always makes you cry

[stubbleupdate]

I started a series of Minx posts with my snippet of the Re-Gifters and now I'm going to continue with some of New York 4/New York Five. Just as the first Minx book wasn't actually a Minx book, so the last Minx book is also published by Vertigo.

New York Five is the sequel to New York Four and is from the creative team that made the lovely Local (more of which at a future date)

Brian Wood writes and Ryan Kelly draws. Kelly's art is amazing. His figures are good and expressive, but his backgrounds are amazing. I've been told by New Yorkers that you could take a page of NY5, and find it in the city. There's certainly a massive level of detail that I don't remember seeing in pretty much any other book.

NY4 is the story of four freshmen at university in NYC, sharing an apartment in their first semester. NY5 is the story of their second semester.

( The girls )

And then a scene of the girls ( out and about in NYC )

FEAR ITSELF: THE HOME FRONT #1: Miriam Sharp vs. Trish Tilby

[starwolf_oakley]

FEAR ITSELF: THE HOME FRONT has a seven part story by Christos Gage and Mark Mayhew starring Speedball. After helping the Avengers Academy take down from crooks, Jocasta shows Speedball a debate between Trish Tilby and Miriam Sharpe.

( And Marcy Pearson too! )