Fantastic Universes

"Worlds Apart" Director: Len Wiseman Writers: Mark Verheiden and Doris Egan Starring:  Crystal Reed,  Virginia Madsen, Andy Bean, Derek Mears, Henderson Wade, Maria Sten, Jeryl Prescott, Will Patton, Elle Graham, Ian Ziering, Leonardo Nam and Given Sharp. Review by Steve J. Ray After the frenetic pace of the pilot episode, a rare thing in television, Swamp Thing episode 2 slows things right down, continues to flesh out the characters and further develop the story. Don't get me wrong, the episode is still great, but takes a much more measured approach than its predecessor. It's Alive! Whenever the title character of any movie or TV show isn't a human being T.V. producers and fans tend to get a little bit scared. After the catalogue of horrors that previous attempts at bringing Swamp Thing to life delivered, I was, understandably, worried. I am very happy to have been proven wrong. Derek Mears' makeup and prosthetics are astonishing, he rea...

“Last Knight On Earth” – Book One Writer: Scott Snyder Artists: Greg Capullo and Jonathan Glapion Color Artist: FCO Plascencia Letterer: Tom Napolitano Review by Steve J. Ray I’ve been looking forward to  Batman: Last Knight On Earth  #1 for a long time. I was the writer lucky enough to publish the article announcing the launch of DC Comics’ new  Black Label  imprint, which was created to tell new, more grown-up tales featuring DC’s greatest characters. Can you believe that was almost 15 months ago? One of the first titles announced was this one, with this tantalizing tease: BATMAN: LAST KNIGHT ON EARTH  from  Scott Snyder  and  Greg Capullo, the creative team behind  DARK KNIGHTS: METAL Batman wakes up in a desert. He doesn’t know what year it is or how The Joker’s head is alive in a jar beside him, but it’s the beginning of a quest unlike anything the Dark Knight has undertaken before. In this strange future, villains ar...

“Heroes In Crisis” – Part Nine Writer: Tom King Artist: Clay Mann Color Artist: Tomeu Morey Letterer: Clayton Cowles Review by Steve J. Ray Heroes In Crisis  #9, whilst it delivers a complex finale to a thought provoking mini-series, may confuse many. What it did for me was break my heart. Wally West, The Flash,  is alive , but only because he has come back in time to kill himself. I know that this is deep, metaphysical and horrific, but what’s the most painful thing a human being can witness, other than watching another, who feels that they have no recourse in life other than to end it? This series has had many critics and, while I understand many of their viewpoints, I find myself disagreeing with them. This is a comic-book, yes, and traditionally these pieces of art are made to thrill and entertain. The only thing this series should possibly have done differently, is put a mature readers disclaimer on the covers. Yes, this medium has traditionally been there to...

“Action” Writer: Geoff Johns Artist:  Gary Frank Color Artist: Brad Anderson Letterer: Rob Leigh Review by Steve J. Ray O.K. I have to admit that I am very fortunate. I haven’t reviewed a comic that I haven’t enjoyed in six months, or more.  Doomsday Clock  #10 could actually go down on my list as a contender for best single issue of the year, alongside the wonderful  Detective Comics  #1000 . Every single part of this comic just clicks… and resonates. From the opening pages, depicting a fictional movie set in a fictional world, featuring fictional characters, this issue had me hooked. I remember the old Gene Colan/Don McGregor  Nathaniel Dusk  comics from the early 80s. The way that writer Geoff Johns has woven these fictions into his own is nothing short of inspired. The original  Watchmen  had its pirate comic, this is the  Doomsday Clock  equivalent… and more besides. Doctor Manhattan’s manipulation of time, an...