Fantastic Universes

"Last Knight On Earth" - Book 2 Writer: Scott Snyder Artists: Greg Capullo and Jonathan Glapion Color Artist: FCO Plascencia Letterer: Tom Napolitano Review by Steve J. Ray Batman: Last Knight On Earth  #2 is bonkers. I mean this as an honest and sincere compliment. In the  last issue  we discovered that Bruce Wayne managed to perfect his cloning process (please see Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo’s “ Endgame ” , “ Superheavy ”  and “ Bloom ” graphic novels) and, in an apocalyptic future, the Batman lives. The world is in ruins, heroes have been killed, or scattered like leaves in the wind, and the Dark Knight’s allies are few. Oh, and the Joker’s alive too… if you count existing as a decapitated head in a jar as living, that is. This issue is chock-full of references to classic, and quirky DC titles of old. To see Unknown Soldier(s) and G.I. Combat’s Ghost Tank brought back some very fond childhood memories. I’ve always loved writers that honor the past, r...

"The Batman Who Laughs" - Part Seven Writer: Scott Snyder Artist: Jock Color Artist: David Baron Letterer: Sal Cipriano Review by Steve J. Ray The Batman Who Laughs  #7 delivers a fitting finale to an amazing arc, and does what all great comics should do… it proves that nothing ever really ends. Originally due to run for six issues DC, and the book’s creators, decided to add a seventh, to tie-into the forthcoming  Batman/Superman  series. Now I have something else to look forward to! Before reading this finale I went back and re-read issues #1-#6, and it was a seriously great move. Over the years, Scott Snyder has proven that he’s great at writing short stories and one-shots, but he’s inarguably a master at playing the long-game too. Once his sister series  Batman: Last Knight On Earth wraps up, I’m tempted to embark on the massive undertaking of re-reading his entire Batman arc: All of the New 52  Batman  run,  Dark Nights: Metal ,  ...

“A Carious Bloom” Writers: James Tynion IV and Ram V Artist: Guillem March Color Artist: Arif Prianto Letterer: Rob Leigh Review by Steve J. Ray The Lords Of Order  have been defeated, but that was just one battle in the ongoing war to save magic.  Justice League Dark Annual  #1 continues Swamp Thing’s arc from issues #1-#12, and serves as a direct follow up to  #13 . Oh… it’s also one of the best comics I’ve read this year. This issue is a work of art, and a beautifully written tribute to Lein Wein, Bernie Wrightson and Alan Moore. The pages that make up the memoirs of Oleander Sorel feel like the work of Wein from the vintage  Swamp Thing  comics of the 1970s, while the moments between Sorrel and Swamp Thing himself, and the scenes featuring John Constantine and Swampy, are very Moore-esque. The beautiful part is that neither James Tynion nor Ram V are aping those comics greats… no, they’re honoring them. The book still feels fresh and bran...

Interview by Steve J. Ray One of the great joys of this job is getting to meet and talk to some of the finest talents in comics. Over the last few years I’ve made friends all around the world and one of them, the incredible Pedro Pascual Paredes, is a fellow journalist and comics fan, based in Spain. (If you’re a Spanish speaker, you MUST check out Zona Negativa ). Thanks to Pedro I was able to reach out to the amazing  Jorge Fornés , an artist who has wowed the world with his incredible art on Tom King’s  Batman . What could be a better way to celebrate Fantastic Universes' 700th published article, than an interview with one of the top comics artists? Jorge is from Vilanova i la Geltrú, near Barcelona (Catalonia, Spain) and his art has graced the pages of Marvel’s  X-Men ,  Thunderbolts ,  Doctor Strange  and  Guardians Of The Galaxy . For DC Comics he recently blew fans away with his classy and atmospheric work on  Batman  issues #...