Fantastic Universes

Podcast hosted by Steven Conroy It's back! The Retro Project Podcast has returned, bringing with the second part of a brilliant in-depth interview with comics legend, writer Gerry Conway. Check it out, rate and review. Most of all, listen, learn and enjoy! Gerry Conway Interview - Part Two

"Generation Outlaw" - Part One Writer: Scott Lobdell Artist: K enneth Rocafort Color A rtist: Steve Firchow Letterer : A LW Troy Peteri Review by Fay Clark The last time we saw our favorite problem child he was worrying over his missing friends. We managed to catch up with them in  Red Hood Outlaw Annual #3 , but saw little of Jason and now we finally get to see what the master of trouble has been up to, in  Red Hood Outlaw #37 . It turns out that Mr. Todd is helping the youth be, well… the best evil version of themselves that they can possibly be. Will Jason have what it takes to teach the next generation? Or will it be the new kids that teach Red Hood a lesson? New Trick Mr. Red Hood? It’s happening, we’re finally seeing our boy Jason interacting with the younger generation. I wonder if he’ll try to  keep any for himself and create a team just like Bats did? That would be something to see. However, right now we get to be in awe of how much of an awesome an...

" The Witching War" - Part One Writer: James Tynion IV Artists: Álvaro Martínez Bueno and Raül Fernandez Color Artist: Adriano Lucas Letterer: Rob Leigh Review by Steve J. Ray Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy…  Justice League Dark  #14 just pulled a  This Is Spinal Tap  on this series and spun the dial right up to 11. We get nightmare omens from a legend in flames, the scariest collection of dark magicians ever assembled and entirely too many #$$@ vampires! Damn, I love this title! The Spinal tap reference may be lost on many, but with vinyl currently enjoying a huge surge in popularity these days, I’m sure that everyone reading will know what I mean when I say that I must sound like a scratched record. I said it for years when this creative team was on  Detective Comics , and for well over a year since they took over on  Justice League Dark , but James Tynion IV, Álvaro Martínez Bueno and Raül Fernandez are my favorite team in comics right now. Th...

“The Brave and The Old” Writer: Peter J. Tomasi Artist: Christian Duce Color Artist: Luis Guerrero Letterer: Rob Leigh Review by Steve J. Ray Detective Comics  #1010 is right on target. Yes, that was an intentional Deadshot pun, but, hey… I’ve got a rep to maintain. At the end of the last issue, we left Bruce Wayne and a plethora of one percenters stranded on deserted island, after Mr. Lawton, quite literally,  crashed the party  and the plane they were all flying on. Enter Hiroshi and Clarence, two unlikely saviors, but a couple of characters that I’m already in love with. “The Brave and The Old” isn’t just a great play on words, it describes these two noble warriors perfectly. I hope that the partnership of Peter J. Tomasi and Christian Duce is one that we’ll see again, even after this storyline wraps. In this issue we get a tale that wouldn’t be out of place in a 1970s Neal Adams anthology, but that is also incredibly now. Tomasi’s dialogue is real and Du...

"Batman: Curse Of The White Knight" - Book Two Writer and Artist: Sean Murphy Color Artist: Matt Hollingsworth Letterer: AndWorld Design Review by Steve J. Ray Batman: Curse Of The White Knight  #2 is bonafide gold. We learn the history of how the Wayne family came to Gotham City, of their feud with the Arkhams, and their links to the Order of St. Dumas. We get threats, explosions, and long guarded secrets are stripped away for the world to see. Losing ties to canon and the freedom to rewrite history makes this series one of the freshest and most invigorating on the shelves. As an old cynic this makes me happy, as it proves that there are still ways of telling an all-new Batman story. Sean G. Murphy is clever, creative and talented, of this there is no doubt. More importantly, however, he clearly loves these characters and is enjoying himself on this title. The character designs, the dynamism and joy leap off the pages. Laffy Arkham is a proto-Joker with bite, E...

"Divide, Conquer and Kill" - Part Five Writer: Dan Jurgens Artists: R ick Leonardi and Ande Parks Color  Artist: Chris Sotomayor Letterer:  Travis Lanham Review by Adam Ray Dan Jurgens loses no time starting  Batman Beyond #35  precisely where the previous issue’s conclusion left off . We see the two big bads of the current story together, with False Face, after having taken on Batman’s identity, entreating Split’s help. It works very well, leaving much up in the air. There’s little that’s more scary than the hero speaking and acting in a monstrous way. We get this in spades this issue, but thankfully we get the reveal to the team in the cave, that Batman isn’t who he says he is. This issue gives us the insight into the twins. We really see how they differ, from how they handle Batman’s ultimatum. In previous issues, we’d seen them fight Batman, so it’s not unreasonable for them to doubt him when he offers help. Batman Beyond...