My Favorite Marvel Book Currently, is Immortal Hulk! by Anthony Andujar Jr

Don't mind the spelling error to Al Ewing's name. Autocorrect is no fun when it doesn't actually do it's job haha. But, Boy oh Boy, this has been my favorite series in a long time. As comic book reader I tend to sift between the different publishers and read stories by creators whether it's from Marvel, DC , image or other publishers. It's no secret that I write and read a lot of DC comics since I'm a fan of the characters and the writer artists teams on the books that i review. But when it comes to Marvel, sometimes I have a tough time because there is always a shift in creator teams. That is, until I came across Immortal Hulk a year ago, and my, my, is it a fantastic book.
Most people always think of the MCU hulk these days, but the very best hulk is the one that is a huge mass of power, and psychological horror because he's a walking nuclear bomb, and yet underneath that is a heart that means well despite it all going horrifically wrong and is not above doing terrible things when required. The work that Al Ewing and Joe Bennett are doing is a work of art. Truly is. It defies the medium and the conventions of superhero comics and comics as a whole, mixing different genres into this wonderful stew of chaotic goodness! If you like body and psychological horror, if you like Mystery, if you like science fiction, if you like action, if you like drama, it has all that and more! I can't wait to see what these guys are doing next because issue 19 was off the charts!

Best Marvel book out there, and one of the best comics of the last decade hands down. So don't make me angry, or I'll write a whole essay of why you shouldn't make me angry! Haha.

The Flash issue 72 Review by Anthony Andujar Jr

   

  After traveling to the future, encountering his future self, and witnessing the tyranny of the Turtle’s reign, Barry is at the crossroads and he has to make a choice, either to hide his powers or use it to make a difference. With prior knowledge of events that have yet to happen, can Barry succeed in preventing the future that he has witnessed?

     Joshua Williamson/ Writing: I personally think that this arc will become just as seminal to The Flash as Frank Miller’s Year One is seminal to Batman’s mythos. It’s impressive to see how much Howard explores Barry’s journey as he gradually becomes The Flash that we’ve come to know within this run thus far. There is a ton of great scenes where Williamson digs into Barry’s process on how he utilizes his abilities in addition to seeing his costume and abilities organically develop throughout. There is a charm that Williamson is able to channel through Barry that provides readers insight on Barry’s progression and how his actions will reverberate throughout to the present. 

  The issue is well paced, furthering the chemistry of Barry and Iris’s relationship, displaying Barry’s first battle with The Turtle and how all of the things that readers know and love all fall into place. It’s interesting to see how Williamson has weaved so much continuity from his own run and every other run together in such a way that it feels cohesive and organic from start to finish. I enjoy Barry’s monologues but I also enjoy witnessing his origins unfold in a way that will make readers curious to how it will affect the future in Williamson’s run.

      Porter’s artwork is great in this issue. There are some panels that do feel a little wonky at times, or maybe it’s just me, but in this issue, some panels in certain pages looked a little weird. But it’s not so terrible to a point that it takes away from the issue because it certainly doesn’t. The entirety of the issue is still wonderfully drawn and well sequenced. The fight between Barry and The Turtle is definitely amazing to see given that Porter’s strengths played in favor of the issue as it beautifully showcases how both of the characters powers works and how they negate one another. Now while the action is always great to see, I think the slower moments with Barry exploring his abilities and his dates with Iris, is some of the best panel work out there. With Hi-FI’s colors and Steve Wands lettering, it helps make this issue shine in a favorable light, where everything clicks in sync, making it an enjoyable reading experience narratively and visually.

This run continues to prove that Williamson cares for the character and is adding new material to the mythos that will be influential to the character’s mythology for years to come. I highly recommend picking this issue up and adding to your pull list for new comic book day!

The Batman Who Laughs issue 6 Review by Anthony Andujar Jr

    Batman infected with the Joker Virus, faces off against The Batman Who Laughs to save the heart of Gotham City! Minutes away from succumbing to the infection, Batman makes a last stand against his warped counterpart. Meanwhile, Jim Gordon and James face off against the Grim Knight waiting for Batman’s commands to initiate what could be their best chance at winning the war. Will James and Jim survive their battle against the Grim Knight long enough to see tomorrow? WIll Batman defeat the Batman Who Laughs? Or will he become him?

      Snyder has been consistent in writing the entirety of this series, giving each character a unique voice and continual building on the character of The Batman Who Laughs. It’s impressive to see the Batman Who Laughs has become such a mainstay due to one of the creators that made him has been consistently writing him with genuine integrity. The Batman Who Laughs could have been treated like Venom and have a whole ton of books of his own, but thankfully, he’s used scarcely, which makes the characters appearances in different stories a welcomed presence. This issue is a highlight because Snyder finally gets to go crazy in this issue!

      I think some of the best scenes are the scenes with Jim Gordon and his son James. We can see that as much as Jim wants to trust his son, he can’t help but think about all the times that James betrayed his trust whenever he fell into his serial killer tendencies. To see that James is really trying to redeem himself as a person, and trying to win the trust of his own father is well written and readers can’t help but feel sympathy for James despite his past crimes. Aside from Jim and James, the build-up to Batman and his evil counterpart is well paced and delivers in regards to the nightmarish insanity that is delivered visually by Jock.

     There are some moments within this issue where Snyder makes a call back to some of his older stories that not only stem from his Black Mirror book, but also elements from his new 52 run. Some of those moments will have readers grinning at Snyder’s attention to detail to his own continuity and giving a nod to other aspects of Batman’s mythos). The story is tightly written, and readers get to see all of the puzzle pieces finally fall into place that provides a successful landing after a ton of build up.

      Jock’s art is amazing with each issue and with this issue, it’s not different. In this issue, we get to see Jock visually showcase the narrative by making he is become more visually deranged in a beautiful way that is both striking, eerie, and kinetic. Despite the trademark silhouettes of Jocks style, his ability to craft panels full of contrast and make the art have so much power is a testament to his abilities as an illustrator. Combined with David Baron’s colors, Jock’s use of different textures helps to give the book an aesthetic that is enjoyable to sift back and forth just to see what he did on each panel just so you could ponder about the different kinds of digital screen tones, brushes that he may have used when creating this issue. Sal Cipriano’s lettering is to be appreciated because it has a stylistic aesthetic that really enhances the overall story, especially in between the moments where Bruce is narrating and we see certain letters that are highlighted in between words that provide hidden messages that make it all the more entertaining. I don’t have to say anything else other than this, add this book to your pull list for new comic book day! It’s consistent and amazing! Nuff said!

Jeffery Veregge Of Gods and Heroes Exhibition at the National Museum of The American Indian

One my colleagues informed me that one of my favorite museums was having a new exhibition by #jefferyveregge called Of God's and Heroes, reinterpreting Marvel Superheroes in the traditional style of Native American aesthetics, and infusing Native American narrative with these modern mythological characters. Definitely a beautiful exhibition, colorful, vibrant, stylistic, and very reflective of humanity and the importance of storytelling, subtly guiding the lives we live and inspiring imagination for centuries. Aside from that, I enjoyed the military section and reading bits about the various Native Americans that served this country to preserve the treaties of their lands, for their own and for many others,

Pick of the Week: The Batman Who Laughs Issue 3 Review 2/13/19

     The pressure is on as Batman races against time as the Joker virus continues to course through his body, rapidly changing his entire being.

      Meanwhile, the Batman Who Laughs is wreaking havoc all across Gotham, causing Batman to make hasty decisions. Desperate times call for desperate measures, and with very few options left Batman, and Gordon turns to the only person who knows Gotham better than anyone, James Gordon Jr.

    Will Gordon Jr help Batman in his quest to save Gotham? What of the Grim Knight? Can Batman maintain control of himself or will he be consumed by madness before it’s too late?

      Snyder is truly in the best form that he has ever been on Batman. While that is debatable given that the upcoming Black Label title that he and Capullo are currently working on is in development, this will do for now. What’s so interesting about this series is the narrative tone of the book, which sets it apart from all of Snyder’s other works such as Justice League. Both books are polar opposites of each other, and while Snyder is having fun with both titles, I think Snyder is really having a blast on the Batman Who Laughs a bit more. Given that Snyder and Jock have worked together on Black Mirror, it feels like this series has been a fun reunion due to the insanity that occurs within the book making it all feel as though Snyder and Jock have come full circle on their Black Mirror story all those years ago. There are some fantastic scenes where Batman is just snapping on Gordon Jr, Alfred’s reaction to everything, and even The Grim Knight having more prominence In this issue.

     Without giving anything away, there is a lot to unpack that requires some re-reading due to how the issue parallels in its intro and its outro, and how that parallels to the quarrels of Batman, the Grim Knight, Gordon, and Gordon Jr, it’s really well crafted narratively. It feels like this is just Snyder going off the wheels in all the right ways that only further complements the work that he’s developed throughout the entirety of his Batman run. Believe it or not, you wouldn’t have to read All of the other titles that spanned out from Dark Nights Metal to jump into this book. If you read Snyder’s Batman run, and Metal, it’s a fun journey to go on. But even without Metal, it still stands on own as a story. And this issue is certainly no exception!

     In regards to the art, Jock’s beautiful silhouettes, use of ink, and page layouts all carry the narrative of this issue beautifully. David Baron’s color work does a good job at tonally capturing the perfect darkness that a series like this requires. Cipriano’s lettering achieves the same essence and spirit that the story itself conveys through the use of fonts and bubbles that provide distinct voices that help the characters within this series standout.

    This is another solid installment of the Batman Who Laughs saga! This issue provides readers with enough action, mystery, and thrill to keep them engaged for the next installment. I definitely recommend adding this to your new comic book day pull list folks!

If you want to read more of my reviews on various other comics, you can find it at this link:
http://fanboyfactor.com/author/anthony-andujar/ 

Comic Book Reviews 1/30/19 by Anthony Andujar Jr

    Man, @ssnyder1835 and @jamesthefourth  dropped a friggin bombshell that set the stage for not just the Justice League, but each of the JL / DC titles involved for rest of this year!! You can read my whole review about it, but what I can confirm is this: all the build up that lead to this annual issue was so worth it! If you're gonna pick up something that feels important to the landscape to the DCU, I feel this is the book. Also,

      I did a review Batman Beyond issue 28 which is one of my favorite issues this week, and The Flash issue 63. I didn't know that annual 2 of The Flash was also coming out today until i saw  @scottkolins post two days ago. All I can say is that it is worth checking out!!!!!! These were my fave books of this week, let me know what you think and what was your fave titles for this week !

Here's the link for my review of  Batman Beyond issue 28: 
http://fanboyfactor.com/2019/01/comic-review-batman-beyond-28-dc-comics/

Here's the link for my review of The Flash issue 63:
http://fanboyfactor.com/2019/01/comic-review-the-flash-63-dc-comics/

Here's the link for my review of Justice League Annual 2:

http://fanboyfactor.com/2019/01/comic-review-justice-league-annual-1-dc-comics/

I hope you guys have a good weekend!

Justice League # 16 and The Wildstorm #19 reviews by Ant Andujar Jr

Hi guys!!! I know I've been a little inactive on here. I've been mostly posting my comic book reviews onto the Fanboy Factor website, so whenever I'm doing something I always end up saying to myself "jeez!! I gotta also post this to my blog so people can check it out!". I've been busy with working on some comics, and most especially the interpreting classes that I end up getting a little overwhelmed and preoccupied with the assignments. But I wanted to post my favorite comics from last week!

Snyder and Tynion's Justice League issue 16 was a definite fave of mine. We discover a bunch of secret information about Perpetua and her influence across the multiverse! You can read all about my review by clicking the link below:
http://fanboyfactor.com/2019/01/comic-review-justice-league-16-dc-comics/

  Another favorite title is Warren Ellis's The Wildstorm issue 19! This series has been phenomenal and continues to create new takes on classic Wildstorm characters and reshaping them in contemporary way that makes this book shine. As Jenny Spark's and The Doctor round up member to form their own Authority, other forces begin to make their move. A storm is coming but will The Authority be enough to stop what IO and Sky Watch ? You can read all about my review here by pressing the link below:

http://fanboyfactor.com/2019/01/comic-review-the-wild-storm-19-dc-comics/

 These two were among some of my favorite titles last week.  I'm really digging what Tomasi is doing on Detective Comics as it is nearing it's historical 1000th issue! It's history in the making in the same way that Action Comics did for Superman. Other titles that I've been enjoying have been Batman Beyond by Dan Jurgens, Justice League Dark by Tynion, Batman Who Laughs by Scott Snyder, Books of Magic, The Flash by Joshua Williamson and Green Lantern by Grant Morrison.  There are only so many titles to keep up with, so I tend to write reviews on the books I felt the most engaged with in between my class assignments and personal projects, work etc. I hope you guys are having a great Sunday and let me know what was your favorite titles this month!