Synopsis: Without the Corps… without the ring… without the willpower, what’s left is the Absolute Green Lantern! Review: Absolute Green Lantern #1 rounds out the second wave in DC’s grand new experiment and continues the winning streak. The ingredients of the classic Green Lantern story are there – Hal Jordan receives a cosmic boon from […]
About Darby Harn
Review: Absolute Martian Manhunter #1
Synopsis: Beyond Mars…beyond physical form…beyond Human Understanding…all that’s left is the ultimate alien: the Absolute Martian Manhunter! Review: Why do people do what they do? That’s the question of Absolute Martian Manhunter #1, the boldest experiment in the Absolute DC initiative so far, and perhaps the strongest. Written by Deniz Camp with art – the […]
Review: Absolute Flash #1
Synopsis: Without the mentor…without the family…without the Speed Force, what’s left is the Absolute Scarlet Speedster! Review: The Absolute DC experiment continues with the fourth title in the franchise, Absolute Flash. As one of the core DC superheroes, The Flash is key to any approach to the larger universe, especially in recent years. This take […]
Review: Helen of Wyndhorn by Tom King and Bilquis Evely
Synopsis: A gothic sword and sorcery epic graphic novel that’s Conan the Barbarian meets The Wizard of Oz. From Tom King and Bilquis Evely, the Eisner award-winning, bestselling creative team of Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow. Review: By turns Conan The Barbarian, Turn of the Screw, and an Isekai adventure, Helen of Wyndhorn shouldn’t work but it does. Oh, does it […]
Review: Ultimate Wolverine #1
Synopsis: THE MAKER’S ULTIMATE WEAPON! Review: Marvel didn’t have to go this hard. But they did. No one is cooler than Wolverine, so it was inevitable that the newly minted Ultimate Universe 2.0 from Marvel Comics, beginning with last year’s Ultimate Spider-Man #1, would introduce its version of the X-Men’s famous gruff Canadian. Writer Chris […]
Review: Free by E.B. Roshan
Synopsis: An accident brought Rex’s career as an interplanetary bodyguard to an abrupt end. Now, he spends his time tending fruit trees and dreaming of his exciting past. One day, he gets an unexpected opportunity to pick up a ray gun again, but things aren’t how he remembered them… Review: A middle-grade indie graphic […]
Darby’s Best Comic Books And Graphic Novels Of 2024
After what has seemed like momentary stagnation, comic books and graphic novels reflected a turbulent, erratic year with vital, innovative, diverse stories. From superheroes to fantasy landscapes in the backyard or someone’s mind – or both – comics like Absolute Batman took big chances and delivered in big ways for readers. My biggest regret in […]
Review: Absolute Batman #3
Synopsis: Batman and Alfred have formed a tentative alliance, but the Black Mask has some new friends too… Review: In standard Batman lore, Bruce Wayne uses his extreme wealth to combat corruption. In the Absolute Universe, he chooses to corrupt himself – kind of – to achieve extreme wealth. The gray has never been grayer […]
Review: When We Transform: A Superhero Tale of Transition
Synopsis: Tokusatsu and the Trans Experience! Review: The first rule of Light Patrol is you don’t talk about Light Patrol. But we’re going to talk about When We Transform, because it’s not every day you read a superhero transition story by way of the Tokusatsu genre. I backed this comic on Kickstarter and the first […]
Review: Absolute Batman #2
Synopsis: Batman was born out of violence – a horrible tragedy that shaped the trajectory of his future. But when a vigilant MI6 agent starts tracking the lonely life of Bruce Wayne, he discovers the interconnectivity between a hero’s shell life and the many layers of the Black Mask Gang. It’s Batman versus Alfred Pennyworth! […]
Review: Absolute Superman #1
Synopsis Without the fortress…without the family…without a home…what’s left is the Absolute Man of Steel! Review Absolute Superman #1 completes the trinity of DC’s bold new initiative this fall, presenting their classic characters like Batman and Wonder Woman without the burden of continuity. This is the book I’ve been most uncertain about. Whereas Batman is […]
Review: Absolute Wonder Woman #1
Synopsis Without the island paradise…without the sisterhood that shaped her…without a mission of peace…what’s left is the Absolute Amazon! Review Wow. Few words can sum up the reading experience that is Absolute Wonder Woman #1. One of them is Amazon, a word banned from ever being uttered again in a startling, fearless sequence early in […]