Animal Man #20
Writer: Jeff Lemire
Artists: John Paul Leon and Timothy Green II
Cover Artists: Jae Lee
Publisher: DC
“Tights,” the movie within a comic book with Buddy Baker as the starring role, makes a surprise reappearance during this issue (it had previously been the central story for issue #6). This time around, the film shows us that Chaz’s (the film’s protagonist) personal life has reached an all time low, and his professional career slowly follows in suit. However, it ends with Chaz breaking free from his past and going back to doing what he enjoys doing – helping people. Both times “Tights” has made an appearance, the underlying theme of the story has been Buddy’s relationship with his son Cody. This issue serves almost as a moving on issue, with Buddy starting to accept Cliff’s death and continue on doing what he does best, which is taking care of his daughter and helping others. John Paul Leon and Timothy Green II do a fantastic job taking over on art duties for this issue. Leon’s art, which is similar to Pugh’s, is different enough that it maintains its own unique feel specific to the “Tights” arc. 4.5/5
Batman: Detective Comics #20
Writer: John Layman
Artists: Jason Fabok and Jeromy Cox
Cover Artists: Jason Fabok and Jeromy Cox
Publisher: DC
Emperor Penguin makes takes his final stand against Penguin, Gotham, and Batman. For a man no one knew existed a year ago, Ogilvy rose to the top quickly and with little resistance. He usurped Penguin, was able to acquire some Man-Bat serum as well as Venom Serum, and did it all under Batman’s nose. John Layman did a fantastic job setting up his Emperor Penguin story as well as following through on it. This arc lasted longer than most, however, he kept it from being tedious and monotonous, which has been an issue for some titles recently. Jason Fabok’s artwork, with colors by Jeremy Cox, which has been stellar his entire run, continues to impress with his remarkably detailed pages that paint a dark Gotham. Layman and Fabok are most likely going to be the lead title in the present, with the Batman title focusing on Batman’s Zero Year, and if things stick the way they are going, it will definitely be an exciting read. 4.5/5
The Movement #1
Writer: Gail Simone
Artists: Freddie Williams II and Chris Sotomayor
Cover Artists: Amanda Connor, Dave McCaig, and Cliff Chiang
Publisher: DC
The Movement is one of DC’s new monthly titles that didn’t get as much hype as it maybe should have. Gail Simone introduces a new team of crime fighters who thrive off of ambiguity as well as the mob mentality. This group of teens is angry, willing to use social media to take down their enemies (including law enforcement), and have the power to back up any of their threats. Unfortunately, they seem remarkably reckless and have a skewed perception of being “heroes.” Take this issue for instance, when the entire team makes it their responsibility to go after the members of the police force, however, they don’t particularly care about the murderer roaming around their town. This issue is a decent enough start, however, as of yet, none of the characters other than the demon/bipolar are particularly likeable or admirable. Freddie Williams II’s artwork has its ups and downs. While he does a great job with his characters and simple panels, his art gets muddled when there are a lot of things going on. This was a good enough start, but hopefully we get more back story to some of these characters soon. 3/5
Be sure to check out previous editions of Crisis of Infinite Reviews by clicking here!
Arnab Pradhan
arnab@comicattack.net
