Pages

Showing posts with label Batman. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Batman. Show all posts

Wednesday, 28 October 2015

Review: DC Super Heroes Origami by John Montroll


What happens when you combine Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, and the Justice League with the art of origami? You get the most incredible collection of paper-folding projects ever assembled. These 46 models, meticulously designed by internationally renowned origami master John Montroll, are guaranteed to amaze. With clear, step-by-step diagrams and instructions, simple squares of paper transform into Batarangs, S-Shields, Invisible Jets, Green Lanterns, and so much more. Also included in the back of the book are 96 sheets of specially illustrated folding papers to make your DC creations truly come to life.






In the six years I have been writing this blog (yep, just realised that The Book Zone was six years old last week), this is the first craft book that I have reviewed. Considering my main teaching subject is Design Technology, and much of my time is spent delivering GCSE and A-Level Graphics courses that is pretty poor, although when I'm not buried in school work I really do prefer to break away from it all by burying myself in fiction. However, when those fabulous people at Curious Fox asked me if I would be interested in a copy of DC Super Heroes Origami I could not resist.

Now I have next to no experience of origami (it's not in the Edexcel Graphics syllabus!), so I'll start off my focusing on this book's DC super hero 
angle. There are a total of 46 origami projects in the book, split into four collections: Batman; Superman; Wonder Woman; and The Justice League. This gives for a wide variety of projects, many that will be recognised by those with a basic knowledge of the DC universe (Bat-symbol; Robin; Clark Kent's glasses; Wonder Woman's tiara), and some that are a little more obscure (Krypto; Clayface; Jumpa the Kanga; Hawkgirl's made; Green Lantern B'dg). So as far as the DC universe is concerned there is pretty much something for everyone.

And now for the origami. I have discovered that I suck at origami! The book comes with 96 printed sheets, all ready for folding (once you have carefully removed them from the book), and the projects are graded simple (one star) through intermediate (two stars) to complex (three stars). At the front of the book, there are several pages of instructional diagrams that outline the basic (and not-so-basic) folds used in the proceeding projects. It is suggested that newbies practise these before embarking on the DC projects (Pah! Practice is for wimps).

Naturally I decided I was good enough to skip the one star projects and I kicked off my origami career (short-lived) with the two star Bat-symbol. It didn't turn out too badly and for a handful of minutes I felt quite proud of myself.


As they say, pride come before a fall! I then decided I must be good enough to move straight up to a three star project. How wrong I was. Wonder Woman has never looked so bad!


Seriously, talk about epic fail! And yet I have absolutely no idea where I went wrong. I didn't assume that I knew better than the instructions, and I followed them to a tee, but she just does not look like the photo example in the book. I've since gone back and tried a few more one- and two-star projects with a little more success, but I am still trying to build up to trying another three star project.

As an origami layman I would suggest that on balance this book is best suited to those with a little more experience than I possess. It is certainly not for younger children, but patient teens and adults with a good degree of manual dexterity could have a great deal of fun with this book. A work colleague who has far more experience in this field had a flick through and she felt that the papers were certainly suitable, and with a bit more general origami practice I should find even the three-star projects within my capabilities.

Sunday, 30 December 2012

Comic Zone - My Favourite Comics of 2012

2012 was the year that I really got into comics. I guess this can mainly be attributed to the DC New 52 launch that took place towards the end of 2011 - I decided to try a handful of these titles, and whenever I was in London at the brilliant Gosh Comics picking up my standing order I couldn't help but pick up other books that grabbed my fancy. I have stuck with only a few of those DC titles, but in the process have discovered some fantastic other titles, which have become firm favourites throughout the year. Many of these have been, or soon will be, released in collected TPB format and are well worth picking up. I should add that most of these are not suitable for kids but most of them would not be a problem for young adults.

Batman (DC Comics)


This title featuring my all-time favourite 'superhero' was right at the top of my wants list when DC relaunched back in 2011. Having already read and loved Batman: The Black Mirror and American Vampire I was already a huge fan of Scott Snyder's writing, but with the relaunched title he has taken Batman to a completely different level. The Court of Owls story is one of the best Batman stories I have read in a long, long time and must surely rank amongst the best ever (aided by the great artwork of Greg Capullo). And if that wasn't good enough, Snyder has continued to show amazing form with the latest Death of the Family story arc. In addition, I have also enjoyed his run on Swamp Thing, a character I had not read much of prior to the New 52 - in fact, although I am not a Superman fan I may even be tempted to buy his Superman comics that are due to start in 2013.

Batgirl (DC Comics)


It takes a lot of talent to be able to successfully give a well-loved character a new breath of life, but writer Gail Simone has talent by the bucket load. Barbara Gordon has spent the last twenty plus years in a wheelchair as a result of the Joker's attack in The Killing Joke. This did not prevent her from continuing to help in the war against crime in Gotham City, in her role as Oracle, with Stephanie Brown eventually donning the Batgirl costume. However, come the New 52 and Gail Simone's Batgirl is now a physically rehabilitated Barbara Gordon, and we follow her first attempts as the reborn Batgirl. This was a move that had many fans (of both Oracle and Stephanie Brown) up in arms and the title could quite easily have bombed. However, Gail Simone brought such depth to her character, and the dialogue was so well written, that she very quickly won over the detractors, making Batgirl one of the most eagerly awaited DC titles each month. I was gutted when I read that Gail had been replaced as writer, and even more elated when it was announced recently that she was back on.

Wonder Woman (DC Comics)


As a child I loved the Lynda Carter Wonder Woman TV series, and own the DVD boxset, but I have occasionally struggled with the comics. However, writer Brian Azzarello brought something very special to the New 52 Wonder Woman and I have loved reading the series so far. Aided by the stunning artwork of Cliff Chiang, Azzarello delivered something very different for the Amazonian princess - a horror story steeped in Greek mythology.

Peter Panzerfaust (Image Comics)


Peter Pan, but not as you know it, with the only magic in sight being Kurtis J Wiebe's writing and Tyler Jenkins' artwork. This book is perfect for fans of reimagined classics and fans of wartime stories alike. It manages to be cool and exciting, without glossing over the nastiness of war, and has moments that will bring an emotional lump to your throat. If you're not a fan of superheroes but love the comic medium then get your hands on the first collected volume of Peter Panzerfaust - it's brilliant!

The New Deadwardians (Vertigo)


Whilst all the titles I have mentioned so far are ongoing series with collected editions already available to buy, The New Deadwardians by Dan Abnett and I.N.G. Culbard was published as a limited series and the TPB is not due to be released until February 2013. With so many great comics coming from Image, I looked at the list of new Vertigo titles earlier in the year and though meh! Except that is for this title - I have friends love Abnett's writing and I have loved Culbard's work on the Sherlock Holmes GNs and the more recent adaptation of At The Mountains of Madness. I was not to be disappointed - The New Deadwardians is nothing short of superb in all ways - superb art, superb dialogue (and lots of it) and a superb story, bringing a freshness to the vampire and zombie mythos. Limited series often only get recommissioned if the collected edition sells well so this has to go down as a must-buy for February as I, and many others, want to see a lot more from this team.

Saga (Image Comics)


This is the book that will probably appear on the majority of Top 10 of 2012 lists, and rightly so. Long time readers of The Book Zone will know that I do not read a great deal of space opera science fiction, but there was a great deal of early buzz about this comic and I was lucky to get my hands on a copy of the first issue when it was released. I have loved every single issue, and if I had to recommend one 2012 comic to someone it would have to be this one. And this from someone who is often reluctant to 'believe the hype' - in this case the hype is fully deserved. In Saga, writer Brian K. Vaughan and artist Fiona Staples deliver a comic that has everything a science fiction fan could ask for. Don't believe me? You could do a lot worse than head on over to Comixology where you can read issue #1 for free. I think like me you will be hooked. (I should add that of all these titles this is the one that should come with an age advisory warning from me. It includes sexual scenes, nudity, bad language and bloody violence and may therefore only be suitable for older readers).

There have been many more comics that I have enjoyed during 2012, including Thief of Thieves, Supercrooks, Nightwing, The Manhattan Projects, Mind the Gap, Dancer, and Epic Kill but the ones mentioned above ranked above all of these as my favourites of 2012. 






Sunday, 4 September 2011

Review: Justice League #1 (DC Comics New 52)


Written by GEOFF JOHNS; Art and cover by JIM LEE and SCOTT WILLIAMS.

Comics superstars Geoff Johns and Jim Lee make history! In a universe where super heroes are strange and new, Batman has discovered a dark evil that requires him to unite the World Greatest Heroes!

I mentioned back at the end of July that I was really excited about the DC Comics New 52. I was excited from a personal viewpoint, as my knowledge of the DC Universe is fairly limited, never having been a buyer of comics as a child, teenager or adult. This knowledge has increased slowly over the past year or so as I have started to buy (and loan from our local library) more and more trade paperback collections of some of the classic DC stories. I also mentioned that I was excited for all the young readers who will now be given the chance to enter the DC Universe for the first time, and be able to grow up with the new stories. As far as encouraging boys to read the 'relaunch' of so many comics featuring big-name characters is a great event.

Unfortunately there isn't a comic shop anywhere near me, so I have set up a standing order at the brilliant Gosh Comics in London. Yes, this means that I will have to go and collect them from the store, but I tend to go into London once a month anyway, and how cool is it that every time I go there will be a new pile of comics waiting for me. Anyway, in my excitement I can already feel myself beginning to waffle, so straight to the poont: I was in London on Thursday, the day after Justice League #1 was released, and as soon as I arrived in London I made my way as quickly as possible to the fab brand new Gosh store in Soho, picked up my comic, headed on up to Golden Square where I sat on a bench and started reading Justice League #1.

I really did not know what to expect. Would I end up being disappointed after these months of impatient waiting? Various sources online had made me aware that the new JL would include Batman, Superman, Wonderwoman, Green Lantern, and others, but surely even a writer as great as Geoff Johns would struggle to fit all of these characters into one issue? And of course he doesn't. Without giving too much away we meet Batman, Green Lantern and Superman, and although I was a tiny bit disappointed not to have seen Wonderwoman yet, I loved it. Of course, it is a comic and so once you take all the ads out we only have 24ish pages of story, but every single page is stunning. This is Jim Lee at his very best and images are full of incredible detail and the non-stop action of the story is portrayed in such a dynamic way that it almost feels as if it is leaping off the page. Boys will devour this kind of story-telling, and if you are beginning to despair that you will never get your son to read then go out and buy him this comic now!

The story opens with these words: "There was a time when the world didn't call them its greatest super-heroes. There was a time when the world didn't know what a super-hero was". Yes, this really is back to the very beginning for the Justice League. They know each other exist. They have heard various news stories about each other's exploits. But they have never before met. At one point, in discussion with Batman, the Green Lantern says of "that guy in Metropolis": "They say he's an alien". And so in this issue we have the very first meeting between Batman and the Green Lantern, and if you can imagine two tough guys meeting each other for the first time, and the way they might size each other up, then you have a pretty good picture of how this encounter goes. Geoff Johns keeps the words to a minimum, but the short bursts of dialogue between these two heroes tells us everything we need to know at this moment in time. And then, with mysterious bad guy dispatched, it is off to Metropolis for their first encounter with Superman. I will leave you to guess how that goes.

I have no idea how the long term fan-boys have reacted to this comic as I have avoided reading any reviews for fear of tainting my enjoyment of it. However, as someone using this as an entry to the DC Universe I thought it was brilliant, and I know that there will be many, many readers out there, young and old, who will share this opinion. I know that comics are relatively pricey for their meagre 24 pages of story but I hope that there are many parents out there who will buy a copy of this, or any one of the other DC Comics New 52, for their son and by doing so spark off a lifelong love of comics, and with it a lifelong love of reading. Yes.... comics do count!!!


Saturday, 30 July 2011

The DC New 52 (and why I am so excited about it).



Are you as excited as I am about the DC New 52? If you're not sure what I am talking about then where have you been for the past two months? On 31st May DC announced that starting in September 2011 they would be relaunching a huge number of their titles, taking the numbering of these comics back to #1. This means that titles such as Justice League of America, Batman, Superman, Green Lantern, Wonder Woman and many, many more will, over the course of September, all have brand new stories. Technically not a complete reboot, as DC very soon added that much of what has gone on before in the DC Universe will still stand, but what they hope is that they will bring these fantastic characters to a whole new generation of readers, without these readers having to worry about having missed out on key plot details. 


On the day this was all announced I mentioned this to several groups of boys at school, and their reaction was one of the main reasons why I am so excited about the DC New 52 (the other reason is far more selfish). They were so excited about it, with one sixth former pretty much demanding more information about titles, cost, etc. and since then emails have been flying around between me and them, and amongst themselves, as they decide who is going to buy which titles, and how (we do not have a comic store in our area). Standing orders have been placed with the likes of Forbidden Planet and GOSH, and here's me still trying to decide which titles I am going to buy for myself. These emails have even continued into the school holidays, as news and images came out of the San Diego Comic-Con almost on an hourly basis. 


It has been proven that boys can be encouraged to read for enjoyment through graphic novels and comics. When I was at school it was frowned upon to admit that you loved comics, these days it is embraced by many modern-thinking teachers and librarians (though sadly not all), and this DC relaunch will I believe have quite an impact on young male readers around the world. Yes, I know that sounds like a rather exaggerated statement, but don't underestimate the popularity of some of these fantastic characters, Batman being the most obvious thanks partly to the recent Christopher Nolan films. Of course, this will also be a little pricey, and sadly the school library budget does not run to buying comics, but I am can pretty much guarantee that when some of these stories are eventually released in graphic novel format we will somehow make sure we get them for the kids to read.

At this moment in time I am just finalising my own personal list of titles that I am going to give a try, although I am not sure I can afford to keep on buying all of them. The list I am still trying to shorten a little is below and I would be interested in what your thoughts are, and whether there are any I really should be buying:

Justice League #1 (drawn by Jim Lee - how exciting!).
Batman #1
Detective Comics #1
Batman: the Dark Knight #1
Batgirl #1
Batwoman #1
Nightwing #1
Green Lantern #1
Wonder Woman #1
The Flash #1
Frankenstein: Agent of S.H.A.D.E. #1
Suicide Squad #1
Justice League Dark #1


PS Jim Lee - if you ever read this and fancy writing a short piece about DC comics for The Book Zone then please get in touch (hey.... you can't blame me for trying!).

Tuesday, 2 March 2010

*** Guest post by A.G. Taylor (author of Meteorite Strike)

Batman is my favourite superhero. And The Killing Joke is my favourite Batman story.


One of my first experiences of Batman was watching re-runs of the Adam West version on telly before school (there was a camera operators’ strike at the old TV-AM breakfast show and they resorted to showing stuff from the vaults to fill up time). This 1960s take on Batman was funny, brightly-coloured and more than a little stupid - it knowingly poked fun at its ridiculous escapes and low-tech special effects (seeing Batman and Robin roping up the side of a building is still hilarious) as if to say look, we all know this is rubbish, but just play along, okay? 

Then, sometime in the late 80s, things changed. Tim Burton released his blockbusting movie Batman and jokey fun was out. The new watchword was dark. Really dark. Actually, in some scenes of that film you can hardly see what’s going on. (Burton had the print digitally lightened for the video release because of this.) Gone were the gaudy sets, daft jokes and general feeling that Batman was just a good laugh. In the popular consciousness, Batman shifted from being a comedy relic of the 60s to a tortured soul who prowled the streets of grimy, shadow-filled Gotham - a vigilante who’s only one step away from becoming just like the criminals he fights.

And with the popularity of that film came an influx of comic books and graphic novels to my local bookshop: among them Frank Miller’s brilliant Year One and The Dark Knight Returns and Grant Morrison/Dave McKean’s arty Arkham Asylum. This was a Batman I’d never experienced before - the Batman that comic book readers had been enjoying for decades. Complex, strange, gripping. It started a love of graphic novels that has stayed with me ever since. However, the one that really blew me away at that time was The Killing Joke

In Killing Joke, the Joker escapes from Arkham Asylum and kidnaps Commissioner Gordon after shooting his daughter. Batman has to hunt the Joker down before he succeeds in driving Gordon completely crazy.

Plot-wise, that’s about it. Like lots of Alan Moore’s writing (especially his Swamp Thing episodes and Watchmen) a lot of the action takes place in the characters’ heads. Via flashbacks, we learn how the Joker became the Joker and get a look at a Batman torn between breaking and upholding the law - obsessed with the one enemy he can never completely defeat. I guess it’s a story about madness: it starts with a visit to an asylum, a lot of the book is devoted to how the Joker went insane and his evil plot revolves around driving Commissioner Gordon mad.

More than that, Killing Joke is about people who do terrible things, what drives them to that point and the difficulty of sympathising with them.

Woooh! Heavy stuff! But that’s Batman (and Alan Moore) for you.

One of the things I love about Killing Joke is Brian Bolland’s artwork. It’s really clean and vibrant. When you turn the pages of this comic book, you feel like you’re watching a movie. In fact, they could probably film it shot-for-shot and have a terrific action film to rival anything around today (not bad, considering Killing Joke is over twenty years old). The final sequence - Batman in the Joker’s funfair lair and the showdown in a hall of mirrors - is fantastic. John Higgins’ colours are central to the telling as well: purples and greens and yellows suggest a kind of sickly madness running through the story – a perfect representation of the central themes.

Ultimately, Killing Joke’s success lies in how well it plays out the classic battle between Batman and the Joker – two characters at once completely at odds and yet strangely similar. They both live on the fringes of society, they both have extreme personalities forged by traumatic events and they both might very well be mad. (Let’s face it, dressing up as a bat and beating up people in the middle of the night isn’t exactly normal behavior.) It’s a story that keeps getting told to new generations of fans with equal power to capture their imaginations – just look at the success of Heath Ledger in The Dark Knight a couple of years ago. However, I can’t think of a time when the duel between Batman and the Joker been better told than in Moore, Bolland and Higgins’ classic. If you’ve never read a comic book or a graphic novel before, there isn’t a better starting point.

The Killing Joke – Alan Moore, Brian Bolland, John Higgins – DC Comics – March, 1988

More Batman:

The Dark Knight Returns – Frank Miller, Klaus Janson, Lynn Varley
Year One – Frank Miller, David Mazzucchelli
Hush – Jeph Loeb, Jim Lee
The Long Halloween – Jeph Loeb, Tim Sale
Arkham Asylum – Grant Morrison, Dave McKean

 ~~~~~~~~

Massive thanks have to go out to Andrew Taylor for this awesome guest post. What a fantastic way to start my graphic novel themed month. You would have to have been living in a remote mountain hut in the middle of the Himalayas to have not heard about A.G. Taylor and his fantastic debut novel Meteorite Strike. However, if you have in fact been living in a remote mountain hut in the middle of the Himalayas then you can find out more about Meteorite Strike here and A.G. Taylor himself here.