Talking About Comics

Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on Serious Earth Originally released in 1989 Written by Grant Morrison Art by Dave McKean I should probably take a break from reading Batman comics (most of the DC comics that I've read for this blog have involved Batman in some form), but this is a story that I've heard a lot about, and it wasn't accessible for me until I got the higher subscription level for DC's app.  All I really know about it going into it is that it was a large source of inspiration for the video game Batman: Arkham Asylum, with the original cover (Joker's face imposed over the building, with the entrance door being in his mouth) being a key visual that develops over the course of that game. At 115 pages, without the bonus features, this is a long one. (the bonus features in the 25th anniversary edition bump it up to 220)  The book starts in a surreal way, focusing on Amadeus Arkham, the founder of the asylum; madness seems to run in his family, as he walks in on...

JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Steel Ball Run #1-11 Originally released in 2004 Written by Hirohiko Araki Art by Hirohiko Araki Comics can be somewhat infamous for rebooting their continuity to make long-running series more accessible for newcomers, with DC being the prime example. Movies do this as well, though with manga, it seems rarer, as they tend to tell one continuous story. However, by the time of part 7, JoJo's Bizarre Adventure underwent a reboot, changing from a gradual progression from the 1800s to the modern day to going back to the 1890s. In America, eccentric millionaire Stephen Steel sets up a months-long cross country race with $50 million dollars on the line. (Which would be $1.7 billion by today's standards) This gets attention from all over, including the two main protagonists Johnny Joestar (a talented but arrogant jockey who lost the use of his legs) and Gyro Zeppeli, who uses steel balls as a weapon. The balls use the power of spinning to do seemingly supe...

Avengers #203-206 Originally released in 1980 Written by David Michelinie (#203-205), Bill Mantlo (#206) Art by Carmine Infantino (#203), Don Newton (#204), Alan Kupperberg (#205), Gene Colan (#206) A Disney Plus mini-series starring Wonder Man comes out in a month, but my main familiarity with him comes from his one issue appearance in the Stan Lee and Jack Kirby era of the Avengers, rather than his time as an actor.  Wanting to get some perspective, I picked an Avengers issue that had him and Beast on the cover, as I know that those two are famously good friends, and continued on from there. The first issue is an odd one, focusing exclusively on the pair as they try to find a kid who was kidnapped by sewer-dwelling creatures.  The situation isn't quite what it seems, as the kid followed them voluntarily in order to escape an abusive home (his mother beats both him and his sister, even when two Avengers are present).  Events take a dark turn when the creatures are attack...

Batman/Deadpool #1 Originally released in 2025 Written by Grant Morrison et al. Art by Dan Mora et al. As it turns out, the higher subscription tier for DC Universe Infinite was less expensive than I expected (only a $6 dollar difference), so I'm covering the other half of the recent Batman and Deadpool crossover sooner than I thought. Rather than Reverse Flash bringing Deadpool to the DC universe, this crossover is explained as being the result of the physical embodiment of two universes hooking up at a nightclub. The story starts in the middle of things before going into a brief flashback that shows how we got to this point. Naturally, Deadpool can't resist referencing Grant Morrison's infamous fourth wall breaking Animal Man run, and there are shout-outs to other fourth wall breakers from Marvel and DC, including She-Hulk, Ambush Bug, Zatanna, and Gwenpool. Batman and Deadpool are trapped in what looks like an escape room that was designed by the Court of Owls, though it...

Army of Darkness #8-13 Originally released in 2006 Written by James Kuhoric Art by Kevin Sharpe (#8-11), Fernando Blanco (#12-13) Evil Dead is a franchise that I only have some familiarity with, but I've greatly enjoyed what I've seen of it. (Evil Dead 2 and Army of Darkness) The series, or at least these instalments, follows Ash Williams, a convenience store employee who is constantly haunted by the Necronomicon Ex Mortis (the Book of the Dead) and the undead monstrosities that it summons. The series shifts between horror and comedy with how much it focuses on either depending on the movie/show. Naturally, the first issue in this collection involves Ash Williams fighting Dracula. (And mummies, werewolves, and Frankenstein's monster - the classics) The nice thing about Dracula is that he's a public domain character so anyone can use him, and as a character, he's so hammy that it adds entertainment value to just about every story, no matter how monstrous he gets. Of ...