Comic review: Gotham by Midnight #1- Stupid cop show in comic book form

Writer: Ray Fawkes
Artist: Ben Templesmith
Publisher: DC Comics
Released: 26th November 2014



I haven’t read a Batman book in over six months, but I noticed that Ben Templesmith was the artist on this one so decided to dip back in, and see what was going on. I shouldn’t have bothered.

I forgot why I stopped reading these stupid comics in the first place, but was quickly reminded on the first page, and fourth panel of the book where the often repeated lie that is the background to all Police dramas was repeated.

That lie is that the Police are there to protect you. I’m sorry, but the Police are not there to protect you. That is not their job. Their job is to control you, to intimidate you, to protect the moneyed classes and to maintain the status quo whilst stifling all dissent from the enslaved masses. That is the role of the Police, and when they are portrayed as heroes in the mainstream media it always makes me wince.

I couldn’t enjoy this book from that fourth panel on, as all it is doing is following cops around as they mess around with ‘supernatural cases.’ I didn’t care for the characters involved, at all. It’s not that I hate cops, because I don’t. I just feel sorry for them, as I do for any duped person, but the characters in this book bare no resemblance to real life cops. They are television cops, television characters, television lies. I can’t read this stuff. I’m not stupid enough, not childish enough, and not ignorant enough either. I like reality, it interests me, and this book is not reality, it’s television.  I can’t get any enjoyment out of the story here. Narratively, thematically and intellectually there’s nothing here for me to grab a hold of, there’s nothing there for me at all.

I think I might get the scissors out on this one, as some of the large panels by artist Ben Templesmith have this creepy gothic feel to them that I really like. He’s a great artist is Mr Templesmith. His work always looks so distinctive. He has this knack of creating an atmosphere that can transcend the banality of the actual story itself. Yeah, I think that I will get the scissors out. This comic book story is completely boring, but the art doesn’t deserve to be shut away at the bottom of my ‘bad comic’ file. I guess the book wasn’t completely worthless then, and it’s a good reminder to myself of just why it was that I stopped reading so many mainstream comic books in the first place.

So, to sum it up. Gotham by Midnight #1 is a stupid ‘supernatural’ cop show in comic book form. Batman hangs around in the background whilst the cops defend the poor innocent civilians from Ghosts. No, they can’t help themselves, don’t be stupid. People helping themselves? We can’t have that in our comic books now, can we? After all, if people looked after themselves what role would the ‘authorities’ have in their lives? I’ll tell you what role. The role they should have. No role whatsoever. Is the book worth checking out for the art alone? Nah, not really. You might be tempted to read the book whilst you look at it, and trust me, you don’t want to be doing that.

Rating: 2/10 (for the art)

Comic book blitz review: The Squidder #2- Pain, resentment, loss.

Writer: Ben Templesmith
Artist: Ben Templesmith
Publisher: IDW
Released: 6th August 2014

There is feeling of pain, resentment and loss about this book, a feeling emanating from it’s main character that in no way seems fake, forced or contrived to create the emotion that is flowing from it.

It’s the dirty, vomit coloured art, the stunted, not wanting to communicate, but communicating dialogue, the unsmiling faces, the feeling of being used or being the user, and a sense that those in charge, the parasites of the universe are not a million miles removed from the creatures that control our own.

All of these factors combine to make a book that’s a notch above a lot of the others that I read today. Issue #2 gives the reader an insight into the cruel, indifferent, parasitic squid, a priestess used as a conduit to control the enslaved masses, and a soldier who tried, but failed to beat the squid many years ago.

The villainous squid are detestable, the priestess knows she has been used, and wants revenge, as does the soldier. The humans they meet along the way are fighting amongst themselves for scraps from the table of their parasitic slave masters, much like a lot of the slaves do in our own reality.

It’s a sad book, a depressed book, but a rebellion is stirring. This issue is about the beginning of the fight back, where humanity begins to change what has happened to them, to plan, to conspire, yes because everything’s a bloody ‘conspiracy,’ now isn’t it? Especially reality, that’s the biggest bloody ‘conspiracy’ of them all.

Two individuals are conspiring to kick the parasite in the teeth and reclaim their lost humanity from the oppressive slave master parasite that has destroyed their world. Just two people, two seeds that are beginning to grow. Two people who are saying no to the parasite. Two people not fighting for scraps, but fighting the fat bloated master at the table. I’m up for that. Great book.

Rating: 9/10

Comic book review: The Squidder #1- Hell yeah, I’m reading a decent comic book at last

Writer: Ben Templesmith
Artist: Ben Templesmith
Publisher: IDW
Released: 16th July 2014

I’ve been reading a right load of crap this week, and it’s been getting on my nerves a bit really. I mean, there’s so much junk coming out of corporate whores Marvel and DC. So much statist team worshipping nonsense, and ‘politically correct’ stories with women acting like men whilst men act like cowering wimps, but I avoid most of that now.

These days I'm starting to concentrate my time and money on ‘independent’ comic books, but all I’ve been reading so far this week is limp offerings from writers who are being as bland and politically correct as possible, presumably so they can weasel a precious career for themselves working as a house slave for the big two dusty dinosaur behemoths.

Where’s the sense of rebellion, the strong human urge to tell is as it is no matter what the consequences? Bloody comic book writers, sometimes I think they’re more entrenched within the new world order matrix than the soft feminist liberal readers themselves.

All I want is a book with balls, a book with aggression, a book with a strong individual fighting against something, not another soft bloody team-member of team UN or team Nato or whatever Police state synonym a writer is worshipping this particular week. That’s why I’m so relieved to be writing this review, on a Friday morning, when I’ve finally read a comic book that has a heart beat and a bit of life about it. Check out my previous reviews from this week. What a sorry pile of old tosh it’s been so far. This book is heads and shoulders the best thing I’ve read all week.

It’s not even that complicated, or original, but you don’t have to be clever just for the sake of being clever to write a good comic book. Keep it easy to read, stick some hair on it’s chest and tell the damn story, that’s all I want.

The Squidder is about a bloke living in an apocalyptic wasteland where the masters have full control over their slave population. That slave population fight amongst themselves for scraps at the foot of the masters table, some collaborate and worship the masters, and our hero despises the whole lot of them and fights against it as a man, as somebody with moral integrity, aggression, strength, individuality, courage and the spirit of humanity that spits in the eye of anything that wants to call itself ‘master.’

Love it, love it, love it. The comparisons between this book, the times in which we are living today, and what the elite’s have in store for our collective future if we don’t start doing something about it are obvious for anybody paying attention. The art is Ben Templesmith at his best, oh how to describe it? Nicotine stained, fractured, wounded, but defiant. I love it, love it, love it.

The book ends with our hero taking an assignment, he has a death wish, but you get a sense that it’s this death wish that is driving him on, giving him the courage to change things, shake things up a bit. After all, when you no longer fear death you really are a man to be reckoned with. Enough waffling from me. Get this book, get this book now.
Rating: 9/10