Comic review: Sinestro #10- All Dominators Must Die

Writer: Cullen Bunn
Artist: Brad Walker
Publisher: DC Comics
Released: 25th February 2015


This book doesn’t deserve a full and detailed review.

The narrative is centred on two individuals, but in terms of mindset they are the same person, a dominator, the kind of person who has made, and continues to make the world what it is today.

Hitler, Stalin, Bush, Blair, Clinton, Obama, Putin, Cameron.

Different personalities, but exactly the same poisonous mindset. It’s the mindset of the dominator, the man/woman who needs to be obeyed, an insane individual who is so deluded, so arrogant, and so detached from moral truth and spiritual reality that he has somehow convinced himself that he alone knows what is best for everybody else.

Nice smirk from Dominator #2

Little Hitler’s everywhere. In shops, schools, offices, politics, families, and we still continue to let them get away with their world burning insane arrogance. Wives, children, families support them, their work colleagues support them, their communities support them, their countries support them, and thus, we get the Hell that is planet Earth in 2015.

Sinestro #10 is about two dominators fighting each other for control. Is one a good guy, the other a villain? No, they are both villains, as they are both dominators, and their only goal is domination over others, to sit on a throne and give orders. Who wins and who loses is not important. It’s like voting between red and blue. The only loser is YOU.

That’s all you get in this book, and that’s why it’s not worth my time, or yours.

If you want to read about fictional dominators then buy the book. If you want a window into the kind of mindset that is shared by humanities ‘leaders’ in 2015 then buy the book.

Personally speaking, I’ve had my fill of dominators, and every time I see a new one, in real life or on the lying box, or in a comic, they just make me want to puke my guts out in violent rage.

I picked up this comic book because I wanted to give it one final chance before I stopped reading it forever. That chance has now come and gone. I didn’t hate it. It gave me a chance to talk about real world dominators and how they destroy the world in order to satisfy their psychopathic need for domination, for control, for order. That mindset needs to be chucked into the dustbin of human history alongside capitalism and statism, but that’s the challenge of our age. Recognise the poison. Stop ingesting it.

Rating: 3/10 (For the artwork. I enjoyed the smirk on Dominator #2’s face)

Green Lantern Corps #35- Godhead Act 1, Part 3: No blame, no shame

Writer: Van Jensen
Artist: Bernard Chang
Publisher: DC Comics
Released: 8th October 2014

I’m thoroughly enjoying this Green Lantern ‘Godhead’ crossover arc, and Part 3 of the story does not disappoint. I’ve read and reviewed a couple of truly depressing books this week, so I was in dire need of something to cheer me up. Green Lantern Corps #35 is an organic, vegan feast in comparison to what can only be described as Punks #1 and Wytches #1 genetically modified McCrap sandwich.

What I’m looking for in my comic books is a strong sense of personal/moral responsibility that is tied in with the no-harm principle and narratives that resonate with the real world of 2014. Green Lantern Corps #35 was a winner in my eyes because it explores what happens when people in positions of power think that they can operate with no regards to the universal principles of moral/natural law. This book demonstrates how real-life villains are the individuals who do terrible things, but take zero responsibility for the consequences of their actions.

Does this sound familiar to you?

John Stewart (of the Green Lantern Corps)- “You willingly destroyed a civilisation! You're murderers....butchers."

Uggha (of The New Gods)- “Watch what you say about the Gods, mortal. It did not work as planned. The flaw lies in your rings, not in us. For we’re Gods”

Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya, Syria.

George Bush, Tony Blair, Condoleeza Rice, Colin Powell, Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, David Cameron.

Edward Snowden, Julian Assange, Bradley Manning.

Do you get my point? The ‘New Gods’ of our age are the political elite’s who order the slaughter of millions of innocent people, yet never take responsibility, and never pay any consequences for what they have done. Instead, they are handsomely rewarded for their butchery. That is the world that we live in. That is the world that we have created for ourselves.

But why do these monsters get away with what we all know they have done?

Because they are Gods, and we mortals must never question the wisdom of the Gods. Expose their crimes and you better pack your suitcase to Russia or to the Ecuadorian embassy, because the Gods will not tolerate mere mortals exposing their crimes to the sleeping, statist God worshipping masses.

That is the truth, like it or not. If you don’t like it, then do something about it. And remember. You cannot break down a wall by joining it.

Green Lanterns Corps #31 has the narrative to back-up its strong moral centre. Things are explained, the story is advanced, a mysterious lady makes an appearance and the elusive White Lantern is built up, and made to look like a huge, exciting deal. This is really good stuff. The villains have been fleshed out, the story has been explained in satisfactory detail and there’s plenty of action for those who just enjoy the fisticuffs.

Act 1, Part 3 of the arc finishes it’s lap with an impressive sprint, baton in hand, ready to hand it over to the next runner.

Green Lantern- New Guardians #35 is out next Wednesday 15th October 2014.

Get it.

If it’s anywhere near as enjoyable as Green Lantern Corps #35 it’s going to be a pretty bloody good book.


Rating: 8.5/10


What is the ‘No harm principle?’ Start here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hRgoE5G_OJM

Comic book review: Infinity Man and the Forever People- Futures End #1- A Surprise Emotional Hit

Story: Dan Didio and Keith Giffen
Art: Philip Tan
Publisher: DC Comics
Released: 10th September 2014

I only got this book because of the absolutely awesome 3D front cover, and I joked to the guys in the comic book shop that I probably wouldn’t even bother reading it. That’s how little hope I held out for the story being anything that I would actually enjoy. But I was wrong. I love being wrong, it’s such a delight to find out that you didn’t know what you were talking about, and that you have discovered something wonderful and new. People should try being wrong a bit more often. It really is a lot of fun.

I knew absolutely zilch about the characters in this book, and the story has done exactly what it should do to readers such as myself. It has made me intrigued, made me want to find out more about these fascinating comic book creations. It helps that the art is fantastic, because it really is. The book centres on two characters, and they are beautifully pencilled and coloured. The elfin female character by the name of Dreamer is gorgeous. I haven’t seen such prettiness and grace in a comic book character in quite some time. I need to know more about that girl.

The script is clever, in that it uses one of the two characters as the entrance point into the story. This character is confused about what is going on, and he’s asking questions trying to unravel the mystery. It’s perfect for a new reader like myself, and he even shares my name (Mark). It’s a sign from the comic book multi-verse I’m telling you. Do you know what it’s saying? It’s saying, ‘Oy Mark, read this bloody comic.’ And so I will.

Apart from the story-telling structure and beautiful artwork this book has a wonderfully rich emotional core that emanates from every page. The two characters have emotional history with each other. There has been a betrayal, or has there? Things have gone wrong, but the emotional bond is still there. A single panel depicting tears trickling down the cheeks of a traumatised Dreamer tells a story that is bubbling just beneath the surface. This is how to connect with the reader on the most important level of them all, that level in the gut where you feel connected to the characters as real people. These are not silly comic book archetypes, they are real people with real emotions, and you want to root for them, cheer for them, and hope that they reverse their current predicament that evidentially is causing them so much pain.

That’s quite an achievement for one comic book, don’t you think? And when you bear in mind that this reader/reviewer is a complete newbie to the Infinity Man and Forever People universe that’s extremely impressive. I love it when I’m wrong. The contents of this book are just as awesome as the 3D front cover. I didn’t think that was it possible, but it is. I’ve just read it, and it’s bloody brilliant. Stick it on my pull-list. I can’t wait to dive headfirst into this wonderful new comic book world of Infinity man and the Forever People.

Rating: 9/10

Review: Swamp Thing #33- Blunt shears, mangled bushes

Writer: Charles Soule
Artist: Javier Pina
Publisher: DC
Released: 2nd July 2014

It’s time for me to drop this book. I’ve been hanging on for a bit too long, as I tend to do, but after reading the latest unremarkable issue of Swamp Thing I have to stop wasting my time and money on it. There are far more productive things for me to do with my reading time, and I hate to waste money on something that offers so little to me now.

Swamp Thing #33, by Charles Soule, has unimpressive artwork by Javier Pina, and dull colouring from Matthew Wilson. The art is competent, but there is a lack of atmosphere and detail in it. Have you ever watched a football match where the commentators describe an unimpressive performance by a player as ‘workman-like?’ That’s what you have here. It’s competent, but I want more than that. I want art that is alive, creative and impressive. The artwork in this book lacks all of those qualities. It would be fine if the story was doing something special, but it really isn’t.

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Alec ‘Swamp Thing’ Holland has been all over the place recently. Last month he was quite uninterestingly messing around with Aquaman, and the month before? I can’t even remember, but it certainly wasn’t memorable.

The one constant has been two incompetent villains, hanging around in the background and threatening to bring some life into proceedings. So far they have failed, and in this issue one of those villains fails again. Next month the other villain will get a go, where she will undoubtedly fail. Why would I want to hang around to witness that? I don’t.

The Swamp Thing title has potential, especially in 2014 where we have an urgent debate going on about genetically modified foods, and how it could be contributing towards the massive increase in cancer rates and every other kind of life threatening illness and disease in the western world. I thought this was where the book was going when the ‘Seeder’ character was introduced, but that is over now, and so many avenues and possibilities that could have been explored ended up leading to nowhere.

 Swamp Thing is supposed to be the avatar of all plant-life on this planet. You’d think he’d have something to say about large corporations genetically altering all of that plant life wouldn’t you? Imagine the fascinating, cutting-edge, controversial stories that a good writer could tell with the Swamp Thing character going up against the Monsanto Corporation and their army of lobbyists in the US congress? Don’t you think that would be great? Hell, you could even talk about global warming. Take a side, any side. Are the plants being affected, or is man made climate change just a political con? Or, you could ignore all of these fascinating contemporary concerns and define ‘pollution’ as a bloke pouring a barrel of chemicals into a lake.

You are not going to get anything relevant here, because relevant, contemporary issues are always controversial. If you are allowed to say it, then I don’t want to hear it. I want to hear unpopular speech because that’s the only kind of speech that is worthwhile listening to, especially in the dumbed down, politically correct times in which we are living today. DC doesn’t do controversial, and Charles Soule fits in perfectly.

DC and Marvel are the corporate status quo, and their job is to support it, not question it. It’s understandable. After all, why would they want to question the structure of something that they are very much a part of? It’s sad, but here’s a truth. No questioning of powerful corporations/banking institutions is allowable in contemporary comics.

Perhaps it’s time I stopped reading all Marvel and DC comic books, and just supported independent books instead? I never thought I’d feel like I do today, as I’ve always loved the mainstream superhero books, but it’s getting very difficult for me to read them now.

The New World Order is not a secret group. When I use the term all I am doing is referring to the corporate/banking/media/political/military elite’s who get together, have a chat and decide what country to invade next, how to spin it to the public and how to further screw over that public in order to maximise corporate profit and keep us all on their corporate slave plantation. They have arguments and differences of opinion, and they are always stabbing each other in the backs, but there is one thing you can be sure of. They don’t give a crap about you, or me.

Marvel and DC are very much a part of the corporate control system, so anything you read in these books will always support the elite’s version of reality and the status quo they want to protect. Swamp Thing is an avatar of plant life who cannot discuss contemporary issues involving plant life. It’s also not particular well drawn, or entertaining.

 

Boiling things down, what I’m trying to say is that Charles Soule’s Swamp Thing is irrelevant, and not entertaining enough for me to keep bothering with. Forgetting the underlying corporate issues that I’ve just mentioned, and judging it purely as a childish comic, it’s a very boring book. Swamp Thing is an unlikeable dictator, his friends are dull, and his enemies are incompetent and feeble. I can see absolutely no reason to keep on reading this book, and so I shall not do so. Goodbye Alec Holland. Give me a call when you start taking on Monsanto. Until then, you have nothing to say to me.
Rating: 3/10