Hello again, dearest Robot Panic readers. I have returned from my far too long hiatus that may or may not have involved secret ninja training, world domination planning or seeing how many bags of Goldfish brand crackers I could ingest before my stomach ruptured. During my awesome and very hush hush ninja training, I have discovered something that I felt I need to share with all of you. It is a book, nay, a tome of collected literature/art hybrids. I shall call them…”comics”.

This particular collection is dubbed “Wednesday Comics”. A little backstory, if I may. About one year ago, a bunch of DC wiseguys put their artsy fartsy heads together and came up with an idea that would harken back to the early 1920′s and 1930′s, when a reader of the daily or in those days, weekend, newspaper would be entertained by pages of adventure comics featuring superheroes and other various kinds of heroes. This concept proved to be hugely successful, that is until it stopped being successful and became unsuccessful. So like many people before them that have fallen victim to the old addage of “History repeats itself”, DC has decided to bring back a form of entertainment that has been the way of Gary Coleman (too soon?) for decades. So DC decided to bring some of their most popular characters, with a few less popular, give each a team of great writers and artists, print each issue on shitty classic newsprint paper and ship em out every Wednesday for 12 weeks straight. It was a huge success and as of this day no word on whether or not another series will happen again. (I guess that DC doesn’t like money.)

Enclosed in this HUGE hardcover book, are the originally released 15 character based stories, plus 2 unreleased stories. And who might these characters be? Well, has anyone ever heard of Metamorpho? Or the Metal Men? Or Kamandi? Yes! These DC flagship characters are all in this collection, featuring new stories and collaborations from the top writers and artists that DC keeps locked inside a small, poorly lit basement surrounded by a chicken wire fence at an undisclosed location. Oh, and some jerks like Bat-something, Superbro and the Green…um…Giant are also in there, but no one cares about them. They suck and will probably never be heard from again after this. (more…)

Uncanny X-Men #509

Written by: Matt Fraction

Art by: Greg Land

Well, if you didn’t notice before, this month’s Uncanny cover really proves that Greg Land draws every chick like a porn star. And not that I want to look at some mishapen haggard”butter” face, it just gets annoying trying to tell every female character apart.

Again, Land’s art aside, this issue is a step up from last. The whole ridiculous scenario involving a Godzilla like monster fighting off one of the most boring and uninteresting X-teams in a long time, are gone. The science team is still there, they are just in a lab this month. The one aspect I don’t like about this science team, is the fact that they have so much screen time, if you will. It’s comprised of characters I really don’t care about, or at least I don’t amongst the other things happening in the book. Dr. Nemesis? I don’t like him. Madison Jefferies comes off a little tacked on. I mean, how often can he be of use? He talks to robots. Beast is cool, it is just strange that all this time after the events of House of M, they are just now trying to figure out how to reactivate the X-Gene.

The biggest portion of the book is dedicated to showing off mutants in California, just being themselves again. No wars, no global threats, just hanging out and stopping the occasional minor crimes. This is just to show that as soon as the mutants all flock to California, we learn that a new Mutant Control act is being talked about. If passed, the act will require all mutants undergo a chemical birth control operation that would stop them from breeding. Ever since a video tape was released that showed mutants involved in that disatrous event back in Messiah Complex, which also involved the first mutant being born since M-Day, people have become afraid of mutants again. So just when things seem calm, mutants are back in the spotlight being painted as a menace.

Again, helping to bolster this is the fact that Pixie is growing up and doing what all girls do at that age, go out to parties and flirting with boys. As far as she knows, she is just having fun socializing and becoming a young woman, but out there in the distance looms Propostion X. So in a time where girls like Pixie are becoming interested in boys, this Propostion X aims to ruin all that. Her coming of age may soon be dashed if nothing is done about this. But we all know that it will be addressed. In a very “God Loves, Man Kills”, Uncanny 509 sets out to again cause more grief to the remaining mutants on Earth.

The ressurection of Madelyn Pryor through Psylocke’s body will also bring about some added drama to the mutants. The ending of the book, shows that not only do the remaining good mutants of the world know where they can find refuge in California, but the bad guys women know where they can find their targets.

Lands’ art is good. I don’t hate him, I just think that he sometimes gets a little stale, where every female looks the same. This issue still stays true to that. The opening pages show the Stepford Cuckoos cavorting around town, and the next page shows Dazzler and Pixie on a rock concert stage. What I’m getting at, is the girls all look the same. Just short of hair color, you really can’t tell the difference between them. I only knew this because Dazzler is a singer, and has sparkly things flying out of her hand, and the Stepford Cuckoos are triplets. Oh and Pixie has wings. Other than that, that is where my problem with his art lies. While not badly drawn, it just begs for more varied character depictions.

All in all, not a bad issue. Some of the nagging aspects I have had with Matt Fraction’s story have been remedied, making room for some really great plots. And I mean plots in the most literal sense available. He is tossing around so many plots, it really is amazing that he can give us a taste of all of them in just one issue.
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Green Lantern #39

Written by: Geoff Johns

Art by:Philip Tan

Things just keep heating up in the Green Lantern ‘verse. Not only do we have the Green and Yellow Lanterns, but we have the Reds, the Blues, the Sapphires, and now the Orange. The Orange Lantern, or “Avarice”, meaning insatiable greed, has now been born and adding even more fuel to the upcoming event, “Blackest Night”.

This issue is mostly about the birth of the Orange Lantern, but it does reveal more about Hal Jordan’s inner battle between his green ring and his blue ring. Both rings are trying to consume Hal, while not as terrible as his fight with the red ring, the blue and green ring are merely in a symbiotic lock. Both rings are, as far as we know, for lack of better terms I’ll reference Star Wars and say that both rings are deemed “light side”. Both rings are fueled from each other and therefore need each other.

So with that power struggle going on, the Orange Lantern makes his way through space and greedily consumes whatever he can, eventually throwing a monkey wrench into the Green Lantern homeworld, Oa.

Destined to consume everything he can, the Orange Lantern finds himself in the midst of a very appetizing opportunity.

Once again, Geoff Johns shows us why he is a top nerd book writer. He just has a unshakable grip on the GL universe. Philip Tan’s artwork helps bolster this book. Crisp, detailing and down right fuckin’ purty art, this book is a must read.

With this book, the GL book is going full steam into the next Lantern war. If you haven’t been reading GL, now is the time to get in. With very little heavy continuity being used, and more about establishing new concepts, GL is very open doored.
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May contain SPOILERS!

The Walking Dead #58

Written by: Robert Kirkman

Art by: Charlie Adlard

If you are reading this on Robotpanic.com, that means several things:

1. Obviously you like comics just by reading this review

2. You like zombies.

3. You may even like zombies IN comics.

Much akin to the legendary amalgamation of peanut butter and chocolate, zombies and comics are becoming two halves of the same whole. And NO ONE mixes both ingredients as well as Robert Kirkman. 5 years into his legendary series, The Walking Dead, Kirkman has yet to let his fans down. I mean legendary series as in the fact that there is a 99.9% chance that when this zombie vs. human survivor, drama/action/thriller tale is completed, it will be regarded as an absolute must read. It will be mentioned in the same breath as Watchmen, Dark Knight Returns, and Kingdom Come. I am not fucking with you.

If by some absolutely astounding reason that you read comics and ARE NOT reading this, you need to stop buying whatever issue you think you might need and pick up EVERY SINGLE ISSUE OF WALKING DEAD. By issue 1′s end, you will be hooked, or dare I say, you will be zombified? You will not be able to put this series down until you have read every available issue. So that being said, onto this month’s ish.

58 deals with the aftermath of Rick’s explosively violent outburst in issue 57. By viciously lashing back at would be road bandits, he not only saved his own skin, but his son’s, Carl, and the new found “friend”, Abraham. Discussing their various pasts, each is spilling their hearts about what it takes to survive in a world where it may come down to survival of the fittest, even in it’s most cruelest sense. Each man describes the horrors of trying desperately to save their own family, and the terror of coming to realize that they might not be able to. Each reaffirming that they are all in this together, like it or not.

Casting aside differences in pursuit of some kind of escape from the invading horde of zombies, survivors in the Walking Dead have come to realize that the undead outside might not be so terrifying as the living on the inside. Sometimes your dearest friend might just be your worst enemy or vice versa. And this is what is so great about The Walking Dead. Each issue, Kirkman manages to twist your emotions and likewise to the characters. They have been simply put through the wringer over the course of the series. And I wouldn’t have it any other way.

As depressing as this series is, and by god this issue is definitely one of the most depressing and emotional issues I’ve ever read, the scenes with characters just talking are far better than the ones with pure action. Characters letting loose with heart felt drama really cements this book as one of the finest stories out there. Never before have pencil and ink drawn characters felt so human and lifelike. Each character has their own voice, style and feel to them. Kirkman has a finely crafted work here, and each month it shows. Sure, there is a time when a good zombie murder spree is in order, but it is issues like this that I most look forward to. Characters sitting around and discussing life can be as beautifully chaotic.

I cannot state this anymore clearly. You absolutely MUST be reading this series.
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Article By: Tyler Durden

I’ve been behind in my comic reading but here are some of the highlights from last week.

POSSIBLE SPOILERS!

Final Crisis: Rage of the Red Lanterns
Written by: Geoff Johns
Art by: Shane Davis

If you haven’t been checking out Green Lantern, especially after the awesomely epic Sinestro Corps. Wars, you’re really missing out. Right on the first page, we are introduced to a brand new Lantern: the Red kind. In some sort of twisted, rebirth, the first Red Lantern is “born”. And I say born, as in puking up your own blood, having your heart stop, and becoming way evil. The first Red Lantern sets out to hunt down all life.

Meanwhile, Hal Jordan, the Green Lantern, is flying around the skies, discussing how Sinestro is being transferred across space to his final trial, where afterwards, he will be executed for his crimes during and before the Sinestro Corps Wars.

Well, that all sounds pretty cut and dried, but just as all the Green Lanterns show up to escort Sinestro, the Yellow Lanterns attack. Catching EVERYONE off guard and killing a great deal of Green Lanterns, but just before they free Sinestro, the Red Lanterns show up! OH SNAP! The 1st Red Lantern and his newly founded Red Lantern Corps instantly attack everyone, adding to the already heavy bodycount, and just as Hal is overcome by a Red Lantern blast, his power level increases! How? The Blue Lantern of course!

So in this issue, we see the rise of 2 new Lanterns! Blue and Red. If you at all familiar with Johns writing, you know what you are getting with this issue. A well written story that will no doubt have a huge impact on the DCU, let alone the Green Lantern books. Art wise, Shane Davis does a great job. The Red Lanterns have a bloody, evil look to them, except one, which looks like a cute, fluffy cat…until it cuts your head clean off.

Final grade: Highly recommended. Another beginning to another huge GL epic tale.
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