expatNERD

Tag: Tom Taylor

  • 39 – Batman All-Year

    39 – Batman All-Year

    If you can say anything about Curt, he sure is persistent. And once again, I do not think we have seen the last of him and his latest scheme.

    I do like how Franka phrased it in this one. It may have been the Summer of Superman, but it is Batman all year round. Are there really 16 Bat-titles on the market right now? She might be right but that does sound like a high number. I do know that the Bat-Titles sell quite well and it has been a good year for it so far. We have Jeph Loeb and Jim Lee on the Hush series in the Batman book and Tom Taylor and mainly Mikel Janin on the Detective Series line. And of course Absolute Batman, which is absolutely destroying the marketplace right now from Scott Snyder and Nick Dragotta. But still, it would be nice if we can get some of those other DC characters in there.

    I have always had a soft spot for the classics like Spectre, Doctor Fate, Hawkman, Deadman and the like. I do wonder if Batman overshadows these other characters. The Comic Book business is tough at the moment so I suppose publishers want to invest in the sure thing and you cannot blame them. But I still wonder how long the Bat-Train will ride.

    Some of you might have wondered where Franka went with the Thursday recommendations. They are still coming but as you can see from current events, her pencil, brush, and quill pen are busy putting together a portfolio with help from her girlfriend Barbara. We, at expatNERD, are definitely cheering them on.

    That is it for now. Have a good week ahead.

    -Marv

  • Nightwing

    I hope you all managed to grab a screening of Fantastic Four last week. I sure did, and I loved it. I won’t get into any spoilers but the highlight for me was definitely Michael Giacchino’s soundtrack. The theme is an instant classic, and would I dare to say it stands next to John William’s Superman theme? I think I just might say that. Doch? Doch!

    So switching gears to the other side, this week’s recommendation is Nightwing from Tom Taylor and Bruno Redondo. The Eisner winning series I might add. I’m scratching my head as I write this and I am trying to pinpoint a series that really challenged the medium of comics or at least tried to innovate its storytelling…and I can’t think of anything. Not only did Taylor and Redondo produce some really strong and solid storytelling, but they did it in interesting ways. Whether it was an issue complete with one page splashers, depicting Nightwing literally moving through buildings and scenes, or a story drawn in the first person from Nightwing’s perspective, it was hella-entertaining (voll cool in Denglish but the English just works better.)

    Plus, Redondo’s depiction of Barbara Gordon is probably my favorite and not because she shares the name of my girlfriend. Redondo instilled that charm in her smile and her face and body language just makes you want to be her best friend.

    Finally, Redondo must have had a ton of fun doing some gesture drawings of Nightwing because what really makes this stand out is how free he looks while jumping and launching himself in the air and off buildings. Which makes the last storyline an achievement. Redondo does jump off for a bit during the run but thankfully he jumps back on at the end.

    The issues are Nightwing (2017) #’s 78-118 and are very affordable. DC will release a big fat Omnibus but I personally have the collected storyline versions in hardback, which are just waiting for Tom and Bruno to sign. And they have beautiful jackets and colorful prints of the big moments in each story.

    I hope you enjoyed this week’s recommendation and if you want these first thing in your inbox on Mondays along with the comic for the week, be sure to sign up to the weekly newsletter!

    Bis bald,

    -Franka