brian ching Archives - Page 3 of 3

Tag Archives: brian ching

Review: Supergirl #1

Posted on September 7, 2016 by Logan Dalton

In Supergirl #1, Steve Orlando writes Supergirl as the most awkward super teen this side of Steve Ditko’s Spider-Man as she tries to “fit in” on Earth at her new school, with her new family, and with the DEO. It’s a tough task, and Orlando and artist Brian Ching make good use of flashbacks to show how confident Kara was using the more advanced technology of Krypton versus the internal combustion engines and PowerPoints of Earth. The constant scolding from people, like Cat Grant and the DEO head Cameron Chase, doesn’t help either, and by the end of the issue, Orlando and Ching have taken Kara to a sad place.

In most stories, the fish out of water trope is played for a few easy and often stereotypical laughs. (E.g. Crocodile Dundee, Hercules in New York, most recently Thor) Orlando goes for a more nuanced approach in Supergirl #1 and has Kara make little quips about how slide projectors are primitive technology and about her adopted dad, Jeremiah Danvers’, pretty atrocious attempts at speaking Kryptonian. Except these jokes come from a place of deep pain and loss as she simply can’t fit on Earth. Ching opens the comic with a gorgeous splash page of Supergirl flying around one of Jupiter’s moons with Michael Atiyeh putting the red, yellow, and and blues of her costume on full display. And this sets the tone for the comic as Atiyeh uses brighter, richer colors for the Krypton flashbacks and more muted tones for the present scenes set on Earth except when Supergirl is in action. Earth is a dull, awkward place for Kara except when she’s being Supergirl, who everyone likes to criticize.

The underlying theme of Supergirl #1 is the danger of stereotyping other cultures, especially when they are new to your native country. For example, after Supergirl rescues hostages on a train without the DEO’s permission, Chase uses that incident to rant about how Kryptonian culture was “toxic”, arrogant, and that her going in solo to save the day could lead to Earth suffering the same fate as Krypton. Supergirl doesn’t say much in this confrontation, but her sadness is conveyed excellently through wistful facial expressions from Ching as Chase gets in Kara’s face, asserts her power over her, and passes judgment on an entire culture.

But this stereotyping can happen in other ways, like when Jeremiah Danvers redesigns their living room after some pictures he saw of Krypton. (That happen to be 200 years out of date.) He wants to make Kara feel more comfortable, but this gesture makes her feel even more awkward and leads to her flying out to the Fortress of Solitude. This action is equivalent to a white parent cooking a meal or wearing the “traditional costume” of their adopted child from another country and leads to bad feelings all around as they feel that they can “master” the child’s culture.

Supergirl #1 is an intense exploration of both the immigrant experience (Especially when Orlando has Kara quote the line from the old Superman radio show, “strange visitor from another planet.”) and the general awkwardness of moving to a new area and trying to figure out what people like and don’t like and failing at fitting in. And Steve Orlando and Brian Ching aren’t afraid to end this issue on a down note as Kara is no closer to feeling like she is valued by her parents, peers, and handlers at the DEO. Supergirl isn’t hated and feared, but is treated like an out of place nuisance, which actually is a more relatable experience, even if she can fly and destroy assault rifles with her freeze breath.

Story: Steve Orlando Art: Brian Ching Colors: Michael Atiyeh
Story: 8.5 Art: 7.5 Overall: 8 Recommendation: Buy

DC Comics provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

Preview: Supergirl #1

Posted on September 6, 2016 by Graphic Policy Team

Supergirl #1

Written by: Steve Orlando
Art by: Brian Ching
Cover by: Brian Ching
Variant cover by: Bengal

“REIGN OF THE CYBORG SUPERMAN” part one! Supergirl is back and working for the DEO to defend National City! As Kara Danvers, average American teenager and high school student, Supergirl must balance her life as a superhero with her new life on Earth. But some demons from her Kryptonian past are coming back to haunt her, and Kara will find herself face-to-face with her father: the sinister Cyborg Superman!

Preview: Supergirl #1

Posted on July 22, 2016 by Graphic Policy Team

Supergirl #1

Writer: Steve Orlando
Artists: Brian Ching, Michael Atiyeh
On sale September 7

Review: Conan the Avenger #1 (Shadows Over Kush Part One)

Posted on May 27, 2014 by

Wired recently published a fantastic article about which X-Men comics to read after seeing this weekend’s blockbuster X-Men: Days of Future Past. It is a highly recommended piece, because breaking into comics can be a daunting task (the DC Universe has multiple earths). It got me thinking about the Conan universe though, and I realized that Dark Horse Comics does an exceptional job of allowing new readers into the Cimmerian’s world. By publishing shorter runs, adapting fan-favorite novels, and mixing in new material, Dark Horse makes breaking and entering relatively painless.

Writer Fred Van Lente and artist Brian Ching‘s new series Conan the Avenger: Shadows Over Kush is no exception. We find a slightly slimmer, but equally brooding, Conan in Shumballa drowning his sorrows of a lost love in the bottom of a goblet. While almost at rock bottom (literally), he meets a Witch Hunter, Agara, hellbent on finding the soul responsible for hexing the birth of a noblewoman. Agara’s trail to the evildoer mistakenly leads to Conan…a battle indubitably ensues.

While I’ve become accustomed to Timothy Truman and Tomas Giorello‘s gold standard, this new pair is a welcomed addition to the Conan family. Van Lente takes Robert E. Howard‘s nearly century-old unpublished work, and brings a broken Conan back from the edge. Couple a haunted barbarian with Ching’s gritty sketches, and the path to Kush will undoubtedly be paved in glory and bodies. Not to get ahead of myself, and cover art aside (underwhelming for a new series), but Part Two equally matches the strength of the debut issue. It becomes evident that Conan and Agara’s quarrel is against a more sinister force.

Are there two sets of X-Men in the same time period? Which Robin is this? Unraveling the Marvel and DC worlds can be paralyzing, even for the most ardent fans. Fear not, if you are looking for a compelling script, vivid illustrations, and a perfect starting point…Conan the Avenger is it.

Story: Fred Van Lente Art: Brian Ching
Story: 9 Art: 9 Overall: 9 Recommendation: Buy

Dark Horse Comics provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

C2E2 Late Edition: Dark Horse Announces Willow Series!

Posted on April 18, 2012 by Brett

DARK HORSE ANNOUNCES WILLOW SERIES!

JOSS WHEDON’S FAN FAVORITE RETURNS!

APRIL 18, MILWAUKIE, OR – Dark Horse Comics announces another exciting addition to the Buffyverse:

Willow gets her own miniseries!

Written by Jeff Parker (Thunderbolts, Agents of Atlas) and drawn by Brian Ching (Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, Witchblade), Willow tells the story of the witch’s obsessive journey to recover her magic.

Willow is on a quest to bring magic back to the world, and she’ll do anything to make it happen, including forming some unhealthy alliances after cracking the code to travel to other dimensions—something thought impossible since the destruction of the Seed.

Willow #1 is on sale November 21, 2012.

About Twentieth Century Fox Consumer Products

A recognized industry leader, Twentieth Century Fox Consumer Products licenses and markets properties worldwide on behalf of Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation, Twentieth Television and Fox Broadcasting Company, as well as third-party lines. The division is aligned with Twentieth Century Fox Television, one of the top suppliers of primetime entertainment programming to the broadcast networks.

About Dark Horse Comics

Since 1986, Dark Horse Comics has proven to be a solid example of how integrity and innovation can help broaden a unique storytelling medium and establish a small, homegrown company as an industry giant. The company is known for the progressive and creator-friendly atmosphere it provides for writers and artists. In addition to publishing comics from top talent like Frank Miller, Mike Mignola, Neil Gaiman, Gerard Way, Will Eisner, and best-selling prose author Janet Evanovich, Dark Horse has developed such successful characters as the Mask, Timecop, and the Occultist. Additionally, its highly successful line of comics and products based on popular properties includes Star Wars, Avatar: The Last Airbender, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Aliens, Conan the Barbarian, Mass Effect, Serenity, and Domo. Today, Dark Horse Comics is the largest independent comic-book publisher in the United States and is recognized as both an innovator in the cause of creator rights and the comics industry’s leading publisher of licensed material.

Catching Up on Reviews, Part 11 — Hulk and Skaar

Posted on July 31, 2011 by

Hulk #30.1 (Marvel) – Sometimes the simple stories are the best. This is a simple story that works very well. It’s a straight-ahead contest of the wills between Red Hulk and his former protege (from his life as Thunderbolt Ross). It starts out as a battle of strength and ends as a battle of intellect, something the best Hulk stories often do. The trio of Jeff Parker, Gabriel Hardman and Tom Palmer do a great job.

Story: 9 Art: 8.5 Overall: 8.75

Hulk #31 (Marvel) – Parker’s battle-of-wits storyline continues and is still interesting, but Palmer drops off this issue and Hardman’s solo art isn’t as good as the duo was together. The back-up tale seems pointless.

Story: 8 Art: 7.5 Overall: 7.75

Hulk #32 (Marvel) – The Nightmare On Elm Street nature of this ongoing storyline is interesting (Hulk can’t fall asleep or he dies), but I wonder if it’s being drug out too long. The Zero/One sidestory isn’t holding my attention at all.

Story: 7.5 Art: 7.5 Overall: 7.5

Hulk #33 (Marvel) – Black Fog is a potentially awesome new villain, but I wonder if Hulk is his best potential opponent. And I will say that it seems like they’ve been teasing this Omegex character’s “imminent” arrival for three issues.

Story: 7.75 Art: 7.25 Overall: 7.5

Hulk #34 (Marvel) – Planet Red Hulk? Really? It seems like the writers who do the Hulk comics these days use too many retread plots and don’t try to come up with enough different ideas. I mean, Red Hulk is repeating a Green Hulk story that is only a few years old and he’s meeting some cast-offs from Avatar along the way. Not impressive. Carlo Pagulayan’s art is an improvement, though.

Story: 6.5 Art: 8 Overall: 7.25

Hulk #35 (Marvel) – So, let me get this straight, the Planet Red Hulk/Avatar story was so wrong that a Watcher came in and removed it from continuity? And Omegex arrives and is so strong and powerful that the same Watcher just removed Red Hulk from reality so Omegex would just go away. And Watchers can’t interfere? And this isn’t a deux ex machina how?

Story: 2 Art: 8 Overall: 5

Hulk #36 (Marvel) – Okay, the Planet Red Hulk nonsense is over. Good. MODOK is here. Bad. Patch Zircher is doing the art. Bad. Zzzax is here. Good.

Story: 7 Art: 6.5 Overall: 6.75

Hulk #37 (Marvel) – Red Hulk belongs in the Fear Itself story. He belongs in a match-up with the Thing. He belongs in a comic with better art than this.

Story: 8 Art: 7 Overall: 7.5

Incredible Hulks #622 (Marvel) – This is a series that is solid and entertaining, good writing and good art, without ever really being spectacular. This issue concludes the match-up with Hulk and the Greek gods. This one features the following awesome sound effects: “GDDAAANNG!” and “ZOOUNDDS!” It also features Hulk-vomit and vultures eating Hulk’s guts. Not exactly high art, but lots of fun.

Story: 8 Art: 8 Overall: 8

Incredible Hulks #623 (Marvel) – This series has to have more sound effects-per-panel than any comic going, what with all the Hulks. This one takes the Hulks to the Savage Land, so it’s filled with giant monsters and bugs, too. I don’t like Dale Eaglesham’s art as much as Paul Pelletier’s, but it’s still good enough for this comic.

Story: 7 Art: 7 Overall: 7

Incredible Hulks #624 (Marvel) – I’m not a huge fan of most Savage Land tales but this one has Miek and lots of action, so it’s about as good as it gets outside of the X-Men’s travels to the South Pole.

Story: 7.5 Art: 7 Overall: 7.25

Incredible Hulks #625 (Marvel) – The Savage Land story ends with Hulk going bad before coming back to his senses to save the day. Not particularly original.

Story: 7 Art: 6.5 Overall: 6.75

Incredible Hulks #626 (Marvel) – Tom Grummett’s art is a step up, but I’m not sure I buy the “Hulks as secret agents” concept here and I definitely don’t like Tyrannus as a character, even though he seems out of his usual mode here. I’m not sure I buy the use of Betty Ross here, either.

Story: 7 Art: 8 Overall: 7.5

Incredible Hulks #627 (Marvel) – This issue effectively continues in the exact same vein as the previous issue, with the same strengths and weaknesses. Not a bad story, but not one I’ll remember a month from now.

Story: 7 Art: 8 Overall: 7.5

Incredible Hulks #628 (Marvel) – The action in this issue ramps up a bit, but I still don’t like the Pandora’s Box stuff.

Story: 7.25 Art: 7.75 Overall: 7.5

Incredible Hulks #629 (Marvel) – As a lifelong fan of monthly comic issues, I’m starting to see the value of trade paperbacks. Too many issues seem like the are explicitly written to be part of a trade these days, which means that they are slow-paced and don’t stand on their own. A story that seems like it should be no more than two issues long is going on for at least twice that here.

Story: 7 Art: 8 Overall: 7.5

Incredible Hulks #630 (Marvel) – Pelletier is back, but this isn’t his best art. The story spins off in an interesting direction from the Pandora’s Box tale, going into the old “be careful what you wish for” trope. I like the idea of bringing back some of Hulk’s most powerful enemies at the end.

Story: 7.5 Art: 8 Overall: 7.75

Incredible Hulks #631 (Marvel) – What’s the deal with Fin Fang Foom being everywhere these days? I’m not sure I get the point of the character. Wendigo, on the other hand, is a creature I’ve always liked, so his presence is welcome.

Story: 8 Art: 8.5 Overall: 8.25

Incredible Hulks #632 (Marvel) – Pelletier’s art isn’t quite as good here as it was in the last few issues, although it has its moments. Greg Pak’s writing continues to be interesting and entertaining without getting too deep, which I guess is why people read Hulk comics, right?

Story: 7.75 Art: 7.75 Overall: 7.75

Incredible Hulks #633 (Marvel) – Pelletier does really good with the big action shots, but some of the facial close-ups rub me the wrong way. This issue has more Fin Fang Foom and more Tyrannus and, of course, more massive action and sound effects.

Story: 7.5 Art: 8 Overall: 7.75

Incredible Hulks Annual #1 (Marvel) – The conclusion of the Identity Wars trilogy isn’t quite as good as the beginning, with the art being subpar and the story not being as interesting, although I will give the issue kudos for the “Ghost Spider” pun and character.

Story: 7 Art: 6.5 Overall: 6.75

Skaar – King of the Savage Land #1 (Marvel) – Just what I was demanding more of — the Savage Land. I don’t buy the idea of a creature powerful enough to create the Savage Land, but somehow weak enough to be limited to possessing one of the Land’s inhabitants to come back in an attempt to take over the world, or something. Brian Ching’s art looks great in the outdoor and action sequences, less so in the close-ups and indoor scenes.

Story: 6 Art: 7 Overall: 6.5

Skaar – King of the Savage Land #2 (Marvel) – This issue offers more of the same — more inconsistent art (some of which is great, such as the massive shot of Devil Dinosaur), more of a story I could care less about and more of a pointless team-up of characters that don’t really belong together.

Story: 6.25 Art: 7.25 Overall: 6.75

Skaar – King of the Savage Land #3 (Marvel) – So the next logical step in a story about the Savage Land and Ka-Zar and Shanna the She-Devil and Skaar and Devil Dinosaur and Moonboy is…of course…Kid Colt Outlaw as an adult. Yep, that makes sense.

Story: 6 Art: 7.5 Overall: 6.75

Skaar – King of the Savage Land #4 (Marvel) – This issue has a couple of epic action shots but there really isn’t that much else in this series to make it compelling.

Story: 5.5 Art: 7.5 Overall: 6.5

Skaar – King of the Savage Land #5 (Marvel) – A couple more random, rarely-used Marvel z-listers show up in this issue and the story, which seems to have had no real point up till now, ends in a completely random and unbelievable way. Oh, and that random ending makes Skaar the king of the Savage Land. Huh.

Story: 4 Art: 7 Overall: 5.5

Reviews