Tag Archives: richard starkings

The City of Owls Fanhome Edition… there’s better options to read this story

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Fanhome has launched The Legends of Batman, an expansive series of hardcover graphic novels featuring the greatest adventures of DC’s legendary Caped Crusader.

This incredible series of stories brings Batman’s life story together in an epic full-color collection.

The Legends of Batman Collection includes the best and most essential Batman adventures by legendary creative teams. The collection forms an expansive overall narrative that begins with Batman’s origin in Year Zero and culminates in Batman Year 100.

The Fanhome The Legends of Batman collection delivers a modern classic: The City of Owls!

Collecting: Batman #8-12, Batman Annual #1

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Story: Scott Snyder, James Tynion IV
Art: Greg Capullo, Jonathan Glapion, Rafael Albuquerque, Jason Fabok, Becky Cloonan, Andy Clarke, Sandu Florea
Color: FCO Plascencia, Dave McCaig, Peter Steigerwald, Nathan Fairbairn
Letterer: Richard Starkings, Jimmy Betancourt, Sal Cipriano, Dezi Sienty, Patrick Brosseau

Fanhome provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

The Court of Owls Fanhome Edition… there’s better options to read this story

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Fanhome has launched The Legends of Batman, an expansive series of hardcover graphic novels featuring the greatest adventures of DC’s legendary Caped Crusader.

This incredible series of stories brings Batman’s life story together in an epic full-color collection.

The Legends of Batman Collection includes the best and most essential Batman adventures by legendary creative teams. The collection forms an expansive overall narrative that begins with Batman’s origin in Year Zero and culminates in Batman Year 100.

The Fanhome The Legends of Batman collection delivers a classic: The Court of Owls!

Collecting: Batman #1-7

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Story: Scott Snyder
Art: Greg Capullo
Ink: Jonathan Glapion
Color: FCO Plascencia
Letterer: Richard Starkings, Jimmy Betancourt

Fanhome provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

Preview: Batman: The Long Halloween – The Last Halloween Noir Edition #1

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Batman: The Long Halloween – The Last Halloween Noir Edition #1

(W) Jeph Loeb (A) Eduardo Risso
In Shops: Jan 29, 2025
SRP: $4.99

In 1996, writer Jeph Loeb and artist Tim Sale teamed up for Batman: The Long Halloween, an award-winning 13-chapter saga that spawned multiple sequels and stands as the most influential Batman story of its era. Now, Loeb returns to the world of The Long Halloween for its long-anticipated final act: Batman: The Last Halloween, an all-new 10-part mystery continuing the story from 2021’s The Long Halloween Special. In each issue, Loeb will be joined by one of the top artists in comics, in a beautiful and lovingly crafted tribute to Sale’s art and legacy. In issue one, Gotham City learns to fear Halloween once more as a terrible event threatens to destroy Jim Gordon’s life and puts Batman and Robin’s teamwork to the test more than ever before. In a city of liars, masked vigilantes, and criminals…can anyone be trusted?

Batman: The Long Halloween - The Last Halloween Noir Edition #1

Hush Returns in Batman #158 and DC has revealed variants covers and more!

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Jeph Loeb and Jim Lee’s next installment of their celebrated Batman: Hush comic book saga begins in DC’s Batman #158 on March 26, 2025. This new run, collectively called Batman: H2SH, will run monthly for six issues through August’s Batman #163.

Batman #158, written by Jeph Loeb with art and main cover by Jim Lee, Scott Williams, and Alex Sinclair, will feature variant covers by J. Scott Campbell, Gabriele Dell’otto, Dan Mora, Lee Bermejo, Simone Di Meo, Tony S. Daniel, and Sean Gordon Murphy, in addition to several new variant covers by Lee, Williams and Sinclair.

Batman #158, available at retail for $4.99 US (40 pages), will also feature a foil variant cover by Jim Lee, Scott Williams and Alex Sinclair, a “Courtside” card stock variant cover by Tony S. Daniel, and a blank sketch variant cover. Card stock variants will retail for $5.99 US, foil variants will retail for $7.99 US, and the connecting card stock gatefold will retail for $7.99 US. DC will also offer a foil wraparound DC Showcase variant by Sean Gordon Murphy, available from participating local comic book shops and online retailers for $24.99 US.

  • Batman #158 variant cover by Jim Lee, Scott Williams and Alex Sinclair (open to order)
    Batman #158 variant cover by Jim Lee, Scott Williams and Alex Sinclair (open to order)
  • Batman #158 variant cover by Jim Lee, Scott Williams and Alex Sinclair (open to order)
    Batman #158 variant cover by Jim Lee, Scott Williams and Alex Sinclair (open to order)
  • Batman #158 variant cover by J. Scott Campbell* (open to order) *art not final
    Batman #158 variant cover by J. Scott Campbell* (open to order) *art not final
  • Batman #158 variant cover by Gabriele Dell’otto (open to order)
    Batman #158 variant cover by Gabriele Dell’otto (open to order)
  • All six Gabriele Dell’otto variant covers connecting across Batman #158-163
    All six Gabriele Dell’otto variant covers connecting across Batman #158-163
  • Batman #158 variant cover by Dan Mora (open to order)
    Batman #158 variant cover by Dan Mora (open to order)
  • Connecting gatefold variant cover by Jim Lee, Scott Williams and Alex Sinclair
    Connecting gatefold variant cover by Jim Lee, Scott Williams and Alex Sinclair
  • Batman #158 variant cover by Lee Bermejo (1:25)
    Batman #158 variant cover by Lee Bermejo (1:25)
  • Batman #158 variant cover by Simone Di Meo (1:50)
    Batman #158 variant cover by Simone Di Meo (1:50)
  • Variant cover by Jim Lee, Scott Williams and Alex Sinclair* (1:100) *main cover art; no trade dress
    Variant cover by Jim Lee, Scott Williams and Alex Sinclair* (1:100) *main cover art; no trade dress
  • Variant cover by Jim Lee* (1:250) *main cover pencils; no trade dress
    Variant cover by Jim Lee* (1:250) *main cover pencils; no trade dress
  • Variant cover by Jim Lee and Scott Williams* (1:608) *signed by Jim Lee
    Variant cover by Jim Lee and Scott Williams* (1:608) *signed by Jim Lee
  • Variant cover by Jim Lee and Scott Williams* (1:608) *signed by Jeph Loeb
    Variant cover by Jim Lee and Scott Williams* (1:608) *signed by Jeph Loeb
  • Variant cover by Jim Lee, Scott Williams and Alex Sinclair* (1:1,000) *connected wraparound; signed by Jim Lee and Jeph Loeb
    Variant cover by Jim Lee, Scott Williams and Alex Sinclair* (1:1,000) *connected wraparound; signed by Jim Lee and Jeph Loeb
  • DC Showcase variant cover by Sean Gordon Murphy* *art not final
    DC Showcase variant cover by Sean Gordon Murphy* *art not final

Loeb and Lee, with collaborators Scott Williams, Alex Sinclair, and Richard Starkings, are keeping their new Batman story under tight wraps, but have revealed an inked preview page from Batman #158 to give fans something to look forward to!

DC Announces DC GO! — a new collection of webcomics designed for mobile devices

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DC has announced DC GO!, a new frontier of webcomics publishing exclusively on DC Universe Infinite (DCUI). The DC GO! collection of webcomics is designed for mobile devices, and a sneak peek of two new series will be free to read as a DC GO! preview starting today. The DC GO! collection will include a mix of original webcomic content plus vertically reformatted DC and MAD Magazine classics, launching November 20, 2024. Check out a preview of the DC GO! collection below and click through to dcuniverseinfinite.com/go for more information.

The DC GO! original launch titles include Harley Quinn in Paradise by CRC Payne, Siobhan Chiffon, and Cathy Le; Nothing Butt Nightwing by Patrick R. Young and Moy R. Marco; and Renaissance of Raven by Sina Grace, Nico Bascuñan, Katherine Lobo, and Carola Borelli, with more to come.

In Harley Quinn in Paradise by writer CRC Payne and artists Siobhan Chiffon and Cathy Le, Harley Quinn is rarely lucky in love—and after her recent breakup with The Joker, has been feeling particularly chaotic. Ivy advises Harley to lay low for a while—maybe a little R&R (recklessness and robbery) would be good for her! Good advice, right? True to character, Harley decides the best way to lay low is to plaster her face across every television in America and find true love on TV’s hottest reality dating show. Harley heads for the show’s island setting, ready to be the best contestant the program has ever seen…because she’s playing to win by any means necessary! And can she help it if she accidentally falls in love along the way?

Harley Quinn in Paradise

In Nothing Butt Nightwing by writer Patrick R. Young and artist Moy R. Marco, Dick Grayson, the first Robin, has made a name for himself as the hero Nightwing. But after several failed civilian-identity career attempts (a bar, a gym, etc.), he lands his biggest deep-cover operation yet—as an international supermodel! He’s got the eyes of the audience, the other models, and even a few agents. But he only has eyes for one thing…the Poison Ivy protégé on the hunt to steal the expensive (and environmentally harmful) jewels around the models’ necks…and perhaps the models themselves! But can he serve justice, and serve lewks, while traveling the globe? The spotlight is on Dick Grayson in Nothing Butt Nightwing…because his first gig is an underwear print campaign!

Nothing Butt Nightwing

In Renaissance of Raven by writer Sina Grace and artists Nico Bascuñan, Katherine Lobo, and Carola Borelli, Raven needs an escape. Her fellow Titans won’t leave her alone, she just had a fight with Beast Boy, and to top it off, it’s the anniversary of her mom’s death. We find her trying to live life beyond the curse of her father. She’s over it! Raven is more than her trauma! When a strange girl in a graveyard proclaims that Raven is some kind of destined hero, she’s ready to walk away…until suddenly, she’s pulled through an enchanted portal…to the kingdom of Galonia. Raven is sent hundreds of years into the past, where she must contend with a cabal of witches and the difficult choice of helping those in need or returning home!

Renaissance of Raven

In addition to the three original webcomics debuting with the DC GO! collection launch, with more to come, a DCUI subscription will also allow readers to enjoy newly formatted DC and MAD Magazine classics on the go. Batman: Hush,a thrilling mystery of action, intrigue, and deception by Jeph Loeb and Jim Lee, is the first DC classic to join the DC GO! collection and can be previewed for free beginning October 17. All-Star Superman, a science fiction/fantasy epic by Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely, Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow, a science fiction adventure by Tom King and Bilquis Evely, and more, will be joining the DC GO! collection of reformatted genre classics on DCUI in the coming months.

In Batman: Hush by Jeph Loeb, Jim Lee, Scott Williams, Alex Sinclair, and Richard Starkings, a crime epidemic is sweeping Gotham, and Batman’s enemies have emerged to wreak havoc on the Caped Crusader’s life. But little do they know they’re all just pawns in a grand scheme concocted by the enigmatic Hush with one endgame in mind: destroy Bruce Wayne!

Batman: Hush 

The Batman: Hush Fanhome Edition is interesting compared to the recent DC Compact Comics release

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Fanhome has launched The Legends of Batman, an expansive series of hardcover graphic novels featuring the greatest adventures of DC’s legendary Caped Crusader.

This incredible series of stories brings Batman’s life story together in an epic full-color collection.

The Legends of Batman Collection includes the best and most essential Batman adventures by legendary creative teams. The collection forms an expansive overall narrative that begins with Batman’s origin in Year Zero and culminates in Batman Year 100.

The Fanhome The Legends of Batman collection delivers a two part story in the classic: Batman: Hush.

Collecting: Batman #608-613 and #614-619

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Story: Jeph Loeb
Art: Jim Lee
Ink: Scott Williams
Color: Alex Sinclair
Letterer: Richard Starkings

Fanhome provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

Conan: Battle of the Black Stone #1 brings together Robert E. Howard’s creations for a time bending adventure

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Conan: Battle of the Black Stone #1

A mysterious eye symbol etched in black stone creates nightmares and chaos across time. An unspeakable evil looms over the Hyborian Age and every age connected to it… and it will take more than a lone barbarian to stop its relentless march upon time, space, and sanity. Conan: Battle of the Black Stone #1 brings together Robert E. Howard‘s creations in the first event from its new publisher Titan Comics.

The relaunch of Conan the Barbarian at Titan Comics has been amazing. In his own series, as well as Savage Sword of Conan, the storytelling and art have been top notch. Generally guided by writer Jim Zub, it’s been a renaissance of sorts for the classic character. Slowly, Titan has teased the return of Howard’s other creations to comics and with Conan: Battle of the Black Stone #1 we see the grander worlds coming together.

I’m not a Howard expert, and that’s where Conan: Battle of the Black Stone #1 stumbles somewhat. The mystery, the setup, it’s all fantastic. More than enough to come back for more. But, beyond Conan the Barbarian and Solomon Kane, my knowledge of the characters is non-existent. And that’s the divide of the overall enjoyment of the comic. For those “in the know,” they’ll likely be far more excited about the prospects of what is to come. For those new to the world, the mystery is interesting but the anticipation due to who is included might not be there. It’s both an event that can be enjoyed by new readers but also one that’ll truly be enjoyed by aficionados of Howard’s work.

The art by Jonas Scharf is fantastic. With color by Joao Canola and lettering by Richard Starkings and Tyler Smith, the comic keeps up the solid work that has lead up to this point. What’s impressive is how the style works so well for each of the time periods and really adds to the horror-like aspect of the debut issue.

Conan: Battle of the Black Stone #1 is an interesting start. It builds a mystery across time and works for both new readers and long time fans. As the first event for the new launch of Robert E. Howard’s creations, it opens up a lot of possibilities of what’s to come.

Story: Jim Zub Art: Jonas Scharf
Color: Joao Canola Letterer: Richard Starkings, Tyler Smith
Story: 7.75 Art: 8.25 Overall: 7.95 Recommendation: Read

Titan Comics provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

Purchase: Zeus Comics – Kindle

Batman: Hush gets a DC Compact Comics release! Should you get the new pocket edition?

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Graphic novels to read anywhere: DC Compact Comics collect DC’s bestselling, most iconic stories in a new size! Get Batman: Hush for just $9.99!

A criminal epidemic is sweeping Gotham and Batman’s enemies have emerged to wreak havoc on the Caped Crusader’s life. But little do they know that they’re all just pawns in a grand scheme concocted by the enigmatic Hush with one endgame in mind: Destroy Bruce Wayne!

It features Batman #608-#619 and an interlude from Wizard #0.

Story: Jeph Loeb
Art: Jim Lee
Ink: Scott Williams
Color: Alex Sinclair
Letterer: Richard Starkings

Get your copy in comic shops! To find a comic shop near you, visit http://www.comicshoplocator.com or call 1-888-comicbook or digitally and online with the links below.

Bookshop
Amazon

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EC Comics’ Epitaphs From the Abyss #1 kicks off some classic horror

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Epitaphs From the Abyss #1

From the publisher that drove Tales from the Crypt, Vault of Horror, Haunt of Fear, and many more into the depraved hearts of an unsuspecting world, the immortal EC Comics returns! Epitaphs From the Abyss #1 kicks off the first ALL-NEW series in nearly 70 years! But, in this age of gore-porn and brutal, scary, horror, does the classic still deliver chills and thrills? It’s a whole new era of terror!

Featuring four tales to keep you up at night, Epitaphs From the Abyss #1 is a fun return to classic horror. It’s twists and turns that’ll get you to think more than make you afraid of unknown noises, but it’s a hell of a lot of fun.

Kicking off with “Killer Spec” from J. Holtham, Jorge Fornes, and Dan Jackson, Epitaphs From the Abyss #1 is predictable at times, but still has more than enough to surprise readers. It’s pretty easy to see where the debut story goes but it’s the ending and twists and turns that entertain in an unexpected way. I have no fond memories of EC Comics and remember HBO’s Tales From the Crypt at times scaring the shit out of me as a kid, but I appreciated the “lessons” one would learn at the end. While The Twilight Zone delivered parables with a sci-fi twist, EC to me was the horror cousin of that. Here we get to see where jealousy takes a wannabe writer and makes readers wonder how meta this tale is…

“Senator, Senator” is perfect for this election year. Chris Condon, Peter Krause, and Michelle Madsen explore why an elected official flip-flops on a key issue. Again, like the opening story, it’s not hard to guess where the story is going but it’s the details that stand out. It delivers a nice jab at the current political climate.

“Family Values” by Stephanie Phillips, Phil Hester, Travis Hymel, and Marissa Louise feels like something we’d see in a modern day horror film. Hell, we might have. But, the ending is damn near perfect in multiple ways. A father must choose which family member to kill, or himself, while they’re taken hostage by unknown individuals. Why and for what purpose? You’ll need to read and find out!

Finally, “US vs. US” is another fantastic jab, pun intended, at the current state of the United States. Two individuals must take on a group of freaks and things aren’t what they appear. Brian Azzarello, Vlad Legostaev, and Brittany Peery deliver a story that is very unexpected in the direction it goes and what’s revealed.

Epitaphs From the Abyss #1 might feel tame compared to today’s horror, it’s much more comedic and less about scares, but it mines the classic concept of EC Comics perfectly delivering four tales that’ll entertain and get you to think. Each is varied in story, art, and tone, and each delivers unexpected moments that’ll keep readers guessing. It’s rare when there’s no weak stories in an anthology, and Epitaphs From the Abyss #1 has none. It’s a fantastic start to the classic brand that’ll hopefully breathe new life into this type of horror.

Story: J. Holtham, Chris Condon, Stephanie Phillips, Brian Azzarello
Art: Jorge Fornes, Peter Krause, Phil Hester, Vlad Legostaev
Ink: Travis Hymel Color: Dan Jackson, Michelle Madsen, Marissa Louise, Brittany Peer
Letterer: Richard Starkings, Tyler Smith
Story: 8.5 Art: 8.5 Overall: 8.5 Recommendation: Buy

Oni Press provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

Purchase: Zeus Comics – Kindle

Free Agents #1 feels like a bit of a throwback for good and bad

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Free Agents #1

Salvo. Pike. Katari. Shakti. Ridge. Maraud. Chalice. They’ve fought every day of their existence and won a terrible victory. Now they’re stranded on Earth, free agents for the first time. But when relics from their long war appear, threatening their chance at better lives, their greatest battle begins. They’ve fought for a million planets. Can they fight to save their own souls? Free Agents #1 is an interesting concept of a comic but its execution falls short of its pitch.

Free Agents #1 packs a lot into the first issue. Not only does it introduce, with a good amount of detail, a large cast, but it also gives their tragic history and kicks things off with some action. Written by Kurt Busiek and Fabian Nicieza, Free Agents #1 has potential. Its concept of soldiers finding refuge on Earth and trying to move on from their traumatic experience is a story well worth telling. But, this debut issue doesn’t dive into their struggle enough to get that across. The struggle feels almost non-existent.

The comic kicks off with the team battling a remnant from the war they thought they left behind. It teases their being a part of the Image superhero universe, with a name drop of Cyber Force, and has them going back to their “civilian” lives they’re trying to forge. From there it’s debriefs and letting readers know what happened to get to this point in a debut issue that feels a little choppy. I remember reading Image superhero comics in the 90s during the launch, and Free Agents feels a lot like that, the concept is better than the execution with a story that feels like it’s missing details or something to get the point across. Here, reader aren’t given a sense of these individuals really struggling with their past. They treat the battle we witness like it’s part of their war with debriefs instead of really focusing on wanting to get away from it all. They all question “why” far too much instead of some anger about wanting their previous life to go away. We’re told they were all forced to fight but their actions never really indicate they don’t want to fight. They say it but never really act on it.

And the art doesn’t help a ton. Stephen Mooney is talented and I read the comic in a non-ideal digital form but there’s some sequences where things are completely clear as to what’s going on and there’s a rough aspect to it all. With color by Triona Tree Farrell and lettering by Richard Starkings and Tyler Smith, the comic’s visuals, like the story, feels a little rough at times. There’s odd movement in some of the action sequences and the mix of civilian and soldier doesn’t always come across well. The disguises feel like they’re encroached by their soldier uniforms at times or there’s aspects to something they do (like the healing scene) that’s not always clear. The comic attempts to “show” at times instead of “tell” and the show doesn’t make the tell clear. Like the story itself, there’s a lot of potential.

Free Agents #1 is an interesting concept and there’s a lot to it. Hopefully, like some of those 90s Image superhero comics, the story will clear up with more issues and right its path. But, as far as being a debut issue, it doesn’t live up to the quality you’d expect with the high caliber talent on it. It’s a better idea than execution as the execution doesn’t get the idea across enough. Instead of being soldiers trying to escape to a new life, it comes off as refugee soldiers being dragged back into the war they thought was over. They’re two concepts that are close, but different. This may be one where the first arc is read as a whole instead of individual issues.

Story: Kurt Busiek, Fabian Nicieza Art: Stephen Mooney
Color: Triona Tree Farrell Letterer: Richard Starkings, Tyler Smith
Story: 7.0 Art: 7.25 Overall: 7.0 Recommendation: Read

Image Comics provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

Purchase: Zeus Comics – Kindle

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