Comic Book Reviews: Batman/TMNT II, Iron Fist, Venom Inc, I Hate Fairyland (12/06/17)

Hey, everyone.

I'm going to celebrate each and every edition of new comic book day by providing quick and spoiler-free reviews of some of my favorite titles. Hopefully it'll motivate you to check 'em out - support what you love, right? Okay, let's get to it.

Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II #1

Growing up, my two favorite superhero franchises were Batman and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - guessing I'm not alone on that one. So, you could only imagine the amount of joy I experienced when it was announced back in 2015 that the Dark Knight and the Heroes in a Half Shell would finally join forces. Writer James Tynion IV packed the first limited series with a ton of fan service while artist Freddie Williams II and colorist Jeremy Colwell filled the pages with animated characters and immersive locations. To no one's surprise, it was a ton of fun. Thankfully, this second limited series is also off to an incredibly fun start as well.

The plot's obviously pretty predictable so far - there's already the potential for a good message about accepting our strengths and weaknesses instead of being held back by them - but it's fast-paced and exciting. Honestly, who's expecting this to have an elaborate plot anyway? The goal's to entertain and have a good time bringing these worlds together, and so far it's definitely accomplishing that. Thanks to visuals that make it feel like a blockbluster and consistently entertaining dialogue, Batman/TMNT II #1 felt like a quick read and left me immediately wanting to read the next issue. Credit to letterer Tom Napolitano for making the one use of "cowabunga" make an impact, too. Now that all of the pieces are in place, it's time to see what this creative team can do with these character interactions. Keeping my fingers crossed that we'll get to witness Karai and the TMNT take on Bane in one of the upcoming issues...

Iron Fist #75

You know exactly what you're going to get with this new Iron Fist series. Writer Ed Brisson and artist Mike Perkins' run has been non-stop action and an interesting expansion of the Iron Fist mythos. Benson's not making it overly serious and always sprinkles in some amusing dialogue, even if it's just to have some fun with comic book tropes. If you want pure action and some lines that'll make you smirk, you've come to the right place. That said, this issue is a bit heavier than the last two in this arc since it finally reveals the identity of the new Constrictor. I'll be as spoiler-free as possible and just say I really hope there's a little more to it after this issue. After all of that buildup, I hope there's more to the reveal than a reason for Sabretooth to stay by Iron Fist's side in the mission, even if it's just limited dialogue between Victor and Danny later on. Speaking of which, I'm really enjoying their dynamic. It's fun to see Brisson use these characters who have clashed so many times and force them to work together. From their bar brawl to New York's rooftops, he's prevented this uneasy team-up from feeling formulaic thanks to their conversations. Even Iron Fist wanting to enforce the "no kill rule" in a previous issue was lighthearted instead of feeling stubborn and preachy.

Visually, the action in this series has been fantastic and a proper spotlight has been placed on the choreography and force behind each hit. However, in this issue, it's very crowded so the quieter moments manage to make a stronger impact than the giant rumbles that are full of big swings and people clashing. Colorist Andy Troy's red sky is a striking contrast to the dark city and characters (as seen above) and I enjoyed VC's Travis Lanham's highlighting of character names and specific attacks.

Iron Fist continues to be one of Marvel's best action series and, if you've been following the series, you'll be happy to see how this issue ends. The idea of Sabretooth and Iron Fist teaming up sold me on this arc awhile ago, but it's nice to see that Brisson's using this story to also move the bigger picture forward. The next issue has a lot of potential.

Venom Inc. Alpha #1

The symbiote has been very busy over the past several years. It went on quite an adventure with Flash Thompson - even joining the Guardians of the Galaxy at one point - but now it has finally bonded with the original Venom: Eddie Brock. Was the world better with Flash as the host, though? The former bully definitely thinks so, but he's not the only one looking for the symbiote, and that's pretty much the premise for this new story. It makes sense that people in this world would want to control the symbiote for their own evil agendas, after all.

This new issue has a lot of history behind it, so if you haven't been following along with Spidey's adventures or the symbiote's story, you may feel a little out of the loop even though there's a brief intro. Thankfully, that shouldn't hurt your reading experience all that much because, for the most part, this is a setup issue, and understandably so. Co-written by Mike Costa and Dan Slott, this one is all about quickly introducing us to the key characters, setting up the main premise, and establishing a threat. Thanks to the story moving along at a quick pace and some comedic dialogue ("I like to get in character"), this issue is good fun and it hits us with one development that's sure to get the attention of my fellow Venom fans - this development alone justifies checking out the next chapter. I would've loved to see a little more from the Flash Thompson and Peter Parker scene, but I understand they're working with a limited amount of pages.

Artist Ryan Stegman and colorist Brian Reber's work adds so much energy to Costa and Slott's script. Right from the very first panel, you can appreciate the motion behind Mania's actions and they're such a good fit for the more twisted moments involving the symbiote. They give the wall-crawler quite an intro, too. This issue makes me want to go back and look at Stegman's work on the Scarlet Spider run - it was so good! After only a few pages, Reber has the opportunity to shine with some vivid effects that really sell the intensity of the moment as well. VC's Joe Caramagna's lettering helps bring the symbiote's horrifying voice to life, too.

Look, if you're a fan of the symbiote - especially during Flash's run - this issue really should be a no-brainer for you. Mmmmm. Brains. Sorry, terrible Venom joke. Let's move on and pretend I didn't write that, okay? Great. Moving on...

New Collection to Consider: I Hate Fairyland Deluxe Edition Book 1 HC

There's a surprising amount of tempting collections out this week: Green Arrow Rebirth Vol 4 TP, Justice League/Power Rangers HC, IDW's TMNT Vol 2 TP, a new Doctor Strange hardcover, and a noir edition of The Court of Owls are just a few of the new and eye-catching collections. This week even sees the release of a massive Jack Kirby Fourth World omnibus! There are plenty of collections that are worthy of your money, but the one that I want - no, need - to highlight is the very first hardcover for Skottie Young's I Hate Fairyland, his twisted and phenomenally fun Image Comics series.

This collection features the first ten issues of the issues of the brilliant and warped series. If you've never heard of it before, it's a bizarre and no-holds-barred take on a young girl, Gert, visiting a magical world, but unlike the other humans who have visited, she ends up being stuck there for decades and she doesn't age a single day. That would definitely take a toll on a person's mind, you know? She'll do anything to get back home, and it doesn't matter how many adorable creatures she has to slaughter in the process.

Skottie Young's imagination is fully unleashed and the script is every bit as out-there and memorable as his jaw-droppingly good artwork. Every single issue has made me laugh out loud and given me pages that deserve analyzing and appreciating instead of quickly flipping to the next page. This series is not for the younglings or those who aren't a fan of over-the-top violence, but for everyone else, it's a total blast. As for extras, there's concept art, a look at Skottie's script and corresponding pages before they were colored, and variant covers.

I own the single issues and the trades. Despite that, I'm still left wanting to add this HC to my collection. That alone should tell you how much I enjoy this series, and if you give it a shot, you just may fall in love with it, too. $30 for 10 issues in a hardcover - plus extras - isn't a bad deal at all, especially when the comic is hilarious and addictive.

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