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Spoiler Warning:
One of the things I’ve tried to do over the last few months while
reviewing is make sure that I don't let pre-conceived notions of comics
effect my decisions and how I regard the book in general. The reason I’m
telling you this is that I really didn't want to read Man-Bat. I've never
been a fan of the character and the scant reviews I had read of this book
(accidentally mind, I also try to stay away from reviews of a book I’m
planning to review myself) were certainly not encouraging. I reasoned
however that I needed to make my own mind up, and there’s always
a chance that the book will have some nice surprising elements. So I took
the plunge and bought a copy of Man-Bat #1, hoping that it would be somewhat
decent, I guess that's what I do before reading any book. It got me thinking
about the differences between professional reviewers (or indeed people
who get complimentary issues for reviewing purposes) and us working stiffs
who pay for our comics.
It seems that when you're actually paying for your comics it changes your
perspective and hopes. You're looking for something that makes it worth
the purchase, even if it is something small and relatively unimportant.
I would be tempted to say that this gives the reader a more honest and
'down to Earth' style of reviewing, but it could be that I’m just
a dick who wants to see something that isn't there to justify purchasing
a crap comic. Probably a bit of both. I can't just review comics I want
to read; I have a duty to inform you all of the best and worst those monster
comics have to offer.
So...onto Man-Bat. Was it as bad as I had expected? No. Did it contain
any surprises or anything to warrant a purchase? Another negative I’m
afraid. The opening pages are promising, offering an appealing set-up,
but before long the book degenerates into standard horror fare. Now I
know a lot of you love the horror genre, and I do too, it's just that
once you've seen one 'Man turned uncontrollable monster' you've seen them
all. It's more or less a Bat-based Jekyll & Hyde story only less interesting.
It's not a bad read, actually there are some nice pieces of dialogue throughout
but in general it's pretty stale. Even cameo appearances by Batman and
Hush do little to provoke excitement.
The artwork suits the story perfectly, if only that it is adequate and
tells the story well enough, even if it is offering nothing really new
or exciting. The coloring is handled well and there are some nice lettering
effects running through the book also. It is worth mentioning that I really
like the opening page.
I think that the book could eventually go somewhere if Jones is willing
to take a chance and do something daring with this tried and tested formula.
I genuinely see promise in the book, despite its shortcomings and I’m
sure that it wouldn't be hard to make something of the set-up issue one
provides.
Overall, the best thing about the book is the cover, which is beautifully
illustrated, and the title is particularly well designed.
So it looks like Man-Bat has given me more to think about being a reviewer
than the story itself. This is a craft worth developing, and I hope you
will bear with me as I struggle with getting my words on screen.
Other books I can recommend from this weeks bilge-bucket:
The Goon #17: Dark Horse: Fantastic as always, a little bit more story
driven this time but still manages to pack in some hilarious action sequences.
Always a winner.
NextWave #4: Marvel Comics: The most fun you can have with a comic these
days. Fantastic stuff. This issue has some really funny bits and I hope
Marvel keeps it ongoing.
So that's it for this week folks. Have a good week and I’ll see
you next time for some more Monster based goodness.
Talk about It came from Gav! Man-Bat
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