Project and content management for Contemporary Authors volumes
WORK TITLE: House of Penance
WORK NOTES: illus by Ian Bertram and Dave Stewart
PSEUDONYM(S):
BIRTHDATE: 8/18/1967
WEBSITE:
CITY:
STATE:
COUNTRY:
NATIONALITY:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Tomasi * https://www.bleedingcool.com/2016/04/15/entering-peter-j-tomasis-house-penance/ * https://www.newsarama.com/27690-peter-tomasi-goes-from-heroes-to-horror-in-house-of-penance.html
RESEARCHER NOTES:
PERSONAL
Born August 18, 1967.
ADDRESS
CAREER
DC Comics, editor, 1993, senior editor, 2003-07, comic book writer, 2007-.
WRITINGS
SIDELIGHTS
Peter Tomasi is a prolific comic book writer and editor who has worked with iconic superheroes such as Batman and Robin, Superman, Justice Society of America, the Outsiders, Aquaman, Steel, Light Brigade, Flash, and Green Lantern. He started at DC Comics as an editor in 1993 and oversaw various books and team-up stories, then was promoted to senior editor in 2003. In 2007 he transitioned to writer.
Light Brigade and Blackest Night
Tomasi’s 2005 Light Brigade story is set during World War II. A squad of U.S. soldiers led by Chris Stavros is thrust into a heavenly battle. Angels tell Stavros’ platoon to seek out the lost Sword of God before fallen angels disguised as Nazis do. Helping them in this supernatural crusade is an immortal Roman Centurion. Writing on the Christian Fiction Review Guru Website, a writer commented: “Tomasi brings all the supernatural elements together for one fast paced, good versus evil battle using supernatural and physical warfare, with an increasing toll of life as a result but a very satisfying end all round.”
In 2010, Tomasi’s Blackest Night series, a sinister black ring brings millions of dead back to life. Living superheroes and villains realize they must put aside their differences to fight the zombies together. Unlike other disappointing marketing events that bring together many iconic superheroes, Rich Clabaugh mentioned in Christian Science Monitor: “It’s amazing and refreshing that ‘Blackest Night’ actually delivers. What starts out as a horror story, with one ‘oh no’ moment after another, quickly becomes a galaxy-spanning adventure that concludes in a rousing, surprise-filled finish.”
Batman and The Mighty
In Tomasi’s Batman: Arkham Knight series which is a prequel to the video game, the Joker is dead, and vying for his empty seat as top villian are Penguin, Harley Quinn, and Scarecrow. There’s also a new crimefighter who sees Batman as a threat, not as a partner. In an interview with Peter Semel on the Gamecrate Website, Tomasi explained that the comic series “centers on Batman and the usual cast of characters, and how the death of The Joker has reverberated and how the ripples of that have affected Batman and Gotham.”
Tomasi collaborated with Keith Champagne and Peter Snejbjerg to publish the 2014 The Mighty. The story centers on superhero Alpha One who gained his powers from a nuclear test in the 1950s. Since then, he has been protecting mankind, along with the Section Omega police force that is dedicated to helping him. Today, Alpha One is the only superhero to fight crime and he has become the sole authority making all final decisions regarding humanity. After a death in Section Omega leadership, Lt. Gabriel Cole has moved up the ranks. He has a close relationship with Alpha One, ever since the hero rescued Cole as a child. “Tomasi and Champagne crafted a story that asks about the other side of being a superhero and follows the tough decisions that have to be made,” said John Newby in a review online at We the Nerdy.
House of Penance and Superman
Tomasi’s 2017 House of Penance comic explores the true story of the haunted house of the Winchester gun manufacturers. Widow Sarah Winchester had a vision telling her she must continually build rooms onto her San Jose, California mansion to keep away the ghosts of all the people the Winchester gun has killed. “The ghosts here are all in the characters’ minds but frightening nonetheless,” said a Publishers Weekly reviewer. In
Superman: Son of Superman in the “Rebirth” series follows after the death of Superman with a new Man of Steel from an alternate universe who takes over for Superman in our world. Helping him is his wife, Lois Lane, and their son, Jonathan Kent. Jonathan is in danger from the Eradicator which protects Kryptonians from impure bloodlines. “The layouts, colors, and overall art matched perfectly with the story,” said Consume Review Repeat Website reviewer Dan Cali.
BIOCRIT
PERIODICALS
Christian Science Monitor, July 24, 2010, Rich Clabaugh, review of Blackest Night.
Publishers Weekly, January 30, 2017, review of House of Penance, p. 188.
ONLINE
Christian Fiction Review Guru, http://christianfictionreviewguru.blogspot.com/ (September 6, 2015), review of Light Brigade.
Consume Review Repeat, http://consumereviewrepeat.com/ (January 22, 2017), Dan Cali, review of Superman Vol. 1: Son Of Superman (Rebirth).
Gamecrate, https://www.gamecrate.com/ (July 21, 2015), Peter Semel, author interview.
We the Nerdy, http://wethenerdy.com/ (December 9, 2014), John Newby, review of The Mighty.
Peter Tomasi
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Peter Tomasi
Tomasi at a September 14, 2011 signing for
Batman and Robin vol. 2 #1 at Midtown Comics in Manhattan
Nationality
American
Area(s)
Writer, Editor
Notable works
Batman and Robin
Brightest Day
Green Lantern Corps
Nightwing
Peter J. Tomasi is an American comic book editor and writer, best known for his work for DC Comics. As an editor, he oversaw numerous comic books featuring the Justice League, including series starring various members of that team such as Batman, Aquaman, Martian Manhunter, Green Lantern and the Flash. As a writer, he has written titles featuring Batman-related characters, such as Batman and Robin and The Outsiders, and Green Lantern-related series such as "Blackest Night", Brightest Day and Green Lantern: Emerald Warriors.
Contents [hide]
1
Early life
2
Career
3
Personal life
4
Bibliography
4.1
DC Comics
5
References
6
External links
Early life[edit]
Peter Tomasi became a fan of comics at a young age through the Batman comic books his father bought him, and through TV shows such as the Super Friends animated series and the Adam West Batman series. Batman was the first superhero who entered his consciousness, as it was the first character he dressed up as for Halloween, and the first comic book whose creators he recognized. Specifically he cites the work of Dennis O'Neil and Neal Adams as the first to draw him into the character, as well as Bob Haney's work on The Brave and the Bold and that of Jim Aparo.[1]
Career[edit]
Starting as an editor at DC Comics in 1993, and working on such titles as Green Lantern, the Batman titles, Aquaman, Hawkman, and JSA, Tomasi was an occasional writer on various titles, including JSA, The Outsiders, Steel, and The Light Brigade. In 2003, DC promoted him to Senior Editor.[2]
In 2007, Tomasi left his 14–year role as an editor and transitioned to writing.[3] He began on the limited series Black Adam: The Dark Age. In 2008, he wrote Requiem, a tie-in to Final Crisis that paid tribute to the fallen Martian Manhunter.[4] Tomasi wrote the Nightwing title for 14 issues until its cancellation in April 2009 due to events in the "Battle for the Cowl" storyline.[5][6][7] In 2011, Tomasi took over as writer on Batman and Robin with issue #20 from Paul Cornell, writing the three part "Tree of Blood" storyline that ran until issue #22.[8]
From 2009 to 2010, Tomasi co-wrote the creator-owned title The Mighty with Keith Champagne,[9][10] as well as Green Lantern Corps through the "Blackest Night" storyline.[11]
Tomasi co-wrote the "Blackest Night" follow-up maxiseries Brightest Day in 2010–2011, with Geoff Johns.[12][13] During that same period, he was the regular writer on the monthly Green Lantern: Emerald Warriors and The Outsiders, which ended in 2011 as part of DC's The New 52 line-wide relaunch.[14] As part of that relaunch, Tomasi was appointed writer on the relaunched volumes of Batman and Robin[15] and Green Lantern Corps which were released in September 2011.[8] As part of the DC Rebirth relaunch of DC's titles, Tomasi and artist Patrick Gleason became the creative team on Superman vol. 4 in June 2016.[16][17]
Personal life[edit]
Tomasi has a son. In a February 2011 interview with Comic Book Resources, Tomasi discussed how his then-eight-year-old son influenced his approach to writing Damian Wayne in Batman and Robin. Tomasi also spoke about his sons influence on the way he writes Superman's son, Jon.[1]
Bibliography[edit]
DC Comics[edit]
Showcase '95 #7–9, "Exit to Eden", "Deep Down" (with Scot Eaton and Eduardo Barreto, June–August 1995)
The Lobo Gallery: Portraits of a Bastich, one-shot, "Portraits of a Bastich" (with among other artists, July 1995)
The Flash: Annual vol. 2 #9, "Silent Running" (with J. H. Williams III, 1996)
Steel vol. 2 #28, "The Drowning Room", #33, "Withdrawal Symptoms" (with Andrew Robinson and Jim Aparo, May–October 1996)
Showcase '96 #9, "Honor Bound" (with Eduardo Barreto, July 1996)
The Light Brigade (four-issue limited series, with Peter Snejbjerg, December 2003–March 2004, collected in Light Brigade, hc, 224 pages, 2014, ISBN 1-61655-405-3)
Outsiders vol. 3 #26–27, "Tick Tock" (with Will Conrad, July–August 2005)
JSA Classified #8–9, "The Spear and the Dragon" (with Don Kramer, February 2006) collected in JSA Classified: Honor Among Thieves (tpb, 125 pages, 2007, ISBN 1-4012-1218-2)
Black Adam: The Dark Age (six–issue limited series, with Doug Mahnke, August 2007–January 2008, collected in Black Adam: The Dark Age, tpb, 144 pages, 2008, ISBN 1-4012-1786-9)
Infinite Halloween Special, one-shot, "The 13 Stories of Halloween" (with among other artists, October 2007)
Green Lantern Corps vol. 2 #18–46 (November 2007–April 2010)
"The Sinestro Corps War: Hammer to Fall" (with Patrick Gleason and Jamal Igle, in #18, 2007) collected in Green Lantern: The Sinestro Corps War vol. 2 (hc, 192 pages, 2008, ISBN 1-4012-1800-8)
Ring Quest (tpb, 144 pages, 2008, ISBN 1-4012-1975-6) collects:
"Liberty's Light" (with Patrick Gleason, in #19, 2007)
"Ring Quest" (with Patrick Gleason and Carlos Magno, in #20, #23–26, 2008)
Sins of the Star Sapphire (tpb, 144 pages, 2009, ISBN 1-4012-2273-0) collects:
"Eye of the Beholder" (with Luke Ross, in #27–28, 2008)
"Sins of the Star Sapphire: Love on the Air" (with Patrick Gleason, in #29, 2008)
"Sins of the Star Sapphire: Empty Handed Heart" (with Patrick Gleason, in #30–31, 2008)
"Sins of the Star Sapphire: Hearts and Minds" (with Patrick Gleason, in #32, 2009)
Emerald Eclipse (hc, 160 pages, 2009, ISBN 1-4012-2528-4) collects:
"Emerald Eclipse" (with Patrick Gleason, in #33–38, 2009)
Blackest Night (hc, 264 pages, 2010, ISBN 1-4012-2788-0) collects:
"Fade to Black" (with Patrick Gleason, in #39, 2009)
"Heart of Darkness" (with Patrick Gleason, in #40, 2009)
"Hungry Heart" (with Patrick Gleason, in #41–42, 2009)
"Red Badge of Rage" (with Patrick Gleason, in #43–44, 2009-2010)
"Red Dawn" (with Patrick Gleason, in #45, 2010)
"Black Dawn" (with Patrick Gleason, in #46, 2010)
"Goodbye Darkness" (with Patrick Gleason, in #47, 2010)
Nightwing vol. 2 #140–153 (January 2008–February 2009)
Freefall (tpb, 168 pages, 2008, ISBN 1-4012-1965-9) collects:
"Freefall" (with Rags Morales and Don Kramer, in #140–146, 2008)
The Great Leap (tpb, 192 pages, 2009, ISBN 1-4012-2171-8) collects:
"The Great Leap" (with Don Kramer and Rags Morales, in #147–150, 2008)
"The Great Leap Epilogue: ...And Into the Black" (with Doug Mahnke, in #151, 2008)
"Eminence Front" (with Don Kramer, in #152, 2009)
"Black Dawn" (with Don Kramer, in #153, 2009)
"Origins & Omens" (with Joe Bennet, in #153, 2009)
Final Crisis: Requiem, one-shot (with Doug Mahnke, July 2008)
Justice Society of America Kingdom Come Special: Magog, one-shot, "Magog: The Real Me" (with Fernando Pasarin, November 2008)
Outsiders vol. 4 #15–25 (February 2009–December 2009)
The Deep (tpb, 192 pages, 2009, ISBN 1-4012-2502-0) collects:
"The Deep" (with Lee Garbett and Fernando Pasarin, in #15–20, 2009)
"Origins & Omens" (with Lee Garbett, in #15, 2009)
The Hunt (tpb, 144 pages, 2010, ISBN 1-4012-2716-3) collects:
"The Hunt" (with Fernando Pasarin, in #21–23, 2009)
"Matter of Trust" (with Fernando Pasarin, in #24, 2009)
"Turn to Stone" (with Fernando Pasarin and Derec Donovan, in #25, 2009)
The Mighty #1–12 (February 2009–January 2010)
The Mighty (tpb, 304 pages, 2014, ISBN 1-61655-502-5) collects:
"The New World" (with Keith Champagne and Peter Snejbjerg, in #1, 2009)
"New Blood" (with Keith Champagne and Peter Snejbjerg, in #2, 2009)
"Dirge" (with Keith Champagne and Peter Snejbjerg, in #3, 2009)
"Everybody Pays" (with Keith Champagne and Peter Snejbjerg, in #4, 2009)
"World Gone Wrong" (with Keith Champagne and Chris Samnee, in #5, 2009)
"Blue Moon" (with Keith Champagne and Chris Samnee, in #6, 2009)
"Ring of Fire" (with Keith Champagne and Chris Samnee, in #7, 2009)
"Wide Awake" (with Keith Champagne and Chris Samnee, in #8, 2009)
"Chums" (with Keith Champagne and Chris Samnee, in #9, 2009)
"Gates of Eden" (with Keith Champagne and Chris Samnee, in #10, 2009)
"Twilight of the God" (with Keith Champagne and Chris Samnee, in #11, 2009)
"And in the End" (with Keith Champagne and Chris Samnee, in #12, 2010)
Blackest Night: Tales of the Corps limited series (July 2009)
Blackest Night: Tales of the Corps (hc, 176 pages, 2010, ISBN 1-4012-2807-0) collects:
"Tales of the Sinestro Corps: Mongul - For Your Love" (with Chris Samnee, in #1, 2009)
"Tales of the Orange Lanterns: Blume Godhead" (with Tom Mandrake, in #2, 2009)
"Tales of the Green Lantern Corps: Kilowog in New Blood" (with Chris Samnee, in #3, 2009)
"Tales of the Green Lantern Corps: Arisia in Daddy's Girl" (with Mike Mayhew, in #3, 2009)
Blackest Night: Batman limited series (August 2009–October 2009)
Blackest Night: Black Lantern Corps (hc, 256 pages, 2010, ISBN 1-4012-2784-8) collects:
"Who Burns Who" (with Ardian Syaf, in #1–3, 2009)
The Phantom Stranger vol. 2 #42, "Deadman Walking" (with Ardian Syaf, January 2010)
Brightest Day #0–24 (April 2010–April 2011)
Volume 1 (hc, 256 pages, 2010, ISBN 1-4012-2966-2) collects:
"Carpe Diem" (with Geoff Johns and Fernando Pasarin, in #0, 2010)
"Second Chances" (with among other artists, in #1, 2010)
"Nuclear Options" (with among other artists, in #2, 2010)
"Revelations" (with among other artists, in #3, 2010)
"Tresholds" (with among other artists, in #4, 2010)
"Under Pressure" (with among other artists, in #5, 2010)
"Dead Zone" (with among other artists, in #6, 2010)
"The Secret of Life, Part One" (with among other artists, in #7, 2010)
Volume 2 (hc, 240 pages, 2011, ISBN 1-4012-3083-0) collects:
"The Secret of Life, Part Two" (with among other artists, in #8, 2010)
"Lost & Found" (with among other artists, in #9, 2010)
"A Change is Gonna Come" (with among other artists, in #10, 2010)
"Father's Day" (with among other artists, in #11, 2010)
"All This Useless Beauty" (with among other artists, in #12, 2010)
"Under a Blood Red Sky" (with among other artists, in #13, 2010)
"Acrobats" (with Geoff Johns, Ivan Reis and Joe Prado, in #14, 2010)
"Whatever happened to the Manhunter from Mars?" (with Geoff Johns, Patrick Gleason and Scott Clark, in #15, 2010)
"Short Fuse" (with among other artists, in #16, 2010)
Volume 3 (hc, 280 pages, 2012, ISBN 1-4012-3216-7) collects:
"Homecoming" (with among other artists, in #17, 2011)
"Easy Come Easy Go" (with among other artists, in #18, 2011)
"Aquawar, Part One" (with among other artists, in #19, 2011)
"Aquawar, Part Two" (with Geoff Johns, Ivan Reis and Joe Prado, in #20, 2011)
"Mars Attacks" (with among other artists, in #21, 2011)
"The End and The Beginning" (with among other artists, in #22, 2011)
"Rise and Fall" (with among other artists, in #23, 2011)
"Brightest Day" (with among other artists, in #24, 2011)
Green Lantern: Emerald Warriors #1–13 (August 2010–August 2011)
Volume 1 (hc, 176 pages, 2011, ISBN 1-4012-3079-2) collects:
"Last Will" (with Fernando Pasarin, in #1, 2010)
"Last Will: Lie of the Mind" (with Fernando Pasarin, in #2–3, 2010)
"Last Will: No Mercy" (with Fernando Pasarin, in #4, 2010)
"Last Will" (with Fernando Pasarin, in #5–6, 2010–2011)
"Last Will: Seeing Red" (with Fernando Pasarin, in #7, 2011)
Green Lantern: War of the Green Lanterns (hc, 272 pages, 2011, ISBN 1-4012-3234-5) collects:
"War of the Green Lanterns: Part 3" (with Fernando Pasarin, in #8, 2011)
"War of the Green Lanterns: Part 6" (with Fernando Pasarin, in #9, 2011)
"War of the Green Lanterns: Part 9" (with Fernando Pasarin, in #10, 2011)
War of the Green Lanterns: Aftermatch
"Rest and Relaxation" (with Bernard Chang, in #11, 2011)
"The Beast" (with Chris Batista, in #12, 2011)
"2011: A Space Oddity" (with Ron Frenz, in #13, 2011)
Superman/Batman #75, "We can be Heroes" (with Gene Ha, August 2010)
Batman and Robin vol. 1 #20–22 (February–April 2011)
"Dark Knight vs. White Knight: Tree of Blood" (with Patrick Gleason, in #20–22, 2011) collected in Dark Knight Vs. White Knight (hc, 208 pages, 2012, ISBN 1-4012-3373-2)
Green Lantern Super Spectacular, "New Blood" (with Chris Samnee, May 2011)
Green Lantern Movie Prequel: Kilowog, one-shot, "To Build a Better Lantern" (with Carlos Ferreira, July 2011)
Green Lantern Corps vol. 3 #1–20 (September 2011–May 2013)
Volume 1: Fearsome (hc, 160 pages, 2012, ISBN 1-4012-3701-0) collects:
"Triumph of the Will" (with Fernando Pasarin, in #1, 2011)
"Willful" (with Fernando Pasarin, in #2, 2011)
"Force of Will" (with Geraldo Borges, in #3, 2011)
"Prisoners of War" (with Fernando Pasarin, in #4, 2011)
"Mean Machine" (with Fernando Pasarin, in #5, 2012)
"Fearsome" (with Fernando Pasarin, in #6, 2012)
"Rendering Honor" (with Claude St. Aubin, in #7, 2012)
Volume 2: Alpha War (hc, 192 pages, 2013, ISBN 1-4012-4012-7) collects:
"Alpha War" (with Fernando Pasarin, in #8, 2012)
"Alpha War: Tried and True" (with Fernando Pasarin, in #9, 2012)
"Alpha War: Executioner's Song" (with Fernando Pasarin, in #10, 2012)
"Alpha-War: Brilliant Mistakes" (with Fernando Pasarin, in #11, 2012)
"The Conclusion of Alpha Wars: Meditations in Green" (with Fernando Pasarin, in #12, 2012)
"Freshman" (with Fernando Pasarin, in #0, 2012)
Volume 3: Willpower (hc, 256 pages, 2013, ISBN 1-4012-4407-6) collects:
"Rise of the Third Army: Torn" (with Carlos Urbano, in #13, 2012)
"Rise of the Third Army: Nothing Man" (with Fernando Pasarin, in #14, 2012)
"Rise of the Third Army: Falling Star" (with Fernando Pasarin, in #15, 2012)
"Rise of the Third Army: Bad Guys" (with Fernando Pasarin, in #16, 2013)
"Rise of the Third Army: Rise of the First Lantern" (with ChrisCross, in Annual #1, 2013)
"Wrath of the First Lantern Part 2: Decimated" (with Fernando Pasarin, in #17, 2013)
"Wrath of the First Lantern Part 6: Pieces of You" (with ChrisCross, in #18, 2013)
"Wrath of the First Lantern Part 10: Willing" (with Fernando Pasarin, in #19, 2013)
"Wrath of the First Lantern Epiligue: Coda" (with Fernando Pasarin, in #20, 2013)
Batman and Robin vol. 2 #1–40, 23.1, Annual #1–2 (September 2011–March 2015)
Volume 1: Born to Kill (hc, 192 pages, 2012, ISBN 1-4012-3487-9) collects:
"Born to Kill" (with Patrick Gleason, in #1, 2011)
"Bad Blood" (with Patrick Gleason, in #2, 2011)
"Knightmoves" (with Patrick Gleason, in #3, 2011)
"Matter of Trust" (with Patrick Gleason, in #4, 2011)
"Mutineer" (with Patrick Gleason, in #5, 2012)
"The Real Me" (with Patrick Gleason, in #6, 2012)
"Driven" (with Patrick Gleason, in #7, 2013)
"Born to Kill: Black Dawn" (with Patrick Gleason, in #8, 2013)
Volume 2: Pearl (hc, 176 pages, 2013, ISBN 1-4012-4089-5) collects:
"Someday Never Comes" (with Patrick Gleason, in #0, 2012)
"Night of the Owls: Robin Hears a Hoo" (with Lee Garbett and Andy Clarke, in #9, 2012)
"Terminus: Scar of the Bat" (with Patrick Gleason, in #10, 2012)
"Terminus Branded" (with Patrick Gleason, in #11, 2012)
"Terminus: Last Gasp" (with Patrick Gleason, in #12, 2012)
"Eclipsed" (with Patrick Gleason and Tomás Giorello, in #13, 2012)
"Devoured" (with Patrick Gleason and Tomás Giorello, in #14, 2012)
Volume 3: Death of the Family (hc, 160 pages, 2013, ISBN 1-4012-4268-5) collects:
"Little Big Man" (with Patrick Gleason, in #15, 2012)
"Cast a Giant Shadow" (with Patrick Gleason, in #16, 2013)
"Life Is But A Dream" (with Patrick Gleason, in #17, 2013)
"The Punchline" (by Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo, in Batman #17, 2013)
"Batman Impossible" (with Ardian Syaf, in Annual #1, 2013)
Volume 4: Requiem for Damian (hc, 176 pages, 2014, ISBN 1-4012-4618-4) collects:
"Undone" (with Patrick Gleason, in #18, 2013)
"Denial" (with Patrick Gleason, in #19, 2013)
"Rage" (with Patrick Gleason and Cliff Richards, in #20, 2013)
"The Bargain" (with Cliff Richards, in #21, 2013)
"Despair" (with Patrick Gleason, in #22, 2013)
"Acceptance" (with Patrick Gleason, in #23, 2013)
Volume 5: The Big Burn (hc, 176 pages, 2014, ISBN 1-4012-5059-9) collects:
"A Tale of Two Faces" (with Guillem March, in #23.1: Two-Face, 2013)
"The Big Burn: First Strike" (with Patrick Gleason, in #24, 2013)
"The Big Burn: Sparks" (with Patrick Gleason, in #25, 2013)
"The Big Burn: Ignition" (with Patrick Gleason, in #26, 2013)
"The Big Burn: Ablaze" (with Patrick Gleason, in #27, 2014)
"The Big Burn: Inferno" (with Patrick Gleason, in #28, 2014)
"Batman and Robin: Week One" (with Doug Mahnke, in Annual #2, 2014)
Volume 6: The Hunt for Robin (hc, 256 pages, 2015, ISBN 1-4012-5334-2) collects:
"Devil and the Deep Blue Sea" (with Patrick Gleason, in #29, 2014)
"Paradise and Wonder" (with Patrick Gleason, in #30, 2014)
"City of Cold" (with Doug Mahnke, in #31, 2014)
"Dark of the Son" (with Patrick Gleason, in #32, 2014)
"Red Dawn Omega" (with Andy Kubert, in Robin Rises: Omega, 2014)
"Robin Rises: Cold Justice" (with Patrick Gleason, in #33, 2014)
"Robin Rises: Ties That Bind" (with Patrick Gleason, in #34, 2014)
Volume 7: Robin Rises (hc, 240 pages, 2015, ISBN 1-4012-5677-5) collects:
"Robin Rises: Hellbound" (with Patrick Gleason, in #35, 2014)
"Robin Rises: Chaos" (with Patrick Gleason, in #36, 2014)
"Black Hole Son" (with Patrick Gleason, in #37, 2014)
"Robin Rises: Alpha" (with Andy Kubert, in Robin Rises: Alpha, 2014)
"Superpower: Fly Robin Fly" (with Patrick Gleason, in #38, 2015)
"Superpower: Boy Wonder" (with Patrick Gleason, in #39, 2015)
"Superpower: The Dynamic Duo" (with Patrick Gleason, in #40, 2015)
"Moonshot" (with Juan José Ryp, in Annual #3, 2015)
"A Boy's Life" (with Ian Bertram, in Secret Origins vol. 3 #4, 2014)
G.I. Combat vol. 2 #5–7, "Mettle" (with Howard Chaykin, October–December 2012) collected in Volume 1: The War That Time Forgot (tpb, 256 pages, 2013, ISBN 1-4012-3853-X)
Batman vol. 2 #23.4: Bane, "Dark Destiny" (with Graham Nolan, September 2013)
Detective Comics vol. 2 #23.3, 27, 45–46, 48-52 (September 2013–July 2016)
"City of Fear" (with Szymon Kudranski, in #23.3: The Scarecrow, 2013)
"Better Days" (with Ian Bertram, in #27, 2014) collected in Volume 5: Gothtopia (tpb, 208 pages, 2008, ISBN 1-4012-5466-7)
Volume 8: Blood of Heroes (hc, 192 pages, 2016, ISBN 1-4012-6355-0) collects:
"Of Giants and Men" (with Marcio Takara, in #45, 2015)
"Blood on Blood" (with Marcio Takara, in #46, 2015)
Volume 9: Gordon at War (hc, 176 pages, 2016, ISBN 1-4012-6923-0) collects:
"The Bronze Age - Blood of Heroes" (with Fernando Pasarin, in #48, 2016)
"The Bronze Age - Salt of the Earth" (with Fernando Pasarin, in #49, 2016)
"The Bronze Age - Martyrs and Madmen" (with Fernando Pasarin and Scot Eaton, in #50, 2016)
"Our Gordon At War" (with Fernando Pasarin, in #51, 2016)
"Untitled" (with Fernando Pasarin, in #52, 2016)
Forever Evil: Arkham War #1–6 (limited series) (October 2013–April 2014)
Forever Evil: Arkham War (tpb, 200 pages, 2014, ISBN 1-4012-4940-X) collects:
"Arkham War: Batman Death March" (Scot Eaton, in #1, 2013)
"Arkham War: The Bane Mutiny" (Scot Eaton, in #2, 2013)
"Arkham War: Das Bat!" (Scot Eaton, in #3, 2013)
"Arkham War: Empire of the Bat" (Scot Eaton, in #4, 2014)
"Arkham War: Evolution" (Scot Eaton, in #5, 2014)
"Arkham War: World War Gotham" (Scot Eaton, in #6, 2014)
"Batman vs. Bane: Black Dawn" (Scot Eaton, in Forever Evil Aftermath: Batman vs. Bane, 2014)
Superman/Wonder Woman #13–29 (November 2014–July 2016)
Volume 3: Casualties of War (hc, 144 pages, 2015, ISBN 1-4012-5768-2) collects:
"Battlefield of Love" (with Doug Mahnke, in #13, 2014)
"All that Burns" (with Doug Mahnke, in #14, 2014)
"Dark Testament" (with Dough Mahnke and Ed Benes, in #15, 2015)
"Vengeance So Dear" (with Dough Mahnke and Ed Benes, in #16, 2015)
"Casualties of War" (with Dough Mahnke and Ed Benes, in #17, 2015)
Volume 4: Dark Truth (hc, 192 pages, 2016, ISBN 1-4012-6322-4) collects:
"Dark Truth" (with Dough Mahnke, in #18–20, 2015)
"Lies" (with Dough Mahnke, in #21, 2015)
"Heart of the Sun" (with Dough Mahnke, in #22, 2015)
"Ravenous" (with Dough Mahnke, in #23, 2015)
"Power Hungry" (with Dough Mahnke, Ardian Syaf and Tom Derenick in #24, 2015)
Volume 5: A Savege End (hc, 208 pages, 2016, ISBN 1-4012-6545-6) collects:
"A God Somewhere" (with Dough Mahnke, in #25, 2016)
"Skyfall" (with Dough Mahnke, in #26, 2016)
"Slam Bang" (with Cliff Richards, in #27, 2016)
"The Final Days of Superman, Part 4: Last Kiss" (with Ed Benes, in #28, 2016)
"The Final Days of Superman, Part 7: Fire Line" (with Jorge Jiménez, in #29, 2016)
Batman: Arkham Knight #1–12, Annual #1 (March 2015–December 2015)
Volume 1 (hc, 144 pages, 2015, ISBN 1-4012-5804-2) collects:
"Death of a Rival" (with Viktor Bogdanovic, in #1, 2015)
"The Last Will and Testament of the Joker" (with Viktor Bogdanovic, in #2, 2015)
"You Can Fight City Hall" (with Ig Guara, in #3, 2015)
"Need for Speed" (with Robson Rocha, in #4, 2015)
"Roadkill" (with Viktor Bogdanovic, in #4, 2015)
"Bane of Existence" (with Viktor Bogdanovic and Ig Guara, in #5-6, 2015)
Volume 2 (hc, 144 pages, 2016, ISBN 1-4012-6067-5) collects:
"Who Wants To Kill A Billionaire?" (with Viktor Bogdanovic and Ig Guara, in #7-8, 2015)
"Suicide Blues" (with Ig Guara and Viktor Bogdanovic, in #9, 2015)
"Burning the Days" (with Ig Guara and Viktor Bogdanovic, in #10, 2015)
"Scare Tactics" (with Ig Guara and Viktor Bogdanovic, in #11-12, 2015-2016)
"Fear City" (with Stephen Segovia, in Annual #1, September 2015)
"The Apprentice" (with Robson Rocha, in Robin Special, November 2015)
Batman: Arkham Knight Genesis (six-issue limited series, with Alisson Borges and Dexter Soy, August 2015–January 2016, collected in Batman: Arkham Knight Genesis, hc, 144 pages, 2016, ISBN 1-4012-6066-7)
Justice League: Darkseid War: Batman, one-shot, "God Only Knows" (with Fernando Pasarin, October 2015)
Superman Annual #3, "Savage Dawn" (with various artists, December 2015) collected in Superman: Savage Dawn (hc, 200 pages, 2016, ISBN 1-4012-7004-2)
Superman vol. 3 #51-52 (with Mikel Janín and Miguel Sepulveda, June–July 2016)
Action Comics vol. 2 #51–52 (with Paul Pelletier, Dale Eaglesham and Scot Eaton, June–July 2016)
Batman/Superman #31–32 (with Doug Mahnke, June–July 2016)
Superman vol. 4 #1–present, Annual #1 (with Patrick Gleason, August 2016–present)
Super Sons #1–present (with Jorge Jimenez, April 2017–present)
Peter Tomasi is the writer of the acclaimed miniseries The Light Brigade as well as having written stories for Outsiders and JSA Classified.
Photo by Luigi Novi [CC BY 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0) or CC BY 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons.
Interview: Peter J. Tomasi Relives the Death of SUPERMAN
Interviews Top Stories
April 13, 2016
The DC Universe is well on its way to being reborn, but we have at least one funeral for a friend to attend first. As the New 52 bids farewell, so too will the New 52 Superman. Helming the 8-part crossover event in the final issues of Superman, Batman/Superman, Superman/Wonder Woman, and Action Comics is writer Peter J. Tomasi. But he has a few tricks up his sleeve before (this) Clark says goodbye for the last time.
Tomasi sat down with Comicosity to share insight on today’s Batman/Superman #31, part two of “Super League,” and to illuminate how the Clark Kent we’ve known is preparing for death with his closest Super-Friends around him: Batman, Lois Lane, and Supergirl.
Interior art by Mikel Janin
Matt Santori-Griffith: You’ve had a bit of the New 52 Superman under your belt with a run on Superman/Wonder Woman. Who is that character for you, in contrast to all the other iterations we’ve seen?
Peter J. Tomasi: I really think the New 52 Superman is very similar to the Supermen who have come before. But in my mind, as I write him in Superman/Wonder Woman — and here in the death and “The Final Days of Superman” — he’s a bit more headstrong. He definitely has a bit more attitude. And he’s quicker to rely on physicality to get what he wants.
Sometimes he lets his heart rule over his head, and reacts quicker than he should in certain situations. Like, for instance, with Parasite. I know fans were complaining there that he was taking the villain to town a little too much. But you know, Parasite’s only killed a couple hundred people. [laughs] Superman is trying to stop that from happening again.
He’s just got a little bit of different style than the Supermen that have come before him. A little more impulsive. And I’ve really enjoyed playing with that. I feel like he’s been played a certain way in the past, which is great, but at least when I was writing him, there had to be something to make the New 52 Superman feel different.
Because he was different. I enjoyed writing that part of him.
MSG: Of course, this is not the first Death of Superman story…
PJT: It’s not?!?! When was he killed before?!?! [laughs]
Interior art by Doug Mahnke
MSG: Ha ha! Yes! But the set-up you have going in the first two parts of “Super League” is a very different scenario: we know he’s dying. How do you go about setting up this story, knowing that we’ve already had this other moment before?
PJT: It was just important to look at it differently. As you’ll see in the next couple chapters, it’s not a massive slam-bam action story. It’s really more about a character arc for him and seeing how it ripples across the core Superman characters and the DCU.
It was important for me to wear my heart on my sleeve with this story and not make it as bombastic as the death of an important main character can be. It’s been done, and it’s been done incredibly well. I didn’t want to tread on ground that been traveled that way. I just wanted to build up something that maybe hadn’t been done before. And it was important that it embraced the smaller moments of the build-up, rather than go over the top.
Interior art by Doug Mahnke
MSG: Looking at today’s issue, Batman and Superman have had many iterations to their relationship over 77 years. How would you define this one now?
PJT: It’s a big mosh-pit of stuff between this Batman and Superman. It would be hard to ignore what’s come before, but if you even just look at what happened in the beginning of the New 52, these guys have fought together to the ends of the earth. To Apokolips and beyond. It’s a relationship that deepens quickly all the time.
The thing is, they both respected each other right off the bat. Sure, they had some qualms and some issues, but these are both veterans — two soldiers in a war. They respect each other and like each other. It’s just a question of running into some speed bumps over time, over morals or ethics, or how they handle certain situations.
Batman and Superman are very different in how they approach things, but for me, it’s just easy to write them emotionally together. It’s one of those easy fits. I love when they’re just in a room talking to each other and laying out how they really feel. In their own distinct ways, of course. Not everyone is as open with each other as everyone else. Batman obviously won’t start crying when Superman tells him he can’t be saved, but it’s the way Batman reacts to this stuff that makes it really cool.
They’re both great characters that can handle these emotional roller coaster moments. It’s always fun to write that stuff.
MSG: One of the most interesting moments in today’s Batman/Superman is that Alfred can say the thing that Bruce can’t.
PJT: Exactly. That’s showing the closeness between Bruce and Alfred without the two even talking to each other. Bruce feeds off of Alfred and Alfred feeds off of Bruce. At that moment, Alfred understands what Bruce is going through, and that simple thank you speaks volumes. It’s from Alfred’s heart, but it’s also from the hearts of the people of Earth.
Interior art by Doug Mahnke
MSG: This issue is drawn by Doug Mahnke, but you’re working with an entire team of amazing artists, Doug included. Mikel Janin, Ed Benes, and Paul Pelletier… How are you writing for Doug differently than the other three?
PJT: You know, Doug and I go way back. We did Black Adam together and the Martian Manhunter Final Crisis: Requiem issue. I know Doug can pull off those emotional scenes I ask for. He’s got those humanistic scenes nailed. Any kind of personal stuff — Doug can handle it in such a quiet, emotional way. He can give me what I want without missing a beat.
Doug can do the crazy action stuff, and the smaller, human moments equally. It’s really important in a story like this.
MSG: The lead-in to the next issue sees Supergirl being brought into the fold. And like with Batman and all the others, Superman and Supergirl have a very distinct relationship in the New 52. How are you using this moment to transition Supergirl into the future?
PJT: Supergirl was an obvious piece of the puzzle for the story. He goes to Batman to tell him what’s happening with his physical health, but also to get the greatest detective to help him find Kara. He’s getting weaker and can’t do everything he needs to. He goes to Bruce to help him bring Supergirl into the fold. He needs to impress upon her now that as the last Kryptonian, she needs to take the baton and be there — not just for a small segment of her city — but for the world.
She needs to be that person with the S who can shine. To show that the S has always been there and always will be.
Interior art by Mikel Janin
MSG: The last thing I would ask is this: we have seen Superman reconnect with Lois Lane, which is something that generally has been less of a focus in the New 52. How do you see that relationship now and what kind of things should we be looking out for over the course of the next few issues?
PJT: I think that opening salvo at the end of Superman #51 should be a strong clue as to how readers should think about Superman and Lois Lane from here on out.
I just wanted to make sure that these two were back to their core template in a way. They’re not attacking each other. They’re not enemies. They’re close. They’re tight. They’re best friends and co-workers. And they care about each other. And from this point on, I wanted everyone to understand where things are in the aftermath of “Truth” and “Savage Dawn.”
Lois got put through the ringer, but only by putting characters through the wringer do you get drama sometimes. But I wanted to make sure that, coming out of that, people understood Lois and Clark are tight again and only have better things on the horizon together.
MSG: Great! I just wanted to comment (and I believe our reviewer did, as well) that I’ve heard so many fans talk about Superman #51 as THE best portrayal of Superman in the New 52 ever. People have been blown away.
PJT: I appreciate that! It’s fun to write a big story like this and see people’s reactions and how they get pulled along with it. It’s really nice to see that reaction.
“Super League” continues with part 2 in Batman/Superman #31 today, and runs through the last week of May in every Superman family title.
Interview: Comic book writer Peter J. Tomasi on the Arkham Knight Prequel comic
News
Jul 21, 2015
by:Paul Semel
With the new Batman: Arkham Knight being set a year after the events of Batman: Arkham City, you might be wondering what happened in Gotham during those intervening twelve months. Turns out, quite a lot. At least according to Batman: Arkham Knight, a prequel comic series penned by Peter J. Tomasi (Batman and Robin). With the first collected edition, Batman: Arkham Knight: Volume 1, now available in hardcover and digitally — and with the former including a code so PS4 and Xbox players can have their Caped Crusader wear an exclusive Batman Inc. outfit — we spoke to Tomasi about where the story came from, as well as the unique challenges of writing a comic that’s based on a game that’s based on a comic.
GameCrate: What is the story you’re telling in Batman: Arkham Knight: Volume 1, and how does it connect to the story they’re telling in the game?
Peter: It’s a prequel to the game, though it’s also a way for new readers to get into the world of the game. It centers on Batman and the usual cast of characters, and how the death of The Joker has reverberated and how the ripples of that have affected Batman and Gotham. But it also shows how Batman is different in the Arkham universe than he is in the regular comics.
Batman Arkham Knight 04.jpg
GC: And does this comic connect with the previous Arkham comics, like Arkham Unhinged?
P: It does. But since it’s been a couple years since those comics were released, and especially with the new game coming out and new readers coming on board, our mission was to really make it feel that you could come into this series cold, you didn’t have to read anything else, to understand what’s going on.
GC: Where did the idea for the story come from? Was it yours, did it come from the game’s developers, Rocksteady…
P: It’s actually been really great because I thought it was going to be more, “Here’s the plate, here’s all the food, here you go,” where it’s actually been the exact opposite. Alex said to me, “We’re doing the game, we want to do a prequel to it, what do you got?” So I came up with a bunch of ideas and the plot, DC loved it, they threw it to Rocksteady, and I got the approval on it with some very minor tweaks. When you do this sort of thing, you always expect that there’s going to be a lot of hurdles. But it’s actually been incredibly smooth and really enjoyable to work on.
GC: How much of the game’s story did they tell you before you started working on the comic?
P: I basically received an outline of the game, and a list of what I could couldn’t do and who I couldn’t show. But it was more of like, “What do you want to do, Peter?” “I want to do this.” “Okay, great, go ahead.” There were probably two or three occasions where I had some idea and they were like, “No, we’re doing something like that in the game.” But they always told me that early, so I didn’t spend days working on something only to find out I had to take it out.
Batman Arkham Knight 02.jpg
GC: Normally, a comic book based on a video game is only beholden to the story of that game. But since your Arkham Knight comic is based on a video game that’s based on a comic, were you beholden to all of the comics as well? Like, if you wanted to make Oracle a big Rush fan, which she’s never been in the comics, could you have gotten away with that?
P: Ha! I don’t know about being that specific. Though I’d like to make her a Rush fan because I’m a Rush fan. But having played the previous games, it was easy for me to use them as a foundation to build upon. Especially since the characterizations and the designs of the characters are so good in the games.
GC: Batman: Arkham Knight: Volume 1 collects the first six issues of the comic. But I assume, since there’s a “Volume 1” in the name, that this series doesn’t end at issue 6, right?
P: Correct, there’s a lot more chapters to go. There’s at least another two volumes.
Batman Arkham Knight 05.jpg
GC: Once the prequel series is done, are there any plans to do more comics, maybe set during the same timeframe as the game, or afterwards?
P: We’ve been talking about that recently. I can’t say anything about it, obviously, but it would be fun to continue.
GC: Finally, if it was up to you, what game would you most want to write a prequel comic book about?
P: Hmm…there’s a lot of cool ones. I’m looking at the stuff I’ve been playing with my son: Red Dead Redemption, Destiny, Titanfall, Call of Duty, Assassin’s Creed…yeah, I think Assassin’s Creed. Being a history nut, that’s a game I really love playing, so that would be a lot of fun.
Exclusive Interview: Peter Tomasi on Batman & Robin
Tomasi tells about Batman's reaction to the loss of his son and hints at Damien Wayne's return.
image: http://www.craveonline.com/images/stories/2011/iann.jpg
by Iann RobinsonOct 31st, 2014
image: http://cdn2-www.craveonline.com/assets/uploads/2014/10/Robin-Lives-Preview.jpg
Damien Wayne was not always a beloved character. Damien was rude, spoiled, and even mean spirited, Batman’s son was almost as reviled as Jason Todd. But over time, and with some wonderful writing, Damien was embraced and even beloved by the Bat-Masses. Part of that is due to Peter J. Tomasi, the man who wrote the last several years of DC’s Batman & Robin comic book series.
When Damien Wayne’s creator, Grant Morrison, decided to kill him off, fewer people were hit harder than Tomasi. He had a book that featured Robin prominently in the title and inside every issue. But Tomasi picked up the pieces and created a line of fill-in heroes to continue his team book, but there was never another Robin. Cue Robin Rises, a storyline involving Batman and what seems to be the return of his son from beyond the grave.
During my visit to New York Comic Con, I got to sit down with Tomasi and discuss all things Robin.
image: http://cdn3-www.craveonline.com/assets/uploads/2014/10/Robin-Lives.jpg
CraveOnline: The first question is the obvious one. When did you decide to perhaps bring Robin/Damien back?
Peter J. Tomasi: When Damien died, there was talk of just how to bring a Robin back into the fold. Obviously I was writing a Batman & Robin book and so I was curious how I would get an actual Robin into the book book. I also wanted to explore what this was doing to Batman
How do you write from the perspective of someone who has lost a child?
It was key to just start peeling back the layers of Batman’s weakness and strengths, and see how a death like this would effect him so soon after he really started to know this kid. That’s what it boils down to. The relationship was in its infant stages and to have it explode on him with this death, it really allowed us to dive into who Batman is as a character.
What did you find in that exploration?
We got to see Batman do things he’s never done before, like kidnapping Frankenstein and trying to bring back the dead. I wanted people to say ‘Wow, I would never think Batman would do something like that.” It’s been 75 years, you want to show him doing things that might surprise you, and his reaction after Robin’s death is a big surprise. He’s suffered such a huge loss and you want to see a man pushed to and edge me may not come back from.
When Grant Morrison decided to kill off Robin, how hard was that for you?
Honestly it was very easy for me. I was once an editor at DC, and actually brought Grant Morrison on board with Andy Kubert.
How did you swing that?
It was one of this things like ‘C’mon Grant you’re doing All-Star Superman, how awesome would it be if you did Batman too, and he said “I like that idea.” He had always planned to kill Damien, but it kept getting pushed back further and further so it became more a question of when is he going to die, and when is Grant going to feel comfortable doing it. When he finally decided to do it, it allowed us to then explore Batman’s reaction to the loss in a big way.
Before Robin Rises, Batman & Robin became a team book. Was that you biding time or did you want to do these specific characters?
It was me wanting to do those characters. I’d always wanted to write Aquaman, I wanted to write Wonder Woman. Frankenstein I had worked on with Secret Soldier, as an editor, and I loved the character. I got to use these characters to explore the loss, to act as mirrors to what Batman was enduring. Frankenstein especially since he’s somebody who had come back from the dead, and Batman’s interest in using that for Damien.
Will the arc between Frankenstein and Batman be revisited?
No, no more plans on Frankenstein at the moment. I love the character though, I could write a monthly book on him. That would be a lot of fun.
That would be awesome. In this new arc Batman returns to being a loner, even facing off against the Justice League. Is that Batman more fun to write than team Batman?
Yes and no. There’s part of the time you love to write Batman telling people off, especially heroes like Superman or Wonder Woman, but there’s also moments where you show the interpersonal stuff and mutual, equal respect.
Such as?
When I had Superman meet Batman at Damien’s grave at the back of Wayne Manor, you know Superman knows Batman is going to pull something, especially after Batman trying to reconcile the Bat-Family and telling them all about Apokolips, but Bruce is still Superman’s friend, somebody he cares about who has suffered a terrible tragedy. Batman knows Superman is concerned, but he’s going to do what he has to do to serve his means. That includes pulling the wool over Superman’s eyes, which Supes won’t like.
Speaking of the Bat-Family, you did a great job pushing the first steps of their reconciliation. Was that a tough scene to write?
I rewrote the dialog a gazillion times on that sequence. When I pitched the story of Robin Rises, my main focus was Robin, but my B-story was to bring the family back together.
Why?
I wanted to heal that fracture. It was easy to think about the scene but it was hard to write. Really, it comes off as well as it does because I have an artist like Pat Gleason who can pull the emotional stuff off so well. When I write a lot of dialog, and then Pat’s art comes in, I realize that he’s captured a lot of the emotion in the body language. Then I can trim my lines and let the art carry it. It was hard to pull together, but it’s good to have the family on the mend.
Will Batman & Robin continue to explore the healing of the family?
I’d really like it to. I think it is key to use them as touchstones of the loss and keep building on those pieces, bring them together in a firmer way. I mean, they haven’t forgotten everything, so it’s fragile, but as Robin Rises progresses you’ll see that strength really start to come together.
So why choose some place like Apokolips for Robin Rises? It was so out of left field.
To go into left field.(Laughs) If you look at where Batman exists on a regular basis, I wanted to blow that out of the box. To get it out of Gotham was important to me. We had already played with the idea of the Chaos Shard so we had the continuity. I knew we could feed that into the Robin Rises story and use it to get Batman to a grand stage like Apokolips with crazy shit you don’t usually see.
Any Robin secrets you can divulge?
I can blink it you in Morse code. (Laughs) I’m really hoping people are satisfied with how it all plays out. Pat and I are wearing our hearts on our sleeve, and we’re trying to do right by the characters. In the end, when there is a Batman & Robin, we hope the people will think it’s awesome.
Read more at http://www.craveonline.com/site/782539-exclusive-interview-peter-tomasi-batman-robin#hLXuPkRdatr2kU3L.99
Interview With Batman: Arkham Knight Writer Peter J. Tomasi
by Steve Lam2 years agoFollow @slamofsteel
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For the release of of Batman: Arkham Knight Vol. 1, which collects Batman: Arkham Knight #1 – #4, Bam Smack Pow was able to get an exclusive interview with DC Comics writer Peter J. Tomasi. A former editor himself, Tomasi transitioned to writing later on in his career and has worked on some of DC’s most coveted titles.
(Read More > Batman: Arkham Knight Vol. 1 Review)
Speaking to Mr. Tomasi, we gained some insights into how he developed Bruce Wayne and Batman so that the two egos were in line with what DC and Rocksteady were doing in the Arkham video game series. He also talks about what draws him to certain characters and the interesting challenges that motivate him.
Bam Smack Pow: Were you familiar with the overall Arkham video game series before writing the Batman: Arkham Knight comic prequel series?
Peter J. Tomasi: In the past, I’ve played all the video games in the Arkham series leading up to Batman: Arkham Knight. While Batman: Arkham Knight was in development, DC supplied me with some broad strokes in terms of what the video game was about. I was left with my own devices in coming up with a story and plot.
BSP: What was the inspiration for creating the plot point of Bruce Wayne’s conflict in either continuing to be Batman or focusing full-time on philanthropy to help clean up Gotham City?
PJT: I was inspired by focusing on the human factor of Batman. Interpersonal relationships and communication are my favorite things to develop for characters. I wanted to work on Bruce Wayne’s attachment to Gotham City and what it meant to him overall.
BSP: This Bruce Wayne is obviously someone who isn’t fresh, but he’s still not as world-weary as the one seen in the video game Batman: Arkham Knight. How did you come up with a middle-ground personality for this prequel? Was there any difficulty in striking a balance between the two?
PJT: I started with the Joker aspect of what happened. From there, it was pretty much impossible to keep Bruce Wayne as someone fresh to crime fighting. I also looked at what Rocksteady was doing to Batman. The angle I approached it was making Bruce a sort of veteran — you know, put him through the ringer. The events of Batman: Arkham City and what happened to the Joker weren’t going to go away quickly. Bruce is now a world-weary soldier.
(Read More > Batman: Arkham Knight Vol. 1 Review)
BSP: Did you know about the Arkham Knight’s real identity when you started writing the prequel? Or was it hidden to you also? Sort of like how Darth Vader being Anakin Skywalker was hidden from most of the cast of Star Wars.
PJT: I didn’t get it immediately. A few short weeks into writing, DC and Rocksteady revealed the identity and twist. I had to know what was going on in order to create certain plot points in the prequel. When I did find out, it was a surprise. I thought, “This is great!” The surprise was in line with what is established. So, as a writer, I had a lot of fun working on it and just running with it.
BSP: Who to you, out of Batman’s rogues gallery, was the most interesting villain to write in the Batman: Arkham Knight comic series?
PJT: Hmm. It was a lot of fun writing both Harley Quinn and Scarecrow. It was interesting to think of their psychological make-up based on the design of the overall video game series. Plus, I never had an opportunity to write Harley Quinn before. Even for the Scarecrow, I only had a limited chance on the Villains United run. So, I enjoyed going deeper into these characters and exploring them more in the Batman: Arkham Knight prequel series.
BSP: Any other takeaways you want the readers to know?
PJT: Yeah. We have some really great stuff coming up. There’s the new Batman: Arkham Knight – Genesis six-issue miniseries that’ll be released in August. It’s got some great artwork which really enhances the story. We also have something special for Robin. These are all exciting things we’re bringing to the fans soon.
Batman: Arkham Knight Vol. 1 is now out in comic book shops and available everywhere books are sold.
Peter J. Tomasi became a comics fan at a young age because of Batman comic books his father bought him, television shows such as the Super Friends animated series, and the 1960s Batman series. Of all the characters, Batman was the first superhero to enter his consciousness, and the first comic book whose creators he recognized. He cites the works of Denny O’Neill, Neal Adams, and Bob Haney as what attracted him to the character.
Tomasi started his career as an editor at DC in 1993. He worked on Green Lantern, multiple Batman titles, Aquaman, Hawkman, and JSA. He was also an occasional writer for multiple titles, including JSA, The Outsiders, Steel and The Light Brigade. He was later promoted to Senior Editor in 2003.
In 2007, Tomasi transitioned to writing full-time and began on the limited series Black Adam: The Dark Age. In 2008, he wrote Requiem which was a tribute to the fallen superhero Martian Manhunter. For fourteen issues, he worked on Nightwing until its cancellation in April 2009. From 2009 to 2011, he co-wrote, with Keith Champagne, The Mighty, and also worked on the Green Lantern Corps story arc The Blackest Night. From 2010 to 2011, he co-wrote , with Geoff Johns, the crossover story arc Brightest Day.
In 2011, Tomasi took over writing duties for Batman and Robin, writing the three-part Tree of Blood story arc. During this period, Tomasi became a regular writer on Green Lantern: Emerald Warriors and Outsiders. After The New 52 relaunch, he led writing duties on the relaunched volumes of Batman and Robin and Green Lantern Corps.
In February 2011, via an interview with Comic Book Resources, Tomasi stated that his then 8-year old son influenced his approach to writing the character of Damian Wayne in Batman and Robin.
Source: Comic Vine, DC Entertainment, Wikipedia
Entering Peter J. Tomasi’s House of Penance
Posted by Octavio Karbank April 15, 2016 0 Comments
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By Octavio Karbank
Peter J. Tomasi has worked on some iconic books over the years. From serving as an editor at DC Comics, to jumping to the other side of the desk and penning comics like Superman/Wonder Woman and Batman and Robin; the man has talent. Now comes his latest work from Dark Horse Comics: House of Penance. Coming out April 13, this Wednesday in fact, the story is a dark, creepy, and loads of fun! Here’s what Mr. Tomasi had to say about his newest comic book.
OK: What is House of Penance about?
Peter J. Tomasi: House of Penance is really about Sarah Winchester, heir to the Winchester Rifle fortune; it’s a complete story about obsessiveness and redemption. I think those are the two main themes. We watch this woman try to escape what she feels is a blood curse over her name, herself, and the family. She tries, in her own idiosyncratic way, to escape it and keep it at bay.
I haven’t read a lot of horror stuff in a while; I used to really love a lot of it. These days it seems that they tend to think it’s enough to just show some slice and dicing and that’s it. To me, a good horror story is really about character first. If you’re invested in those characters, as they go through something horrific, I think it ups the ante so much more
OK: How many issues will House of Penance be?
PT: It’s actually a six-issue series. I just look at it as a complete story about this woman, the house, and the characters that sort of inhabit the place. Right now, we’re in a great position where the artist is already done with the fifth issue. In terms of deadlines there won’t be any wait on the stands for this. People will be able to go and pick it up on schedule.
OK: What inspired the comic?
PT: It was one of those happenstance occurrences. I was up North in California, and we were visiting John Steinbeck’s house, this was many years ago, and during the course of the tour, one of the tourists mentioned they’d just come from the Sarah Winchester house in San Jose. They kept going on about it and I thought it sounded pretty cool. We drove to it the next day, but it was closed. Only many years later would I be able to take a personal tour of the house and really get Sarah’s hook into me at that point. After I first heard about the house, I started to look into it a little bit and always kept a little notebook with my ideas stuff in it, jotting down idea, themes, or characters that popped in my head. It’s sort of a constant, running idea of the story that kept kind of calling out to be written. I think when I was ready to really sit down and write it, it all came out and it was great and a lot of fun to write.
OK: With all the years you’ve spent on the story, has it become personal to you?
PT: Yeah, it definitely has. When you work on something that long, the characters start to get into you after awhile. In a weird way, I felt she was clawing at my brain to finally get that story out. I’ve heard some people want to do a movie on it, but they wanted to do it in the present day and only harken to the past. I thought it would be a shame not to set it in her time period and approach it from that angle. It’s cool, because when I went into the house, her personality really grabs you and you really feel it. It’s like a right hook to the head. The furniture, all the detail and carving and woodwork, the layout, with stairways to nowhere, and doors leading to three-story drops; it gives you a glimpse into this person’s mind and this obsessiveness. The way I look at it at least, it’s this person who’s also fearful, and running from something that she really thought was out to get her. In her mind, it had taken her husband and her child, earlier in her life. As the story builds and cool things get revealed, there are some real, true-to-life stuff that intrudes on the timeline; that is amazing. It almost felt like it was a perfect third act. There’s something huge that interests with her time and that house, it’s amazing!
OK: Other comics you’ve worked on, like Nightwing and Superman/Wonder Woman have some horror elements to them. Why the departure from superhero books and into horror?
PT: It sort of came to pass because I’m a big historical-fiction nut; I love history and reading about the past, especially American history. I’ve written a bunch of things, dealing with history, and even stuff I’ve written for DC, superhero-wise, had little tidbits here and there. In a book like Light Brigade, that I did a couple years ago, it was based in World War II and is another example of that. It’s nice to get out of the wheelhouse sometimes and try something else. I think it feeds each other, when you’re writing one particular thing for so long, going off and doing something completely different; helps to make you a better writer when you can mix it up.
OK: So how do you approach writer horror as opposed to something of the superhero or historical genre?
PT: The first thing I always start with, with any of them, is the character. I’m not a heavy plot person. It’s weird, I’ll have a beginning and ending and from there I let the characters take me on a journey. I have to say, that also happened with House of Penance too. There’s not a lot of historical record on Sarah Winchester, so I took the template of her life story and fictionalized it and added several distinct elements, like the character of Warren Peck. As a young kid, he was an army sniper, and then worked for the government. He basically got people off the land for manifest destiny purposes, be it Indians or settlers taking parts of the land they shouldn’t be on, and then having him also be on a quest for redemption. Him and Sarah are on two parallel tracks. In their minds, they’re both covered in blood and looking for penance and redemption. The house offers that in spades, obviously. One of the things I really enjoyed was all the “blamming”, as they call it; it’s all the work and construction on the house, 24/7, every day, every week, and around the clock, for thirty-eight years actually. All of that sounds like gunshots, the constant hammering, and all these workers are not just workers. I came up with the idea of them all looking for penance in their own way; looking for penance for blood they’ve spilled. They’ve sort of been drawn to the house as a beacon, as a lighthouse, that’s sort of calling to them to try and shed their sins and try to stop from drowning in the blood they’ve spilled over all those years.
OK: Was House of Penance written with a specific audience in mind?
PT: No, I don’t think so. I usually don’t have an audience in mind when I write stuff, like some writers do. It sounds a little old fashioned, but I think that if you spin a good yarn and try to tell a good story with people you can really be invested in, care about, and want to watch go through something, be it an adventure or journey, then I think that’s really it. I’m not the kind of person who limits their reading or their movie-going. If it’s good, I’m there. It’s crazy to limit oneself and not to immerse yourself in so much cool stuff that’s out there.
OK: You’ve gone from being a senior editor at DC Comics over to freelance writing. Can you talk about that?
PT: It was just sort of timing. I’d been writing while I was on staff, which was pretty rare. DC and Marvel were very different in that regard. I was lucky that there were several editors, Paul Levitz specially, who was very kind and let me write, because he knew that I wasn’t just doing it for a paycheck, but had a real passion for it. I was never going to blast through anything just to blast through anything; I was always going to give him my best. So DC was kind enough to let me do projects while I was on staff, but one day I finished up something and was scoping around to see what I could do next and Dan DiDio said, “Hey, we could use you on the other side, just creating stuff for us, what do you think?” But I’d already been there for fifteen years, so I really loved my job, but it ended up being a thing where I had to just ask them to let me go write stories and see how it went. It’s been almost ten years later and it’s been a great ride so far, being on both sides of the desk.
OK: And how is it working with Ian Bertram, the artist on House of Penance?
PT: Amazing guy. Somebody turned me onto him. I was trying to find somebody to do the book and I wanted somebody off-kilter a little bit, somebody who didn’t have a regular meat and potatoes kind of approach. I was pointed onto a book he was doing called Bowery Boys. I checked it out and really enjoyed it.
He lives in Brooklyn, I live in New York, so we went to lunch and we talked. I looked at his sketchbook and it was perfect. He completely blew me away. His stuff comes in and it really does what you want as a writer. When an artist comes in and makes the story so much more, making it horrific, but humanistic…you really can feel the pain behind this woman’s eyes. You don’t get that a lot in some books. It’s hard to pull off and I think the real small human, intimate moments, he’s really pulling off. It’s a hell of a creepy book. I’m so happy with it! When I saw Ian’s stuff come in, and then the color by Dave Stewart, I was like, “Wow, this is even crazier, creepier, and more horrific than I could ever imagine!”
OK: What makes for a great writer?
PT: I don’t know. I mean, I don’t know if I’m a great writer, that’s for sure. I feel that I’m a solid writer. A good writer, and this sounds cliché, but a good writer needs to write, read, and listen. I think those are the tenants of it. You’ve got to listen to people talk for dialogue; you’ve got to read to get a sense of the world. You need to keep yourself open to experiences and not let yourself get bogged down in the genres that you love so much. When I was an editor, I used to tell that to writers and artists, where I’d read comic scripts or look at comic art and it would look almost too comic book-y and I would say, “Just draw from real life. You’re looking at comic stuff too much; let yourself look at other things”.
Octavio Karbank is a writer and bona fide Whovian. Living in Massachusetts, you can find him on Twitter @TymeHunter and his blog www.cozmicventures.com
(Last Updated April 18, 2016 7:46 pm )
TOMASI Goes from Heroes to Horror in HOUSE OF PENANCE
By Vaneta Rogers, Newsarama Contributor
January 25, 2016 03:38pm ET
Credit: Dark Horse Comics
Credit: Ian Bertram / Dave Stewart (Dark Horse)
Comic readers might be familiar with Peter Tomasi's superhero stories at DC, but with his sinister new supernatural series House of Penance, the writer takes a turn toward the dark side.
Set in the West during the early 1900's, House of Penance tells the story of the real-life Winchester House, built by Sarah Winchester as a penance for her family's connection to the Winchester rifle. When she meets the similarly tortured Warren Peck, one of the workers on her constantly constructed house, the story delves into the horror and sins of their past.
Working with artist Ian Bertram and colorist Dave Stewart, Tomasi is releasing House of Penance at Dark Horse beginning in April. Newsarama talked to the writer to find out more about the macabre tale, how closely it's tied to the real Winchester house, and why he thinks the story is so timely.
Newsarama: Pete, where did you get the idea for this story? Because it's pretty out there…
Peter Tomasi: [Laughs.] You know, it started awhile back. My dad lived in Salinas, California, and we had gone to visit his old stomping grounds. I'm a big John Steinbeck fan, and John Steinbeck's house is actually just a few blocks away from where my dad lived. So we went to check it out. And then when we were there, one of the visitors to the place mentioned they had just come from the Winchester Mystery House. They gave us a run-down of the story of the house, and it was nearby, so we went there. But it was closed.
Credit: Ian Bertram / Dave Stewart (Dark Horse)
It would take me many years to get back to it, but the story of the house was so intriguing that it stuck with me. This woman's whole mission was to build a house 24/7 for 38 years. It just kind of hooked me from the get-go, and it stayed with me. It was in the back of my head and I never forgot it.
So it's just one of those things where I kept coming up with ideas about what I would do with it. And I ended up fleshing it out and writing a script for it.
Nrama: It's a little darker than what people might be used to seeing from you.
Tomasi: Yeah, yeah, it's definitely dark. There's this dark cloud hanging over it. It's about people hoping to find redemption, and they're all living under this cloud of violence.
And it just felt natural that it would take a dark tone and dark connotation. You can't get to the light until you really go through the dark. And this is probably one of the darker books I've ever written.
Nrama: One of the key figures in the story is Sarah Winchester, who's sort of the overseer in this house. I think her name explains who she is, but can you describe why she feels this need for redemption?
Tomasi: She's trying to wipe away the sin that she feels her family's name is wrapped in, and that she's wrapped in. Obviously, it's tied in to guns, with the Winchester name. And right now, that feels like a timely subject.
Credit: Ian Bertram / Dave Stewart (Dark Horse)
But Sarah Winchester really felt like she had to sort of atone for what she believed about how the Winchester name left a mark on her life and her family. She wanted to cleanse it.
Nrama: She also comes into contact with this character Warren Peck. He's fictional, right? But going through a very similar experience as Sarah?
Tomasi: Yes. He's a character I created for this series. He's an ex-gunslinger/sniper for the Union Army. He and Sarah both are going through this dark period together through blood and darkness, and then just hoping to emerge from this tunnel of violence to somewhere of hope and light.
Nrama: So let's back up a second. How much is your Sarah Winchester based on reality? Or did you take the concept and kind of make your own story about her?
Tomasi: Sort of a mixture. There's definitely some stuff that's been written about her looking into mediums back in the day, and some people suggested that she move out West. She originally started in Connecticut. Her daughter and her husband had died, and she felt that the blood spilled from the Winchester rifle was responsible for that, to a degree. So she started to find her way west.
She took root in San Jose. And that was the starting point for her to start building this strange house.
So there are elements of the mysticism or the supernatural that Sarah seemed to believe in. I wanted to weave that into the story even more, and play with people's perceptions — readers' perceptions — about whether what is happening really is happening.
I wanted to keep people on edge about the horror aspect, whether it's actually permeating Sarah's real existence.
And Warren Peck is my creation, but it felt like a natural extension.
Credit: Ian Bertram / Dave Stewart (Dark Horse)
There are also all these workers who filled the house 24/7 for all those years. And I thought, how cool would it be if this was almost like a mecca for these people to come and spiritually connect, in the way that they've all spilled blood somehow, and as tenants working on this house continuously.
Nrama: It's striking in the comic book that the house is always being constructed, as evidenced by the sound of hammers.
Tomasi: Yeah, all around them is the sound of construction, even when they're in their bunks sleeping, on the shifts that they're not working. And hearing the "blamming," as I call it, which is the hammers hitting the nails and sounding like gunshots.
So they surround themselves with gunshots as their penance to atone for their own sins of the gun and the knife and anything else they feel they've done to people through the course of their lives.
So finding those fictional threads and tying them with the real threads that I knew about Sarah's life was really a happy accident. They all just fit together in my head in a really cool way that would make a very creepy book.
Nrama: So much of the tone in this is set by the art. Having seen just the inks, it's so striking, even without colors.
Tomasi: Yeah, it could stand on its own in black and white. Ian Bertram, the artist, is awesome. But Dave Stewart, colorist extraordinaire, is going to be doing the colors. He's done the first two issues and they look great.
I was speaking with John Arcudi, the writer of Hellboy and all that great stuff at Dark Horse. I was talking to him about House of Penance and he has read the script a couple years prior and always loved it. He knew it was something I always wanted to get going. Finally, I was able to get it to Dark Horse and they said yes.
I knew the artist needed to be a good fit for this, someone who could increase the creepiness factor and bring a whole other vision and voice to it. And John suggested checking out Ian's art. And I looked at it and really liked the style. So I met with Ian, who happened to live in New York too. And I just knew this was the guy for the book.
He brings great storytelling mixed with this, just, organic horror. I would get pages and it would creep me out. I mean, he just brings so much to it — the emotion and the visceral fear that just comes off the page.
House of Penance
264.5 (Jan. 30, 2017): p188.
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2017 PWxyz, LLC
http://www.publishersweekly.com/
House of Penance
Peter J. Tomasi and Ian Bertram. Dark Horse,
$19.99 trade paper (176p) ISBN 978-1-50670033-5
With this unusual take on the real story of the Winchester house in San Jose, Calif., Tomasi (Batman and Robin) and Bertram (Zero), have created perhaps the first biographical horror graphic novel. Sarah Winchester, widow of firearms magnate William Winchester, employs men to continually expand her San Jose house, night and day. Tomasi depicts Sarah hallucinating about the dead killed by Winchester rifles: pools of blood and enormous veins threaten her and the house, with only the continued hammering keeping these horrors at bay. Fictional workman Warren Peck is a newcomer to Sarah's house and, like all the men working there, has a past of horrible violence. Partially because of this, he and Sarah become close. Bertram brings to gory life all of Sarah's delusions as well as Warren's memories of those he killed. His male characters tend toward the grotesque, perhaps closest to the work of Frank Quietly, while Sarah is all cheekbones and huge eyes. The ghosts here are all in the characters' minds but frightening nonetheless. (Jan.)
Source Citation (MLA 8th Edition)
"House of Penance." Publishers Weekly, 30 Jan. 2017, p. 188. General OneFile, go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?p=ITOF&sw=w&u=schlager&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA480195214&it=r&asid=41964bc0d80180faf8b63d0d80d94553. Accessed 3 Oct. 2017.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A480195214
Batman and Robin, Vol. 1: Born to Kill
259.27 (July 2, 2012): p53.
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2012 PWxyz, LLC
http://www.publishersweekly.com/
Batman and Robin, Vol. 1: Born to Kill
Peter J. Tomasi, Patrick Gleason, and Mick Gray. DC, $24.99 (192p)ISBN 978- 1-4012-3487-4
Violently compelling, this story arc shows the master crime fighter learning to be a father. Damian Wayne, the latest Robin, spent the first 10 years of his life being trained as an assassin, so he doesn't understand Batman's refusal to kill the criminals he defeats. As Batman struggles to communicate his rigid code of morality to the boy, Robin seems exasperatingly aloof. Unfortunately, a menace from Bruce Wayne's past arrives at this point. He calls himself Nobody, he has no patience with ostentatious do-gooders, and he simply erases the villains he encounters. He is, in short, a dangerously appealing father figure for Batman's alienated son. Tomasi's script--following up on elements created by Grant Morrison in his Barman run--ably interweaves conflict at physical, personal, and even moral levels. The art by Gleason and Gray (with spectacular coloring by John Kalisz) is explosively dramatic. A superior episode in a fascinating saga. (July)
Source Citation (MLA 8th Edition)
"Batman and Robin, Vol. 1: Born to Kill." Publishers Weekly, 2 July 2012, p. 53. General OneFile, go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?p=ITOF&sw=w&u=schlager&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA297137178&it=r&asid=391bc447d1e166772ea478476ab5d8d2. Accessed 3 Oct. 2017.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A297137178
Tomasi, Peter J. and others. Light Brigade
Gordon Flagg
102.8 (Dec. 15, 2005): p32.
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2005 American Library Association
http://www.ala.org/ala/aboutala/offices/publishing/booklist_publications/booklist/booklist.cfm
Tomasi, Peter J. and others. Light Brigade. Dec. 2005. 200p. illus. DC Comics, paper, $19.99 (1-4012-0795-2). 741.5.
Tomasi and company revive the war comic, a comic-book mainstay until Vietnam, with some clever cross-genre sampling. The mysterious GI Centurion deputizes a band of American soldiers fighting in Belgium in 1944 to help an archangel retrieve the Sword of God. The all-powerful weapon is also sought by some supernatural Nazis led by a fallen angel, who plan to use it to destroy both heaven and earth. Drawing equally on Christian mythology and World War II movies (Paradise Lost meets Band of Brothers), the yarn adopts the familiar Hollywood tactic of alternating harrowing battles and mundane-yet-poignant interludes. Further mixing genre elements, the GIs gain superpowers of a sort by bathing in the flames of a cross. Tomasi is equally deft with action and characterization; the realization of Private Chris Stavros, who lost his faith after his wife's death stateside, is particularly affecting. Peter Snejbjerg's art is lucidly effective in apocalyptic dashes and quiet moments alike. Light Brigade ought to please readers looking for something different, if not too different, in comics fare.--Gordon Flagg
Flagg, Gordon
Source Citation (MLA 8th Edition)
Flagg, Gordon. "Tomasi, Peter J. and others. Light Brigade." Booklist, 15 Dec. 2005, p. 32. General OneFile, go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?p=ITOF&sw=w&u=schlager&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA140412827&it=r&asid=3f34fbf4494a3be71c8c1344111da6ca. Accessed 3 Oct. 2017.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A140412827
Green Lantern Corps: Fearsome
Brian Looker
(Nov. 30, 2012):
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2012 Library Journals, LLC
http://www.libraryjournal.com/lj/reviews/xpress/884170-289/xpress_reviews-first_look_at_new.html.csp
Tomasi, Peter J. Green Lantern Corps: Fearsome. DC. Aug. 2012. c.160 p. ISBN 9781401237011. $22.99. F
This volume in the "The New 52" revamped series reintroduces Green Lanterns John Stewart and Guy Gardner, and their alien comrades who serve the mysterious Guardians in protecting the universe. Although aided with powerful rings that create anything the GLs imagine, the strength is determined by the sheer willpower of its wearer. On Oa, Stewart and Gardner accept a mission to investigate a genocide that occurred on a water planet after the water disappeared. The GLs track down the guilty party, the Keepers, whose willpower doesn't appear to waver. In order to save the planet they must find a way to overcome the evil Keepers.
Verdict A fast-paced, adventure-packed story that reads like an action film--appealing for GL fans and teen readers of superhero comics. Libraries with limited budgets for graphic novels should instead consider the "The New 52" series Geoff Johns's Justice League, Vol. 1: Origin, or Scott Snyder's Batman, Vol. 1: Court of the Owls.--Brian Looker, Appleton P.L., WI
Looker, Brian
Source Citation (MLA 8th Edition)
Looker, Brian. "Green Lantern Corps: Fearsome." Xpress Reviews, 30 Nov. 2012. General OneFile, go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?p=ITOF&sw=w&u=schlager&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA311377656&it=r&asid=6a1f08582dfeba2af660bb565f6e8eba. Accessed 3 Oct. 2017.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A311377656
Blackest Night
Rich Clabaugh
(July 24, 2010): Arts and Entertainment:
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2010 The Christian Science Publishing Society
http://www.csmonitor.com/About/The-Monitor-difference
Byline: Rich Clabaugh
What would happen if dead heroes, villains, and loved ones rose to wreak havoc on the characters of the DC Comics universe? That's the idea behind Blackest Night, a hardcover graphic novel that combines eight bestselling comic books into one of the most highly anticipated comics collection of the year.
As the story begins, we witness the dead rising by the millions, brought back to life by a black ring which flies onto their fingers. These zombies - the recipients of the black rings - are dubbed "Black Lanterns." They quickly strike, trying to add more to their ranks. Friends and foes soon realize they must put aside their differences and join forces to overcome this legion of doom.
This story line is part of what comic fans call an "event" - an overhyped series of books, relying on dozens of characters, that promises to be the best thing you'll read all year. Often these "event" series are major disappointments, so it's amazing and refreshing that "Blackest Night' actually delivers. What starts out as a horror story, with one "oh no" moment after another, quickly becomes a galaxy-spanning adventure that concludes in a rousing, surprise-filled finish. This truly is an "event."
It's no surprise that this was accomplished by bestselling writer Geoff Johns and artist Ivan Reis. This duo previously restored the Green Lantern to his place as one of the most popular of comics heroes (so popular in fact that he's starring in his first movie next year). Johns has taken the "Lantern" idea and cleverly introduced lanterns of other hues, representing an emotional spectrum, such as "Yellow Lanterns" that embody fear, "Blue Lanterns" that express hope, and "Red Lanterns" that exemplify rage. ("Green Lanterns," by the way, embody will.) These colored "Lanterns" come into play against the '"Black Lanterns" of "Blackest Night."
Along with all the many Lanterns, Johns and Reis juggle so many other heroes and villains it could be confusing. But Johns gives each character a distinct voice and Reis illustrates the action in a detailed yet clear and easy-to-follow style. Working together they give the tale plenty of action that packs an emotional punch and makes "Blackest Night" one of the most exciting and memorable superhero epics of the last decade.
"Blackest Night" can also be enjoyed with an excellent companion piece aptly named Blackest Night: Green Lantern Corps. The Green Lantern Corps are thousands of alien species who don green power rings that give them the ability to patrol space as an intergalactic police force - sort of a cross between "Star Trek" and "NYPD Blue."
While "Blackest Night" takes place mostly on Earth, this book follows the crisis from space and shows that the Black Lanterns are everywhere and that the Corps who bravely battle them face overwhelming odds. Writer Peter J. Tomasi and artist Patrick Gleason put us in the thick of spectacular space battles yet take the time to make us care for their cast of dozens - characters whom we mourn when they perish and cheer when they prevail.
Rich Clabaugh is a staff artist at the Monitor.
Rich Clabaugh
Source Citation (MLA 8th Edition)
Clabaugh, Rich. "Blackest Night." Christian Science Monitor, 24 July 2010. General OneFile, go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?p=ITOF&sw=w&u=schlager&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA232526819&it=r&asid=d58b3e2d150c53ab74add82c874eeae3. Accessed 3 Oct. 2017.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A232526819
Johns, Geoff & others & Scott Kolins. Blackest Night
M. Brandon Robbins
(Oct. 22, 2010):
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2010 Library Journals, LLC
http://www.libraryjournal.com/lj/reviews/xpress/884170-289/xpress_reviews-first_look_at_new.html.csp
Johns, Geoff & others (text) & Scott Kolins & others (illus.). Blackest Night. Vol. 2. 240p. ed. by Sean Mackiewicz. ISBN 9781401227852.
Tomasi, Peter J. & others (text) & Eddy Barrows & others (illus.). Blackest Night. Vol. 1. c.256p. ed. by Bob Joy. ISBN 9781401227845. ea. vol: DC. (Black Lantern Corps). 2010. pap. $24.99. GRAPHIC NOVELS
DC's "Blackest Night" event is the quintessential superhero zombie story. When a mystical force from a distant planet called the Black Lantern rises from the ashes of a terrible genocide and begins sending out mysterious black rings that resurrect the dead, the heroes of the DC Universe must face off with friends, family, and enemies alike; however, unlike most back-from-the-dead comics stories, where a deceased character reenters the land of the living at full health, these resurrected heroes and villains are vile monsters who use deception and manipulation to lure their former loved ones into a false sense of security before ripping out and feeding on their still-beating hearts. As in all good zombie stories, it's not about the living dead or the havoc they wreak but how the normal people are affected. It's a startling experience, indeed, to watch the strong-willed superheroes struggle with emotional turmoil as they combat the living dead even as they want to believe that their loved ones are alive and ready to love again. With more than their fair share of intense violence and unsettling moments, these volumes are not for the younger set but instead are intended as gripping, mature reads for adults.
Verdict Dedicated comics readers have already read these volumes when they were originally published in single-issue form, but casual comics readers or horror fans looking for something different will find something to like here.--M. Brandon Robbins, Wayne Cty. P.L., Goldsboro, NC
Robbins, M. Brandon
Source Citation (MLA 8th Edition)
Robbins, M. Brandon. "Johns, Geoff & others & Scott Kolins. Blackest Night." Xpress Reviews, 22 Oct. 2010. General OneFile, go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?p=ITOF&sw=w&u=schlager&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA241414331&it=r&asid=078031138c1f82faa5a08381bdbda48e. Accessed 3 Oct. 2017.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A241414331
House of Penance #1 By Peter J. Tomasi & Ian Bertram Review
By Tobias Carroll | April 13, 2016 | 10:30am
Comics Reviews
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Writer: Peter J. Tomasi
Artist: Ian Bertram
Colorist: Dave Stewart
Publisher: Dark Horse Comics
The real-life history of the sprawling estate built by Sarah Winchester in the late 19th and early 20th centuries is a compelling tale of obsession and wealth. Winchester was the widow of William Wirt Winchester, of the Winchester Repeating Arms Company. After his death, she believed she was haunted by the restless spirits of those killed by the guns her husband’s company created. In an effort to confuse and repel the ghosts, Sarah Winchester moved to California and began a process of construction that continued around the clock every day for 38 years. The resulting building, the Winchester Mystery House, is a national historic landmark. It has also captured the imagination of many a writer: in her 2015 collection The World Is On Fire, Joni Tevis described the house as having “a rickety, kaleidoscopic feeling.” In other words: the Winchester House has a history tailor-made for a horror story. And in House of Penance #1, Peter J. Tomasi, Ian Betram and Dave Stewart kick one off in memorable fashion.
The first issue follows two stories in parallel. One plot trails Sarah Winchester, supervising the ongoing construction of the house and receiving the remains of her husband and daughter. The rest of the issue introduces Warren Peck, a murderous man who carries out a mysterious, possibly genocidal, plot. Winchester herself emerges as a figure of mystery: meticulous in the conditions she establishes for her employees, and obsessed with reuniting her family in an ominous, cryptic way. There are other glimpses of everyday life around her, including one racist employee clashing with several of his co-workers.
Under Tomasi’s pen, Winchester’s obsessions—her specific sleeping conditions, her ritualistic disposal of firearms among them—are handled with mounting tension. Seen from one angle, she emerges as a progressive and admirable figure; from another, she appears much more sinister, with hidden agendas and a madness that infects the spaces around her.
House of Penance #1 Interior Art by Ian Bertram & Dave Stewart
At times, the stylized physicality of the characters in Betram’s art recalls Gabriel Rodriguez’s linework in Locke & Key. Some of that’s due to a similar aesthetic, but it also speaks to a timeless quality. Reading this, one is left with a feeling that Betram could do a bang-up job on a pastiche of mid-20th-century pulp comics. Given that the first issue of House of Penance encompasses unsettling riffs on both the ghost story and the Western, it’s a good set of skills to employ. Throughout the issue, characters are surrounded by forms that loom over or surround them: shadows, blood, trees or walls, all of which are rendered with an uncanny quality. And, as befits the story, Bertram’s art, complemented by Eisner-winner Dave Stewart’s expert palette, ably captures the imposing, fragmented feeling of the titular house.
In its first issue, House of Penance pursues parallel moods of mystery and menace. It establishes a sense of horrific grandeur, and slowly introduces its two leads, one of whom abhors firearms, and one of whom has a fondness for using them to carry out acts of carnage. Wherever this horror show may be heading, it seems that its destination will not be pleasant—but in the brooding, slow-burning telling of Tomasi and Betram, the journey so far is a masterfully delivered account of suspense and dread.
Superman Vol. 1: Son Of Superman (Rebirth) Reviewed
By Dan Cali | January 22, 2017
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Just released this month by DC Comics is the trade paperback of Superman Vol. 1: Son of Superman (Rebirth). As a father, and as a husband, this book spoke to me; queue the dramatic music. Yes, I know I’m referring to “just a comic book”, but to me, this book showcased the unique way in which “just a comic book” can deliver a meaningful story that’s full of emotion.
Superman, Relatable?
When was the last time that you heard someone refer to Superman as relatable? Probably never, and that’s because the biggest critique of the invulnerable alien is that he’s far from relatable. Thanks to the outstanding efforts of Peter J. Tomasi (writer), Patrick Gleason (writer/artist), Doug Mahnke (artist), Jorge Jimenez (artist), Mick Grey (inker), and others, pre-New 52 Superman is back, has a family, and is more relatable then ever.
Throughout this trade there were many unique moments of Superman juggling the responsibilities associated with being a husband, father, and saving the day. Even though I don’t have to worry about saving the day, it was easy to relate to Supes’ struggle to be a husband and a father while dealing with all the distractions that life throws at you. In this day in age, when so many anti-heroes are getting the spotlight, it’s nice to read a comic that deals with a hero that wants to do the right thing.
“My” Superman Is Back
I grew up reading Superman in the early ‘90s right around the time Big Blue faced off against Doomsday. I followed the story after Superman’s death, and his return. During the Reign of Supermen storyline, I thought for sure that the Eradicator was the return of Superman. Boy, was I wrong. Regardless, my ’90s nostalgia meter went to one-hundred when I saw the Eradicator returned to the series to face off against Superman and his son. Even Lois got in on the action while wearing…you know what? I won’t spoil it. You have to read it to believe it.
Not only was the writing phenomenal but also the art work of Patrick Gleason, Doug Mahnke, Jorge Jimenez, Mick Grey, and everyone else involved. The layouts, colors, and overall art matched perfectly with the story. You really couldn’t have asked for anything more. If you are a long-time Superman fan that fell away and looking for a good jumping on point, look no further. Superman Vol. 1: Son of Superman (Rebirth) is the perfect jumping on point.
Rating
Consume Review Repeat gives Superman Vol. 1: Son of Superman (Rebirth) a 9 out of 10!
The Mighty TPB Review
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Posted December 9, 2014 by John Newby in Comic Books
Written by: Peter J. Tomasi and Keith Champagne
Art by: Peter Snejbjerg and Chris Samnee
Publisher: Dark Horse
Have you ever wondered what would happen if an all-powerful Superhero like Superman decided that he was the deciding factor in all earthly decisions? Would he be able to correctly decide what was best for humanity, or would his judgment be skewed by a mass amount of power? More importantly, what would happen if this superhero had a private security force created in his image? The writing team of Peter Tomasi and Keith Champagne teamed up with artists Peter Snejbjerg and Chris Samnee to delve into this topic with issues 1-12 of The Mighty.
The Mighty is the story of a superhero named Alpha 1 who was supposed to be the product of nuclear testing in 1952. Alpha 1, who didn’t have a known name at the time, fell into the ocean while a nuclear test was happening and gained amazing powers. Alpha 1 quickly became the world’s only superhero, and he used these powers to protect earth for more than 50 years. In this time, Alpha 1 formed a privately funded group, Section Omega, which focused purely on public relations and cleaning up the areas affected by his powers. Unfortunately, a tragic death forced a young assistant named Gabriel Cole into the leadership role at Section Omega, and he became Alpha 1’s right hand man.
Strangely, Gabriel Cole has a unique history with Alpha 1 in that he was saved as a young boy by Alpha 1 while his parents died. Since that moment, Alpha 1 protected Cole until he took on the role of Captain at Section Omega. Once elected, Cole quickly became Alpha 1’s best friend/chum, as well as his main backup during risky missions. In fact, Cole grew so close with Alpha 1 that he became the only person alive to visit Alpha 1’s hidden sanctuary. However, Cole’s close ties to Alpha 1 led to some disturbing moments and a series of events that made absolutely no sense. Was there more to Alpha 1 than what originally appeared, or was he the true hero of modern time?
The Mighty is a phenomenal story with one of the more intriguing plotlines around. Alpha 1 is a fantastic character, but he takes a backseat to Gabriel Cole. Cole is a hero that you actually cheer for, and his struggle with running a company, assisting Alpha 1, and keeping his wife happy is a major storyline. This story actually makes a series revolving around a superhero more believable because of the everyday factors. Plus, Cole has a variety of characters that he interacts with that make the story better, including the former Captains of Section Omega, at least the ones that are still alive. For some reason, the leaders of Section Omega have a history of dying or going crazy while on the job, which makes Cole extremely suspicious. Plus, he meets Captain Rhines, a man who is bat-crap crazy but very entertaining.
Look, I can’t delve into the details about why The Mighty is a fantastic story, but rest assured that it is a must-read. Tomasi and Champagne crafted a story that asks about the other side of being a superhero and follows the tough decisions that have to be made. Alpha 1 is a much more bearable version of Superman, and he has some fun powers to play with. Sure, Alpha 1 has some strange behavior at times, but he is exceptionally interesting while trying to save the planet, no matter the costs.
The Mighty may have a fantastic story, but how is the art? To be frank, The Mighty has a great, realistic art style created by Peter Snejbjerg and Chris Samnee. This art style may be darker than other comics, but it fits perfectly with the tone of the comic. Plus, this art style lends a certain weight to the story that would be missing with a brighter and more whimsical style. The characters are quite realistic looking, and the art style just makes them pop, especially when these characters are losing body parts.
Honestly, I can’t say much more about The Mighty because this is a story that must be experienced. I would be doing a disservice if I spoiled the story of Alpha 1 and Gabriel Cole, but this is a deeply interesting story that combines with a perfectly created art style. You should definitely read The Mighty and enjoy this great creation.
Batman and Robin Vol. 3: Death of the Family by Peter J. Tomasi – Graphic Novel Review [Bane of Kings]
December 07, 2013 Bane of Kings No comments
Milo, aka “Bane of Kings”, reviews Peter J. Tomasi’s third Volume in the Batman and Robin series, a tie in to the titular Death of the Family, with artwork from Patrick Gleason and Mick Gray – featuring Bruce Wayne as Batman and Damian Wayne as Robin. This is published by DC Comics as part of their New 52 Relaunch.
“An excellent swansong to Damian Wayne – Tomasi has made me care about the character a lot more than I would have otherwise. He proves that he’s a strong and gifted writer and whilst this series may not always receive as much attention as Snyder’s Batman Tomasi proves with this collection it’s certainly worthy of it.” ~Bane of Kings, The Founding Fields
Story: Peter J. Tomasi | Art: Patrick Gleason, Mick Gray, Ardian Syaf | Cover: Patrick Gleason | Publisher: DC Comics | Collects: Batman and Robin #15-17, Batman and Robin Annual #1, Batman #17 Price: $22.99
A direct tie to Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo’s “Death in the Family” Batman story comes the disturbingly creepy and psychological thriller of Batman and Robin by the all star team of Peter Tomasi and Patrick Gleason.
The Joker returns to test Batman and the extended Bat-family but when he squares off against Batman’s son Damian aka Robin! With Batman’s life hanging in the balance, The Clown Prince of Crime pushes Robin to his limits and beyond. And with the 300th anniversary of the founding of Gotham approaches, tragedy strikes the Bat-family.
I’ve never been Damian Wayne’s biggest fan. In fact, he probably ranks the lowest of all the Robins in my view – with a Pre-New 52 Tim Drake right up there with Dick Grayson at the Top. Carrie Kelly falls in the Top 3 as well – mainly because of The Dark Knight Returns animated movies that I recently watched – but there’s no way Damian would have been anywhere near the Top – partly because I’m not a big fan of the whole Batman’s Son concept – but also because from what I’ve seen of Damian in several issues, he’s just a brat. However – whilst I’ve only read #1 of this series before jumping in with the Volume (and #18 onwards, but they don’t feature Damian) I can safely say that the character is starting to grow on me. Most of the DC Comics Universe will know that Damian died in the Batman Incorporated series by Grant Morrison – and reading this trade afterwards somehow made me connect more to the character. It’s like watching Serenity or Torchwood: Children of the Earth but knowing that a character who you love will not make it out at the end of it. Whilst I didn’t really love Damian before going in – Tomasi certainly turned the tables and made me actually feel sorry for the character.
The hardcover collection of Batman and Robin carries the “Death of the Family” banner, collecting all of the tie-ins to the event from Scott Snyder. This henceforth brings up a problem that’s not Tomasi’s fault, but DC’s – the hardcovers should be released a lot quicker in comparison when the storyline wraps up. We’re well into Zero Year now in the main Batman comics and all of the other series that tied in to the event have had the vast majority, if not all of an arc done already – so it doesn’t really feel like anything new here. This also means that in order to understand what’s going on you’ll have to be following Snyder’s Batman series – something that will annoy readers who don’t like his work but are fans of Tomasi’s. And to top it all off, the third Volume of Death of the Family is remarkably brief for a DC trade – collecting just three issues and an Annual, as well as the Batman #17 issue which seems to be reprinted in just about every Batman Vol. 3. So in short, if you’re looking to save money then I recommend that you don’t buy this collection in hardcover. Wait til the trade or just snap up the single issues if you can. Just $22.99 isn’t really worth the content – at least in my opinion, but if you can get it for cheaper than go for it. However – none of this should be held against Tomasi, because for what it’s worth – Batman and Robin Vol. 3 is a cracking read. Whilst it’s not quite at the level of Snyder’s Batman or even Layman’s Detective Comics – it’s still a very good book that should please readers looking for some interaction between Bruce Wayne and Damian – something that even when Damian was alive, the other Batbooks (Incorporated aside) were short of.
All the stories inside this collection capture the tone of the series perfectly. Patrick Gleason is a strong artist with some great visuals and Ardian Syaf – who did the first Volume of Gail Simone’s Batgirl – impresses with the Annual which kicks off this collection. It’s an over-sized tale that sees Damian leading Bruce on a hunt around the Earth leaving him alone in Wayne Manor. This sees Damian given the chance to hit the streets as a miniature Dark Knight – in a story that proves to be one of the best Batman single issues of the year. It’s easily the best part of the graphic novel and it’s the Annual that made me for the first time start to root for Damian as a character. It’s a playful and fun storyline but don’t expect it to last – as soon as it wraps up, we’re thrust into the grimdarkness of the Death of the Family. However this doesn’t feel out of place and a jarring switch – instead, it works. Bearing though – it’ll only work if you’re familiar with what goes down in that Volume – otherwise the switch won’t work. The second half of the book feels more like the stuff of nightmares than the lighter tone of the Annual, but whilst the first portion of the crossover works the latter stages – where we witness Joker’s monologuing, don’t. Tomasi doesn’t really make the character as intimidating as Snyder did and as a result the final act seems quickly forgettable, which is a real shame because about 90% of the content of this graphic novel is amazing. I just wish that Tomasi had been able to wrap this up better.
Batman #17 is a nice resolution to Death of the Family but as most of the readers will have already read it it doesn’t really feel worthy of its inclusion. I was reading a lot of the Death of the Family trades myself and this issue got repeated in every single one – by the end I was starting to get incredibly sick of it which was a real shame because when I read it for the first time I really enjoyed it. Now it’s lost some of it’s impact and I won’t be returning to read it at least for a while. I guess though it’s my fault for binge-reading all of the tie-ins at once – If I spread them out then I wouldn’t be tired of reading it by the end.
Overall then, Batman and Robin Vol. 3 is a great book let down by a few shortcomings and the fact that it’s overpriced. Don’t buy it for the full asking price – get it off Amazon or wait for the TBP. Or even see if you can get the single issues – the content when brought individually is actually cheaper than the main Volume as a whole. But overall – it’s a solid read. Don’t pass it up because of its price. Fans of Death of the Family, Damian Wayne or the current Batman and Robin series should find something to enjoy here.
VERDICT: 4/5
Review: Batman & Robin #18 – Peter J. Tomasi & Patrick Gleason
March 14, 2013 by Sean Robinson
WARNING: THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS FROM BATMAN INCORPORATED #8
So passes another Robin. Damian Wayne, slain in the pages of Batman Incorporated #8 has left a large hole in Bruce Wayne’s life. Peter J. Tomasi & Patrick Gleason’s series Batman & Robin takes the full brunt of the fallout, exploring how Batman is coping with the loss of his biological son – but this issue is different. Batman & Robin #18 has not one line of spoken dialogue, leaving most of the burden up to Gleason’s art, which thankfully delivers on an issue that is full of emotional impact as Batman spends his first night in the aftermath of losing his Robin.
This issue shows how Batman grieves the only way he knows how- by burying himself in his work. Bruce takes to the streets of Gotham with the rage and determination of a man who has lost almost everything, and he becomes particularly violent in this case. The anger that Batman shows, which was previously reserved for only his most dangerous nemesis, comes out in full form as he appears to have his most eventful night. It’s dark stuff, and it seems that this may be the one event that could push Batman over the edge, which provides an interesting set-up for how the future of Batman comics could play out.
Where this issue really shines is when the action takes a break and the family is left to think. From the opening pages where Alfred allows himself a moment of tears, before straightening up as Bruce walks into the room, through to any time Batman looks over his shoulder expecting to see his son beside him – each of these actions speak louder than any line of dialogue could. It’s a great touch leaving out any spoken words, and shows that words could not even describe the pain that the family feel.
Gleason really goes all out with his art in this issue, as he manages to capture the full emotional impact of the grief. While some of his character work appears to look more like mannequin than human, this issue boasts some particularly stand out panels, such as what appears as the last image (for the time being at least) where we see both Batman and Robin together. It’s obvious that Gleason enjoyed drawing the Boy Wonder, and this panel is particularly impressive, as he manages to capture the spirit of Damian Wayne’s Robin – it serves well as a one last hurrah.
Batman & Robin #18 says goodbye to Damian Wayne in a way that is wholly unique. It’s incredibly sad to see one of the more intriguing Robins in recent memory pass, especially considering his relationship with his father was finally reaching a point of normality within this title. It’s emotional and heavy, and as the final pages play out, as the impact of the event finally hits, you’ll find yourself in a similar state of mind.
Goodbye Damian Wayne. You will be missed
Score: 8.5/10
SUPERMAN #26 Review: Trials of Fathers and Sons
By Aaron Young Posted: July 5, 2017
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SUPERMAN #26 By Michael Moreci, Scott Godlewski, and HI-FI
Plot
Art
Characterization
Summary
This issue does a wonderful job with the relationship between Clark and his son Jon. While the art is a bit weak, this is a great installment depicting a new era of Superman.
81 %
Heartwarming Family Story
Peter J. Tomasi, Doug Mahnke, Patrick Gleason and the rest of the SUPERMAN team take a break while Michael Moreci takes the lead for SUPERMAN #26 “Brains vs Brawn”. The story in this issue is quite simple. Clark tries to teach Jon how to use his powers in smarter ways while Jon tries to prove that he’s capable to his dad. The focus of this issue is the father and son relationship between Jon (Superboy) and Clark (Superman).
SUPERMAN #26 page 8. Image courtesy of DC Entertainment.
Moreci succeeds in writing these two characters in a way that feels faithful to Tomasi’s arc. The story is much more about the relationships than the action. In many ways, this issue serves as a great breath of fresh air between the grim “Black Dawn” arc and whatever Tomasi has planned next.
Jon Takes Center Stage
We learned in “Black Dawn” that Jon’s having difficulties controlling his powers and rage. He’s petulant and impatient. Often, he’ll strive for the quickest solution rather than the wisest ones. Manchester Black previously tried to unleash Jon’s powers to help him with his evil machinations, but Superman and Lois calmed him down. Nonetheless, Jon continues to use little brains and finesse with his abilities.
READ: Don’t know how “Black Dawn” ended? You can find our review of SUPERMAN #25 here!
I love this depiction of his character. I think if we were born with Superman’s powers like Jon, we wouldn’t want to hold back either. We’d want to use our powers to help carry heavy objects, speed up chores, and fly from place to place. The problem is that Jon doesn’t think before he uses his abilities, which causes him to make stupid decisions.
SUPERMAN #26 page 20. Image courtesy of DC Entertainment.
Jon is currently 10 years old and if I know anything about 10-year-olds it’s that they feel invincible. They feel like nothing can touch them and that they can take almost anything on. This is how most 10-year-olds feel. Now add this to the fact that your father is Superman and you are nearly invincible. This could definitely make a kid arrogant.
Superman’s Greatest Challenge?
While the name of this comic is SUPERMAN #26, the focus is largely on Jon. That doesn’t mean that the Man of Steel doesn’t have a huge part. His role instead revolves around Jon. Clark continues to struggle to find the best way to balance being Superman and a role model for his son.
Clark has now decided that he cannot shield Jon from the rest of the world. He realizes that threats will come Jon’s way and that when this happens Jon needs to be ready. So, Clark decides that Jon should accompany him on some of his adventures. Yet, Clark quickly realizes that Jon isn’t listening to anything he tells him.
Seeing Superman struggle with fatherhood is easily the best part of this issue. Superman can level buildings and fly faster than sound but here he struggles with some of the same issues that every dad faces. Superman has to learn how to balance his role as an authority figure while giving Jon the ability to figure out his powers for himself.
Fathers Learn From Sons
One of the great themes that this issue continues to build upon is the parallel between Pa Kent raising Clark and Superman raising Superboy. Even though Pa Kent is gone, he remains a very important character. Pa Kent instilled in the young Clark his morals and sense of justice that would form the backbone of Superman. Clark then named Jon after his late grandfather to remind him of these important morals.
READ: Love the Man of Steel? Here’s a theory about his role in JUSTICE LEAGUE!
Clark is now trying to learn the best way to teach Jon from his late father’s lessons. Even though he’s faced every supernatural threat possible, he doesn’t know how to raise someone with his powerset. Pa Kent, meanwhile, had the unusual predicament as a regular man raising a son who had god-like powers. Both fathers struggled with daunting tasks but they soon learn to have faith in their sons.
The parallels between the two fathers are beautifully captured in SUPERMAN #26. It helps tie a knot in the whole Superman mythology. It’s great to see Superman now have a role as both the father and son to a Jonathan Kent. Just as Jonathan Kent Sr. taught Clark as a boy, now Jonathan Kent Jr. must teach him as a man.
New Team in SUPERMAN #26
I think Michael Moreci was able to weave together a nice story in this issue after a long run of intense trials for the Man of Steel and his son. He understands the relationship between Clark and Jon really well and builds upon Tomasi’s visions of these characters beautifully.
SUPERMAN #26 page 18. Image courtesy of DC Entertainment.
On the other hand, I found the transition of artists a bit distracting. I don’t think the art was bad at all, but I didn’t think it followed Doug Mahnke and Patrick Gleason’s style well enough. Not that the art by Scott Godlewski and HI-FI had to be identical to the dark shades and intense coloring beautifully depicted in SUPERMAN #25. Godlewski and HI-FI focus much more on bright, popping colors. This style can be great but the jolting difference in visuals took me out of the story and I never felt like the art reached the high of Mahnke and Gleason’s.
Also, the way the Godlewski drew Jon was very different than the young, wide-eyed boy we’ve seen in previous issues. He looked like a completely different character here. Given a few more issues, I could probably get used to this new style but, for now, I’m happy to go back to the original artists’ work.
In Conclusion
SUPERMAN #26 is a nice coming-of-age story for both Superboy and his father, Superman. This arc continues to get the family dynamic completely right. The story takes a backseat to focus on the relationship of the two Supers. The art is a little disappointing but this issue serves as the perfect bridge between intense arcs. My only wish is that this came out in time for Father’s Day.
Review: Super Sons #4
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[Editor’s Note: This review may contain spoilers]
Writer: Peter J. Tomasi
Artists: Jorge Jimenez, Alejandro Sanchez
Summary
“Son Day, Bloody, Son Day”, starts with Superboy and Robin chained up, up-side-down, to a column squirming to escape as Kid Amazo watches. While being taunted, the two thick headed boys make quips and insult each other as well as their captor. How will they escape their bonds? Will they be able to save Kid Amazo’s sister, Sara? Or will an army of Robin and Superboy bots end their lives?
Positives
This issue has been backed with humor and the continuous barrage of insults between the two is fun. It really does feel like two children, or siblings, are nattering at each other, trying to prove who is the best.
Jorge Jimenez superbly crafts a wide variety of expressions and emotions on the faces of each character. Most easily of course observed in side-by-side panels with the two protagonists often mirroring each other. His talent further comes out in this book with the various shots of Kid Amazo which will remind readers of some key frames in anime. They are visually striking and ever so slightly uncomfortable when you examine them for any length.
Jon also begins to find his powers in this issue, however briefly. It will be interesting to see his development into a more mature person over the series. The similarity in position to Kong Kenan, New Super-Man, opens a few interesting opportunities for these characters to relate to one another and teach each other.
Some of the best moments, as with classic literature, come from the interactions that the young heroes have with the adults in the book. From disobeying their parents, or insulting Lex Luthor, there is clearly no shared desires between the two different age groups.
Negatives
With the final panels of this issue, the first arc comes to it’s close and is resolved nicely. One thing that we still have yet to see though are the two super sons get along and work together as a team. This may simply be an indication that Super Sons is due to have a long life, but it feels odd that they have not yet stopped bickering and insulting each other.
Verdict
The writing and art in Super Sons #4 is great, the characters are illustrated in such bright and interesting ways, while the writing fills out the characters and makes them feel human-ish…in Jonathan’s case.
Sunday, 6 September 2015
Light Brigade by Peter J. Tomasi (Author) and Peter Snejbjerg (Illustrator)
Light Brigade
Still reeling from the horrors of World War II, Chris Stavros-an American soldier-has one goal: getting home safely to care for his son after learning his wife has died. But in the midst of battle and trying to stay alive, he finds the stakes raised, as heavenly warriors emerge from the skies-and an impossible task is given to Stavros's platoon: recover the lost Sword of God before a troop of arcane, unkillable German soldiers locate it and storm heaven's gate! These American soldiers, this "Light Brigade," will begin a supernatural crusade that will determine the fate of the world... one bullet and one soul at a time!
The Guru's Review:
If you think the cover looks like a comic, you would be correct. Graphic novel to be exact, although that is just the modern name for what I grew up as a comic. I had this graphic novel on my wishlist with Amazon for more than 5 years, did a random check on it yesterday, and was pleased to see that it had been converted to the kindle format. I wanted this as it deals with the genres I love, the Nephilim, supernatural, spiritual warfare, military, angels and demons. The 4-5 star reviews were another drawcard.
Despite its 224 pages, this only took about an hour to read as the graphics take up the majority of the page space. I am really glad I was able to buy this now, as this was one great story.
This would be the second WWII story I have read and also the second one that deals with the occult and the supernatural in this same war. The previous one was The Fist of God (The Agarthi Conspiracy) (Volume 1) by M. E Brines.
Set against a WWII backdrop in Belgium towards the end of this war, this story is composed entirely of the supernatural. This composition has the last of the Gregori, (angels charged by God with watching over the human race) and the Nephilim, (the offspring of the sexual union of the Grigori with human women,) two warring angels, an immortal Roman centurion, Marcus Longinus, (who pierced the side of Christ while He hung on the Cross), supernaturally powered artifacts from the Crucifixion, the eternal flame of Christ's Cross, the Monks who have guarded these relics for centuries, a supernaturally powered sword, and a supernatural baptism the US soldiers have to enable them to fight the remaining Grigori and the Nephilim in preventing them from exacting revenge against God for wiping out their race in the biblical flood.
All these elements fit really well in the conflict of the German and American armies as they meet in Belgium, the German army with a hidden agenda and the American army none the wiser, except for one member of this army.
Tomasi provides a brief history of the Grigori and the Nephilim, and the biblical flood that nearly wiped them out. From this it reveals the origin of the revenge of this last Grigori, who is transformed into human form as Colonel Zephon, of the German Army. This backstory provides much-needed depth and suspense to the supernatural aspects of this story and acts as a cohesive bond to the plot.
Another aspect of this cohesive bond is the character of Marcus Loginus, the Roman Centurion who has been charged by God to do a special mission involving the Grigori then he will go to be with the Lord. So in the German army we have the last Grigori, in the guise of Colonel Zephon and in the US army we have Marcus in the guise of soldier Mark. Tomasi also provides the history of Longinus that led to this special mission that culminates at the end of the story. In effect, we have then two supernatural leaders of opposing forces, one good, one bad, leading to a final explosive end.
Tomasi brings all the supernatural elements together for one fast paced, good versus evil battle using supernatural and physical warfare, with an increasing toll of life as a result but a very satisfying end all round.
Tomasi's story and the artwork of Snejbjerg make this one very enjoyable read and an entertaining education in the history of fallen angels and spiritual warfare.
I would love to have seen this also made into a full-length novel as I feel the back stories and more of the plot and characters, especially those of the American army, would benefit from more depth and fleshing out. But maybe I say that because I am not a graphic novel lover. However, I am still very glad I read this graphic novel, it adds a nice element to my collection of novels in this genre.
Strongly recommended.