Book of the Week: 'Detective Comics' #881

By Don M. Ventura

Detective Comics #881

DC Comics

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Remember the state of Batman last November? Grant Morrison had just finished a successful run on Batman and Robin, triumphantly brought Bruce Wayne back to the DCU in his time-traveling mystery Batman: The Return Bruce Wayne, then changed the Caped Crusader’s status quo with the radically different Batman, Incorporated. Morrison was singlehandedly responsible for what seemed to be a Batman renaissance.

Almost singlehandedly. Out of nowhere, during the last week of November 2010, comic readers were all asking the same question: “Did you read Detective Comics #871?”

Book of the Week: 'Severed’ #1

By Don M. Ventura

Severed #1

Image Comics

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As a child I vividly remember my older brother Darren bringing in copies of his tattered horror comic books to read to me before I went to bed. You remember the old House of Mystery books from DC, where really nightmarish things happened to people who had it coming. I’d have nightmares for nights, but I always let him read those to me. That was my initiation into all things scary.

So I guess it was a no-brainer that I would find something to like about Severed, the new Image Comics mini-series from co-writers Scott Snyder and Scott Tuft and artist Attila Futaki. But this is no ordinary horror comic. This is a confidant piece of work that understands that atmosphere is just as important to inspire chills as the things that go bump in the night.