Secret Invasion: Will Marvel Comics deliver the goods to match the massive hype built for their crossover event of the year?

The conclusion to Secret Invasion is supposed to be coming out this week. But based on recent events on Thunderbolts, it seems the humans have somehow completely won. Thunderbolts also hints at the possible seeds for Dark Reign, where Norman Osborn, the former Green Goblin (and future SHIELD Director, perhaps?) will seem to take a pivotal role.

I’m not sure I care enough anymore about Secret Invasion. I was quite excited about the storyline issues that Brian Micheal Bendis was throwing at the start (such as whether Tony Stark was a Skrull, or whether the real Mockingbird and Captain America may actually be alive), but somehow, towards the end, the pacing became slow. Nonetheless, I’m sincerely hoping (and I do have a feeling) that the ending will be worth it.

Furthermore, while I loved Leinil Francis Yu’s work on Superman Birthright, I would’ve preferred someone else for Secret Invasion. Joe Madureira’s pencils and Christian Lichtner’s colors on Ultimates 3 were awesome and would’ve been my personal preference for stories that required epic team battles.

I did however, enjoy the Secret Invasion tie-in with Deadpool where the merc-with-a-mouth gave his own contribution on the war against the Skrulls with the kind of madness and entertainment that only he can deliver.

Meanwhile, over at DC comics, the Kryptonians of the Bottled City of Kandor have been released and are now adopting Earth as their new home under the New Krypton story arc.

Wait, is Final Crisis even over yet? These delays have me confused. I just wish Green Lantern: The Blackest Night were already here.

Speaking of which, if Bruce Wayne were really “without a pulse” after Batman RIP, will he be one of the Black Lanterns? Doubtful, but worth a moment’s thought.

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Hypnotic Beauty

Originally uploaded by kenibatz

Slightly more than fashion photography, I love editorial portraiture.

When dealing with commercial fashion photography, the focus is always on the clothes. The model’s job, after all, is to look good with the clothes so that they can sell it.

The exception to this would be ad campaigns where clients are banking on the appeal of the image model herself, which is why celebrities get paid so much to promote clothes and products. Nonetheless, the clothes on the model must still look good.

On the other hand, portraiture puts more focus on the human subject and the story they tell with their body and their face, particularly with their eyes. I learned from Vincent Versace to always put the focus on the eyes.

When we talk to someone face to face, we naturally look at their eyes. This is because a lot of unspoken thoughts and words are revealed through body language, particularly the eyes. Thus the expression “the eyes are the windows to one’s soul” actually has some truth to it, particularly in people photography.

This image with the enhanced eyes is a Photoshop trick I learned from Parc Cruz. Essentially, a mask is applied to the eyes and layer opacity is changed to make it shine brighter than normal.

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Grant Morisson and Tony Daniel have taken the Batman franchise into a brave and bold new direction with the events of Batman R.I.P. and the repurcussions it will have with Battle for the Cowl.

Since Superman “died” in the “Death of Superman” way back in 1992, “comic book death” has been a fairly normal occurance. Any regular comic book reader knows that characters who have bought the farm will inevitably er… sell the farm again and be resurrected in a more powerful incarnation. Essentially, comic book death has become, particularly for the important characters, has become a marketing gimmick just to breath new life and interest into stories.

But Morrison takes a very intelligent approach and gave Batman a unique send-off (and has even left the door open for a reasonable return). The feeling that the story gives is that the demise of the Batman wasn’t done for the sake of a gimmick, but rather as a natural growth of all the characters involved, particularly Dick Grayson (a.k.a. Nightwing, the first Robin).

I find it interesting that Bruce Wayne’s final battle is not even in direct confrontation with his arch enemy, the Joker, but rather with his own inner demons as personified by Doctor Hurt and the Black Glove. The introduction of the Club of Villains is something that will probably be prominent in the mythologies of the Bat Family as a new “rogues gallery” for the new Batman.

Will Bruce Wayne return as Batman?

Most likely. After all, Hal Jordan and Barry Allen came back. But I personally hope that Bruce won’t be back anytime soon. Having been one of DC’s top cash cows since 1939, let’s give the guy a chance to rest and let one of his sons take over the cave.

The story itself is very good and takes the opportunity to plant storyline seeds for whoever inherits the cowl. Batman RIP is one of my favorite story arcs, along with Green Lantern Sinestro Corps and X-Men Messiah Complex. I look forward to getting the trade paperback edition for Christmas.

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