Category Patrick Ehlers

Patrick Ehlers, Co-Editor-In-Chief
patrick@retcon-punch.com

Location: Los Angeles

History With Comics: Patrick came late to the comics game. After enjoying adaptations of Batman, Superman and the Justice League, he was finally tricked into picking up a set of graphic novels after seeing Robert Rodriguez’ Sin City. Naturally, this lead to further exploration of Frank Miller’s work, specifically with Batman. But it was not until an unexplainable desire to read Blackest Night that Patrick began purchasing the trades of Geoff Johns’ run Green Lantern. With a convenient new entry point and a handful of friends to follow him into the madness, Patrick began reading monthlies with the New 52’s Justice League #1.

New 52 Favorites: The Flash, Swamp Thing, Batwoman

Other Favorite Comics: Usagi Yojimbo, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Saga

Feb 23 2012

The Flash 6

Today, Drew and Patrick are discussing the Flash 6, originally released February 22nd, 2012.

Drew: Barry Allen has a strange relationship with time. It’s the essence of his character; he moves (and thinks) fast enough for issues of cause and effect to not matter to him in the same way they do for us. The complexity of that relationship increases exponentially when time travel is added to the mix, breaking down the meaning of cause and effect altogether. Francis Manapul and Brian Buccellato have done a great job introducing these elements without giving Barry absolute control over time. The EMP blast from the previous few issues addresses these complications dramatically, but issue 6 is told in a non-linear fashion, allowing Manapul and Buccellato to address the issue of time travel thematically. I’m going to re-shuffle the story into chronological order for the sake of clarity (a la our Batwoman 6 write-up), but understand that the story is arranged in LOST-style flashbacks to reveal the causes of events after the effect has been established. Continue reading →

Feb 22 2012

Chat Cave: Relaunching the Multiverse

With the Second Wave of the New 52, DC will reintroduce the Multiverse, the mulitple-earthed solution to continuity issues, with titles like Earth 2 and World’s Finest.What do you think about the Multiverse coming back? The Retcon Punchers sound off. Welcome to the Chat Cave

Shelby: Oh, Multiverse, you confuse me so. Trying to keep track of the Multiverse is, to me, akin to herding cats in a straight line: a mildly amusing, but ultimately impossible endeavor. Honestly, I think the Multiverse is just silly; come on, have you ever read the Wikipedia list of Multiverse worlds? Originally, it was meant to enable cross-overs between Golden and Silver Age comics, and has since been compressed, smoothed out, re-shaped, forgotten, remembered, and now apparently relaunched. It is a sink-hole of continuity issues and alternate realities. Continue reading →

Feb 20 2012

Green Lantern Corps 6


Today, Peter and Patrick are discussing Green Lantern Corps 6, originally released  February 15th, 2012.

Peter: I have always liked the idea of the Green Lantern Corps; an intergalactic peace keeping force run by a council of small, immortal blue aliens. Over the years, the Green Lantern mantle has been carried by several different humans, from Hal Jordan to Kyle Rayner. However, for a very long time, outside of large-scale events the rest of the Corps was rarely seen. With the advent of the Green Lantern Corps monthly we are given a look into the the workings of the Corps and a sometimes needed, always appreciated break from Hal Jordan and his ever-fluctuating mental structure. Peter Tomasi has begun to sculpt a new set of stories that are so far piquing my interest and are leaving me excited for the future of the Corps. Continue reading →

Feb 20 2012

Nightwing 5-6

Today, Patrick and Drew are discussing Nightwing 5-6, originally released January 18th, 2012, and February 15th, 2012.

Patrick: I realize that I know a lot about Dick Grayson, but I don’t know all that much about Nightwing. I’m comfortable with him in the Robin role – that’s the Batman I was raised on, after all. And Dick wearing the Batman cowl is a compelling enough story that even with my limited exposure to that arc, I feel like I get it. But I don’t have a solid grasp on how Nightwing operates, what he stands for or what the world’s perception of him is. I don’t know who his rogues are (unless he’s borrowing from Batman’s incredibly deep bench), and I don’t really know where he usually fights crime (venturing a guess: Gotham and Blüdhaven? Wait, which one is Blüdhaven?). Relying only on this series, I’m not totally convinced I know what tone the Nightwing character is supposed to strike. Continue reading →

Feb 16 2012

Batman 6

Batman 6

Today, Drew and Patrick are discussing Batman 6, originally released February 15th, 2012.

Drew: I have a bit of a tradition on the third Wednesday of the month: I pick up the new Batman, thinking “there’s no way they can top last month,” and put it down thinking, “okay, but there’s really no way they can top this next month.” It’s a credit to Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo that my expectations keep getting blown out of the water. After last month’s mind-bending issue, I suspected that the final image of Batman being stabbed by the Talon might just be in Bruce’s head. Of course, my expectations were proven wrong once again, as Snyder and Capullo deliver an issue that is simultaneously more action-packed and subtler than its predecessor. Continue reading →

Feb 15 2012

Chat Cave: Digital Comics vs. Real Comics

Chat Cave

Among all of the continuity changes of the New 52, one of the biggest changes to DC was their new same day digital release plan. With digital comics coming out the same day as physical copies, readers can choose their favorite media without worrying about being behind the curve. Now the only question is: which do you prefer? The Retcon Punch staff weighs in. Welcome to the Chat Cave

Drew: I officially exorcised any lingering “real books are better than e-readers” feelings when I moved cross-country this past summer. Real books are bulky and heavy, and when it comes down to it, what I really value about them is the info they contain, not that they’re handsomely bound or that they smell nice or that they’re comforting (though I agree that those things are all nice). I take no pride in having a large library on display, so would gladly trade-in every book I own for an e-reader if it meant I never had to pack and move another box of books. That is, unless we’re talking about comic books. Continue reading →

Feb 13 2012

Batwoman 6


Today, Patrick and Drew are discussing Batwoman 6, originally released February 8th, 2012.

Patrick: Batwoman #6 opens close on the Bat symbol on Kate Kane’s chest. Subtitles indicate that we are reading “Batwoman’s Story. Now.” Setting and protagonist are stated up-front in writing because we won’t be with this person, or in this time, for very long. The rest of the 22-page issue touches on the story of 5 other characters as related to the kidnapping and murder of children by members of Medusa and the origin of the La Llorona  myth. It is a dizzying exercise in perspective and chronology that skips wildly between characters and locales. Some of the stories offer new perspective on events that unfolded in the five issues that proceeded it, while others (those presented as “Now”) seem to have skipped ahead in time to a climactic battle for the safety of the kidnapped children. Continue reading →

Feb 10 2012

Green Lantern 6

Today, Shelby and Patrick are discussing Green Lantern 6, originally released February 8th, 2012.

Shelby: I forget how much I like Green Lantern. You wouldn’t think I would be able to forget; I devoured Rebirth and Blackest Night. Green Lantern was my introduction to the wackiness of the DC universe. Without Green Lantern, I probably would not be sitting here writing this post.  Hal’s cocky attitude, his eternally doomed relationship with Carol, his never-ending-struggle with Sinestro, his former mentor and partner: I enjoy it all. While I’ve been enjoying Green Lantern so far with the relaunch, it was this issue that really made me remember just how much I like Green Lantern. Continue reading →

Feb 9 2012

Batgirl 6

Batgirl 6Today, Drew and Patrick are discussing Batgirl 6, originally released February 8th, 2012.

Drew: When Gretel was introduced last month, she came with a number of mysteries, some large and important, others seemingly insignificant. These are all more or less solved this issue, wrapping up Gretel’s story with a little bow that feels a little too pat for what I’ve come to expect of this title. Gail Simone has done so well imbuing Barbara Gordon’s social life with complications (both small and large), that the conclusiveness of Gretel’s resolution feels out-of-place. Continue reading →

Feb 7 2012

Green Lantern Corps 4-5

Today, Shelby and Patrick are discussing Green Lantern Corps 4-5, originally released December 21st, 2011 and  January 11th, 2012.

Shelby: When it comes to comic books, I have a sort of traditional archetype in mind of the “classic comic book.”  You’ve got action action action, a lost battle where someone from our side is captured, a villain monologue that reveals the plan while a rescue is coordinated, and a big final battle. It’s a very aggressive, masculine style of story-telling, and GLC fits into this stereotype perfectly. It could be because we haven’t met any of the awesome lady Lanterns I know to be out there (Soranik Natu, where are  you?), but I think it mostly has to do with Guy Gardner. Oh, Guy; you are the douchebag frat boy that I can’t help but love. Maybe it’s those moments where you see his toughboy act is just that: an act meant to cover up the fact that he’s just a guy (ha!) trying to get by. Continue reading →