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Creative Team:
Writers: Kenny Porter, Alex Galer, Aaron J. Waltke, Dennis Hopeless, Danny Lore, Brendan Hay, Marguerite Sauvage, and George Mann.
Art and Colors: Nick Robles, Nick Filardi, Derek Charm, Ivan Chavrin, Baldemar Rivas, Ted Brandt, Roe Stein, M.L Sanapo, Enrica Angiolini, Marguerite Sauvage, Leonardo Rodrigues, Joe Prado, Jonas Trindade, and Hi-Fi
Letters: Travis Lanham, Ferran Delgado, Josh Reed, Steve Wands, Becca Carey, Frank Cvetkovic, and Carlos M. Mangual.
Cover By: Amanda Conner and Jimmy Palmiotti
How To Lose A Guy Gardner In Ten Days:
Love is in the air for our heroes as this fun and exciting collection of stories tells us what it’s like to be a superhero in the dating world. We have a bouquet of hero’e’s hearts torn between their two loves. Guy Gardner and being a jerk, Batman and brooding, The Tin Man growing his heart, and so much more. Sit down with your favorite box of chocolates, and let’s get a lesson in romance.
The Art:
The immediate thing to notice about this collection is the varying degrees of artistic talent on display, which is why I love reading such books. Each one has a lighthearted, almost Saturday morning cartoon vibe that pulls us into an immediate trance upon viewing. Some standouts for me are a panel of Barry Allen racing across town to battle a hot dog-eating Grodd to make his date with Iris perfect and the rugged feeling we get in our time with Constantine. Each artist and colorist pours their love into these stories, bringing them to life in a way even Hollywood rom-coms would be impressed.
Lastly, I love most how the artists in this story are not afraid to bend panels to their will. Plastic Man, for example, has a shining twisted moment where he can contort his neck around his date, and then what comes next is him engorging in food. Making the most of Rivas’s space, they hammer home some epic standout moments in Love’s a Stretch, making it my favorite visual tale of the bunch, but that’s not to say I did not give out my candy hearts to every other story.
The Writing:
Right off the bat ( no pun intended), you can tell every letterer and every writer is having plain old-fashioned fun in these stories. We get to see Wonder Woman, Nightwing and Batgirl, Guy Gardner, Plastic Man, and even Boster Gold living various lives around the day of love. Everyone writes their stories so obviously fundamentally understands their characters, such as Kenny, who gets to tap into his cheeky side but also showcases a fun twist in the first story. Mann gets that it will never be a quiet night for the Bat Family, and Galer sucks in with a tale of two kids looking to have their first kiss and gut punches us as though Batman himself was behind it.
The writing showcases a ton of talent getting to play in a stress-free environment and telling us exciting tales of love and heartbreak.
Overall:
As a profound lover of romantic comedies, I had so much unapologetic fun with this story. Getting to spend time with some of my favorite characters, such as Barry Allen, and taking a peak behind their bravery to show that, hey, they are people..and robots too, was so refreshing. The lesson to take from The Flash’s story, which we could all use in our lives, is to stop trying to be perfect, be who you are, and the rest will come.
10/10 Stars
Thank you for checking out my review! If you want to find more New Comic Book Day reviews or our podcast episodes, head to http://linktr.ee/hopsgeeknews where you can find all of our socials and more!
