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Twilight #Complete
Twilight
DC's wide-eyed science fiction heroes, most of whom first appeared in the 1950s, are reimagined in this dark tale from writer Howard Chaykin and artist Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez. Originally published in 1990, TWILIGHT tells the story of how one of the Star Rovers, Karel Sorenson, became a living god when caught in an explosion with a race of immortal creatures called Methuseloids. It's up to renegade hero Tommy Tomorrow to stop his former ally -- but he ends up absorbing Sorenson's power and becoming an all-powerful tyrant himself. Also includes appearances by Star Hawkins, Manhunter 2070, Ironwolf, Space Ranger, Space Cabbie and other heroes.
Collects TWILIGHT #1-3.
Collects TWILIGHT #1-3.
192 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1990
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About the author
Howard Chaykin
1,074 books112 followersHoward Victor Chaykin is an American comic book artist and writer. Chaykin's influences include his one-time employer and mentor, Gil Kane, and the mid-20th century illustrators Robert Fawcett and Al Parker.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews
August 16, 2020
Being unfamiliar with the different 1950s characters that Howard Chaykin used for this story (Axel 'Star' Hawkins, Tommy Tomorrow & The Planeteers, Manhunter 2070, The Knights Of The Galaxy, and more), I went into this blind and read the book on its own merits (without preconceptions or expectations). All I had to go on were 1) it was a sci-fi story written by Howard Chaykin, and 2) it was illustrated by the great José Luis García-López.
As the 3-star rating will tell you, I liked it. The story is intense and very layered, the universe-building (forget world-building!) is fully-realised. It's also a bit much to take all at once, which probably explains why I spread it over three days. It's very dark, definitely not for kids, but well worth reading. And reading again. Great sci-fi.
As the 3-star rating will tell you, I liked it. The story is intense and very layered, the universe-building (forget world-building!) is fully-realised. It's also a bit much to take all at once, which probably explains why I spread it over three days. It's very dark, definitely not for kids, but well worth reading. And reading again. Great sci-fi.
February 20, 2020
Comprei Crepúsculo para tentar entender porque a Panini Comics Brasil estava colocando no mercado uma minissérie tão mas tão obscura ao invés de trazer tantas e tantas outras publicações da DC Comics pedidas e imploradas pelos leitores. Não consegui descobrir. Comprei Crepúsculo para me empolgar com mais uma tentativa da DC Comics de revitalizar seus personagens antigos, nesse caso, os heróis espaciais dos anos 1950, por um talento da época, Howard Chaykin. Não consegui entender direito a história. Devo ser burro e Chaykin teria a delicadeza de me chamar assim. Comprei Crepúsculo para me deleitar sobre a arte incrível de José Luiz García-López que faz desenhos de super-heróis como nenhum outro. Mas aqui ele não desenha super-heróis e podemos perceber que tudo na história foi feito para desenvolver uma emulação do sucesso da época: O Incal, de Alejandro Jodorewski e Moebius, inclusive as cores neste quadrinhos sã assim. Saí DCpcionado. Com todas essas ainda não entendi o motivo da Panini lançar u quadrinho tão mas tão desconhecido e com um arte tão mas tão descarcterizada e com um roteiro ininteligível.
December 5, 2023
Great sci-fi story with exceptional art. Loved the exaggerated facial expressions and intricate backgrounds
February 6, 2024
Garcia-Lopez can draw anything.
November 4, 2024
There was a period starting in the mid-1980s when Howard Chaykin was the go-to creator for radical updatings of classic characters. His revised Blackhawk and his modernized Shadow caused a storm of controversy in pre-internet days. Twilight, though, slipped under the radar in 1991, perhaps because not enough people cared about the throwaway characters inhabiting DC’s 1950s science-fiction anthologies.
Bland these characters may have been, but they struck a chord with the youthful Chaykin, and there’s a loving touch applied throughout their warts and all portrayal here. In a Comic Book Artist interview Chaykin noted he considered the original material as the equivalent of Ned Buntline’s mythologizing of the Old West heroes. Just as there was truth behind those exaggerations, so it was with DC’s old science-fiction characters. This, though, can be read without knowing who any of them are, although those to whom they’re familiar can raise a wry smile at their behind the scenes versions.
Fused with this approach was the idea that what’s promised by religion might actually pay out in the end, and in doing so will just complicate matters further. There’s a brave leap of a century between the first and second chapters.
Rather than draw his own plot, Chaykin supplied breakdowns for possibly the most under-rated comic artist ever in José Luis García-López. There appears to be nothing beyond his capacity to draw in a completely naturalistic fashion. Opening the book at three random spreads delivers a God-like being manifesting and ranting, a Queen talking to her assistant about his seeing-eye cat before observing a massive space fleet and the progress of an evolved game of ice hockey. Each of the characters has a posture and presence, and despite the entire story being set in the future, this is so credibly portrayed by García-López that there’s never any lack of belief.
The credibility is reinforced by Chaykin’s characterisation. None of his cast remain the clean-cut innocents portrayed in the 1950s. Shades of grey abound, with some moving definitively into black. His narrator, his Buntline, is Homer Glint, once a member of adventurers the Star Rovers, now a cynical voice of reason reliving events in hindsight. He skirts around and even influences perilous times, his lack of direct vision instrumental in all under-estimating him, so he becomes the ultimate survivor.
All these years after publication Twilight still stands up as a bravura exploration of humanity’s enduring nature drawn by a master draughtsman.
Bland these characters may have been, but they struck a chord with the youthful Chaykin, and there’s a loving touch applied throughout their warts and all portrayal here. In a Comic Book Artist interview Chaykin noted he considered the original material as the equivalent of Ned Buntline’s mythologizing of the Old West heroes. Just as there was truth behind those exaggerations, so it was with DC’s old science-fiction characters. This, though, can be read without knowing who any of them are, although those to whom they’re familiar can raise a wry smile at their behind the scenes versions.
Fused with this approach was the idea that what’s promised by religion might actually pay out in the end, and in doing so will just complicate matters further. There’s a brave leap of a century between the first and second chapters.
Rather than draw his own plot, Chaykin supplied breakdowns for possibly the most under-rated comic artist ever in José Luis García-López. There appears to be nothing beyond his capacity to draw in a completely naturalistic fashion. Opening the book at three random spreads delivers a God-like being manifesting and ranting, a Queen talking to her assistant about his seeing-eye cat before observing a massive space fleet and the progress of an evolved game of ice hockey. Each of the characters has a posture and presence, and despite the entire story being set in the future, this is so credibly portrayed by García-López that there’s never any lack of belief.
The credibility is reinforced by Chaykin’s characterisation. None of his cast remain the clean-cut innocents portrayed in the 1950s. Shades of grey abound, with some moving definitively into black. His narrator, his Buntline, is Homer Glint, once a member of adventurers the Star Rovers, now a cynical voice of reason reliving events in hindsight. He skirts around and even influences perilous times, his lack of direct vision instrumental in all under-estimating him, so he becomes the ultimate survivor.
All these years after publication Twilight still stands up as a bravura exploration of humanity’s enduring nature drawn by a master draughtsman.
October 26, 2019
Colour scheme:❇️❇️❇️❇️❇️
June 13, 2012
not for every taste, certainly, but the characters are interesting and there's a kind of crazed glory to it that's kind of seductive, even though it doesn't really go anywhere much. lots of political and social commentary buried in it, though, and the larger story is cleverly framed (the end of civilization is in the middle, and the ending goes love-among-the-ruins instead), which is probably why Chaykin wrote it. the intricate panel art of Jose Luis Garcia Lopez, a bit oddly paired with his magnificent art deco covers, are also extraordinary. altogether, as a ballpark comparison think Warren Ellis's gung-ho later series Transmetropolitan, set in a future that echoes our present.
May 8, 2013
Almost painfully beautiful art cannot save some really dreary writing about how even in a perfect future people will be jerks and characters are only considered realistic if they are messed up or unlikable.
Plus, knowing all the characters Chaykin is re-imagining, it felt lazy and pointless all the changes he made.
Shame that the writing couldn't match up to the art, as this could have been a brilliant bit of space opera.
Plus, knowing all the characters Chaykin is re-imagining, it felt lazy and pointless all the changes he made.
Shame that the writing couldn't match up to the art, as this could have been a brilliant bit of space opera.
June 25, 2023
First - the story is 2 stars and the art is 6 stars (yes - I am breaking all the rules) so this came out to 4 on the basis this is the MOST gorgeous example of José Luis García-López's art I have ever seen and this is an artist who is one of the best ever so that is me saying "this art is the most amazing I have seen". The detail, the expressions, the world building, the panel layout, the inventiveness, the beauty. I have always felt José was best suited to sci-fi (which is why I wish his outstanding Atari Force would be reprinted as a TPB) so this story, set in the future allowed him to shine bright. And it is obvious this was a labour of love for him because of the attention and detail he put into each and every page from start to finish. Him inking it himself made it ten times sweeter because most inkers cannot capture (or do justice to) his elegant line work.
So - make no mistake - if read this book only for the art you are still getting your money's (time's) worth.
The story? Okay - let me start by saying Chaykin has long been a frustrating writer for me to read. He is smart, creative, witty, great at building fully realized characters but his story telling ability is just lacking. I saw it in American Flagg (his best known series) I saw it in Time2 I see it in almost anything he writes when he is given full creative freedom (when an editor tames him down on a Marvel property it is better). Why do I say that? When you read his story I feel like I am missing pages of exposition. I am sure it is all in his head but he doesn't know how to let the reader in on it so his stories are often confusing and jump around too fast.
Here we have him trying to do a Watchmen (which used Charlton characters, revamped for a darker story) with many of DC's sci fi series from the silver age. I won't even list them for you because a) almost no reader remembers them b) Chaykin doesn't connect them to the original characters except by name - so the nostalgia of using them is lost. In other words - the concept of "let's do a dark story using old sci fi comic book characters" is forgotten before it even begins. Yes, the bad guy is called Tommy Tomorrow but...he has no connection to the original character. In Watchmen they had the same powers so THAT was the connection. Also, Watchmen had a coherent story...this? Not so much.
You have a lot of great SCENES but the story as a whole is a head scratcher. In loose terms "there is a group of aliens that can give humans immortality if you eat them...so humans get access to them and everyone is immortal because...they are. At the same time a reporter Karel becomes a Goddess because...she does. A thousand years into her Goddess-ness Tommy Tomorrow attacks and kills her easily (too easily) and he gets all her powers because..he does. And then the heroes we have been following converge to kill him. Humankind loses its immortality because...it does." What I am saying is the main thread of the story just happens and there doesn't seem to be a reason. Meanwhile we are also following a bunch characters who...don't have much to do until the end. They are interesting and witty but it is VERY confusing following them around when there isn't any drive to their stories.
In the end, I wish the story had lived up to the art and the characters Chaykin created but it does not. I still think the art alone makes this book worth it.
So - make no mistake - if read this book only for the art you are still getting your money's (time's) worth.
The story? Okay - let me start by saying Chaykin has long been a frustrating writer for me to read. He is smart, creative, witty, great at building fully realized characters but his story telling ability is just lacking. I saw it in American Flagg (his best known series) I saw it in Time2 I see it in almost anything he writes when he is given full creative freedom (when an editor tames him down on a Marvel property it is better). Why do I say that? When you read his story I feel like I am missing pages of exposition. I am sure it is all in his head but he doesn't know how to let the reader in on it so his stories are often confusing and jump around too fast.
Here we have him trying to do a Watchmen (which used Charlton characters, revamped for a darker story) with many of DC's sci fi series from the silver age. I won't even list them for you because a) almost no reader remembers them b) Chaykin doesn't connect them to the original characters except by name - so the nostalgia of using them is lost. In other words - the concept of "let's do a dark story using old sci fi comic book characters" is forgotten before it even begins. Yes, the bad guy is called Tommy Tomorrow but...he has no connection to the original character. In Watchmen they had the same powers so THAT was the connection. Also, Watchmen had a coherent story...this? Not so much.
You have a lot of great SCENES but the story as a whole is a head scratcher. In loose terms "there is a group of aliens that can give humans immortality if you eat them...so humans get access to them and everyone is immortal because...they are. At the same time a reporter Karel becomes a Goddess because...she does. A thousand years into her Goddess-ness Tommy Tomorrow attacks and kills her easily (too easily) and he gets all her powers because..he does. And then the heroes we have been following converge to kill him. Humankind loses its immortality because...it does." What I am saying is the main thread of the story just happens and there doesn't seem to be a reason. Meanwhile we are also following a bunch characters who...don't have much to do until the end. They are interesting and witty but it is VERY confusing following them around when there isn't any drive to their stories.
In the end, I wish the story had lived up to the art and the characters Chaykin created but it does not. I still think the art alone makes this book worth it.
July 14, 2025
This is a hard one to review. It's half incredible, half incoherent. Let's start with the good.
The art is some of the best comics sci-fi art I've ever seen, period. This is Garcia Lopez at his absolute peak, working with one of the best colorists of all time, Steve Oliff. This looks less like a superhero comic and more like a European sci-fi epic in the vein of Moebius (The Incal in particular). You could take all the words away and Twilight would be worth getting for the art lone. In fact...it might be better that way.
Which brings us to the story. This was ostensibly an attempt to take a bunch of ancient, obscure DC sci-fi heroes and create a cohesive, modern update of them for the post-Crisis age. Truthfully, these new versions have almost nothing in common with their classic counterparts except their names, which is probably for the best. In reality this is a self-contained space opera about fascism, religion, sex, and death. I suspect Chaykin was already working on this story before he injected spatterings of DC lore in order to pitch it as an Alan Moore style revamp of classic characters, promising a future graphic novel classic to sit next to Watchmen on bookstore shelves in perpetuity.
In any case, this story is pretty bizarre. I compared it to the Incal earlier, and that's the closest thing I can think of. Like that story, Twilight is a very big, very complex epic with tons of characters, and a tediously underwritten mythology that gets handwaved at the most important moments. There are so many crazy, interesting ideas flowing from every page, but it just never seems to come together. There are always crazy things happening, but the actual story never feels as crazy as the plot suggests. There are all these grand ideas flowing around that seem to be building to some kind of bold political statement, but it never happens. The politics are always one step away from saying anything interesting. And unfortunately, the characters aren't really interesting enough by themselves to make up for it. Don't get me wrong, these are well conceived characters, but they seem bizarrely static and unchanging over the course of the story, despite the fact that a literal millennium passes between pages. Maybe that's the point, I dunno, but it didn't work for me. The story is always frustratingly close to greatness, never quite reaching it.
I suspect most people shared my experience to some degree, given that this comic is relatively obscure, and did not become the bestseller classic that it was clearly aiming to be. It's kind of sad, because there is so much here worth experiencing and analyzing critically. But I guess the ambition outreached the ability on this one, at least on Chaykin's end. Maybe it needed a few more issues to breathe. Or a few less characters. Not sure. Still, it's worth a look. That art, wow!
The art is some of the best comics sci-fi art I've ever seen, period. This is Garcia Lopez at his absolute peak, working with one of the best colorists of all time, Steve Oliff. This looks less like a superhero comic and more like a European sci-fi epic in the vein of Moebius (The Incal in particular). You could take all the words away and Twilight would be worth getting for the art lone. In fact...it might be better that way.
Which brings us to the story. This was ostensibly an attempt to take a bunch of ancient, obscure DC sci-fi heroes and create a cohesive, modern update of them for the post-Crisis age. Truthfully, these new versions have almost nothing in common with their classic counterparts except their names, which is probably for the best. In reality this is a self-contained space opera about fascism, religion, sex, and death. I suspect Chaykin was already working on this story before he injected spatterings of DC lore in order to pitch it as an Alan Moore style revamp of classic characters, promising a future graphic novel classic to sit next to Watchmen on bookstore shelves in perpetuity.
In any case, this story is pretty bizarre. I compared it to the Incal earlier, and that's the closest thing I can think of. Like that story, Twilight is a very big, very complex epic with tons of characters, and a tediously underwritten mythology that gets handwaved at the most important moments. There are so many crazy, interesting ideas flowing from every page, but it just never seems to come together. There are always crazy things happening, but the actual story never feels as crazy as the plot suggests. There are all these grand ideas flowing around that seem to be building to some kind of bold political statement, but it never happens. The politics are always one step away from saying anything interesting. And unfortunately, the characters aren't really interesting enough by themselves to make up for it. Don't get me wrong, these are well conceived characters, but they seem bizarrely static and unchanging over the course of the story, despite the fact that a literal millennium passes between pages. Maybe that's the point, I dunno, but it didn't work for me. The story is always frustratingly close to greatness, never quite reaching it.
I suspect most people shared my experience to some degree, given that this comic is relatively obscure, and did not become the bestseller classic that it was clearly aiming to be. It's kind of sad, because there is so much here worth experiencing and analyzing critically. But I guess the ambition outreached the ability on this one, at least on Chaykin's end. Maybe it needed a few more issues to breathe. Or a few less characters. Not sure. Still, it's worth a look. That art, wow!
June 23, 2017
This collection is a reboot of some classic comic book characters of the 1950s and 1960s that have fallen into obscurity, but although the reboot is many millions of miles away from the original characters, it doesn't quite fall into the "Grim & Gritty" (and completely absurd) category that so many other reboots of the 1990s fell prey to.
However, the childish sense of wonder of the original comics that were aimed squarely at the preteen market has indeed been discarded, but replaced by more of a "Star Wars" sensibility than the usual idiot violence of the DC reboots of the period.
The main strength of this work is that it entirely stands on its own as a full cohesive story, even though we're coming into it in medias res. There's preexisting relationships and complications everywhere, and the story flows more from the relationships than happenstance.
It's also not incidentally a story about humanity taking the next step in our evolution, and since it's Howard Chaykin, it should shock no one that both the means and the ends of that evolution aren't pretty. This project was written and drawn in the latter days of the Reagan-Thatcher era, and if you look closely you may see those two Conservative leaders' jackbooted military footprints wandering through through the background, albeit not overtly.
Two generations removed from the first printing of the original three-part comic book edition, it seems we haven't learned a goddamned thing about military solutions to humanity's problems, and that's a theme of the book itself, set a century or two in the future.
The artwork from Jose Garcia Lopez is a highlight of his long distinguished career, and one of his own favorite projects. Garcia Lopez never disappoints, but here he takes some of the heroic conventions he's known for and subverts them brilliantly.
Well worth a look even if you're completely ignorant of the source comics from the Silver Age.
However, the childish sense of wonder of the original comics that were aimed squarely at the preteen market has indeed been discarded, but replaced by more of a "Star Wars" sensibility than the usual idiot violence of the DC reboots of the period.
The main strength of this work is that it entirely stands on its own as a full cohesive story, even though we're coming into it in medias res. There's preexisting relationships and complications everywhere, and the story flows more from the relationships than happenstance.
It's also not incidentally a story about humanity taking the next step in our evolution, and since it's Howard Chaykin, it should shock no one that both the means and the ends of that evolution aren't pretty. This project was written and drawn in the latter days of the Reagan-Thatcher era, and if you look closely you may see those two Conservative leaders' jackbooted military footprints wandering through through the background, albeit not overtly.
Two generations removed from the first printing of the original three-part comic book edition, it seems we haven't learned a goddamned thing about military solutions to humanity's problems, and that's a theme of the book itself, set a century or two in the future.
The artwork from Jose Garcia Lopez is a highlight of his long distinguished career, and one of his own favorite projects. Garcia Lopez never disappoints, but here he takes some of the heroic conventions he's known for and subverts them brilliantly.
Well worth a look even if you're completely ignorant of the source comics from the Silver Age.
October 18, 2023
There are two ways that I read comic books. First, I read it as entertainment in the here and now. Second, I try to keep in mind the era which the material was originally published. Context can make me forgive certain things. Watchmen kicked open the floodgates for Mature Readers comics. While there were certainly things going on in the 1970s and early 1980s it was the critical mass and popularity of that title that made it really happen. DC ushered in the “Prestige format” for comics, 48 page squarebound comics with cardstock covers printed on glossy coated stock paper and utilizing more sophisticated colors than those found in the pulp paper comics of the day. These comics did not adhere to the Comics Code Authority, thus allowing creators to indulge in every whim that had been denied to them up until that point in time. Cursing, excessive violence, sexual situations...nothing was off the table so long as it was artfully done. Again, context of the era. What was once cutting edge and creative becomes strip-mined and pedestrian. This might have been mind blowing 25 years ago but it is a chore to read in 2015.
Twilight utilizes some lesser known DC heroes and launches them into a separate continuity, and this automatically relegates it to a Watchmen knockoff in my mind. This is super dense, text heavy reading. While I am not a fan of decompression, this is overwritten and overwrought and was as much fun to read as chewing chalk. This is passed off as intelligent writing but it is more of a verbal jerkoff. Chaykin tries to be clever but comes off as labored and too self aware to pull it off. He muses on immortality, religion, godhood, sexuality, and human nature, all in one long, droning puke. If not for Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez's artwork this book would have been a completely lost cause. This book has caused me to once again reevaluate which books I purchase and why. I simply don't hate my money this much.
Twilight utilizes some lesser known DC heroes and launches them into a separate continuity, and this automatically relegates it to a Watchmen knockoff in my mind. This is super dense, text heavy reading. While I am not a fan of decompression, this is overwritten and overwrought and was as much fun to read as chewing chalk. This is passed off as intelligent writing but it is more of a verbal jerkoff. Chaykin tries to be clever but comes off as labored and too self aware to pull it off. He muses on immortality, religion, godhood, sexuality, and human nature, all in one long, droning puke. If not for Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez's artwork this book would have been a completely lost cause. This book has caused me to once again reevaluate which books I purchase and why. I simply don't hate my money this much.
September 7, 2025
This may be one of the toughest books I have ever rated. There is so much to unpack with this and it makes it very hard to simply dismiss certain parts of the books. First and foremost, I picked up this book for one simple reason: Jose Luis Garcia Lopez! This is a comic book industry titan that is beyond humble and beyond otherworldly talented! The art is definitely beyond beautiful, and I'll admit is some of the best you will see out of any 3-issue series collected into a trade paperback.
The toughest aspect is if you come in with some understanding of the characters, then this is probably more enjoyable. If you don't, the story will work but you will find yourself wondering who to root for and why these characters are all together in this outer space romp. The writing is good, but I will admit the characters may be the issue with me being captivated by the book. This is maybe the ultimate: "read it for yourself" as I know some people will simply say that the risks in this book alone are worthy of 5 stars, and others will say was this story needed to be told. All these thoughts and emotions put me square in the middle between masterpiece and waste of time. I liked it, but I could not find myself recommending it for everyone, but rather for select individuals on their previous preferences and ratings of other books.
Tommy Tomorrow and Star Rovers are the main characters of this adventure. I also wish they had used a more descriptive title as I am sure you won't be able to find this book without knowing the writer Howard Chaykin or Jose Luis Garcia Lopex. Not knowing that before you look into the book may have you reading about vampires instead of this space odyssey with loads of risks you may not be used to when reading DC Comics.
The toughest aspect is if you come in with some understanding of the characters, then this is probably more enjoyable. If you don't, the story will work but you will find yourself wondering who to root for and why these characters are all together in this outer space romp. The writing is good, but I will admit the characters may be the issue with me being captivated by the book. This is maybe the ultimate: "read it for yourself" as I know some people will simply say that the risks in this book alone are worthy of 5 stars, and others will say was this story needed to be told. All these thoughts and emotions put me square in the middle between masterpiece and waste of time. I liked it, but I could not find myself recommending it for everyone, but rather for select individuals on their previous preferences and ratings of other books.
Tommy Tomorrow and Star Rovers are the main characters of this adventure. I also wish they had used a more descriptive title as I am sure you won't be able to find this book without knowing the writer Howard Chaykin or Jose Luis Garcia Lopex. Not knowing that before you look into the book may have you reading about vampires instead of this space odyssey with loads of risks you may not be used to when reading DC Comics.
December 25, 2022
This was something a bit different from a lot of other comics I've read. From what someone told me, the original basis was a group of DC sci-fi heroes from the 50s, though updated for 1990ish. Which of course means making it a lot grittier and grimmer.
There are a lot of intriguing ideas and plot threads but with only 3 oversized issues there's not really enough time to explore everything. If this had been a 12-issue series (at least) there would have been a better opportunity to really delve into everything. I mean you basically have a 1000-year gap between the first two books and I'm not sure how long between the second and third books. Plus you've got at least a half-dozen main characters on different planets and such...it really could have used a little more space--pun mostly intended.
The framing device of old Homer Glint talking to his talking cat(!?!) is pretty fun and allows some humor into what might have otherwise been kind of grim.
The art is good for the time period with plenty of interesting aliens and ships and so on. I was worried from reading a Blogger buddy's article that some of the splash pages or two-page spreads wouldn't read well on my Kindle Fire, but it wasn't too bad and at this point it might be better to read a digitized version than a moldy old paper version.
There are a lot of intriguing ideas and plot threads but with only 3 oversized issues there's not really enough time to explore everything. If this had been a 12-issue series (at least) there would have been a better opportunity to really delve into everything. I mean you basically have a 1000-year gap between the first two books and I'm not sure how long between the second and third books. Plus you've got at least a half-dozen main characters on different planets and such...it really could have used a little more space--pun mostly intended.
The framing device of old Homer Glint talking to his talking cat(!?!) is pretty fun and allows some humor into what might have otherwise been kind of grim.
The art is good for the time period with plenty of interesting aliens and ships and so on. I was worried from reading a Blogger buddy's article that some of the splash pages or two-page spreads wouldn't read well on my Kindle Fire, but it wasn't too bad and at this point it might be better to read a digitized version than a moldy old paper version.
August 16, 2020
The artwork is beautiful and the writing is proto-every Warren Ellis book in early 2000s.
However, it felt like the artwork was so outstanding that the speech and exposition bubbles were placed in incomprehensible places, disrupting the flow of action between panels.
I also feel like there should have been another book explaining these characters from Charlton comics, (something Alan Moore did not need to do in his re-conception of retired characters, Watchmen). You can’t get attached or feel motivation for anyone involved. It was a dark ride pulled by the momentum of the initial character telling the story after the fact. Without that, it would have been fully intolerable.
However, it felt like the artwork was so outstanding that the speech and exposition bubbles were placed in incomprehensible places, disrupting the flow of action between panels.
I also feel like there should have been another book explaining these characters from Charlton comics, (something Alan Moore did not need to do in his re-conception of retired characters, Watchmen). You can’t get attached or feel motivation for anyone involved. It was a dark ride pulled by the momentum of the initial character telling the story after the fact. Without that, it would have been fully intolerable.
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August 26, 2023Completely my shit. The story was a bit messy but the genre, character writing, ideas, and layouts were executed so well that I didn’t much care, I really want to check out more Howard Chaykin.
And the art. Good god. José Luis García López was waisted on superhero books! Holy shit he was born to do depraved sci fi! Every spread is a treat to look at, top notch expressions, costumes, massive space stations and ships, and conceptual cosmic magic. Imagery ranging from highly detailed to horrifically brutal to blindingly divine.
And the art. Good god. José Luis García López was waisted on superhero books! Holy shit he was born to do depraved sci fi! Every spread is a treat to look at, top notch expressions, costumes, massive space stations and ships, and conceptual cosmic magic. Imagery ranging from highly detailed to horrifically brutal to blindingly divine.
August 9, 2022
Beautiful art by Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez, who draws some of the most beautiful women in comics. Chaykin's story was good, but not great. I have no great undying affection for the silver age DC space heroes -- though I certainly enjoyed reprints I read when I was younger -- but even 30+ years after it was originally published TWILIGHT comes off as ultra-extreme. And that's saying something for a decade in comics that is defined by how extreme they could be.
December 19, 2021
Shocked.
An immortal being retells the story of how he came into existence. There is a lot going on in this book. And honestly, the opening is not gentle. In fact the whole book is rough. Lots of hate and even a few racist slurs. A story about power and genocide set in the future. Reminded me of classic heavy meatal stories. Great art though! Was a little uncomfortable while reading but honestly the ending was interesting enough that I will probably finish the other two. I'm too curious not to.
An immortal being retells the story of how he came into existence. There is a lot going on in this book. And honestly, the opening is not gentle. In fact the whole book is rough. Lots of hate and even a few racist slurs. A story about power and genocide set in the future. Reminded me of classic heavy meatal stories. Great art though! Was a little uncomfortable while reading but honestly the ending was interesting enough that I will probably finish the other two. I'm too curious not to.
December 25, 2017
Fantastic use of old DC sci-fi characters.
Great art and storyline. Very engaging and you do care about what happens to the characters. It is not nostalgic about these characters and reinvents them.
Great art and storyline. Very engaging and you do care about what happens to the characters. It is not nostalgic about these characters and reinvents them.
April 1, 2023
What Watchmen did to 50's heroes, Twilight does to 50's science fiction comic characters, but less sublte and more uncoordinated.
An interesting read from a time when DC comics made interesting choices.
An interesting read from a time when DC comics made interesting choices.
June 1, 2024
This was a WILD one I’ve never even heard of until I saw it in an ad in an old Flash comic I read a couple months ago. This was a weird take on DC Comics 1950’s sci-fi characters with outstanding art.
August 27, 2017
Interesting story, if somewhat busy and messy at times. A bit too wordy for my taste, and often without context, but not a bad read.
May 16, 2020
Maybe 5? I don’t know.
September 21, 2022
Fantastic art and a nice, layered science fiction story utilizing some long forgotten silver age characters from
DCs history.
DCs history.
August 13, 2024
Weird wild stuff
December 20, 2025
The whole thing is swinging for the fences and I love it. Crazy story, gorgeous art...I wish DC still did stuff like this.
April 5, 2015
Reseña de M'Rabo Mhulargo para BrainStomping:
https://brainstomping.wordpress.com/2...
Twilight de Chaykin y García López: El crepúsculo del Universo DC
Que DC tiene un montón de personajes desaprovechados no es ninguna novedad, no hay más que echar un ojo al actual DC New 52 para darse cuenta de cómo los desaprovechan. Y esto sucedía también en los años 90, cuando el subuniverso espacial de DC estaba más muerto que vivo. De todos los personajes creados por Gardner Fox, John Broome y compañía a lo largo de las décadas de los 50 y 60 solo sobrevivía Adam Strange y a duras penas, estando el resto muertos editorialmente. Al menos lo estuvieron hasta que un buen día Howard Chaykin y José Luis García López se liaron la manta a la cabeza y decidieron mostrarnos una versión más adulta de todos aquellos héroes espaciales a los que casi todo el mundo había olvidado. Así fue como nació Twilight.
Si, hubo una época en la que DC era capaz de publicar comics buenísimos
Prácticamente todos estos héroes espaciales habían vivido sus cortas vidas editoriales en las páginas de las cabeceras genéricas de DC, Mystery in Space, Showcase, Strange Adventures, etc.… Y como buenos hijos de su época las aventuras de estos héroes eran de lo mas inocentonas y en ocasiones, absurdas. Pero la mayoría no llego a cuajar entre el público y acabaron siendo poco más que una nota al pie de página en la historia del Universo DC.
Pero a comienzos de la década de los 90 Howard Chaykin decidió recuperar a la mayor parte de estos héroes olvidados y darnos otro punto de vista de sus aventuras mucho más oscuro y siniestro. Habían pasado décadas desde el nacimiento de estos personajes y mucho había llovido en DC desde entonces, el Green Lantern/Green Arrow, Watchmen, etc. Era el momento perfecto para contar esta historia. Pero Chaykin no hizo esto solo, conto con la inestimable ayuda de José Luis García López, uno de los mayores artistas que ha dado este género. Juntos crearon este comic que tan injustamente parece haber pasado desapercibido.
En las páginas de Twilight nos encontramos con que todos estos personajes ahora son contemporáneos y se conocen. La historia comienza con un anciano Homer Glint, de los Star Rovers, rememorando el pasado, los años en los que toda la galaxia cambio. Había terminado una guerra entre los humanos y aquellos a los que estos habían creado para servirles, robots y animales humanoides creados en laboratorio.
Tommy Tomorrow era un egoísta y narcisista xenófobo al que solo le interesaba la búsqueda de la inmortalidad. Star Hawkins y Manhunter 2070 eran hermanos y mantenían una enfermiza relación de amor/odio entre ellos e Ilda, la ayudante robot de Hawkins y los Star Rovers seguían a la greña buscando fama y fortuna de cualquier forma posible. Es en este escenario en el que un incidente desatado durante la búsqueda de la raza alienígena de los matusaloides, unos seres inmortales, se pondrán en marcha una serie de eventos que cambiaran la galaxia para siempre.
Howard Chaykin aquí nos trae uno de sus últimos grandes trabajos, cuando aún no había caído en la auto parodia y no se dedicaba a contar la misma historia una y otra vez protagonizada por el mismo personaje estereotipado que saca en todas sus series. Se echa mucho de menos a ese Chaykin. ¿Y del trabajo de José Luis García López que puedo decir? Nada de lo que pueda escribir hará justicia al trabajo de este hombre, ni podre decir nada que no se haya dicho ya miles de veces sobre su trabajo. Es impresionante el nivel de detalle y caracterización que consigue este hombre, cada personaje tiene su rostro individual y lleno de expresiones, sus páginas están tan llenas de detalles que uno puede pasarse horas simplemente admirando sus dibujos a la búsqueda de algún pequeño guiño que se nos haya pasado por alto.
Por desgracia esta visión del futuro no creció mucho más. Dos años después de la publicación de esta miniserie Chaykyn retomo esta versión del futuro del universo DC en la novela grafica “Ironwolf: Las llamas de la revolución” en la que rescataba a este viejo personaje suyo integrándolo en medio de la historia narrada en Twilight, estando acompañado esta vez a los lápices por Mike Mignola.
Pero ahí quedo la cosa y desde entonces poco o nada se ha hecho con estos personajes, siendo relegados al olvido una vez más, a saber si alguna vez volveremos a verlos. Hasta entonces no nos queda otra que releer de vez en cuando estas historias y cruzar los dedos para que algún día pongan al mando en DC a alguien con dos dedos de frente y decida recuperar estos y otros personajes con autores dignos al frente y se dejen de mamarrachadas publicitarias.
https://brainstomping.wordpress.com/2...
Twilight de Chaykin y García López: El crepúsculo del Universo DC
Que DC tiene un montón de personajes desaprovechados no es ninguna novedad, no hay más que echar un ojo al actual DC New 52 para darse cuenta de cómo los desaprovechan. Y esto sucedía también en los años 90, cuando el subuniverso espacial de DC estaba más muerto que vivo. De todos los personajes creados por Gardner Fox, John Broome y compañía a lo largo de las décadas de los 50 y 60 solo sobrevivía Adam Strange y a duras penas, estando el resto muertos editorialmente. Al menos lo estuvieron hasta que un buen día Howard Chaykin y José Luis García López se liaron la manta a la cabeza y decidieron mostrarnos una versión más adulta de todos aquellos héroes espaciales a los que casi todo el mundo había olvidado. Así fue como nació Twilight.
Si, hubo una época en la que DC era capaz de publicar comics buenísimos
Prácticamente todos estos héroes espaciales habían vivido sus cortas vidas editoriales en las páginas de las cabeceras genéricas de DC, Mystery in Space, Showcase, Strange Adventures, etc.… Y como buenos hijos de su época las aventuras de estos héroes eran de lo mas inocentonas y en ocasiones, absurdas. Pero la mayoría no llego a cuajar entre el público y acabaron siendo poco más que una nota al pie de página en la historia del Universo DC.
Pero a comienzos de la década de los 90 Howard Chaykin decidió recuperar a la mayor parte de estos héroes olvidados y darnos otro punto de vista de sus aventuras mucho más oscuro y siniestro. Habían pasado décadas desde el nacimiento de estos personajes y mucho había llovido en DC desde entonces, el Green Lantern/Green Arrow, Watchmen, etc. Era el momento perfecto para contar esta historia. Pero Chaykin no hizo esto solo, conto con la inestimable ayuda de José Luis García López, uno de los mayores artistas que ha dado este género. Juntos crearon este comic que tan injustamente parece haber pasado desapercibido.
En las páginas de Twilight nos encontramos con que todos estos personajes ahora son contemporáneos y se conocen. La historia comienza con un anciano Homer Glint, de los Star Rovers, rememorando el pasado, los años en los que toda la galaxia cambio. Había terminado una guerra entre los humanos y aquellos a los que estos habían creado para servirles, robots y animales humanoides creados en laboratorio.
Tommy Tomorrow era un egoísta y narcisista xenófobo al que solo le interesaba la búsqueda de la inmortalidad. Star Hawkins y Manhunter 2070 eran hermanos y mantenían una enfermiza relación de amor/odio entre ellos e Ilda, la ayudante robot de Hawkins y los Star Rovers seguían a la greña buscando fama y fortuna de cualquier forma posible. Es en este escenario en el que un incidente desatado durante la búsqueda de la raza alienígena de los matusaloides, unos seres inmortales, se pondrán en marcha una serie de eventos que cambiaran la galaxia para siempre.
Howard Chaykin aquí nos trae uno de sus últimos grandes trabajos, cuando aún no había caído en la auto parodia y no se dedicaba a contar la misma historia una y otra vez protagonizada por el mismo personaje estereotipado que saca en todas sus series. Se echa mucho de menos a ese Chaykin. ¿Y del trabajo de José Luis García López que puedo decir? Nada de lo que pueda escribir hará justicia al trabajo de este hombre, ni podre decir nada que no se haya dicho ya miles de veces sobre su trabajo. Es impresionante el nivel de detalle y caracterización que consigue este hombre, cada personaje tiene su rostro individual y lleno de expresiones, sus páginas están tan llenas de detalles que uno puede pasarse horas simplemente admirando sus dibujos a la búsqueda de algún pequeño guiño que se nos haya pasado por alto.
Por desgracia esta visión del futuro no creció mucho más. Dos años después de la publicación de esta miniserie Chaykyn retomo esta versión del futuro del universo DC en la novela grafica “Ironwolf: Las llamas de la revolución” en la que rescataba a este viejo personaje suyo integrándolo en medio de la historia narrada en Twilight, estando acompañado esta vez a los lápices por Mike Mignola.
Pero ahí quedo la cosa y desde entonces poco o nada se ha hecho con estos personajes, siendo relegados al olvido una vez más, a saber si alguna vez volveremos a verlos. Hasta entonces no nos queda otra que releer de vez en cuando estas historias y cruzar los dedos para que algún día pongan al mando en DC a alguien con dos dedos de frente y decida recuperar estos y otros personajes con autores dignos al frente y se dejen de mamarrachadas publicitarias.
June 16, 2015
Four stars for Garcia Lopez's art alone.
Wonderful retro-ray-guns, sleek starships, and majestic alien vistas fill the entire book.
Chaykin's story is bonkers, but is fun nonetheless, and comes with some sly visual gags and a smattering of suitably silly dialogue for the characters to spout.
Unfortunately, we still have to contend with the Garish 90's colouring, which on occasion looks like a Monkey threw paint at the page from orbit, rather than lovingly tinting each panel.
I bought this simply for the art, and can go back to it time and time again, it's how 'classic' DC Comics used to look (as indeed Gracia Lopez drew the actual DC Style guide) and it's gorgeous
Wonderful retro-ray-guns, sleek starships, and majestic alien vistas fill the entire book.
Chaykin's story is bonkers, but is fun nonetheless, and comes with some sly visual gags and a smattering of suitably silly dialogue for the characters to spout.
Unfortunately, we still have to contend with the Garish 90's colouring, which on occasion looks like a Monkey threw paint at the page from orbit, rather than lovingly tinting each panel.
I bought this simply for the art, and can go back to it time and time again, it's how 'classic' DC Comics used to look (as indeed Gracia Lopez drew the actual DC Style guide) and it's gorgeous
December 22, 2020
I almost feel this is proto-Planetary. It's basically every effort to "mature' DC comics post-Watchmen/DKR, ala Hawkword, Adam Strange, Longbow Hunters, Blackhawk, Black Orchid, etc.
This is one of the most successful, though; since it wasn't just a grim and gritty reboot--this was a complete story and epic.
This is one of the most successful, though; since it wasn't just a grim and gritty reboot--this was a complete story and epic.
November 19, 2023
Sad that apparently the only review this has is lukewarm at best, but despite Lopez's excellent artwork, I found this a bit hard to care about. Feels like it could have used more room to breathe; loads of ideas in there, but it all felt piled up and, especially for a comic, difficult to read.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews