| #35 | 1/7/09 | #7 |
SECRET INVASION: WAR OF KINGS #1 (One-Shot)
Writers: Dan Abnett & Andy Lanning Artist: Paul Pelletier & Bong Dazo Inker: Rick Magyar & Joe Pimentel Publisher: Marvel Comics Reviewer: Rock-Me Amodeo
The problem with Abnett and Lanning is my standards are higher when I read them. They are bound to disappoint from time to time.This was not one of those times.
The Inhumans have quietly suffered one ignominy too many, and they’re going to bring the high heat. I could compare this book to other teams that have claimed they’re going “proactive” and bringing the fight to the bad guys (see X-FORCE.) I could compare this to another storyline where a certain righteous anger lent the protagonists as much power as needed to mow down anything in its path (see WORLD WAR HULK).
But the X-Force is part of a super-group that specializes in making enemies. The Inhumans are not. And the Warbound, as well-written as they were, could not be called a family. And the Inhumans are. A royal family, sure, but still family.
But this isn’t a book about family. It’s about having suffered in (literal) silence enough, and bringing the pain back to its source. I like it. Too often, the Inhumans have been portrayed as a collection of elitist whiners, blanching at the slightest disrespect. I appreciate seeing them comport themselves with the mindset and dignity of warriors.
As for the cast, I like the fact that even Maximus is on board. I’m not sure I buy into the whole Crystal vibe of “can’t we all just get along,” but everyone has epiphanies at their own rate. Certainly Black Bolt has had his, and it’s about fricking time. I’ve always hated the fact that everyone considered Black Bolt to be so powerful, but we rarely get to see that power in action. Finally, we get some glimpses. I would be happier with some actual fisticuffs, but this is great for a warm up.
Also, we have many, many clever touches here. The usage of Black Bolt’s power as transportation, offensive and defensive weapons. Brilliant. The musing comment about Inhumans being the pets of the Kree…and the absolutely “holy crap!” moment toward the end, with Ronan.
Pelletier’s pencils shine here. I’m not sure he’s such a great fit with GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY, even as good as he is. Since he’s been on that book, it’s missing that slightly quirky feel that the miniseries possessed, and Paul’s style is so…noble and grand (and the Guardians, except perhaps for Vance Astro, are not that.) But that dignified feel is perfect for this kind of book, and very well-done. As far as the Dazo artwork goes, it’s more like a codicil, but I wouldn’t mind seeing more.
All in all, this was my favorite Marvel book of the week, and bodes great things for the rest of this story as it plays out. I see a permanent shift in the status quo here, and we all know that doesn’t happen too often.
SHRAPNEL #1
Writers/Creators: Mark Long, Nick Sagan, & M. Zachary Sherman Artist: Bagus Hatumo Publisher: Radical Welcome New Official @$$Hole Reviewer: steverodgers
Sometimes you just judge a book by its cover, or at least its price tag. I saw SHRAPNEL on the shelf, with a delightful price of $1.99, and a picture of a bad-ass gun-toting girl and a giant painted mechanized war machine behind her, and I snatched it up. And I’m glad I did.SHRAPNEL #1 tells a science fiction story of an expanding empire called the Alliance and the free planet of Venus, which is occupied by the genetically-enhanced Splicers and the unsullied Helots. Helots seem like cool folks who do all the menial work, drink beer, have witty banter and get into fights. The Splicers are genetically enhanced people and as such are prone to being a bunch of stuck-up jerks who laze around with their big brains, good looks, and fast-twitch muscles. Tensions on the planet are a little high.
Meanwhile, a group of Alliance marines in high-tech mechanized battle suits sit high in the sky and wait for orders to take over the planet. The marines seem like good guys, too—they’re gung-ho types who you’d be happy to have on your side if you wanted to start some shit or mow down pesky insurgents. Down below, an Alliance general meets with the Venus president and lays down an ultimatum: either join the Alliance or were gonna come down to your crappy planet and take it over. The Venus president having some backbone tells them to go to hell. Tensions are super high.
The alarm goes out for the militia to gather, put on their own battle suits (less high-tech, way more bootleg than the marines) and get ready for a fight. The Venus militia will take anyone, so the Helots and Splicers are shoulder-to-shoulder and rubbing each other the wrong way. So now they’re nervous about the impending marine drop-off and they have to deal with each other’s nonsense. Hell is other people; militia tension, high!
One of the Helots (the super hot chick) seems like she has a past, a past where she probably did some serious ass-kicking and for some reason is slumming with the Helots. She also talks to a wise, jump-roping hologram child, looks great in a tank top, and is not sure if she wants to stay and fight or get out of dodge. She also has a couple of buddies who don’t seem so smart (stupid Helots) but they’re pals, so she’s got their backs.
SHRAPNEL #1 is a thick comic, 48 pages thick, and each one has lots of dialogue, political intrigue and cool things to look at. The art is muddy, but a well- painted muddy, with splashy pages of big machines fighting each other, BLADE RUNNER cities, science fiction mining operations, and ships in space. All for a $1.99! I have no understanding of comic economics (or any really, I was an art major) but how a start-up comic book company called Radical can put out a solid, well-produced and pretty, 48-page comic on slick paper for $1.99, and the big two are socking me for $3.99 is totally baffling. Customer tension, wicked high!
The next issue’s cover features an iconic upskirty shot of a take-no-shit warrior chick in a tattered bikini, holding a kick-ass Han Solo gun and a flag. I squinted and noticed that the price shoots up to $2.99, but you know what, they hooked me, and I can’t wait. You don’t come down to planet Venus and try to push us around. We got bikinis, we got guns and we are going to fuck your shit up! Anticipation high!
FACES OF EVIL: SOLOMON GRUNDY #1
Writer: Geoff Johns Artist: Scott Kolins Publisher: DC Comics Reviewer: Optimous Douche
The TalkBacks were aflutter a few weeks ago with a heated debate on whether a single issue could deliver the same impact or even as interesting a story compared to grand sweeping events, or a story that goes on for a few issues. Here’s the answer: it can’t. Simple math dictates that any event or continuing saga will be far more interesting and whet our collective appetites over any single issue. However, there are distinct differences between a one-shot story that does heavy lifting as opposed to another “day in the life” episode on the X-Men softball field or Robin’s High School sexual dilemmas.SOLOMON GRUNDY is a one-shot that does a ton of heavy lifting. From a single story perspective, it gives a nice origin for Grundy neophytes like yours truly, plus it puts the story elements in place for an upcoming Grundy mini-series. From an over-arching DC universe perspective it looks Grundy is going to tie into Johns' Darkest Night vision in some way, shape, or form. In many ways this single issue finally opened my eyes to see where the writer lines of demarcation are finally falling at DC. It looks as though Morrison has been given the lofty and less weighty charge of decimating the DC universe, where Johns is left the unenviable task of trying to rebuild this darker image of DC tomorrow. Time will tell on this theory, but this issue is a strong indicator that the future of DC at least for the short term is going to be shrouded in darkness as promised in the pages of FINAL CRISIS.
I’ve never been a huge fan of ol’ Solomon. When my mind sees an undead mass of gray meat, I immediately think Bizzaro, who is probably the one villain I have hated since I read his first nonsensical backwards line. Even as much as I adored ALL STAR SUPERMAN, I could not stomach the Bizarro issues. Realizing my association was unfair and since I have loved everything else Geoff Johns has put to paper, I decided to pony up my four bucks and give Solomon his just due. And I’m truly glad I did.
To get the uninitiated up to speed, the story starts prior to the famous Solomon undead mantra of resurrection, “Born on a Monday, Tuesday bought a Hyundai, Wednesday ate a chipotle…” you know the rest. Starting in 1885 we see Solomon in his human form of Cyrus Gold. Cyrus is the son-of-a-bitch dujour for the Gotham gaslight era. After killing his uncle and meeting his own untimely demise we are taken on a brief tour of Grundy through history, each time meeting his demise and each time resurrecting as a monstrosity. Except for now…
Apparently something has broken the spell of undead awakening and Solomon is reverted back to a mortal man. However, instead of seeking redemption, he acts like an epic cock and once again begins his epic downturn into the state of undead. Upon resurrecting anew Alan Scott and The Stranger are standing over his murky rebirth to hopefully undo this seemingly unstoppable chain.
I’ve always applauded Johns for being able to intersperse great dialogue with nonstop action and true to form he delivers once again. By not allowing Cyrus to talk too much during his Grundy state, he sidestepped my personal misgivings towards monosyllabic monsters. I was harsh on Kolins for his work in ROGUE’S REVENGE; there were just too many panels where the fuzzy lines indicating rain made everything look like it was hairy and in need of a shave (villainous parkas should not be made of mohair). He falls into the same trap on a few panels in this book (mainly the water scenes), but every other panel is simply beautiful.
I applaud these gentlemen for making me traverse a character I’ve never given much thought to, restoring my faith in the fact that FINAL CRISIS is actually going to lead to bigger things tomorrow, and using the Grundy rhyme as a way to move time forward instead of just becoming a repetitive undead mantra.
When Optimous Douche isn’t reading comics and misspelling the names of 80’s icons, he “transforms” into a corporate communications guru. Optimous is looking for artistry help, critical feedback and a little industry insight to get his original book AVERAGE JOE up, up and on the shelves. What if the entire world had super powers? Find out in the blog section of Optimous’ MySpace page to see some preview pages and leave comments.
THE PUNISHER #1
Writer: Rick Remender Artist: Jerome Opena Publisher: Marvel Comics Reviewer: Humphrey Lee
Regardless of what I may think of the overall state of Marvel today (meaning stuff like pricing policies, overall direction of books, yadda yadda yadda) there is one section of their operation I will give endless props to these days: the talent they've been "acquiring" and/or promoting. Beginning with Ed Brubaker a couple years back, pushing "break out" years from Matt Fraction and Dan Slott last year, and now, with the emergence of DARK REIGN, it looks like we'll be seeing some hopefully similar pushes for Jonathan Hickman and, as we have here with the seventh (!!) volume of PUNISHER, the FEAR AGENT team of Rick Remender and Jerome Opena. While not really a fan of a non-MAX Punisher book (hell, not even really a fan of the MAX one since Garth left), when you give me a duo like that, from an excellent title that has arguably the best kinetic action on the stands, and move it onto a title that really should be nothing but balls-to-the-walls action like THE PUNISHER, well then you're going to at least earn some brownie points that you know what the hell you're doing, at least just a smidge. So here we are, the "Dark Reign" is in effect, Norman Osborn is in charge and is the target, and the Punisher now has as many new number ones as Brad and Angelina have adopted ethnic children. How did it all go?Not bad actually. Here's the thing, like I said just a second ago, anymore I think that Frank Castle operating in the main Marvel Universe is going to be a "hard sell". After several years of Garth Ennis' take and seeing just how excellent a story you can tell with him in a completely unfettered creative setting against characters he can do whatever he pleases to, it's hard to justify him interacting with characters he can never fully "punish". That said, though, I think I can buy this. Anyone in the Marvel Universe paying attention would know that Norman Osborn is a vile piece of evil and, the more I toss it around my head, I think I can buy that someone like Castle who has more than several dozen occasions shown he's willing to sacrifice everything for the greater good as long as it means the safety of the rest of us, would see a man of his moral standing becoming basically the most powerful man on the planet as a cause worth going all out for. The amount of harm someone like Osborn can cause with an organization like HAMMER behind him is downright sickening, and there's no way it could weigh well on his conscience if he didn't try to take someone like him out, even though it's a way more public figure than he's used to going for.
Which brings me to my next concern (but also something I'm admittedly kind of anxious to see what develops) - Frank Castle just took a shot on the life on the highest of high profile targets and missed...is he really going to ever get close enough for a second chance? Forget that he might just not ever kill Norman, simply because that seems weak given the weight this DARK REIGN is supposed to have as the new status quo, but will he even get another shot since it looks like he'll be going through, well, at the least the Sentry to get back at him, let alone this new bag of homicidal freaks that apparently is going to make up the new ranks of the THUNDERBOLTS. I'm curious and kind of worried about that now; is this book going to just become Frank on the run after blowing his one chance, or is it going to be about his long climb back up to getting his second shot at "He Who Likes to Toss Love Interests Off of Bridges" (Norman's Indian name)?
Hopefully we get answers for that sooner than later, but for now, this issue was one of those proverbial "hell of a ride" deals. My faith in Remender and Opena was not let down as they presented us with one of the best "Batman runs from Superman" issues I've seen in all my comic book reading career. Page to page, panel to panel the action and energy just flowed forth so well. One of the reasons I love FEAR AGENT so much, is that, just like any good action flick/comic/what have you, there was always this sense of "connection", meaning that every step of the way your main character is just thinking on his feet, always moving a step ahead and just running for his life doing what they can to get to the next escape or distraction or advantageous element to end the confrontation, and that's what we have here as Frank flees one of the scariest sights a completely powerless individual could see in the form of the Sentry. Sure, the "cat" in this situation is so high powered that he's playing with his prey a little more than he should, but Frank is a mouse with a thousand cats on his kill total and seamlessly uses every last advantage he can to escape, and also finds a little help from an anonymous overseer that helps him on the last leg of his escape, setting up more interesting scenarios to be played out in the future as Frank regroups to (hopefully) grab his dynamite and go back after the big fish in the pond.
So, overall I really liked this as a debut issue. I'm a little uneasy that I'm left here with all those questions that plagued the middle part of this review here and not really an idea where this is going to go, but it's only the first issue so there's no reason to really get wound up over them without a couple more to hopefully address them. But the creative team clicked here as well as I was hoping. Very kinetic, very gritty (LOVED Opena's pencils here) with the right amount of "on the run" deadpan humor. I'm interested in seeing where this takes the Skull-chested one and seeing exactly how much impact he's allowed to have in all this DARK REIGN nonsense (obviously he'll probably never get to take out Norman, but I wouldn't be shocked to see him finally do in someone like Bullseye in this new crusade. Something like that could be high profile enough to make this endeavor worth it all). Really, my only complaint about this is that not only did it move so fast, but it moved fast at an extra buck for the debut issue because Marvel decided they need to insert backstory info for Mr. Castle for me at an extra price. I'm glad they thought I wanted this addition, but they were wrong. Please stop doing this with my comics (unless you're using it as a means of getting a little extra royalty money for the creative teams past that you're referencing in the material, but I imagine that's highly unlikely). I'm not exactly going gaga over the idea of DARK REIGN as a whole, but again, with creative teams like this and Andy Diggle on THUUNDERBOLTS and Hickman on SECRET WARRIORS etc. etc. popping up, I can think of worse things to happen to the Marvel Universe. Let's just have this mean something in the end this time besides another shift in the status quo, eh fellas? Cheers...
Humphrey Lee has been an avid comic book reader going on fifteen years now and a contributor to Ain't It Cool comics for quite a few as well. In fact, reading comics is about all he does in his free time and where all the money from his day job wages goes to - funding his comic book habit so he can talk about them to you, our loyal readers (lucky you). He's a bit of a social networking whore, so you can find him all over the Interwebs on sites like Twitter, The MySpaces, Facebookand a Blogger Account where he also mostly talks about comics with his free time because he hasn't the slightest semblance of a life. Sad but true, and he gladly encourages you to add, read, and comment as you will.
STAR TREK THE NEXT GENERATION: THE LAST GENERATION #1 (OF 5)
Writer: Andrew Steven Harris Pencils: Gordon Purcell Inker: Bob Almond Publisher: IDW Publishing Guest Reviewer: “William”
The assassination attempt at the Khitomer conference a success? Tasha Yar back with the Next Generation crew? The Excelsior now considered a bona fide ghost ship? Worf leading the Klingon Empire? And finally, Captain Picard leading a group of rebellions against a successful Klingon takeover of Earth? These are just a few of the crazy but interesting ideas, presented within the latest Star Trek TNG limited series THE LAST GENERATION.Throwing my nerdiness into the ring, I've always been a fan of both Star Trek and Star Wars (why can't we all just get along, you know? Let's point our lightsabers and phasers away from each other and just be happy). And while I've always favored Star Trek for its novels and Star Wars for its comics, this was the first time a Star Trek comic interested me enough in picking it up.
I gotta tell you, I was hooked after reading the first page or two at my local comic book shop. Who wouldn't want to play with things considered canon within the movies (I'm looking at you, STAR WARS: INFINITIES)? And the idea that one single assassination attempt led to all of these events is enough to whet my appetite. Yes the price tag for each issue looks to be $3.99, but...oh well. I've internally fought with it as long as I could, but in the end one of the signs of these times is to get used to these raised prices.
Writer Andrew Harris at least keeps things at a brisk pace, introducing new concepts on practically every page. I guess since it's the introductory issue things had to be kept short in order to fit everything within the allotted issue. In a way, though, less is more, as many quick concepts left me wondering how they essentially got to that point. Most intriguing is the unmentioned portion of how Starfleet came to its demise after the assassination. Was it through some prolonged war with the Klingons? Did the Romulans have anything to do with this? Was there some weapon developed that just completely decimated Earth's forces? That I would love to see covered in any future issues.
About the only thing I have to pick on is the art by Gordon Purcell. Have you ever looked back at comics from the 70's and 80's (even early 90's) and noticed how much...simpler I guess is the best word for this...the art was? It's not something noticeable as you’re living it, it's only when you compare it through retrospection. Like watching in awe “Jumanji”'s early CGI work, and then comparing it to “Lord of the Rings”. This is essentially Gordon's artwork, seemingly a throwback to simpler comic book art days. If it's your cup of tea then by all means be merry. I mean to give credit to the guy, the people at least look like their counterpart actors. Only it's nothing like Jan Duursema's photo-realistic work on the CLONE WARS comics. Call me a perfectionist but I like it when the art really stands out in an issue, not when it looks rushed.
In any case I'm keen on seeing how this time-altering what-if concept plays out throughout the rest of the miniseries. The ideas are intriguing, the art at least gets the job done, and so let's wait and see how this baby pans out, yes?
THE MARTIAN CONFEDERACY VOL 1
Written by: Jason McNamara Art by: Paige Braddock Published by: Girl Twirl Comics Reviewed by: Ryan McLelland
THE MARTIAN CONFEDERACY comes to me quite critic-proof, at least for this critic. That’s because with the name Paige Braddock attached to the book I know there’s something special beyond the cover. I fell in love with Paige and her amazing book JANE’S WORLD, the story of a Charlie Brownesque lesbian and her friends, many SPXs ago and her and the comic left quite an impression on me. Years later when I ran into her at San Diego I was way too gushy for my own good and surprised that she had actually sort-of remembered me as well. Her writing and artwork is simply top notch and one has to wonder when JANE’S WORLD will finally get an animated show on Logo.Until then it’s nice to see Paige branching out and branch out she does with THE MARTIAN CONFEDERACY, a sci-fi adventure which takes place on the planet Mars. Here humans have to buy air to survive, are hated by most alien races who also live on the red planet, and are up to their necks in laws that don’t benefit mankind.
It’s here that caddish thief Boone finds himself embroiled in a plot to try and help the planet Mars itself from those who want to see the selling of air continue. The death of his friend, a professor who has created a plant that can create oxygen on Mars, brings Boone onto the radar of the authorities and forces Boone, his hot female robot roommate Lou, and local hauler/talking bear Spinner to try and save the day. However, as adventures usually go, they are understaffed and underequipped to face the mission at hand and might run out of oxygen before they even finish their goals.
Did I mention the book has belly dancers from Pluto? Because it has that too…and they rock.
Braddock’s artwork shines throughout the book, far proving that she can tackle any subject matter on the printed page. She’s joined here by writer Jason McNamara, who has a great time introducing us to the inhabitants of this world whether they be praying mantis bartenders or a woman with two heads and four arms (and you can’t possibly guess where she hides the two arms and the other head). The artwork is also brought out brightly by red coloring on every page – making you truly feel that you are on the red planet.
THE MARTIAN CONFEDERACY has a solid feel for anyone who enjoys STAR WARS, FIREFLY, ICE PIRATES, or Sean Wang’s RUNNERS. It is one hell of a good read and the pages couldn’t flip fast enough. With characters you’ll easily relate to, a funny and innovative script, and incredible artwork THE MARTIAN CONFEDERACY will be a great read for those looking for something better from your indie books. I’m glad to see this book live up to my very high expectations and am glad Paige Braddock has created a book that can see her talents reach a bigger audience.
Ryan McLelland has worked in movies and comics journalism for the past several years before joining the @$$holes here at AICN. Ryan’s comic work has already graced comic shelves with Arcana’s PHILLY, WISE INTELLIGENCE, UPTOWN GIRL, and THE SENTINELS ANTHOLOGY. He rarely updates his blog but when he does it can be read at www.eyewannabe.com
TALES FROM THE CORNERSTONE VOL 2
Written and Art by: Andrew Charipar Published by: Misfit Corner Press Reviewed by: Ryan McLelland
Andrew Charipar is back with another great trade paperback of TALES FROM THE CORNERSTONE. The easiest way to describe CORNERSTONE is “Law and Order” with vampires, witches, zombies, werewolves and more. Those creatures live among normal humans in the vast metropolis of Cornerstone City and the police officers that make up the squad The Midnight Shift employ such vampires or zombies to help regulate their own.The second volume kicks right off the day after the previous volume ended with the cops dealing with the fallout from a fight with a powerful vampire. Werewolf detective Cortez finds himself suspended and Frankenstein cop Ricky 17 is now partnered with cutie vampire Venus Delmachio – thus far the only pure blood ever to graduate from the police academy.
Now one expects to get back to work even though they just finished a big case but The Midnight Shift is thrust right back in when they learn that Andi, their resident witch, has been savagely attacked by a white-haired, tattooed werewolf. Are the vampires and werewolves working together to take down the squad in revenge or is this near slaying something else entirely? With Andi hanging on for dear life The Midnight Shift, down two cops, hit the streets to try and figure out who would attack a cop and why.
Charipar has outdone himself with this second volume of CORNERSTONE. While I enjoyed the first volume immensely this newest release goes above and beyond what he’s done previously. With all the characters already introduced Charipar is free to let them loose in a world that could be just like our average days – should they include vampires, witches, and such. I love Charipar’s Mangaesque artwork, especially his hottie big-boobed vamps. What!?!? The art looks good, damnit!!! TALES FROM THE CORNERSTONE once again delivers with volume two and continues to be a fine indie book that I’ll look forward to time and time again.
OISHINBO - A LA CARTE: JAPANESE CUISINE
Story by Tetsu Kariya Art by Akira Hanasaki Released by Viz Media Reviewer: Scott Green
Like their "Greatest Hits" selections from GOLGO 13, VIZ Media's "A la Carte" release of OISHINBO samples from a 100+ volume manga series that's been running for decades in the Big Comic family of anthologies. In OISHINBO’s case, the collections are grouped thematically, starting with “Japanese Cuisine,” which "introduces us to the fundamental ingredients - rice, sashimi, green tea and dashi (cooking with stock)."The premise of OISHINBO is that, as part of the celebration of its 100th anniversary, the publishers of the Tozai News have commissioned the creation of the "Ultimate Menu," a model meal embodying the pinnacle of Japanese cuisine. The job falls to their temperamental young ace Yamaoka Shira. From an early age, Yamaoka was put through a rigorous regiment by his father, lion of the food world and founder of the revered Gourmet Club, Kaibara Yuzan. This groomed Yamaoka's impeccable abilities to taste and prepare food, but also splintered their relationship. Especially in light of the demands placed upon his mother Yamaoka opted to estrange himself from his father. As the friction has heated up, Yamaoka and Yuzan have become social and ultimately professional antagonists, with Yuzan agreeing to help rival paper Teito Time with their "Supreme Menu." Working off Yamaoka's work place and family relationships, in addition to its didactic conversation on food, the manga offers plenty of intra-office, inter-business and family drama.
I have as little love for the trite term "edutainment" as the next guy, but in a case like this, it isn't entirely useless. OISHINBO is brilliant adult edutainment. In Yamaoka, the manga presents us with a self satisfied know-it-all, while with Yuzan, we receive a pompous heel. They're well realized characters and, more importantly, brash, engaging personalities. Reading lengthy word balloons in which either or both go on about food is both fitting and entertaining.
Each chapter of the manga constructs a situation around a food concept. Competitive food preparation is probably the most obvious premise, and that does in fact get a fair amount of play. The second most prominent, most used is probably the persuasive statement. Keep in mind that the theme of the volume is "Japanese Cuisine." A girl returns to Japan from living in Paris and now rejects chop sticks as "uncivilized," so Yamaoka and his partner take the young woman (and a reporter from the Tokyo office of French language Swiss paper Le Temps, who happens to be on hand) to gain an appreciation for chop sticks by seeing them being crafted. In another chapter, a critic returns to Japan to celebrate the publication of his book. This critic argues that because it is merely cut and not cooked, sashimi stands as the unsophisticated corner stone of kaiseki or fancy Japanese meal. In response, Yamaoka endeavors to show the critic the artistry and labor behind the preparation of the dismissed food. Then, there are more unusual plots. A talented young chef is expelled from the Gourmet Club. It appears that while his work is generally high quality, he'll become anxious, disappear for a moment, and when he returns, he'll be calm, but the food doesn't taste quite right. Yamaoka stops by his brother's restaurant, and after tasting the effected food, solves the mystery.
OISHINBO breaks down the process, science and culture behind its culinary topics without the assumption that the reader has arrived at the manga with a great deal of enthusiasm for the subject. There's a neat didactic trick at work in the chapter stories that ensures that the essential point is remembered. The characters receive lively depictions with simplistic figures that emphasize caricatured expressiveness, and attention is drawn back and forth between their interactions and precise, objective illustrations of the subject food. The conversation is then brought into focus by a sharp statement by Yamaoka or Yuzan. I've referred to this as a "trick," because the manga has a magician's hands for directing focus and maintaining attention, setting the stage for the final revelation. For example, "Best Knife Skills" contrasts the showy presentation of the Japanese chef at "West Coast" with the earnest respect for tradition exhibited by itamae trainee Jeff Larson. We see Larson and Yamaoka dismiss the sashimi at West Coast. Larson is taken to see the work of a 75 year old chef, who then trains Larson for a competition against West Coast's chef. Following a look at the traditional chef's work, Larson is given the task of perfecting "Katsura Muki," peeling a daikon radish into a single, paper thin, 3 meter long strip. After Larson has perfected the strange test and bested the West Coast chef, Yamaoka, who facilitated the demonstration and subsequently lost interest, punctuates the exercise with a lecture into the science of why properly cut sashimi has the correct taste. Finally, Yamaoka closes the curtains by rolling up his sleeves and demonstrating a bit of his own masterful skills with the knife.
The stories are supplemented by a preface featuring a color/glossy overview on preparing pine-style and Kamishio style seabream, as well as a robust set of translation end notes for the English edition. With the larger 8.3" x 5.8" dimensions of Viz's older-audience works, a folding cover, and the opening, color pages, OISHINBO stands out among other manga. Despite these format markers, I'm not especially optimistic about Oishinbo's chances of finding the audience that it deserves. The way that Larry Gonick's CARTOON HISTORY or CARTOON GUIDE books have attracted broad interest, OISHINBO’s dramatic discussion of food should appeal to the curious and not just the manga fans.
An introduction to manga is likely to include the suggestion that everyone in Japan reads manga. Disregard the reductive nature of this type of statement for a moment. It isn't to say that it is normal for an adult to be reading NARUTO, FRUITS BASKET or the other shounen/shoujo titles that dominate the North American manga market. Instead, it means that manga publishers have sought to reach out to just about any conceivable audience. With a broader acceptance for reading manga in Japan, the concept of a niche manga is starkly different when applied to Japan versus when it is applied to North America. If you start with the notion there is manga for everyone, manga for specialized, specific interests becomes niche. For example, Jonathan Clements' SCHOOLGIRL MILKY CRISIS takes a look at the anthology ROSE MYSTERY, which Clements describes as "detective comics for goth girls." An anthology like ROSE MYSTERY pulls from a pool of people belonging to the focal demographic and with the focal interests. In North America, manga readership is largely split between fans of popular franchises (the people who just read DRAGON BALL or just read NARUTO) and fans of the medium. Interest in a particular genre or subject is then redefined by the level of interest among those looking to or willing to read manga. Sales evidence supports the notion that a manga like OISHINBO gets cast as the niche of the niche when brought to North America.
OISHINBO’s original, home periodical, seinen anthology BIG COMIC SPIRITS offers some of the adventures that North American readers associate with manga, such as BIRDY THE MIGHTY, about a teenage guy whose body is fused with that of a female interplanetary law enforcement officer and CRYING FREEMAN, KAZUO KOIKE, and RYOICHI IKYGAMI’s outrageous story of a Japanese artist, brainwashed into becoming the top assassin for a Chinese crime syndicate. It has drama, such as MAISON IKKOKU, Rumiko Takashi's tale of a failure who falls in love with his widowed apartment manager and DANCE TILL TOMORROW, Naoki Yamamoto's story of a college student who'll inherit a fortune from his grandfather if he can graduate and marry. It offers horror, such as Junji Ito's GYO and UZUMAKI. The anthology has sports stories, such as Naoki Urasawa's YAWARA! A FASHIONABLE JUDO GIRL and his tennis manga HAPPY! (also, his 20th CENTURY BOYS). And, it has manga on cultural topics such as food.
Frederik L. Schodt's 1996 DREAMLAND JAPAN: WRITINGS ON MODERN MANGA describes BIG COMIC SPIRITS with "unlike its two older siblings, BIG COMIC SPIRITS is a weekly and it is aimed at young salarymen between the ages of twenty and twenty five...Unlike any American comic book, there are ads for cigarettes and whiskey...The typical reader is said to be a twenty-eight-year-old company employee or "salaryman," a systems engineer who works fork a finance company."
As with other Big Comic anthologies, SPIRITS is not niche, and by extension, OISHINBO is not written for "manga fans." According to The ULTIMATE MANGA GUIDE, each volume has a run of around 1.2 million copies. It's popularity has been broad enough to spawn a 136 episode 1988-1992 anime series , as well as a series of five 2-hour, live action specials that aired between 1994 and 1999, with a revival scheduled for this month. OISHINBO is written to entertain and inform a general audience. The personalities are sufficiently strong and engaging that translating the language and bringing it over to a non-native culture does little to dull its appeal. I expect that OISHINBO is probably only going to be read in North America by fans of the medium, but there's no reason why that should be the case.
Scott Green has been writing for AICN ANIME for close to seven years. If you like what you see here and love anime & manga, be sure to check out his latest AICN ANIME column here.
Greetings and welcome to another edition of dot.comics, where the comics we talk about here are abso-frikkin-lutely free and just a mouse click away. Ambush Bug here. I try to have one of these dot.comics section about once every month or so. I find it to be a fun alternative to mainstream books. With dot.comics or webcomics, as they are commonly referred to, you don’t get the taint of editorial intervention or the stank of compromise that often comes with books published by big companies. This stuff is taint and stank free: creative stories pure and uncut, straight from the creator to your eyeballs.
First up, we’ve got an online comic/movie called a CARDBOARD GODS #1. This is a short film/first issue shot in the style of Ang Lee’s HULK, except, you know, it’s good. CARDBOARD GODS utilizes moving panels and word balloons in an ingenious way, telling the tale of three hapless slackers who find out they have super powers when they are jumped by a bunch of douchebags in a pub. The story seems to have a much broader scope than just guys fighting other guys, but the bar fight scene was the highlight of this issue for me. There are SUPERMAN 2 references, evil plots, chairs through heads, and scenes of utter carnage in this one. And it’s all a whole lot of fun. The guys behind this, Phil Stark, Ben Sheppard, and Mat Startup, all seem to be talented and smart fellows with an eye for snark and action. The short is only about 13 minutes long, the perfect amount of time to waste at work on a lunch break. I look forward to seeing further issues of CARDBOARD GODS in future editions of dot.comics. Check out the whole first issue at their myspace page, found here.
HELLBREAK is another one of DC’s Zuda online comics. This one is by writer Radek Smektala and artist Janusz Ordon and it’s got a kick-@$$ plot. An immoral prison guard is killed during a prison riot. His penance is to serve as a prison guard in hell and he is to enact the same type of brutal treatment to the inmates there. Only hitch? He is guarding his own daughter’s soul in hell. This story just got off the ground and is only eight pages into it, so there’s not much to go by, but the premise is tight, the art is gritty and fitting for such a brutal story, and the dialog is pretty good too. HELLBREAK is one Zuda comic that I plan on returning to so I can see what happens next. If these first eight pages are any indication, this is going to be one twisted yarn.
If you’re looking for a quick little laugh, go to Abbadon Books’ LUNCHBREAK OF THE DEAD site. It looks as if the zombie humor is just beginning there, but you’ll find a nice holiday message from the undead. I’ll be checking back with Abbadon for more LUNCHBREAKs; the company writes a lot of post-apocalyptic and zombie prose novels; all of which are worth checking out. The short zombie strip is credited to Keef and Pye and it says that it’s updated monthly, so check back every month for your comedy/zombie fix. Another installment can be found here.
Finally, we have FREEKS N SQUEEKS. It’s your typical story of life’s awkward moments and quirky mishaps. It’s a slice of life comic strip…only it stars a cast of clothes-wearing mice. I’ve only been able to leaf through a few of Patric Lewandowski’s strips, but you can’t fault me for that, there’s a shit-ton of them. I found the ones I did read to be pretty damn spot on, though, and worth a laugh or two. The comic focuses on topics like collecting comics, sci fi, politics, relationships, and just plain old life. FREAKS N SQUEEKS is one of those online webcomics that’s been going on for years (the archive goes all the way back to January 2000), so there are plenty of strips to click through and enjoy while eating lunch at work or just a fun way to waste an afternoon. The characters are flawed and endearing. The humor is crisp and witty. And the fact that it’s mice doing all of this makes it all the more fun. Check out FREEKS N SQUEEKSonce and you’ll be sure to go back for more. This site looks to be updating pretty regularly, so get to clickin’!Ambush Bug is Mark L. Miller, reviewer and co-editor of AICN Comics for over seven years. Check out a five page preview of his short story published in MUSCLES & FIGHTS 3 (AVAILABLE NOW at Muscles & Fights.com.) on his ComicSpace page. There you can also see a five page preview of his short story in MUSCLES & FRIGHTS! Bug was recently interviewed here and here at Cream City Comics.
DEAD OF NIGHT: WEREWOLF BY NIGHT #1 Marvel MAX
Aside from an f-bomb, not sure why this book is part of the MAX line. Sure there are eviscerations by toothy lycans, but nothing you don’t see in your typical comics these days. Maybe I’m just jaded. Another thing I am is impressed by this first issue. The story was strong, choosing to recap a bit of Jack Russell’s origin rather than simply retell it as the main story. And I’m also appreciative that this book didn’t go the same route as the last DEAD OF NIGHT miniseries DEVIL-SLAYER did and recast the book with a completely new character when the original was still kicking ass in the REAL Marvel U in THE INITIATIVE. Anyway. Focus, Bug. Sure WEREWOLF BY NIGHT follows the same premise as HULK, where a decent person has a monster inside of him, but instead of smashing tanks, Russell’s furrier side is murderous and somewhat evil (or so we’re lead to believe). Bolting himself into a steel chamber every time the moon is full and lying to his pregnant wife saying he’s at business meetings, Russell wolfs out by himself so he can’t harm anyone. The ending of this book is pretty hard hitting and definitely has me in line for issue two. It also questions if the monster actually is a murderer or if something more insidious is afoot. A nice little mystery from writer Duane Swierczynski (the guy who took over IRON FIST), highlighted by some pretty astounding art by Mico Suayan. Suayan’s version of the Werewolf harkens back to the classic Ploog-style and not the HOWLING snouted werewolf that has been around lately. Good stuff. - Bug
SECRET SIX V3 #5 DC Comics
Instant plot summary: six medium to hard-core bad-guys with a minimal amount of mutual trust band together for one desperate mission and try not to get killed by every other villain out there. Is it possible that anyone doesn’t know how good this book is? I know, I know, you’re waiting for the trades. Oh, but this one really IS worth picking up issue by issue, just like we used to do it old school, counting down the weeks until the next one comes out. Gail’s characterizations are, as usual, spot on, showing depth of personality in Bane and Deadshot where I was pretty certain there was none to mine. Nicola Scott is still the “talent to watch” and so excellent in these books. I can’t think of much to say without summarizing the plot much more, and I don’t want to do that. Let’s just say the villains are villains, the good guys are also villains, and normally you would think that means it will be fun to see anyone get hurt. And there is fun to be had. Except somehow, when some of these folks get hurt, even bad guys, it makes me hurt, too. That’s how good this book is. - Rock-Me
THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN: FEAR ITSELF #1 (One-Shot) Marvel Comics
Sure there’s an overabundance of $3.99 books from Marvel this week, but this one makes the extra buck worth your while. I don’t like the price hike, but this book is oversized and well made, so I didn’t feel as gypped as I did with Ellis’ dime-sucking GHOST BOXES. FEAR ITSELF features one of my favorite non-characters, Man-Thing. This character interests the hell out of me because he’s one of the few characters that doesn’t really have to show personality or anything. Man-Thing is at its best when his cast of characters are interesting--a given when it comes to Peter Parker. Writer Stuart Moore channels classic Peter Parker: racked with guilt and concern for his ailing aunt, his inquisitive mind, and feelings of angst over a set of vines growing out of his chest. Although the plot is somewhat contrived having Peter take Aunt May to Florida to visit friends (it’s plausible, but when has Peter given himself a vacation, really?), the confrontation between the shambling mound and the wallcrawler is fun. This is an adventure made more enjoyable by Joe Suitor’s art. The entire book is colored in pale tones, bringing beauty even during acts of violence. Suitor’s Spidey is lithe and spindly, while his Man-Thing is girthy and strong (ok, I just vomited a bit in my mouth saying that last line). Innuendo aside, Suitor draws one of the most impressive looking Man-Thing’s I’ve ever seen (OK, that one made me feel wormy too). But seriously, you have to see Suitor’s Man-Thing, it’s pretty damn awesome (alright, I give up). Just check this one out. - Bug
THE WALKING DEAD #57 Image Comics
After that lull at the prison, Kirkman has been sprinting at an engrossing and expert level pace for the last year. This current arc, with the survivors making a trek to Washington, gets better with each issue. I’ve complained about this book in the past, but damn if it isn’t the first book I read when I get back from the comic store every time a new issue hits the shelves and the last one I’m thinking about by the time I get to the end of my pile of new comics. This issue is about as brutal as you can get and I loved every panel of it. The guy may have been a bit off when he asked everyone to leave the Big Two this summer, but seems his exodus only made his writing on this series all the stronger. - Bug
TIGERHEART Novel Author: Peter David Ballantine Books/Del Rey
Well, last week I got chided a bit for reviewing a book I hadn’t completely finished. In that review, I said I really loved Peter David’s Peter Pan novel which acts as a sequel in the best sense of the term by taking the characters in new and exciting directions. Having just finished the last pages, I can now add the terms both heartbreaking and heartwarming because as Mr. David pulled all of the plot threads together, I found myself both deeply touched by each character’s resolution, but also feeling sorry for The Boy (David’s version of Peter Pan) given the revelation in the last few pages. That’s not to say that the showdown with Captain Hack (David’s Captain Hook) isn’t intense or the rescue of Fiddlefix (David’s Tinkerbell) wasn’t all edge-of-your-seaty, because they were. It’s just that after finishing this fine novel, a novel that oozed action and fun, I was left with a resonant feeling that I had read something profound and personal. David ends the book with the revelation that no matter how old a child gets, he’s always a child in their parent’s eyes, a thought driven home by the triumph of Paul (David’s main character) and the tragedy of The Boy, who looks like he sadly will never grow up. Not a comic, but a damn fine read and playing to the sense of wonder and adventure that lies in all of us adults grasping their kiddie comics and taking them way too seriously. TIGERHEART is definitely something you all should take a look at. - Bug
