| #35 | 1/20/10 | #8 |
STARMAN #81
Writer: James Robinson Pencils: Fernando Dagnino Inks: Bill Sienkiewicz Published by: DC Comics Reviewed by: BottleImp
Given James Robinson’s rather disappointing track record lately, with both his SUPERMAN and JUSTICE LEAGUE scripts falling just short of mediocre, I bought this special BLACKEST NIGHT tie-in comic with more than a little trepidation. I mean, I was and still am a huge fan of Robinson’s STARMAN series from the mid-late 1990s. The argument has been made that the series (though certainly fresh and unique for the time it was published) doesn’t hold up well upon re-examination, although every so often I pull a stack of issues out of the box and re-read a story arc or two, and for the most part I’m of the opinion that STARMAN’s style of storytelling is still entertaining. But I have not read any of Robinson’s recent work with anything even coming close to that level of enjoyment, so I had to wonder: would returning to Opal City bring back the old James Robinson, or was the writer whose work I admired as dead as a Black Lantern?Happily, this revisitation to the world of Starman is almost as good as reading the original series. Though I miss the work of the original artists (Tony Harris’ wonderful cover aside), Dagnino and Sienkiewicz provide moody, scratchy artwork that perfectly complements the plotline of the Black Lantern-empowered David Knight. Definitely not for newbies, though—if you never read any STARMAN before, if the names Bobo Benetti and the O’Dares mean nothing to you—let alone David Knight—you’d be better off skipping this one. But for those of us who loved the quirky, layered world of Robinson’s STARMAN, this issue is like a short visit from an old friend. There’s no Jack Knight, unfortunately—though since the end of his own series found Jack retiring from the superhero business, I suppose it would feel cheap to have him cameo here—but Opal City is here, as much a character as any of the people who wielded Starman’s Cosmic Rod. The Starman museum is seen briefly, filled with reproductions of panels from STARMAN’s 80-issue run (along with an iconic panel from Robinson and Paul Smith’s excellent miniseries THE GOLDEN AGE). The O’Dares, Opal City’s first family of law enforcement, are here, and readers will discover what became of the hinted-at attraction, revealed so many years ago, between Hope O’Dare and the Shade.
Aah, the Shade. As I read this comic, I realized that this one character is what turns Robinson’s writing from maddening to enchanting. Allow me to explain:
James Robinson has a gift for writing dialogue. Unfortunately, he also seems to have a penchant for convoluted prose, flowery descriptions, and British turn-of-the-century Victorian slang. When he doesn’t have an adequate outlet for all those individual styles, the result is a garbled mess—much like his scripts for SUPERMAN. However, within the pages of STARMAN, the Shade becomes the perfect vessel for Robinson’s more florid writing, thus leaving the other characters to speak in more-or-less contemporary English. In other words, Robinson gets his fancy writing fix worked out of his system when he’s writing the Shade, and the rest of the comic is much improved because of it.
After reading this issue, it becomes apparent that STARMAN, certainly an impressive achievement for its time, still has a richly layered world that is capable of producing some damn entertaining stories. I for one would love to revisit this little corner of the DC Universe from time to time. Hey, if Gotham City can have its own title, why not the Opal? It’d be worth it just to get James Robinson off of the titles he’s butchering and back to where his work still works.
When released from his Bottle, the Imp takes the form of Stephen Andrade, an artist/illustrator/pirate monkey painter from the Northeast. You can see some of his artwork here. He’s given up comics more times than he can remember. But every time he thinks he's out, they pull him back in.
NEVERLAND #0
Writer: Joe Brusha Artist: Jean-Paul Deshong Publisher: Zenescope Entertainment Reviewer: Optimous Douche
Whether it was seeing Sandy Duncan fly across the NY stage when I was five years old in her gender-bending turn as Pan (and she did that shit with one eye, folks) or my trip later that year into the black-light shrouded Peter Pan ride in Disneyworld’s Magic Kingdom, I have always had a strange fascination with the Peter Pan mythology. Couple these early lessons with my own morsel of a Peter Pan complex (essentially fighting kicking and screaming into each new phase of adulthood), calling dibs on Zenescope’s newest reimagined offering on public domain properties was a no-brainer.I also have a special admiration for Zenescope. For starters they operate in my home state, a mere two exits away on the PA turnpike from Douche Manor as a matter of fact. Comics can be produced anywhere, yet the prevailing belief is that you must be in NY or LA. Bullshit. The internet has changed business; comics should be no exception and Zenescope proves that.
The other thing I admire the hell out of is the fact you always know what you’re getting into with the Big Z: Classic tales as seen through the nightmarish prism of our modern sensibilities. NEVERLAND is no exception.
Neverland (the place) is still a mystical land of wonder, but instead of a refuge for lost children Brusha portrays Neverland as an entity that feeds on the grubby little bastards or, to speak more specifically, children feed the needs of the leather-clad new ruler of this kingdom — Peter Pan.
What? No Hook you say? Of course Hook is here, this is Zenescope, a company that always shows reverence to the source material. Hook, Tinkerbell and Croc are all present, along with the “Darling” family. Tink is now Peter’s servant in his evil deeds and Brusha updated the Darling familial relationships from brothers and sisters, to Aunt Wendy caring for John and Peter. Hook is probably the most interesting of the bunch, though. Like the Darlings he is a refugee in our real world essentially wandering the streets as a vagrant trying to recapture who he once was. Some great “bonus” psychiatric notes on the last pages of the book gives us a pretty clear picture that Hook lost his shit and has no idea that he was once the evil ruler of Neverland.
Now for all of the detractors who are averse to the fact that Zenescope art tends to have a little too much cheesecake for their liking, I would like to simply say “get the fuck over it.” This is comics for God’s sake, a medium along with art, TV and movies that has forever objectified the female form. Where Zenescope has always done things right is that for each pouty lip or pushed out ass, all of these female characters exhibit an inner strength that allows them to show that they can be sexy and powerful. Fear not though, prudes, this issue is completely sans any of the usual seductive elements. The naughtiest Deshong gets is with his portrayal of Tinkerbell and it’s really not naughty at all.
Optimous is lonely and needs friends. Even virtual ones will fill the gaping hole, join him on Facebook or he will cry like a newborn kitten.
STAR WARS: DARK TIMES #15 “BLUE HARVEST”
Writer: Mick Harrison Art: Douglas Wheatley Publisher: Dark Horse Reviewer: Mr. Pasty
Part of my motivation to review another STAR WARS book comes from that scruffy little nerf herder in last week’s talkback section that squealed like a disemboweled tauntaun because according to him there’s “Never any STAR WARS on here.” Well apparently the lil’ womp rat missed my hatchet job on KNIGHTS OF THE OLD REPUBLIC #46 – a book so worthless that not even Malakili would have used it to line the Rancor’s litter box. And speaking of giant turds, DARK TIMES can best be described as TWO GIRLS, ONE COMIC.What’s irritating about this book is that it actually opens with a promising shot of Darth Vader, who for some reason decides it’s prudent to hold a meeting with his top lieutenant at the very edge of a cliff with no witnesses. After he force-clowns one of the clone troopers, another darts in from out of nowhere to question Vader – who has to make up an excuse as to how the first trooper tripped over his own two feet and plummeted to his death. Say what? Since when did the baddest man in the Empire start answering to lowly grunts? Anyway, that’s the last we see of Vader for the remainder of the book, because writer Mick Harrison has much more important things for us to worry about. Like a gang of ruthless spice runners terrorizing a town that’s populated by characters from the cutting room floor of “Monsters, Inc”. Forget Tatooine-Contra. The rebellion is faced with a spice crisis. Maybe in a galaxy far, far, away they don’t have those wrought iron spice racks littered with crusty McCormick bottles that stink up the tail end of the soup aisle at your local supermarket.
So these terrifying spice runners are hunting a Jedi reject named Dass Jennir, who infiltrated and destroyed their woebegotten refinery on a nearby moon. Why? Because the plot required him to. It also required him to battle one of the spicy thugs with a traditional sword instead of a light saber. Just what I want to see in a STAR WARS book: Count Doodoo tweaking his fencing mechanics with a $15 flea market rapier while he talks turkey with a flying trash can named H2. Not that you could tell, because everyone speaks in the same dialect. Robots, monsters, aliens – they all talk like two high school geeks playing dress up in their parent’s basement while reciting Socrates’ “Funeral Oration”.
Artistically the book fails on so many levels. Though it’s lauded as being "Drawn with a gritty realism” according to the SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL, I found it neither gritty nor realistic. It’s bright and obnoxiously loud, like a futuristic billboard for back alley blow jobs. And in a move that can only be defined as extremely coincidental, the spice runners are drawn as giant blue bipeds, around ten feet tall with distinct human features. Unfortunately the human features selected seem to have been derived from victims of Proteus Syndrome. If the Na’vi from AVATAR started breeding with the lepers from PAPILLON, you might have a pretty good idea of what to expect. And that’s my biggest gripe. The character design in DARK TIMES is uninspired and excruciatingly transparent. Nothing is more distracting to a story than to see a new creature and immediately know the influence behind it. Page 19 gives us a 2-for-1 special: two ripped-off Narnia characters in one panel. I dare say it’s maddening because Douglas Wheatley knows how to draw. There are several interludes featuring a harem of hot-ass bitches slapping each other around and showing their supple breasts. They’re beautifully drawn and the lone bright spot in this otherwise animated landfill.
I never thought I’d see the day where I was sick of STAR WARS and while I’m not quite there just yet, the universe has been expanded way too quickly and by too many people. BLUE HARVEST is further proof that this franchise needs to get back to its roots. Population control would be a good start. Did you hear those millions of STAR WARS fans last Wednesday suddenly cry out in terror only to be suddenly silenced? Don’t blame the destruction of Alderaan. These are DARK TIMES indeed.
Web heads who can’t get enough of Mr. Pasty’s word vomit are encouraged to watch him operate as Nostradumbass over at here. MMAmania.com. Love, hate and Mafia Wars requests should be directed here.
THE BRAVE AND THE BOLD #31
Writer: J. Michael Straczynski Artist(s): Chad Hardin and Justiniano Publisher: DC Comics Reviewed by Humphrey Lee
I never honestly wanted to, but at some point in the past year I became kind of a JMS hater. Mind you, I love the man’s work overall. His “Joe’s Comics” stuff from Image in RISING STARS and MIDNIGHT NATION is what got me back into comics back at the tail end of the 90’s. But, of course, those wonderful titles also showed me the downside of the three initialed one: They may just never fucking come out. Fast forward to late ‘08. An ok movie JMS wrote was coming out, THE TWELVE was apparently a mirage and THOR shows up on about the same schedule Artie Lang goes back into rehab. I’ve had all I can stands and I can’t stands no more! Which works out pretty well because from that point on until this run of his on BRAVE AND THE BOLD, about three other comics came out under his pen. And, because I am nothing if but spiteful, I proceed to care not at all once his run on this title starts and pretend it doesn’t even exist…God I’m so weak…
The thing of it all is, and it took me a couple reviews and perusals of some issues of his run at the store to realize, these are basically one and done stories created to highlight character traits of iconic characters (something JMS is pretty goddamn good at), right? So who gives a fuck when/if they come out? There’s no overlaying story, no universal continuity to tie into and be tied into, so might as well enjoy them for what they are (and the Jesus Saiz art that I enjoy so much puts this over the top).
Take this issue, for example (yeah, I’m actually going to review this now). This turns out to be exactly what I was talking about above, and since The Atom is involved, there’s some fun sci-fi plot devicing and jargoning - another JMS staple - to go with all the character moments and insights. The basic gist of this issue is that the Joker has a potentially terminal brain condition that the Atom is brought into treat by going all, well, Atom-sized and dropping a device off to regress it. Obviously this presents the moral dilemma of just letting him die for The Atom, which JMS plays up extremely well because while his tone is a little bit jokey, The Atom is the kind of character I have always seen as willing to cross that line if it really does mean a big win for the “greater good”. Eventually his better side and a little coercing from the doctors wins out, but it was a nice little play on a classic plot device and the character’s tendencies.
And then there’s the Joker and his big, fucked up melon. Here I am a little divided on what JMS did, but it’s not so much the execution, but the representation. Via some *insert plot device* The Atom is exposed to some memory synapses of the Joker, giving him a glimpse into just how deep the Joker’s destructive tendencies lay. On the one hand, I enjoy seeing “Lil Joker” and the monster he was even at a young age when really provoked. On the other, I’m more the kind of guy who enjoys Alan Moore’s KILLING JOKE style adult Joker, as the failure with a lot of repression that gets brought out in his accident. It makes him more tragic. Mindless murdering thug Joker presented here isn’t my bag, but he’s still scary nonetheless.
This might not have been the best example of what JMS has brought to the table so far – there is a little too much leaning on some well tread comic book tropes – but it is still a solid example of why this book works and why it is a pretty damn good fit for JMS’ style. And it does somewhat balance out the more melancholy tone for this run set by the issues before this like the Batman and Dial H for HERO issue that really grabbed me to get my wallet out for this book. I hope issues like that are more the norm than not, but I will gladly take an issue like this to mix things up from time to time, even if that time ends up being a month later than it should. What can I say; I’m a glutton for punishment.
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.
DONATELLO: THE BRAIN THIEF #4
Writer: Jim Lawson Artist: Jim Lawson Inker: Jim Lawson Publisher: Mirage Publishing Reviewer: William
I’ve been following this mini-series since issue #1, as I’ve remained a big fan of TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES ever since I was a kid. Donatello remains my favorite Turtle of the bunch, so it was quite a thrill to walk into my local comic shop a few months back and see that a new mini-series was being published about him. Needless to say I quickly picked up the issue, and continued with each issue afterward.I must say I’m still indifferent as to whether the series was good or not. It’s not that it didn’t have its moments, it’s just that the ending left mixed feelings. I’ll start with what’s good about it. If you’re as big a fan of Donatello as I am, you certainly get your lot of him here. Sure the other Turtles make a cameo at the beginning of issue 1, but afterward Donatello remains on nearly every panel. Also fan favorite Baxter Stockman is within the series, another big plus. What I also liked about the series was that it never felt rushed. Jim Lawson, doing a tour-de-force of everything with this series, purposefully stretches things out in order to create a proper sense of tension. There are many moments where one sees Donatello simply walking from one region of the sewer to another as he avoids the main villain in the series. This went on for page after page sometimes. It’s interesting to see this because as a fan I felt I was being introduced to new areas of the Turtles’ sewer that I had never seen before. I also liked how this series felt like a nice little bundled character arc. Much like the STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION Episode “Data’s Day”, this story focused on a day within Donatello’s life, and it felt good to read about it.
Here’s what’s bad about the series. As much as I praised Lawson stretching things out throughout the series, at times it felt like this series could’ve been finished within just two issues. At $3.25 an issue, Lawson certainly could’ve shortened the issues without missing much, otherwise it felt like a cheap cash grab. Also for Donatello being the sole focus of the series, Lawson never truly got inside his head to let us know what makes him tick. This is because this remains the least dialogued series I have ever read. There are literally pages and pages of no captions, no thought balloons, no dialogue. Simply the aforementioned scenes of Donatello walking through different parts of the sewer. I felt a great opportunity was missed here as these panels begged to hear what‘s going on inside Donatello‘s head as he inspects this or that. Lastly the series ends on a bit of a downer. I won’t spoil it for anyone interested in reading it, but the final solution that Donatello comes up in order to defeat the robot villain is not the happy-go-lucky ending that I was waiting for. It certainly felt out of character for Donatello to sacrifice what he had to sacrifice, although to Lawson’s credit he does add a scene of remorse on Donatello’s side.
As you can see that’s why I still feel indifferent about the series. It has its moments but it also had its faults. I also thought I wouldn’t get used to reading a black and white comic (after reading so many already in beautiful computer colors) but I was surprised to see how quickly it happened. The noir look certainly helped set the mood for the series. All in all I would give this a recommendation nonetheless, but only if you’re a fan of Donatello in general.
BOKURANO: OURS
By Mohiro Kitoh Released by Viz Media Reviewer: Scott Green
Deb Aoki of about.com:manga recently collected hints for manga reviewers. Most were general suggestions for writing cogent reviews. Mine was more subject targeted. "You don't need to talk to it, but know the manga's context; specifically the anthology in which it was published." Manga may look like one thing, but be written for an entirely different audience. Kazuhiro Okamoto's TRANSLUCENT for example. It's about a shy girl suffering from an affliction that causes her to turn invisible. It looks like a for girls shoujo story. It's been marketed as one. And yet, the manga was serialized in COMIC FLAPPER, a seinen anthology for teenage males, and at times, it struggled with defining the female subject through the male point of view character.A work of manga might fit the readership you think would be interested in it, but the writing of that manga is going to be informed by the profile of its anthology's readership in Japan. And, if you go in thinking it’s for an audience other than that anthology's, sometimes the manga will violate your expectations.
I'm not quite sure how it's possible, but publishers seem to have been caught up in this assumption trap. A prime example is Mohiro Kith’s SHADOW STAR aka MAURO NAURU HOSHI TAMA TARO KOP ( The dead star and the jewel of a girl), abbreviated as CARUARU. It looks like a kid’s adventure story. Energetic/upbeat ("genii" character type) twelve year old Shine Tami finds a sort of merchandise-bait space star fish; a goofy, puppy dog eyed creature that can take the shape of a backpack or flatten out into a board onto which she can surf into the sky. Looks innocent. Looks fun. It hit America a bit after Pokémon and looked like a bit more mature variant. It got slightly violent, then, it got very violent.
Mohiro Kitoh has an instantly recognizable, distinctive way of stylizing his characters. There's a simplified abstraction. The bodies’ shapes are fairly realistic, but with the exception of emphasized contrasts, the forms have childlike litheness... as if no preteen/teens overeat or miss out on their exercise. This can convey youthful innocence, but it also conveys vulnerability. These are forms that are plainly susceptible to what cruelty might be thrown at them.
People in Kith’s view of our world are quite capable of doing terrible things to each other. There's an idealized notion of people being happy and healthy. Circumstance can shatter that. So can maliciousness. RUNNING IN AFTERNOON, home of BLADE OF THE IMMORTAL, BLAME!, GUNSMITH CATS and EDEN: IT’S AN ENDLESS WORLD, Kitoh had the license to make such violations in SHADOW STAR truly gut wrenching. If you went into SHADOW STAR expecting a Poke'-adventure, the characters weren't the only ones due to be violated.
BOKURANO: OURS ran in alternative publication IKKI. More on this seinen periodical later, but for the time being, the important thing to know about IKKI is that it generally features manga with little visual resemblance to what most North American's think of as a manga look. Few entries have much name recognition here outside manga devotees. The best known is probably SEXY VOICE AND ROBO, about a 14 year old girl with vocal talents who decides to turn them toward crime solving. Other company that BOKURANO: OURS keeps includes A SEROW'S DEADLY FALL - about grade schoolers and a goat/antelope; Taiyo Matsumoto's design crushing story of an assassin killing off other super powered world leaders - NO. 5; story of forty something single father who decides and fails to become a hip manga creator - I'LL GIVE IT MY ALL...TOMORROW; man with lizard head versus sorcerers - DOROHEDORO.
If you weren't familiar with Mohiro Kith’s history, if you were unaware of the character of its anthology, Kitoh still offers little opportunity to confuse BOKURANO: OURS with a typical adventure.
It opens with the statement "The year we started junior high we considered ourselves all grown up. We thought we could do anything. But in reality, we were just kids, sheltered by our parents and by society."
On one hand, BOKURANO: OURS puts lie to the notion that its subjects were entirely sheltered. On the other, Kitoh is getting at some of the themes of Mamoru Oshii's SKY CRAWLERS, from the opposite direction. In a statement about the movie Oshii said "in our peaceful country, there is no more starvation, revolution, or war. We have a society where we can live out our allotted spans of lives without ever having to feel deprived of food, clothing, or shelter...Isn't this comfortable life that we have achieved, a monotonous purgatory that doesn't end until we die?"
Oshii accentuated that freedom from dire want in SKY CRAWLERS' consequence free game/war. BOKURANO: OURS does the opposite by expositing children to exaggerated mortal peril.
15 children, eight seventh grade boys, six seventh grade girls, and one fourth grade girl visit a decaying sea side village as part of a school program. They think it's childish. They complain about the smell of the ocean and the "gross" shore creatures. There's a cave in the distance and the group decides to check it out for some diversion. There, they find an incongruous collection of computer equipment, framed by tarps and lights. A man in hiking gear turns up and explains that he's been developing a game, and that he's just about ready to recruit some play testers to "pilot a giant robot to defeat enemies! The planet Earth will be attacked 15 times! But a giant robot will rise to Earth's defense! A black colossus! Layer upon layer of armor! Unparalled strength! An indomitable goliath!" The man, later given the moniker Kokopelli, doesn't exactly win over the crowd with this speech, but he does manage to get them to put their hands to a contract.
Later, the children are not sure if the experience with the man in the cave was reality or a shared dream; a question that is cleared up when they see fighter jet scrambled to intercept a tower dwarfing sort of black crustacean/man. A bizarre, sharp tooth teddy bear creature materializes in the air in front of the children, quickly clears up that he's "the almighty" and not some sidekick, then explains that their turn to pilot the giant robot is imminent.
In a general sense, what they're involved with is standard fight the alien invader in your giant robot procedure. The enemy has a weak spot. Find it. Crack it. This was seen in NEON GENESIS EVANGELION, as well as plenty of works before and since. Kitoh impresses with the immense sense of scale and unique design of his giant weapons. The fights scenes are cataclysmic, but that's neither his forte nor the chief appeal of BOKURANO: OURS.
Some of the children embrace the opportunity to pilot a giant robot, seeing it as opportunity to become heroes or as a vehicle for fame. To others, it plays on their sense of obligation. Other still have no interest. Regardless of their enthusiasm or willingness, what becomes quickly apparent is that they've been roped into a sort of cosmic pyramid scheme. In that cruel trap, Kitoh is not so much deconstructing the giant robot story as using it as an industrial grade excavation device to drill into human nature.
Mohiro Kitoh has been accused of being misanthropic or hating children, and a case could be made for either assertion. An alternative view is that he's unafraid to lay his subjects bare. There's a banally cruel way in which he starts that process in BOKURANO: OURS. The children are taken into the cockpit of their giant robot, which has been outfitted by chairs from their bedrooms. In that moment, the self conscious teens lose the ability to hide details about their lives from each other. Their economic situation and home lives are opened up. On has an executive chair...another has a floor cushion..."pretty ghetto man!" "what kind of life do you live anyways?"
This is just the beginning. One by one, the children are forced into a temporary, godlike position. From that seat of life or death, earth shattering threat and responsibility each is forced to exhibit or develop a system for reconciling what happens. Whether they decide to be self sacrificing heroes or decide that the deaths of others are of no consequence to them, they relate the giant robot piloting experiences to their lives and crystallize a personal philosophy. Unlike the home chair outfitted in the cockpit for their peers to see, it's only the reader who becomes privy to these secrets. As the characters are developing reasons for it all, the next chapter, after the content of this volume underscores, or perhaps invalidates, this values exhibition with a dedicatedly nihilistic twist.
From a Kitoh interview on Viz's Sigikki site "my original idea was about a girl with magical powers. Whenever she used her magic, it would steal life from those who were important to her. That became a story about a robot who risks its own life in order to save others." What's poignant or disturbing in this process is that Kith’s stories become engines that consume characters to forward exploration.
BOKURANO: OURS is a brutal manga, and Kitoh is able to channel the effect of that harshness. I've been critical of manga that I've considered tragedy porn, which use the edge of their painful consequences for little more than emotional scarification. Kitoh is giving every evidence of being more thoughtful than that. He's been developing each of his characters even in offhand moments. As a result, the tapestry of values being woven is taking shape into a provocative image.
That said, Kitoh manga is divisive, and BOKURANO: OURS is certainly no exception. Hiroyuki Morita, director of the Ghibli movie THE CAT RETURNS, developed an anime adaption of BOKURANO: OURS, but had a problem with Kith’s treatment of the characters. As such, Morita won the go ahead to rework some of the story's operating principles. In turn, Kitoh blogged to decry the break in vision and urged fans of the manga not to watch the anime. Reactions to Kitoh works, either positive or negative, are liable to be deep seated.
VIZ has experimented with supporting the localized releases of IKKI titles by serializing chapters online for free on Sigikki. For series like Daisuke Igarashi's CHILDREN OF THE SEA, Viz has rolled out the series ahead of its graphic novel release, removing material as it becomes available in the printed version. For the most part, this appears to be the case with BOKURANO: OURS too. The trade paperback of volume one is scheduled to be released February 16, but chapters up to the first of volume two are still online. Preview chapters of published titles like Natsume Ono's NOT SIMPLE have also been made available on the site. The ends of posting some of the other works are less apparent. Eiji Miruno's TOKYO FLOW CHART explains life by away of absurd process diagrams. It takes some work to develop an affinity for the manga, but only two chapters have been made available on Sigikki, in July and October '09. Tondabayashi's "What's the Answer" is an equally absurd work. There was one entry, posted in October, that responds to a kid on Christmas' question about "what was Santa doing yesterday." Based on the small sample size, it's difficult to work up an enthusiasm for the title.
Sigikki has been widely praised by North American comic/manga industry commentators. However, the question is "what are Viz's plans for Sigikki." It was adding about three chapters of manga a week. This stopped on December 24th. On January 16th, a blog entry clarified that it was on a Holiday break. With the hiatus indefinate, its future is open to speculation. Gonzalo Ferreyra, Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Viz Media has commented on developing metrics for the effects of posting the manga online. The implication of this for the resumption of Sigikki, whether it involves tests like comparing sales of CHILDREN OF THE SEA while updating to BOKURANO: OURS without, remains to be seen.
Scott Green has been writing for AICN ANIME for over eight years. If you like what you see here and love anime & manga, be sure to check out his latest AICN ANIME column every week on AICN.
NOVA #33 Marvel Comics
Every month I pick up the latest issue of this series and I feel like a kid again. Abnett and Lanning are really rocking the classic comic book action with an issue chock full of time travel paradox, guest stars galore, and a final page pin-up that hits me right in the ‘80s nostalgia button. Andrea DiVito also deserves heaps of credit for his clean and fluid artwork, reminiscent of Alan Davis at his best. In a time when so many comics are clamoring to be more mature, it’s refreshing to read one of the only titles that revels in its kid-centric roots. - BottleImp
AGE OF REPTILES: THE JOURNEY #2 Dark Horse Comics
Ricardo Delgado continues his epic wide-screen silent tale of dinosaurs migrating away from the inevitable Ice Age and the perils the pack of dinos encounter along the way. If you’re like me and a sucker for animal documentaries or stories starring any type of beastie, this book is a must for you. The dangers escalate in this issue as a pack of raptors attack. When a ferocious Tyrannosaurus and her litter of little Rexes follow the parade of docile dinos, the tension rises. This is a soulful story that takes time to focus on small details as well as pulls back to show the size and scope of the impact these monsters once made on the earth. The detail Delgado puts in each and every panel is breathtaking and the fact that each dinosaur, no matter how small in the panel, is doing their own thing in a truly unique way makes this read, which should be quick since it’s a silent story, into a masterpiece that you won’t be able to put down for hours. - Ambush Bug
HULK #19 Marvel Comics
One of two Hulk books hitting the shelves last week and though this was definitely the lesser of the two in quality and imaginative storytelling, I have to say this “Fall of the Hulks” storyline is pretty fun so far. Ed McGuinness makes this a slug fest worth reading with his exciting depiction of the age old Hulk/Thing battle (though this time it’s Rulk and not Hulk handing Thing his marble…uhm marbles). Banner and Rulk continue their uneasy alliance and you’re not going to find too many answers to any questions you may be having at this point. Loeb hands out a typical battle royale between the Wizard’s new Frightful Four and the Fantastic Four, but he doesn’t do anything here that will turn the heads of those who have turned their backs on Loeb for his ULTIMATES fiasco. Fun and breezy. Don’t expect much with this issue, and you’ll be pleased. - Bug
OUTSIDERS #26 DC Comics
The writer of this one is none other than Dan Didio, DC head honcho supreme, and knowing this will either intrigue or stop many fans in their tracks before even one page is turned. I’m trying to reserve judgment because there really wasn’t anything wrong with this issue so far other than it raises more questions rather than answers. But it’s the first issue of a run, so I’m ok with that. Sure there is the eye roller where a lady’s dog is named Segura (most likely a bash on DC’s Publicity Manager, Alex Segura) and if Didio is going to continue with the insider in jokes like that, I’ll be folding up the book and walking away. But so far, the nutzo Geo-Force has gone even further off the deep end since his recent run in with Deathstroke and the resurrected Terra in the “Blackest Night” crossover, and is bound and determined to pull the rest of the Outsiders off that cliff with him. No one trusts anyone. This once family-team now bicker more than Giffen’s JLI sans the humor. Katana is a killing machine. Even team player Black Lightning is not getting along with others. Seems Didio is setting the team up for something big and I’ll stick around for a few issues to see where he’s going with it. - Bug
CAPTAIN AMERICA #602 Marvel Comics
Man, I don’t know what happened to this title. Delays, then waffling on whether or not Steve is back. Now in this issue, instead of dealing with his return (which still hasn’t been resolved since the last issue of REBORN hasn’t been released yet), Cap is off “mending his life with Sharon” while Bucky still gets a few more issues to play Cap. This was a must read for me last year, but this year, I can’t even muster up enough energy to care. With current state of the Marvel U, this comic reads more as filler than anything else as Bucky and Falcon go to the “ugly” part of America to find off-the-reservation 50’s Cap raising an army of Watchdogs in the Heartland. But it’s not just the anti-government Watchdogs that are the enemy here, oh no. Bru takes some time for Cap and Falcon to judge regular townspeople protesting in the streets too. How dare they protest!?!?!? How crazy a concept is that in America!??!?!! I know a Cap comic is ripe for political commentary, but Brubaker’s depiction of Middle America is about as slanted as the sales figures are for REBORN. I’d much rather read a story with Cap as the outsider taking an unbiased look at the country rather than another story about how off-kilter mid-America is from the rest of the country for having different views. - Bug
GREEN LANTERN CORPS #44 DC Comics
The double splash page on page 4 & 5 of this comic made me arch back in my chair and mutter, “DAY-AMM, SLAP MAH MOMMA!” under my breath. I don’t think artist Patrick Gleason gets enough credit for his amazing work on this title. The guy not only draws some truly heroic and iconic depictions of the GLs, he also is only second to Doug Mahnke in the talent he has for drawing aliens. This issue is a showcase of Gleason’s amazing art as Mogo makes its move against the Black Lanterns on Oa and Guy goes berserker as he’s overcome with the power of the Red Rage Lantern ring. Amazing work on par with Johns’ book in quality, but not often enough recognized for it. - Bug
THUNDERBOLTS #140 Marvel Comics
I’ve got to hand it to Marvel, they really are trying to make the Agents of ATLAS cool. Don’t get me wrong, I think they are, but with the ongoing series being cancelled and the team being shoe-horned into just about every comic these days, I fear ATLAS fatigue is setting in. Again, don’t get me wrong, I love writer Jeff Parker’s team of misfit 50’s Avengers as much as the next guy. Gorilla Man is all kinds of cool, as is the always awesome MI-11, and I even think The Uranian is a pretty damn sweet character. But for some reason, I was rooting against them in this issue. Maybe it’s because despite this book having had some harsh criticism for “not being like Ellis’ version,” I find myself caring about the series anti-heroes; Headsman, Ant-Man, Paladin, and especially one of the cooler revamps in recent years, the Ghost. That’s what makes the final few pages of this issue so shocking and definitely worth checking out. I never thought I’d care so much about these misfit baddies who are trying to do some good. And never have I felt so bad about Ant-Man who continues to try to get the hell out of a situation that he is in way over his head. There’s more going on with THUNDERBOLTS than a lot are willing to consider and the book is worth checking out, over-ATLAS feeling or not. - Bug
JOE THE BARBARIAN #1 DC Vertigo
I’ve said it before, I like my Morrison in small doses and when he plays in his own sandbox instead of mucking up the community pool. Here, Morrison does just that, but a lot of the praise for this issue has to go towards artist Sean Murphy who makes this a truly unique reading experience in the details he puts in each page, especially the vivid angles as Joe makes his way through his house and into his bedroom where most of the adventures take place in this story…not those kind of adventures, pervs. If anything, Morrison’s story is somewhat tame in this first issue as clichés collide as we are given yet another outcast (Joe) bullied by bullies, latch-keyed by his mom, left by his dead father, and misunderstood by all except of course a doe eyed girl who sees the sparkling diamond Joe really is. Even the kicker at the end SPOILER when Joe seems to have somehow fallen into a world where his toys have come alive has been seen in many films, most importantly TOY STORY. END SPOILER This is a well made story with amazing art, but it surely isn’t anything we haven’t seen before. I’m sure Morrison has some surprises stored away for future issues though, so I’ll stick around to see what a few of them are before final judgment. - Bug
INCREDIBLE HULK #606 Marvel Comics
Definitely the smarter and more interesting of the two Hulk books out right now, Bruce Banner and son Skaar set out for Latveria. For some reason which has not been revealed yet, Banner and Rulk have teamed up to save/take out the top eight smartest people in the world, a plan initially implemented by the Leader’s team of brainiacs. Doom’s on the list and despite the fact that this is simply another slug fest issue, writer Greg Pak takes his time with the action and injects quite a bit of character from Banner, Skaar, and Doom alike. Having Skaar say “What are you looking at?” to the Watcher made me chuckle. And the intensity of the character stuff between Banner and Skaar in the end really does make this book a must read. Pak’s INCREDIBLE HULK is the thinking man’s Hulk next to the Cliff’s Notes version of cool that is Loeb’s HULK. - BugAmbush Bug is Mark L. Miller, reviewer and co-editor of AICN Comics for over eight years and one of the original @$$holes. Check out his comic book shorts from Cream City Comics’ MUSCLES & FIGHTS VOL.3 and MUSCLES & FRIGHTS VOL.1 on his ComicSpace page. Bug was interviewed here and here at Cream City Comics and here and here about his latest comic from Bluewater Comics, VINCENT PRICE PRESENTS: THE TINGLER #1-2. Look for more comics from Bug in 2010 from Bluewater, including VINCENT PRICE PRESENTS WITCHFINDER GENERAL, ROGER CORMAN PRESENTS DEATHSPORT, and the just announced vampire miniseries NANNY & HANK (and check out Jazma Online’s new interview with Bug about NANNY & HANK here).
