(Click title to go directly to the review)
Advance Review: PIROUETTE #2
GWEN STACY Comiquette Statue Review
TEEN TITANS: EARTH ONE VOL.1 Hardcover Graphic Novel
AXIS #6
BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER: SEASON 10 #9
AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #10
Indie Jones presents THE GHOST ENGINE VOL.1
STORM #5
ANNIHILATOR #3
BATMAN ‘66/THE GREEN HORNET #6
MOON KNIGHT #9
WEIRD LOVE #4
BATMAN & ROBIN #36
Advance Review: TOE TAG RIOT #1
Advance Review: In stores today!PIROUETTE #2
Writer: Mark L. MillerArtist: Carlos Granda
Publisher: Black Mask Studios
Reviewer: Matt Adler
It’s an old story: the kid who wants to run away from their family to join the circus. Mom and Dad are unfair, there are too many rules, too many chores, too much drudgery. Wouldn’t it be great if you could get away from it all, perhaps even become a carefree, happy-go-lucky clown? Yes, that’s the old story, and what Mark L. Miller has done is turn that story completely on its head. PIROUETTE is the story of a girl who desperately wants to run away from the circus to rejoin her family; here, clowns aren’t fun-loving jokesters but cynical, greedy con artists who use the power of entertainment to lull their prey into a false sense of security. Pirouette was taken in (kidnapped?) by them as a baby, and forced to participate in their clown crimes…and worse.
Now, in issue #2, comes a ray of hope; she may have discovered her true family. But Miller has shown us not to expect the expected in this series, and what may seem like her salvation could spell more heartache instead. Miller is immediately successful in getting us to empathize with this young girl and her travails; she’s not a whiner by any means, but what she has to endure with her adopted father and the other sinister circus folk makes us root for her to break free.
Ably accompanying Miller is his JUNGLE BOOK collaborator, artist Carlos Granda, who portrays the clowns as seriously creepy while also showing the joy in Pirouette that defies her surroundings. There are also light-hearted moments to balance out the pathos as Pirouette gains a few friends in the circus, including what appear to be Latino werewolf twins--part of the circus sideshow act. But at its heart, it’s a story of the struggle to rise above the circumstances that fate has dealt you, and that’s a theme with universal appeal. I look forward to continuing this journey with Pirouette.
Matt Adler is a writer/journalist, currently writing for AICN among other outlets. He’s been reading comics for more than 25 years, writing about them for more than 10, and spends way, way, too much time thinking about them, which means he really has no choice but to figure out how to make a living out of this stuff. He welcomes all feedback.
GWEN STACY Comiquette Statue
Designer: J. Scott CampbellDistributor: Sideshow Collectibles
Reviewer: Russ Sheath
Russ Sheath here, and I'm going to offer you a look at two of my favourite things: a great collectible from Sideshow and the work of a fantastic comic book artist. Gwen Stacy: the first true love of Peter Parker who would ultimately meet a tragic end before her time. For Peter Parker, Gwen was a statuesque, golden-haired breeze of fresh air amid the trials of high school life, and this icon of Spidey mythology is also the subject of the first statue in a line of comiquettes based on the comic book art of J. Scott Campbell from Sideshow Collectibles.
Campbell himself needs little introduction. A comic book artist discovered during the heyday of Jim Lee's WildStorm imprint of Image comics, J. Scott Campbell found fame with his clean, animated stylings and good girl art that made books such as GEN 13 and DANGER GIRL huge successes in the 90s. Now a go-to cover artist for the likes of Marvel and with his own line of Fairy Tale Fantasies calendars and prints (check out www.jscottcampell.com ) which send fans into a frenzy each year at conventions, Campbell has achieved the status of having become a fan favourite Spidey artist without having ever pencilled an actual panel of a Spider-Man story. Of course, that's not entirely true--Campbell aficionados know that together with scribe and Marvel TV head honcho Jeph Loeb, Campbell had begun work on a Spidey series that was originally due for release back in 2007, around the time of the third Sam Rami movie.
Sadly retired to comic book limbo, those pages represent an unseen spectacle where a rare few Campbell insiders speak in hushed whispers at the wonder of seeing a classic Spidey tale in the making. Fortunately for Spidey and Campbell fans alike, Campbell's vision for everyone’s favourite wall-crawler isn't entirely lost as the artist offers his vision of the web-slinger to numerous prints and covers as well as the Campbell Collection of comicquettes from Sideshow. Based on original designs by Campbell himself, Gwen Stacy is the first in a line that currently includes Gwen, Mary-Jane Watson, Spider-Man and which also teases a forthcoming Black Cat statue.
Let’s talk about the statue itself…
In true Sideshow fashion, Campbell's original design and art adorns the packaging. What I find most interesting here is the subdued pastel effect that Campbell has chosen to colour the design for this piece - a subtle palette which lends itself quite beautifully to the atmosphere of the piece and a departure from the 'real world' explosion of colour that often adorns Campbell's cover work. Of all the comic book artists who have seen their art style transformed into toy or statue form, I'd argue that translations based on Campbell's work (see the McFarlane Danger Girl figures, for example) are amongst the most successful in capturing an artist’s style in three dimensions.Sideshow continue that trend with the Gwen Stacy comiquette--a quite literal translation of Campbell's design which fully captures every aspect of the original design, from the shading and aforementioned pastel of the colours to the effect of raindrops on the statue’s base and umbrella. Standing at around 15", the figure is much taller than I was expecting. In fact, the overall scale of the piece is much larger than I was anticipating, which is a pleasant surprise. In the past I have occasionally felt burnt by statues arriving in huge packaging but which contained statues which failed to live up to the scale of the packaging or the hype surrounding them; this certainly wasn't the case here.
One of my favourite aspects of this series of comiquettes is that Campbell has depicted a snapshot of the character in his design. Rather than a generic cheesecake pose, Campbell offers us a depiction of Gwen in a moment breezing through the rain, happy and symbolically protected from the impending storm, literally and metaphorically, by Spidey in the form of her umbrella. Even the base keeps us in the scene with raindrops and splash effects rippling in puddles, a subtle touch that illustrates the thought and detail that went into the design and production of the piece and is a hallmark of Sideshow statues.
I really have no criticisms of this piece, as it ticks all the boxes you want from a piece of this nature. In short, the comiquette captures Campbell's style perfectly and looks fantastic on display. What more could you ask for? I've always said that J. Scott Campbell's work always had a singular trademark. Whether his inaugural offering GEN 13, his smash hit DANGER GIRL or the high-tech adventures of WILDSIDERZ, Campbell's work has always represented the fun and lightheartedness found in comics and takes you back to why you enjoyed the medium in the first place.
That sense of fun and lightheartedness extends to Campbell's work in statue form, and I can't think of a more worthy start to your Comiquette collection. Whether a Campbell fan, Spidey fan or simply a fan of fantastic statues to adorn your living space, I have no doubt that Gwen Stacy will take a starring place in your collection.
You can order the Sideshow J.Scott Campbell collection comiquette here. Visit J. Scott Campbell's website here .
Follow Russ Sheath's blog Russwords here and @russellsheath on Twitter.
TEEN TITANS: EARTH ONE Hardcover Graphic Novel
Writer: Jeff LemireArtists: The Dodsons
Publisher: DC Comics
Reviewer: Optimous Douche
For the completely uninitiated, EARTH ONE (E1) was the constant source of confusion at the outset of the New 52. While its all-in-one story arc hardbound delivery was a reversal of floppy to trade norms, the vibrational plane difference of “this is our world and heroes are just arriving” was very similar to the justification for hitting the largest reset button in comics history.
Here’s the thing, though: EARTH ONE delivered. I’m not here to shit on the New 52, because I don’t hate it. We must discuss the failure in experimentation it has been though to truly jazz the juice of juxtaposition you can experience in EARTH ONE.
EARTH ONE is for fans of comics; the New 52 was meant to build a multimedia empire from its less continuity-constrained pages. Kids dig it, but they dig the cartoons more. Also, many kids eat their own feces, so what the hell does that tell you about their judgment? On my demographic spot check each week, N52 comics are consumed more by mom and dad as the kids show a passing malaise towards these stories that require their minds to make the stories go whoosh across the page. Look at what happened this year; every TV and cartoon from DC that hit the cables and streams this year are all New 52-founded in some way, even “Gotham”, though it takes place in the late freaking 80s. Only “Batman vs. Superman” is shaping up to ignore the New 52 for…I don’t know, all I’ve seen so far is Zac Snyder filming a bunch of panel vignettes from stories back before Alan Moore’s beard had enough density to form an event horizon.
I’m not a cynic--I’m a pragmatist. Imagination is waning because of the easier and easier consumption of moving pictures, but even my generation is shit on this scale. We didn’t have iPads, but the kids that watched TV pulled the string to make the cow go moo instead of just holding the cow and making it sing David Bowie’s “Space Oddity”.
EARTH ONE is digestible by anyone, but every page is for those of us who dream a little bigger and look a little deeper than the BOW BAM SOCKO. SUPERMAN’S two volumes and BATMAN’S first foray were at the very least authentic in their innocent debutante unveiling of humanity’s next age; at most they sidestepped the blatant stupidity the New 52 characters easily confused with inexperience. Excuse me--not stupidity, innocence…ughhh. Are there resonating tones to what has come before? Well, yes--that’s what makes the character the character in many cases. Then when changes are made, like Krypton being the target of an attack versus past demolitions of nature or Jor-El’s arrogance, some bemoaned the changes; others like this guy simply went “ok, that’s cool.” Because at the end of the day, any change has been more of a germinating seed for tomorrow, just as Bruce Wayne now has a hard-on for respected Mayor Oswald Cobblepot over in E1 Gotham. I invoke these differences and provide this context because on the grand seismic scale of messing with character truisms, EARTH ONE TEEN TITANS defies expectations of both original canon and the few scant tenets put in place by the E1 offerings to date.
Lemire and the Dodsons have built a team of Titans that will satiate those of us who carried our Wolfman books in Trapper Keepers and those who digested on this title in later years on shows like “Young Justice.” But this E1 gathering isn’t a matriculation exercise from sidekick to full fledged hero as it has been in prior iterations. The E1 Teen Titans were created by the most Machiavellian of machinations sprung from not our first contact with aliens, but definitively number two.
Essentially the order of old has flipped flopped, so instead of Wally, Dick and crew being the big kids in the T-shaped tower their progeny of Cyborg, Terra, Beast Boy and Raven all get firsties in the hearts and minds of the Earth One template for a hero zeitgeist.
Unless you have absolutely no idea what a Teen Titan is, the mystery of the second alien on E1 being Starfire was not a mystery at all. Fear not, Mommy bloggers--her oranges are covered and the abuse she’s suffered since crash-landing on Earth will surely keep this creature of pure love from showing it in any form until many many moon cycles of therapy. In fact, she’s in so deep from a control standpoint it offered Lemire the chance to work on a prison break story as the catalyst for this outing.
The question as to who decided to baby-jack Starfire and shit-can the idea of triage for her parents would be the well-known-ish Star Labs. This Oregon underground science facility comes adorned with a fully functional facsimile of a town so the experiments feel at home for as long as the placebo of normal existence needs to be administered. The happy workers of this town only put on their lab coats when the experiments are looking the other way. Being a scientist here is like when Pluto kicks in the doors to the Disney World undertunnels to go light a bone.
I wanted to establish a brace here on because the leader of this organization sounds hokey as shit, and is a “Sliders”-style parallel reality dial-in without context. Dr. Stone is now female. I know, I groaned when I saw her, and groaned again when she was a hard-ass on Vic. You know when I didn’t groan? When she didn’t give a flying fuck about Vic’s metallo transformation. Well, she cared, but it was joy instead of horror across her face when Vic came home with his first bit of chrome detailing.
No one is who you think they are in E1, yet all are familiar. The Titans tower of powers is interesting in design, but not as interesting as the societal veil they had across their eyes for the entirety of their existence. Even Gar, the youngest and sweetest of the crew, unleashes his full Beast Boy on the caregivers for what they did to the Titans with what they took from Starfire.
Other mysteries abound, along with easter eggs galore. Raven’s story is a good chunk of this tale, but her reveals are simply too good to spoil. Let’s just say that the team will be growing and how Lemire foreshadows volume 2 is appropriate to her Native American heritage and really gorgeously displayed visually.
Speaking of, the Dodsons were a definitive departure from the hyperrealism of Frank and Davies, but not once did it make this part of the world less dramatic. If anything, their more cartoony form gave grounding when the kids were being kids and more horror when the rug was pulled out from their lives.
My adoration of E1 has always been apparent, but it grows with fervor each time a morsel is dropped. My only concern is how long these books take to churn out. It makes it impossible (under current publishing structures) for the books to reference one another and while good things are worth the wait, media addiction is based upon a set publishing schedule. It’s a Catch-22 of the hobby with a fine line between too much and too little.
Again, I don’t hate the New 52, but Warner Brothers shit the bed on the opportunity our favorite creators gave when they sold out their integrity by shelving MULTIVERSITY. April’s CONVERGENCE looks to be all parties, both corporate and fans, getting what they want by picking worlds. I pray to god that CONVERGENCE remains twenty titles with one of them being a faster beat for the heart of EARTH 1.
When Optimous isn't reviewing comics he is making the IT words chortle and groan with marketing for MaaS360, Enterprise Mobility Management. He also has a comic coming out sometime soon, for updates head to robpatey.com.
AXIS #6
Writer: Rick RemenderArtist: Terry Dodson
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Reviewer: Masked Man
This is oh so better. I mean, seriously--these past three issues almost make up for the first three crummy ones--I said almost. The fact that it took three whole poorly constructed issues to finally get to some good is just too painful to forget. But if AXIS sounded good to you from the marketing and build-up, this is what you wanted to read--Remender is finally delivering the goods.
Now to explain why this series has become worth reading, let me compare it to a few other crossover events, like say A VS X, which came up with a flimsy premise to have The Avengers and X-Men slug it out: The Phoenix Force was returning to Earth and The Avengers didn't trust the X-Men to handle it. Here in AXIS, the X-Men have become amoral and decided they were tired of being $h!t on by humans, so F the humans and F The Avengers, who never seem to do much to defend the X-Men or mutant rights in general. How about FOREVER EVIL, with the heroes all wiped out and super-villains who must band together to save the world from the super-evil Crime Syndicate, who really didn't do much of anything? Well, they did promote a lot of anarchy and move the moon. In AXIS, the heroes are all wiped out or just don't care anymore, so the now moral super-villains must band together to stop the X-Men from killing every human on the planet, Not to mention taking over Manhattan (first The Hulk takes over, now the X-Men--poor Manhattan). Joking aside, this again is way more interesting and believable. Anyone who reads my reviews knows I don't pull my punches much, but I'm sorry, haters--this series has actually gotten good.
To get spoilery on you for this issue, this issue is basically made up of cool showdowns. As the inverted villains try to reason with our inverted heroes or try to make amends for their past crimes, Mystique (sorry, I don't hate her now that Jennifer Lawrence has turned her into a superstar) tries to talk down the X-Men only to get her @$$ handled to her by her kids, Rogue and Nightcrawler. You see, Rogue and Nightcrawler have decided to fix their mommy issues by killing Mystique. On the other coast, Daredevil tries to slap some sense into back in the bottle Tony Stark. Unfortunately for Daredevil, Stark is not only dealing Extremis, he's a user too. Meanwhile, Scarlet Witch has decided she has had enough of Dr. Doom screwing with her life and it's time to screw with him. When Magneto shows up, she's decided she's had enough of his @$$ too. Next Loki tries telling Thor he's being a dick, slumming in Las Vegas. For his part, Thor would just as soon kill Loki as look at him--how's that for inversion? Lastly, old man Steve (I used to be Captain America) Rogers, who is not inverted, has managed to pull the inverted villains together. In a sense he's reforming The Avengers to fix this mess, with their first priority taking out the X-Men and their gene-bomb. All good stuff!
As we head to issue #7, I look forward to this topsy turvy battle with the X-Men, and hopefully some fallout of the Avengers' behavior. To draw another crossover comparison, if the public was upset about metahumans before leading to the CIVIL WAR, imagine how pissed off they will be after all this! Unfortunately, while Terry Dodson has made two great looking issues, Adam Kubert, the guy who did little to improve the first two issues, returns to pencil issue #7. I can only hope he had more time than he apparently had before to turn in a better looking issue (Dodson will be back for issue #8).
So two books in, three issues each, where one sucked and the other was pretty damn good: Remender and company have one book left--where will they take us? The promised land or the recycle bin?
BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER SEASON 10 #9
Writer: Christos GageArt: Rebekah Isaacs
Publisher: Dark Horse Comics
Reviewer: Humphrey Lee
For, shit, I guess we’re closer to a decade now than not, I as an unabashed BTVS fan have been buying these TV series continuing comics and, for the bulk of that almost a decade, have found myself a BTVS fan not completely enamored by what I was reading.
The recurring problem, as I saw it, was that while the character traits and personalities of the characters I grew so fond of during its boob-tube tenure were present, they never felt alive. It just felt like there was too much of a weight on the book, especially with the scope of what the story has moved on during those seasons with the death and now rebirth of magic in the world. But now, now I feel like things are finding a nice equilibrium between the emotions of familial bickering and camaraderie that the show propagated so well mixed in with the summer blockbuster action that can now be played with in words and pictures form now that there’s no special effects budget in play.
Christos Gage has been just what was needed to really tighten up and tie together these two worlds and this current story arc that features no less than the Scoobies fighting a gluttony demon several stories tall, while Andrew Wells has in his possession the Vampyr book that is literally responsible for rewriting the way magic works in the world and hopes to use it to bring back Tara and right the biggest wrong he was responsible for way back in the TV days.
All of that sounds ridiculous, melodramatic, and involves a lot of investment and commitment to appreciate everything transpiring and, yes, that’s more or less true and is the beauty of this particular geek culture cornerstone. The show succeeded by drawing you into a family that experienced pretty much the weirdest and wildest things imaginable (and filmable) and now, several years later, I feel the comic book continuation of things has finally realized those objectives and integrated them fully into the best serialized medium possible for such a saga.
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 blog 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.
AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #10
Writer: Dan SlottArtist: Olivier Coipel
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Reviewer: Mighty Mouth
You never know what you are going to get from an event book. Some are good (See INFINITY), and others (see AXIS), yuck! Luckily for us fans of the webbed wonder, SPIDER-VERSE is shaping up to be a fine example of what event books should be. In other words, it’s good--real good.
With chapter two of SPIDER-VERSE, Dan Slott treats readers to a few curveballs. We learn that Octavius and his Superior Spider-Army are functioning independently from the team Peter and the others have formed. There are some hints as to the nature of the Inheritors (Morlun’s family), seeming immortality and the elder Spider-Man of the group is revealed.
Probably the thing I’m enjoying most about this series is its ability not to take itself too seriously. There’s no preachy social or political commentary abiding in these pages--just pure entertaining escapism. That’s what comics should be about, first and foremost. In fact, the only real point of contention I could find with ASM #10 is that it jumpstarts the inevitable tie-ins. I’m just not a fan of having to buy multiple issues outside of the main title to have a complete tale. Still, I guess this is pretty much standard operating procedure for event books nowadays, so if that’s the worst thing about this story, that’s really not so bad.
I’ve no qualms declaring my fondness for Oliver Coipel’s art. Once again the man is crushing it! Regardless of how much is happening in a single panel, you can count on Coipel to provide quality work page after page. If there’s any question as to why he is one of the top talents working in the industry, flip through this issue; you’ll get it.
Chapter 2 of SPIDER-VERSE kicks things into high gear, driving up the stakes for team Spiders. Best of all, the final page sets up a confrontation many have been looking forward to since AMS #700, and I for one can’t wait to see how it plays out in chapter 3.
THE GHOST ENGINE VOL.1
Writer: Danny DjeljosevicArt: Eric Zawadzki
Publisher: Loser City Digital Publishing
Reviewer: Morbidlyobesefleshdevouringcat
Going through comics titles can be exhausting. There’s such a mass of sequential art orbiting the tables and stores and online sites that it’s difficult to differentiate what’s going to be worth your time. Independent titles can cause even more stress. You’re taking a large chance, a hope on a comic being good from factors such as the cover art or even the simple desire to aid hopeful up and comers. It’s a stressful world sometimes, comics. Luckily, THE GHOST ENGINE is not one of those comics.
A single trade piece, THE GHOST ENGINE, spewed out by collaborative team writer Danny Djeljosevic and artist Eric Zawadzki, isn’t a massive time-consuming read, but it is one that caused some initial anxiety. After previous experience I’m cautious when it comes to independent titles, especially when published through an unfamiliar name. THE GHOST ENGINE is actually an imprint of Danny’s own comics venture Loser City, so of course I was wary. But, what won me over was the simple back cover synopsis, especially the single line stating “you in danger, girl” as the description for the action adventure that is about to occur.
Following art thief Becky Chapel, bounty hunter/ex-reality tv star Geoffrey Price, and the evil (as well as not so evil) ghosts residing in their noggins, THE GHOST ENGINE initially spills as a high concept narrative. A gateway between the living and the dead, The Ghost Engine, located deep within the catacombs of Paris, began as a means to overcome death. The engine, originally created in the late 1800s by William Bark, a covert agent of the weird for the Brits, and Grigori Mikhailovich Zimyatov, a psychotic Russian with mad anger issues, are the extra voices our heroes get to entertain, currently battling to either work with their new host or attempt to completely take over. Throw in a seemingly forever young alien, sometimes wielding what looks like a Nintendo DS, and a Rupert Giles mad scientist lookalike, and there you have THE GHOST ENGINE.
The first thing of notice is Djeljosevic’s writing style. That kid has got some charm. His dialogue is incredibly distinct, each character having real, organic voices that stay true and consistent throughout the comic. Even with the difficulty of varying time frames and having to deal with accents, Djeljosevic nails it perfectly.
Exposition isn’t splattered out within a single chapter here. The creative team’s choice of exposition isn’t new, going from present to past back to present, for almost every character, ghosts included. But this method can be daunting, creating boredom without a well-thought out execution. The success here is the result of compiling incredibly quirky and smart dialogue, intensely fluid sequential art, and balancing the wacky, imaginative concept with real human stories. The intertwining back stories in relation to each other consistently complement the next, and of course easily introduce the next.
It is also this method that dialogue is heavily prevalent, as well as the sheer fact that there is a mass amount of information crammed into one tiny, little trade. Luckily, Zawadzki’s sequential art expertise incites a breathable comic, making it less intimidating for the reader, which is another prominent thing of notice. Zawadzki’s art, especially his characters, are full of substance and motion. The complex scenery and backgrounds are full-bodied and are incredibly dynamic, specifically with the design and layout of the ghost engine. Zawadzki’s best art comes in during the action sequences with the feel of limbs in oscillation.
Overall, THE GHOST ENGINE jam-packs a buttload of dishearteningly real human themes into one tiny little trade. The characters are thoroughly developed, blasting snippets of social and political commentary in humorous and natural speech with fully emotive art that balances out the heaviness of the characters. If you do find you have an inclination for something other than the mainstream publishers, THE GHOST ENGINE is highly recommended.
STORM #5
Writer: Greg PakArt: Victor Ibanez
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Reviewer: DrSumac
For the most part I've really enjoyed Greg Pak's run on STORM so far. I admit that I started reading it because I believe she has the potential to be one of Marvel's leading ladies and I wanted to support a solo series featuring a woman of color. Fortunately, within the first three issues Pak managed to both catch us up on her history and establish her as an independent character that doesn't need a team or husband to carry the story.
However, things dropped off for me on issue four, which was part one of the series tie-in with THE DEATH OF WOLVERINE. Tie ins tend to leave a sour taste in my mouth, since I always feel like editorial forced it on the writer when they otherwise would have rather done something else. At least with Storm she had a lot of history with Wolverine to play off of, but the actual story seemed like a weak start to me.
Storm went to visit Yukio, a mutual friend of Wolverine's, who runs a major crime syndicate. Although Yukio used her position to keep rival crime lords in line so that they would collectively do minimal harm, Storm spontaneously burst out in opposition to the whole organization, which gave a rival boss the opportunity to usurp control. There was no trust in her friend or time taken to consider her options in a situation that was alien to her--it was simply a character making bad choices for the purpose of drama.
Fortunately, in issue five Storm wises up and takes responsibility for her outburst. More importantly, the story is consistently grounded by the memory of Wolverine. While Storm remembers him as kind and compassionate, Yukio saw him as a ruthless warrior. This dichotomy not only serves as a fitting tribute to the man they both lost, but also forces the reader to consider how they feel about him as well.
When you're dealing with a character with an extensive history like Wolverine, they are inevitably written very differently over time. The result is that the character’s portrayal changes with each incarnation, and the readers in turn also develop their own take on the character. Therefore, in a sense both Storm and Yukio are right about Wolverine and the audience should be equally divided. Ultimately, I feel like that makes for a more fitting tribute than a mopey funeral issue. After all, the purpose of a wake is to share memories and reflect. In this case Pak manages to subtly make us do just that, which was beyond my wildest expectation.
Over the course of the issue Storm struggled to determine what Wolverine would have done in her place, but in the end she does what she feels is right because that is what he would have wanted. Although those choices may not have left her on good terms with Yukio, this seems like a storyline that we'll return to. We're still at a place in there series where Pak is establishing Storm's various relationships as a form of world-building, and I for one am excited to see where that leads.
ANNIHILATOR #3
Writer: Grant MorrisonArtist: Frazer Irving
Publisher: Legendary Entertainment
Reviewer: Masked Man
Have you dropped a little acid recently? If not, this series will help you. Now, this isn't my usual fare, as I'm more of a straight-up action and adventure man (though I do enjoy a good creature feature). But looking to expand my horizons and being a fan of both Grant and Frazer, I thought I'd give their latest work a look.
Off the bat two things strike me about this series. One, it's about something Grant Morrison just f'n loves to play with, which is the relationship between life and fiction, and how he pretty much believes they are one and the same. The second is, this science fiction tale is of the HEAVY METAL category, minus the boobs. Which is usually quite ballsy and self-important as well.
Ok, with the mood set, let's talk more about the story itself, including those dreaded spoilers! So hip, cutting edge Hollywood douchebag writer Ray Spass (say 'space') is working on his next big screenplay--a twisted sci fi tale, or to use Morrison's words, THE SHINING meets ALIENS/a haunted lunatic asylum in space: “Annihilator”. But as he starts work, he learns he has a brain tumor and he's not long for this life anymore. Enter Max Nomax, the main character of “Annihilator”, who turns out to be a real person. Seems Max just escaped the haunted lunatic asylum in space and fired an information packet into Spass' head: the tumor. Now Max needs Ray to finish writing the script, as it is his personal history and will fill in the gaps of his memory getting to Earth and what he should be doing now. The added bonus is, once Ray finishes the script the information packet will dissolve, being fully used up and curing Ray.
Getting into the script/Max's tale, Max is your basic amoral brilliant antihero who spits in the face of the conformity of a repressive society because he can. Said society is run by the god-like entity known as Vada, who locks Max up in the haunted lunatic asylum in space (with a crazy talking teddy bear). Once Vada has learned Max Nomax has escaped to Earth, he sends his best Arch-Annihilator, Jet Makro, to hunt Max down, and metaphysics ensues.
So far the bulk of the story has been Max stuck in his jail, trying to figure a way out, and Max (on Earth) arguing with Ray over the merits of literary conventions, meaning is this a story Ray is making up, or Max's actual history? There's also a good deal of outrageous shenanigans as Max and Ray deal with an American society that can't deal with the metaphysics happening before their eyes. And starting with this issue, Jet Makro has landed and is doing his best Terminator impression, with a higher degree of science and what is reality. As it sounds, this story is really out there and is a breath away from getting just nuts and pointless. But so far Morrison is holding it all together, though I would say neither of our main characters are particularly likeable so far. Once they become actively chased by Jet Marko, I suspect that will be the make or break point of the story.
Frazer Irving, who you might know from Morrison's SEVEN SOLDIERS series KLARION THE WITCH BOY, turns in some pretty great (again HEAVY METAL-ish) artwork here, though I think the printing got a little too dark. Viewing the artwork online, things are much clearer and more subtle. This issue in particular seems extra muddy. As you'd expect, though, ANNIHILATOR is well painted, unconventional, and captivating--three things Irving is very good at.
ANNIHILATOR definitely shows off some hard work by Morrison and Irving, though I'm still unsure if they have something new or exciting to say, as opposed to just repeating typical dark fantasy tropes. Either way, if you are a dark fantasy fan (ala HEAVY METAL) you will probably want to check this out.
BATMAN '66 MEETS THE GREEN HORNET #6
Writers: Kevin Smith and Ralph GarmanArtist: Ty Templeton
Publisher: DC Comics/ Dynamite Entertainment
Reviewer: Masked Man
Holy crossovers, Batman! The Green Hornet got away again! And so the classic TV team-up of Adam West and Van Williams (or rather Bruce Lee) comes to a close. But before I go any further, I will state again: the best thing about this series was Alex Ross' covers (sorry, everyone else, though they know). Seriously though, each cover just killed it, nailing actor likeness, making them all look their best, being dynamic and exciting as hell, and just being awesome paintings in general. Don't be too surprised if one of them becomes my cover of the year. Great job, Alex.
Let's chat about the rest of the issue now (here comes some spoilers). With Batman agreeing to team up with the Green Hornet (due to some strong-arm tactics from D.A. Frank Scanlon, who knows the Green Hornet is really a good guy), they manage to chase down General Gumm and The Joker. Along the way Ralph and Kevin keep up the fun with the usual Bat-tricks: message missiles, cliffhanger death traps, mandatory slug-fests, and Bat-gadgets. This time they create one of their own: the Bat-Hovercraft! They even throw in a typical TV twist at the end. As lifelong TV Batman fans, Ralph and Kevin do a really good job of capturing the tone and action of the 60s series, the one difference being they have more room to create and an unlimited budget for set pieces and action scenes. Without a doubt this was a fun book.
To get more negative about it all, the one strike this issue has against it is the pacing. As I mentioned, they had six issues to tell their tale, but still they were rushing to finish it. So while the story was clever and fun, the execution of the scenes was cramped and a little unsatisfying. They should have had one big blow-out fight scene, instead of forcing two truncated ones (especially compared to the fights in the show). They also underused the Joker-Plane (mind you, Ty Templeton also underdesigned it). Couldn't you just see Adam West and Cesar Romero slugging it out, on the wings of a Joker-Plane as it circles around Gotham City in the sky? Ah, well. Oh, and a minor plothole: they make a big deal about the circle of glue around the plane, but how was the plane supposed to take off? And how did the crooks get across it so easily? Answer me that, Mr. Garman! (I kid).
As I mentioned in previous reviews, I was rather disappointed with Ty Templeton's work on the first few issues, but by issue #3 he had finally hit his stride with this series. As a result, this final issue looks pretty great. While the likenesses aren't dead on, they are confident and believable, and all the action was well-staged and –played, although I would have liked to see Ty use some of the crazy camera angles the show was famous for.
While I feel this series needed a little more massaging to become perfect, it still more than delivered on its promise: just good fun with these old TV characters. I can easily see (and kinda hope) DC will continue this trend with BATMAN '66 MEETS WONDER WOMAN '77 or even SUPERMAN '55 MEETS BATMAN '66. I would buy the hell out of those! But back to the series at hand: on the Masked Man's scale of Crap, Poor, Decent, Good, and Great- BATMAN '66 MEETS THE GREEN HORNET scores a GOOD.
MOON KNIGHT # 9
Writer: Brian WoodArtist: Greg Smallwood
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Reviewer: The Kid Marvel
It’s really tough for me to say what comic is my favorite out right now, because there are several right now I really, really love and enjoy reading. However, if I had to make one absolute choice it may just be MOON KNIGHT. I’ve already concluded that MOON KNIGHT will probably get my vote for several @$$ie awards come the end of 2014, with like a 97% chance of it getting best comic.
When Brian Wood and Greg Smallwood officially took over for Warren Ellis and Decan Shalvey, I was very skeptical if they could fill the massive shoes that their predecessors left behind, even if that time was relatively short and only limited to six issues of the series. But I’m happy to say unlike some passings of the torch, Wood and Smallwood have not missed a beat. It’s also a nice change of pace going from standalone issues with Ellis and Shalvey to Wood and Smallwood creating a larger arc for MOON KNIGHT. This series seems to be in excellent hands, and I’m very excited to see what the newest team will do with the character.
In MOON KNIGHT #9 we get a look into Marc Spector’s mind through hypnosis he allows the Doctor to induce on him in a pseudo-therapy session. Once inside his mind, Moon Knight goes through the memories of the Doctor and why she tried having an African warlord killed a couple issues back. This presents Moon Knight with some ethical dilemmas, not only as a hero but as the embodiment of Khonshu, the Egyptian moon god who protects night travelers. How Spector ends up handling this dilemma and the ultimate choice he makes, or lack of choice, ends up causing grave consequences with Khonshu.
Overall, I would classify this book in the category of dope, and I can’t wait to see what direction Wood takes this arc. This series has turned Moon Knight from a character I knew the basic, general knowledge about to becoming one of my favorite characters in Marvel, simply from the amazing storytelling and spectacular art that is being done. Issue #9 is no different.
Wood does a great job of keeping Spector’s multiple personality disorder forefront and active throughout the book, with the last page being crucial to Spector’s character and how this arc will further expand. Besides being a fun and entertaining book, whether intentional or unintentional, Wood presents real ethical challenges for the hero and deeper questions for him as a vigilante and who he’s really helping. All the aspects you want from the writing in a comic are on point, from entertainment value to questions of real life applications. I cannot say enough good things about how much I’m enjoying this series.
As for the art, it’s basically extra credit at this point. From shading, coloring, action sequences, and general character designs and emotional responses, the style Smallwood uses is perfect for the series and works so well. While it lacks fine detail, it isn’t needed and presents a unique simplicity that makes this story really stand out. The panels really bring the story to life, with artistic presentations of specific scenarios to bring out different perspectives of the story. It’s really beautifully done.
So I think that enough of me professing my love for MOON KNIGHT and essentially marking out, but seriously this series is awesome and MOON KNIGHT #9 is another great issue. I conclude with, this a series you either need to start now or go grab the back issues and start reading. I can’t say it enough. I freaking love MOON KNIGHT and 100 percent recommend reading it. I’m done now.
WEIRD LOVE #4
Writers & Artists: VariousPublisher: YOE Books/ IDW Publishing
Reviewer: MajinFu
Romance, yeah. What is it good for? Moving through a transitional period in life, apparently, or at least that seems to be the general message from this issue of WEIRD LOVE. Every one of these stories begins in the middle of things and ends just when the characters are settling back into the reality of themselves. If that sounds confusing, just take the first story, for example: it’s called ”Too Fat to Frug” and it’s about a woman telling her story of losing weight to become a go-go dancer and then gaining all the weight back permanently after breaking up with her boyfriend--ya know, that guy who actually can pull off a bowl cut. Now I looked up the word frug, and it is a dance similar to the twist, but with less hip movement--an archaic mating ritual practiced by the young people of the mid-20th century. By the end of the story, the woman (whose name is Sharon) has rediscovered her passion for dance and found a new boyfriend to match her own chunkiness, and they dance the dance of happiness together and I’m not even kidding. It’s a great lesson in accepting who you are and embracing what you love to do, even if it’s more on the nose than a straight jab.
The next part of this issue really isn’t a story but a single-page PSA entitled “Men You Shouldn’t Marry,” which details the woes of getting involved with alcoholics, flirts, impulsive gamblers, and especially neurotics…not bad advice!
The second actual story, called “I Was a Border Racket Girl”, is probably the best of this issue, detailing the affairs of a young woman who marries immigrants for a fee in order to get them across the border--not exactly the most legal of hobbies. Bob Powell’s illustrations are easily the most evocative of the entire issue, stylishly depicting an American woman’s immoral exploits in a foreign land. It’s a decent enough story with a distinct noir-ish vibe and an ending that inevitably upholds the moral standards enforced by the comics code at the time of its publication, where the woman is free but still turns herself in to the police.
The third story is perhaps the silliest, but then it wouldn’t be “Weird” if you didn’t have an adolescent woman blowing exactly half of all her hard-earned money for plastic surgery, only to realize the man she loves liked her just the way she was and blowing the other half of her savings on getting her facade changed back to its original state of homeliness. Now is probably a good time to mention that one of the biggest flaws of all these stories, or at least one thing that really dates these back to yesteryear is how the happiness of every single female protagonist is based around a man. The plastic surgery entitled “Two-Faced Woman” is perhaps the most apt example of this conformity to the wishes of a male counterpart, but it’s apparent in the first story as well when Sharon doesn’t realize she can enjoy dancing as an overweight woman until the portly Ron commences to court her.
The only exception to this rule of self-worth dictated by the other sex’s acceptance is a one-page story called “Love Dancing” and it’s just a one-page, one-off joke about two people necking outside of a dance party and then in the last panel the lady says “don’t you just love going to dances…” Oh hardy-har-har... By now it should be fairly obvious that these stories are a relic from a bygone era, antiquated projections of a far more sexist society. As a guy and a casual scholar, I can accept these stories as silly antiques to inform new readers of a less sensitive time. While it’s clearly not meant to offend, some readers could certainly be bothered by this book’s unfair depictions of women, but I have a feeling most people will simply marvel at the excessive drama and adequate linework that permeates these stories.
Take for example the last story in this issue, “A Monster’s Kisses”, about a newly-wedded woman’s neurotic reaction to her new husband’s scruffy beard. The story contains an important message about the importance of communication and, indirectly, some of the compromises that come with marriage and the willingness to accept the less-refined qualities of your spouse, but for the most part the bride comes across as shallow, even if she is ultimately willing to accept her husband’s facial hair on a temporary basis. This is of course part of the story’s structure and the necessity in depicting a positive change for the characters, but at the same time she comes across as a little too hysterical over her new husband’s five o’clock shadow.
So yeah, this book is ten pounds of weird in a five pound bucket, but it’s certainly a lot of fun, and even a little trippy, to see some of the problems prevalent to young lovers and how they reflect on young lovers today. You may even be surprised how well some of these stories reflect on our contemporary society, from body image issues to the way various levels of socioeconomic status may create some apprehension in pursuing a mate. It’s nearly shocking to see how some of these issues are still incredibly relevant. As ridiculously dramatic as some of these stories are, there is some truth to them, and it’s nice to see that even back in the Sixties your best bet to mending a broken relationship was open and honest communication. In an entertainment business where so many conflicts are settled with violence, it’s nice to finally see a book where physical altercations are almost nowhere to be found. Oh, wait--the rich kid did punch the trailer trash guy who tried to marry the younger trailer trash girl. Well, hopefully you still get what I mean. Just be a good listener, kids!
BATMAN & ROBIN #36
Writer: Peter J. TomasiArt: Patrick Gleason
Publisher: DC Comics
Reviewer: Humphrey Lee
This book should be impossible, right?
For the past year and a half or so since Grant Morrison decided to pick up his Damian Wayne ball and go home with it – re: killing the character off for no real reason than to get shock value at the end of his Batman tenure – Peter Tomasi has been showing the best things Damian has always ran through him anyway, even when he doesn’t actually have the character anymore.
Starting off with a “stages of grief” arc that you would expect once the Boy Wonder was ran through by Leviathan, things have run a gamut involving Batman dissecting Frankenstein, Damian’s body being kidnapped by Ra’s Al Ghul and the League of Assassins, to being kidnapped by Apokalips forces doing the bidding of Kalibak, to now the Dark Knight himself being on that giant flameball donning a power suit that makes Iron Man’s best suit look like a paperweight all the while invoking a Geiger-esque nightmare. That all sounds ludicrous - and in so many ways it is - yet it’s been one of the best Batman stories I’ve watched unfold in years.
Tomasi and his cohorts during this long-running arc have pushed so much raw emotion through the character as he suffered probably a trauma only second greatest to the one that made him the scourge of the night it’s felt like this story should have collapsed upon itself by now. But the Bat endures, and for it we have a Bat-family united in loss and a Dark Knight on an inexplicable mission in an arena he usually never visits outside his Justice League jaunts and it’s just awesome.
The pain, the determination, the brutal action visited upon Parademons like they were common muggers on his way to the big dance; it’s just Batman at his best and continues to be THE Bat title to read, a title of distinction given the quality of the companion titles on the stands.
Advance Review: In stores today!TOE TAG RIOT #1
Writer: Matt MinerArtist: Sean Von Gorman
Publisher: Black Mask Studios
Reviewer: MajinFu
When it comes to the music business, having a gimmick never hurts, especially if you’re lacking in the talent department. Slap a Jetsons outfit on any generic pop star and you’ve got gold, right? Even when you’re an extremely talented practitioner of your craft like Yodelmeister Takeo Ischi, the novelty of a Japanese man singing about Bavarian chickens has some immediate allure. In the case of TOE TAG RIOT (originally a project initiated on Kickstarter), transform a band of punk rockers into ravenous zombies and you’ve got a promising (if admittedly ridiculous) premise with some potentially gruesome consequences.
Time skips are the name of the game here when it comes to this issue’s narrative framework, and as a result the characters are constantly metamorphosing before the reader’s eyes; mohawks shrink and expand to an incredible size, some folks’ style shifts drastically, limbs are lost entirely, etc. The story begins in 2004, then jumps back a couple of years, then back to the present, only to jump behind again by a year. This storytelling method allows the artists to play around with the various character designs and the consequences of zombification which range from rotting skin to an insatiable hunger for human flesh. Writer Matt Miner is clearly having a blast gradually revealing the effects of their mysterious curse as little hints of their newfound penchant for consuming human flesh trickles down through the narrative.
So far the quieter character-driven moments are where this book really shines, like when guitarist Paulie quits smoking, or lead singer Dickie’s multiple examples of a confused sexuality, but there are also some really nice creepy moments where you see indications of the band members losing control over their voracious zombie appetites. Any gore or violence is kept to a minimum in this first issue, but the last page promises a great deal of viscera in coming issues, something zombie fans intrigued by the premise will no doubt appreciate.
The art in issue #1 of TOE TAG RIOT is suitably loose, maybe even a little sloppy, but it’s certainly suitable to the punk rock aesthetic. Character models shift slightly but as mentioned before, the frequent time jumps make that forgettable. Backgrounds are also frequently minimalist at best, but where the book really shines artistically is with all the characters’ emotion and body language, helping to distinguish a group of characters that could have otherwise been diminished to punk rock archetypes. Hell, they still kind of look like your stereotypical punk kids who spent too much time at the Hot Topic store in their formative years, but they are fleshed out enough that nobody’s really boring. The parts in this book where the band are transformed into zombies have a nice pop thanks to their green coloring, and the whole book oddly resembles some of the work of Mike Judd, which is kind of perfect in a way.
Part of me would like to address some sort of the social commentary that could be buried within this story--something about punk rockers conforming to the shallow contemporary conventions of the aforementioned gimmicks and becoming mindless consumers themselves--but there’s just not enough meat in this first issue to take the critical analysis anywhere at this juncture, or I’m just being lazy. Part of the titular band is composed of an interracial lesbian couple, which is certainly progressive, and they all actively dismiss some belligerent skinheads during a show at CBGB, so that was pretty cool, but the whole scene is so safe (who doesn’t want to tell a bunch of racist pricks to fuck off?) that it hardly comes across as radical--not that TOE TAG RIOT is really trying to be overtly political, although it at least has a very gay-positive message, which is perfect considering there is a clash with the Westboro Baptist Church on the horizon.
Suffice to say, if you enjoy RETURN OF THE LIVING DEAD, you’ll probably enjoy this first issue. Just don’t expect some kind of iconoclastic revelation or in-depth portrayal of the punk scene. Like the aforementioned zombie cult punk rock movie classic, TOE TAG RIOT is a lot of fun as long as you don’t think about it too hard, but it’s definitely worth a whirl.
Proofs, co-edits & common sense provided by Sleazy G
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