(Click title to go directly to the review)
THE DISCIPLES #1
STARFIRE #1
STARVE #1
Indie Jones presents TALES OF MR. RHEE Vol.1
INJECTION #2
SECRET WARS TRAVEL GUIDE Part III
THE DISCIPLES #1
Writer: Steve NilesArtist: Christopher Mitten
Publisher: Black Mask Studios
Reviewer: Masked Man
Mr. '30 DAYS OF NIGHT', Steve Niles, is back with his newest project, which is already fast tracked to be made into a tv show. So Niles doesn't even need your money- though Black Mask Studio might. It's described as 'True Detective in space', but that seems more like it's starting point. As it seems to have quickly moved to alien-monster kills crew. Hopefully it will develop passed this quickly.
So to get into the spoilers, a fairly typical hard working space crew (see COWBOY BEBOP or FIREFLY) set off to Ganymede, the moon of Jupiter, to rescue a senator's daughter, who has fallen in with a religious cult. The cult is run by a billionaire, who moved it from Florida to Ganymede. Being a 'near-future' tale, the crew goes to sleep for a bit, while the ship zips over to Ganymede. Once everyone wakes up, they discover something pretty damn creepy has boarded the ship. Again, fairly typical for a sci-fi story.
Along the way, Niles drops little hints about this world, which is very much in the vein of ALIEN and BLADERUNNER. Though these hints do help make the world more unique. And if he really follows up on any of them, it should help the story from be too typical. Because I don't know about you, but I am really sick and tired of every sci-fi movie being another version of the alien monster (virus, guy in make-up, cgi creature) killing everyone on the ship (or space station, or planet base).
The good part is, Niles know how to write a story, so while nothing seems remotely original in this first issue, it's not a bad first issue either. Though I wish he gave us more to chew on than just the last page shocker- as a reason for us to come back for the next issue.
Christopher Mitten does a fine job, though his work is clearly more suited for horror, than sci-fi. There's just no love of tech in his work. Just glowing squares and tube, which at least gets the job done. The design of the main spaceship is nice, but under Mitten's scratchy pen that's about it. Although what bugged me more was Jay Fotos coloring. You see, there are a few pages where Mitten pretty much left an empty page, so Fotos could 'color it' into a beauty shot. And while pretty, it doesn't blend with the rest of the pages- like an odd cgi effect in a movie. The few times Mitten takes a hand in drawing the 'beauty shot', like on page 16, the page looks bet and the book becomes stronger.
So a decent first issue to start this dark sci-fi tale. At this point it could really swing both away: a sub-par tale of sci-fi tropes or something pretty damn cool.
STARFIRE #1
Writer: Amanda Conner and Jimmy PalmiottiArt: Emanuela Lupacchino
Publisher: DC Comics
Reviewer: DrSumac
STARFIRE is one of the new DC You ongoing series that I've been the most excited for. I've been a fan of the team of Conner and Palmiotti since their work on Power Girl and they've made Harley Quinn, which had failed as a comic in the past, one of the biggest hits of the last year. It is also nice to see Conner show off her other skills by penciling the cover as well. Meanwhile Emanuela Lupacchino has been a favorite of mine ever since she killed it on X-FACTOR. It's pretty impressive to be the best artist on a series that ran as long as that and for me she certainly was. Like many readers I usually buy comics based on the creators behind them. When you know that a creator is consistently good it makes them a safe bet, which should make Starfire a home run.
Kory may very well be the DC character that most needed a makeover. Most people in the public still think of her as the sweet girl from the Teen Titans and Teen Titans Go cartoons. Yet because the New 52 was clearly marketed predominantly to teenage boys from the start she was portrayed as a slut that constantly posed in awkward positions in a way that would appeal to the male gaze. This resulted in an outcry from journalists and the internet. A web comic about the disappointment of a girl that loved Teen Titans was even made that turned into a meme. Sure, Starfire always dressed in a skimpy outfit that left little to the imagination and quickly developed emotional connections with others, but her portrayal in Red Hood and the Outlaws was extreme and completely inappropriate. The whole point of the New 52 was to draw in new readers yet they clearly didn't care about those that were fans a fan of Kory.
STARFIRE #1 certainly handles her much better than she had been done previously, but there were still a few points that made me uncomfortable. As usual Lupacchino did a great job of making the characters look attractive and sexy without resorting to unnatural positions like those found in Red Hood and the Outlaws and far too many other comics. However they still had her make out with a stranger and walk around naked. Kory has been on earth for at least five years in the current continuity and I would hope that someone would have told her a few things about how people behave on our planet. Beyond the sexy stuff she is also completely unaware of any cliches or sayings, meaning she takes everything literally. This is fun to some extent, but gets tiresome as the issue continues. One best part of her confusion is that there are typically thought balloons drawn in with an image of how she interprets the saying. This adds to the fun of the book, but it still shouldn't be over used. There is a difference between her not being aware of Earth customs and just looking like an idiot.
One odd thing from this issue was that every three pages feature a different title at the top as if they were all sub chapters. I didn’t have a problem with it per se, it just didn't serve any real purpose and some of them didn't even make a whole lot of sense to me. A cute idea, but impractical.
There are high points to Starfire besides a better depiction of the title character. Her introduction to her home in Key West is a smooth one that is full of fun. This issue does what the Batman Beyond comic I reviewed last week failed to do in that it set up the series and established the new status quot for the character in a way that is accessible to new readers. The only fault DC made in that regard was the fact that they printed the eight page story of why she chose to go to Key West online and in the back of other issues. That may have helped sell it to those that read it, but if someone only sought out this issue they would be confused as to why she went there. This could have been fixed if the preview ended with a splash page of her with Superman and the issue opened with the talk they had. It would have looked to a new reader that they had a random conversation that instigated the move rather than her simply appearing in a Key West police station.
It seems to me that the creators behind Starfire, as great as they may be, need some time to figure it out. There is a lot of potential here and it's certainly a better take on Kory than we've seen in years, but it seems like it may take another issue or two for it to take off. With such talent behind it I'm glad to give it a chance to grow.
How did you like this comic? Please comment below or contact drsumac at drsumac.tumblr.com!
STARVE #1
Writer: Brian WoodArtist: Danijel Zezelj
Publisher: Image Comics
Reviewer: Humphrey Lee
“Up a Goddamn Mountain” is where we begin, before we enter a dirty, depleted, and depraved world. Where a man once mired in the media world is dragged back into that shitpot after a self-administered exile to the farthest reaches from civilization he could find to escape it in all its vain obsessions. Unfortunately though, he has a contract to fulfill and a media corporation that will literally hunt his ass down to the ends of the earth to make due. Eventually he resigns to his fate, deciding to return to the world he once shook off not just to get these corporate whoremongers off his back but also to take a million gallons of napalm to the industry at large.
That’s the introduction I would written if I decided to contribute to this space a review of my glorious, GLORIOUS new ABSOLUTE TRANSMETROPOLITAN edition. Instead, substitute “Up a Goddamn Mountain” with “Drunk as hell somewhere in Southeast Asia” and you have this debut of Brian Wood’s new Image publication in a nutshell, to be kind of blunt about the matter.
Now, I’m not trying to insinuate that STARVE is a shameless rip-off but it is a book filled with somewhat high similarity to that Warren Ellis/Darick Robertson classic. We do start off with our lead in exile, though in this case our protagonist is one Gavin Cruikshank, who was in his previous life the culinary start of a television show that shares its title with this comic book. He took his fame and some money, fucked off to live in ramshackle and flooded pieces of the world to soak up all the culture and strange that he could until eventually the Network came calling and wanted their eight fucking episodes so he could fuck back off again. Thankfully, though, that is where the side-by-side comparisons come to an end. Well, okay, there is the raging bitch demon that is Gavin’s ex-wife…
Between the broad strokes of the plot and somewhat tonally there is a comparison to be made between these this book and that Vertigo masterpiece, but where STARVE succeeds in differentiating itself is by making Gavin’s story a little more personal. Gavin not only fucked off because he was tired of the bullshit but because he decided that after years of dealing with the shrill that is his now ex he was lying to himself and really playing on the opposite side of the sex field. Not only did this incite said ex to make great lengths to ruin Gavin’s life if he ever returned, as he has, but he more or less embarrassed their daughter in the process, she being the one thing he actually cared about in the ill-conceived relationship. Immediately that makes for a more grounded reasoning to Gavin’s decision to take center stage in the evolved “Starve” program he left behind; not only is he here to stick it to the shrew and find a way to lay claim to the gobs of cash, he gets to reconnect with the child left behind.
While STARVE does somewhat shock with that shocking outburst of actual human decency in the mire that is Hollywood pomp, it does still talk a little gruffly out of the side of its mouth. Gavin may be a repentant failure of an estranged father but he’s filled with plenty of piss and vinegar about his situation, the unbearable elitism of those that have make his show a megahit in his absence, and his desire to leave mostly all of it behind him again. So, there are layers there, but they are mostly covered in sarcasm and obsession with his art and reclaiming it. His tale of reeking havoc on the society he shunned aims more at ridiculing them on the grand stage than ransacking their establishment in a fervor. He’s going to roast them over the fire like a fine cut before ripping them apart with his teeth.
There is plenty of room for this book to grow beyond the initial impression for sure, it’s just that that first glance is so familiar for someone like myself who holds a work like TRANSMET in such reverence it ends up being distracting for most of this premiere. Thankfully it diverges a bit from being another tale of blind rage at a world that became shit in his absence into something more familial and regret filled, though it is very much an aggression at a shameless society tale. The relationships between the parties involved and how Gavin assimilates himself back into this culture that now sees his body of work as the best entertainment out there could be very interesting to see. I’ve avoided culinary metaphors up until now but it is definitely best if Wood and Zezelj continue to play this a bit on the raw side, from the passion Gavin feels towards his art to the missed connection he regrets with his daughter to his contempt at those who take these things for granted and try to make him dance like a puppet to maintain his grasp on them. If these ingredients are portioned out just right (yeah, had to go for one more) then STARVE could prove it to be a savory treat worth relishing each month.
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.
TALES OF MR. RHEE Vol.1
Writer: Dirk ManningIllustrated: Joshua Ross
Cover: Riley Rossmo
Publisher: Devil’s Due Publishing
Reviewer: The Kid Marvel
So a couple of Sundays ago, two now I think? I spent some time at Special Edition: New York chatting it up with former Ain’t It Cool Reviewer, turned rising Indie comic superstar, Dirk Manning. Not only did I have an excellent interview with him, but I was able to pick up a few of Manning’s titles at his booth. One in particular was TALES OF MR. RHEE, Volume 1: Procreation [Of The Wicked], a collection of the first 13 stories Manning wrote for the ever growing and expanding series. Originally, MR. RHEE started as an online comic series, with the first six stories published alongside Manning’s NIGHTMARE WORLD, before being collected into the current 13 that make up Volume 1. I was also able to preview the complete Volume 2 for the series, but that is a review for another day, along with the interview to be posted in the upcoming future.
TALES OF MR. RHEE is a “noir horror” story as Manning calls it, rather than the more traditionally based one. The comic explores the troubled life of Michael Reese or Mr. Rhee. As a child, Michael accidently summons a powerful demon, while dabbling in some dark magic. What started off as him looking to help his financially struggling mother, turns into something else that would forever change his life. After summoning the demon Ranobus, Michael angers the demon, who in turn burns down his childhood home and declares vengeance on the young boy. With his home burnt to the ground, Michael’s mother and brother believe he dies in the fire. This however was not the case, as Michael escaped and ran way, fearing his association with his family, would eventually lead Ranobus to directly hurt them. It was at this point he sought out a master wizard, in order to protect himself and changes his name to Mr. Rhee. TALES OF MR. RHEE Volume 1, follows Mr. Rhee as he seeks redemption from his past, while defeating monsters and demons along the way, waiting for his final showdown with Ranobus.
Overall, I was blown away by how much I liked TALES OF MR. RHEE. While it does fall into the realm of “horror”, it’s so much more than that. The stories have genuine plot and character. There’s a heart behind everything that is happening. It isn’t gory to be gory, there is no overly sexualized females and most of the clichés of the horror genre, are non-existent. The violence has a point. The character’s display human flaws and everything seems as grounded, as grounded can be when demons, monsters and Cthulhu creatures are running around the place. The quote by Friedrich Nietzsche, “Whoever fights monsters should see to it that in the process he does not become a monster. And if you gaze long enough into an abyss, the abyss will gaze back into you”, perfectly embodies the writing and story of MR. RHEE and how the characters of the world interact.
As far as the artwork, Manning and Ross make a great team and the two have great chemistry as a comic duo. The particular hardcover I have was done in black and white, so as far as the color work of the issues, I can’t comment. However, I assume other copies of the series do have some color in them. Ross does a great job of capturing the emotions Manning wants to convey in his writing, you feel the character’s reactions rather than see them. He also does a superb job of not making the story overly bloody. Not to say the book doesn’t have some very dark moments, at one point someone has their eyes scooped out by an ice cream scooper, but he doesn’t overdo it. Ross finds the perfect balance of where the blood and guts is needed, while also limiting the needed amount. The artwork fits the story perfectly and compliments the script, with both the writing and art, working in sync to one another.
To conclude, MR. RHEE is a great collection of short stories that connect to a bigger picture of a troubled main character, trying to sift through his dark past and the bleak world he is living in. The pacing is solid, the dialogue feels real and the artwork is on point. This is an indie series I will be following religiously, as newer issues release and contributing as much as a can. MR. RHEE is what comics should be. A good story, with well thought out and colorful characters, without all of the bullshit and politics involved with mainstream titles. It is just a solid, entertaining and well done concept. I highly recommend checking out the series and I’ll be posting the review of Volume 2, hopefully next week, as well as the interview.
INJECTION #2
Writer: Warren EllisArtist: Declan Shalvey
Publisher: Image Comics
Reviewer: Masked Man
So Warren, Declan, and colorist Jordie Bellaire rocked the comicbook world about a year ago with a relaunch of MOONKNIGHT for Marvel. But as it is common to say in the creative industry these days, why work for the man, when you can make your own intellectual property! And convince Image to publish it (I doubt it was hard).
So INJECTION reads just like their MOONKNIGHT comic. Choppy scenes that flowing along with inventive storytelling and panel compositions. Ellis keeps each character quirky, with just enough playful banter and quips. The action is intense and Bellaire proves she is ten times the colorist she is on THE X-FILES: SEASON 10 comic. Just a total slam dunk of a new series right- wrong.
You see this new series is missing something that the MOONKNIGHT series had: Context. Even though Ellis never fully explained what was going on in Moonknight's life, each issue was clearly defined: Protagonist, Antagonist, and character motivation. This series so far just has characters with no motivation aside from “it's what I do.” Based on screen time, you could guess who the protagonist is, but that would be all it is, a guess. Until you understand more of what’s going on, anything could be going on. It seems like an espionage story, but I wouldn't put money on that.
All this leads to something I bash Geoff Johns with a lot: no context, no comprehension, no caring, no sales. So while all these characters are quirky and clever, I don't care about any of them. If Simeon died in the fight scene, I wouldn't care at all. Why should I? Ellis hasn't given me any reason too care about him- hell I don't even know what Simeon was trying to do.
Now, sure you can start a story off like this- in a movie or novel, but not in an episodic form. And that maybe Ellis' overall plan. Maybe he is writing a novel, something that will be a great read in trade. But the comic industry is all about squeezing money out of the shrink customer base. Get money from monthlies, then get money from trades. You ask me, this double dipping probably isn't helping grow the customer base. So if you're creating a graphic novel, then publish a graphic novel- hell Marvel just printed two of them (RAGE OF ULTRON & INFINITY REVELATION).
Even if this was about 'breaking narrative rules' it's still failing. Because if you want to break the rules successfully, then you can't lose your readers in the process. If you do, well then you just proved why you shouldn't break the rules in the first place. As it stands, this is a lot of talented people wasting our time.
THE BATTLEWORLD TRAVEL GUIDE PART III
orNO MATTER WHAT, HOPE ENDURES. HOPE LIVES. HOPE-OH MY GOD, DID SHE JUST TRANSFORM NIGHTCRAWLER INTO A FUCKING DRAGON?!?!? OOOOOOOOOH NO, OH NO NO NO, BAIL, BAIL EVERYONE BAIL! – Everyone who lives in Inferno world!
Previously, on Secret Wars… GodKingDoom created Battle-World but still can’t fix the giant fucking hole he has in the middle of his face. Reed Richards is the out of carbonite and pissed off. It still totally sucks to be a mutant.
1602: WITCH HUNTER ANGELA #1 (Marguerite Bennett & Stephanie Hans/Kieron Gillen & Marguerite Bennett, & Marguerite Sauvage) If you’re looking for a nice, relaxed vacation, then do not, not not not NOT come here. If you are looking for an intense warrior woman hacking stuff in half with a giant ax? Good call. See, Royal Inquisitor/Judge Dredd of the 1602 world, Ms. Angela? She is all kinds of crazy. Also, King James was a Wolverine, it turns out. Don’t worry, Angela stabs him a few times and drowns him. It’s cool. Angela is usually either killing or talking about killing in this world, punctuating those sentences with killing. And I am so upset you guys, because Angela mentions having to kill Swarm, the Nazi who’s made out of bees, and we don’t get to see it.
CAPTAIN MARVEL AND THE CAROL CORPS #1 (Kelly Sue DeConnick & Kelly Thompson, David Lopez)Carol listens to Kenny Loggins! Of course she listens to Kenny Loggins! Also, my suspicion about this squadron and their placement in the grand scheme of things, is in part a deterrent to the super self absorbed worlds of the Hydra Empire and world where Civil War never ended. And also all those dinosaurs from the Valley of Flame. Carol Danver’s making a pretty damn good case for being the best person in the world right now too, which is pretty cool.
GHOST RACERS #1 (Felipe Smith & Juan Gedeon)Ooooooooooooooh my god, ooooookay, this is, see, as horrifying as the Killiseum is, it’s also the Killiseum, and that means it sometimes has Death Race 2000 but with all Ghost Riders. Sam Eliot Cowboy is a centaur, Johnny Blaze is Evil Kineval, and the book is done by the guys who did the great new “Ghost Rider”, and it’s really cool to see them keep doing Robbie and oh my God Johnny Blaze has demon chainsaws on his bike and Sam Elliot centaur Ghost Rider is called “The Undead Thoroughbred”!
To be perfectly frank, this is the Secret Wars book I was maybe the most excited for, and it was exactly what I wanted.
INFERNO #2 (Dennis Hopeless & Javier Garron)We resume our exciting adventures in the extreme 80’s world of Inferno by cutting to a mortally wounded Boom Boom being dragged to a secret underground lab for a demon Frankenstein who I am convinced will be Mr. Sinister. And that is LITERALLY page one. This comic is just full of metal album covers, including nine year old Cable who’s half metal and shooting goblins for shits and giggles and ends up being one of the best Cable jokes ever. Also, Nightcrawler is a devout Doom Catholic, which is almost as good as “Doom bless America!” from Spider-Verse. Almost.
INHUMANS: ATTILAN RISING #2 (Charles Soule & John Timms)The Quiet Room is the coolest place in Battleworld, and Black Bolt is just smooth as a motherfucker now. Plus, in the background? It looks like Bullseye is on a date with Princess Liandra of the Shi’Ar, and she is definitely regretting starting that damn OK Cupid account. She might also just be watching Chris Pratt singing, but that’s neither here or there. Look, the important thing to remember is this is just a cool bar, alright? No way in hell is it a cover for the Battleworld anti GodKingDoom resistance. No chance, none what so ever. Nope. Noooooope.
MARVEL ZOMBIES #1 (Simon Spurrier & Kev Walker)The Marvel Night’s Watch is fucking intense, guys. So, again, because I love typing this, it’s straight up the Wall from Game of Thrones but instead of slowly always coming, these zombies are already at the wall, and they like to monologue. And instead of just being ice zombies, they all have super powers. And also, they have zombie dragons. And also also, they’re in front of the Ultron armies and the Annihilation swarm. And also also also, Elsa Bloodstone is stranded in the middles of all that. In related news, Elsa Bloodstone is roughly 50x as cool as Jon Snow, and this book revels in it. I want an Elsa Bloodstone book forever.
MRS. DEADPOOL AND THE HOWLING COMMANDOS #1 (Gerry Duggan & Salva Espin)Are you there, GodKingDoom? It’s me, Tour Guide. I know it’s been a while, but if I could get me just one present for whatever insane holiday you created for yourself in this actually in-story named “Battle-World”, any present at all, could it be Deadpool controlling all narration boxes? Please? Mrs. Deadpool is focused on murdering the hell out of weird late 00’s Dracula (you know, the one with long white hair and shit?) for killing Deadpool. While Deadpool makes fun of it. It’s great.
SECRET WARS 2099 #2 (Peter David & Will Sliney)2099 isn’t exactly the coolest place in the world. Sure, there are jet packs and stuff, but Hulk is a lizard thing and Captain America is a robot. And not even the fun kind. Alchemix may say it’s your friend, but they’re not good at being convincing, and they just keep coming off as really weird.
SECRET WARS JOURNAL #2 (Kevin Maurer & Cory Smith/Simon Spurrier & Jonathan Marks)So it turns out that at the Killiseum, there’s also Vegas, and Paladin and Misty Knight are trying to get a special coin to Kraven at a casino but all the villains hear that and it gets amazing and the Black Tarantula shows up and it gets amazing-er. Seriously, it’s Cowboy Bebop, starring Misty Knight, and if that doesn’t excite you, you’re reading the wrong comic.
So Sinister has his own island and has just been the biggest piece of shit ever so far in this whole event, and he has a Sinister version of Elektra – called Collektra – and we find out what it would be like if Daredevil hadn’t been a ninja, but a cook with his super taste and Cook Daredevil made a thing so good that GodKingDoom sighed in happiness afterwards. This is infinitely better if you imagine him with a thick French accent. And then it gets dark.
SPIDER-VERSE #2 (Mike Costa & Andre Araujo)Spider-Gwen was not prepared to find out what Spider-Pig’s origin today, and I’m so pleased to hear that she’ll still be a thing in the Marvel universe after all this is said and done. Spider-Man Noir immediately reminds us all that he’s really cool, but also racist as FUCK. I can’t wait for Spider-Ham to slap him around somewhat, and a local team of Spider-People is going to make this my favourite city ever.
ULTIMATE END #2 (Brian M. Bendis & Mark Bagley)Please, a moment of silence, to pay our respects. A Hawkeye died today. A brave Hawkeye, who died, doing Hawkeye things. Like yelling at a Thor. I wish I could tell you which Hawkeye it is. I thought all these guys blew up with the whole two planets colliding thing. This world is confusing. Rest in peace, whichever Hawkeye you were, again, I think. Amen.
WEIRDWORLD #1 (Jason Aaron & Mike Del Mundo)OH MY GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO-
BbbbbbbbbZZZZZZZTT
- WE’RE SORRY, WE’RE EXPERIENCING SOME MINOR TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES, AND OUR TOUR GUIDE IS FREAKING RIGHT THE FUCK OUT. WE’RE SORRY FOR ANY INCOVENICE.
Battleworld Travel Trip: OOOOOOOHHHHHHHHH MMMMMMMYYYYYY GOOOOOOOOD WEIRDWORLD IS AMAZINGGGGGGGGGGGGGG!
Proofs, co-edits & common sense provided by Sleazy G
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