(Click title to go directly to the review)
Advance Review: KING TIGER #1
FABLES #150
RED SONJA 1973 #1
WOLF #1
ARCHIE VS. SHARKNADO #1
SWORDS OF SORROW: RED SONJA & JUNGLE GIRL #1
SECRET WARS: OLD MAN LOGAN #3
KAIJUMAX #4
THE DRESDEN FILES: DOWN TOWN #6
POWER UP #1
JOHN CARTER: WARLORD OF MARS #9
Advance Review: THE CHILLING ADVENTURES OF SABRINA #4
Battleworld Tour Guide Part IX !
In stores August 12!KING TIGER #1
Writer: Randy StradleyArtist: Douglas Wheatley
Publisher: Dark Horse Comics
Reviewer: Lyzard
Dark Horse doesn’t have an expansive universe of characters like DC or Marvel, but there are a few characters who have met each other on more than one occasion. The titular King Tiger, before having a series of his own, appeared in Dark Horse’s GHOST. But if you were worried you’d need to pick up a few back issues in order to follow the events of KING TIGER #1, let me qualm your fears a bit.
King Tiger is a magical martial artist based in the mountains of Nevada. He has a girlfriend named Rikki, and a newly acquired sidekick called Milo. Though there are a few references to earlier appearances of King Tiger, in particular the events that took place in BLACKOUT #4 which came out nearly a year ago, there is enough expositional dialogue to gleam whatever necessary info you need to understand these characters’ relationships to one another.
What you still don’t know, if unfamiliar with Tiger, is how powerful he and his magic can be. What you do know is how dangerous Tiger’s foes are. Kidnap, murder, ritual sacrifice. These are proto-typical actions of comic book super-villains, but what makes them even more terrifying in KING TIGER is that they are depicted by Douglas Wheatley. The detailed line-work is the biggest draw for this comic. It can be off-putting to see someone’s face screaming in terror and pain drawn so well, but you should know what you’re getting yourself into when picking up a Dark Horse comic. They don’t produce safe, happy-happy-joy-joy works.
KING TIGER #1 may not be appealing the way the publishers wish it to be. I don’t recommend it based on the story or the characters, but based on the art alone. In fact, it isn’t until the final image, that exposes the breadth of direction the comic can go into, that there is anything plot-wise that captures my attention enough to consider picking up issue #2.
Lyzard is Lyz Reblin, a graduate student at the University of Texas pursuing a master's degree in Media Studies... which is just a fancy way of saying she plays a lot video games, watches far too many horror films, and then tries to pass it all off as "research."
FABLES #150
Writer: Bill WillinghamArtist: Mark Buckingham
Publisher: DC Vertigo
Reviewer: Optimous Douche (Rob Patey’s digested twin)
The following is a love letter
To praise this decade plus odyssey about our bedtime story characters coping in the modern day, we must first praise the pasture in which the “Brothers Ham” first sowed their seeds 150 issues ago – Vertigo.
Not Vertigo Now (oops, “now” belongs to that other comic company), I refer to the ship steered by Karen Berger in a time when the WB still kept their Goddamn hands off the books. Ms. Berger was the publisher of my young adult awakening; the titles she green-lit from Gaiman and Morrison were the brain candy of my college years, expanding my view of the world beyond capes, tights and the suburbs of New Jersey. I bailed on the core capes like everyone else in the mid 90’s, but I still stuffed a few less bucks in my bong to buy Vertigo. But even that devotion died as I saw less cool and kitschy synergy between DC proper and this dark realm, until I just said “fuck it, Patey out,” in ’98.
Flash forward to ’02: I’m married, starting to make extra scratch for luxuries, and I was introduced to a website called Ain’t It Cool News in a “Web Marketing for Business” class. Wait, people actually give a shit about comics again, enough to have a whole column about it? Wait one more minute; Karen Berger is STILL at the helm of Vertigo. On my drive home that afternoon I recreated the Wednesday ritual of my youth by stopping at a comic shop. On the shelf was this new title called FABLES by these two cats with rhyming names. I loved Grimm tales as a kid, and I grew up a stones throw out of NYC, sounds like something I should read.
By ’04 I had people reading FABLES who had never picked up a comic in their life. By ’07, I was creating internal wikis at work on my SharePoint page as well as my own blog posts. I turned out a lot of thoughts barely read by anyone about these tales of Snow White turned politician, Rose Red the bad girl sister, Cinderella the spy, Pinocchio the pervy, Gepetto the genocidal, and the multitude of other slightly view eschewed characters who were just so perfectly modernized.
From ’08 (after Optimous Douche sprung forth from my mind to the pages on Ain’t It Cool) to today I have “professionally” covered FABLES from almost every angle: Copious coverage of the main series when epochs ended and new readers could come on board; spin-off series of solitary character arcs in FAIREST; con-man JACK OF FABLES on-going spin-off series; side-steps over to the other Vertigo 4th wall breaker UNWRITTEN; to finally wrangling an interview with Bill on a Kickstarter he was doing with Frank Cho while I was on vacation (WiFi in Aruba sucks, and international rate charges suck worser).
I did all of this for one simple reason, money. Scads and scads of review money. No, we literally get nothing for review. I did this because the creators worked twice as hard to ensure I was entertained. Hell, Buckingham’s white space artistry alone was worth the price of admission each month. Without the fervor of Berger, with the meticulous meddling of parent-company revenue ravens perched and picking over editorial decisions, and the waning of reading in general, we won’t see this seismic of a serial again outside the indies. And even that’s probably optimistic.
But the power of FABLES shouldn’t be watered down by praising simply the volume of issues. Vertigo gave this team the big field to work in, but Bill & Mark worked the land metikculously month after month to groo consequence continuity. Many series clock in high numbers without the same emotional heft that Willingham slathered across every issue of FABLES. This series lived and died by arcs that birthed and destroyed entire worlds. With no land nor character’s immortality guaranteed they ensured an ending that mattered.
FABLES #150 suffers from no dénouement downturns, it is simply as it always should have been, a matter of happily ever after.
There are three reader camps when it comes to, excuse me, came to FABLES: never read it, read it all, and the ever present “I left after (insert arc here).” The first quitters bailed after Gepetto was revealed as the Adversary. The argument for the bailout often sounds like, “I knew it was Gepetto all along.” Well, we alllllll knew it was fucking Gepetto genius. Bill didn’t really hide it with the wooden goddamn infantry, now did he?????? The magic of FABLES was never the “what,” it was the “how.” We always could figure out “what” was happening because public domain is that permeated into our Western World sociology from home to school. It was how the Adversary came to be. The fact he was getting a power-up from the Blue Fairy in a bondage cuppoard was what made me say, “fuck where we’ve been, where the hell will we go next?”
Mr. Dark was the answer. If Gepetto was striving to be evil incarnate, he was going to learn from Mr. Dark. He was yet again, not a “what” in unveiling, he was a “how” in bringing this tale to it’s falling action and ultimate end. The FABLES lost all during this time. Though Gepetto wrought terror, the City and Farmlands thrived with new life and new characters. The famous Wolf Pack, Rose Red and her blossoming relationships (and not so), even Cinderella extending her “family” of fatalities across the globe. Mr. Dark ended all that. Wolf babies died and were lost for centuries across seas of servitude, Rose Red fell to the forces of her own jealousy against her sister, and the 13th floor was more shaken than when Hogwarts was invaded by Voldemort. For those who bailed on the Mr. Dark demise, I say you are cowards who simply can’t admit when the end is nigh…and necessary. Is it a slow down? Yes, that is the nature of story and life, a cool down to entropy.
So why is it then, that this 150th behemoth Trade Paper Back finale was such a bright, warm and beautiful end to the tale? Death and dismay occur a’ plenty as we the gentle end to the last war of FABLES proper. We also see our mundy world scarred (more on that in a second) as the battle for Bigby’s soul is finally won, and Snow can accept it free of her family scorned curse.
FABLES was after all a love story. While I tripped the pages fantastic as Bill and a vast accompaniment of comics’ finest talent bid adieu to all ancillary characters, I was waiting with baited breath to see the end for Snow and Bigby. They were the beginning of this journey and apparently the beginning of a new dynasty of FABLES three millennia long.
To dispel and spoil the rest of FABLES insides, I’ll dispel them to you with my desperate plea to the Brothers Hamm on the Top 10 Ways to Keep FABLES Alive;
10. Mundy’s (normal folk) can now see the Castle Dark version of Fable Town Mundy’s and magic, that’s a series.
9-2. Each kid, including Bill Willingham (at least that’s how I saw Ambrose’s adult visage,) could be his or her own series.
1. Pinocchio as President in a war against Gepetto. FUCK…YES….PLEASE (and a sufficient back story on the primary race that made this insanity possible).
This was one time I also read every last word of homage, praise and cathartic goodbye. Some words sweet, some bitter, but never any so bland or trite as bittersweet. Thank you Bill, Mark and every other person who brought these stories to life. You shall be sorely missed.
When Optimous isn’t waxing comic book poetic, he is a content marketer for anyone with the cajones to live la branding loca. He is also still haunted by the overly sexual ghost of Carol Channing.
RED SONJA 1973 #1
Writer/Artists: VariousArtist: Soo Lee
Publisher: Dynamite Entertainment
Reviewer: MajinFu
Woah dude, the 70s. Wasn't that like when the Beatles broke up and Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five hit the scene? People said there was a nasty cyclone, and no oil and then the Kent State shootings happened because of Vietnam. Watergate. Fucking disco. Red Sonja's debut certainly had strange company.
But the 70s still were not the worst of times, because if you got those real-world blues you could escape to the local cineplex and watch current releases like Superman and Star Wars, or simply stay at home and watch Happy Days. It was a time when bright lights the likes of Bruce Lee and Amitabh Bachchan shone brightest. When the future doesn't look bright a new hero rises to inspire the people, a hero like Red Sonja.
Red Sonja emerged in the midst of worldwide turmoil, and became an icon the instant she pierced the cultural either. She is a character who like Batman, counters her traumatic origins by realizing the epitome of the counterculture that birthed her, and approaches such a paradigm through effective yet sometimes endearingly blunt action. Sound familiar? It's an old story but one each new generation can appreciate, because sometimes it's nice to see the good guys win, and the bad guys face the consequences of their evil deeds. This special issue from Dynamite celebrates Red Sonja by approaching her motivation for heroism form a couple of different angles. Minds will not be blown, but if you've never read a Red Sonja story and are looking for an easy in, this makes for a nice introduction.
First, she is simply presented as nemesis to any type of marauder.. In the first yarn entitled “The Raiding Party,” Sonja battles a group of men similar to the ones that murdered her family, liberating a band of lady warriors like herself, because that's what she does! Batman fights crime, Red Sonja beats up bad men.
So it's established then that Red Sonja is a chainmail bikini-clad champion of gender equality. They say the only man who can lay with her must first best her in fair combat. Therefore her strength is tied to her sexuality. Yet she seems practically unbeatable, so her sexuality is utterly her own and her subsequent agency in defending both herself and the dignity of the women she encounters through her adventures is undeniable. Perhaps this is why the antagonists in this comic are comprised entirely of males. As the chief oppressors of the opposite sex since prehistoric times, it's only natural that the enemy of the independent woman is the leering male chauvinist. Fortunately, Red Sonja has the remedy for such a goon in the way of a hefty blow to the gonads, an act which occurs in sequence several times. Now I am all for female sexual empowerment, but does it have to come at the expense of bludgeoned male genitalia? If the genitals in question were attached to a right bastard such as the numerous ruffians that appear in this very volume then I suppose... maybe, but let's hope feminists around the world don't resort to dickpunches in the name of gender equality.
(Don't worry fellas, since Red Sonja is a product of the barbaric world around her, and fictional, our junk is probably safe.)
It's tough to read a recent comic by Gail Simone and not reflect on my first exposure to her work via DC's SECRET SIX. Remember those guys that weren't the Suicide Squad but basically the same thing? Secret Six wasn't the title that got me into supervillain team-up books, but it is was the one that kept me interested for the longest. Each member of the team was so distinguishable in character and fascinating in their complexity, not to mention their antics were disturbing yet hilarious, because Gail Simone wrote every bit of action around the character work, rarely letting their development take a back seat to spectacle. Her tenacity for stark humanity and crude humor naturally carry into her contribution to this anthology in which Red Sonja is refused any more alcohol at a tavern. As someone with experience bartending, this was a classic portrayal of the drunk person who refuses to acknowledge their own intoxication. The story culminates in Sonja's quick assessment of all her enemy's mistakes following a somewhat heartfelt recollection of a rare encounter with a dude who wasn't totally garbage. Everything that made SECRET SIX such a fun is present here, and it was definitely one of the highlights as a result.
“Red Sonja and the Nubile Barbarians” has both the best title and the best art in this issue, both subjective of course. Drawing parallels to the first story in this collection, the story is simply about Red Sonja once again freeing women from an oppressive environment and setting them on the path to their own environment. It's not groundbreaking, but it is a fun story about how Red Sonja can inspire women to seek their own destiny.
The last story entitled “Silent Running” is particularly cinematic. Refreshingly free of any dialogue or narration, it depicts Sonja's return to her origins. We've seen her motivations, we've seen what kind of action embodies her personality, and finally we witness the one aspect of her character that makes her vulnerable. Jonathan Lau's illustrations perfectly encapsulate Sonja's momentum on her journey, while Ivan Nunes' vibrant and clean colors help the story jump off the page.
This was a fun issue. Prior to my reading the comics and a bit of Gail Simone's run earlier this year, the only exposure I ever had to the character Red Sonja was in the movie with Not-Quite-Conan and the little surf ninja riding a bloated, middle-aged white man. So it's pretty enlightening over the past few years to check out the character as she was meant to be presented, not subservient to any Schwarzenegger-like goons but as an empowering and totally iconic female figure in comics.
WOLF #1
Writer: Ales KotArtist: Matt Taylor
Publisher: Image Comics
Reviewer: Humphrey Lee
I openly admit now, here in this space dear readers, that sometimes I’m not entirely lucid when I start tap tap tapping away at these pieces to give you fine, (hopefully) sexy folks an info dump on some comic books each week. Not because I’m a booze-addled fiend who cannot make the wit worky without some hair of the dog, because those days are (sadly) behind me. No, it’s a much more boring, ordinary reasoning due to day job workaholism, long shifts, minutia minutia blah blah blah. I bring this up because sometimes I sit down with words ready to spring forth! from my bald dome onto digital paper just to realize, wait, did I really read that the way it was intended to be read? Did I miss something deeper, more meaningful because of that fatigue creeping in at the edges? And then I dig right back in one more time, make sure I pulled out the correct interpretation of the book or that I indeed missed something that would change the tone of my review, and I get back to klacking away on those keys. I went through this refresher this week with WOLF, the latest Ales Kot joint via Image Comics and the result was two pronged: I confirmed what I felt about the book the first time stood and then I promptly fell asleep.
Oooh, sick burn right? Not so much, like I said, I tend to be tired and it tends to be late when I write these things so I’m not trying to earn snark bonus points for attention grabbing purposes, but at the same time it is kind of a well-deserved jab at this book’s flaws. WOLF ultimately is a book that I personally feel kind of wants to pull you in with PREMISE!! and then bury you in it hoping you’ll stick around to see some of them through. It starts off well enough, we’re introduced to Antoine Wolfe as he’s singing some vintage Blues, wrapped warmly in a straight jacket and ever more warmly engulfed in flames while strolling down some Los Angeles hillside. This is how we lead in to find out he’s a) immortal, b) a decent sized smart ass, and c) a private investigator. And from there things get weirder. And by weirder I mean shit just kind of keeps happening and you either eat it up and want more, or it kind of wears you out. Obviously by now, you all can surmise I was in the latter category.
In fairness, this is a rather large debut issue (and at a reasonable price for the content) so there is more room to just say “fuck it” and throw ideas out there, but that’s kind of the thing, a lot of the stuff here just feels scattershot and some of the existential and mythological waxing poetic takes up word balloon space because it’s heady and atmospheric I guess? There’s just so many times an event happens and you expect there to be an “and then this happened” but you’re left with the comic pacing equivalent of a ellipsis pause and then the next sequence occurs. Like for example, when Wolfe comes out of the police station he winds up post-fire walk (where he’s talking to a detective about myths because it puts that aura of weight out there I imagine) he winds up on a tram or whatever the hell it is they have out in L.A. with a street con artist who hypnotizes some poor old woman and then Wolfe decides turnabout is fair play and then… A lesson was learned apparently? And I genuinely do get it, it does serve a point in a way that is kind of blunt and awkward that Wolfe will get pretty dirty on someone, as he does this random con artist schmuck who he then hypnotizes into a time loop that it is implied that poor bastard is going to perpetually live forever in because he was a dick. But it’s so staged and ham-fistedly impromptu. It’s one of those things that is put lazily into TV pilots to show what a bad ass your lead is in before the first commercial break hoping the audience will stay past that. The premiere of WOLF is about fifty pages of those moments.
And then they keep on coming, as well as being mixed in with some standard P.I. tropes. Wolfe does his hypno-eyes thing on the con artist prick just to get home and be confronted by the muscle of a very old money L.A. dweller who Wolfe is knocked out and then placed in front of in order to take a “case you can’t refuse,” even though, swear to god, I read the scene with Wolfe and that gentleman (Sterling Gibson) four fucking times and at no point is the actual case really revealed. There’s more metaphysical talk about myths and how the effect of story plays out on the social conscious, and Gibson is not-so-thinly racist to Wolfe, and the case involves a dead woman he menacingly notes he killed and then Wolfe is going to investigate her??? Also, the ghosts of dead soldiers, whom he served with in the past, haunt Wolfe. Also he has a friend named Freddy Chtonic who has a squid face and likes to talk in alliterative meter (okay, Freddy is pretty damn cool) and who is having problem with some land lords who are literally vampires. Oh, and on top of it, the book ends with a little girl, who was set up throughout the issue as someone who was found in the midst of the violently murdered bodies of her parents, and who also sees ghosts, at Wolfe’s doorstep to let Wolfe and the reader know she needs help and, by the way, her name is Anita Christ. Anita Christ!! For a book that lives to stylishly slap you across the face with supernatural concepts, that one felt more like an overly strong sack tap.
That’s probably my real issue with WOLF; it’s not that any of those things – the typical PI genre tropes, the illusions to Wolfe’s past and his present day haunting, etc – are not interesting material to be playing around with on their own or even all lumped in together, but that WOLF kind of carries itself pridefully over jamming them all in and with such an emphasis on style. But it never earns it the High Five it’s almost begging for, because outside of its sense of flair, most of what WOLF executes and how it does so feel more like bullet points than substantial world building. And as I said, these in and of themselves are all fine pools of subject matter to dive into, but it’s rare that they are shown to be more than the shallow end of those pools within these pages.
It’s early though, and it’s easily possible the overly stylish will give way to a more substantive approach that isn’t the overly bloviating version we get here. Non sequituring your way into a conversation about myths once an act doesn’t quite cut it but I think there is pathway ahead to really dive into the essence of story and go deeper into the lore since WOLF pulls so much of our popular mythos together for this story. And Matt Taylor’s art does a really good job of keeping WOLF grounded with a kind of “deadpan” style. Whenever the script calls for one of those selling moments like the hypnotic overkill on the con artist or Freddy fucking squid for a face, Taylor somehow plays them off as the most nonchalant thing ever. Wolfe may as well be reading the nutritional value of his cereal when this shit goes down, which is good because it helps sell that Wolfe is a man/being/whatever that has seen his share of shit, and it stops the book from acting too grandiose for its own good. That will be the real balance challenge of WOLF going forward I feel, that it should find a mix of playing with the mythos a little deeper than it showed them in this debut while avoiding going too far into abstraction. WOLF definite wears the attitude of its supernatural noire roots well but if those don’t dig a bit deeper than they do here I don’t see it bearing much in substantive fruit.
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, 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.
ARCHIE VS. SHARKNADO #1
Writer: Anthony C. FerranteArtist: Dan Parent
Publisher: Archie Comics
Reviewer: Lyzard
ARCHIE V. SHARKNADO is one of those comics that shouldn’t be as good as it is. The movies it is based on are decent, at best. Are they fun? Yes. We love to hate them and then tweet about their ridiculousness. But they are not good movies, even by SyFy monster flick standards. I guess Archie didn’t get the memo that the SHARKNADO franchise doesn’t require strong characters and well-crafted jokes.
For those who have witnessed SHARKNADO 3: OH HELL NO!, the comic starts off with a near direct tie-in. Veronica and Betty arrive in D.C. in the midst of a sharknado attack. While the rest of the capital citizenry are eaten, the two teens manage to survive and must rush off to warn Riverdale of the impending storm. But they better hurry, for philandering Archie and company have set themselves up as perfect targets, chilling blissfully unaware at the beach.
One of the aspects that makes ARCHIE VS. SHARKNADO so great is that there are no changes in the characters. Jughead still has the endless appetite of a sharknado. Archie is drawn to pretty ladies like a sharknado to blood. You get the picture. Take out the storm and you still have your typical misadventures in Riverdale. The fact that even with the addition of flying sea monsters the comic still feels like a natural extension of the Archie universe speaks to the strength of both properties.
And while there are tie-ins with other Archie publications, such as Sabrina, the standout moment comes from none other than Josie and the Pussycats. If you have any memory of the film adaptation, then you should have no problem picking up on the inside joke writer (and director of the series) Ferrante threw in.
There are plenty of other Easter Eggs hidden within the panels, squeezed in by the most obvious choice of artist, Dan Parent. If you want traditional Archie artwork then you have no better choice than he. Unlike the Archie Horror series, and to a lesser extent ARCHIE VS. PREDATOR, Parent keeps the gore to a minimum. While limbs going flying and a few dangling sinews are left on the corpses, the lack of detail makes this bloody mess palatable.
Now after all this fun do I want to read ARCHIE VS LAVALANCHULA? Absolutely not. Unlike its filmic counterpart, able to repeat itself in crazier and more ridiculous ways because of a lack of expectations, ARCHIE VERSUS SHARKNADO is quality to begin with.
SWORDS OF SORROW: RED SONJA & JUNGLE GIRL #1
Writer: Marguerite BennettArtist: Mirka Andolfo
Publisher: Dynamite Entertainment
Reviewer: Masked Man
Dynamite's first big crossover event continues to roll along, as they release another related miniseries featuring, as the title spells out: Red Sonja and Jungle Girl. If your not to hip with this all, Gail Simone got Dynamite to double down on girl power and have a whole crossover-event dedicated to their female (mostly licensed) characters (take that A-FORCE). While Simone herself writes the main series, other female writers and artists are tackling the other series. Clearly Dynamite doesn't want to look like a bunch of chumps at Comic-Con, when fans asks why there aren't more female creators working for them!
In typical comicbook event fashion, someone is screwing around with time and space, and our heroes, Red Sonja, Vampirella, Dejah Thoris, and all the others are trying to fix- gifted with so called Swords of Sorrow. Is it worth noting that nearly all these characters (if not all of them) were created by men and are half naked? I'm not trying to throw a rock in a glass house or anything. But considering the desire of the industry (to appease fans) to treat female creators and characters 'better', yeah I think it's worth noting that.
Ok let's go over the plot, ie spoilers. We catch up with Sonja on Mars, trying to chase down the villain behind this all. But as she leaps through a portal, instead of taking her closer to her goal, it drops her off on the dinosaur filled land of Jana, the Jungle Girl. With the unbelievable luck found only in fiction, Red Sonja basically pops out right where Jana is and, wait for it, ….. a fight ensues. Once they discovery they each have a Sword of Sorrow (maybe it have been called Blades of Sorrow, because Jana has a spear, not a sword), they stop fighting and decide they are on the same side. Sonja fills in Jana on the crisis, and Jana shows Sonja the current peril of her world, as an ice curse is washing over the land. They soon discover the cause of the curse: Mistress Hel (from LADY DEATH and Dynamite's CHAOS series).
Unfortunately, it feels like the creators of this comic don't really care to be doing it. Both the script and the artwork come off as flippant and breezy. For good and bad, Bennett tries to squeeze as much humor out of the book she can- mostly through Red Sonja's ridiculous dialogue. Aside from that, nothing really stands out about the script. Likewise with Andolfo, who can draw some pretty great pin-ups (not talking just females), but these pages are very uninspired. She has a few nice faces here and there, but overall both her and Bennett look like they are just phoning this project in.
That said, I would compare this book favorably to many of the CONVERGENCE crossover-minis (who were strangled by pointless plot direction), but it's a far cry from the goodness in many of the SECRET WARS crossover-minis. SWORDS OF SORROW: RED SONJA & JUNGLE GIRL is a nice little book to kill time with, but not sure if will ever be better than that.
SECRET WARS: OLD MAN LOGAN # 3
Writer: Brian Michael BendisArtist: Andrea Sorrentino
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Reviewer: The Kid Marvel
I know I’ve already said it before, but Marvel’s SECRET WARS is by far a much better “multiverse” crisis event, than DC’s CONVERGENCE. The issues I’ve been following are some of the most fun, entertaining and ridiculous stories, which I say in the most positive way possible. And OLD MAN LOGAN, is in my top three of these tie in series, maybe even number one. This book is freaking phenomenal.
For those that didn’t catch my review for issue one, the premise is simple. OLD MAN LOGAN is basically a direct continuation of the original Old Man Logan series, except it is set in the SECRET WARS BATTLEWORLD. Old Man Logan stumbles upon a wall leading to the rest of Battleworld, escapes his own “country” and discovers Baron Apocalypse’s territory in issue two. This leads to the current issue, in which Old Man Logan must not only escape Apocalypse and his horsemen, but also a Thor that has discovered Logan breaking God Doom’s rules and traveling between lands. After some skirmishes, Logan eventually makes it into Technopolis, where he meets a Tony Stark he is very much unfamiliar with and gets an inkling into what Battleworld is. That’s essentially the broadest jist of the story I’ll give, without revealing any spoilers or just generally giving away too much of the issue itself.
I’m going to be honest, I’ll definitely miss these SECRET WARS tie’s in when they’re gone in the fall. None of them are the most intricate or mentally strenuous, in the form of reading intellect, just some extremely fun comic books. They are pure entertainment and OLD MAN LOGAN is no different.
Bendis’ writing abilities shine in an issue like this, while meshing beautifully with Sorrentino as the artist. Both of them are able to paint a vivid picture, both visually and in the script itself, to present the pinnacle of “Wolverine-ness” in Old Man Logan and the character within the Battleworlds themselves. Bendis moves the story from situation to situation seamlessly, without drawing out the situations or giving too little in the process. The script moves from location to location without feeling too quick, while also moving everything along in a timely fashion, nothing lingers. This is the loner Wolverine that I love and one that is extremely weary, short tempered and generally unfriendly. Logan is very much a tired, battle worn soldier with no patience, only looking forward on his mission.
As far as Sorrentino’s artwork, it’s superb as usual. From the environments, the facial expressions or artistic renderings of panel design, everything is on point and spectacular. I mean, the barren wastelands, the use of weather such as Thor’s lighting, and the general ominous feeling given at various points in the story, would make purchasing the book worth it, even if everything else about it had been absolute garbage. There really isn’t much for me to say about the art, because I’m simply going to ramble on about how freaking amazing it is. So let me keep it simple, the art is really, really good.
I guess to conclude this review and if you made it this far, you know I’m going to definitely recommend checking out this series and giving it a read. Personally, I say it’s one of the best series to come out of SECRET WARS and a favorite for me. Bendis is doing an excellent job on the series and Sorrentino’s artwork is as always, some of the best in the business. I highly recommend picking up these books, whether you’re a fan of the original OLD MAN LOGAN series or Wolverine himself, you don’t even need to be a fan of either. As long as you like good comics and entertaining stories, this is definitely worth the purchase.
KAIJUMAX #4
Writer/Artist: Zander CannonPublisher: Oni Press
Reviewer: MajinFu
If there's anything that gets me more nostalgic than sexy redheads it's tokukatsu.
Big monsters simply going about their day in a busy urban sprawl is fun, but when you imprison them all on an island ala Monster Island from Godzilla, give them pathos approaching the human condition and have the inmates all converse in streetwise prison lingo, you have a magical package. KAIJUMAX #4: the realness.
This comic's not for kids, although there is a child character that attempts to persuade a Godzooky-type criter into poisoning his gigantic monster patriarch. It has all the staples of a prison drama and intrigue that entails, the sex and violence, and treats its subjects with such grim austerity that it's hard for someone from the outside looking in not to grin. What really got me going was how well this worked as a metaphor for the prison industrial complex of America today, and any comic that's willing to address such a heavy subject and still make me laugh is worthy of praise indeed.
This is my introduction to the series, but the world is so rich with humor and pragmatic moral decay, that it's honestly sort of brilliant. I can't say much else about this comic (because I wouldn't want to spoil any of the fun) except that it has me extremely interested and completely enthralled, and I will definitely be checking out the trade paperback when it releases later this year.
Highly recommended to anyone who loves kaiju, the webcomic Achewood, or is simply looking for a print substitute for the manic energy and dark humor of the Superjail cartoons. But comparing it to anything else honestly just detracts from its strength as an isolated narrative. You just need to check it out for yourself.
THE DRESDEN FILES: DOWN TOWN #6
Writer: Jim Butcher and Mark PowersArtist: Carlos Gomez
Publisher: Dynamite Entertainment
Reviewer: Lyzard
Each time after finishing one of Butcher’s THE DRESDEN FILES novels, I feel both exhilarated and frustrated. There is the excitement from a tale well told, but an emptiness having to wait to read the follow-up. Finishing DOWN TOWN did not result in either of these disparate emotions nor any measurable sense of enjoyment or disappointment.
DOWN TOWN has been one of those series that is good, but not great. It’s had its low points, but nothing too egregious. There is little added to the characterization of these characters for the book-series fans to take away and not enough stand-out moments to appeal to non-fans in order to convert them.
In THE DRESDEN FILES: DOWN TOWN #6, wizard Harry Dresden, his apprentice Molly Carpenter, and mob boss Johnny Marcone have at last dispatched of the evil wizard terrorizing Marcone’s customers by means of a golem. However, even with the loss of his master, the clay monstrosity continues to rampage. The unlikely trio have somehow been able to work together up to this point, but can their uneasy alliance handle this last stand against this mindless evil?
A personal pet peeve of mine when it comes to characterization is a weak main character, standing atop the shoulders of a much more well-developed supporting cast. Harry Dresden is not flat, at least not in the books. Here, while there is some of the biting wit left, Dresden loses his luster. Book Harry was never born to play the hero, but merely fell into the role. Yet take a pick from a random panel and you’ll spot Harry in a power pose: strong, determined, confident. These are the qualities better fit for Gentleman Marcone who, despite being a cruel leader and despicable human being, is much more the hero in this story than Dresden. He is the most logical and, at times, the most relatable character.
It is difficult to appease both fans and newcomers alike and this comes across in the incongruent tones featured throughout the series, but especially in issue #6. While Butcher and Powers take the time to build dramatic tension and strong emotions, they do not linger on them either. Unlike the sticky mess the golem leaves behind, there is no emotional residue remaining by issue’s end. Frankly, when all is said and done, nothing really changes in Dresden’s Chicago from issue #1 to the finale.
POWER UP #1
Writer: Kate LethArt: Matt Cummings
Publisher: BOOM! Studios/BOOM! Box
Reviewer: Morbidlyobesefleshdevouringcat
POWER UP is an exemplarily comic of co-creation in comics, rather than the standard script seeking artist ordeal or vice-versa. Fun, engaging, all the while introspective POWER UP tackles typical troupes found in youth media all in the hark of the magical school girl genre.
Following Amie, a robust twenty-three year old with kick ass lavender hair, she’s your typical early twenties humanoid stuck in a dead end job with a terrible boss, simply learning how to do the whole ‘adult’ thing. She’s the kind of girl that retrieves milk from the local convenience store in bright purple pyjamas and owns a hedgehog named Ardmore. In the first issue of POWER UP, Amie’s standard work day at the local pet store goes awry when a strange energy surges through her in the midst of feeding Silas the goldfish. Even more questionable is that this energy also beams itself through Silas as well. Shortly after, a creature, described by writer Kate Leth as “a villain that is created from the absence of light” stumbles into the store, and of course what ensues next is battle between the two revealing the results of that energy surge. Amie’s hands contain an exotic force and Silas is able to transform into a massive whale with laser eye beams. It sounds ridiculous, and it is, but don’t confuse POWER UP with one of those things that it’s so bad, it’s good. POWER UP is very much the opposite.
Whats even more amazing is it’s subtly in expanding and commenting on larger sociological problems. Take a look at the cover. Situated in the middle is Amie with the other scouts on either side of her all wearing their own version of a magical costume. One of the big rages prior to the release was Kevin’s outfit. In the first issue, him and Sandy only make small appearances, depicting life as they each interact with each other in small passings, unaware of the impact they will have on each other and possibly the world. Kevin, the only male in the group is a washed up athlete; large, beardy and outwardly masculine looking—but his outfit is far from it. Questions have been raised: is this the creative team using a transperson as the butt of the joke? Is Kevin another character in a long line of sassy queer folk whose only purpose in a narrative is to create comedic fuddles and, whose sole existence is to be made fun of? When confronted with this, Leth was honest: no, no it is not. Kevin’s character is the creative teams method at tackling the double standard regarding gender targeted clothing, especially in terms of normality and sexual orientation. The general consensus circling around clothing determines that females are considered attractive in either of the gender binary specific outfits, but throw a male into a female oriented piece and he is suddenly being emasculated, a freak, or hiding in a metaphorical closet. But, what happens when a dude just wants to wear a dress, and still identifies as male and straight? This is definitely one of the reasons why POWER UP as a series is going to be so fantastic and amazing. It’s not a common issue to address in this medium, and especially in a youth targeted piece, that just makes the series all that much more special.
Now what I want to focus on is Cumming’s absolutely sublime art, and how he is able to hinge on emulating the classic sailor scout style while still maintaining his own unique identity within it. That being particularly a two page spread when Amie and Silas are initially hit with that bright magical school girl energy that references the girls transformation in Sailor Moon. His characters look like humans being humans. Amie, herself doesn't share the shape of the sailor scouts many of us grew up with. She’s a little plump and kind of short. Sandy has child bearing hips as the mother of two, and Kevin, well, he’s just Kevin. There’s just this amazing overall reference to early 2000’s Sailor Moon with thick, cartoony inks that compliment shadowy pastels and an abundance of glitter. It’s all really too good.
The result of two awesome creators coming together, having fun, and tackling issues that they themselves feel are important and relevant POWER UP is an indefinite, if not significant comic to pick up.
JOHN CARTER: WARLORD OF MARS #9
Writer: Ron MarzArtist: Ariel Medel
Publisher: Dynamite Entertainment
Reviewer: Masked Man
Dynamite's newest John Carter series, penned by comic vet Ron Marz (they got Marz to write about Mars! Ya get it, ya see it- oui), closes in on it's first year. And while I'm very happy that this new series has the blessings of ERB Inc (unlike their first series- claiming it was all public domain), the critic in me is not. After nine issues, nothing interesting has been going on at all.
Now to be a little fair to Marz, the previous series was adaptions of the main John Carter novels, which have pretty much stood the test of time as being an interesting read. So Marz is kinda on his own here. Still, the scripts are all lack luster, and merely go through the motions of a sci-fi fantasy. The heroes have no personality, aside for that of cardboard heroes. The villains have no personality, or interesting goals- aside for that of cardboard villains. Which in turn makes all the action quite dull.
This latest issue wraps up a two parter (yup, a two parter- go fig), where again Dejah Thoris has been captured (yawn), but in this modern day she can't just be a damsel in distress so she frees herself (still yawn), and helps Carter kill the 'Frankenstein-like' synthetic man who captured her (and even more yawn). The script adds little more than what I just wrote there.
For his part, Medel does a better job of drawing the book. Everything looks good, characters, action, backgrounds. But his 'camera angles' and character posses are a bit over the top. He should tone down the 'trying to make his artwork cool', and focus more on having his art tell the story. Still, it's a very nice looking book.
It's really a shame that Dynamite's fine John Carter book has dropped off the worth reading list- after they finally signed with ERB Inc (Edgar Rice Burroughs, in case you weren't sure)!
In stores today!CHILLING ADVENTURES OF SABRINA #4
Writer: Roberto Aguirre-SacasaArtist: Robert Hack
Publisher: Archie Comics
Reviewer: Lyzard
I have had nothing but praise for Aguirre-Sacasa and Hack’s re-interpretation of everyone’s favorite teenage witch. Their take on Sabrina is a bold departure from the proto-typical saccharine image that comes to mind when you say Archie Comics. CHILLING ADVENTURES OF SABRINA #4 takes this new direction another step forward, with an issue that will make your heart wrench and gut drop. This time ‘round it’s about more than being disturbed. Issue #4 brings out the drama and heightened emotions.
The narrator directly addresses the audience with a futile request: tonight, if you are the kind of person who prays… pray for Harvey Kinkle. From the outset, your stomach is in knots. It is obvious that after this issue nothing will be the same and that CHILLING ADVENTURES is about to take its most dramatic and sadistic turn yet. By the end, when the other shoe drops, you’ll be emotionally exhausted.
Sabrina is left suffering the consequences of having a boyfriend who fell in love with a witch. After stumbling upon her initiation ceremony, Harvey is chased through the woods by the coven. Sabrina finally realizes what it means to choose the Path of Night versus the Light, but it is too late. There is blood on Sabrina’s hands and with the emotional burden that comes from being half-mortal, that guilt will never go away. It is in this darkest hour of Sabrina’s short life that Madame Satan’s plan, set out issues ago, finally begins.
While this comic is grisly, I was disturbed less by the gore and more by the emotional turmoil of the characters’ faces. Enough can’t be said for Robert Hack’s artwork. While it has always been aesthetically pleasing and terror-inducing, it is the range and complexity of emotions he is able to capture that most impressed me with the fourth issue. It isn’t just about how Sabrina’s teary eyes bear in to your soul, crying out for help and sympathy, but also depictions like the mask of concern featured on Aunt Hilda and Zelda.
It would be cliché to say that reading CHILLING ADVENTURES OF SABRINA #4 is like riding a roller coaster. At least when that is done you feel relieved. Instead, it is quite the opposite. Rather than your stomach turning at the beginning, you are left feeling more nauseous come the end. It is almost a masochistic experience, but one that I’d eagerly go through again and again.
BATTLE-WORLD TRAVEL GUIDE PART IX
OrEwwwwwwwww…. So much eeeeeeeeeEEEEEEEWWWWWWWW
By Henry Higgins is My Homeboy
Previously, on Secret Wars…Judge Dredd Luke Cage showed up. That’s exactly what I wanted from this franchise.
OLD MAN LOGAN #3 (Brian Michael Bendis & Andrea Sorrentino)I’m not going to lie, I really hope that Old Man Logan, after he comes to main continuity, is just as lost as he is in this series. He’s the Grampa Simpson of Secret Wars, and that’s almost as great as Kung-fu world. Sure, Bendis dialogue might take FOREVERRRRRRRRRR sometimes, but that’s his curse. Having Wolverine ACT like Clint Eastwood in UNFORGIVEN, only he used to be an X-Man and also he has to deal with Age of Apocalypse AND Iron Man TRON world? That’s great. And that’s before you (and senile Wolverine, god I hope they keep that attribute of him post Secret Wars) remember that the art to this series has been straight amazing.
X-MEN ’92 #3 (Chad Bowers & Christ Sims, Pepe Larez)Scott Summers FTW! Look, Cyclops is actually pretty cool, all things considered, and the fact that 90’s him and 90’s Jean are able to sneak attack Cassandra Nova is amazing. Nothing is more true to early 90’s style (props, writing team for the hysterically reversed cliffhanger) than having Psylocke psychic knifing people with the totality of her psionic power. No other series feels this authentic, and that’s a compliment.
MARVEL ZOMBIES #2 (Simon & Kev Walker)As we peel more and more away at the onion that Is Elsa Bloodstone, we find ourselves in a sort of holding pattern. It’s always fun to watch Elsa quip and be badass, but sometimes, that can not add much to the story that’s not really there. I mean world! World. Ha. It’s fun (mostly because we don’t have to actually deal with Marvel Zombies, thanks to being not in the region permanently) and a clever twist to the interpretation of things, but despite all the cleverness of this hero, it’s not the most memorable world.
E IS FOR EXTINCTION #2 (Chris Burnham & Ramon Villalobos)This world got so goddamn cool, I can’t even… okay, Xorn shows up, and he’s Xorn, not a fake Magneto or psychotic surprise twin brother… Quentin Quire is awesome… there are entire bastions of Beasts from alternate worlds coming to raise hell and Beast is just standing there, confused because “he stopped fucking with the time stream years ago”… this world got really fun, really fast.
FUTURE IMPERFECT #3 (Peter David & Greg Land)Ruby Summers and Layla Miller…look… I have a lot of affection for you. Your humble tour guide is a fan of Peter David, and always has bee, and those two are clearly creator pets (and fan favourites, to be honest) . So it’s hard to dislike a region where these two play such an important role. But this adventure into Maestro shitty Blade Runner world is so… well… boring. And for a region that has surprised me in terms of being interesting and fun and engaging, it’s really disappointing. Consider this a compliment to the world and less an insult to this adventure, but… weakest of the bunch, so far.
STARLORD & KITTY PRYDE #1 (Sam Humpries & Alti Firmansyah)Look almost nothing is creepier than Gambit sleeping with Kitty Pryde.
Think about that for a second. It’s a fine character moment, and it’s cool to see Gambit as a disciple of the Collector and Kitty as the har dass she is in this world… but…
Let it fester.
Yeah.
Hurts, don’t it?
We see the fallout of SECRET WARS #4, and watch as Chris Pratt has to deal with being Chris Pratt. It’s slow, but undeniably interesting, especially in terms of how the world around it reacts.
SQUADRON SINISTER #2 (Marc Guggenheim & Carlos Pacheco)As the evil Justice League just straight wreck my favourite version of Nick Fury, plans move to the other non-descript areas of Battle-World are… look. This isn’t the most exciting, most unique, or most fun region of Battle-World. It has it’s moment, sure, like evil Batman’s torture monologue, but as a whole? It’s forgettable, even with an appearance of the Frightful Four. Even in this reality, at the end of reality, Wizard is just so lame.
It’s sometimes fun! Sometimes. Occasionally.
WEIRDWORLD #2 (Jason Aaron & Mike Del MundoFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFUCK YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEES
IT’S WHAT WOULD HAVE HAPPENED IF CONAN HAD TO FIGHT MORGANA LE FEY AND OH MY GODDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD!br>
THE CITY OF APE-LANTIS SHOWS UP YOU GUY! THIS IS THE BEST CROSSOVER EVEEEEEEEEEEEEERRRRRRRRRR!
BATTLE-WORLD TRAVEL TIP
Avoid Gambit. All GodKingDoom needed to know was there was a Gambit, and knew to make him a sleeze of the highest order. He will reek of bad cologne and poor decisions.
Proofs, co-edits & common sense provided by Sleazy G
The next level of comic book excellence is a click away at BLACK MASK STUDIOS!
Want more in all things Geek?Check out our friends at PoptardsGo for podcasts, reviews, and more!
And if you still need more geek in your life, check out Part-Time Fanboy for more geeky goodness on comics, movies, and more!Finally, check out AICN COMICS on Facebook and Comixpedia!
