(Click title to go directly to the review)
PROVIDENCE #3
Indie Jones presents BABY BADASS #1
SECRET WARS #5
THE BEAUTY #1
Indie Jones presents BEHEMOTH #3
EARTH 2: SOCIETY #3
SECRET WARS 2099 #4
Advance Review: ARMY OF DARKNESS: ASH IN SPACE Trade Paperback
Marvel’s SECRET WARS BATTLEWORLD TOUR GUIDE Part XII
PROVIDENCE #3
Writer: Alan MooreArtist: Jacen Burrows
Published by: Avatar Press
Reviewed by: BottleImp
Alan Moore and Jacen Burrows continue their take on H.P. Lovecraft’s Mythos begun with THE COURTYARD and followed by NEONOMICON with their new series PROVIDENCE. Those looking for your standard HPL-inspired fluff—a quote from the Necronomicon, some insane gibberish, and, of course, Cthulhu—might be disappointed. Much like he did with THE LEAGUE OF EXTRAORDINARY GENTLEMEN, Moore is taking an array of literary sources and weaving them into a single large narrative. Though in this case rather than casting his net wide into the sea of fantasy literature, Moore is focusing on Lovecraft, Arthur Machen, Robert Chambers, and others who have contributed to the so-called Cthulhu Mythos. In this issue our protagonist Robert Black (who is cheekily mis-identified at one point as “Robert Block”—the Lovecraftians here will get that) continues his delving into the occult underground (quite literally, in some respects) of New England. The references to HPL’s work are so many and nuanced here that even a Lovecraft junkie like myself had to go to the trusty wikipedia to identify a few. Forget about Cthulhu, how many Lovecraftian stories have included the old man from “The Picture In The House?” Or a minor character from “The Dunwich Horror,” carrying a tray of what I’m going to assume are a collection of “essential salts?” In eschewing the clichés of Mythos fiction, Moore’s work becomes much more subtle in his spin on the themes of Lovecraft’s work, and that subtlety lends an appreciable air of unease to this comic.
Let me be perfectly clear about one thing, though. Yes, This is an Alan Moore book. So yes, there’s a lot of sex stuff happening. You’ll find cocks and balls and tits and vaginas drawn on these pages, so if you’re easily offended by that sort of thing, this comic won’t be your cup of tea. Myself, I’m generally not a huge fan of Moore’s obsession with shoehorning as much sex as possible into his work. In THE LEAGUE OF EXTRAORDINARY GENTLEMEN books, for instance, I found his tendency to do so extremely tiring and pointless after a while (maybe that’s one of the reasons I enjoyed his NEMO graphic novels so much; Moore largely ignored the sexual angle in favor of more straightforward action stories). But in this case, as with the previous NEONOMICON series, I think the sex stuff works because it is essential to the larger narrative. Just as they did in that miniseries, Moore and Burrows are taking Lovecraft’s obsession with ancestry and degeneration and bringing it to the forefront of his Mythos. Cosmic deities and extra dimensional aliens are all fine and dandy and go a long way in giving power to HPL’s work, but the real skin-crawling stuff comes when you realize that 90% of the horror is based on people fucking monsters.
But it isn’t all about sex, either. Moore and Burrows take Lovecraft’s focus on racial purity and work it into the larger context of history, as Black is subjected to a bizarre, time-twisting dream in which he sees a heavily-veiled glimpse of the future horrors of World War II. HPL’s famous anti-Semitism is brought to mind as Black, at least partly-Jewish himself, experiences a foreshadowing of the gas chambers at the Nazi concentration camps—real-life horror melded with Lovecraft’s notion of an indifferent, uncaring cosmos.
Burrows’ work is excellent here—his skill has certainly developed since THE COURTYARD, and his detailed precision brings to mind the similar talents of Dave Gibbons. Of course, you know that a big part of the detail is due to Moore’s notoriously thick scripts, which left me poring over these nuances and wondering about their significance. What is the reason for the train conductor in New York having a splotchy mark on his face? Is the pornographic graffiti just that, or is there some deeper meaning there?
By this point Moore has developed a “love him or hate him” kind of following, so I’m going to assume that those readers who like his work will enjoy PROVIDENCE—though prior reading of THE COURTYARD and NEONOMICON, even though not strictly essential, will make this series richer for the reader. And if you’re sick of the dirty old man and his stories of fish-fucking, well, there’s plenty of other fish in the sea.
The BottleImp is in reality Stephen Andrade, an artist and sign maker who lives in Western Massachusetts with his wife and baby daughter. Once every hundred years or so, in between work, painting, and changing diapers, he manages to review the occasional comic book, movie, or novel for AICN. You can see his artwork at sandradeillustration.com!
BABY BADASS #1
Writers: David Schrader (writer/story/creator) and Kristian Horn (story/creator)Art: Tim Larsen
Publisher: babybadass.com
Reviewer: Ambush Bug
A new indie comic of note is BABY BADASS, an exciting and fun exercise in foul language, potty humor, and over the top violence.
We enter the world of BABY BADASS through the eyes of Joey, a chipper but belabored waitress in a cheap liquor and titty bar in the middle of nowhere with an asshole boss and drooling customers. While on a break, she happens upon a little naked baby sleeping on the ground, swaddles him with her shirt, and brings her into the back room of the bar. Once her abusive asshole boss sees the baby, he becomes enraged and attacks her, but what look to be a harmless baby is actually a quite dangerous killing machine and he takes his vengeance out upon the boss. What follows is a type of unhinged carnage that would make Lobo and Wolverine clutch each other in horror.
BABY BADASS is not one of those books that will necessarily challenge your intellect. In fact, it will piss in the face of anyone who wants to overly analyze it or have their delicate sensibilities offended by its political incorrectness. It’s a story about a baby who kills in very gory ways, with all sorts of blood, boobs, and bad language and if that’s the type of thing you like, they it’s definitely going to deliver. The art is strong throughout as artist Tim Larsen delivers quite a bit of blood drenched panels. At the same time, I laughed quite a bit at the quips and one-liners the baby doled out as he inflicts his wrath by storytellers David Schrader and Kristian Horn. This is your typical opening issue, revealing just enough info to tempt you to read more as it promises to reveal the secret origin of Baby Badass and how the tyke from Hell came to be in the next issue.
In an age where Wolverine is sitting around eating pizza and teaching kids and Lobo has been turned into an emo punk, it’s refreshing to see that there are still comics like BABY BADASS that can dole out the grue and carnage with no limit or restraint. BABY BADASS is an entertaining and good looking book that pulls no punches. Fans of non-stop action with a heavy dose of Grindhouse awesome and wrongness will definitely want to seek this one out at its website here.
Ambush Bug is Mark L. Miller, original @$$Hole/wordslinger/writer of wrongs/reviewer/interviewer/editor of AICN COMICS for over 14 years & AICN HORROR for 5. Follow Ambush Bug on the Twitters @Mark_L_Miller.
SECRET WARS #5
Writer: Jonathan HickmanArtist: Esad Ribic
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Reviewer: Masked Man
Meanwhile, back in the Marvel Universe, the Secret Wars rage on! As if you didn't know, because it's pretty much the only thing going on at Marvel these days. But where everything else is pretty much silly fun: zombies vs robots, super-villains vs super-villains, dinosaurs vs bi-planes, Civil War and Siege due. SECRET WARS is where the real Marvel Universe is.
Now you shouldn't be hating on the SECRET WARS cross-over books, it's not like they are all being written under a company mandate to have everyone fight for no damn reason. While sure I miss Peter Parker Spider-Man doing his thing, there's nothing wrong with seeing writers and artist just go full b@llz creativity without worrying about continuity or even the precious statues quo. This is the one time when, seriously- anything can happen! All you who b!tch at continuity is evil, this is you're time! Just sit back and enjoy the free flow.
Ok, back to the SECRET WARS itself, this was Hickman's big chance to prove to everyone indifferent with to him, that he was worthy of all the praise he gets from his fans. And unlike his first chance, INFINITY, he's succeeding at it. The thing that makes SECRET WARS so interesting to read, is that Hickman has been giving us just enough info about this new reality each issue. So you get satisfying bite and are hungry for more next month. And this issue really gets into the 'how' of Battle World.
Recap Time with spoilers so, you know. So Lord/God Doom has killed Dr. Strange. And then reveals that the third architect of this new reality, the Molecule Man is alive and well. So alive and well, he is pretty much fueling Doom and all of reality. We also get a brief low down on how the three boys took out the Beyonders and set all this up. The issue also starts to illustrate why human's can never be god- because they aren't god. Since everyone on Battle World has free will, they want to know what happened to Dr. Strange. So Lord/God Doom sends Valeria, his 3rd in command after the other survivors of the Old Universes (team The Maker and team Mr. Fantastic) - basically pinning Strange's death on them. But it doesn't take long for Valeria to figure out things don't add up.
So aside from this coming down to Doom getting an @$$ whipping, it's pretty tricky to predict where it will go next. I'm not even sure it will end with Doom getting an @$$ whipping. Just as it often happens to Thanos, godhood ends with a whimper more often than a bang.
On the negative side, no action in this issue. Lots of great intrigue, but like an action tv show, we need to have at least three fights (not per issue, per storyline). So I'm dying to see more of Thanos and company- not to mention Mr. Fantastic! If there is any @$$ whipping to be done here, Mr. Fantastic will do it, and it should be sweet!
Artist Esad Ribic and colorist Ive Svorcina are just killing it on this book too. After making their name on THOR: GOD OF THUNDER, their dark, moody and otherworldly artwork is just perfect for this story. It really grounds and sells the heaviness of the tale.
To give Hickman some high praise (at least at this point) SECRET WARS is reminding me a lot of Neil Gaiman's work on 1602 and the ETERNALS. All three are very thoughtful, revaluations of the Marvel Universe. With three issues left, I sure hope he can stick the landing like Gaiman too.
THE BEAUTY #1
Writer(s): Jason A. Hurley & Jeremy HaunArtist: Jeremy Haun
Publisher: Image Comics
Reviewer: Humphrey Lee
We all know the clichés about the concept of Beauty. How “Beauty is only skin deep” or that it is “in the eye of the beholder.” Or, because we’re all nerds, we create metaphors with book covers with it, and then some poor schmuck apparently had a revelatory experience with a stripper one night and let us all know that even if it is glittery it’s not exactly gold. Then there’s that old chestnut about how Beauty is not a state of mind or being but a sexually transmitted disease that will burn away your flaws and turn you into walking sex appeal, until eventually you go fucking KABOOM! and internally combust for your naughty flesh sins. I remember my mother tucking me into bed with that one when I was growing up to make me feel less the ugly duckling and more her special man…
That last segment is the world in which THE BEAUTY takes place. Society is moving along just like always until one day, all of a sudden instead of just slamming our fleshy bits together for fun and profit (and procreation too, I guess) people are doing it for aesthetic reasons too. Eventually known as “The Beauty” (tada!) over the span of two years it becomes a Sexually Transmitted Disease people actually become desperate for because it burns away our flawed bits and makes the populace look essentially like every Hollywood movie ever where even that coffee barista in the coffee bar chain looks like a Cover Model. It’s an interesting conceit to be sure just because of the unusual nature of such a disease, but what works about it is that, just like the idea of beauty itself, it has layers.
If you’re going to go right ahead and just buy into this idea – which I kind of do so far – of a disease that burns away the unflattering bits of a person, then that has some “fun” sociological implications to play with, which Haun and Hurley touch a bit in this series debut. I mean, it sounds great on its face “The Beauty” does because first, you’re getting laid to contract it and then that creates a domino effect of booty tapping as your body goes from fluffy caterpillar to beautiful butterfly. And a significant portion of the populace buys into “the Beauty” in THE BEAUTY for that reason, neglecting the whole “disease” part of it being a disease, a reality slammed home when pretty little thing with the STD inside her goes Human Torch on the subway one day.
Nothing is definitive about this incendiary incident though, just like the nature of The Beauty, both comic and disease, themselves. The torched girl is just the start as THE BEAUTY actually goes into crime solving mode with a tandem of Detectives named Vaughn and Foster looks into her case and that’s where the rabbit hole begins. And it’s enjoyable trip down that varmint burrow as it expands on the idea of living in a world with such an alluring disease. Like the idea that while half the populace was more than happy to horizontal tango their way to higher fuckability the other half is also kind of shunned and even kind of terrified that their fellow humans would be so willing to commune such an unknown thing. This leads to a paranoia of these almost exiled people and what they are capable of doing out of fear (jealousy?) to the Beauty infected, hence why a torched girl on a subway car leads to such an investigation and then a revelation that seems like it be the biggest shake up in the populace since the disease itself hit.
Now, the downside to the interesting themes introduced in this debut – the vanity of the people who rushed out to get themselves infected, the split it creates in the populace, etc – is that The Beauty itself is such a pure concept idea that it could easily end up in MacGuffin territory. It’s just such a transformative process of not only shedding away unsightly pounds and some blemishes in the human body – which you can just wave away with it being a metabolism enhancing agent or whatever – but The Beauty is essentially a fountain of youth. I personally like how it puts a Science Fiction slant to the book as a whole, but since this is also a pretty reality-based work I just hope that the disease doesn’t end up becoming a “just cause” catch all for things that happen to its hosts. I want some neat conjecture and sciency stuff to go with the social commentary and division (and some relationship drama that could be coming given the last two pages of this issues) that Haun and Hurley nudge forward with this series premiere.
Wrapping up the review and the overall package here, Haun’s art duties on THE BEAUTY are pretty sharp. I’ve been a fan of his work since I first saw it in BATTLE HYMN lord knows how long ago and it still clicks here. The panel to panel stuff has good flow, he presents us with a wide range of character builds where everyone could just look like “generic model body/face,” and overall there’s a lot of detail in the pages, though I feel like sometimes the facial expressions are a little blank or “frozen.” But it’s good, quality art and it caps off a good, quality start to this book. It’s an interesting sell you concept and the team generates enough implications around the disease itself and what it has done to societal lines that I feel like there’s a bigger picture to be played at here even though it’s currently wrapped in a crime thriller shell. Going back to those overused expressions from the opening, I have seen enough here to feel that THE BEAUTY is more than its cover, or in more specific terms the “dust jacket” synopsis of “disease makes people pretty then explode.” The key from here on out is how well Haun and Hurley evolve it out from its pupal stage to Lepidopteron glory and I’m definitely going to give it more observation for now.
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.
BEHEMOTH #3
Writer: Chris KipiniakArtist: J.K Woodward
Publisher: Monkeybrain Comics
Reviewer: Morbidlyobesefleshdevouringcat
Nearly at a close the third issue of BEHEMOTH titled “Shedding” prods at the concept of losing oneself, which is specifically conveyed through main characters Theresa and Rex. A double entendre of sorts, the title invokes the image of the animalistic act of shedding, but also foreshadows the beginning of this theme making this issue a high point for the BEHEMOTH series.
“Shedding” begins with the introduction of the first mission that the group will be embarking on: storming a secret Russian facility that has been taken under siege by an unknown enemy. Training is intense and, unfortunately seems to only weaken the groups ability and personal confidence to be successful. It appears that as the days go on, both Rex, who at this point is still in bandages from the surprise attack, and Theresa, are beginning to lose focus. Meaning their ability to work independently is faltering, and it is the primal that is taking control.
Theresa, in reliable Theresa fashion maintains her internal diary throughout the issue; a wonderful monologue that, as the issue progresses shows her maturation and growth as a character. Her introspections are child-like and blunt, but hold remarkable insight to her situation, especially her emotions both towards the position she is in and her desires towards Rex.
In terms of aesthetics, it is once again the lettering specific towards Theresa’s monologue throughout the issue that is really engaging. Quite literally made to look like a kid jotting down the day in a personal journal, the lettering, stylistically is terse, but shakey. A confirmation of the trouble Theresa is experiencing in trying to maintain the personal diary which also hints at the progression that this strange ‘disease’ is taking. It’s quite clear that soon she will be like the rest.
After a tense training session, and seeing the poor shape that Rex is in, and will likely to continue to be in Theresa confronts General Rayne about Rex’s condition. During this interaction, Theresa pleads to have Rex removed from the first mission and to allow her to take over as leader. Although she is growing as a character, it certainly cannot be forgotten that she is still a kid, and although General Rayne maintains the image of a brutish general he also isn’t dumb, and so he relays to her the real difference between her and Rex, and why the group chooses to follow him.
Disheartened, Theresa returns to her room to find Rex waiting for her in angst, and when she relays to him where she was and why, he flies into a rage. It is at this point that it starts to become more clear that both are beginning to lose their human side. The two tumble and thrash and roll until a single moment when they realize what’s actually happening. But it after this tussle that is the pinnacle of the growth of Theresa.
What I also love about this issue is that we get to see more from Rex as both a leader and a character. The pack leader shows all the defining qualities of what a stereotypical natural born leader should be, benevolent to say the least. But, it is here where we see his pride take a hit and as terrible as he reacts, by throwing punches at the girl he shows affection for no less, it also proves his youth and the real gravity of the situation.
The real punch of the issue comes when the Behemoth team finally get to the mission. Jumping from a plane to ambush the facility, the team themselves are ambushed, and it appears that all that training has been for nothing—because at the end of the day, they’re all still just kids, human or not. Fear warms over them and it is only Rex who jumps forward. He pushes forward, confident, defiant, a proud roar in a premature success, but this is done in haste and from this Rex falters, and has his life end before the eyes of the group. Theresa loses herself and her scales become fully and completely her. Whoever Theresa was is gone with Rex. What happens now? At this point the only thing left to do is wait for the next issue. And, wait I shall.
EARTH 2: SOCIETY #3
Writer: Daniel H. WilsonArtist: Jorge Jimenez
Publisher: DC Comics
Reviewer: The Kid Marvel
A year has passed since the aftermath of DC’s CONVERGENCE and “Planetfall”, with the heroes of Earth 2 having fully reestablished themselves on their new home. Cities are flourishing and it seems allies have become enemies, throughout the time skip presented in the book, with this issue really focused on Lois Lane or The Red Tornado, from Planetfall until now.
In EARTH 2 SOCIETY #3, the issue begins in the present time, with various heroes coming together in order to deal with a situation, involving Jimmy Olsen. This includes Dick Grayson as Batman, Lois, Flash, Red Arrow and Huntress. As well as Val Zod and Kara, who seem to have had some sort of falling out during the last year. So serious in fact, that without hesitation, Kara power punches Val through a mountain. Issue two then time skips backward to Planetfall and follows Lois’s journey through the last twelve months. Showing Lois as she adjusts to this new world and her general unacceptance as a machine by society, all presented in small doses, before returning to the present and the current crisis.
Overall, I’d consider this book almost like an origins issue of sorts, even though these characters have already been vastly well established pre-convergence. It’s really just used to show how different this Earth 2 is from the last one and the character growth since the ending of their planet. Specifically, Lois in this case, who is shown as more or less as alien as her husband Superman was, to the people of this world. Lois is living in a body that was created, for a war that is over and foreign to everyone around her, reminding them of a past they wish to forget. The love of her life is dead. Louis is also for all intensive purposes dead, in the physical or biological sense. Many of her friends have vastly changed since coming to this new planet. In particular, Green Lantern who has taken on almost a god-like persona and is only interested in the direct protection of the planet itself, losing almost all of his human like qualities and personality. EARTH 2 SOCIETY #3, follows the previous two issues in establishing this new world and I assume, the following few issues will be doing the same.
I have no complaints about this book, but that being said, I don’t have a lot of positives to say either. I just don’t have much to comment on. It was a slightly above average issue, with nothing intense or drastically interesting happening. I liked it. I was entertained and enjoyed the read, but I didn’t feel anything positive or negative in any overt fashion. I thought seeing Lois’s transition in this new world was interesting and was a cool showcase of the character, but I just don’t care enough about her, for me to really feel anything. I do however, really like the direction EARTH 2 SOCIETY has been taking and further separating itself from the main DC continuity, even more so than it already has. It continues to establish itself as a vastly different world, that I’ve enjoyed at various points I’ve followed Earth 2. As for the artwork, I have the same time of feeling. It’s far from bad, but it’s nothing that wowed me in any form. It’s good art and has some pretty cool moments throughout the issue. Just unfortunately, it doesn’t sway my opinion in any direction one way or another. It’s just solid, but nothing spectacular.
To conclude, I’d definitely check out the series, but this issue in particular probably won’t be anything important along the road. It’s a good book and it was entertaining, but it’s nothing special or stands out. That said, the series so far has been really fun and I look forward to seeing how the story develops.
SECRET WARS 2099 #4
Writer: Peter DavidArtist: Will Sliney
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Reviewer: Lionel Putz
As Battleworld's version of the Marvel Universe circa 2099--originally conceived of by writer Peter David in the halcyon days of 1994--rolls on towards its issue 5 conclusion, we find Captain America/Roberta overriding her programming and working to free from the evil Alchemax Corporation the Defenders 2099, including Dr. Strange 2099, Namor 2099, Silver Surfer (vintage unknown), and Hulk 2099 (along with Hulk 2099's bitchin' mohawk... oh, '90s, how we've missed you. Enjoy your 15 minutes in the sweet sunshine of nostalgia.)
Confused? A quick review of how we got here: in this particular Battleworld domain, corporations control the law and the heroes, and one corporation reigns supreme: Alchemax. Run by Miguel Stone--Battleworld's version of intrepid future-shock wall-crawler Miguel O'Hara/Spider-Man--Alchemax controls the Avengers, the world's only sanctioned heroes. This future super team is led by Roberta, a woman who dons the mantle of Captain America when needed, only to completely forget about her alter ego when she's put back into sleeper mode by her corporate handlers. She's backed up by an Iron Man who’s closer in stature to Peter Dinklage when he's not in the suit; drunken demi-God Hercules; a (literal) cannibal Black Widow; and a mean-spirited loose cannon with wings called Hawk. After a couple of punch-'em-up issues, these Avengers have been tasked with containing the previously outlined Defenders 2099, who declined signing up with Alchemax, despite the company's excellent benefits package. And so, a conscience-infused Captain America has decided to save them, dividing the Avengers.
So how has this book been? My suspicion is that it probably hasn't done much to win over casual readers who weren't already fans of the 2099 corner of the Marvel Universe, which is a shame. While artist Will Sliney has done at best a competent job of illustrating the somewhat by-the-numbers story and without any breathtaking (or even memorable) visual moments, fans of the hypothetical year 2099 can probably see that some elements of always entertaining writer Peter David's 1994 vision of 2099 really hold up. Born of early '90s/REALITY BITES style corporate mistrust, this vision of a Marvel future run solely by corporate interest and completely devoid of a middle class feels as relevant today as it ever did, if not more so. Couple that pervasive (and seemingly timeless) fear of an increasingly-corporate and privatized world with some of the wittier dialogue offered up by a Marvel writer, and you find yourself reading a pretty entertaining yarn with some welcome throwbacks to days gone by.
Look, I loved the very hit-or-miss 2099 line when it premiered almost two decades ago, and this series has been a fun reimagining of that world. David has presented an even more ruthless version of his Miguel O'Hara Stone, and now that the fall publication lines have been announced, I'm curious to see if this is the version of Spidey 2099 who survives the Secret Wars, or if we're going to revert back our more familiar (but still less-than-friendly) Spider-Man 2099 in the Fall (albeit in a new costume apparently). And in the context of the overall SECRET WARS event, this has been a fun standalone tale that holds up pretty well against the rest of the tie-ins, all of which have been pretty entertaining across the board.
All in all, I would encourage fans of Marvel’s 2099 world, Marvel’s latest SECRET WARS event--or both--to check out this book, be it for its quick and snappy characterizations of players new and old, or its blessedly ‘90s cynicism, if nothing else. While it’s not necessarily the crown jewel of the incredibly entertaining Secret Wars event series, this book has over delivered on its basic promise of revisiting a largely forgotten corner of the Marvel Universe.
Lionel Putz is a lawyer by day and badly wishes his legal briefs could include illustrations and dialogue bubbles. He watched Matlock in a bar last night; the sound wasn't on, but he's pretty sure he got the gist of it. Email him at lionel.putz@gmail.com
In stores today!ARMY OF DARKNESS: ASH IN SPACE! TPB
Writer: Cullen BunnArtist: Larry Watts
Publisher: Dynamite Entertainment
Reviewer: Lyzard
You would think reviewing something like ARMY OF DARKNESS: ASH IN SPACE! would be simple. Do you like the EVIL DEAD films and ARMY OF DARKNESS? Then read ASH IN SPACE! Done. Mic drop. Walk off stage.
If I had been reviewing the first third of the collection, then that might have been all that needed to be said. It took time for the differences between Dynamite’s Ashely Williams and Bruce Campbell’s Chosen One to become apparent, and it is these differences that affect just how much of a fan you need to be to appreciate this book.
ARMY OF DARKNESS: ASH IN SPACE pulls together issues #1-5 of ARMY OF DARKNESS Vol. 4, along with the introductory story featured in ARMY OF DARKNESS #1992.1. Ash finds himself once again lost in time and in search for the Necronomicon to return him home to the ol’ ball & chain. In this period of the Dark Ages, the evil tome is in the hands of a sorcerer named Artemus Vrill, whose Deadites minions cannot (and will not) stop saying “stars in our eyes.” Jumping past the rest of the introductory issue as the plot unfolds as expected, we find Ash on the International Space Station with Vrill uploading the Necronomicon onto the station’s computer system. If you thought Hal 9000 was a prick, wait until you see what a virtual spell book of doom can do.
A word of caution: just because something is collected together, doesn’t necessarily mean it should be read as a whole. This is one of the aspects where filmic Ash and comic Ash begin to separate, though not necessarily one into a Bad Ash. Ash on screen, much in part to Bruce Campbell’s performance, can throw out one-liners and filmic references for ninety minutes straight and the audience would adore him for it. Reading paper Ash spout quotes from films and TV shows he couldn’t have any frame of reference with due to his constant time-traveling wears on you. A movie forces the audience to keep up, leaving very little time for introspection. Come page one hundred of ARMY OF DARKNESS: ASH IN SPACE ad you’ve had plenty of time to hypothesize as to how the Chosen One can save the world from the Deadites and remain a pop culture junkie. So, do yourself a favor, don’t read this all at once. Otherwise you’ll turn into one of those Deadites repeating “the stars in our eyes” every other page.
If you won’t do it for me or your own sanity, then do it for Cullen Bunn and Larry Watts. I reviewed a work of Cullen Bunn’s last week, THE SHADOW #1. Not as a slant towards his pulp fiction writing, but Bunn is in far greater form when his words are being spoken by the Chosen One. Just as the dialogue is dependent upon homage, so is the artwork. There are references to various 1970s and 80s sci-fi flicks such as 2001 and ALIENS, along with an inadvertent but can’t be unseen resemblance to AGE OF ULTRON. It is a delicate line they both walk, between providing iconic moments (Hail to the Space King, Baby!) and creating a unique take. By the end I feel that Bunn and Watts found their footing, but there are dozens of pages in between that feel much more like pander.
The question isn’t whether or not fans will enjoy ASH IN SPACE. At approximately one hundred thirty pages, the question is whether or not fans need that much ASH IN SPACE. While watching EVIL DEAD on TV is a god-awful experience thanks to censorship and commercials, treating ASH IN SPACE as five separate books to be read on five separate occasions is probably your best bet to truly appreciate the comic.
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."
Marvel’s SECRET WARS BATTLEWORLD TOUR GUIDE Part XII
or“Well, that didn’t work” – Most of our heroes.
By Henry Higgins is My Homeboy
,br> Previously, on Secret Wars… Thanos has to pretend to be a good guy, and hates it. Red Skull is still cuckoo bananas. Apocalypse still looks fucking stupid.
MRS. DEADPOOL AND THE HOWLING COMMANDOS #3 (Gerry Duggan & Salva Espin)It turns out that Shiklah has found a way to kill stupid white hair Dracula once and for all! Unfortunately (for her), this ancient relic is in Weirdworld. Sadly, they don’t end up fighting the legions of Apelantis, but they do manage to tussle with some wizards, which is cool. Meanwhile, things are getting weird at Dracula Manor, as the Invisible Man is lurking around and trying not to get caught by a paranoid Dracula. Dracula isn’t really keeping it all that together lately.
SECRET WARS 2099 #4 (Peter David & Will Sliney)Future Captain America turns out to be a clutch player in the last two minutes, with a single handed (with a little help from a drunk Hercules too) save of the entire Defends team. I’m still somewhat confused how a Silver Surfer lost to a Hawkeye, but the 2099 years were always weird. Also, what the hell happened to you, Miguel? You used to be cool.
INHUMANS – ATTILAN RISING #4 (Charles Soule & John Timms)Black Bolt continues to be pretty badass, even if he isn’t doing the one thing I love that he does – aka yell at stuff until it explodes. He’s under interrogation in Medusa’s keep, and being threatened with a bad case of exploding brain. But he still doesn’t budge, and is even able to get into a philosophical discourse over the freedoms of men and the slavery of royalty. Also Rick Jones is a Hulk. If that’s a thing you think you’d enjoy, then this is the resistance to hang out with.
A-FORCE #3 (Maguerite Bennett and G. Willow Wilson, Jorge Molina)Captain Universe continues her trend of being the nicest person in the world, while Medusa continues to impress across multiple realities. In this one, she somehow decides to go fight some Thors, because that’s just what you can do when you’re Medusa. She-hulk is flung through realities, and ends up having to fight a Thor Gamora while also body slamming Sentinels. Also, we all know the traitor is going to be Loki, right? It’s one of like, three Loki’s we’ve met. One of them has to be evil, right?
GHOST RACERS #3 (Felipe Smith & Juan Gedeon)The city streets of downtown Doomstadt are burning, because Ghost Racers are just straight blowing up everything in their path. Just fire chains all over the place, and it’s up to Robbie Reyes to just not die. This is somewhat tricky when centaur Sam Elliot is also half gun and pissed off. Also, one of the Ghost Racers is a Ghost Rider gorilla, which is amazing. I had somehow missed that little tidbit during the earlier death races.
STAR-LORD & KITTY PRYDE #2 (Sam Humphries & Alti Firmansyah)AOA Kitty Pryde is a hard ASS. Seriously, she’s one shotting cyborg demon queens and killing Doug Ramsey like it was going out of style. Chris Pratt is understandably put off by this, because HIS Kitty was significantly less murder happy. But they’ll have time to figure out relationship hiccups when they’re not being chased by monsters. We also get the return of Collector Gambit, who is just somehow even creepier than normal Gambit, and that’s a VERY difficult thing to have down on lock.
YEARS OF FUTURE PAST #4 (Marguerite Bennett & Mike Norton)Jeeeeez, it sucks to live in Days of Future Past world. You’ve got humans being assholes, mutants being assholes, certain characters turning out to be GIANT assholes… and that’s before you get to all the murder bots populating the lands. Also, Destiny is still running around and kicking people in the face, which is confusing. It’s not like she was a spry chicken twenty years ago, and with her inhibitor collar, she should have all the powers possessed by a 61 year old woman. But the Star Wars parallels get even more obvious, and oooof, that was an interesting subplot to his me in the face.
KORVAC SAGA #3 (Dan Abnett & Otto Schmidt)Secret Wars continues to surprise me, by getting me to root for… *shudder* Wonder Man. Sorry, it’s just… I’ve never thought, spoke, or even considered those words before. But here we are, with Wonder Man tackling an insane Captain Marvel through a few walls while just beating the ever living crap out of him, and that’s pretty damn cool. But now they have to deal with the return of Korvac, and that, which already looks like it’s going to be tougher to actually do.
PLANET HULK #4 (Sam Humphries & Marc Laming)GOD DAMN, but gladiator Cap is just so cool. He wakes up from being Hulk punched in the back of the head, and his first thoughts are about finding his dinosaur, his ax, and his buddy. With some help from a particularly nice Hulk (who also ax murders some Hulks for good measure) and also his pet dinosaur, Cap goes to war against a mini-army of Hulks, and look. People complain about this story line being confusing and Marvel being muddled, and there is some validity to those comments. But the premise of this world is that Cap is teaming up with a T-Rex to go fight Conan the Barbarian Hulks. I don’t, look, I really don’t know what could be more straight forward than that.
MASTER OF KUNG-FU #4 (Haden Blackman & Dalibor Talajic)The kung-fu tournament to end all kung-fu tournaments has reached it’s conclusion, and now it’s up to Shang-Chi to just not die. But ooooooooooh, it’s cool, and… well… rushed. It’s maybe the best tie-in from Secret Wars, a straight forward Elseworld that sees familiar characters molded into another kind of story, and it’s been a very good one at that. But because of the limited run time for the series, it comes to a brisker conclusion than it deserves. Maybe it’s just because I never want this sector of Battle-world to go away, but if finishes off way too clean, way too quick. But it’s still amazing, so there’s that.
SECRET WARS – BATTLEWORLD #4 (James Stokoe, Peter David & Daniel Valadez)Two quick updates on the worlds of Battle-World, where two Silver Surfers are busy being Silver Surfers. In the land of Egyptia, Silver Surfer teams up with Juggernaut to kill a Fing Fang Foom so he can feed the ravenous Galactus and god this story got sad real fast, didn’t it? Meanwhile, Maestro fights a Silver Surfer, and it turns out that the evilest Hulk is still not really all that special compared to a pissed off Silver Surfer.
Wait, this just in! It’s from our reports in the main book! How’s it going out there?
SECRET WARS #5 (Jonathan Hickman & Esad Ribic)OOOOOOOOOOHHHHHHHHH SHIIIIIIIT EVERYTHING’S ABOUT TO START BLOWING UP ISN’T IT?!?!?!?!
BATTLE-WORLD TRAVEL TIP!
Do not, I repeat, do NOT fuck with the science council.
Proofs, co-edits & common sense provided by Sleazy G
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