Review: Critter #3

Critter is a generational superhero book from Big Dog Ink. What I mean by generational is that Critter is a second generation superhero that has begun learning the ropes of the superhero trade. What I really enjoy about Critter is that it has a Saturday morning cartoon feel where the consequences don’t get in the way of a good story and crazy events. Basically think about a comic book pre-2000’s and how no one cared about the cost of repairing a city and you have Critter. With this issue we see a country wide attack from the sea dweller Rip Tide and for once someone ruling under the ocean doesn’t look like a GQ dude, but rather a sea creature. But this is just the back drop as Critter’s future is being changed and Paradox becomes very concerned by her tardiness to the battle. In the end Critter arrives in time to still save the day, but is again attacked by the crazy chick from the previous issue that has it out for her. It’s a cool scene because it shows how deranged the character is that she’s willing to put herself in harms reach to attack Critter in the middle of a huge battle. Hutchison builds up the supporting cast for Critter which gives the world a bigger feel. I think that’s another that this book does well. It has slowly created a world with superheroes and shown their existence, but hasn’t slammed them down your throat. It’s something other indie superhero books fail at as they want to create a lush world of superheroes like the “big two”, but you need to start slow and build up and that’s where Critter excels.

The art continues to be really good and just fits the books story and tone. Artist Ossio is still the best addition to this series and has really taken ownership of Critter and the supporting cast. In particular Rookie has become an interesting character and the creative team finds interesting things to do with her light based powers. It gives her character a bit of a Green Lantern feel, but without any of the Corps business to get in the way. Ossio also excels at making the back grounds interesting and full, the world always looks alive and that’s very enjoyable when reading.

If you’re looking for a superhero book that just focuses on being a hero, beating the bad guys and doesn’t worry about collateral damage, police interference and most of all mega-super crossover events then pick up Critter asap. It’s a fun book that still takes the world and the danger very seriously, but it captures a different experience when compared to other superhero books today. I wouldn’t call it old-fashion as some might say, but it just doesn’t focus on cramming the real world into the book but rather lets it be a good work of fiction.

Score: 4/5

Writer: Tom Hutchison Publisher: Big Dog Ink Price: $3.99

Why Real-life Superheroes Fail or The Ballad of Phoenix Jones

It's a novel idea becoming a real superhero, creating an alter-ego and then taking to the streets to stop crime in your neighborhood or community. It's even a concept that comic books like Kick-Ass have tackled. In fact writer Mark Millar goes on a tangent on how to realistically become a superhero. Unfortunately as "real" as Kick-Ass tried to be it still failed miserably at capturing what would really happen, what in fact happened to Phoenix Jones. Phoenix Jones hit the scene as a real life crime fighter in Seattle. Well, he had a run in with the law after he pepper sprayed a group of clubbers. Some "he said, she said" crap came out and he was arrested and his identity forcefully revealed. Now it's come out that he's been fired from his job from working with autistic children helping them learn day-to-day things that we all take for granted. Frankly I find this really sad. Here he's doing a job that affects real people, but because he was playing superhero and may have gotten involved when he shouldn't have. Now he's lost a good job that again really had an effect on people and needs to figure out how to pay the bills.

He's also an MMA fighter and has been offered to fight with Stikeforce, but he's committed to fighting crime still. I can already see where this is going. He'll do Strikeforce, he'll do comic conventions, he'll license his rights to a comic company I'm thinking Dynamite. He'll make some money, maybe even a lot of it, but at the end of the day he'll be forgotten like the winners of Stan Lee's "Who Wants To Be A Superhero?" This is just my best guess given how things like this pan out usually and again... it's sad.

This is why real life vigilantism doesn't work. Sure we'd all like to think that it could and hell, maybe in another country it could, but not here. You're going to get caught by the police and treated like a criminal even if you are trying to do something good. My hope is that Phoenix Jones or Ben Fodor finds his path and figures out another way to positively affect his community since that really seems to be what he was trying to do. Hopefully he's not convicted and doesn't end up in the prison system because I doubt very much that he'd go all Rorschach on the other inmates. If he avoids the system then look for him at the next comic convention.

I'm The Best There Is At What I Do...

What do you do with 5 dollars and too much free time? Answer: Make some Wolverine claws and look like a jackwagon. Bub, bub, rookie!

The Walking Dead: Lori Needs A Sandwich

"The Walking Dead" the TV series is what I'm talking about today. This mainly started because I was talking to the guys in the tattoo shop as I was getting some new ink. I've been talking to a few about it and the general opinion is if you're a fan of the comic its a bad TV show based on the comic, but on the other hand if you've never read the comic people love it (i.e. my wife). Me I'm on the fence. Season one was too short, I felt the story never really developed. Season two now has me wondering who's going to kill who? I feel the survivors are just going to "off" themselves or each other before the zombies get them. The episodes themselves start out with good action, suspense and it grabs your attention, but it falls off after 15-20 minutes. The story builds again to grab your attention at the end but that only goes so far. I'd prefer it be all action in the series or all drama but it feels like they can't make up their mind. So for me its starting to become a joke or just guessing how the episode will end. But it does make some interesting comments between my wife and I; like is Lori a zombie or not because, she looks like she needs a sandwich? Or what's worse than a zombie? A zombie with a helmet.

What it comes down to is that the show is entertaining for me, but I'm not impressed with it. The show draw you in but leaves you hanging. You can already see, because of the popularity of the show, Hollywood is going to kill the zombie genre by making everything they can from, bad sci-fi movies, clothing, video games and even dice games. Everybody is on this bandwagon which leaves me waiting for the Twilight zombie edition.

This Kicks All Kinds of Ass: The Superhero Art Movement

French artist Greg Guillemin has use the comic characters that you know and love to showcase different artistic movements of the 20th century! Soak it up!

Review: Heart #1

The story begins with Oren "Rooster' Redmond in a MMA match. It looks like he may get pinned within the first minute, but he ends up winning. Later he ends up alone in the locker room two hundred dollars richer and the owner of a free t shirt, but has he won? The story moves on how he got into MMA because of his brother. "Rooster" was just a desk jockey scrapping by feeling like a total loser. The gym owner of Monster MMA invited him to train and he was destroyed on his first day, but he kept coming back and training hard. He gets to a point where he is a lot better and ends up in his first fight. When I started reading I felt great, a comic about MMA trying reach a fan base that usually dogs on us comic kids. I was starting to expect a character of a total tool and "broseph" mentality, but later as I read I was wondering was this going to be just an MMA story? The story is rather a story about Oren trying to find himself and not feel empty. The black and white gritty art goes very well with the story. It captures the emotion of the characters and the feel of the scenes of the arena, office and gym. There is one thing I question is "Rooster's" fangs and why they might be highlighted in the beginning? I guess we'll have to wait till the second issue to find out.

Score: 3/5

Writer: Blair Butler Artist: Kevin Mellon Publisher: Image Comics Price: $2.99

Review: Seven Warriors #1 (of 3)

This book nearly slipped under my radar this week with so many other good titles coming out and all. I've been anticipating this title since it had Francis Manapul art (pre-DC). The story was okay, I can't say that it struck me as wholly original, but it was a good read and is probably even better as collected trade.The gist is this, an empire is days away from attack as two of its enemies have joined forces to overthrow them. The Queen of the land decides that her only son the Prince must leave and continue the lineage of the family and hires Sarmatian warriors (think Amazons) to take her son out of the castle. Now, what the Queen doesn't know is that the Prince has been getting busy and freaky all on his own and that more than likely the lineage is already safe. But the times being what they are, the Prince and his Pauper keep their mouths shut and he's sent away. The Queen picks only six of the Sarmatian warriors to accompany him as the group heads off through a maze that lies beneath the kingdom. It's a maze of death traps coincidentally that claims one of the warriors lives. Why they choose the most dangerous route for the Prince is beyond me, but hey their reason for a lot of things is weird.

There's a lot of hidden agendas going on in the book and one scene in particular was puzzling. The six female warriors are dressed in the cultures tradition garbs and then given an elixir to drink. Then the Prince is shoved into the room with them as the Queen looks on through a two-way mirror. That's the end of the scene. Hopefully they go back to it and explain just what the hell the scenes intentions were, my best guess is that they were all drug and he got busy and freaky with them to continue the lineage. Why? Because of something the Queen says and the awkwardness of the scene in general. But in general the writing and translation were both very good and I'd like to think that nothing was lost in translation.

Francis Manapul needs a new colorist... not on this book, but anything he does at DC is pale in comparison. His art is at its best with this series and really you'll wonder if he should be a monthly artist given the amount of detail in the issue. Every scene and every background is lush with detail and the characters all have distinct looks. A lot of times with his new work every character has the same facial structure, but with 7 Warriors there is a variety of forms. It was truly a delight to see such great artwork and hopefully he can get back up to this level with his newer work.

I'm glad I read this book and even gladder that I reviewed it. I think talking about it allowed me a great chance at digesting it and really deciding if I like it. The over all plot may not be the most original story, but the execution and characters made it a great read. I hope that future issues have more character moments that break from the story like this issue did and I'm looking forward to having that mysterious night explained as well... if the characters don't all die in the process. If Flash and 7 Warriors were both out this week I would tell you only to buy 7 Warriors, but since you only have one choice pick the book up.

Score: 3/5

Writer: Michael Le Galli Artist: Fancis Manapul Publisher: Boom Studios Price: $3.99

Review: Jack Avarice is The Courier #1

I was going to go to bed when I remembered that this book was coming out. I couldn't pass up the chance to read IDW's first weekly book and since it's all done by one man (Chris Madden) it's even more interesting. So it's basically about secret agents with animal nicknames like "The Shark" and "The Fox." Nothing wholly original. The story begins with "The Fox" stealing something from Cuba and blowing the hell out of the military base he's invaded. The general sends the entire army after the Fox including his hired super agents of his own. All the while Jack Avarice is sitting drunk in a bar in Hawaii. That's kind of what works against this story. See it's the typical "accidental spy" story line and while that's not original on its own, giving it a Uncharted feel to it does make it interesting. Unfortunately, this issue has fighting narration throughout the entire thing. Jack is describing the life he wants as a spy or something equally exciting and all the while the Fox is acting out his every ambition. The major pitfall is the scene that brings the Fox and Jack together. I'm going to spoil it, although you should be able to figure out the way the story is going to go in the first five pages. The reason I'm spoiling it? It's a "rule breaker." The Fox survives everything that's thrown at him including driving off a cliff and being shot at with a high-powered sniper rifle and during this the Shark asks him, "What it takes to kill him." The answer is apparently just a knife to the back by a crappy ninja.

I knew that the Fox was going to have to be killed some way in order to get Jack into the picture, but this really showed a lack of imagination or that the product is just rushed. Hell they could have stolen a scene from The Tuxedo for all I care, anything would have been better than a knife in the back (that's not even near a major organ) from a crappy ninja. In general I hated Jack's character... I hope that was the point because that's what happened. I don't sympathize with drunk lazy people who complain that their life is boring to their Russian life coach. Frankly, I hope he gets killed. I know he won't, but deep down... I hope he gets killed and the Fox takes back over or something dumb.

The art is decent and it reminds me of combination of other artists. For the life of me I can't think of them at the moment, but it has an animation style of presentation to it with the framed outlines of the characters still showing and the general look of the art. I can't describe it in technically terms or with any certainty, but I can bet you that Madden is an animator and that's why he's able to pump out a weekly book all on his own. The style is a give away too and the closest thing I can compare it to is Hero Bear and the Kid which was also done by an animator. In general the book is so-so, but I will give next weeks issue a shot. I'm interested in the art and the overall outcome of the story more than I am of the characters or the situation that's made the story come about. I'm basically cherry picking my interests in the book which works since the creator cherry picked his pop-culture references as well.

Score: 2/5

Writer/Artist/Creator: Chris Madden Publisher: IDW Publishing Price: $3.99

Review: Soulfire #5

What can I say about about this ...... well it set sets up the story for a reveal next issue, but not much really moves in the story. It sets up more of the magic Malakia possesses and the power of it on a darker level. What I did enjoy was the cut back to 2012 with the little boy. That small story can be a book by itself and could go pretty far. As the story goes it doesn't grab me to want to read further. The story may transfer better into trade paper back format, but as a single issue this one doesn't do much on its own. I did enjoy looking at the art in the book though the drawings are amazing and add a lot of features and depth to the characters. The color are full on vibrant that just sets the scene and mood in the story. The color set is used to place which side of the magic each character is on. I also enjoyed how some of the characters are drawn and the life behind them. The best in my opinion is the dark creatures with no face, just power.

Score: 2/5 (The art saves it)

Review: The Strange Talent of Luther Strode #2

When last we left Luther he was a string bean kid that had broken the jaw of the biggest jock in school. Fresh off of a six-week suspension he’s returned to school and it’s bigger than the jock in the muscle department. The entire school stares at him as he enters and his only friend Pete (why are they always named Pete?) thinks that it is awesome. Like clockwork the super jock shows up and begins mumbling at them and in a day-dream sequence Luther sees himself cutting the jock in two with his bare hands and then going to town on everyone around him… including Pete. After the encounter ends non-violently Petra our “too cool for school” love interest shows up to flirt with Luther and they kiss for a second time. To bad Luther is the densest guy on the planet and still doesn’t get that she’s into him. Our super jock is back at home lifting weights in order to trump his enemy when our villain from the first issue shows up and, well he’s not going to have a happy X-Mas I’ll tell you that much. Some more Luther and Petra action happens and then finally Luther is put in a situation that makes him a hero… and probably ruins his life.

This issue is actually better than the first in my opinion, not leaps and bounds, but better. I like the character reactions and the fact that the writer has a character that can’t talk, but still managed to use them in creative ways to communicate with the other characters and essentially to the reader. The writing is still very solid, but the art really shines in this series. The action and gore are very cool and have an ultra-violent yet very surreal look to them. What I feel makes the art stand out the most is the coloring. This book has great color and it really brings the art and story alive.

I’m sold on this book and I can’t wait to read the next issue. I wonder with the series popularity if an ongoing will spring out of this mini or if the story is self-contained so much that it can’t be expanded on. I would almost prefer for it to end when it’s supposed to, but money and success has ways of changing stories. One thing for sure is that this is one of the best books of 2011 and you don’t want to miss out on it any more than you have already.

Score: 4/5

Writer: Justin Jordan Artist: Tradd Moore Publisher: Image Comics Price: $2.99

Review: Trigger Men #3

This issue kicks off the next story arc for the series and right off the bat I like the fact that it’s not following the “Barnes & Noble” standard for storylines. I don’t know how many series over the years have been stretch out or cut off because of that it’s just refreshing to see someone not forced to create like that. The issue begins with a severe lack of our main characters and at first it’s a bit distracting since the thought lingers in the back of your mind, “When will we get to them?” Instead we’re introduced to twin brothers with very different personalities, also I could be misreading them as twins and they could just look a lot alike. The timid brother receives a call from his criminal twin to visit him at the county jail. He reluctantly heads down there and after much brow beating is sent to Boston to retrieve bail money from a storage unit. Ian, our reluctant brother is about to open the storage unit is attacked from behind. Apparently his brother has ripped off a criminal outfit and they think that Ian is actually his brother. From there we’re taken on a car ride with our two thugs and Ian that’s filled with Tarintino inspired dialog. At first you kind of want them to shut up, but then the shit hits the fan and you can’t help but laugh at the situation and find enjoyment in the dialog. The story continues and we see how it ties into our trigger men as more of their overall story unfolds.

There are a lot of characters introduced in this issue and it started to give me a Elmore Leonard feel as clearly some characters will come back to play a role later and others will be expendable almost instantly. Also this issue followed a three act story structure tightly, but it had very smooth transitions from once act to the next particularly the second to the third. It also goes without saying that our trigger men, Matt and Jason still have the best dialog of the series. The dark comedy aspect was a little toned down in this issue, or at least it wasn’t as different as the first two issues. The last issue was very dark at parts, but very funny and this issue seemed like it didn’t have as much to work with; which is okay since the first issue had only a few dark moments as well.

The art is still fantastic and I’m glad the book is in black and white. If it were in color I think it would lose the feel and tone it has going for it. Artist Heather Brinesh compliments Mike Andersen’s story perfectly and this issue really shows how in tune their creative process is becoming. Now you have several options for buying this issue, either in print (my personal favorite) or digitally. The important thing is that you pick it up and give it a read so that we you can come back here and chat about it with me. Yes I know how very selfish to want to talk to someone I probably don’t know about a comic, but that’s what I’m asking. Enough of that head over to Triptychbooks.com and explore the awesomeness that is Trigger Men.

Score: 4/5

Writer: Mike Anderson Artist: Heather Brinesh Publisher: Triptych Books

Review: Zombie Tramp - Vol. 2 #1

It’s not really hard for me to pinpoint why I like Zombie Tramp so much, she’s basically the Zombie version of Jessica Rabbit and what’s not to love about that?Creator/Artist/Writer Dan Mendoza does what no other zombie artist had done before and made a damn sexy zombie. She’s not to gored up or decrepit that she’shard to look at, but she is still zombiefied. It’s a fine line that he walks with his art and the real treat is seeing what outfit he’ll put her in.Literally I blazed through the story until I saw what crazy outfit he’d come up with for her and it was worth the price of admission alone.

The story is pretty simple; Zombie Tramp has been sleeping in the house that we last left her in. The house has been boarded up and abandoned due to the whole Zombie evil Cop mess from the first story arc, but now the house has been disturbed by trespassers. The group of three enters the house and finds a little girl inside. Suddenly wanting to play humanitarian they ask the girl if she needs help, until a very naked Zombie Tramp comes in to the room… to eat them.

At first the men of the group are distracted by her…nakedness and figure it’s some sort of prank (a sexy prank). But again, she’sthere to eat them and having just woken up she’s very hungry. It’s then revealed that the little girl knows who she is and needs her help to kill her parents. She’s magical and casts a spell that makes Janey (aka Zombie Tramp)look normal. After eating her meal Janey and the little girl head out across the country to kill some parents!

You can probably guess that these are no ordinary parents and really if this story is anything like the last volume a happy ending is out of the question. That doesn’t matter, because it’s such a fun read and it doesn’t take the zombie genre so seriously that it stops being fun. Mendoza continues telling and creating a great story that really I just can’t help but love. I don’t know when the next issue comes out, but I’ll be certain to pick it up as soon as humanely possible because I’m looking forward to it that much. Now, I’m not sure if you can pick this book up from his site yet, but he will be at Comikaze this weekend in LA so if you’re there pick it up. Otherwise, start with the first volume which is great as well. If you want more info on Zombie Tramp or Mendoza stop by his site and check it out.

Score : 4/5

Writer/Artist/Creator: Dan Mendoza

Price: $3.99

Review: The Strange Talent of Luther Strode #1

The Strange Talent of Luther Strode is by far one of the better Image books published this year. I wouldn’t say that it’s too die for, but it’s certainly caught my attention as a comic that stands out from other books due to its presentation and story. The first that catches your eye is the art. Hands down it is really good art and it will make you wonder why you don’t see more books look like this. The next thing about the art that will stand out is the ultra-violent opening, think Black Summer but toned down just a bit. It’s very graphic, but in a super detailed “only in comics” sort of way. The story begins in the future and then flashes back to the past. I’m not a fan of this which is why this book isn’t to die for. If you’re story begins in the “past” then just begin there. Don’t tease the story just to sell a cover. At any rate the real story begins with a book and a string bean version of Luther receiving “The Hercules Method” in the mail. They head to Luther’s house where his abused mother cautiously opens the front door and lets the boys in. There Luther practices the methods outlined in the book with little result. The next day Luther sees the results as his mother drops a plate of food and he catches it before it hits the ground.

At school Luther is picked on by the biggest jock in school, but is defended by Petra the “too cool for school” love interest. In gym, Luther and the Jock square off and the Jock ends up with a broken nose. Of course the battle doesn’t end there as the Jock catches up with Luther in the bathroom and ends up getting his jaw broken. It’s an interesting read and the presentation of Luther’s POV is definitely one of the coolest parts of the story. There’s also a looming evil that appears to be moving towards Luther that I didn’t really get into, but if you pick up the book you’ll get a feel for what I mean.

The first issue was very popular in shops which gave it a second print that I believe is coming out at the same time as the second issue. Frankly I really like the book, it’s not perfect, but it’s pretty close. It has a strong narration; interesting characters and frankly it cool idea and awesome presentation. In a way this is a superhero book without a superhero, sure the glimpse into the future shows that the story settles on to the anti-hero path but for right now it’s this weird genre defying book that is really cool. If you can find a first print get it, but even if you can only wrestle up a second print I would take it just to read this book.

Score: 4/5

Writer: Justin Jordan Artist: Tradd Moore Publisher: Image Comics Price: $2.99

Pilot Season Reviews: Round Two!

Remember all those annoying DC reviews? They were basically just my short opinion about the title? Well I'm doing that for Pilot Season. Here's three more reviews as I put my thoughts down for the Beauty which Kevin and I discussed on the second episode of the podcast. You can also read his review for The Test on the site.

Misdirection

I sat here staring at a blank screen trying to think of a nice way to describe what this book is about and the best I can come up with is he’s the stupidest race car driver in the world. This book is one part Transporter and one part… well actually it’s just the Transporter only he’s stupid so he’s suckered into the whole “driving for a job” thing. I really couldn’t find anything interesting in this book. The main character was dumb and I couldn’t even begin to sympathize with him considering he put himself in his predicament and the worst part is that by listening to peer-pressure from someone that clearly wanted him out of their way. The dialog didn’t even try to hide that fact yet the main character was so one-dimensional that he couldn’t figure it out. The book ends on a cliff-hanger but if you’ve seen any movie that has its main character doing something criminal against their will then you already know how the book ends. So don’t vote for this book, don’t vote for any of the “Pilot Season” titles since the entire competition is asinine. Also, it’s just Transporter!

Fleshdigger

Again… I sat here thinking of a nice way to describe this book, but it really boils down to the Crow meets Al Simmons. Not Spawn, but Al Simmons. I feel for the team behind this book and frankly they probably could have gotten it published via Image instead of wasting their time on Pilot Season. I get the impression from their Twitter feed that their hungry for more work and sadly… that’s not going to happen any time soon even if they win Pilot Season. My problems with this book include: Rushed story (due to the one-shot nature for sure), bad character dialog, a problematic origin story and most of all “Rule Breaking.” That’s the term I’m coining right here and right now. I’ve mentioned it before and it’s something that Kevin and I always talk about, be it in video games, movies or most notorious… comic books. “Rule Breaking” is when you establish the norm for a character and then have them break that norm after establish they can never break the norm.

Character: “I never open that door on Thursday.”

Thursday rolls around and sure enough the character opens the fucking door.

The rule breaking in this book is as dumb. Our main character works out sparring at his local boxing gym (I guess those are local in huge Metropolis’) and he gets a good one in on his sparring partner. The man then tells the main character that, “That shit wouldn’t fly in the streets.” To which the main character replies, “That’s why I only fight inside with rules and blah, blah, blah.” Then in the very next scene he gets into a street fight because a woman is getting drag around and smacked. Also his phone gets no 911 reception… I don’t even know how that’s possible especially since he was in a city park or some shit. The rest of the story is downhill from there. I really thought this would be the book I liked from “Pilot Season”, but it’s not… not by a long shot.

The Beauty

 

I liked the concept of this book and that was about it. The characters and the world they’re set in are too ridiculous for me to take series and the “hook” or cliffhanger of the issue made me laugh. You’re not supposed to laugh at it, but I did. The Beauty is the only STD you want to get, overnight you’ll shed the pounds, grow your hair back and become beautiful. That’s what it’s about. For some reason the police for has a “Beauty Department” (stay with me here) to investigate all Beauty related deaths. Beauty has swept the world and is now roughly half the population, but they create a task force consisting of two people to handle it all? At that point, isn’t just normal crime? Here’s the ending since I already talked about it on the podcast, his wife infects him. Hilarious that his wife would go out and get an STD just as he’s discovering that it’s as deadly as it is attractive, she’s a genius and a piece of shit. -- Well there you have it, Pilot Season thus far. I think there are three more issues coming out so we’ll probably just bundle them all together again unless one of them really stands out… expect that bundle.