Review: Betrayal of the Planet of The Apes #1

Betrayal of the Planet of The Apes is a miniseries put out by Boom! Studios written by Corinna Bechko. Its based 20 years before Taylor fell from the stars centers around former General Aleron. Having never read the comics, but knowing the movies and stories this was quite an enjoyable read. The book starts with General Aleron and his team on the outskirts of the known world containing man and sending them back to the jungles. His orders are to clear the caverns and destroy the entrance which he gives to Lieutenant Varus to carry out. The Lieutenant goes to carry out the order as other soldiers grumble that Varus couldn’t hate Aleron even if he was human.

Now we move forward to where the story is based. Aleron now a citizen is defending Citizen Cato if front of the council for his action of teaching his pet human sign language. The council arrives at a verdict and the newest council member Dr. Zaius enters to read the verdict “not guilty”. Ursus isn’t happy with the council's decision so he has his own plan to break into Cato’s home and poisoning him to make it look like suicide. During the scuffle Cato’s human pet tries to defend against the attackers and runs free once he realizes he can’t win. Aleron comes in and breaks up the scuffle and request later the council brings the soldier to trial because he believes Cato’s death wasn’t a suicide. If this is true it breaks the one rule the lawgiver has given “ape shall not kill ape”. But now Aleron is brought to question about his past 15 year ago.

The writing is very well done and it set up the back story to present to set the future for the book. It flows right and makes the character real and easy to interact with. Because of the natural flow it's very easy to read and emerge yourself into the story. The art is very basic in colors but the line work is very well done. There is a lot of attention to detail to make the characters unique.

I loved this book, it’s a great read and if you can find it pick it. It brought back me back to the times of watching the Planet of The Ape marathons with my dad. I look forward to reading more and how this story progresses in the second issue.

Score: 5/5

Publisher: Boom Studios Price: $3.99

Review: Fearless Dawn #1

Fearless Dawn is quite possibly one of the funniest comics I’ve ever read. The entire style of the series is a weird mesh between the Rocketeer and Heavy Metal magazine. The main character Fearless Dawn works as a secret agent for the government, but is known for not playing by the rules… or even knowing them. This book is intentionally inspired by pulp comics and the fore mentioned series as well and all of it works seamlessly together to produce a style of comics that’s been missing in the market. The story opens with Dawn coming to pick up her jet. This is no ordinary jet as it’s actually too small to fit even her inside, instead she rides it more like a horse… or a bomb falling from the sky like in Dr. Strangelove. After picking up her jet she heads to Manitoba to steal a super drug that turns men into super strong ugly monsters. After flying in guns blazing Dawn is subdued by knock-out gas, no really knock-out gas it says it on the can. She’s then hauled away by a huge ugly man who is either permanently on the drug or permanently ugly. He locks Dawn up at the orders of his buxom brunette Captain. Soon another agent is dispatched to retrieve the drug and Dawn; agent Number 7 invades the base and is quickly beaten by the super powered Nazi soldiers and thrown into a cell with Dawn.

The cliffhanger to the story is pretty silly, but it works for the story. I really enjoyed the book, it was fun and full of action and fighting and it knew what it was doing. This isn’t a story that takes itself too seriously and in fact it really felt like a throwback to a simpler time in comics. I also like the subtle sexuality that the book had; it didn’t ram it down your throat or make it extremely obvious but sprinkled in here or there.For instance a scene with Dawn and Number 7 in their cell; Number 7 is trying to bend the window bars and Dawn is bending over with her butt in the air for no real reason. This is probably the most noticeable example I can give you and even then if you weren’t paying attention you could miss it. It’s subtle in the way Elephantmen is, where it’s mostly the art not the dialog that’s sexy.

Creator/Writer/Artist Steve Mannion does a fantastic job on this series. I really enjoyed the look and the overall feel of the book; so much so that I bought the next three issues. Mannion’s art is very good and has almost a classy feel to it; on one hand he’s drawing a half-naked woman (Dawn)carrying guns and riding on a mini jet, but then on the other hand he’s drawing hideous man monsters that fill entire pages but all of it is really elegant. It’s a strange balance but Mannion pulls it off.

I actually picked this book up digitally and it’s available from either of the two digital giants Comixology or Graphicly, although I will say that Comixology offered a “special” edition with extra pin-ups in the back of the book for the same price as the regular issue. Granted, pin-ups in a digital comic is pretty pointless but it was some good art. If you’re looking for some good pulp inspired action with a buxom brunette fighting another buxom brunette then check out Fearless Dawn from Asylum Press.

Score: 4/5

Review: Operation Broken Wings, 1936 #1

There’s something strangely compelling about this book, the way the story and main character linger in your thoughts after reading it.While sitting at work my mind would wander to different scenes in the book. I found this strange because I liked the book but I didn't feel the need to shout from the mountain tops about it. It was no Pinpoint for sure, but there was something that really got its hooks in me and didn't let go. Perhaps it was the all too familiar World War II setting, or the witty narrative of a Nazi spy on the verge of defecting from the third Reich. Whatever it is, it worked and I’m glad that Boom brought the book over to the states. The story opens with a man addressed only as Major at the time arriving at a home in Austria. He’s making some sort of deal with the man and his son, but it’s about to turn bad as both parties are plotting to kill the other. After the Major refuses to drink his poisoned tea the man’s son pulls a gun on him; too bad for the son that the Major is a trained assassin and makes quick work of the son. The father makes a break for the woods, but the Major takes aim with the gun and shoots him in the leg. He’s not done with the old man as he puts his leg in a tourniquet and drags him back to the house for interrogation.

After the Major receives the information he wants he heads back to Germany to check in from the real mission he was sent on. Here we see him go through several meetings and run-ins that all appear normal on the outside. The fact is that the Major is a very loyal Nazi, but his narration and thoughts allude to him being anything but. The story is good there is no denying that, it incorporates the time its set very well but doesn’t get lost in trying to show how jacked up the world was at the time. Writer Herik Hanna drops reminders of the fear and danger of Germany during the time, but he relies on your knowledge of the Holocaust and history to fill in the gritty details because he’s trying to do something different with his story. That’s not to say he downplays events at all, if anything the little bit he offers of the world is quite scary and makes you wonder how anyone made it through when they could easily be taken away.

This is some of Trevor Hairsine’s best work and it makes me wonder what he could have done with his career if he hadn't worked at Marvel. Let’s be honest, nothing he did at Marvel was that good and it all looked like his best attempt at copy Bryan Hitch (I’m sure Marvel told him to do that).This has a great style to it that is detailed, but full of grittiness that plays well to the era. In particular I like the way the main character looks in every scene. He has an arrogance to him that doesn't come off in the dialog,but rather how he stands and his mannerisms. I’m really looking forward to the rest of the series to see Hairsine at his best.

I was on the fence about this book before it came out. Like I said previously Hairsine’s Marvel work was less than thrilling, so who knew he would deliver the goods with this series. The creative team is really solid and there is just something about this story and way it was presented that I really enjoyed. I’m glad that I checked it out and this is yet another great Boom book to release back to back (See Seven Warriors #1). I think there’s apart in all of us that find WWII fascinating and trust me, you will find this book fascinating as well so pick it up.

Score: 4/5

Writer: Herik Hanna Artist: Trevor Hairsine Publisher: Boom Studios Price: $3.99

Review: Jack Avarice is The Courier #2

After reviewing the first issue of Jack Avarice is The Courier, I really wanted to continue following the book as I feel that an indie book releasing its entire series weekly is something worth covering. I’m not in love with the series and really it relies on the stereotypes of the genre far too much for its story, but it’s campy and a lot of fun at the same time. The book comes across very self-aware at times and teeters on the edge of Austin Powers territory a couple of times, but now I wonder if that’s not the point of the book. What if this book is really just making fun of every spy movie and TV show, but on the surface level is appealing to fans of the genre at the same time? This issue picks up literally where the last issue left off;the Fox has died in front of Jack and a gang of Cobra-esc villains are pointing their guns at him. Thankfully Jack’s Russian friend that spent the entire last issue talking has a special flash grenade that gets Jack out of the situation.From there we’re introduced to the spy organization “The Courier” and find out how the Fox and Jack are connected. We also learn that the Fox’s protégé is being passed over in favor of Jack as he’s thrown into his first mission.

I’ll just say that there was one scene that made me laugh and had me studying the page for a good few minutes. I really can’t allow myself to ruin this page, but if you know anything of the spy genre you’ll appreciate it greatly. Now, my problems with the story are pretty much the same as the first issue. The story is constantly moving as if it was in a race, there’s no character development and the premise has been done before. In fact the addition of the protégé being passed over in favor of the accident spy furthered the cliché of the story. So here’s where I’m confused by the point of this book, is it as I said in the beginning a campy movie that’s just trying to deliver the action and play to the stereotype or is it aware of what it is and doing in a way that it is poking fun at the genre while delivering the same product it always does? The thing is I could understand either as an explanation, but I wouldn’t buy both as the answer. I think if it is the latter than it’s just not smart enough to make me a believer.

What it really boils down to is what you’re looking to get out of a comic. Are you looking for a fun spy story with action and babes and tons of sexual references? Then you’re looking for Jack Avarice. If you’re looking for something to revolutionize the genre and be deep and meaningful with rich full characters, then you’re not looking for this book. Personally, even if I’m not sure what the creator (Chris Madden) is going for I’m still enjoying it. I’ve accepted that Jack is one-dimensional and that he’s going to have every woman throwing themselves at him and that’s okay. Comics can just be fun and exciting reads and at the end of the day that’s what I took from Jack Avarice is The Courier.

Score: 3/5

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

Review: Blood Red Dragon #1

Review by: Connor Russell Stan Lee has come back into the spotlight the last year because of his working with Boom! Studios and I'm sure they are loving the attention he is bringing them. He has already brought Soldier Zero, The Traveler and Starborn but he now has a new mini-series titled Blood Red Dragon. However this is not just his idea but also founder and musician of X Japan, Yoshiki. And yet if this still was not enough Todd McFarlane is the creative director of this project (maybe he got tired of doing nothing and/or people slamming him for not doing anything).

Now for the story, we are shown some guy punching some creatures and narrating. Saying how his life didn't used to be like this, we then get taken back and are narrated through some events. The character is Yoshiki, here he is a solo musician and whenever he plays acts of violence always seem to follow. Three women approach him at his house and they transform into women wielding weapons and are calling themselves “Shrine Maidens of the Dragon Temple” and say he is the host of a dragon spirit and that demons are trying to take over earth. More happens but I won't tell you.

So even though it was created by Stan “The Man” Lee and Yoshiki, it was written by a man named Jon Goff. I've read a number of comics that start in the midst of action and then flash back to narrate the events leading up to that moment. Normally these suffer from problems with pacing. Surprisingly I felt this issue handled the pacing very well. It was both fast and slow, I'm gonna call it flow! Well the word exists, so the comic flowed well.

Art was handled by Carlo Soriano and Crimelab Syndicate (not sure if this is a team or a person, must look it up). The art was well done. It has a slight manga feel about it but this is not a bad thing. Heck, I think it enhances the life of the characters.

The color is also done well and one of the cover variants is done by Todd McFarlane! Wow he does something different and it is a good looking cover. So maybe if he doesn't feel like doing interior art he should still grace us with covers. Ye he does them with Haunt every now and then, ok almost every issue so far. But still I think he should do them for all sorts of comics. His art is awesome.

So fans of Stan Lee, its a yes. Fans of X Japan and Yoshiki in particular its a yes. A fan of Todd McFarlane? Well its a yes for them as well. I can see potential cliches happening with this mini-series but it was still a good read.

Score: 3/5

This Kicks All Kinds of Ass: Moon Knight Pinball

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=29xh5uEHNB8 The title says it all. Download Marc Spector in all his FX pinball glory on The Playstation Network and Xbox Live in December.

Review: Pinpoint #1

A military truck in Afghanistan is driving around some very crass soldiers in the middle of the day. The group is cracking jokes and the only woman on the truck is especially joking around until one back fires on her compliments of Pinpoint. Suddenly a bomb goes off flipping their truck putting them into a war zone where they must fight their way out. Flash forward to the present and Pinpoint, one of the soldiers on the truck is tied to a chair. He is bleeding and being tortured by a Jamaican Crime Lord, but is still being tough as hell. They shock him with electricity and he still threatens their lives. The story then jumps to a week prior as Pinpoint is riding his motorcycle to the pentagon and disobeying every traffic law he can along the way. When he arrives he sits down to a private meeting with Mr. Washington.

Washington wants to send Pinpoint on a solo rescue mission in Jamaica to save Mel the woman from the truck earlier. Apparently she was infiltrating the Crime Lord who is doing something fishy on an uninhabitable island. Pinpoint brushes off the mission at first, but when it comes to Mel he changes his mind. Also Pinpoint doesn’t like working with others so it’s a good chance for him to work alone.

The Island he’s heading to is full of radiation so he has to take shots daily to avoid permanent damage to his system. Once on the island he’s bugged by some orphan children that he brushes off. Until they all pull guns on him. Pinpoint doesn’t take any shit though and beats the crap out of the kids, even putting a gun to one of their heads. He gets info out of the kid then lets him go after shooting him... not really but I wouldn’t have put it past his character. After taking the kids guns he makes his way to a bar to get more info and a drink. Everyone in the place is smoking including Pinpoint, but the bartender asks him to put out his cigar. Pinpoint responds by grabbing the bar tender and putting it out in his eye!

The only way I can describe this book is that it walked straight out of the 90’s. The action the dialog the sexual jokes are all things that are associated with 90’s comic books. That’s good and bad depending on what you’re looking for with your comics. If you’re looking for a big bad ass to beat the shit out of guys and spout one-liners and vulgar and funny threats of death then you’ll enjoy this book. If you’re only into the modern age of comics then you might find this story dated, but honestly I think it has a place in the comics market.

The story is actually layered quite well as it jumps into different points in time. It gives the reader something to figure out as the story reveals the ending and works its way towards that ending. Pinpoint as a character comes across very smart and not just a wild maniac. Sure he is still a wild maniac, but he doesn’t just rush into things without knowing what he’s up against. The dialog is very B-movie, but in that good cheesy way. The writer clearly knew what they were going for and focused on a fun and action filled story.

The art is also straight out of the 90’s which kind of helps the story. If this was drawn with a more modern feel to it than it might make the story stand out as being the weaker aspect of it. Everyone’s muscles are ripped beyond belief and I mean everyone… except for the children. The art can be pretty inconsistent at times especially with the kids. Their proportions are pretty messed up when their holding guns. They pretty much look like adults who then make Pinpoint look more like a giant than anything else, but the art is fun and fits the story so it didn’t really matter.

This book is not for everyone and some people shouldn’t bother picking it up since they’ll surely judge the crap out of it. I had a good time reading it and appreciated it for what it is: A fun action story with a bad ass of a character. It reminded me a lot of what Cold Space was trying to be, but where Cold Space failed Pinpoint got it right.

Originally I scored this book around low because it’s just not up to the standards of modern comics, but then I found I couldn’t stop talking about this comic. It was just too much fun to tell people about a guy round housing a little kid in the face and then shoving a gun in mouth. Granted the beginning isn’t nearly as strong as the last five pages are, but there is just something that I really enjoyed about Pinpoint. It was so bad that it made it good and I think that any comic that makes you talk and laugh as much as this one did deserves to be scored a lot higher.

Score: 5/5

Publisher: Big Dog Ink

Review: Loose Ends #3

The last issue of Loose Ends had me really caring and feeling for the two main characters. In a strange way they’re lives were connected from the time they met up until the moment they were thrown back together. With the third issue, the book kind of shows them at their lowest and while it doesn't ask for any sympathy for the characters you’ll find you have none for them any ways. All of the characters have made it to Florida and their different stories are slowly working their way to the center of the web and there we are the fly in the middle. You almost feel bad for Sonny as it’s apparent that he’s the guy that always wants to be the “stand up” type, but he turns around and makes the stupidest of mistakes over and over again. The issue itself flashes back and forth between the present and past when Sonny and his friend were in the military. In the present Sonny and Cheri spend their time spending money that Sonny probably shouldn’t be spending and basically getting “high” to forget the scene at the bar.

Frankly I wasn’t crazy about the characters spending so much time doing drugs and basically avoiding the situation they were in, but at the same time that’s what some people really do. I really enjoyed just how much of the story was told visually and some of the devices that Latour scripted for the dialog as well. Latour does a great job with the story by trusting Chris Brunner’s images to convey the emotion and feeling that’s needed rather than having a caption narrating the obvious for us. There are so many pages that have little to no dialog that the comic almost becomes a cartoon that you are watching.

Brunner’s art is amazing. There are times when the characters honestly look cartoonish, but at the same time it plays to the world and the setting. One scene in particular has Sonny yelling “Cops” on the other side of a bathroom door and we’re shown the line of people outside of the door responding to word. Its shows just how powerful of an artist Brunner is and how strong Latour’s script is. Of course the art wouldn’t be half as good without Rico Renzi’s coloring. Where to I begin on Renzi’s coloring? It’s some of the best in comics hands down.

This issue of Loose Ends didn’t appeal to me as much as the last issue, but it’s still a great book which you’ll find for yourself when you pick it up. The simple fact that the art tells you the story gives the book almost an adult cartoon feel to it (minus the gratuitous sex) proves how good it is. There is just something about this comic that keeps me thinking about it and recommending it as it really transcends any other comic out there. I truly believe that Loose Ends will be a book that the industry looks back at years later as an example of when the medium changed.

Score: 4/5

Review: Orchid #2

The first issue of Orchid was kind of like any other first issue of a comic, it introduced us to our characters, set up the world in which they live and established the plot of the story. Granted I was taken in by the world and the plot, but I didn’t really get a feel for the characters due to the time spent setting up the former. With the second issue, we get a lot more of the world set up for us and the rest of the time is spent with the characters. We begin with the oceans raising up and swallowing the land. Again we’re informed that the rich own the high ground and new rulers from different country’s take over. They garnish their own symbols on their fortresses while others take to ships and sail the seas becoming cannibals. In the slave pits Orchid finds her and her brother surrounded by men waiting to take a piece out of them. Simon has taken the opportunity to use the encampment as a soap box about reform and rebellion. Unfortunately everyone around is barely educated making it difficult to understand him; with the addition of the fact that that most of them don’t believe that rebellion is possible doesn't help either. The next day they’re herded to a slave auction where Simon adjusts the scale to weigh him heavier so that he’ll be brought to a particular city for his "strength." He convinces his new master to buy Orchid, but the man seems more interested in buying her brother instead.

There’s more to the story, but that’s a good place to stop. I will say that there are giant bears with scorpion stingers yet to come which make the story interesting. As a whole the world is very well thought out, but I’m finding the characters hard to like. Mostly because they’re situation has them at the lowest of the low and they do very little to change it with one exception. There still isn’t much character development and Orchid in particular is coming across very one dimensional rather than a full fledge character. At NYCC, Morello said that basically Orchid is going to rise up and lead the Bridge People in rebellion against the rich, but right now I just can’t see that. Hopefully the next issue will reveal more of the mask and its role in Orchid’s story.

The art is still very fitting for the book. It’s has almost a sloppy feel to it that just fits the post-apocalyptic theme it’s set in. Some of the panels are free forming and in general artist Scott Hepburn uses some creative storytelling throughout the book. In particular one panel has Simon talking to Orchid as she’s walking away and we see Simon head on, but we also see Orchid’s back as she’s leaving. It’s not traditionally what you’d see for that type of scene; usually we would be shown Orchid walking away from over Simon’s shoulder or his POV. Hepburn instead draws the scene as if it were two different panels, but overlaps them and it works out to have a very organic feel to it.

I wish that there was more character development since right now I could go either way on caring about the death of one of the characters, and trust me one of them is dying soon. I am enthralled in the world that’s been created and the ideas of the new technology and the wilderness. But in order to continue being a good comic the plot will have to catch up with the world or readers will start to focus on everything but the characters struggles.

Score: 3/5

Review: The Occultist #1

I was pretty excited when Dark Horse announced that The Occultist would be getting an ongoing series, the one-shot earlier in the year was very good and some of Tim Seeley's strongest work. This first issue is bittersweet for me, on one hand I liked a lot of it and was glad to see its return. On the other hand though, some of the writing problems that plague Seeley in all of his work are very apparent in this work as well. The biggest weakness of the issue is that even though it recaps the one shot for you, it still relies heavily on you having read it. The issue begins with a call girl attacking a modern Shaman. The woman is some kind of demon that is basically using the skin of the woman to gain access to him. Really the only thing useful from this scene is the fact that the shaman uses his phone as a wand. Meanwhile our occultist Robert is trying to deal with his new found powers, homework, the death of his employer and a girlfriend all at the same time. There's an awkwardly long scene between him and one of the other guys in the dorm that does literally nothing to move the story forward. Thankfully the scene comes to a close when an attractive officer comes to question Robert about the death of his former employer (if this was a comic I would make an editors notes saying *See One-Shot). At any rate he confesses everything to her, but the sword/book that he's absorbed casts a spell on her confusing her.

There's actually a lot more to the story and literally eight more characters that are introduced, but frankly I would be droning on and on trying to find something interesting to tell you. Really the story is just whatever and fails to capture the magic (pun intended) of the one-shot. Here's the thing about this story, if you like Seeley's writing on Hack/Slash then you'll like the Occultist for sure. If you're like me and feel that his attention wanders and he's unable to focus on one character to make them interesting on their own, thus he adds character after character to the story... then you'll probably wonder why he's ruining a good thing.

On the plus side the art is fantastic. Some of the characters are photo realistic and all of the magic users have awesome designs. These are the type of characters that Cosplayers dream of since they're costumes are cool and yet simple. The two female bounty hunters stand out in particular for having unique looks. Artist Victor Drujiniu is the silver lining of this issue and because of him I'll keep going on this series hoping that co-plotter Mike Richardson reigns Seeley in.

This was by far not the best first issue and really it's more like issue two since the one-shot does so much work for the story, but its a decent issue. I would pick this up over several books that DC and Marvel are releasing this week, but really it's just an average comic. I'm looking forward to what the next issue brings as I hope that the story can continue without so much recapping and character introducing happening throughout.

Score: 3/5

Writer: Tim Seeley Artist: Victor Drujiniu Publisher: Dark Horse Comics

Review: Loose Ends #1

There are several parts at play in this story that keep it grounded in reality, even if that reality is the underbelly of society. We’re introduced to a cast of characters in this issue as well, which is typically of drug/heist movies, lots of cogs all in motion waiting for the reader to get caught in-between the gears.Loose Ends is a surprisingly good read and an impressive addition to 12 Gauge Comics’ library. The timeline of the story jumps around a bit, but we start off with our main character Sonny parked outside of a phone booth in the parking lot of a dive bar. He makes a shady call on the phone letting the person on the other end know that he’ll be alone as soon as he takes care of a few things. As night sets in a waitress from the bar decides to pay him a visit. She cracks a joke about the empty beer cans sitting outside of his car and he buys a five dollar bucket of beer from her with a hundred. Sonny’s that cool guy that lets people keep the change and sure enough our waitress jumps to it, but as she leaves he asks if Kim is working.

In a flashback we see how Sonny got to the dive bar after being offered a job from an old friend to run dope. The basic plot is that this friend of Sonny’s has moved up in the drug command and is now a major player in the heroin “game.” Back at the bar Kim is being harassed by a big football jersey wearing piece of crap of a man. Our kind waitress shoes him away and tells him yet again to keep his hands to himself. She lets her know about the mystery man on the porch. Kim decides that she’ll be the one to deliver the beer to Sonny, who turns out to be the father of her kid. From there the story gets really interesting and very adult.

The story is a bit slow to start and the introduction of so many characters makes it difficult to really know whose going to be a major player and sticking around till issue four. Sonny is the obvious choice, but due to the fact that his face is hidden for most of the issue you won’t know that he’s the same guy until the third act of the issue. Even still writer Jason Latour manages to build an interesting story with lots of layers for the story to unravel in the future issues. Latour avoids a lot of typical drug storylines and manages to find one that as interesting without being overtly graphic with drug use.

The art teeters back and forth between great and confusing, which isn’t a bad thing. There are several scenes which are laid out very interesting and look incredibly sharp due to Rico Renzi’s coloring, but then pages like the flashback are muddled and don’t play a key role in the story. Artist Chris Brunner does a good job overall, but you can really tell the pages he wanted to draw and the ones he had to draw giving the book a choppy read.

This is a great first issue for a mature comic reader. I definitely wouldn’t recommend it to teens or young readers since it’s grounded in a world that few will ever experience (myself included). I suppose that’s the charm of the book is that audience reading it will never have any contact with drug’s or bar fights that end badly. This is a strong first issue that didn’t disappoint and I can’t wait to finish the series already.

Score: 4/5

Review: House of Night #1

Who likes teen vampires right? Well actually a lot of people like teen vampires, but their all tasteless asses. At any rate, House of Night is about teen vampires and I like it. I know go ahead and throw stones and blah, blah, blah, but really this is a good book and does things very differently from other teen vamp romps (do I need to name them?). Picture if you will, a school of teen vampires in the vein of Harry Potter. Do I have your attention now? Not a HP fan either? Tough crowd. Okay, picture a school of vampires that has a rich history running parallel with mankind and they don't creep around sucking blood in capes and aren't shoehorned into classic lore. The story begins with our main character Zoey Redbird is in the lunch line trying to remain hidden from her school rival. Through her narration we discover that Zoey is having a hard time fitting into school for several reasons, but the first is due to the fact that she is the first student to receive her filled in "mark" signifying she's an adult vampyre. The second reason involves taking her rivals place as leader of the "Dark Daughters" a group within the school. The problem for Zoey is that now she sticks out like a sore thumb with her tattoos and new position in the school and all she wants to do is fit in.

She seeks solace with her horse until her friends approach her about the Dark Daughters. They encourage her to try leading the group before giving up control, but she exclaims that she's not a leader and doesn't know how. The group consults their handbook and a particular story that gives Zoey guidance and puts her on the right path. What's good about the story is the mixture of the old and new. It gives the world a sense of realism and grounds it within historical events that adds a nuance to the story that can hook any reader. Another interesting choice that was made in the story was the choice not to start from the beginning of Zoey's journey and really cover the "how" and "why's" through dialog and a brief flashback.

The art duties were split for the story, one artist handled the modern-day side of things while the other delved in to the past story line.Personally I thought the art for the past story line was better than the art for Zoey's. It really captured the era and the look was just more enthralling. The other art was still very good, but at times the faces of the characters were a little too big. It was limited to just the early scenes so perhaps the artist became more comfortable with the style they were going for as they went on, but it still stood out to me.

I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this book. It definitely has themes geared towards a younger audience, but the addition of historical events gives the teen vampire take something new and different. Frankly I kind of forgot that it was a vampire book until someone within the story brought it up. Also I think this was a great book to adapt in comic form as it has the potential to bring new readers to comics, particularly women and show them that comics are not all spandex, bondage and reboots.

Score: 4/5

Review: 365 Samurai and a Few Bowls of Rice

The samurai genre is probably one of the most under-appreciated, most misunderstood story genres in comics and movies. Thankfully writer/artist J.P. Kalonji understands the genre and its power completely. The story is about a samurai named Ningen who is on a journey to kill 365 samurai, then and only then will he have completed his travels and be able to attain his vengeance for the murder of his master and school. Along the way Ningen’s legend grows and so do his feats. Each season he finds love and companionship, but throws it away to continue his quest of vengeance. 365 Samurai is actually not about anything that I just described. I have lied to you and told you what happens in the story and not what the story is actually about. The simple fact is that I can’t tell you what the story is about just that it is a spiritual journey for Ningen and that every battle and every drop of blood has a higher meaning.

What I love about the book is that it literally takes a half an hour to read. It’s not due to lack of content, it’s just the format and the way that the story is told that makes for a fast read. Each page is one panel, meaning that this 379 page beast is actually just 379 panels of a comic. Traditional comics are laid out in a 3 by 3 grid which means there are 9 panels on a page, but a lot of times those panels lack detail and quality. With 365, each page has meaning and value within the story. Each page is a work of art all on its own and Kalonji manages to make the story flow seamlessly from page to page. Literally I was reading the book fast enough that at times it was like holding an animation in my hands. With action in comics a lot of it can be lost in the still frames of the page, but 365 finds that balance so that the action is as intense as it would be if you were watching a movie.

The other strong point of the book is that Kalonji nails the samurai journey. He really understands that samurai stories don’t need a lot of dialog with the exception of a few scenes here and there. For the most part the swords and the facial expressions do the talking and can really tell the story without a single word. A particularly great scene has Ningen facing off against an army of bandits on a snow covered mountain and as they’re descending upon him you can see the serious attitude on his face. I couldn’t help but feel sorry for that army because you knew from his attitude and the few words he said that he was going to do everything in his power to kill them all.

My biggest regret with this book is that I didn’t read it sooner and you’ll bet your ass that I won’t miss the next book from Kalonji and Dark Horse. If you’re a fan of samurai and let’s be honest practically everyone that reads comics has a soft spot in their heart for them; do yourself a favor and get this book. It’s a fast read, but in the way that makes you want to read the book again upon completion and the only other reading experience I can equate it to is Scott Pilgrim. That’s the only other book I’ve read as fast and enjoyed as much, but this one has swords and awesome Samurai battles from beginning to end which puts it on a different level altogether.

Score: 5/5

DC Comics Joins Google+

Still trying to find a use for Google Plus? Yeah me too, but you can add me to your circle and I'll probably add you back and then I'll spam the shit out of your feed with pictures of cats that I've mostly drawn myself! At any rate DC is one of the first companies to join Google's pages so be one of the first to have them post in your feed. Currently they have one article and a bunch of covers from the New 52 that you've seen a million and one times and that's about it. Fun stuff right?

Episode 4: Comic Speak

Welcome to the fourth episode of CBMF Podcast. This week Kevin and I spend a lot of time discussing books from Avatar Press including Crossed, Stitched and Caligula. Then we talk about yet another comic convention, this time it's The Comikaze Expo in L.A.

Review: Critter #4

The fourth issue of Critter really shakes the tree when it comes to the story’s progression and I have to say there were parts I didn’t like, but for the right reasons. The issue begins with Critter and the team she’s training with going over the facts of the attack from the last issue. Each of the attacks had a smaller first attack then a giant sea creature that showed up then everything seemingly went back to normal. Also Rip Tide was spotted at each of the attacks which is even more curious. Critter is reprimanded for losing her mother’s belt which becomes a running gag in the issue and adds a bit more personality to the story. Paradox becomes fixated on Critters tardiness to the battle and takes her away from the base to interrogate her further. He also scolds her for losing the belt and then sends her back to the base alone. Soon the team is involved in finding and locking up some convicts that escaped because of the attacks which leaves Critter alone to be swayed into joining a new team! That’s the part I wasn’t crazy about, but at the same time I like it because it breaks the comfort that’s been developed for Critter. Granted we’re not too far into the story so we could go several more issues before breaking that comfort level, but I’m going to trust Hutchison has bigger plans.

I will say that when it comes to the story it’s beginning to get really big, really fast. Sure some throwaway villains were introduced in this issue, but so were two more heroes and I don’t think that’s needed. Critter needs more time to develop and frankly taking her out of this already new environment for her character and the reader is a bit risky. Hopefully the story settles down and we're able to get a real feel for Critter, but I’m starting to think that Critter is just the star of this team book rather than the lead character in her own title.

The writing and art are still very good and you can check out the review for the third issue if you want to read me gushing over it again. Otherwise it’s still very good and frankly it has a really high production value for an indie book. I think that’s something that has always set Big Dog Ink and Critter apart from other companies and books trying to do the same thing, is the production value. If you've been reading Critter then you’re in store for some changes, but not every change is bad and Hutchison has a good track record thus far. The book is going to continue as an ongoing and I believe will return in 2012 with the fifth issue so expect more Critter in the future.

Score: 3/5

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

Review: Rachel Rising #1

Terry Moore is a creator that seems to either captivate you or rub you the wrong the way. Some comic readers really get and enjoy his well-crafted and yet different storytelling style and I mark myself amongst them. Rachel Rising is actually a book that Moore “tweeted” about a while back and said that it was going to be something very different from everything else creator owned that he’s done. Although I haven’t read his entire body of work (yes I know I need to pick up Strangers in Paradise), I can say that this is in fact very different but extremely interesting at the same time. The issue opens with a woman walking through the woods until see reaches a clearing with a gully below her. She lights a piece of paper on fire and sends it to the ground below her. After the paper finishes burning a hand rises from the ground and soon the rest of a woman’s body emerges from the soil below. The first woman begins to walk away as the buried woman covered in dirt rises from her shallow grave in a short black dress. There is a glimpse of a dark figure choking her from her POV in a flashback, before we see a mark that wraps around her neck. The other noticeable difference is the reddening of her eyes. She makes her way to the street and is picked up by a man driving by. He offers to take her to the hospital or at least stay with her to make sure she’s oaky, but she declines.

There’s a bit more to the story, but not enough to ruin the book for you. It’s very interesting and sets up the story for a mystery as Rachel will likely have to solve her own death. What’s really great about the issue and Moore’s work in general is the lack of narrative boxes and dialog. He tells you so much visually that I couldn’t help but be impressed with his storytelling talent. Literally half the book is without so much as a dialog bubble. Frankly it’s easy to have captions aka the "new thought bubbles" tell the story for you, but to be able to tell a story without and have it not only make sense but work is a great thing.

If you’ve never seen Terry Moore’s art then you’ve robbed your eyeballs of some of the best art in comics. His style is recognizable, but he manages to make the characters look as unique as his story. Sure you’ll always catch a glimpse of Strangers in Paradise within the art, but everything is hands down beautiful. Moore creates scenes and picturesque moments that at times have a background, mid-ground and foreground and each position is detailed and life like. What I particularly like about the art is that a scene can be very detailed and yet not overly detailed. Some artist can draw so much on a page, but if you can’t see the trees from the forest then it’s lost on the human eye. Moore actually draws a very lush forest in this issue and uses a balance of detail and black fill to create it wonderfully.

Rachel Rising is off to a very interesting start and frankly if you haven’t heard about it until now then you’re even further behind then I am. After finishing the first issue I’m going to be tracking down the next two issues that are already out and frankly you should join me in picking them up.

Score: 5/5

Writer/Artist/Creator: Terry Moore Publisher: Abstract Studios Price: $3.99

Review: Stitched #1

There is very little I can say about this book without ruining the first issue so I’m going to tread lightly in an attempt not to spoil it all for you. A Black Hawk helicopter goes down in the middle east and the survivors of the UN manned crew are left to fend for themselves. Problem is they’re not alone! I know scary right? All that remains of the crew are the pilots, one injured man and one woman and then another crew woman. Now this second woman is completely unbelievable in this situation. She seemingly has no training and acts unfamiliar with the simplest of concepts such as pulling your gun on a hostile. There was several times in which I actually yelled at her because she was acting so stupid. I’m serious that’s how frustrating her character was, that I was yelling at a comic book... one that I have control over the pace and speed in which it proceeds. At any rate the remaining three come across a massacred group of insurgents and have only moments to take in the horrible scene before they themselves are attacked. They’re attackers are dead men with their eyes and mouths sown shut and nothing seems to be able to kill them... especially a 9mm.

The story was just okay, it was nothing special and honestly a bit of a disappointment coming from Garth Ennis. I really felt like he soft-balled this story and put in a minimal amount of work to go with it. Really since this comic is a movie as well I have to wonder if the script was changed into comic format at all or if the script was dog eared for issues and then thrown at the artist. The story is really slow and uninteresting and frankly the characters were all very stiff and seemed to be playing to stereotype more than anything else.

The art is great, but when you have Mike Wolfer on art detail it better be. Wolfer’s art is really the only redeeming quality of the book as he draws everything from action to gore and a mixture of supernatural as well. If you’re unfamiliar with Wolfer’s art then you obviously need to pick up more Avatar Press books as he’s one of their best in their stable of artists. His work on Gravel is particularly excellent.

After reading this issue I can only hope that the book gets better or at the very least the movie is better. I hate to just rip Garth Ennis a new one, but this story just isn’t very good and the fact that he wrote the comic, wrote the script and directed the movie has me wondering just how good this will turn out in the end. I love it when creative people that work hard are able to transcend to another medium of entertainment and do well. Stitched the movie looks indie as well which has me hoping that it gets better so that I can really root for Ennis, but as it stands I'm skeptical at best. Now here’s a special treat for you the trailer to the movie! Which is basically the first issue, no joke.

Score: 2/5

Writer: Garth Ennis Artist: Mike Wolfer Publisher: Avatar Press Price: $3.99

Review: Route Des Maisons Rouges #6

There are comics in which the story is basically ill relevant and the art is the most important thing in the book. In a way the story is just there to produce more art and that’s kind of the case for Route Des Maisons Rouges. The story is pretty ridiculous and the character interactions are even sillier at times. The gist is that the Mayor of the town wants to shut down all of the… sex houses, in favor of… I don’t know a stadium or some shit being built. It’s not really a stadium, but it was almost four issues ago that I read what it was that the "rich scary business man" was trying to build and frankly for the time period its set in makes little sense to shut down the sex houses. Actually on second thought I have no idea what the time period is since there is a mixture of 19th and 21st century technology in the story. You can tell that a man wrote this book since there are five or six sex houses competing to stay open as the Mayor will close down the house that makes the least amount of money. There’s a bunch of other side crap happening, but again the story is just there. It’s entertaining for a bit, but it never grabs you or does anything that you would remember (case in point, I’ve read all the issues and retained very little from the story). Another fact that shows this book is by a man and basically for a man is that all of the women are lesbians and yet they’re only customers are men. I’m not even sure what level of sexist that is because these woman are basically "involved" with each other, but are forced to pleasure men for their job. At any rate as risqué as the story sounds it never shows any of the sex and really never comes outright and says it either, but the content and some of the other things they talk about are very mature.

The real treat is the art. Now granted it’s a bunch of sex workers dressed in clothing of pubescent boys dreams, but the art is fantastic and very beautiful. The colorist alone should be given a lot of credit as he makes the book look like a cartoon and very alive at the same time. Giuseppe Boccia does a fantastic job with the lighting and effects with the color and really makes artist Livia Pastore’s art shine. The art is so good that again the story doesn’t matter. I would literally just buy this book to look at it and frankly a lot of the times that’s exactly what it feels like I’m doing. Now I’m not sure about the art process, because while digging around on GG Studios site I found pictures of clay models. I’m not sure if they use the models for possess or make the models for 3D modeling that they then put on the page, but whatever they do works. Now they just need someone who can tell a story.

The reason I’m bringing attention to this book is that even as bad as the story is, it’s a book that is very different and a story that would never be told by an American company (GG Studios is from Italy). Because of that I think people should give the book a look for at least the art and who knows, maybe the story will grab you in a way that it didn’t for me. Maybe it’ll remind you of buying your first swimsuit issue of Sports Illustrated and you’ll just smile at the silliness of the issue. Now a few online stores listed this book as only six issues long and they’re wrong because if it ends with this issue then there is no resolution to the story what-so-ever. The series hasn't sold very well here state side so you should be able to pick them up on most online retailers or back issue bins of your LCS. Pick it up and let me know what you think.

Score: 2/5 (but I could easily give it a 5 for the art alone)

Review: Key of Z #1

Review by: Connor Russell Zombies are seriously everywhere now. They are in games, lots of movies and then a lot more in comic books. If they aren't in their own stand alone series like The Walking Dead, there may be an alternate universe like Marvel Zombies or IDW's crossover event Infestation. Yeah so zombies are a bit of an overkill at the moment, I don't even know when or what brought them back to the surface but something in me will always wanna see a cool zombie story. Because of this I picked up Key of Z, which is going to be a four-part mini-series.

We are introduced to a family on a Christmas Eve where there is a moment of happiness, only to be rudely interrupted by a santa eating a man alive. We then fast forward to the post apocalyptic world of New York. There are two warring factions that each house in baseball stadiums. We are then brought to Ewing (the father at the beginning) and he's gruff and a great survivalist against the Sleepers (they haven't been referred to as zombies, maybe to be different?) and he teams up with another man and they scour through New York.

The writers behind this new mini series are Claudio Sanchez (front man of Coheed and Cambria) and Chondra Echert (wife of Claudio) the two behind Kill Audio. I am a fan of Coheed and Cambria but I must admit I have never read any of Sanchez's comics. I've always been meaning to and now I have without even knowing it.It is hard to write a zombie story that is different. Location is normally America and well the bad guys are zombies so what can you do? The answer is the characters and how mankind has tried to survive. So it is a little different to see that humanity is trying to restore and is split down the middle to which faction they should work for. You can't help but like Ewing.

So the art is done by Aaron Kuder, the man behind the art for some of the third Amory Wars series. His art is pretty good altogether. Though he does tend to do a lot of dots that to me seem not needed but I guess I can't pick on a man if that is his style. His work on arms is a little, especially his depiction of the veins.

I'm gonna collect the rest of the series and I'm interested on seeing how the events play out. And I wanna know what this “Key of Z” might be, if its anything at all. I think I know what it might be but I may be proved wrong. I do recommend this series to any fan of zombies. Get them before someone does a “Twilight” to them.

Score: 3/5

Writer: Claudio Sanchez & Chondra Ehert Artist: Aaron Kuder Publisher: Boom Studios and Evil Ink Comic Price: $3.99