Review: Star Trek/Green Lantern: The Spectrum War #5

They were going to keep going and so was I. The second to last issue of Star Trek/Green Lantern: The Spectrum War manages to get by on pleasant, but short surprises and builds up to something already revealed an issue earlier. The issue beings action packed and finally pinning everyone against each other to gain power of this newfound universe, Hal and the Enterprise are fully engaged in a conflict with the Romulans, the Klingons, a Gorn, and all superpowered and aided by Larfleeze, Sinestro, and Atrocitus respectively. So while each one of the worst side of the spectrum of light have their own personal coach, Hal has to tell Uhura, and Chekov what to do with their rings, as they try to fight them, while Carol seems to be off battling on her own, Saint Walker is still out with Bones trying to keep him alive. The odds are not going well for Hal Jordan and James Kirk, but that’s never stopped them before from swinging until it’s either them or the enemy not longer able to stand. They’re attempting to get back on their feet, as they want to keep up with all the fighting around them.

ST-GL05-coverAThis second to last issue of The Spectrum War was much better than its predecessors, it has a lot going for it as it was gearing up for a third act that could have almost turned the series around. Having the issue begin with our heros on the defense and recovering from what is a formidable and overwhelming power like the Yellow, Orange, and Red Lanterns established the characters better than any of their talks could have in their respective planets. A lot of valuable comic real estate could have been saved and a lot more story could have been told if there had been more conflict between these factions as the reader was given the exposition for them rather than isolated interactions for three and a half issues. The art, coloring, and writing are all matching well during this all-out battle of the Lanterns and Starfleet.

The problem is that this is not where the issue remains, instead, after giving us more familiar Green Lantern Universe faces and well paced action, it pumps the brakes on it all to pursue what seems to be a bigger issue, which is what was revealed last issue. They set course for Vulcan, which has been brought back by the forces of Nekron and his Black Lantern of Death. This would work as a moment of tension, except there is none, although our main characters are still figuring out why the dead planet is there and how it came back, from last issue, and the various covers of this issue it was already given to the reader. Yet Johnson still wanted to reveal it like it was a big twist, which falls completely flat in the face that everyone who’s been following this series or looked at the cover knows that it’s coming. What is worse is that as a result, it has fragmented the story once more and taken it away from where it was at its strongest, when all the characters were interacting together.

The art shines through when it came to all the action. Angel Hernandez vastly improved from what almost seemed to be a never ending smolder, although still lacking in some of the expression and I still cringe every time I see Larfleeze for the wrong reasons. I have nothing but praise for the colors and the letters. Star Trek/Green Lantern #5 is the strongest issue in the series and was building up to setting up a great third act, but instead it crumbled and went back to its old ways by the end.

Score: 3/5

Star Trek/Green Lantern: The Spectrum War #5 Written by: Mike Johnson Art by: Angel Hernandez Colors by: Alejandro Sanchez Letters by: Niel Uyetake Publisher: IDW/DC Comics Price: $3.99 Release Date: 11/18/15 Format: Mini-Series; Print/Digital

Review: Shutter #17

Shutter is one of those rare comics whose monthly developments each feel like a series finale where it seems like nothing can likely top the events of the preceding issue. The effect is that no character, kingdom or storyline seems too be safe from death or destruction, much in the way that The Walking Dead knocks off its characters and eradicates communities just as things seem to be going well in its walker-infested world.  I read a piece recently that looked at how Shutter bucks the typical conventions of serialized comics, thrusting readers into the comic’s world in the first arc without bothering to explain the internal logic of its very strange world. Reading it made me feel a bit embarrassed for initially writing off this series after its first three issues as I recognized that I had been so accustomed to a structure that provided me background info early on that I wasn’t able to appreciate that creators Joe Keatinge and Leila Del Duca were intentionally subverting traditional plot dynamics. And with the cliffhanger of its third arc, Keatinge and Duca are moving this comic into territory that will challenge traditional conceptions of the protagonist, but not before settling things in the lion kingdom and killing off a major character or two. This issue does a stellar job of featuring most of the core cast, even giving two pages to check in on Kate Kristopher’s grandfather who was absent last issue when Kate got the call about her younger brother’s capture by Shaw. While Cassius defends the actions of him and his team of rescuers following the death of Shaw’s brother last issue, Kate sneakily makes her way through Leonis, the kingdom of anthropomorphic lions hidden from the rest of the world. Once Kate makes her presence known, events take an unexpected turn as Kate works towards diplomatically resolving the conflict rather than allowing her anger about her brother’s capture to lead to further violent conflict. Not everyone seems happy to let things go so easily though, and before the issue ends there’s plenty of savage behavior to satisfy any reader’s bloodlust.

Shutter-#17Kate, following her peyote-fueled epiphany and encounters with her siblings, has developed into a truly compelling character capable of self-serving behavior while maintaining a well-defined code of ethics. Much of this comic so far has revolved around Kate’s uneasiness upon recognizing at the end of the last arc that she has, and perhaps never had, much control over her life due to the influence of the Prospero group and her family’s association with what basically amounts to this world’s Illuminati. Newly equipped with information from her grandfather’s records and a haircut right out of the how-to-be-badass handbook, Kate moves through this issue with a confidence we haven’t seen since the first issue when she took down those neon purple ghost ninjas. And in addition to all that, the comic introduces the potential for a romantic relationship between Kate and a character we’ve only recently met that’s sure to inspire reams of fan art.

As equally vital to Shutter’s success is Keatinge and Del Duca’s willingness to depart from the main narrative, and flesh out the world by showing us how average citizens, or as average as folks get in a world with a monocled bulls and rocket-launching newts, deal with circumstances brought about by the main characters’ actions. In this issue, that’s seen early on when an anthropomorphic cat responds to a call about a busted sewer caused when Kate snuck into Leonis’ royal palace. Del Duca illustrates these one-time only characters with the same eye for detail and nuance that she brings to the main characters, rendering the bureaucat’s exasperation with such authenticity that you’ll believe Del Duca has encountered these beings in her everyday life. Getting to see the messes that Kate and company leave in their wake helps to ground their actions, and makes it apparent that they’re not operating in a Tex Avery-like world where a wall is automatically reset soon after its destroyed.

My only qualm with this issue is the characterization of Cassius, formerly known as Alarm Cat. Since losing his head, Cassius has understandably become a bit more morose and prone to fight over flight. Here though, I was unable to adequately make the connection between the Alarm Cat that once baked cookies in an effort to cheer up a sad Kate and the headless robot that speechifies with Shakespearean eloquence before telling someone “Go Fuck Yourself.” Perhaps on rereading the arc as a whole, I’ll be able to track what caused Cassius to change so drastically as its characterization felt like the sole black mark in an otherwise riveting issue.

With Kate’s proposed plan at the end of the issue, most other comics would probably call it a wrap once the Kristopher siblings and their friends pull it off. So far though, Shutter has shown that any assumptions about where its story might go should be immediately discarded or reserved for fun bouts of online speculation. This is a comic that has continuously proven that it knows how to do humor, action and heart, featuring a diverse cast of queer, gender non-conforming characters that refuse to be one-dimensional. In an ideal world, this would be THE neverending story, and I hope Keatinge and Del Duca are having just as much fun, likely more, making it as I do reading it every month.

Score: 4/5

Shutter #17 Writer: Joe Keatinge Artist: Leila Del Duca Publisher: Image Comics Price: $2.99 Release Date: 11/18/15 Format: Ongoing, Print/Digital

Review: Godzilla in Hell #5

Godzilla has defeated every monster he’s encountered, even the Fantastic Four were barely a match for the King of Kaiju, I don’t care what anyone says, that comic is and forever will be canon. And in this miniseries they took him through his biggest (and most metal) challenge yet, Godzilla was in Hell. This last instalment on the series seeks to put the mighty beast through one last trial. This issue begins with Godzilla walking through a mighty and vast desert, which turns as quickly as the page is turned into a relentless ice storm which makes even Godzilla struggle. And as it comes, the storm leads way to a cavernous river of boiling blood that lead into a cascade to the abyss. Before he knows it, he’s in a bridge that can’t hold his weight, and falls right into the same abyss the blood leads to. Godzilla then wakes up to more foes, small and big, few and many, all trying to stop and kill the mighty beast from reaching the top of the mountain (figurative and literally). Godzilla in Hell #5 really submerges into what it is for Godzilla to travel to the Underworld and which of his enemies and other kaiju he’s battled over the years would be his most feared, is there anyone left for him to battle now that he’s defeated all monsters on Earth and some on Space? Or is he meant to travel continuously through the entrails of the land of eternal despair and desolation, battling his way through everything he’s ever faced over and over again.

GODZILLAHELL_05_coverADave Wachter nicely wraps up the tale of Godzilla going through Hell by providing closure to the story. As the creative teams before him, he’s shown his own version of Hell, which at this point feels similar to some of the earlier incarnations of Godzilla’s Inferno, which works very well to relate this story to the other ones, while still being able to notice that Wachter has his own ever changing of the place and how it changes the protagonist. He continues the little to no usage of dialogue, narration, or captions, which has proven more effective to set up the tone on how epic the entire tale is, and when overused, well, you have issue #2. Godzilla is mighty in his own regard. There is no need to tell the reader that, but rather show them by matching him with a world (or Underworld) that’s just as epic and even more mighty dabbling on the surreal.

The art is some of the best I’ve seen in the series, putting aside my personal bias with James Stokoe with a lot of effort, Dave Wachter has made product that equals in attention to detail, contrasts of color, and use of bizarre and quirky images and creatures that could run the risk of  clashing with the tone of the book, but rather enhances it. In terms of art and their style, this feels like a mix of James Stokoe and Mike Del Mundo working on a Godzilla book together, as far as art goes, issue #1 and issue #5 of Godzilla in Hell stand in equal terms, but when the story is factored in, the last issue of Godzilla is a richer tale that serves well for the entire series. If Dave Wachter decided to fully take over a Godzilla book, he would have my money every month.

I have only one gripe with this issue and with the series overall. If Godzilla went to Hell, when did he battle the Satan himself? Where is the all out brawl with the King of Kaiju vs the King of Hell? The Fallen Monster vs The Fallen Angel? I know there could be a big argument to say he was a representation of one of the many monsters he faces that seemed to look like his old foes but weren’t . But dammit, Dr. Who showed me a fantastic representation of the (could be) Devil in the Satan Pit based off Simon Bisley designs. Wouldn’t it have been the mother of all fights to see his and Godzilla beat the shit out of each other?

Overall, Godzilla in Hell comes to a good closure, its one not-so-great issue still had amazing art, and it’s overshadowed by how great the entirety of the series was. If you’re a Godzilla fan whether it’s just the movies or the comics, there’s no reason you shouldn’t have this series as part of your collection.

Score: 4/5

Godzilla in Hell #5 Written/Illustrated by: Dave Wachter Publisher: IDW Publishing Price: $3.99 Release Date: 11/18/15 Format: Mini-Series; Print/Digital

Review: Holy F*cked #3

This time, in Holy F*cked, skateboarding hipster Jesus remains in captivity at the behest of Hercules, who plans to kill the Lord of Hosts with a heady cocktail of his two known biblical weaknesses: strap on dildos and dynamite sticks! Luckily for our savior, The New Apostles -- souped up versions of Moses, Mother Theresa, The Holy Spirit and a Pope -- are on the case. Unluckily, Hercules dismantles each of them with relative ease, one-by-one burning their flesh from their bones, ripping them in twain or simply snorting up their sacred essences and farting them out. And as ridiculous as it gets, as puerile and silly, it’s never not fun. The strength of this series, of course, has and continues to be that it doesn’t take itself too seriously. Writer Nick Marino and artist Daniel Arruda Massa riff on each other in a way not dissimilar to our own Comic Bastards co-captains, Dustin Cabeal and Kevin Beckham, and as such it’s just as organically entertaining. It feels like two friends sitting around at Sunday school, coming up with the most ludicrous shit they can before hastily committing it to paper. And whether it’s the pages-upon-pages of ridiculous battle between the out-gunned Apostles and the nip-tacular Hercules, or the Silver Surfer-meets-Space Jam origin story of Cosmic Moses (the one-shot spinoff story of which I now want to read), it’s always a good time.

Holy Fucked #3Despite resounding with the giddy sacrilegious fun of a fart in church, however, this is not a book free from sin. The story often demands a liberal suspension of disbelief and poetic license in terms of pacing and basic structure. There is no break, for example, between when The New Apostles take off in search of Jesus and when they find his Herc-jacked car. They just arrive. It also relies on the lowest common denominator of humor and storytelling, with the most sophomoric of dick/fart jokes and only a whisper of thoughtful plotting.

The sub-plot of Satan’s impending labor, for instance, is mostly an afterthought here, whereas it might have been played up to greater consequence or a more cliffhanging ending in this, the series’ penultimate issue. Then again, that would mean we got less of the beatific beatdown that takes up the bulk of the issue. Indeed, much like religion, making ridiculous comics about fighting figureheads of faith clearly requires sacrifice.

Arruda Massa’s art, as I’ve said before in earlier reviews, reminds me of a parsed-down James Callahan (The Auteur), with a similar sensibility of not giving two fucks about consistency of perspective, mostly to humorous effect. And while I enjoy how comically quaffable the art of Holy F*cked #3 is, and am glad to see a decrease in panel repetition from last issue, there are a few times where it could benefit from a more focused depth and further attention to background work.

One of the things that makes the aforementioned Callahan’s work in The Auteur so impressive is that he allows himself to get serious sometimes and goes into great detail, making his looser panels stand out with purpose. And while I know they are two separate books, I feel like Holy F*cked would benefit from a similar aesthetic approach. Still, for pure late-night, drug-addled, over-exaggerated fun, with an energetic, pop-art approach to its honestly impressive mosaic panelling, it’s hard not to find this artistic direction endearing as hell, and despite the comparisons I’ve made above, a unique beast in its own right.

As with all of the issues previous, I really enjoyed Holy F*cked #3. It may not change many hearts and minds (though it will almost undoubtedly offend them), but it continues to be a hugely entertaining series that lifts a solid, steady middle finger to both traditions and polite sensibilities. And I, for one, respect that.

Score: 3/5

Holy F*cked #3 Writer: Nick Marino Artist: Daniel Arruda Massa Publisher: Action Lab/Danger Zone Price: $3.99 Release Date: 10/13/15 Format: Mini-Series; Print/Digital

Review: Weekly Shonen Jump #51

No One Piece this week, but a new Jump Start! Sports manga seems to be getting some life breathed into it recently, after sort of sputtering in popularity for a long time on this side of the pond.  The newest Jump Start is Buddy Strike, a baseball manga focusing on the relationship between a pitcher and catcher, from mangaka KAITO who previously created Cross Manage, a lacrosse manga that ran for over 40 chapters in Jump.

Sports manga need to have a lot going for them.  To date, I've been pretty picky about the ones that I'll even check out, but stand-outs are Slam Dunk (given Inoue's sense for character-driven story and great sense of humor) and Eyeshield-21 (because Murata is an unbelievable talent).  A lot of sports manga simply don't appeal to me because I either don't find the sport interesting in the first place (no swimming manga will ever grab me, sorry) or there's really nothing interesting about the series outside of the sport itself (recent Jump Start Best Blue was a real bore to me on both fronts for this reason).

WS 51 coverBuddy Strike thus has a head start: baseball is one of the most interesting sports to me, especially when it comes to pitchers.  As with all sports manga, I'm still skeptical of how to make the sporting action interesting on the page itself, but KAITO's art is really tight, and makes the action on the page pop.  The big challenge going forward will be seeing if KAITO can develop intrigue outside of the sport that carries over into the game itself.  I'll forever hold up a series like Food Wars as a great example of this kind of thing: even immaculately detailed depictions of some niche subject (food, in this case, but sports are a niche subject too) both in story and art will suffer if I don't care about the stakes before someone starts cooking.  Food Wars gets me to care about a shokugeki.  Slam Dunk gets me to care about a given basketball game.

KAITO showed us that he can make a pitcher and a catcher look awesome with his artwork.  And he's shown at least some understanding of the sport.  What needs to happen now is 1. he has to demonstrate a deep knowledge of the sport that makes the set pieces interesting and 2. he needs to get us interested in these characters and their dreams before they suit up to go out on the field.

Kubo is going for broke in Bleach, and I am loving it.  When even Nanao is given a chance to shine at a level this extreme in a fight this important with a dude THIS powerful, you know Kubo is really throwing everything he has into these final chapters.  Visually this series remains stunning, as Kubo continues to innovate the depiction of big fights in such an elegant manner; however, there's been a big improvement in the character-driven storytelling here as well, and I'm happy to see that Kubo is trying to finish strong with character developments that he has earned.

The turn of events in Food Wars doesn't surprise me, but that doesn't mean I'm not happy about it.  The predictable next step is that Soma kicks Eizan's ass in a rigged shokugeki, but it's equally plausible that Eizan will ask for a fair fight and 1. he'll still lose or 2. well, something might just interrupt the shokugeki.  Who knows.  But I'm loving the direction of the series and the fact that the stakes are infinitely higher for all of the characters.

Pervy Horikoshi stand-in Mineta has a chapter mostly centering around him and the final exams this week in Academia, and it's a lot of fun.  Though Midoriya is one of the most cerebral central characters, all of these aspiring heroes are being forced into situations throughout these story arcs where they to have to flex some serious decision-making skills in the face of tactically challenging situations.  Horikoshi has a clear vision for the way the different pieces in this series fit together, and it's quickly becoming my favorite series to read each week.

Score: 4/5

Weekly Shonen Jump #51 Writers: Various Artists: Various Publisher: Viz Media Release Date: 11/16/15 Format: Weekly; Digital

Review: Phonogram: The Immaterial Girl #4

This issue of Phonogram: The Immaterial Girl has been my favorite of the series yet, and I think it’s because it leans so hard into the comic it’s paying homage to, and it’s not about Emily Aster. She, the Immaterial Girl herself, is not even in the issue. For this month, McKelvie and Gillen drop us into the periphery of the coven, telling us about a formative few months in the lives and relationship of Lloyd and Laura. They relate the tenuous relationship between the two of them in the style of a Scott Pilgrim book, down to the black and white, and the incredible interest in popular culture (specifically the Long Blondes and Dexy’s Midnight Runners). They’re given a golden opportunity by Silent Girl, of all people, and they have to grab the brass ring or forever fail. There are fights, there is magic, there are disappointing second albums—this issue’s got it all.

Phonogram---Immaterial-Girl-#4-1This issue is all about the unsung heroes. Lloyd and Laura are just two phonomancers who love music and magic, but who aren’t high on the totem pole in the coven; they just want to move up the pole and become the head, to prove that they’re better than each other. Meanwhile, on the creative team, Matthew Wilson gets to really flex. The whole issue is black and white, except for when magic is being used, so there’s a great sequence where Laura Black becomes Black Laura (I have to assume that this is a reference to Frank Black/Black Francis from the Pixies, this being a Kieron Gillen book and all), and there’s a truly amazing sequence on the dance floor. Putting his work in standout single pages in a largely black and white issue means you have to sit up and notice what a massive, massive influence his work is on the world of Phonogram.

The two backups in this issue are some of the strongest there have been in the series to date. Julia Scheele’s cartooning style brings to mind the Venn diagram intersection between Charles Burns and someone like Jeremy Sorese or Rebecca Sugar, with a softer edge to their suburban squalor. And Luis Sopelana... I could live in the world of that short for an entire series. Sopelana paints with broad strokes, and it is evocative without being too wrapped up in itself.

My biggest problem with this issue is part of what I like so much about it: it doesn’t actually deal with Emily and the Immaterial Girl thread. This is a longish arc for a comic series at six issues, but in the scheme of Phonogram, it’s only a small chunk, and it’s structured to really focus on Emily. With Singles Club, the mechanism of the story was built to wander around the club and follow threads where they willed themselves; but to take an act break at the fourth issue of six with Immaterial Girl stops the momentum pretty hard. I’m still very on board with the book, and it could turn out that Lloyd and Laura are going to play a big part in the finale, so it doesn’t affect my scoring. And with this perfect score, I leave you all, to dig up some Long Blondes playlists on Spotify.

Score: 5/5

Phonogram: The Immaterial Girl #4 Writer: Kieron Gillen Artists: Jamie McKelvie, Julia Scheele, Luis Sopelana Colorist: Matthew Wilson Letterer: Clayton Cowles Flatter: Dee Cunniffe Designer: Sergio Serrano Publisher: Image Comics Price: $3.99 Release Date: 11/18/15 Format: Mini-Series; Print/Digital

Review: Orphan Black: Helsinki #1

I’m told the sport of fishing is merely a means to accomplish quiet self-contemplation, occasionally involving a brief struggle against some floppy animal. That’s this book; a stretch of skillful character portrait, abruptly interrupted by its own premise. I went into this, the first issue of Orphan Black: Helsinki, with very little knowledge of the book's source material. I knew it was a television show and also... no, that's it. So, Orphan Black fans, try to understand my point-of-view while I describe (without giving away anything plot-relevant) my reading experience.

With little fanfare we're thrown into the frantic mind of the book's cover girl Veera. She's having problems some might expect any other seventeen-year-old girl to have: trouble at home, a general lack of confidence, and insecurities about her mysterious facial burn. There’s a brief use of dreams as a medium for interacting with reality. But the moment passes with little mention. Maybe the nightmare is just that: a nightmare. Physical evidence says otherwise. It’s subtle and creepy, introducing the ideas of violation and a lack of control that will escalate in the coming pages. Veera starts to question her memories, her hold on reality. So she turns to compulsive pill-taking to dull the edge of dread. A nice detail worth noting -- an overheard, hushed conversation is printed in barely coherent sentence fragments. Our protagonist’s eavesdropping only reveals pieces of a puzzle. Increasing that dread. Again, subtle. And it feeds into the air of paranoia that surrounds Veera.

OBHelsinki01-coverI should say I really enjoy the way Veera is presented. With little exposition I get a clear profile of the girl: she's an isolated, detail-oriented, painfully self-aware kid. But there's something else there, a strange intensity. She’s poorly socialized, analyzing behaviors to learn how to act by rote. Veera navigates every situation with exacting purpose, but her words and her people skills often fail her. We see her driven by a very serious concern for not just her safety, but the punishment of an apparent fiend of an uncle. Her cause is righteous and the potential costs are dire. Yet we watch her stumble along the incredibly mundane social structures of high school through much of this issue. Because high school is an awful ordeal, especially if you're not prepared for it. Introverts in the reading audience might find their own thoughts given voice by Veera here. It’s actually a wonder she’s so clearly characterized.

The listing of four writers in a book’s credits can be a red flag most of the time. However, the “too many cooks” principle ignores an occasional need to put fresh eyes and varied personalities on a project. Complex narratives may need many creative minds.  I wish I could see that complexity on display here. My affection for the character work is severely dampened by poor pacing and structure. The book begins, flashes to an A Nightmare on Elm Street-style dream, then to a proper flashback to set up Veera's motivation, then forward to pick up after the opening action. While I appreciate a modern comic actually packing its pages with narrative, I wish the writers of this issue felt they could slow down and build upon that earlier tension.

The art is all over the place. I initially thought there were multiple people on art duty, alternating pages. But, no. It's somehow all one person. See, Alan Quah’s work starts with a somewhat clean and inked traditional look. Then the illustrations shift, during the single-page dream sequence, into a more rugged and inkless style. I get Bill Sienkiewicz vibes. Then the style switches back to its initial look in the waking world. Sort of. Sometimes the art looks like the opacity of a Photoshop layer is being set too low. Sometimes the line work is bold and thick. Other times their lines look preliminary and tentative. Is it a recurring motif or just an inconsistent artist? I genuinely can’t tell.

Orphan Black: Helsinki isn’t creative enough with the show’s premise (I looked it up, after the fact) out of the gate. As much as I like Veera as a protagonist, the army of writers seems somewhat more interested in expanding their mythos than in lingering on their lead character. The solid middle of this issue is written well and illustrated adequately, presenting the awkwardness and pain of being a teenager through the prism of a teen who is legitimately different from most others. Then the book kind of fumbles, rushing into its final moments. And that rush seems to be in service of an ending that I won't discuss other than to say, you'll see it coming and it isn't especially intriguing compared to the teen drama preceding it. I guess, with four writers, I was kind of hoping for an overall more interesting or inventive plot. A comic book within a meta-series needs to use the start of a new arc to ease readers into the fiction a bit. I’m intrigued, but not enough recommend rushing out to pick up this comic.

Score: 2/5

Orphan Black: Helsinki #1 Writer: John Fawcett, Graeme Manson, Heli Kennedy, and Denton J. Tipton Artist: Alan Quah Colorist: Chris Fenoglio Publisher: IDW Publishing Price: $3.99 Release Date: 11/18/15 Format: Mini-Series; Print/Digital

Review: Cognetic #2

Part of my fascination with body horror is the opportunity to see the normalized human body in an entirely new context. In 2014’s Robocop remake, my favorite scene was unquestionably the one where Robocop gets the opportunity to see what little remains of his original organic body. His repeated “OMG’s” in this scene as robotic appendages are removed created one of the most unsettling moments for me in recent memory as it reminded us me how closely we associate our identities to the bodies we occupy, and how a life without that body may not seem worth living, even one where you had super strength, and were bullet proof. Cognetic taps into a fear on par with that one for me, the possibility of unknowingly losing my life to a force humanity has not even imagined, and creators James Tynion IV and Eryk Donovan pull it off marvelously, even including a bit of inspired body horror along the way. Not content with starting out where issue one ended, this one begins at the dawn of civilization as a giant sentient brain-like being is forced out of its spaceship, and connects its tendrils to some early humans that stumble across it. Given a glimpse of the universe in a vision, they come out of their vision unsure of what to make about what they’ve just seen, and instead use the opportunity to make a meal of the visiting alien being, which seems to have endowed the people who ate it with unspecified extra sensory abilities. Things pick back up at the present as we learn about Annie and last issue’s super powered antagonist’s connection to this first scene, and their shared history since. From there, things quickly accelerate as Annie fights for her life and that of every human in New York City, tries to dissuade her wife from joining her, and makes a compromise she swore she never would again. It all builds to global stakes that are both epic and well-earned.

Cognetic-#2-1The sheer level of action in this issue is astonishing, but it only works because Tynion ensures that we’re just as invested in Annie’s personal stake in the conflict than in her desire to seek revenge against the being she calls her brother. Using text messaging, Tynion gives us the opportunity to see as Annie communicates with her wife Mel as circumstances make it impossible for her to them to talk. What emerges through these texts is the depth to which Annie cares for Mel, prioritizing Mel and their child’s safety of the opportunity to potentially see them one more time before all goes to shit. And Tynion does this without making Mel into a submissive character, showing us how assertive she is in equally wanting to protect Annie and unite their family. Rather than detracting from the main conflict, their relationship gave Annie’s choices in the main conflict an added weight as I recognized that Annie was likely sacrificing her relationship with Mel based off her decisions this issue.

Most fittingly categorized as a sibling rivalry, Annie and her brother have been at a philosophical stalemate for quite some time. Annie has reformed from past behavior she’s no longer engaged in, and her brother seeks nothing more than her assistance in taking over the world by expanding each of their hive mind networks throughout ever sentient being on the planet, and provide themselves the opportunity to go beyond even the Earth. It’s an ambition that seems entirely doable given what the being has achieved since his arrival on the Empire State Building only a day or two before. His total apathy towards humanity provides a great contrast to Annie who puts everything on the line to save beings she formally regarded as lesser life forms. Watching how the two differently regard the lives they take is really interesting, and I’m curious to see the toll Annie’s action take on her personality as she’s forced to compromise more of her own humanity to fight her brother.

Donovan make Annie’s brother an intimidating villain through imagery that’s not exactly gory, but horrific just the same. Through innovative use of the brother’s ability to use several bodies simultaneously, Donovan transforms the brother into a human chain of interlaced people that move together. With this, Donovan creates attacking tendrils, a throne, and launchpads that send individuals after incoming helicopters. Paired with some great facial work, Donovan makes the brother into a sickening character who’s final appearance in this issue leaves us with a very creepy image despite its initial innocent look.

Other than the issue where some design choices confused me (Annie’s eyes and the font of her dialogue are red, but her the font of her text messages is blue), this issue had very little that wasn’t working towards creating a pretty captivating story. It seems too soon for this comic to come to an end next month, but with the amount of story Tynion and Donovan put into this issue it’ll undoubtedly go to some strange and unpredictable places.

Score: 4/5

Writer: James Tynion IV Artist: Eryk Donovan Colorist: Juan Manuel Tumburús Letterist: Steve Wands Publisher: BOOM! Studios Price: $3.99 Release Date: 11/18/15 Format: Mini-Series, Print/Digital

Review: I Hate Fairyland #2

Skottie Young’s I Hate Fairyland is the most putridly adorable book I have ever read. It is also quite possibly this year’s most well-written, pun-rife riot; and if you’re skipping it, you are missing out on one hell of a sugar rush. Or is it cocaine? Hell, with this book, it’s probably both. The second issue of I Hate Fairyland continues to follow the dimensionally-misplaced Gertrude, whose 37-year-old mind remains trapped within her eight-year-old body, after first being whisked away to Fairyland years ago and told to find a magical key to return home. She still hasn’t found that key (though not for want of trying), and has, as a result, gone crazier than a shit house rat. Of course, therein lies the book’s gruesome and infectious charm; more on that later.

Having recently found herself victorious in an off-panel battle against a barbarian hitman sent by the otherwise benevolent Fairyland ruler, Queen Cloudia, Gertrude continues on her quest for the key home. In the process this time, she drunkenly propositions an anthropomorphic frog, spelunks the blown-out chest cavity of a “giggle giant” (not a penis euphemism) and enters into the pitched axe slaughter of ravenous faun zombies. And fuck me if this isn’t the purest fun I’ve had with comics in a long time.

I-Hate-Fairyland-#2-1The best word I can use to describe I Hate Fairyland is cathartic. “All-ages” books with saccharine moral lessons about magical friendship are all the rage these days with grown ass adults. And that brings out all the rage in me. So when I see Gertrude -- a late-30s grump forced to drown in a perpetually churning sea of cute -- lash out in gory, hilarious fashion, it feels like someone is hugging my goddamn insides.

At the same time, Young doesn’t lean on the same crutch that many other so-called all-ages comedy writers do; that is, with a forced millennial vernacular. In fact, he makes up his own slang here and manages to be all the more hilarious throughout the issue for it, without instantly dating his writing. Combined with his visual gags, the endearingly deranged banter with which he venomously colors his dialogue and a story that is genuinely one of the most imaginatively written to have hit the stands, I Hate Fairyland has already, for me, become not just an instant classic, but a great formula for how to undermine genre.

The art of I Hate Fairyland #2 is the comic book equivalent of the world’s brightest, most adorable snuff film. I know there are some folks out there who aren’t Skottie Young fans, possibly owing to an over-saturation of his work on variant covers, but I personally can’t get enough of his thickly-bordered simultaneously enchanting-yet-disgusting style in this book. Its Nickelodeon meets heroin chic, and it snarls tantalizingly behind the electric pastel veneers of Jean-Francois Beaulieu’s incredibly vibrant colors. The effect is dizzying, like looking at a coloring book while tripping face in a seedy red light district.

Rounding out this book’s total package feel is the playful lettering of Nate Piekos, whose efforts to creatively convey voice (be it in Gertrude’s drunken wavy slur or the standout pseudo-profanity that looks like censorship stickers) are outstanding, and should not go unnoticed.

I never thought I’d have this much of a blast with I Hate Fairyland, but even after only two issues, it has turned into one of my most anticipated monthly(ish) reads. Clever, cuddly and raucously caustic, it scratches an itch I never knew I had.

Score: 5/5

I Hate Fairyland #2 Writer/Artist: Skottie Young Colorist: Jean-Francois Beaulieu Letterer: Nate Piekos Publisher: Image Comics Price: $3.50 Release Date: 11/18/15 Format: Print/Digital

Review: Onyx #3

In my review of the first issue of Onyx, I compared this science fiction series to an action-heavy summer blockbuster – one which doesn’t require much brainpower to sit down and watch. With this third issue I’m going to amend that comparison as at this point this series seems more reminiscent of a direct-to-DVD Syfy channel movie, which needless to say is quite a downgrade. This series isn’t without merit and from time-to-time I see glimmers of things which could have been great, but ultimately these ideas are wasted on a series which is frankly sub-par. Onyx #3 continues the story of a human strike force who have allied themselves with the titular character – alien warrior Onyx – in the hope of stopping a spore which has infected Earth’s very core and left many animals horrifyingly mutated. It’s not a bad premise, and the previous issue did attempt to enter more thought-provoking areas with ideas about animal rights and slavery thrown around to varying success. Unfortunately, with this third instalment we step back into mindless action scenes and tiresome attempts at character development which fail to add any depth to the cast of this book. As a result, moments that should be emotional just don’t impact the reader at all because we have no reason to feel connected to any one character in this series.

Onyx03_cvrBut it isn’t just the characters in this book that are disappointing, the plot itself also leaves much to be desired. Writer Chris Ryall seems to have a limited understanding of set-up. Rather than putting things in place in advance before letting them come into significance further down the line, developments that have a major impact on the story are introduced mere moments before they’re needed. This makes the script feel rushed, almost as if Ryall was making things up as he went along which also bogs down the more promising elements of this book.

Chief among them is the art and monster designs by Gabriel Rodriguez. One of the mutated creatures featured in this issue genuinely freaked me out, I had to look away because I just found it so creepy – and that’s a good thing. Indeed, this is one area where Onyx has actually made me feel something and for a moment this did lead to me putting myself in the character’s shoes and feeling some empathy for their unenviable situation. That empathy was quickly dropped once the characters started talking again, but nonetheless that moment of emotion was noteworthy.

But no amount of good art can hold up a book with such a weak plot, and the absence of any interesting or likeable characters to latch onto is perhaps the final nail in the coffin for this series. I want to like Onyx. I really do. There is potential in some of the ideas that the book offers. However, the series has been executed poorly so what is left of said ideas by the end is nothing but a bland mess of bad dialogue and nonsensical plot twists.

Score: 2/5

Onyx #3 Writer: Chris Ryall Artist: Gabriel Rodriguez Colorist: Jay Fotos Publisher: IDW Publishing Price: $3.99 Release Date: 11/18/15 Format: Mini-Series; Print/Digital

Review: The Infinite Loop

Let's get this out of the way first.  Despite its surface trappings, "The Infinite Loop" is not a book about time travel: it's a book about LGBTQ issues. Author Pierrick Colinet has villains spout lines like "Are you a man or a woman anyway? I hate it when people refuse to choose" and "conservativism is the best thing that happened to humanity" while the heroes are bisexual, genderqueer, or simply feminist. The message is not subtle and unfortunately it is not particularly well-wrought as a strained analogy between time travel and gender identity is stretched well past its limit. Now this alone would not make "Infinite Loop" a bad comic, simply a didactic one (perhaps akin to Kelly Sue Deconnick's lyrical western, "Pretty Deadly"), but there is, unfortunately, very little to offset the bluntness of the book's message. "The Infinite Loop" is about a woman named Teddy whose job requires her to destroy temporal anomalies created by the alteration of the time stream (the culprits behind this alteration are never revealed in the first of many loose ends).  On one routine mission, Teddy is shocked to discover an anomaly in the form of a young Asian woman. Ignoring her directive for the first time, Teddy rescues the woman, making them both temporal outlaws. While not particularly original, this basic setup affords a number of potentially interesting sci-fi plot threads. Who runs Teddy's organization? What exactly is a temporal anomaly? What time period is Teddy from in the first place? Sadly, the actual plot lives up to the book's name as it quickly becomes mired in an ill-defined series of plot turns.

Layout 1While the first couple of issues are intriguing, espionage-flavored jaunts, the subsequent issues (especially the third) become incomprehensibly confusing sci-fi messes. Multiple timelines, time-alterations, paradoxes, and anomalies are all referenced or shown though no firm definition or context for any is ever given. Adding to the plot confusion are the layouts which show the same character in multiple places at once without panel breaks, which becomes particularly confusing in a book that already has multiple version of some characters.

One bright spot throughout the book is Elsa Charretier's art which evokes the character designs of Darwyn Cooke. The action scenes are rendered fluidly, and the art is pleasantly simplified and stylized creating a tone of clean adventure that the story never quite lives up to.  Adding to the appeal of the art is a series of flow charts that chart the possible choices the characters could make. These add to the theme of action and repercussion while also subtly indicating character moments (one chart repeatedly ends in "you idiot").

Sadly, that is one of the few moments of characterization to be found in the entirety of "Infinite loop". Teddy is given very little characterization early on except that she has no interest in "love"; however, when Ano enters the scene, it is a matter of a single day (or around there; time travel confuses these estimates) before she is having steamy sex scenes that last four pages. No justification is given for their relationship beyond raw attraction. In fact, Teddy admires Ano's body immediately and repeatedly and discusses it in a manner which, if coming from a man, would be incredibly creepy. Similarly, the actual relationship is nothing more than a series of sex scenes which are repetitive and uninformative. Why does Teddy risk her life (and the fate of the world; a plot point that should snap the LGBT parallel in two) for a girl she just met? What is Ano's motivations as she appears to be in some way artificial or at least, inhuman? These questions about the book's central relationship are never answered and none of the rest of the plot can fill their absence.

Score: 1/5

The Infinite Loop Author: Pierrick Colinet Artist: Elsa Charretier Publisher: IDW Publishing Price: $19.99 Release Date: 11/18/15 Format: Trade Paperback, Print/Digital

Review: Tokyo Ghost #3

Tokyo Ghost #3 sees erstwhile lovers Debbie and Teddy shunning the hyper-tech world of Los Angeles and welcomed by locals into the feudal, no-tech enclave that future Japan has become. In so doing, we are treated to a sweepingly gorgeous, yet narratively toned-down issue that focuses on the relationship of our heroes, set within an interestingly inverse telling of the Garden of Eden story. Leading her partner into a forbidden paradise, Debbie (Eve) convinces god (Japan’s seemingly magical matriarch Kazumi) to cure Teddy (Adam) of his infection of boundless human knowledge. And in an issue once again chock-full of story (such that it turns a couple of pages’ margins into a hanging tapestry of exposition), Tokyo Ghost proves to be the beginning of a very cool nouveau-creation myth. Of course, as is evidenced by the end of the issue, even here, there are snakes in the garden.

While decidedly less action-packed than the series’ previous offerings, Tokyo Ghost #3 does not skimp on powerful storytelling, and constitutes a very strong return to form for Rick Remender, which should undoubtedly win back any fans previously disappointed with his later Marvel work. Of course, anyone who has been following his creator-owned comics will see it as a continuation of a well-honed writing style.

Tokyo-Ghost-#3-1Remender is one of the few writers who is as comfortable writing natural, interpersonal dialogue as he is extolling through poesy the depths of his expansive world-building. Both sides of that style are on display here as he flawlessly jumps between a woman’s hope for redemption, a man’s struggle with the pangs of withdrawal and the potential of a perfect society, which could, at any moment, be ripped asunder by human jealousy and the comeuppance of the past.

The visual storytelling of Tokyo Ghost, directed by the incomparable Sean Murphy, is just as infinitely well-manicured and dynamic as Remender’s narrative. As with any book with which his name is associated at any given time, issue three boasts some of the best looking pages on the stands this new comic book day, and you would be a fool to not pick it up for its art alone. Tapping into a traditional Japanese aesthetic, not just in setting but in style, Murphy soaks every inch of his pages in atmosphere, even when making room for Remender’s verbosity.

With foreground figure work that is lithe and rough set against backgrounds that are nothing short of ethereal, even majestic, the visual atmosphere of Tokyo Ghost is perhaps its most powerful weapon in an arsenal of incredible strengths. Accentuating the effect further still are the colors of Matt Hollingsworth, who, for my money, and based on this issue alone, proves himself to be one of the best in the business. His efforts here are absolutely integral to the luscious bleed and power of this story, benefitting as it does from both a light hand and a frenetic neon frenzy.

What else can I say other than I fucking love every bit of this book, and this issue especially. In a library increasingly buoyed by truly stellar work, Tokyo Ghost stands as Image Comics’ most brilliant and seductive gem.

Score: 5/5

Tokyo Ghost #3 Writer: Rick Remender Artist: Sean Murphy Colorist: Matt Hollingsworth Letterer: Rus Wooton Publisher: Image Comics Price: $3.99 Release Date: 11/18/15 Format: Mini-Series; Print/Digital

Review: Wayward #11

Wayward #11 serves as yet another well-paced entry into a new volume that shows how "writing for te trade" can be done effectively, and with an eye towards the bigger picture. The old grumpy comic fan shakes his fast at the sky and curses those who “write for the trade.”  You hear the complaint come in waves: either stories that should be shorter are stretched to be marketable in trade paperbacks, or long-form stories suffer from weird blips in pacing to better package them in the digestible form of a TPB.  Whatever.

Wayward is very much structured around the trade, but in a way that is wholly satisfying and adds depth to the manner in which Zub is choosing to introduce, re-introduce, and develop characters.  For instance, the beginning of each volume of Wayward--that is, the first issue, the sixth issue, and now the eleventh issue--contains a sequence in which the Kanji for "Japan" is present (日本) and a character being introduced says a line to the effect of, "Japan.  128 million people, including me."  This happens three times, introducing three different characters, at the beginning of three different story arcs, and sets the tone each time.

If the story is going to be rigorously structured around incidents that happen in five issue morsels, and if the overall story is building towards something very big with various characters and the shit they've been through in however many story arcs, this is a great way to set the tone for the series.  Rather than having a character dropped in my lap at some point (which still happens because, you know, it has to happen in almost any story), I get a major dramatic introduction to a character through their own perspective.  By making the introductions of major characters’ signposts that guide the reader from volume to volume, Zub and company are taking the character-driven aspect of this series seriously.

Wayward-#11-1Another thing I quite like about beginning new volumes this way is that it was really easy for me to pick up volume 2 of Wayward, for instance, and feel like I could ease my way into the story despite having missed the first volume.  By having the perspective of a new character who herself was just entering the story world in a meaningful way, her surprise was often my surprise, and I learned about the world as she did.  Of course, this issue is less forgiving and doesn't have quite the impact if you haven't read previous Wayward story arcs, but the transition from #10 to #11 hinges on a substantially more climactic point.

As far as thoughtful storytelling choices go, one of my other favorite things about Wayward is that it is a distinctly Western comic which is simultaneously and singularly focused on presenting something not Western.  This is a story with very little time devoted to aspect shots, as compared to manga, and, even more distinctly, a story which is absolutely packed to the gills with color.

Cummings’ monster designs remain a weird mix of menacing, surreal-but-sort-of-real, and fun, but Bonvillain's colors must be the thing that loads up your eyeball-face on nearly every single page.  Wayward is a book wherein the creative team is unafraid to make the happenings of a normal, everyday street corner feel as alive as far more surreal sequences full of magical action and demonic fuckery that takes up entire pages.  To wit, the art remains fairly routine except for one page which breaks all sorts of weird conventional space-timey rules in comics, which is especially notable because it happens during a substantial moment of duress for a certain character.

Reading the beginning of this third volume has also helped me realize something else: Zub has a pretty small bag of tricks; but, he’s capable of going back into it to deploy story developments in a way that the reader doesn’t expect.  If you step back and look at all the moving parts in Wayward, there are relatively few players and, given the enormity of the situation, things are actually quite simple.  I think Zub likes it that way, and it pairs very well with the incredibly rich and saturated artwork on this title.

I think that the backmatter from Davisson explaining the history of Yokai being systematically removed from having such a huge role in Japanese society is instructive of how Zub is thinking about this title: Zub is using this artistic team to put the magic back into these settings.  Wayward shows that a little bit of mythology goes a long way in telling a magical story.

Score: 5/5

Wayward #11 Writer: Jim Zub Artist: Steve Cummings Colorist: Tamra Bonvillain Publisher: Image Comics Price: Digital $2.99 Print $3.50 Release Date: 11/18/15 Format: Ongoing, Print/Digital

Review: Robyn Hood 2015 Holiday Special

Writers need to be careful when combining violent action with Christmas tales. They need to avoid the cynical and the obvious. Adult fantasy writers in particular have to navigate their words with precision. Otherwise, they can find themselves producing really pedestrian and obnoxious stories within the already overdone framework of the Holiday Special. Thankfully Robyn Hood: 2015 Holiday Special isn’t a simple riff on the Krampus legend. Nor is it just another twist on the story of Scrooge. It fuses both and places them into the darkly comedic world of Robyn Hood excellently. A quick recap brings us up to speed and establishes Robyn as a woman between adventures. Hidden away from pursuing forces, she and her friend Marian are trying to celebrate Christmas with friends. Robyn's melancholy thoughts make it clear her future is uncertain. So she thinks of the past. The book flashes back a year where Robyn, an archer and detective, is avoiding Christmas. With a back-story that reads like an exploitation cinema confluence, Robyn has become tough and wary as a form of self-defense. She's doesn't do Christmas because she believes the holiday is literally cursed. Marian seems to be in a more traditional Christmas special, believing Robyn is a grump in need of some old fashioned holiday spirit. But, no, Robyn explains; Christmas is literally a cursed holiday. Well, Robyn's Christmas is cursed at least. So she's determined to stay inside until the holiday and the danger pass. Much of this gets conveyed through naturalistic and breezy dialog lacking many of the overblown declarations one might associate with fantasy fiction.

Robyn-Hood-Holiday-Special-2015-1Then a client arrives. Robyn's strong sense of justice hews toward brutal vengeance. She empathizes with the charity worker desperate to protect his homeless shelter from a greedy businessman. Unfortunately, the protection he seeks involves a misapplication of dark magic. So the ladies turn him away. Our protagonist knows what it's like to forgotten, left in the cold, away from an old and comforting warmth. As a result, she requires little time to reflect and little object motivation before she springs into poorly planned action. Then things get weird. Thanks to The Venture Bros. we’re all familiar with the Krampus, right? Should I take it as read that we know about Santa’s vengeful counterpart? Well, he shows up. There's violence. It's pretty impressively illustrated.

The art handles quiet scenes just as well as it renders action beats. Other than the characters' sometime inexpressive eyes, I have no complaints on this front. Manuel Preitano really makes economic use of panels and pages. He also employs some really subtle sequential storytelling tricks. Panels are designed to match the energy of the action they're containing. Much of the emotion is expressed through subdued body language. Repeated shapes pop up to reinforce themes of isolation or connectedness. The hits and stabs and falls look painful without getting gratuitous or pornographic. And I can't say enough about the way Robyn is rendered with power and speed without being an impossibly skilled fighter or a cooing, pouting sex ninja.

This comic delivers a subversive, yet still uplifting Christmas tale. It's an adult story that doesn't trade genuine emotional depth for vapid violence. There's plenty of violence, to be sure, but it always feels earned and always feels like it propels the narrative. In the end this Christmas story has a message, but it's bent and a little cynical. It's a message meant for our troubled protagonist more than for the audience.

This is my first exposure to the Robyn Hood character and I will probably seek out her further adventures.

Score: 4/5

Robyn Hood: 2015 Holiday Special Writer: Pat Shand Artist: Manuel Preitano Colorist: Viviane Tybusch Publisher: Zenescope Entertainment Price: $5.99 Release Date: 11/18/15 Format: One-Shot; Digital/Print

Review: Bloodshot Reborn #8

Jeff Lemire, Butch Guice, David Baron and Dave Lanphear crafted a perfect issue of Bloodshot Reborn last month. It was so good, and I was so effusive with my praise that it’s quoted on the cover of this month’s issue. And who’d have guessed they would have put together a perfect issue again. This month’s issue picks up exactly where we left off last month, with Magic in danger from an unseen Bloodshot Farmer while Ray is trying to track the killer down in the corn fields. Magic manages to defend herself, but not without a huge cost to herself. Ray can only save her by damning himself all over agin. Meanwhile, Hoyt and Festival manage to figure out how one of the creepiest characters from the first arc may tie into all of this after all.

Bloodshot #8So in the interest of full disclosure, I’ve never read any Bloodshot comics outside of Bloodshot Reborn. My first exposure to him was in The Valiant last winter, and I love Jeff Lemire, so I followed him to this book. It was my understanding that Bloodshot was the ultimate techno-warrior, a book about government plots and high science fiction. Bloodshot Reborn has really pulled the search for Bloodshot’s humanity to the fore, and Lemire is constantly tweaking and readjusting what “humanity” means to Ray/Bloodshot. Does it mean not killing people? Does it mean finding people who love him despite all his flaws? Does it mean protecting people who can’t protect themselves? Or is it a mix of all those things? All of a sudden, Bloodshot isn’t the star of a book about hard sci-fi, but something more akin to a shamanistic necromancy, a man who is a killing machine because that’s who he is, and who the government unlocked within him.

Guice’s art on this issue is staggering, even compared to his other issues. He makes use of double page sequences to build reveals and to unspool exposition without bogging it down. It makes this issue read at a refreshing clip, and really shows his flair for anamorphic action. Add into that Baron’s colors, so important in a book that’s been hinging how evil/lethal people are based on how white their skin gets, and this book is just a treat on every page.

I wish I could come up with something constructive to offer as criticism on this book, but there’s nothing that’s jumping out at me. It’s an amazing, if somewhat standard for the genre, lead up to a final conflict, and I’m already anxious to see where Lemire and co. go with it. This has been an interesting kind of redemption tale, and there are a lot of places for it to end up after Ray/Bloodshot deals with the final nanite-infected person. I’m excited for all the possibilities. Keep on making this book, gang: I love it.

Score: 5/5

Bloodshot Reborn #8 Writer: Jeff Lemire Artist: Butch Guice Colorist: David Baron Letterer: Dave Lanphear Publisher: Valiant Comics Price: $3.99 Release Date: 11/18/15 Format: Ongoing; Print/Digital

Review: Tomboy #1

Tomboy is one of the best first issues I’ve read all year. I would put it up there with Huck, that’s how much I liked it. This year has seen plenty of first issues. A lot have been great only to followed up by the second issue slump. I really doubt that Tomboy will fall into that trap considering just how damn good it is. The other thing this year has seen a lot of, is the Magic Girl genre. A genre that just a few years ago would never have made the pages of American comic books. Now, there’s enough to really be pleased or disappointed with the material. Believe it or not, but I put Tomboy in the Magic Girl genre and at the top of the list. It’s not the typical MGG book, not like Zodiac Starforce or the genre flipper Power Up. Instead, it’s a mature and dark look at the genre.

The first issue starts at the end of the story which I’m not a big fan of normally. Here though, we know that we’re not going to get back to this point by the end of the issue and instead we need to view it as a tone setter. Because the actual start is bright and happy as we see Addison run down the stairs on her birthday. There’s a family interaction as we see that she lives with her father and grandfather. We also see that she’s obsessed with a cartoon that is also in the magic girl genre. Her father is called away by work, he’s a medical examiner and what he finds at the scene changes the entire nature of the story.

Tomboy-#1The hard thing about Tomboy is not spoiling it, but giving you enough to want to read it. You may not love the issue as much as I did, but trust me that it’s worth reading. For some of you, you will absolutely love it. Your jaw will drop. Addison receives some shocking news and then happens to overhear a conversation that will change her world even more. The problem is that opening. That opening leads us to believe that there’s something else going on. Something else we just don’t know about yet.

This book is incredible for many reasons. The characters are relatable, believable and fleshed out. Addison and her friends come across as believable teens both in their actions and dialogue. You can see and understand the exact relationship between the different family members. It’s just great character work no matter the scene.

What’s super sneaky is what’s worked into the background of the story. You won’t really notice or care about it until it becomes important and that’s why it’s good. You absorb, but until it’s worked into the main plot it’s just info sitting there, cleverly disguised. And then there’s the opening. Mia Goodwin is hiding something there, but we’ll have to wait and see what it is.

Goodwin also handles all of the art duties as well. Personally I think her style is great and that this is one of the best looking series I’ve seen all year. I dare say it’s Danger Zone/Action Lab’s best book this year as well. The line work is clean, but stylized. It feels like the perfect amalgamation of Japanese and American styles. Here’s the other really crazy comparison I want to make, it reminded me of Tradd Moore’s style. If you listen to the CBMFP (talked about Tomboy on this episode) then you know how much I love Moore’s style.

Goodwin’s coloring also needs a lot of recognition because it’s sets the tone for the entire book. The coloring is fantastic. There’s just as much skill to the coloring as there is to the writing and art. The lighting effects are spot on. There’s an overall dullness to the tones, but it works because it again makes it feel like a mature story just from first glance, but then strangely at home in the Magic Girl genre.

I loved this first issue. It’s been one of my favorites all year and I’ve been dying for others to read it so I could talk about it in full detail. This is an issue you don’t want to miss and yeah I know that it won’t be for everyone, but I think if you give it a chance you’ll either be surprised or really surprised.

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Tomboy #1 Creator: Mia Goodwin Publisher: Danger Zone/Action Lab Price: $3.99 Release Date: 11/18/15 Format: Mini-Series; Print/Digital

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Review: Giant Days #8

Susan and Esther are settling into their prospective relationships while Daisy has kept busy binge-watching-- and subsequently reenacting-- Friday Night Lights. Esther’s in serious like with her new man, who has come and gone by the end of the issue. He’s almost not worth mentioning, as he wasn’t much more than a prop, but he gets a shout-out since he provides Esther’s source of conflict. It’s less about him and more about Esther meeting his friends, which doesn’t go well. There isn’t a showdown, which is unusual for Esther, but there is a grand, melodramatic exit, so you have that to look forward to.

Giant-Days-#8-1Daisy’s FNL marathon has led her to take on the roles of both coach and counselor in this issue, which is convenient for her friends who find themselves in need of a pep talk here, a push forward there. She truly dedicates herself to the characters; it’s not uncommon to take on the personality traits of a favorite character, especially coming right off of a tv marathon, but Daisy, as ever, takes it to the next level. I found her giant “Don’t Mess With Texas” poster especially wonderful, and I think Connie Britton would be proud.

Encouraged by Coach Daisy, Ed joins the newspaper in an effort to get over his not-so-secret crush on Esther. Working for the newspaper will give him something to do besides pine, and it could certainly lead to shenanigans down the road, so it’s a win-win.

There was a heavy focus on relationships in this one, except for Daisy, who is due for some relationship drama of her own. Susan and McGraw have transitioned from a bizarre rivalry to a Susan-and-McGraw situation with ease, but I’m eager for some bumps in the road.

Once again, Giant Days provides a fun read filled with drama, theatrical moments, and lots-- lots!-- of snow. I agree whole-heartedly with Susan as she insists on avoiding winter weather. Her pitiful slide down that snowy hill is, unfortunately, all-too familiar.

As melodramatic as the characters are, the situations are utterly ordinary and relatable. Esther’s feelings of inadequacy when meeting her boyfriend’s friends is shared by many, sometimes justified and sometimes not. Susan’s avoidant attitude toward winter is common. Daisy’s over-the-top attachment to a television program? Way too real. Ed’s unrequited crush is a tale as old as time. And McGraw’s valve talk... okay, that one might just be him. (For God’s sake, don’t get him started!) But overall, the characters in Giant Days face situations and feel in ways that mirror our own experiences and feelings. The difference lies in how we deal with them. While most of the issues are entirely common, the characters’ uncommon methods of coping are what makes Giant Days so darn delightful.

Score: 4/5

Giant Days #8 Writer: John Allison Artist: Max Sarin Publisher: BOOM! Studios Price: $3.99 Release Date: 11/18/15 Format: Ongoing; Print/Digital

Review: Jughead #2

I’m gonna keep this review short because... well, because it’s a Jughead book, and let’s be honest everyone, there’s not much you can consistently say about a Jughead book, even one boasting a rockstar creative team. After all, the whole idea of this character comes from a place of lazy, stupid, sophomoric fun, and in that, if nothing else, Chip Zdarsky and Erica Henderson do a fine job in Jughead #2. This issue sees Mr. Jones again at loggerheads with the new, overly-strict teaching staff at Riverdale High, this time in the form of physical education tsar, Coach Eng. Thrown into detention after a run-in with... running, Jughead quickly drifts off and, in his dreams, goes on a time travel adventure with one of Archie’s descendants to save the future from one of Reggie’s, returning just in time to finagle his way past an obstacle course and be framed for bringing a deadly weapon to school. Yup, that happens!

Jughead #2And on the whole, Jughead #2 was absolutely fine. Look, this is by no means a bad comic book, with Erica Henderson turning a largely inoffensive visual spin on the Archie-verse (though her Betty still looks too much like Squirrel Girl for my personal liking), while Chip Zdarsky clearly gets the main character right in his lazy, idiot savant charm. The bit with the Time Police, while a bit choppy, was decent enough, and the overall story of Juggy vs. “The Man” is an interesting dynamic.

The problem is that, as with most Archie Comics properties, I’m already bored. I was hoping the names associated with this reboot would have combined to hold my attention longer than usual with this publisher’s offerings, but given my drop off from even the main Waid/Staples title, I should probably just face facts and admit that I’ll never be an Archie guy, at least not outside of its more experimental and bat-shit crazy titles, like Afterlife or Vs. Predator.

As I said in my review of issue one, neither Zdarsky nor Henderson have blown me away with their previous projects, but that’s obviously not to say they don’t have a firm and loyal following; and it is they who are the true target demographic for this book. I’m certain that regular readers and fans of both Howard the Duck and The Unbearable Squirrel Girl will love this series, but I’m not sure who else is going to dig this take. It seems slightly too complicated for kids, and way too simple for adults, leaving it in a weird limbo of sorts that, again, seems to cater to one particular audience. That’s fine, obviously, but I am not one of them.

With a sense of humor that I felt largely didn’t pay off and a visual direction that feels too sparse and samey (yet weirdly inconsistent in quality), not to mention a palette that felt too heavy in some places -- particularly Jughead’s dream --there is nothing really bad about Jughead #2, but also nothing that makes me want to stick around for more.

Score: 2/5

Jughead #2 Writer: Chip Zdarsky Artist: Erica Henderson Letterer: Jack Morelli Publisher: Archie Comics Price: $3.99 Release Date: 11/18/15 Format: Ongoing; Print/Digital

Review: Usagi Yojimbo #150

Contrary to what's indicated by the number on the cover, "Usagi Yojimbo: Death of a Tea Master" is not the 150th issue. As author (and illustrator and letter) Stan Sakai explains in the letter section, counting various mini-series, specials and other publishers, the samurai exploits of Myamoto Usagi have been going on for well over 200 issues.  It's easy to take such a long running book consistently written series for granted, but #150 makes a strong case for this being a mistake.  While not a surprise for anyone who has read an issue before, the self-contained "Death of a Tea Master" story exemplifies all of the aspects that have made Usagi a masterpiece for over thirty years. For those who are unfamiliar, "Usagi Yojimbo" follows the exploits of the titular 16th century samurai, who upon the death of his master, became a wandering ronin searching to earn peace and restitution through honorable actions.   This journey gives Stan Sakai an excuse to explore a period accurate version of Japan that happens to be populated by talking animals and, in a signature quirky detail, miniature dinosaurs which make up most of the wildlife. While some stories deal with repeated characters and references to past events, most are unconnected, often operating as sparse, subtle meditations on the minutia of ancient Japanese culture.

Usagi-Yojimbo-#150-1"Death of a Tea Master" brings Sakai's familiar style to a story about a tense interaction between Japan and the western world. As the issue opens, Rodriguez, a Spanish ambassador, bests a Japanese warrior in a sword fight. The local feudal lord Odo generously, but rashly promises Rodriguez a reward of his choosing, and the man requests to witness the honorable suicide of a local traveling teacher, the afore-mentioned "Tea Master" who happens to be giving a lesson to Usagi.  Rodriguez's actions are particularly heinous as he has no motivation beyond witnessing a violent curiosity from another culture no matter what it costs. Lord Odo on the other hand is forced, by the rules of honor Rodriguez continually abuses, to give into his demands.

Thrust into the middle of this conflict is Myamoto Usagi who, despite not being directly involved, reacts violently to the threat to an innocent and peaceful teacher. However, as is typical of the title, Usagi does not actually receive very much focus in the book or any character development. Sakai writes in the style of classic serials like Tintin or Conan the Barbarian where the main character serves a vehicle for the story and not often an emotional center.  This is not in fact a problem though it gives the book an air of detachment. Usagi is after all bound by the rules of a ronin and has little say in his own actions even if these rules often put him in the role of a hero. And while this emotional detachment could be a deficit in a lesser book, in this case it only serves to add to the impression of a historical fiction.

Outside of this historical flavor, the most notable aspect of the comic is Sakai's extremely stylized pen and ink art. With no color or even shades of grey, Sakai's brushwork is strikingly clean and emotive recalling classic Japanese brush drawings and somehow also Disney cartoons. As it happens, this contrast between archaic simplicity and pulpy cartoon action is the quality that makes the whole comic work. While the story in "Death of a Tea Master" is entirely, unapologetically predictable, one can't help but admire dialogue that reads almost like haiku and a story that unflinchingly shows the cruelties and wonders of another time period.

In a crowded field of fast-paced, colorful genre comics, "Usagi Yojimbo" becomes truly unique by being reserved and minimalistic.  By this same token "Usagi " is likely not a title for everyone.  Beyond the themes and setting, there is very little real story to grasp onto and even less characterization.  That said, for anyone willing to try something different or simply interested in increasing their comics literacy, "Death of a Tea Master” is a great place to start.  Plus, there's a full page of a talking rabbit samurai discussing the art of drinking tea, and I really can't oversell that.

Score: 4/5

Usagi Yojimbo #150 Creator: Stan Sakai Publisher: Dark Horse Comics Price: $3.50 Release Date: 11/18/15 Format: Ongoing; Print/Digital

Review: The Beauty #4

For a short while I was worried that The Beauty would lose the momentum it’s built for itself with a fantastic first three issues, that the ingenious premise would be exhausted over time: fortunately, that doesn’t seem to be the case. Writers Jeremy Haun and Jason A. Hurley continue to keep things interesting with unexpected twists thrown into each issue which take this book to ever-more interesting places. The-Beauty-#4-1This issue sees Calaveras, a villain really only teased in issue three, making a proper entrance and establishing himself as a force to be reckoned with. Everything from the merciless nature in which he hunts Vaughn and Foster, to his intimidating design which includes a creepy Dia de los Muertos-style mask helps solidify him as a worthy threat to the two detectives and their shaky alliances. Following his entrance is a gripping action sequence in which the lead characters frantically try to escape his grasp, a series of panels which had me on the edge of my seat.

Of course it helps that the events unfolding are brought to life wonderfully on the page by Jeremy Haun and colorist John Rauch. Their crisp, clean and realistic characters and environments contribute to the feeling that everything in this book is very much grounded in reality. Unfortunately, this extends to even the more worrying aspects of this story i.e. the idea of cures to deadly diseases being withheld from the public. These realistic stakes have completely pulled me in to this story, with the small band of rebels trying desperately to root out a conspiracy feeling like a very timely idea at a point where governments around the world are looked at with more suspicion than ever before. As conspiracies often are, the plot of this book is still very much shrouded in mystery. The intentions of some characters are still unknown and if the last four issues are anything to go by there’ll be plenty of twists yet to come, which is a fun way to keep the readers guessing.

In the end, this all amounts to the best issue of The Beauty since its impressive debut three months ago. The team behind this book seem to have a strong grasp on how to keep things interesting, with plot twists and mystery in abundance. With a cast of characters easy to throw your support behind and a beautiful art style as well, The Beauty has everything you could ask for from a comic on your pull list.

Score: 5/5

The Beauty #4 Writer(s): Jason A. Hurley, Jeremy Haun Artist: Jeremy Haun Colorist: John Rauch Publisher: Image Comics Release Date: 11/18/15 Price: $3.50 Format: Ongoing; Print/Digital