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  COMIC REVIEWS FOR THE MONTH OF:  NOVEMBER 2008
  BOOK OF THE MONTH

GHOST RIDER #26
REVIEW BY:
Larry "Bocepheus" Evans
Writer: Jason Aaron
Artist: Tan Eng Huat
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Shipped On: 120408
MSRP: $2.99
(15% OFF during it's 1st Week of release only at Alternate Reality!)
"Aaron’s run on the title has been exciting, scary and filled with action and perfect dialogue."
MARVEL'S SYNOPSIS:
Yes, true believer, the rumors are true... Danny Ketch is back! But whose side is the former Ghost Rider on, and what familiar faces has he brought with him to the party? And who just got shot in the head with a hellfire shotgun? For those answers, plus more than your daily recommended dose of supernatural action, don't miss this first installment of the team-up you never imagined and the showdown that had to happen!
BO'S REVIEW:
In the sprit of Halloween the Book of the Month is Ghost Rider. The title was revived by Daniel Way and the combination art team of Javier Saltares and Mark Texeria, the team that worked on the title many years back when it was first revived. Way followed the continuity set in stone that motorcycle stunt rider Johnny Blaze made a deal with the devil to save someone close and that deal turned him into the Spirit of Vengeance known as the Ghost Rider. But as he was ready to leave the book he twisted that idea into a sadistic pretzel by revealing that Blaze wasn’t working for the Devil, he was instead working for Heaven and has been from the start. Blaze was bonded with a renegade angel known as Zadikel and his entire existence was now a lie. Needless to say Blaze is a bit ticked off at Zadikel and wants his revenge. Way departed the book after the reveal and the title was handed off to Jason Aaron who took the fireball he had been handed and has been running with it ever since.

Aaron started his tenure with Roland Boschi on art. The initial arc had Blaze looking for answers in a small Montana town in which lived a young man named Lucas who had returned from the dead. The arc had Blaze take on the nurses at the hospital that Lucas was held in. Lucas revealed to Blaze that there was a war in progress over the control of Heaven and since Johnny was the Spirit of Vengeance he was a very important part of that war. Aaron also let slip what is a recurring theme in his run that there are others like Johnny and that all of his ‘kind’ were important. The arc also showed us Highway 18, where ghosts rose and took the loves of all who rode on it and a cannibal. The arc ended with the shock reveal that the other Ghost Rider, Danny Ketch is alive and well following his brother. This was the only arc Boschi drew on the title and his art was perfect for the book. His Ghost Rider was scary as hell and Aaron gave him ample opportunity to draw some brutal fight scenes. Aaron’s Blaze is driven (pun not intended) and this arc has one of the lines of the year in #23 when Blaze is told by a one handed deputy that he can’t take someone. The sequence establishes all you need to know about whom the Ghost Rider is and what he is capable of.

The following arc has Blaze continuing on his search for answers and that search leads him to jail, of all places. Aaron starts things off at the scene of a gruesome mass murder that is committed by someone we as normal people wouldn’t expect. The time inside the jail continues a thread that was introduced in the last arc-Johnny has no idea what is going on and every move he makes is the wrong one. We also get a sadistic fight with the Deacon, a massive, multi-tattooed prisoner who is (as are a lot of people we come in contact with) also a servant of Zadikel. The arc marks the debut of former DC artist Tang En Huat on the title. When Huat made his debut on the Doom Patrol revival at DC he developed a nice following and became a favorite of a few DC editors who made sure he kept getting work. Apparently those editors are gone because he now works at Marvel. His art isn’t as smooth as Boschi’s but it does work on the title. He seems to have altered his style from his early days because he doesn’t draw everyone as if they work out all the time. His Johnny is slight but he seems to beef up a bit when he becomes the Rider. And once again Aaron gives Blaze a funny line but earlier in the issue he has a speech that reveals something we hadn’t picked up from reading the Bible.

#26 begins the arc that will have Blaze and Ketch cross paths. It takes place in Tennessee and shows Ketch making an assault on a house that has as its owner someone we have seen before. Aaron drops a bombshell here that will have a major impact on everything that happens after. He also introduces a nun that I would think will be a major character in this title for a while. The issue is all Danny until the last page.

Aaron’s run on the title has been exciting, scary and filled with action and perfect dialogue. There is a big picture being built here that could be the best Ghost Rider tale ever. We know that there is a war going on in Heaven and we see the main forces in battle but in the pages of the book we see the pieces being moved across the board. We don’t know why Danny is working for Zadikel. We see that Johnny wants revenge but see that since he is unaware of the big picture he doesn’t always make the right moves. And most of all who are the others that Lucas mentioned in Aaron’s first arc? Johnny and Danny? Or are there other players we haven’t seen yet? Those questions should keep us coming back to read this book and learn the answers.

ADAM STRANGE SPECIAL #1
Writer: Jim Starlin, Artist: Rick Leonardi & Dan Green,
Review By: Larry "Bocepheus" Evans
Publisher: DC Comics, Shipped On: 090408,
MSRP: $3.50 (15% OFF during it's 1st Week of release only at Alternate Reality!)

DC COMIC'S SYNOPSIS:
A RANN/THANAGAR: HOLY WAR tie-in! After narrowly escaping a deadly blast, Adam Strange finds himself spiraling through the time stream, forced to relive the past and helpless to watch as his future unravels before his very eyes. Will he be able to pull himself together to rejoin the Holy War?

BO'S REVIEW:
Running buddies Starlin and Milgrom get back together here on a special that ties into Starlin’s Rann Thanagar: Holy War limited series (#4 to be exact). In that issue Adam and Starman were on a mission to destroy a machine that was nailed Rann time and again with a series of temporal anomalies. As the duo try to blow up the machine something weird happened and here we see that the beam of energy that strikes Adam has caused him to bounce from time period to time period as an immaterial ghost. As he bounces from time to time he encounters the villain Synnar (read the limited series) but we learn here that the being that we though was a villain may not actually be one. We also learn that Adam is very important to the future but at this point don’t know why. Time jumping stories are often fun to read and this is no exception. The main reason to toss someone from time to time is to add pieces to an ongoing mystery and Adam learns something in each stop only to find that he is in the middle of an even bigger mystery (Final Crisis). Starlin can write cosmic stuff in his sleep so the story is solid and his art has always been of high quality. I suppose that what we read here could have been told within the confines of the Rann-Thanagar limited series but it would be hard to fit the entire story contained here into an issue so DC gets a pass on shipping another $3.50 special.

DEADPOOL #1
Writer: Daniel Way, Artist: Paco Medina, Review By: Larry "Bocepheus" Evans
Publisher: Marvel Comics, Shipped On: 091008,
MSRP: $2.99 (15% OFF during it's 1st Week of release only at Alternate Reality!)

MARVEL COMIC'S SYNOPSIS:
The Merc with a Mouth is back, even deadlier and more deranged than before! The planet has been invaded by Skrulls, everything's gone topsy-turvy...but, in Deadpool's world, that just means it's Monday! Crazy times call for crazy men, but c'mon, this guy's insane! Like it or not, Deadpool may be the only person on the planet who can save us...but who's to say he wants to? Be here for the explosive debut of the new ongoing series by writer Daniel Way (WOLVERINE: ORIGINS, GHOST RIDER, BULLSEYE: GREATEST HITS) and fan-favorite artist Paco Medina (NEW WARRIORS, NEW X-MEN)! Deadpool: His madness is his method! You won't want to miss it!

BO'S REVIEW:
Marvel has a talent for impressing the hell out of us with 1st issues. Their formula seems to hit us hard right at the start then keep the rhythm going as the issue progresses then at the end smack us upside the head with a shock ending. This issue keeps that pattern going. In case you have been living in a cave or something the Marvel Universe is being invaded by the Skrulls and here a team decides to attack a baseball game. That wouldn’t be a problem in most cases but this game happens to have a heavily armed mascot (okay, its Deadpool in a goofy suit) and so we learn that the Skrulls do have curse words in their language. Many dead Skrulls later (and a lot of internal dialogue inside Wade Wilson’s head) Deadpool finds himself face to face with the Super-Skrull and then Daniel Way throws us a curveball that would make Barry Zito proud. The move comes out of left field and leaves us wondering what could be going thru the carnival fun ride that is Wade Wilson’s mind. After we are left confused and curious Marvel is nice enough to include a primer on the life and history of one of the most interesting characters in comics.

TERROR TITANS #1 (of 6)
Writer: Sean McKeever, Artist: Joe Bennett, Review By: Larry "Bocepheus" Evans
Publisher: DC Comics, Shipped On: 100108,
MSRP: $2.99 (15% OFF during it's 1st Week of release only at Alternate Reality!)

DC COMIC'S SYNOPSIS:
They stood against the Teen Titans, and now the Terror Titans spin off into their own miniseries! Clock King hatches a plan for his team of teenage legacy villains, as well as their deadly new member - the Teen Titans' own Ravager! But if he's to succeed, Clock King must first stabilize the underground metahuman gladiator arena known as the Dark Side Club! Join TEEN TITANS scribe Sean McKeever and artist Joe Bennett (52, CHECKMATE) for a journey into the darkest, coldest and most brutal corners of the teen psyche!

BO'S REVIEW:
The Titans’ villainous counterparts the Terror Titans get a limited series and from the feel of the first issue the book should do well. The team is led/handled by the once lame ass Clock King and here in these pages we see that Ravager has decided to see what the other side is like since the Titans didn’t exactly make the daughter of the Terminator welcome. Clock King is still the man behind the Dark Side club and also runs the Arena where Roman style battles involving villains and reconditioned heroes take place. In the tightly paced opening pages we see how heroes are recruited into the ranks (most are taken, then brainwashed) and see that Clock King is a manipulative SOB. I liked the book but at times it seemed a little busy. McKeever seemed to be trying to introduce too many elements to make the book new reader friendly and to be honest this book will only appeal to fans of the Titans so he could have taken his time. There are some shocking moments here so be forewarned if you dislike brutality.

MAGNETO: TESTAMENT #1 (of 5)
Writer: Greg Pak,  Artist: Carmine Di Giandomenico,
Review By: Larry "Bocepheus" Evans
Publisher: Marvel Comics, Shipped On: 091008,
MSRP: $3.99 (15% OFF during it's 1st Week of release only at Alternate Reality!)

MARVEL COMIC'S SYNOPSIS:
Today, the whole world knows him as Magneto, the most radical champion of mutant rights that mankind has ever seen. But in 1935, he was just another schoolboy -- who happened to be Jewish in Nazi Germany. The definitive origin story of one of Marvel's greatest icons begins with a silver chain and a crush on a girl -- and quickly turns into a harrowing struggle for survival against the inexorable machinery of Hitler's Final Solution. From "X-Men: Phoenix-Endsong" writer Greg Pak and award-winning artist Carmine Di Giandomenico.

BO'S REVIEW:
Fox has on the books a Magneto film that will show the life of the X-Men villain before he and Charles Xavier took a different path. Here Greg Pak and Carmine (Battlin’ Jack Murdock) DiGiandomenico tell a Marvel Knights version of the youthful days of the Master of Magnetism. Within these pages we learn Magneto’s birth name (Max Eisenhardt) and for the first time meet his family which includes his brother, Erich, a war hero. Their family is poor and sees the birth of the Nazi movement within their town. The German supremacy belief is present even in Max’ school where we see Max first use his powers (unconsciously) after being looked down on by the head of the school. Pak does a masterful job establishing the family dynamic and the era and is ably matched with the DiGiandomenico art. At the conclusion of the issue Pak contributes a text piece that establishes that what we read here is the true telling of Magneto’s past and that the book will follow real history while showing the roots of the belief system of the X-Men villain. I would bet that there will be a few fans out there who will complain that the book isn’t following continuity but Pak makes it clear in the text piece that there have been so many contradictions involving Magneto that he felt it was time to set a clear path for him.

VIXEN: RETURN OF THE LION #1 (of 5)
Writer: G. Willow Wilson, Artist: Kafu,  Review By: Larry "Bocepheus" Evans
Publisher: DC Comics, Shipped On: 100108,
MSRP: $2.99 (15% OFF during it's 1st Week of release only at Alternate Reality!)

DC COMIC'S SYNOPSIS:
On a mission against the mega-mobsters of Intergang, the Justice League makes a stunning discovery revealing the truth behind the death of Vixen's mother. Long ago, poachers were fingered in her murder, but stunning proof arrives exposing the identity of her real killer! And the man responsible is still alive, making a vicious play for power in the homeland Vixen left years ago.

BO'S REVIEW:
DC seems to like G. Willow Wilson since she has an ongoing Vertigo series (Air), she did a graphic novel for Vertigo and here she gets a chance to tell a story involving Justice League member Vixen. The extremely well drawn story begins with the League making an assault on a warehouse full of weapons. Vixen is part of the assault team and Batman makes an interesting discovery while going thru the invoices that brings us back to the origin of the character. The sequence in which Superman tells her what Batman found is highly effective and suggests that Wilson is capable of taking a shot at Superman if DC lets her. The knowledge brings Vixen back to her African village to deal with the elements of her past. Once she arrives she doesn’t take long to get in the thick of things and unfortunately at that point the book comes off as an imitation of the Storm limited series in which we saw her as a young girl. She arrives at home, meets some old friends and then the villain arrives to confront her for getting in his way. It’s a tried and true story that anyone could have written and Wilson is better than that. I would hope that she adds a few twists to the formula as the series progresses. Even with that air of ‘we have seen this before’ Wilson is likely to be saved by the art by newcomer Kafu. The art here looks like Kevin Maguire after he has spent years at drafting school-highly detailed but expressive as well.

MARVEL ZOMBIES #1 (of 4)
Writer: Fred Van Lente, Artist: Kev Walker,  Review By: Larry "Bocepheus" Evans
Publisher: Marvel Comics, Shipped On: 100808,
MSRP: $3.99 (15% OFF during it's 1st Week of release only at Alternate Reality!)

MARVEL COMIC'S SYNOPSIS:
Board up Avengers Tower! Lock down the Baxter Building! The ravenous hordes of Marvel Zombies are invading ... the Marvel Universe! That's right, the next chapter of the MZ saga is a non-stop in-continuity gore-fest with major implications for at least one Marvel hero! When the super-undead stumble into the MU from the Man-Thing's Nexus of All Realities, all of Florida is quarantined against the zombie plague. Time is quickly running out for a cure, so the Initiative sends a most unlikely group of heroes into the Zombieverse on a desperate mission to find the one item they need before the whole MU is consumed! The scream team of Fred Van Lente (INCREDIBLE HERCULES) and Kev Walker (ANNIHILATION: NOVA) unite for a Marvel Zombies story like you've never seen before!

BO'S REVIEW:
Since the two previous installments were a hit Marvel goes back to the zombie well with the third limited series involving the brain eating freaks. This time around Robert Kirkman and Sean Philips aren’t around for the ride, however. The team on this limited series is the Incredible Hercules’ Fred Van Lente and Exiles’ Kev Walker. This series is set on regular Marvel Earth and begins in the swamp in Citrusville, Florida. Long time fans will remember that the swamp is not only the home of Man-Thing but also the location of the Nexus of All Realities. We see the swamp being investigated by The Command, the Florida Initiative team that consists of The Conquistador, Aquarian, Jennifer Kale and Siege. The threats they find happen to be zombies, of course but the question is how did they get to our Earth? We don’t get an answer to that right away but the assault and massacre of the Initiative team brings in the government agency known as ARMOR. Since ARMOR doesn’t know what is going on they bring in Machine Man to assist and after he arrives then we learn just how the zombies from their universe made their way to our universe courtesy of an explanation by ARMOR doctor Michael Morbius, the Living Vampire. Van Lente does the story well by starting out with action before getting into the long explanation of the situation at hand. He also uses the sarcastic, off center version of Machine Man seen in Nextwave. His mission, if he decides to accept it is to go to the zombie world and bring back what is needed to win the war that began in the swamp. As we can see on the cover he will be joined on his mission by Jocasta, who has been rebuilt by ARMOR. But what they don’t know when they go off is that someone isn’t who they assume they are and that reveal is covered quite well by Van Lente. That twist made a great issue even greater.

DC UNIVERSE: LAST WILL AND TESTAMENT
Writer: Brad Meltzer, Artist: Adam Kubert,  Review By: Larry "Bocepheus" Evans
Publisher: DC Comics, Shipped On: 082708,
MSRP: $3.99 (15% OFF during it's 1st Week of release only at Alternate Reality!)

DC COMIC'S SYNOPSIS:
New York Times best-selling author Brad Meltzer (IDENTITY CRISIS, JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA) makes his return to the DC Universe - and superstar artist Adam Kubert (ACTION COMICS) is riding shotgun! The final battle is quickly approaching. How do the heroes of the DCU prepare for the end? Whom do they approach and say goodbye to before they make the ultimate sacrifice? Featuring the entire DC Universe, Meltzer takes us deep into the hearts and psyches of our heroes. It's the day before you die. What would you do?

BO'S REVIEW:
The best tie-in to Final Crisis (which is way behind schedule) marks the return to comics by Brad Meltzer. Last Will shows what the DCU is doing before Darkseid wins the battle and screws up the world that the heroes are accustomed to. Meltzer, Adam and Joe Kubert show Wonder Woman, Donna Troy, the Batman family, the Challengers of the Unknown, Captain Cold, Clark and Pa Kent, the Flash and Green Lantern are doing before the possible last fight of their lives but that’s not the main story. The bulk of the book deals with Geo-Force, Black Lightning and Deathstroke, the Terminator. Slade Wilson is responsible for the death of Prince Brion’s sister, Terra and since the world is going to end Brion decides to do something about that-kill Slade. We see Brion asking for direction from many sources before embarking on his quest and the battle between the hero and villain is one of the most savage one seen this side of an issue of Conan. The mix of quiet moments, acceptance and denial is wonderful here. One of my favorite sequences involves Batman, Robin and Nightwing on a rooftop preparing for the end but in their actions showing that if this is the be all, end all then they will be together. This is one of the best books DC has done all year.

CRIMINAL MACABRE: CELLBLOCK 666 #1 (of 4)
Writer: Steve Niles,   Artist: Nick Stakal, Review By: Larry "Bocepheus" Evans
Publisher: Dark Horse Comics, Shipped On: 091008,
MSRP: $2.99 (15% OFF during it's 1st Week of release only at Alternate Reality!)

DARK HORSE'S SYNOPSIS:
If good intentions pave the road to hell, then Cal McDonald should just get in the handbasket already and buckle up for the ride. He's no do-gooder¬-not by far-but he does everything he can to keep supernatural forces of evil from harming humans; and it always comes at a great personal expense, taking everything and everyone he's ever owned or cared about. Now he's being set up by the cops and a vengeful D.A. to take the fall for a pile of bad news. There's no way he's getting out of this one without serving some time at the graybar hotel. A little time in lock-up would be like a vacation compared to what Cal's been through lately, but forces both human and monster alike are lining up to make sure Cal's trip to the slammer is the last trip he ever takes.

BO'S REVIEW:
Yes, fans that is actor Thomas Jane’s likeness on the cover since Jane and Steve Niles are business partners. The latest installment involving detective Cal McDonald starts off with an assault on a graveyard. Inside are Goth girls who have been taken by a vampire who has been using them as a buffet. Niles and Stakal overwhelm us with the savage assault on the compound while we are filled in on the situation that Cal is dealing with when he isn’t working. The last time we saw Cal he was being hunted down by the LAPD because a councilman thinks that Cal is responsible for his wife’s death. It isn’t true but Cal still has to keep a low profile but as the saying goes the best laid plans often fail. You would think that a guy could get a drink without getting into trouble but remember we are dealing with Cal so that never happens. One well paced chase and Cal is in the interrogation room at the police station. The fun here will be seeing Cal get himself out of a bad situation while making sarcastic remarks and trying to stay sober. The art is a little rough here but it works for the story and character.

DRAGON PRINCE #1
Writer: Ron Marz,  Artist: Lee Moder, Review By: Larry "Bocepheus" Evans
Publisher: Image/Top Cow Comics, Shipped On: 091808,

MSRP: $2.99 (15% OFF during it's 1st Week of release only at Alternate Reality!)

TOP COW'S SYNOPSIS:
Writer Ron Marz has revitalized Witchblade and is the architect behind the acclaimed First Born and Broken Trinity crossover events. Now, joined by artist Lee Moder (First Born: Aftermath, Painkiller Jane), Marz debuts DRAGON PRINCE, a five-part modern fantasy with equal doses of magic and martial arts mayhem. Like a lot of teenagers, Aaron Chiang feels he's never fit in, though he's never known why. But all that changes when he learns the truth of his heritage: He is the Dragon Prince, last of his kind and heir to the bloodline of all dragons. Hunted to the brink of extinction by a secret society of wizards, dragonkind's survival is now in Aaron's hands.

BO'S REVIEW:
Top Cow enters the world of fantasy with the first issue of Dragon Prince from the team of Marz and Moder. The tale begins many years back in a small Asian village where a dragon arrives in the middle of a rice paddy. The villagers all scatter save one, a young girl and we see her and the dragon try to communicate before the dragon is assaulted by a tattooed man and others. Marz then reveals that what we have seen is a story told by a mother to her young son. The sequence is normal; the son wonders why mom is babying him and laments that he isn’t fond of school since he is half Asian. As we follow the boy to his day in school we soon learn that normal isn’t the case at all. While being bullied the boy learns that there is something different about him and that there is a reason that dragons are an important part of his life. Marz does a great job here with the kid; most kids in school who are a bit different from the others are bullied or picked on but he pushes that real life situation into the fantasy realm very well. The reveal brings the true facts surrounding his life and brings us back to the story his mom tells him at the start of the issue. Moder’s art is very smooth here. There are pages in which a whole lot is going on because Marz has to get his story in but the pages never seem to be crowded. He draws the dragons well and his boy looks like someone who would be picked on but Moder suggests an inner strength in him. The only problem I have with the book is that it comes off as another version of Firebreather. There are elements shared by both titles with slight differences especially when dealing with the main character. I would hope than fans of one would also become fans of the other because both titles are very good reads.


All Books/Characters pictured herein are © Copyright 2008 by their respective owners. No rights given or implied by Alternate Reality, Incorporated.

Reviews © 2008 Alternate Reality, Inc.

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