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VICTORIAN UNDEAD #1 (OF 6) |
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Writer:
Ian Edginton
Artist:
Davide Fabbri
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Reviewer:
"Sweet" Dan Sweet
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Publisher:
DC/Wildstorm Comics
Shipped On:
111809 |
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MSRP:
$2.99 each
(15% OFF during it's 1st Week of release only at Alternate Reality!)
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DC/WILDSTORM'S SYNOPSIS:
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"Once you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains, no matter how improbable,
must be the truth." Those are the words of Mr. Sherlock Holmes, the world's
first consulting detective, yet even he finds his skills tested to their limit
as he and his erstwhile comrade Dr. John Watson are confronted with the most
extraordinary case of their career - the dead are returning to life! Can a
plague of Biblical proportions be far behind for Victorian London? And who - or
what - is behind the resurrection of these ravenous revenants?
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SWEET DAN'S REVIEW:
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When one hears the words “Sherlock Holmes versus Zombies”, well, one doesn’t
automatically assume that this might be the long lost work of Sir Arthur Conan
Doyle, but if you give it a chance, and you’re not expecting too much from it,
this is a book that may surprise you. It’s a smartly written piece, that knows
how to weave a horror story and a mystery quite well, and it’s extremely well
illustrated, which can’t hurt at all. WildStorm continues to pump out Vertigo-esque
titles that I’ve really been enjoying. Even though they’re known primarily for
their superhero universe(s), I think these kinds of stories have really proven
to be their strong suit.
Zombies come to life. Or un-life, or whatever; I never really understood the
science of Zombies, and I never really gave a flying-f*** either, but apparently
the infection that caused this outbreak of undead came from space rocks, so
there, that’s your explanation, and they get it out of the way early, because as
with any good Zombie story, it’s not about the ‘how’ but rather ‘how many people
can we show get devoured?’ Sherlock Holmes solves mysteries, so one can only
imagine that he’ll either be trying to solve the aforementioned ‘how’ of it all,
or he’ll be fighting for his life against legions of the undead. I’m hoping for
the latter. This is cool because it isn’t that out-there of a concept, and
keeping with the trend, all things are made better with an injection of cannibal
corpses. IF this was Sherlock Holmes versus Marvel Zombies, well, that’d be a
different story.
Davide Fabbri is a very capable artist whose style requires very little
maintenance. Many of his panels look like they’re just colored pencils, with
very little in the way of inking being done. His backgrounds a rich and full of
life, or however it works in a Zombie tale, but I’m always glad to see an artist
who doesn’t forget to illustrate the world around the characters. I’m not too
big on Zombie crossover books (but it’s not “Godzilla Versus Charles Barkley” so
at least there’s that); every so often one comes along and convinces me that the
concept, despite having jumped the shark ages ago, isn’t quite as dead as it may
seem. Or did I mean un-dead?
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YI SOON SHIN: WARRIOR AND DEFENDER #1 |
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Writer:
Onrie Kompan
Artist:
Giovanni Tompano
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Reviewer:
"Sweet" Dan Sweet
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Publisher:
Onrie Kompan
Shipped On:
111809 |
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MSRP:
$2.99 each
(15% OFF during it's 1st Week of release only at Alternate Reality!)
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ONRIE KOMPAN'S SYNOPSIS:
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This is a limited series based on the true story of Admiral Yi Soon Shin, a
Korean naval commander who saved his people from Japanese invasion forces during
the Imjin War (1592-1598) Much like the Nazis during World War II, the Japanese
were known for having little remorse for the innocent civilians of Korea. They
raped women, enslaved children and killed elders. All that stood against them
was one man who could not be defeated in battle. |
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SWEET DAN'S REVIEW:
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This book is going to fly under a lot of people’s radar, mainly due to the fact
that it’s not published by any major comic publisher, and because it doesn’t
feature anyone in a cape, cowl, mask, or anti-gravity boots. That’s not to say
this book is short on action, this is, after all, the story of Korea’s brave
struggle against invading Japanese forces in the late 1590’s. There’s a lot to
absorb when you first open the book up. Kompan spends a great deal of the inside
cover and title page providing potential fans with background information on the
setting, and cultures of that part of the world, to understand the story better,
and believe me it helped.
Yi Soon Shin was a Korean Naval officer at a time when his country was being
wrought asunder by the Imjin War. When so many of his colleagues were content to
destroy their own ships in hopes of fighting the overwhelming Japanese forces on
land, Yi Soon was able to combat his foes, though greatly outnumbered, and claim
victory in the name of Korea. Soon his name rung out in the streets like some
kind of folk hero, and he garnered both respect and intolerance from some of his
constituents, but Yi Soon was a wise man, and saw beyond political and military
aspirations, choosing to value his men and those who ranked beneath him, and
show them respect even when it wasn’t returned to him. The story ends with a bit
of intrigue as Yi Soon and a brigade of men enter the jungle in search of
Japanese soldiers, but end up facing the atrocities committed by one of their
own instead.
The book is both written and illustrated exceptionally well, and even though it
is a period piece (which doesn’t really do anything for me most of the time) I
found it to be very contemporary in its approach. There is a good deal of drama;
both internal and external conflict creeps up and threaten to shake Yi Soon
Shin’s confidence, but he perseveres. Tompano is able to establish a look and
feel to the book that isn’t quite Anime-inspired, but retains the sleek and
stylish sensibilities of Manga in a way that’s all his own. Kompan has an uphill
battle in store for him when it comes to getting this book into the hands of the
typical fanboy (or girl), due primarily to the subject matter at hand. But if
the casual comic fan could look past the lack of a flashy super-team, or a big
name artist and see this for the truly valiant effort this is, then it would be
a righteous success. I mean, any comic that contains a scene of ritual Seppeku
is alright in my book.
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POWERS #1 |
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Writer:
Brian Bendis
Artist:
Michael Avon Oeming
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Reviewer:
"Sweet" Dan Sweet
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Publisher:
Marvel
Comics
Shipped On:
112509
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MSRP:
$3.99 each
(15% OFF during it's 1st Week of release only at Alternate Reality!)
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MARVEL'S SYNOPSIS:
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Because you asked for it, you got it... POWERS IS BACK!! MONTHLY!! From the
writer of your favorite blockbuster Marvel comics (DARK AVENGERS, NEW AVENGERS,
SECRET INVASION, ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN) Brian Michael Bendis and award-winning
artist Michael Oeming (Mice Templar) comes a brand new chapter in one of the
most successful creator-owned comics of the decade! Homicide Detectives
Christian Walker and Enki Sunrise investigate murders specific to super hero
cases... powers. Where super hero and crime comics explode into each other! This
new number one is the PERFECT jumping on point for new readers and a glorious
return to form for long time fans. And yes, this book will be shipping monthly.
And yes, our horrible letter column is back!!
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SWEET DAN'S REVIEW:
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I didn’t have the good fortune to come across this title in its first, or even
its second volume, but as luck would have it The-Powers-That-Be saw fit to
restart the book with a new format, and a new #1, which provided me with the
perfect jumping on point. The good news is that you don’t have to be a “Powers”
fan from way, way back when to jump into this series and enjoy what’s going on.
In fact, Bendis does a tremendous job of filling readers in without giving too
much away about the previous volumes, in case one were inclined to go back and
bone up on the old stuff.
So Walker is back on the beat with a new partner, primarily due to the first one
turning out to be a murderer. There’s some cool character beats that clue new
readers in on what’s been happening, without being too overbearing and turning
this issue into ‘Powers Greatest Hits’. The mystery that kicks off at the end of
the issue actually has roots dating all the back to the hey-day of Las Vegas,
and a former partner of Walker’s, who may or may not have clung to a dangerous
lifestyle long after all of his buddies.
I enjoyed this a great deal, even without very much knowledge in regard to the
characters or their checkered pasts. I thought that Avon’s art was the best I’ve
ever seen from him, and it truly complimented Bendis’ work. Bendis excels at the
street-level, so when he’s allowed to do it all the way, as opposed to what
editorial at Marvel Comics let slide, he’s brilliant. The dialogue, the pacing
of the story, the characters, it all comes together quite nicely in a package
that I’ve seen from other writers (i.e. Brubaker, Rucka) but not from Bendis,
not like this. But, of course, I did arrive late to the party didn’t I?
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IMAGE UNITED #1 |
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Writer:
Robert Kirkman
Artists:
Marc Silvestri, Jim Valentino, Todd McFarlane, Rob Liefield, Erik Larsen, and
Whilce Portacio
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Reviewer:
"Sweet" Dan Sweet
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Publisher:
Image
Comics
Shipped On:
112509
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MSRP:
$3.99 each
(15% OFF during it's 1st Week of release only at Alternate Reality!)
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IMAGE'S SYNOPSIS:
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The heroes of the Image Universe are united in order to fight the greatest
threat the world as ever faced! You can't miss this historic event as the
original Image Founders draw all the characters they made history with. Each
page is an amazing jam piece - it's a story told in a way never before attempted
in comics!
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SWEET DAN'S REVIEW:
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A title THIS long in the making has to be good right? RIGHT?! I thought there
was no way in hell that, with Robert Kirkman at the helm, this mini-series could
possibly fail as miserably as it does ON EVERY LEVEL. The idea of a jam-piece
comic book (a book featuring the artistic styling of multiple artists on the
same page/panel) is such a f***ing cool concept that one can hardly believe
these guys, the core group of Marvel’s late-80’s talent could fumble what is,
essentially, a sure thing. I was 9 in 1992 when Image Comics was founded by the
rather bothersome list of artists mentioned at the top of this article, plus the
now absent (due to selling his company to DC) Jim Lee, and I was a part of the
mindless, moronic, mongoloid populace that helped launch that company into the
stratosphere of comic-publishing mainstays. Go ahead, say something smart. I
dare ya.
In what used to be the grand Image tradition, this book is style over substance
(I think it’s actually style over style over style over style over style over
style over substance, but who’s counting?). Readers are thrust into a wacky
situation where villains are going nuts, and all the heroes of the Image
Universe have to come together to fight them off. That’s about all I can fill
you in on at this time and place. Other than a whirlwind tour of the Image U,
complete with characters no one has seen or heard from in ten, fifteen years or
so, there isn’t much else. Oh, the bad guy is apparently Al Simmons, as, get
this, Omega Spawn (which implies that he’s not the first Spawn, but rather the
last, or ultimate Spawn, which doesn’t make any sense because there’s a New
Spawn who took on the mantle after him, so yeah). Blah, blah, blah, what a pile
of $#!t.
The art is what you’d expect from each of these guys. If you’ve ever read a
comic that Erik Larsen illustrated, whether it’s the latest issue of “Savage
Dragon” or any issue of “Spectacular Spider-Man” from twenty years ago, then you
know what his style looks like, it hasn’t changed, for better or worse, at all,
ever. Silvestri’s work has been showcased in a couple of different Marvel
title’s over the last few years and so nothing he does comes as a surprise ever.
Readers are reminded that Todd McFarlane does, in fact, remember how to hold and
use a pencil, so that’s pretty cool, but all of it seems too little, too late.
The jarring look of featuring so many different art styles crammed so close
together is lot more difficult to deal with than I thought it would be, with
each artist’s rendering so drastically different from the next there’s a lack of
cohesion that a book like this needs. Overall, it was a cool experiment, but a
failure, in my opinion.
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FANTASTIC FOUR #573 |
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Writer:
Jonathan Hickman
Artist:
Neil Edwards
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Reviewer:
"Sweet" Dan Sweet
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Publisher:
Marvel
Comics
Shipped On:
112509
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MSRP:
$2.99 each
(15% OFF during it's 1st Week of release only at Alternate Reality!)
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MARVEL'S SYNOPSIS:
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Adventures on Nu Earth! Ben and Johnny have big plans for a much needed vacation
in the company of refugees from the future - booze, ladies, misadventures...and
two stowaways named Franklin and Val.
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SWEET DAN'S REVIEW:
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After having wrapped the “Solve Everything” arc, which was more or less a Reed
Richards solo adventure, Hickman dives into the stand-alone “Adventures on
Nu-World” which seems, at first glance, to be missing two key elements of the
‘world’s greatest comic magazine’: a.) The Fantastic Four, and b.) Dale
Eaglesham. Now, I’m no stickler for tradition, but four issues into his run
(that’s a third of a year, people) and we’ve yet to see the team in its entirety
tackle an adversary, or save the world. I’ve been an FF fan for, like, my whole
life, so Hickman’s methods of madness, while a little out of the ordinary for
me, just take a little getting used to. It was especially funny to see Mark
Millar’s Nu-Defenders (later to be named Fantastic Force) get tossed aside so
casually in favor of some oft-overused plot device.
Last time we checked in on Valeria and Franklin Richards, the adventurous son
and daughter of Reed and Sue, they had secretly hitched a ride with their
Uncles, Johnny and Ben, as they made their way to Nu-World for a weekend of
debauchery in hopes of cheering Ben up after his cancelled engagement. Once
they’ve landed on Nu-World they’re distraught to discover that while they’ve
only been gone a few months nearly 8 years has passed since they handed the
planet over to refugees from the future. The Nu-Defend…er…Fantastic Force has
imploded, and many of the team members are in a battle for supremacy. Everything
culminates in a rather violent crescendo, where Wolverine’s half-Hulk son
punches some poor lady’s face off (alright, she was a bad guy, but still,
hitting girls?). Oh yeah, they’re punching faces off in “FF” these days too,
watch out now!
I love the Alan Davis cover, and I’m not even really that into Alan Davis, but
his Thing has one of the most expressive and endearing faces ever. Neil Edwards
isn’t Dale Eaglesham, but his style isn’t too far off from what out of Bryan
Hitch’s run, so it’s not that much of a visual shock to see on the page. I liked
it, but I really hope it’s just a fill-in and that Eaglesham will be back with
the next arc, after all, it’s his style that’s helping to redefine the series
post-Millar. All in all I think this was one of the more fun issues, with all
the cards being laid out on the table at the beginning; you knew that nothing
too awful was going to happen (then a lady goes and gets her face punched off),
but it was a fun ride nonetheless, and that’s really Hickman’s strength on the
title: providing the fun and imagination that FF needs to separate it from the
norm, while still keeping readers in the dark as to what to expect from him and
his stories.
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SUPERMAN #694 |
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Writer:
James Robinson
Artist:
Javier Pina
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Reviewer:
"Sweet" Dan Sweet
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Publisher:
DC Comics
Shipped On:
112509
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MSRP:
$2.99 each
(15% OFF during it's 1st Week of release only at Alternate Reality!)
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DC'S SYNOPSIS:
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Kicking off a new 5-issue storyline that will rocket readers all the way to the
monumental SUPERMAN #700! Mon-El makes his triumphant return to Metropolis with
a new look and a determined manner just in time to combat the unstoppable fury
of Bizarro. But with his powers phasing in and out, will the new Mon-El be able
to save his city even with the help of the Guardian and Metropolis's Science
Police?
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SWEET DAN'S REVIEW:
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This book reminds me of a line from the movie “Mean Girls” when the antagonist,
Regina George, demeans a cohort’s constant use of the word ‘fetch’, demanding
that she “…stop trying to make ‘fetch’ happen…”. That’s exactly the way I feel
about Robinson’s lackluster run of “Superman” and more directly this “New Look
and New Direction”. Stop trying to make Mon-El happen, James. In one of the
weakest-written books I’ve seen out of him yet, Robinson is able to cheese it up
on so many different levels I’m surprised he had any room to squeeze in the
greatest cameo in the entire history of comics (in my opinion).
So Mon-El was trapped in the Phantom Zone with lead poisoning for years and
years; a cure was found, Mon-El got better, and when Superman needed him most,
he stepped in and guarded the city of Metropolis while Big Blue went off-world
to New Krypton, to live with others like him. You’d think in an arc entitled
“World Against Superman” that the main character, an alien himself, would be
wary of throwing the old Super-Emblem on his brand new costume (which is
Superman’s costume, with the colors transposed), but whatever, that’s the least
of Robinson’s ‘Whine and Cheese’ fest he’s offering up. Enter random lady in
crowd, who so thoughtlessly left her child napping in a car in the middle of a
city street during a battle between Bizarro and Mon-El. What ever will happen to
the endangered girl, and her mentally deranged mother? How’s ‘bout they get
saved. By whom, you ask? By Matter-Eater Lad, and that’s f***ing awesome. Then
there’s a bunch of other sappy crap between Conner, Mon, and Ma Kent which ends
with Ma Kent popping a couple caffeine pills and staying up all night to make
Mon a costume (AW!).
I thought that Javier Pina did a fantastic job illustrating a horse-$#!t comic
book. His battle at the beginning between Mon and Bizarro was really well done.
I like his style, but some of his inks are little chunky, which is a trend I’m
beginning to see from more and more artists who ink their own work, so I’d
really like to see an established name step in and ink his stuff. Robinson is
trying really hard to shoehorn characters into the positions so that his run and
roster on “JLA” makes a bit more sense once it all comes together, but I think
he’s doing a horrible job of it right now. Sure he’s dealing with the
editorially mandated “Blackest Night” over in “Justice League” right now, but
once it’s all said and done, I’m not sure there’s going to be a lot to look back
on fondly during this ‘New Krypton’ saga, other than the main title (which is
co-written by Greg Rucka, so go figure).
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JUSTICE SOCIETY OF AMERICA #33 |
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Writers:
Bill Willingham and Matt Sturges
Artist:
Jesus Merino
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Reviewer:
"Sweet" Dan Sweet
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Publisher:
DC Comics
Shipped On:
112509 |
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MSRP:
$2.99 each
(15% OFF during it's 1st Week of release only at Alternate Reality!)
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DC'S SYNOPSIS:
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The traitor stands revealed, and his part in the destruction of the Justice
Society of America is complete. While the team's headquarters lies in ruin, the
same fate has befallen the team itself! Hold on to your seats, because the JSA
as we've known it is torn asunder!
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SWEET DAN'S REVIEW:
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At long last I’ve found a pair of writers who’ve
been able to make the Justice Society of America not only accessible to a guy
who’s never picked up the title before, but both interesting and a must-read
month after month after month. I sure am glad that I waited all this time and
finally a creative team I admire and respect has put together a nice title that
combines the quirky characterization of Willingham’s “Fables” and the
mask-and-cape stuff we saw Sturges do with “Final Crisis: Aftermath: Run”; now
that I’ve found this book, after all this time, I can’t imagine these two not
writing it. Wait, what?! Yep, that’s right kiddies, they finished their first
five-part arc to move right into the next step of the plan: driving a wedge
between the team and splitting into two separate books, one to be written by
Willingham, and the other to be helmed by Sturges. Oi vey!
Concluding “The Bad Seed” arc which saw two potential candidates for membership
attract suspicion after an attack on Mr. Terrific left him in critical
condition. The arc also introduced readers to a new Dr. Fate, who doesn’t have a
very good grasp of the mystic powers he’s in possession of, but manages to save
Mr. Terrific from the edge of death and deal with all the baddies who sought to
collect bounties placed on the heads of each member of the Society. After the
battle the fireworks really start, as strategy and mission statements all come
into question by one of the teams newest members, Magog, and when one of the
team’s heavies (Power Girl) steps up to back him on his argument, well the
schism is solidified.
I’m not sure how I feel about the JSA splitting up, especially since I just
jumped on board the title, and I’m not sure how DC is planning on dealing with
the pricing issues that everyone takes with new series. IF the new title doesn’t
have a co-feature and isn’t priced at $3.99, then I’ll be happy as a clam, but
I’m not sure that’s worth holding my breath for. Jesus Merino really brings the
team to life, and as long as he’s sticking it out with Willingham here on the
main book, at least I know I’ll get a partial dose of DC’s oldest super team.
His pencils, especially during the big battle scenes are impeccably done, and he
handles a gigantic cast of characters masterfully. He’s seriously on my watch
list!
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REALM OF KINGS IMPERIAL GUARD #1 (OF 5) |
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Writers:
Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning
Artists:
Kevin Walker
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Reviewer:
"Sweet" Dan Sweet
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Publisher:
Marvel Comics
Shipped On:
111109 |
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MSRP:
$3.99 each
(15% OFF during it's 1st Week of release only at Alternate Reality!)
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MARVEL'S SYNOPSIS:
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A REALM OF KINGS series! Gladiator is emperor of the Shi'Ar! His squadron, the
Imperial Guard, is the ultimate law! But what is it like to live and work in
this infamous legion as they attempt to keep their empire from disintegrating
into the chaos of civil war. One hazardous mission may be the solution that
everyone is praying for, but are the opinionated and fractured Guard tough
enough - and united enough - to accomplish it? You saw them at the death of
Phoenix...you've seen them battle the Inhumans...now it's time for Dan Abnett &
Andy Lanning (WAR OF KINGS) and Kev Walker (MARVEL ZOMBIES 3 & 4) to take you
inside this fearsome force!
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SWEET DAN'S REVIEW:
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I’m not a big Marvel-Cosmic guy. I much prefer my
street-level crime stories to those on a more intergalactic scale, but with that
out of the way, I must confess my affectation for the former Praetor of the
Shi’Ar Imperial Guard, and current Majestor of the Imperium, Gladiator. He was
one of the first characters I was introduced to in the pages of “Fantastic
Four”, and I always found him to be a more interesting personality that those of
his counterparts. I like the strides Marvel has made in the cosmic line of
titles, utilizing the writing team of Abnett and Lanning as architects guiding
the collective universes toward a common goal, much like Bendis has been
integral in the direction of the traditional Marvel U.
After the Shi’Ar fall to the Kree (see “War of Kings”), and their power-drunk
ruler, Vulcan, vanishes without a trace, Gladiator is promoted from protector of
the people to ruler, a move that not all of his constituents agree with. As
different rebel factions rise up attempting to lay claim to the throne the
Imperial Guard is sent into the fray to quash any who would seek to usurp the
newly crowned Gladiator. There’s a great deal of fighting, and a lot of $#!t
blows up, and even some internal conflict arises when Gladiator realizes that
his place may not be leading from his posterior, but rather charging headlong
into battle with the rest of his comrades.
I want so much for this kind of a book to be successful. I’d love to see
Gladiator take a more active role in the Marvel Universe as a whole, not just
the cosmic side of things. Abnett and Lanning craft a cool series of fights, and
set up a bit of conflict amongst the politicians that surround the Majestor,
which I guess one should come to expect from any political hopefuls no matter
what solar system you may find them in. Kev Walker’s style reminded me of a
less-insane Nathan Fox, and while you’ll find Fox’s work in the pages of Heavy
Metal (a publication based on a French magazine), you can find a great deal of
Walker’s artwork in the pages of “2000A.D.”, another European staple. I’d have
liked to see more backgrounds in his work, to get a feel for the environment
post-WOK, but with the colorful cast of characters filling almost every panel I
imagine it might’ve made the page look too busy.
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DEADLOCKE
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Writer:
Arvid Nelson
Artist:
Nick Stakal |
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Review By:
"Sweet" Dan Sweet
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Publisher:
Dark Horse
Comics
Shipped On:
111809 |
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MSRP:
$3.50 each
(15% OFF during it's 1st Week of release only at Alternate Reality!)
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DARK HORSE'S SYNOPSIS:
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In modern-day New York City, a ragtag group of
rebellious teens throws its annual raucous Weimar bash filled with debauchery,
booze, and bloody knuckles. Going for the first time is Locke Vinetti, a
newcomer to this band of bored rich kids-a loner who usually prefers to escape
into the world of his alter ego comic book creation, Deadlocke. Under the
tutelage of the group's charming but unpredictable ringleader Casey, Locke has
learned to express his art, and his angst, in ways he never thought possible. As
the violent energy of Deadlocke continues to storm up inside of him, Locke must
learn to control his newfound strength at the risk of losing Renee, the darkly
beautiful girl of his dreams. Determined to prove that Deadlocke's rage will
overpower Locke's love, Casey provokes Locke in a brutal rooftop battle where
their lives, and their souls, hang in the balance. |
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SWEET DAN'S REVIEW:
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Okay, it’s not everyday that I’ll get up on my soap
box and admit that a book has me flat out stumped, but unfortunately that’s what
I have to do here today. When I first read this book I mentally filed it away
under ‘underwhelming nonsense that was never meant for my enjoyment’; then the
next time I picked it up I realized that the story that I thought was beginning
to develop was really a precursor to…nothing? Yeah, the book is a one-shot, or
some sort of one-off that may, or may not, lead to a regular series or a mini
series down the line, so in the end the incoherence that I sifted through,
trying to make heads or tales of this book is really all for naught.
I love stories that feature misguided youth professing their love for someone in
the most naïve and self-centered ways; in this case it’s a young man named
Locke, whom after just losing his virginity to a girl much less virtuous than
himself, proceeds to stick not one, but two feet in his mouth at every possible
opportunity. The evening culminates with Locke’s picking a fight with a ‘friend’
of his, which nearly ends with one of them getting thrown off of a roof. So, the
underlying theme of the story is about Locke’s passion for art and story
telling, and of course he’s a fan of comic books, and he’s done what so many of
us fanboys (or fangirls) have long dreamt of doing, he’s created and drawn a
comic. That’s where the confusing part of the story comes into play…and I can’t
get into it without giving away too much of the ‘plot’ but I don’t think the
twist at the end is nearly as ‘showing’ or ‘awesome’ as it’s hoped to be; I
simply found it tedious and out of place with the subject matter of the rest of
the tale.
I didn’t hate the art, but I definitely didn’t care for it that much. Nick
Stakal has particular aspects of the story telling down pat, but his panels look
stiff and formulaic. There’s very little motion in his panels, and the
characters actions come off looking stiff and unnatural. Like I said at the top
of this little rant here, I’m not sure what to make of this…it’s a one shot that
in NO way tells a complete story…and if there’s nothing more to expand upon then
why introduce us to this shallow, two-dimensional idiot and his self loathing?
It feels like it’s a bit heavy on the sappy emotion, and very light in the
substance department. |
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REALM OF THE KINGS |
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Writer:
Dan Abnett & Andy Lanning
Artist:
Leonardo Manco & Mahmud Asrar |
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Review By:
"Sweet" Dan Sweet
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Publisher:
Marvel
Comics
Shipped On:
111809 |
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MSRP:
$3.99 each
(15% OFF during it's 1st Week of release only at Alternate Reality!)
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MARVEL'S SYNOPSIS:
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Exploding out of WAR OF KINGS, what lies in the
REALM OF KINGS? The shocking showdown between Black Bolt and Vulcan has created
The Fault, a vast tear through time and space through which almost anything can
charge into our universe. What secrets does it hold? What dangers lurk within?
Will it reintroduce forgotten allies...or unleash ancient enemies? The cosmic
masters Dan Abnett & Andy Lanning unite with WAR MACHINE'S Leonardo Manco to
open the next great chapter in Marvel's resurging cosmic corner! |
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SWEET DAN'S REVIEW:
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Hot on the heels of last weeks “Realm of Kings:
Imperial Guard” the editorial team in the cosmic corner of the Marvel U is
wasting no time in kicking off the next mini-epic set to take the spacey stories
by storm. Like ‘Imperial Guard’ this picks up the threads left at the end of
“War of Kings” in which the fabric of space time was undone by a Terrigen Bomb,
creating what has come to be known as ‘the Fault’. I’ve claimed ignorance on
many of the previous chapters of Marvel Cosmic’s line-spanning stories, but even
a street-level guy such as me has to wonder who those evil looking
Avengers-themed baddies are on the cover (maybe a “Darker Reign” is on the
horizon?).
The issue starts with a gathering of the heroes of the Marvel Cosmic line:
Guardians of the Galaxy, Nova, Quasar, um…is there anyone else? Anyway, these
guys are all sitting around wondering what the hell they should do about the
big, gaping hole in the fabric of reality, when they come to the overly logical
conclusion that Quasar is the only one out of all them that is strong enough to
survive the potentially harmful radiation that is seeping from the tear while
scouting the area for other danger. This of course leads to the core conflict of
the story as Quasar is sucked through the tear in reality and finds himself in a
much scarier take on the Marvel U than any he’s seen before. In this alternate
reality the Avengers (many of whom no longer reside on the team as we currently
know it) have given themselves over to ancient creatures known as The
Many-Angled Ones. The evil Avengers have consumed all there is in the way of
life on this alternate Earth, and hope to follow Quasar’s energy trail back
through the fault and into the 616-Marvel U.
As far as setting the stage for the “Realm of Kings” event, I’m not sure this
got the job done. I’m curious as to what may happen with the evil doppelgangers
of the classic Avengers team, but I’m not so curious that I’m going to run out
and pick up a glut of new books. If they plan on book-ending the non-event with
one-shots, then they need to make sure that they nail the sale in the first
chapter. I thought the art team did a great job as far as the illustrations
looked. Both Asrar and Manco are accomplished storytellers, and sticking with
Abnett and Lanning is a sure-fire way to get a crash course in big-story comics
without being put in the hot seat that comes along with the summer event
schedule. I’m hoping that all of these smaller stories are coming together to
form some sort of larger tapestry that me, as an outsider to these kinds of
books, just doesn’t seem to see. |
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AMAZING SPIDERMAN #612 |
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Writer:
Mark Waid
Artist:
Paul Azaceta |
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Review By:
"Sweet" Dan Sweet
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Publisher:
Marvel
Comics
Shipped On:
111809 |
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MSRP:
$3.99 each
(15% OFF during it's 1st Week of release only at Alternate Reality!)
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MARVEL'S SYNOPSIS:
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"POWER TO THE PEOPLE" PART 1-They're Hunting
Spiders...THE GAUNTLET begins here! The event that redefines Spider-Man's
classic arch-enemies one by one starts with one of his deadliest - Electro!
Destitute and desperate, conned out of his life's meaning and worth - Max Dillon
becomes the voice of the common man against the brutal injustice of a system
overloaded by greed. With Spider-Man already looking over his shoulder. Mark
Waid and Paul Azaceta bring you the story of a hero with everything to lose
against a man with nothing left to gain. Prepare for death's short, sharp shock.
Prepare for Electro. |
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SWEET DAN'S REVIEW:
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“The Gauntlet” starts here! Mark Waid wastes no time
in letting readers know that with this go-round, Max Dillon, the villain known
as Electro, is not the same green and yellow-clad pushover Spidey’s delivered a
beating to time and time again. As Kraven the Hunter’s legacy is carried on
through the work of his wife and daughter, Peter Parker will be forced to take
on a small army of his oldest villains, many faces we’ve not seen since ‘OMD/BND’
began. Considering the point of the whole experiment was to see if the world of
Spider-Man was confined to what’s come before, bringing the older characters
back (which actually started with Norman in “New Ways to Die” and continued with
Doc Ock in #600) now seems like it makes sense.
Touching on the current economic crisis, that damn-near everyone can relate to,
Waid makes Dillon out to be some sort of modern day folk-hero, garnishing praise
from the community by way of viral internet videos lambasting local governments
and corporations, continuing to bail each other out despite the cries of the
people. Pete and his roommate still flame each other over the
one-night-stand-that-wasn’t, to which end I’m never quite sure who’s more into
whom, but the dynamic is still funny. When the time comes for a show-down
between Spidey and ‘Lectro I was a bit surprised to see how supercharged his
power set had become, but it does play into something that Waid had already laid
out. By the end of the issue it’s pretty clear that Spider-Man may not have the
support of the people that he’s used to getting, and it’ll be interesting to see
if he’s able to regain their affection.
I think Waid knows who Spider-Man is, and as a guy who really ‘gets it’ about
the character it results in stories that feel brand new, while at the same time
maintain the sense of legacy that so many people feel has been wrenched away
from the title. With this updated take on Max Dillon, Waid convinces readers
that maybe this time Spidey’s playing for the wrong side, and it’s that
momentary lapse in judgment he capitalizes on, twisting the knife on the last
page. Paul Azaceta’s style is a part of that nu-retro look that I like so much,
so I’m never disappointed with his work, and his redesign of Electro’s look is
much appreciated. I’m excited that many of the older villains are returning, and
I didn’t think that I would be, but in a weird way it helps add to the freshness
of the title. I’m not sure if Spidey’s going to make it out of the ‘Gauntlet’ in
one piece, but I know that I’ll be there at the end, having spent a good deal of
money to see him take a beating. Give him hell, guys! |
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THUNDERBOLTS #138 |
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Writer:
Jeff Parker
Artist:
Miguel Sepulveda |
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Review By:
"Sweet" Dan Sweet
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Publisher:
Marvel
Comics
Shipped On:
111809 |
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MSRP:
$2.99 each
(15% OFF during it's 1st Week of release only at Alternate Reality!)
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MARVEL'S SYNOPSIS:
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The blood hits the fan in the first issue by new
writer Jeff Parker (AGENTS OF ATLAS)! It's been too long since Mr. X has killed,
and he needs his next fix! Ghost has taken notice, and sees an
opportunity...while Scourge is seeing things that no one should! Add in the
selfish intentions of Paladin and Ant-Man, stir with a stick of dynamite
and...BOOM! You've heard raves about Parker's ATLAS (heroes pretending to be
villains)...but now it's time to let him loose on some real fiends! |
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SWEET DAN'S REVIEW:
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The thing I like most about “The Thunderbolts” is
that it’s continued to build an organic story through out cast switches,
creative team changes, and Marvel’s endless event schedule. Following the
previous writing teams, a couple of cats whose books I personally dig on many
levels, Jeff Parker has some over-sized shoes to fill, but considering he’s also
on Sweet Dan’s List of Creators Who Deserve More Recognition, I’m thinking this
may be a match made in Marvel Heaven. The Thunderbolts, at its core, is a team
comprised of people who neither like, nor trust one another, their existence
remains secret at the behest of those who pull their strings, and their goals,
at this point, are unclear; Parker, coming off the insane “Agents of Atlas”,
should be able to keep right in step with what’s going on, and expand upon both
teams in the coming story.
Following up the events of the last story line, which saw the blonde Black
Widow, revealed to be none other than the original Black Widow, betray the team
and help organize the original Thunderbolts back into some form of action. This
doesn’t prove to be the end of the internal meddling by teammates whose agendas
remain unknown. Ghost messes with Mister X’s head, essentially talking him into
going AWOL so he can quench his blood thirst. The result: Mister X in a
Columbian jungle taking out rebel military forces. Yeah, it’s more than a little
off the deep end, but whatever, the rest of the Thunderbolts show up and persist
in beating the tar out of each other for the remainder of the issue. That is,
until their leader, Norman Osborn gives them a new adversary to spar with, The
Atlas Foundation.
I’m a J.P. fan. I’ve enjoyed his Marvel work (for the most part) and even his
creator-owned work over at Image. I’ll admit that I was looking for more out of
this debut, but I guess I should be used to his style by now, choosing to build
plot lines and flesh out characters before going for the big, in-your-face
moments like so many creators resort to. I’m a fan of the cohesion this title
has displayed despite being handed off from person (Warren Ellis) to person
(Andy Diggle) to person (J. m-f’n P.); the characters are second and third
string villains who wouldn’t be given this chance to shine had the ‘Dark Reign’
not come over the Marvel U, and I’m glad that this book has developed
personalities out of some rather silly bad guys. I’ve said good things about
Miguel Sepulveda’s work before, and it all pretty much holds true today. He’s a
very capable artist who takes care not to overload his panels, but never cheats
a reader out of clever visuals. I’m glad he’s drawing this book, and hope he
continues to for some time. |
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TRACE ADKINS IS LUKE McBAIN #1 (of 4) |
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Writer:
David Tischman
Artist:
Kody Chamberlain |
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Review By:
"Sweet" Dan Sweet
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Publisher:
12 Gauge
Comics
Shipped On:
111809 |
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MSRP:
$3.99 each
(15% OFF during it's 1st Week of release only at Alternate Reality!)
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12 GAUGE'S SYNOPSIS:
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Country superstar Trace Adkins is Luke McBain, a man
who makes the hard decisions. He doesn't say much, but he'll kick your ass if
you get out of line. He's returned to his northern Louisiana hometown to settle
a score, but the town has changed, and the people he grew up with need his help.
Luke McBain - an American hero for our times, in a story of right and wrong in
the tradition of Walking Tall. |
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SWEET DAN'S REVIEW:
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I’m not sure whether this is a marketing ploy by
Capitol Records to plug the latest Trace Adkins album, which they advertise on
the rear cover, or if Mr. Adkins is some sort of comic fan that felt the medium
is seriously missing a book featuring his likeness. In either case, 12-Gauge
Comics presents “Trace Adkins is Luke McBain” as a creative solution to either
of the two non-problems that I presented before, and in case anybody is still
reading after the promise of country music and comic book anti-heroes, well,
color me a bit surprised.
The story, no matter how slightly different, starts the same each and every
time. A man, away for too long, finds his way home, only to come to the
realization that the place he called ‘home’ isn’t exactly the way he remembered
it. All the elements of the over-used plot device are there: the hot
ex-girlfriend whom he never should have left, the crooked brother who’s made it
big in his absence, the well-meaning police officer keeping his eye on Luke so
that he can’t get into or stir up any additional trouble, oh, and a guitar case
full of guns and knives. Yeah, the clichés pile up so fast that readers
practically need a shovel to sift through the story, well, whatever semblance of
a story one could actually find (if they looked really, really hard).
The truth of the matter is that this book didn’t do anything for me. It’s not
the subject matter that I didn’t care for, I spent some time down in Texas and
actually care a great deal for the southern culture and way of life (just not
the music), but I feel as though this offering was so stale in the way of new
ideas, that it would be dishonest of me to describe it as anything other than a
patchwork quilt of other ideas, and other stories, that we’ve seen a million
times before, each one accomplished with more flair for story telling than this
was. Overall, I think this cowboy screwed the pooch. |
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SUPERGOD #1 (of 5) |
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Writer:
Warren Ellis
Artist:
Garrie Gastonny |
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Review By:
"Sweet" Dan Sweet
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Publisher:
Avatar
Comics
Shipped On:
111109 |
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MSRP:
$3.99 each
(15% OFF during it's 1st Week of release only at Alternate Reality!)
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AVATAR'S SYNOPSIS:
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SUPERGOD: praying to be saved by a man who can fly
will get you killed. From the creator of THE AUTHORITY and PLANETARY comes the
craziest and most horrifying superhero comic you've ever read! In the world of
SUPERGOD, superhumans are the ultimate expression of the Messiah complex, and
scientists can build Messiahs who will fly down from the skies to save the
world. No-one thought about how they'd do it -- or even if they'd want to. So
begins the apocalyptic tomorrow of SUPERGOD -- the story of how supermen killed
us all and ended the world just because we wanted to be rescued by human-shaped
things from beyond Science itself! Take every superhero comic ever published,
shove them into a nuclear-powered blender, soak it in bad vodka and set the
whole thing alight -- and SUPERGOD will crawl out and eat your brain! This five
issue color series is drawn by Garrie Gastony with colors by Digikore. SUPERGOD
is available with a Regular cover painted by Felipe Massafera, a Wraparound by
series artist Garrie Gastony, and a special retailer incentive Church Of
Supergod Edition! |
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SWEET DAN'S REVIEW:
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Wow, this was an absolute downer of a book. Don’t
get me wrong, I’m a HUGE Ellis fan (even read his novel) but this is as dark and
dystopian as a book can be while still towing the line of
beautifully-illustrated superhero comic books. It’s a thing to behold, the
artwork of Gastonny, as he no doubt was put through his paces illustrating all
the dreary drek that Ellis’ hyper-imaginative, unfiltered, paranoia can produce.
I’ve been hip to the guy for a while (Ellis not Gastonny), and I’ve always found
his work to be endearing to the angry, 20-something generation that I seemingly
am some perverted part of, but this book just made me sad. As I read it, I would
laugh out loud to myself at how depressing this really was, and I don’t know
what Ellis’ intent is, but if it’s to get a guy down on the
capes-and-tights-crowd for life, well, I just don’t know anymore.
“Some say we’re actually hardwired for religion. We look for something to
worship.” That sentence, more or less, sums up a great deal of what this book is
all about. As the threat of nuclear war became more and more real, nations of
the world began to work on superhuman projects that may, one day, rescue them
from the calamity that everyone found themselves in. Ellis persists in
gallivanting around the world in a whirlwind tour of failure and misery, with
each new story, not to be outdone by the previous, becoming more and more dark
and deadly. The story ends with a warning that it was the Americans who were
ultimately responsible for creating the being that caused all the death and
devastation that our narrator currently finds himself in.
Between the hash-headed lead, the masturbating scientists, and the
human/robot/fungus hybrids that passed as heroes to these jabroney's this may
come off as run-of-the-mill, everyday Ellis, but I get the sense that there’s
more there, just under the surface, waiting to smack readers in the face. I
mentioned off-hand to Comic Book Man that I found the story to be rather lacking
in the ‘uplifting redemption’ department, and he wasn’t very surprised. It
wasn’t until that point as a fan of Warren Ellis that I began to question my own
sense of humor, and what if any hope I had left for the world. I’m not trying to
be introspective here or anything, but really, if people with powers walked
among us, it probably wouldn’t be long before we were all living in fear for our
lives. Has Warren Ellis seen the future, and knows what we’re in store for?
Maybe he’s from the future, and he’s the one here to sew the seeds of apathy and
despair? Just food for thought…beware! |
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STRANGE #1 (of 4) |
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Writer:
Mark Waid
Artist:
Emma Rios |
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Review By:
"Sweet" Dan Sweet
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Publisher:
Marvel
Comics
Shipped On:
111109 |
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MSRP:
$3.99 each
(15% OFF during it's 1st Week of release only at Alternate Reality!)
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MARVEL'S SYNOPSIS:
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No longer Sorcerer Supreme of the Marvel Universe,
Stephen Strange must discover a new path to fulfillment and enlightenment.
Unfortunately, that path leads through a bizarre, terrifying gauntlet of magical
menaces--and if the former Master of the Mystic Arts is going to survive the
journey, he'll need some assistance--in the form of a brand-new student! |
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SWEET DAN'S REVIEW:
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This is a quirky little book right here. See,
Stephen Strange no longer bears the mantel of Sorcerer Supreme, but that doesn’t
meant he’s no longer a practitioner of the mystic arts. Mark Waid explores
Steven’s life post-Eye of Agamotto, by returning the character to his roots, and
more directly to his love of baseball. In one of the more surprising offerings
to ever star Dr. Strange (he’s still a M.D. after all), Waid, and his BOOM!
Studios’ partner Emma Rios, inject a colossal dose of weird into a book entitled
“STRANGE” (I know, it sounds like one of those old horror comics like “Creepy”
or “Who gives a F***”), and the end result is just that (strange, not weird,
although I guess they’re interchangeable).
At this point everyone should rise for the National Anthem as readers are
dropped into the middle of an incredibly high-stakes game of baseball right off
the bat (ZING). Now, I’m sure most of you are wondering exactly how
‘high-stakes’ a game of high-stakes baseball may be, and in this case, or any
other that Dr. Strange is involved in, it’s safe to say (another one?!) that
with the souls of not only the teams playing on the line, but also those of
everyone in the stands enjoying the game, well, there you go. Strange
manipulates his way through security by pulling on the heart strings of young
Casey Kinmont, granddaughter of Bill Kinmont who manages the home team,
revealing to her that the visiting team has been possessed “by creatures NOT of
this Earth.” When Strange has a chance to confront Mr. Kinmont the truth is
revealed: a deal with a demon named Tul’uth gave the home team a winning
percentage for thirty years in exchange for the souls of the team. What follows
is one of the more whacky games of baseball that I’d be all the more excited to
see the current World Series-winning New York Yankees play (and lose!)!
I actually really liked this comic, but I don’t think it’s necessarily worth the
cover price. I’m not sure if next issue Dr. Strange is going to help Jay Cutler
and the Bears get their tired asses over the hump they’ve been stuck on, but if
all this is a whirlwind tour through ESPNZone count me out. I thought that Emma
Rios did an impeccable job illustrating this rag, and I look forward to more
work from her, Marvel or otherwise. There were only one or two times where I saw
some semblance of story that may or may not be carried into the next issue, so
I’m not sure what to expect, but I did enjoy this, even if it is overpriced. |
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BATMAN/DOC SAVAGE SPECIAL |
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Writer:
Brian Azzarello
Artist:
Phil Noto |
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Review By:
"Sweet" Dan Sweet
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Publisher:
DC/Wildstorm
Comics
Shipped On:
111109 |
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MSRP:
$4.99 each
(15% OFF during it's 1st Week of release only at Alternate Reality!)
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DC'S SYNOPSIS:
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Doc Savage returns to DC Comics...and comes
face-to-fist with the Batman! Superstar scribe Brian Azzarello (100 BULLETS,
JOKER) and the breathtaking art of Phil Noto combine to shine the first light on
a shadowy new version of the DC Universe, where the thugs run rampant,
corruption runs deep, and even heroes can't be trusted! Doc Savage, the Man of
Bronze, hates what he's heard about the connections between a grisly murder and
Gotham City's violent new vigilante. But the Batman can't abide do-gooders
getting in his way...and his .45 just won't stay in its holster! Be here for
this vital prologue to an upcoming 6-issue miniseries by Azzarello and Rags
Morales (IDENTITY CRISIS), which will pull back the curtain to reveal the full
width and breadth of DC's new pulp-influenced universe. This special issue also
features sketchbook material by Rags Morales that will show you just what you're
in for! You might think you're ready - but you're very, very wrong... |
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SWEET DAN'S REVIEW:
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YIKES! There are so many reasons why I liked this
book; take Batman, add the writer/co-creator of “100 Bullets”, throw in some
pulpy Doc Savage stuff, and then top it all off with the masterful pencils of
Phil Noto, and there’s no way most readers in their right minds would be able to
pass this up, right? But when you take a closer look at the material that’s
enclosed in between the covers I’m pretty sure, more often than not, that fans
of either Batman or the ‘Man of Bronze’ are going to be a bit let down by what
they find.
This isn’t your everyday, “Blackest Night” DCU, folks. What Azzarello has done
is take the DCU of the golden age, and amalgamate it with what people know about
the world and technology today, so you get a mix of the old, pulpy, noir-ish New
York City take on Gotham, as well as a Batman who carries a pair of .45 caliber
hand guns. Doc Savage has made a swing through Gotham in order to help solve the
mystery of the vigilante (or is he a criminal?) Batman, who is wanted for
questioning in the murder of a player in the seedy underbelly of the beast.
Through a brief series of encounters Savage and Bats size each other up, and
after the traditional misunderstanding, throw down in a very classy manner, much
like the outward appearances they both portray for the media. After witnessing
some of Gotham’s corruption firsthand Savage vouches for the Batman, proclaiming
his innocence to the media, without any real evidence other than his
‘professional opinion as a doctor.’
See, that’s the problem I found myself having with this issue, everything is
wrapped up in a pretty, little package and adorned with a bow, but what’s inside
the package is greatly underwhelming. There isn’t any resolution to the story
(that I can see). Who killed the guy Bats was accused of murdering? How was the
Doc able to examine all the facts when he was busy hosting parties and fighting
with Bruce? The whole thing seems a bit contrived, and while I enjoy the work of
Brian Azzarello immensely, I’m not quite sure what he was hoping to accomplish
here. Noto is, as always, one of my favorite artists in all of comics. His style
is understated, and he does his own color work, so he’s able to maintain the
tone throughout the entire book. I would have liked to see him get the chance to
spread his wings a bit more, instead of sticking to dark apartments, and city
scapes…but it is Gotham City, so I should have expected as much. |
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S.W.O.R.D. #1 |
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Writer:
Kieron Gillen
Artist:
Steven Sanders |
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Review By:
"Sweet" Dan Sweet
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Publisher:
Marvel
Comics
Shipped On:
111109 |
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MSRP:
$3.99 each
(15% OFF during it's 1st Week of release only at Alternate Reality!)
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MARVEL'S SYNOPSIS:
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Spinning out of ASTONISHING X-MEN comes a series
that will take you places you've never been! After Secret Invasion, Agent Brand
is no longer the top dog at S.W.O.R.D. Forced to share her leadership post with
former Avengers-liaison Henry Gyrich, Brand is less than pleased. Will the
arrival of her boyfriend, X-Man Beast, help her out? Not when she discovers
Gyrich's plan for fixing S.W.O.R.D. is to rid Earth of ALL ALIENS! Brought to
you by Kieron Gillen (DARK AVENGERS: ARES), Steven Sanders (Five Fists of
Science) and topped off with covers by ASTONISHING X-MEN artist JOHN CASSADAY! |
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SWEET DAN'S REVIEW:
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What started as a plot device in Joss Whedon and
John Cassaday’s mind-bottling take on Marvel’s merry mutants has come into its
own as the first issue of “S.W.O.R.D.” shipped last week. Its star, and co-head
of the S.entient W.orld O.bservation and R.esponse D.epartment, Abigail Brand is
up to her green hair in bureaucratic b.s. and alien poop, and when her
boyfriend, Hank McCoy of the X-Men, reports for duty, well, things get a bit
more complicated.
Somehow, when he was jettisoned from The Initiative, Henry Gyrich ended up in
space, as a co-head of the off-world agency known as S.W.O.R.D., and since it’s
not like him to be satisfied with where he is in life, he’s decided to take it
upon himself to attempt to remove his competition (Abigail) from his career
path. As the two constantly go back and forth attempting to one-up the other,
it’s pretty clear to readers that Brand has too much on her plate to be able to
stand up to Gyrich’s manipulations, and when her half-brother shows up with an
intergalactic bounty hunter on his tail, well, complicated just doesn’t really
seem to do the situation justice.
Keiron Gillen is no Warren Ellis, and he’s no Joss Whedon, but he is able to
take a concept high on weird, science, and weird science and make it fun and
interesting at the same time. Is it a must-read book for everyone, probably not,
but there are those of us who aren’t as tuned-in to the machinations of Marvel’s
cosmic characters, and this may be a perfect gateway to understand what’s been
transpiring, or at least a fun diversion. Don’t let the John Cassaday cover
throw you, Steven Sanders’ style is much more animated, without losing a great
deal of detail. I think that it fits the feel of the book perfectly, and even
though he’s not one of my favorite artists, he’s able to handle craziness that
this title revolves around and channel it into some solid work. |
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CALL OF DUTY MODERN WARFARE 2 #1 |
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Writer:
David Lapham
Artist:
Kevin West |
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Review By:
"Sweet" Dan Sweet
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Publisher:
DC/Wildstorm
Comics
Shipped On:
111109 |
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MSRP:
$3.99 each
(15% OFF during it's 1st Week of release only at Alternate Reality!)
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DC/WILDSTORM'S SYNOPSIS:
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In anticipation of the sequel to the groundbreaking
game, WildStorm brings you a no-holds-barred, brutal tale of the mysterious Task
Force 141 soldier known as "Ghost." Learning the motivation behind his mask and
moniker is the tip of the iceberg in a story spanning the globe from the United
Kingdom to war-torn Afghanistan to the drug war in Mexico. Believe us, this will
be talked about for years to come! Award-winning creator David Lapham (YOUNG
LIARS, Stray Bullets) is joined by artist Kevin West in a shattering 6-issue
tour-de-force epic! |
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SWEET DAN'S REVIEW:
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This is a fluff piece. I don’t mean for it to be,
but it really is. I didn’t like this book, and it’s not because I’m not into
video games, or because I’m not into comics based on video games. It’s not
because I’m not a huge David Lapham fan (haven’t been reading “Young Liars”,
sorry bro), or because I think that the art is amateurish at best and the colors
take more away from the sub-par artwork than they ever leant to it. I did
however enjoy (tolerate?) the story about a group of S.A.S. Operatives sent over
the border into Mexico in hopes of taking down a cartel responsible for
smuggling terrorists into the United States.
It’s a pretty cut-and-dry tale, with every generic plot contrivance one could
think of. It reminded me of a made-for-SpikeTV action movie, where the biggest
draw is the cussing, nudity, and blood-letting, with absolutely no substance to
latch onto. There’s a bit of back-story involving a couple members of the
seven-man team, but not much, so there’s never a feeling of regret, or loss when
one or more of the guys are killed. Oh yeah, there’s a lot of killing, and I’m
not quite sure if all the guys came out of the first act alive or not, but
that’s not my fault, I read this book twice and still have no f***ing clue what
happened. By the time the teams crossed, and double crossed, I had lost any
inclination towards giving a $#!t.
Kevin West’s pencils were hit-or-miss from panel to panel. Some looked great,
and others looked as if he’d lost all interest in the project, content merely to
collect a check. There’s a kind of flatness to the art that I just couldn’t get
past. Stuff looks pasted on top of other stuff, with no real depth to it. The
colors by Carrie Strachan did nothing for me, and nothing for the art. Instead
of enhancing the look and feel, I think it only succeeded in validating my point
about the amateurish look and feel to this title. Even fans of the video game
should pass this up (should they actually know how to read). |
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AUTHORITY THE LOST YEAR READER |
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Writer:
Grant Morrison
Artist:
Gene Ha |
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Review By:
"Sweet" Dan Sweet
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Publisher:
DC/Wildstorm
Comics
Shipped On:
111109 |
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MSRP:
$2.99 each
(15% OFF during it's 1st Week of release only at Alternate Reality!)
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DC/WILDSTORM'S SYNOPSIS:
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It's here: the perfect reintroduction to The
Authority by Grant Morrison and Gene Ha! The Carrier is dead, leaving The
Authority stuck on an Earth in a reality they don't recognize. Their powers
barely work, and to add insult to injury, in this universe, they're not only
unknown to the population, they're - horror of horrors - comic book characters.
Collecting issues #1 and #2 by Morrison and Ha, this is the vital jumping-on
point before Keith Giffen and Darick Robertson begin completing the 12-issue
story in this month's THE AUTHORITY: THE LOST YEAR #3. |
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SWEET DAN'S REVIEW:
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So I’m pretty sure I have the real first issue of
Grant Morrison’s ‘Authority’ somewhere amidst the piles and piles of comics and
comic book boxes that lay everywhere in my reading room. I mean, is it so wrong
for a guy to get as excited as I was to hear that Grant Morrison was not only
revamping the “WildCATS” with Jim Lee, but that he would also be taking a stab
at Warren Ellis’ “Authority”? This is a team that has been written by not only
Ellis, but Mark Millar, Ed Brubaker, Robbie Morrison, amongst others, so when I
found out Morrison was throwing his hat into that ring, I was more than ready.
But then something strange happened. After two great issues, that found the
Authority on a version of Earth very, very similar to our own, the series
just…disappeared.
Now I’m back where I was, what, two years ago, reading the same story that
proved to be such a massive fail, and while I wasn’t really that into it at the
time (remember this was coming off of Ed Brubaker’s “Authority: Revolution”), I
find myself drawn to it more now. It gets off to a slooooooow start, and I
remembered why I didn’t care for it all that much, but then once the second
chapter kicks in, and readers are reintroduced to The Authority, the story seems
to find its rythym. See, the carrier has come to a halt at the bottom of the
ocean, and when an atomic submarine is overcome by terrorists, the only
super-powered beings in this reality see fit to intervene. All the action of the
first issue happens off-panel, and there’s very little in the way of excitement
in the second chapter, but there’s enough substance in just seeing The
Authority’s take on our world, you want to keep reading.
With Keith Giffen, Darick Robertson, and Trevor Scott set to pick up the ball
that Morrison fumbled my biggest question is, does any one care about ‘The Lost
Year’ at this point? “The Authority”, when it first debuted, was so drastically
different from what everyone (fans) had come to expect from a superhero-team
title, its appeal lied in the in-your-face tactics and mission of these guerilla
heroes. Now, with books like “Irredeemable”, “The Boys” and any number of other
titles in Marvel’s MAX or Ultimate Comics lines, pushing the boundaries of
what’s considered acceptable entertainment, what is it about “The Authority”
that makes them special? While Gene Ha’s art is phenomenal in and of itself, the
follow-up team of Darick Robertson and Trevor Scott don’t seem to be able to
match up with the tone that was set in the first two issues. I’m afraid that the
Authority’s ‘Lost Year’ is going to remain lost to me. |
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CINDERELLA FROM FABLETOWN WITH LOVE #1 (of 6) |
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Writer:
Chris Roberson
Artist:
Shawn McManus |
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Review By:
"Sweet" Dan Sweet
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Publisher:
DC/Vertigo
Comics
Shipped On:
110409 |
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MSRP:
$2.99 each
(15% OFF during it's 1st Week of release only at Alternate Reality!)
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DC/VERTIGO'S SYNOPSIS:
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When supernatural artifacts from the Homelands begin
surfacing in the modern world, it falls to Cinderella, Fabletown's best kept
(and best dressed) secret agent to stop the illegal trafficking. But can Cindy
foil the dark plot before Fabletown and its hidden, exiled inhabitants are
exposed once and for all? And how does her long lost Fairy Godmother factor into
the equation? Whether she's soaring through clouds, deep-sea diving, or cracking
jaws, Cindy travels from Manhattan to Dubai and hooks up with a handsome,
familiar accomplice who may be harboring secret motives of his own. Meanwhile,
trouble brews back home in Fabletown when Cindy's overworked, underappreciated
assistant decides to seize control of The Glass Slipper, Cindy's exclusive shoe
boutique |
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SWEET DAN'S REVIEW:
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Everyone knows Cinderella’s story, well, at least
her back-story. In the land of Bill Willingham’s “Fables” there’s a bit more to
the character than Fairy Godmothers, glass slippers, and Princes, charming or
otherwise. Apparently, since her arrival in the Mundy world from the Fables’
Kingdom, Cinderella has been a spy of sorts, for Bigby Wolf, and now that Bigby
has stepped down Cindy (as she’s known to her friends) has found herself working
for Beast, ‘as in Beauty and the…’. I fell in love with this series almost
immediately, and it wasn’t JUST because of the sexy garter belt one would HAVE
to assume she’s wearing under her form fitting blue micro-mini that Chrissie
Zullo saw fit to adorn the cover with (…must…remember to…breathe).
When tasked with tracking down the cause of an influx of magical objects found
in Mundy hands, Cinderella, with the help of Frau Totenkinder, gains possession
of a ring allowing her to track enchanted brick-a-brack, as well as a stylish
matching bracelet that grants her the ability to summon any of her three main
allies, whom she so affectionately refers to as ‘assets’. There’s a small
network set-up by the end of the first issue that really lets you know how so
much has gone on in Fabletown with out anyone really catching on; along with the
help of Rose Red, Puss in Boots, Jenny Wren (an enchanted bird and surveillance
agent), and Dickory the fastest mouse on Earth (or anywhere else) Cindy makes
her way to the United Arab Emirates, and trouble is waiting for her when she
arrives.
I’m going to come right out and admit that I enjoy this book mainly because
Roberson doesn’t go out of his way to over-sexualize the main character, a trap
too many comics with a female lead tend to fall into. Cinderella is still
portrayed as a beautiful woman, often thought of as ditzy and shallow by those
who don’t know her secret, with many girlie-girl tendencies, which is both
expected and appreciated, but she isn’t running around half-dressed, or taking
showers for no apparent reason. I thought that Chris Roberson did a respectable
job of maintaining the ‘feel’ of a “Fables” book, but did so without mimicking
Bill Willingham or Matt Sturges. And I can’t forget the phenomenal artwork of
Shawn McManus, whose style is no slouch on detail without losing the clean,
smooth look that I’ve come to look for in books that I read. I’m not actually
sure if this is a limited series, or an on-going; personally I’m rooting for the
latter. |
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MARVELOUS LAND OF OZ #1 (of 8) |
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Writer:
Eric Shanower
Artist:
Skottie Young |
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Review By:
"Sweet" Dan Sweet
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Publisher:
Marvel
Comics
Shipped On:
110409 |
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MSRP:
$3.99 each
(15% OFF during it's 1st Week of release only at Alternate Reality!)
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MARVEL'S SYNOPSIS:
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The epic continues! Fresh off their landmark run on
THE WONDERFUL WORLD OF OZ, superstars ERIC SHANOWER (Age of Bronze) and SKOTTIE
YOUNG (X-MEN) return with L. Frank Baum's MARVELOUS LAND OF OZ. Join new
characters Tip and Jack Pumpkinhead as they're whisked to Oz, and meet foes and
friends! You've NEVER seen L. Frank Baum's masterpiece like this before... |
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SWEET DAN'S REVIEW:
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I was one of the unfortunate ones who didn’t manage
to jump on the Oz bandwagon soon enough and completely missed out on the series’
original run. Don’t fret; I didn’t, as L. Frank Baum has a whole bunch of other
Oz-related titles ripe for adaptation. As should be expected, Marvel Comics,
never one to allow a money-making concept sneak by with out any number of
semi-related spin-offs, has already followed up the original series’ run with
the sequel, “The Marvelous Land of Oz”.
In the country of Gillikins a young boy named Tip lives with a grouchy, mean,
old woman named Mombi. Just like any young boy or girl Tip has an overactive
imagination that constantly gets him into trouble with his guardian, and one
day, in hopes of scaring the tar out of the old lady, Tip carves a man from a
log, then places a Jack O’Lantern on top to use as a head. After leaving his
makeshift man in the middle of the road, Tip hides by the side of the road to
wait, and to watch the fireworks, but instead is treated to quite an unexpected
result. Mombi, a witch who hides her practices in the dark arts, is able to
bring the Pumpkin-headed man to life with a bit of magic powder, much to the joy
of young Tip. Once Tip figures out Mombi’s plans for him (something about
turning him into statue) he breaks out Pumpkinhead and hits the road.
I found this to be an interesting and innocent take on a story with some heavier
tones layered with subtlety through out. Mombi’s emotional abuse of her ward, as
well as her plans to use magic to transform him into stone is the stuff that all
of the great fairy tales are made of. Tip is extraordinarily free spirited, and
it’s this sense of adventure that makes it so easy for him to escape his
dissatisfying home-life; it’s also this sense of wonder that makes it easy for
readers to relate to his excitement, providing that the person who’s reading it
was ever a child themselves. I’m not sure I’m planning on picking up the
original series that got the ball rolling (I mean, who hasn’t been beat over the
head with that stick a million times) but I’m glad to see that the original
creative team still had something to say, and that they were able to come back
and say it together. |
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DEATHLOK THE DEMOLISHER #1 (of 7) |
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Writer:
Charlie Huston
Artist:
Lan Medina |
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Review By:
"Sweet" Dan Sweet
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Publisher:
Marvel
Comics
Shipped On:
110409 |
|
MSRP:
$3.99 each
(15% OFF during it's 1st Week of release only at Alternate Reality!)
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MARVEL'S SYNOPSIS:
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Marvel's ultimate cyborg is back in this 7-issue
Marvel Knights limited series written by Charlie Huston (MOON KNIGHT) and
breathtakingly illustrated by Lan Medina (FOOLKILLER). In the not-too-distant
future, war is a spectator sport, warriors die hard and live fast, and living
larger than anyone is super-soldier Lieutenant Mike Travers. That is, until
Travers hotdogs it on the battlefield and gets himself and his C.O., Luther
Manning, blown to bits. The show must go on. Enter: Deathlok the Demolisher!!! |
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SWEET DAN'S REVIEW:
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So I did the video review of this title a few days
ago, in which I assumed this fell in line with all the other titles under the
Marvel Knights banner, set in current continuity, which was dead-wrong, and now
that I know that I’m a little more into this title, while at the same time I
feel a little jilted. Sure, Deathlok’s place in the Marvel U has always been
unclear, but he’s an un-dead, corporate-terrorist, cyborg (which is totally
awesome), but shunting him off to some alternate Earth seems like Marvel is
skirting the issue. Charlie Huston had some success re-booting “Moon Knight”,
but not a ton, and I’m not sure a seven-part Deathlok series, with no bearing on
the characters’ 616 continuity, is going to catch on with anyone.
On this alternate Earth, U.N. disputes are settled on a regulated battle field
operated by the Roxxon Corporation, and broadcast to homes across the world on
the Roxxon Broadcast Company, so families can cheer on the Roxxon Rockers. This
team of trained combat specialists score points by racking up body counts, and
much like American corporate sports sponsorship, makes big bucks schilling
products to anxious consumers. Two of the Roxxon Rockers, Mike Travers, the
upstart, hot-shot, balls-out kid who thinks his $#!t don’t stink, and Captain
Manning, the voice of age and experience, don’t see eye-to-eye, and this leads
to sparks both on and off the battlefield. Their action is all narrated by three
rather abrasive on-air personalities, who present different points of view on
the same situation, which gets a little annoying.
I thought this book was alright, but nothing to write home about. While Lan
Medina, of “Fables”-fame, does some of the best work I’ve seen from him, it’s
not going to be enough to carry the title for 6 more issues. If it was editorial
mandate that kept this title from being set in the Marvel U, thus forcing
Charlie Huston to go with this “Running Man”/”Battle Royale” take on the
character, then that sucks. I’d have much rather seen Deathlok used as a tool by
a rival corporation looking to take out Osborn, Danny Rand, Tony Stark, and any
other characters that are unlucky enough to own a major corporation in the
Marvel U; but that’s just my two cents. |
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LOBO HIGHWAY TO HELL #1 |
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Writers:
Scott Ian & Sam Keith
Artist:
Sam Keith |
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Review By:
"Sweet" Dan Sweet
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Publisher:
DC
Comics
Shipped On:
110409 |
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MSRP:
$6.99 each
(15% OFF during it's 1st Week of release only at Alternate Reality!)
|
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DC'S SYNOPSIS:
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A Lobo story like nothing you've seen before! You
can imagine that when you live life the way the Main Man lives life - loud,
loose, and ludicrously violent - you might pick up an enemy or two along the
way. An enemy like, say, oh I don't know, Satan himself. And Satan, my friends,
does not play around. Hell's iron-fisted ruler has a serious mad-on for the last
Czarnian, and he's gonna hit Lobo right in his blackened, scabrous heart. So
Lobo's just gonna have to hit him harder. Repeatedly. In the FACE. But first,
Lobo has to go to Hell...a little sooner than anticipated! Metal icon Scott Ian
of Anthrax makes his comics debut, joining forces with visionary creator Sam
Kieth to bring you a Lobo story that's so over the top, you won't even remember
what the top used to look like! Bleeding dolphins, demonic Chihuahuas, the
world's worst cruise ship, exploding moons, severed heads, and still more sick
fraggin' stuff all await you on the Highway to Hell - don't miss a single
twisted page! |
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SWEET DAN'S REVIEW:
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How does one critique a book about that no-good,
fraggin, bastich, Lobo, and not get caught taking both the book and one’s self
too seriously? I’m not sure, but I know that I didn’t really care for this
outing by DC comics and heavy-metal band Anthrax’s front-man Scott Ian. I read
in an interview in Wizard Magazine that Ian originally had pitched several
Batman stories to a DC editor and was shot down on every one. When they offered
him Lobo his response was akin to “Whatever. He’s kind of goofy.” - Which didn’t
exactly sell me on his enthusiasm for the character. I wasn’t surprised by what
I found inside, which was a lot of gags and a little characterization combined
with senseless gore and amateurish buffoonery, all drawn damn near illegibly by
Sam Keith.
SO the story goes a little something like this…Lobo wakes up from a drunken
stupor and waddles around his apartment (because a guy like that really lives in
a loft with a spiral f***ing staircase) cursing and scratching himself, WHEN ALL
OF A SUDDEN a dolphin with a knife jammed into its side is flung through the
window at our…lead (can’t call him a hero). BUT there’s a note attached…”Call
me, bitch. Luv, Satan.” Everyone who’s anyone knows that Lobo has a strange
affectation for Dolphins, so the killing of one in hopes of getting a message
across really rubs him the wrong way, so he does what any illogical killing
machine would do in that situation: he blows up his own house. Blah, blah, blah,
big boat…blah, blah, blah, River Styx…blah, blah, blah, lots of dead demons.
Wanna know that first thing Lobo does when he gets to the shores of Hell? He
steps on a bee. Yeah, that’s the kind of thought provoking entertainment that
one hopes to find in the pages of “Lobo”.
I didn’t like this comic, and it’s not because I’m too ‘adult’ for this sort of
mindless fun; it’s not even as if I have a problem with people from outside the
realm of genre-fiction and comics taking a character who hasn’t seen much
face-time with fans and trying to do something cool with it. I just think this
should have had more editorial interference, if to do nothing more than to keep
the writer(s) on track and actually telling a story. I can’t believe it came
packaged as a mini-trade with a $7 price tag on it, but I’m sure someone in the
DC offices figured that if they broke it down any further sales would drop so
much from #1 to #2, that#3 would be virtually impossible to make happen. I
tired. I really did. I even approached this with an open mind, but nothing
worked; this book is just not appealing on any level |
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ASSAULT ON NEW OLYMPUS
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Writers:
Greg Pak & Fred Van Lente
Artist:
Rodney Buchemi |
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Review By:
"Sweet" Dan Sweet
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Publisher:
Marvel
Comics
Shipped On:
110409 |
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MSRP:
$3.99 each
(15% OFF during it's 1st Week of release only at Alternate Reality!)
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MARVEL'S SYNOPSIS:
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Hercules! Spider-Man! Ares! New Avengers! Wolverine!
Mighty Avengers! The Agents of Atlas! If there's a bigger event this fall, we
don't know what it could be! At long last, the Prince of Power takes the fight
to his villainous stepmother Hera and the forces of the Olympus Group -- just as
she unleashes the most terrifying threat the Marvel Universe has ever seen! But
first Herc has to gather together a star-studded strike force from the ranks of
the New and the Mighty Avengers! First on the list: THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN! But
why is Everyone's Friendly Neighborhood fighting against Hercules? Has he joined
the side of the dark gods? It's webs and wisecracks versus Olympian power in
this super-sized one-shot! (There will be major property damage, we guarantee.)
Plus: The iHerc team proudly welcomes our new INCREDIBLE HERCULES on-going
back-up feature... THE AGENTS OF ATLAS, written by fan favorite scribe Jeff
Parker! When the forces of New Olympus target Venus, will Jimmy Woo lead his
team into the fray for or against Hercules' forces? |
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SWEET DAN'S REVIEW:
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So I’ve been enjoying ‘The Incredible Hercules’
immensely, and haven’t had any issues with ‘The Amazing Spider-Man’; one would
imagine that I’m more than excited for a book that pushes the two hilarious
heroes into a situation that combines traditional elements of the super-hero
team up (misunderstanding, fight, conversation, work together…in that order) but
in a not-so-formulaic way. There are a couple things that readers should go into
this book knowing, some are from the late “Agents of Atlas” book (cancelled way
before its time) but most are from the incredible “Incredible Hercules” (namely:
What is the Olympus Group? Why is Zuess a child?); a lot of the details are laid
out to both introduce new readers and simultaneously re-acclimate older ones.
Maybe you’ve heard that Peter Parker is new to the whole dating scene; he’s
already breaking one of the cardinal rules of courtship: You don’t take another
man’s lady out for dinner; and you definitely don’t take the wife of a God out
on the town, especially if that God is Hercules, Prince of Power. Yup, Hebe,
wife of Hercules, is employed over at May Parker’s F.E.A.S.T. Shelter, and in
one of the better representations of May’s over-staying her welcome (by
continuing to dodge death at every turn) she sets her nephew up on a date with a
married woman. This of course leads to the misunderstanding portion of our
super-hero team up scenario, and is played to a perfect beat by Pak and Van
Lente, who’ve worked together for a while now on ‘Herc’, and Van Lente’s voice
as one of the Web-Heads (the team of writer’s on the thrice-monthly ‘Amazing
Spidey’) combining all the best parts of both titles, right down to Peter’s
exclamation “Oh, that Hercules…” once he realizes to whom his date is married.
As a prologue issue this sets the stage pretty well as a jumping off point for
the arc to follow in “Incredible Herc”, and I think it’s only confined to that
title, so it’s nice to know I won’t have to pick up any additional titles to
enjoy it. This issue also saw the debut of the “Agents of Atlas” as a back-up
story, which will play out at the end of “Incredible Hercules” every month
(which I’m sure bumps that title up to $3.99). I was sad to see that title go so
soon, but look forward to reading it in any incarnation, even if it’s only a few
pages a month. Did I forget to mention the pencils of Rodney Buchemi? Oh, I did.
Well, he’s a talented cat, and someone that fans of ‘Herc’ are already somewhat
familiar with. I enjoy his pencils, combining clean line work with incredible
detail, and never forgetting to throw a fantastic background in for good
measure. I can’t imagine not seeing him in one of Marvel’s ‘Young Guns’ artist
promotions in the very near future. |
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GREAT TEN #1
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Writer:
Tony Bedard
Artist:
Scott McDaniel |
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Review By:
"Sweet" Dan Sweet
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Publisher:
DC
Comics
Shipped On:
110409 |
|
MSRP:
$2.99 each
(15% OFF during it's 1st Week of release only at Alternate Reality!)
|
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DC'S SYNOPSIS:
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Part 1 of a 10-part miniseries! Join writer Tony
Bedard (R.E.B.E.L.S.) and artist Scott McDaniel (NIGHTWING, GREEN ARROW) for an
adventure exploring the extraordinary characters from the pages of 52 and
CHECKMATE! At the dawn of the Chinese Century, the 10 official
"super-functionaries" of the People's Republic face their greatest challenge as
the gods of Ancient China return to destroy communist rule! Will the most
populous nation on Earth drag the rest of the world down with it? Do its heroes
even want to save a government that treats them like pawns? Don't miss this tale
that redraws the map of the DCU and fleshes out the most exciting and mysterious
new characters from the mind of Grant Morrison! Featuring a gorgeous cover by
rising artist Stanley "Artgerm" Lau (FINAL CRISIS AFTERMATH: DANCE). |
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SWEET DAN'S REVIEW:
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It’s been quite a while since the last time anyone
saw China’s premier super-team ‘The Great Ten’, in fact it’s been almost three
years since they were introduced in the pages of “52”, and even though they were
supposed to get their own mini-series after the year-long experiment in weekly
publishing was finished it didn’t hit the stands until just now. Created by the
whacked-out mind of Grant Morrison, and the incredible artistic styling of J.G.
Jones, The Great Ten are, you guessed it, ten of China’s strongest super-powered
forces, with names like August General in Iron, or Shaolin Robot, Mother of
Champions, and Immortal-Man-in-Darkness, and each are armed with even stranger
powers to boot.
This issue sends readers back in time with the Accomplished Perfect Physician,
before he was a member of the ‘G.T.’, and just a grunt in the People’s Army. His
unwillingness to execute the monks who gathered for a non-violent protest in
Tibet gave his troop a reason to turn on him, opening fire as he tried to get
away. He was hit, and most certainly going to die, when he wandered into the
home of a doctor who was able to patch him up and provide him shelter so he
could hide from those who pursued him. It’s revealed that one of the men killed
by Corporal Yao (the future Perfect Physician) was, in fact, the son of the
person who stitched up and the next in-line to hold the title of Accomplished
Perfect Physician. Due to his hateful actions, Corporal Yao is forced to carry
the burden of the Accomplished Perfect Physician, which makes him an outlaw in
his own country. Over time, and after numerous confrontations with those who
would be his teammates in the near future, Accomplished Perfect Physician is
talked into serving the people as a member of China’s first super-hero team
where he’s forced to put his moral resignations aside and serve the greater
good.
I think that concept behind this tale is better than its execution. This is a
Grant Morrison idea, so there’s a certain expectation for things to be
off-the-wall, and in-your-face, but this provides neither of those elements.
Tony Bedard takes what could be a fun, interesting, and quirky book, and removes
all identifiable traces of uniqueness from it. Other than the character’s names,
and the setting there’s nothing that truly makes this titles different from an
Americanized team book in an American setting, which is disappointing. It’s as
if you could inject these characters into any other setting, with any other
weird ethnic-sounding names and it would read the same. Artist Scott McDaniel’s
work really rubs me the wrong way. I think that his style (along with inker Andy
Owens) is stuck in the late 90’s, and everything is given a bulky, heavy look to
it. I didn’t like his work on “Red Circle Presents: The Shield”, and I like it
even less now; I’m sure to dodge any future titles that he’s assigned to
illustrate. |
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AGE OF REPTILES-THE JOURNEY #1 |
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Writer/Artist:
Ricardo Delgado |
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Review By:
"Sweet" Dan Sweet
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Publisher:
Dark Horse
Comics
Shipped On:
110409 |
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MSRP:
$3.99 each
(15% OFF during it's 1st Week of release only at Alternate Reality!)
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DARK HORSE'S SYNOPSIS:
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Dawn breaks over a sprawling forest in Cretaceous
North America-a dawn far colder than its peaceful, forest-dwelling herbivores
are used to. The seasons are changing, and it's time for the able-bodied to
migrate south. But the trek is a dangerous one even when massive herds band
together, for while there is safety in numbers, numbers also draw attention, and
the carnivores are moving in! This journey may not last long when the first
hunter arrives, a ferocious tyrannosaurus rex who has her sights set on a young
triceratops! |
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SWEET DAN'S REVIEW:
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(I rarely if ever post a disclaimer before my
reviews, but after reading what I’ve written below I thought it best to clarify
my position before hand in case it got muddled amidst the sea of capital
letters, parentheses, and cuss words: I think this is a creative book, but not a
book that anyone with an above-average interest in reading is going to spend
more than 5 minutes with all the while saying “Pictures are cool, but where are
the words?” I’m sure if I was 7 again, or if I had a kid I could share this with
it would interest me a bit more, but I’m not, and I don’t, so whatever.)
This is the third chapter in the Eisner Award-winning silent comic series about
the daily lives of dinosaurs. I can’t believe I just wrote that. Seriously, this
is the kind of comic that a grandmother buys for a grandson who’s too little to
read. There’s brief characterization that may or may not play out over the next
three issues (FOUR G.-Damn issues of this f***ing thing got approved?! On MORE
than one f***ing occasion?! W.T.F? No, seriously W.T.F?!), and some of the
pictures are awfully purty, but other than that this book didn’t really have
anything to offer anyone over the age of 4.
Hey look, there’s a dinosaur…and it’s sleeping. OH, wow, another dinosaur…and
this one is eating a rutabaga! Ever want to see one dinosaur piss on another one
(Banned in several countries and even a few red-states, I hear)? It happens in
this book, MORE THAN ONCE! Not to mention steaming piles of crap (DINO-crap).
Then all of the dinosaurs march somewhere (I’m assuming this is the reason for
the title “The Journey”). While on their journey a young Triceratops (I’m amazed
I’m able to spell that without referring to my old “Ranger Rick” magazines)
wanders from the pack and nearly becomes lunch for a hungry Tyrannosaur. There’s
a brief battle as Mama ‘Tops (my nickname, not Delgado’s) chases the Tyrant King
off, thus sparing her child’s life, before she pees on it (just kidding).
Alright, so a lot of the illustrations are well done. Readers are really treated
to the atmosphere of the Earth at the time of the giant thunder lizards. There
isn’t a lot in the way of separating one Dino from another visually; all of the
triceratops look alike, all of the other dinosaurs look like any other dinosaur
in their sub-genus, which makes giving a crap about any of them a little
difficult. I read the book, twice, and let my roommates check it out, and when
they found out I had to review it they were as perplexed as I was. None of us
have a clue as to what this is about, or why anyone would seriously give a $#!t,
but apparently there’s a market for it, and obviously I’m not in the target
demographic. |
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All Books/Characters pictured herein are © Copyright 2009 by their respective
owners. No rights given or implied by Alternate Reality, Incorporated.
Reviews © 2009 Alternate Reality, Inc.
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