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JSA #34/BLACKEST NIGHT JSA #1 |
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Writer:
(JSA #34) Bill Willingham. (Blackest Night JSA #1) James Robinson |
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Artists:
(JSA #34) Travis Moore, (Blackest Night JSA #1) Eddy Barrows &Marcos Marz |
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Reviewer:
"Sweet" Dan Sweet
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Publisher:
DC Comics
Shipped On:
122309 |
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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-JUSTICE SOCIETY OF AMERICA #34:
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The Justice Society struggles to pick up the pieces after the team's devastating
break up! Regrouping at a new, temporary home base, the smaller team reflects on
the recent infiltration of their ranks and how they can protect themselves from
another such attack in the future! And why is the new Dr. Fate acting so weird?
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DC'S SYNOPSIS-BLACKEST NIGHT JSA #1:
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The mystery men of yesterday are back and they seek the hearts of their new
counterparts! It's Mr. Terrific vs. Mr. Terrific, Dr. Midnite vs. Dr. Midnite,
Sand vs Wesley Dodds! Can the new generation of heroes survive the rise of the
Black Lantern JSA? Find out in this all-new miniseries from original JSA
co-writer James Robinson and rising star artist Eddy Barrows (BLACKEST NIGHT:
SUPERMAN)!
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SWEET DAN'S REVIEW:
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It’s a brand new year, and even though my first few reviews are of books that
came out late in 2009, and that’s my fault (long story), I thought I’d take a
chance to break in a new format, and kick some ideas around at the same time.
This is my first double-sized article, in the vein of my ‘theme’-style webisodes
of Comic Book Man’s Video Outhouse, and I thought it would be fun to stay on
track with a book that I’ve been following for a few issues now, “Justice
Society of America”, as well as a “Blackest Night” tie-in, cleverly enough
titled “Blackest Night: JSA”. Both of them are first issues, of sorts, with
“BN:JSA” being an actual first issue, and “Justice Society of America” #34 being
the first issue where readers are treated to Bill Willingham’s storytelling,
sans partner Matt Sturges.
Playing directly out of the recent break up of their massive roster, Willingham
gets the ball rolling on his next arc on the very first page. A supernatural
energy is suddenly released from the bondage which held it captive, and comes to
hide in the body of the new Doctor Fate. While this unknown supernatural being
acclimates himself to his new-found freedom the remaining members of the Justice
Society, those whom saw fit not to embarrassingly rename themselves the
“All-Stars”, find their way around a temporary HQ on loan from DC’s big guns,
the JLA. Just as in previous issues, the characterization and unique
personalities of the team, some of whom have been around since the Golden-Age,
are the real selling point of Willingham’s work. He’s able to craft individual
character tic’s making each member of the team as important as the last, and
with a cast in the double digits, even after they split the team in half,
Willingham’s ability to establish interesting personalities makes reading
without confusion a breeze. The best part is that the JSA are no suckers under
his watchful eye; while reading the issue I immediately drew parallels to the
previous storyline, but Willingham keeps it fresh, and by the end of the issue
it’s the team that’s getting the drop on the bad guys, instead of the other way
around.
Over in the rest of the DCU there’s a bit of a whole “Zombie Land” thing going
on, and to be completely honest, I’m surprised it hasn’t yet crept its way over
into the JSA side of things. Never fear, James Robinson, the current heir
apparent to the JLA fiasco that was left in Dwayne McDuffie’s wake, has managed
to dip his toes into the JSA-pool as well; God, help us all. No, I’m just
kidding; I’ve been pretty hard on Robinson’s “Justice League: Cry for Justice”
mini-series as well his Justice League-proper ‘BN’ tie-in, and I wasn’t sure
what I was in store for considering I’ve had limited experience with the Justice
Society AND “Blackest Night”, but I still really wanted to like the JSA by the
end of the issue, and as with any Robinson-penned tale as of late, I was a
little worried about the result. The truth is that, as far as a JSA Noob is
concerned, I learned a bit about the history of the team, while at the same time
realizing that James Robinson’s handle of dialogue leaves a bit to be desired.
Considering the team has been around in some form or another since before the
JLA was conceived, it’s only logical that there’d be more than a few dead
teammates to contend with, should they all rise from the dead at the same time.
Sandman, Dr. Midnite, Mr. Terrific, Damage, and scores of others are done up in
the style of “Dawn of the Dead” and thrown at the team at one of their lowest
points ever.
There’s a lot to be said for the art in either of these two books. I didn’t
think the JSA could look any better than they did when illustrated by Jesus
Merino or Freddie Williams II, but Travis Moore knocked my socks off with his
fantastic artwork on “JSA”#34, and the team of Eddy Barrows and Marcos Marz did
a phenomenal job making a James Robinson book damn-near tolerable. There’s a
much darker feel to the styles used in ‘BN:JSA’ but that’s to be expected; over
in JSA-proper the book is given a much lighter feel to the pencils and inks, and
the colors, despite its cave setting, are brighter and more upbeat, which helps
Willingham’s whimsical writing pack a punch.
I’m a newly self-christened JSA-fan, and with that in mind, I’m going to
recommend both of these books. Willingham’s is more for fans of intelligent
story-telling and slow-burn plot build up. Robinson’s is most comparable to a
Michael Bay movie; when the flash-in-the-pan, ‘whiz-bang’ appeal of ‘Blackest
Night’ wears off you’re left with a rather uninteresting throw down between the
team and zombie versions of former team mates, but you will learn a bit about
the history of the Society, so that’s cool. I can’t take a stance on “Blackest
Night” in general, because I haven’t really been following it, but I get the
gist of it, and you don’t have to read the source material to get Robinson’s
story, from either side of the fence. Fans of GL looking to complete their ‘BN’
checklists really aren’t required to know much of anything about the JSA and
fans of JSA (no matter how new they may be to the title) don’t have to have
(much)
background on Geoff Johns opus to find a cool superhero story in there,
somewhere.
So that’s it for me and the first review I’ve written post-2009. I’m sure a lot
of you have disagreed with a great deal of my witty, self-involved banter, and
probably can’t believe I don’t find humor in “Deadpool” or “Ambush Bug”, or my
bashing the creative visions of creators like Geoff Johns, Jeph Loeb, and my
arch-enemy Larry Hama, but I digress. It’s been a tremendous year for me, and I
look forward to letting you know what I think about all your favorite comics in
2010. One week at a time, one comic at a time (unless I write another
double-shot for you!), Happy Belated New Year!
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ANGELUS #1 |
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Writer:
Ron Marz
Artists:
Stjepan Sejic
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Reviewer:
"Sweet" Dan Sweet
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Publisher:
Image/Top Cow Comics
Shipped On:
122309 |
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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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IMAGE/TOP COW'S SYNOPSIS:
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Rising from the pages of "War of the Witchblades"! Danielle Baptiste returns
home to New Orleans to come to grips with her new role as the Angelus, the human
bearer of the primal force of Light. To complicate matters she must sort out her
undefined relationship with Finch while maintaining control of the Angelus host,
some of whom covet her power.
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SWEET DAN'S REVIEW:
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Rising from “War of the Witchblades”!” proclaims the unassuming cover of Ron
Marz’s new series continuing the adventures of Dani Baptiste, former bearer of
the Witchblade and current possessor of the Angelus. To be completely honest I
wasn’t even aware that Witchblade was still even published, let alone selling
enough copies to demand a spin-off series. I didn’t even know that there were
two Witchblades that saw fit to go to war with one another, so that goes to show
where I stood on background information as far as this series is concerned. But
the truth is I didn’t need any info from the stars’ previous series in order to
hit a stride with this one, even if when I hit that stride I was headed in the
opposite direction, attempting to leave the thing in a cloud of dust.
So the Angelus (in the Top Cow Universe) is the yin to Jackie Estacado and the
Darkness’ yang. It’s the ‘embodiment of all light in the universe’ and up until
very, very recently all of the people who were responsible for bearing the
Angelus were mostly vessels, doing the objects bidding with very little free
will involved, if any. Dani Baptiste was selected by the Angelus primarily due
to her possession of the Witchblade, or the balance, and it’s her ability to
retain her free will that irks those who would serve under her leadership. Ron
Marz does a good job of setting up a decent conflict, but does very little to
bait readers into returning for a follow up issue.
Stjepan Sejic, other than having one of the more difficult names to pronounce,
is a talented artist who could stand to be paired with an inker and a colorist,
as opposed to doing everything himself. I don’t much care for his ultra-glossy,
semi computer animated looking panels. Sure, his characters are reminiscent of
the late Michael Turner’s, but that alone isn’t enough to keep my eyes from
hurting while trying to decipher what was actually going on in the book.
Overall, I think the writing is stronger than the art, but not by much. I’m glad
to see the Cow still alive and kicking, but I’m not sure this is going to be a
project that puts them back on top, or anywhere near the top, no pun intended.
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LADY ACTION SPECIAL ONE SHOT
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Writer:
Tony Lee
Artist:
Jake Minor
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Reviewer:
"Sweet" Dan Sweet
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Publisher:
Moonstone
Comics
Shipped On:
121609
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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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MOONSTONE COMIC'S SYNOPSIS:
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From the pages of Captain Action comes the sexy Brit super-spy in her very own
kick-butt mission impossible! Join Doctor Who's Tony Lee as Lady Action
discovers that once undercover, lies and deception follow, and she needs to stay
one step ahead to survive. It's a constant battle for the truth as allegiances
become flimsy. Relentless, she will not stop for anything or anyone! |
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SWEET DAN'S REVIEW:
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So, if you’ve been following my column at all over the last year or so (I can
barely believe it’s been that long) you already know how I feel about cheesecake
comics featuring a female lead whose body parts are the real stars of the show.
Chicks with guns, chicks with swords, ninja babes in schoolgirl uniforms, and so
on really don’t do anything for me, and as a result cover for “Lady Action”,
with it’s lead clad in a leather mini-skirt and hooker boots, wielding a large
handgun from the driver’s seat of a European sports car kinda made my soul throw
up a little bit. What I found inside the comic surprised the crap out of me. A
thoughtful story, full of intrigue, suspense, and good old-fashioned gun play
with none of the clichéd elements one would expect from a spin-off series
starring the female version of a classic children’s toy.
Readers are thrust into the middle of a mission to infiltrate some rich jerk’s
computer system, hopefully liberating files that might, possibly incriminate
some of the world’s super people. When everything goes wrong Lady Action is
forced to reveal her true identity and fight her way out of a trick bag she’s
been put into by her ‘partner’. By the end of the ish everything has been spun
on its head, and what you thought happened hadn’t actually happened at all.
That’s what I found most interesting: the ability of the writer to casually
assemble all of the pieces of the puzzle right before reader’s eyes, yet still
able to twist it around so that by the last page you’re left satisfied, yet not
quite sure where this all is going. I’m hoping (despite the lack of a number ‘1’
on this issue) that there are future installments of this series continuing the
adventures of Lady Action.
Jake Minor is a capable artist. Never over illustrating panels, and still
keeping a nice handle on his story-telling methods. I think the inks by Chad
Hunt are a little overdone, causing some of Minor’s lines to come off as thick
and chunky. I think the book is still very exciting visually, and the action
(for which the Lady is named) is handled quite well. I’m glad that Tony Lee
wasn’t forced to try and fit elements of the character’s origin and past into
the story, instead focusing on the task at hand, and letting the characters’
sensibilities speak for themselves. In a book that could feel like any number of
things that have come before it (Le Femme Nikita, Danger Girl, etc.) this comes
off with its own dynamic, separating it from the pack.
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JSA ALL STARS #1
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Writer:
Matt Sturges
Artists:
Freddie Williams II
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Reviewer:
"Sweet" Dan Sweet
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Publisher:
DC Comics
Shipped On:
120309
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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 COMIC'S SYNOPSIS:
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An all-new ongoing series! The Justice Society spin off group struggles to pull
itself toward some semblance of order after the JSA's devastating split! New
home base, new training methods, new villains - all bringing the JSA All-Stars
face-to-"face" with one of their greatest villains again - for the first time!
Join writer Matthew Sturges (JUSTICE SOCIETY, JACK OF FABLES) and artist Freddie
Williams II (ROBIN) for a new chapter in the JSA legacy.
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SWEET DAN'S REVIEW:
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At a point where I was just getting comfortable with the idea of introducing a
new (albeit an old) title to my pull list, the little bastard goes and
multiplies on me. On one hand, the book looks tremendous; Freddie Williams II
brings a certain big-screen feel to a classic set of characters that haven’t
been given that treatment before, but on the other, I’m not sure that the
“Justice Society of America”, while surely possessing the number of cast members
it takes to support two titles, is going to appeal to as many fans when the team
is split up. Breaking up the JSA into smaller units diminishes, in my opinion,
the true appeal of the book and its characters; I want to see interaction
between teammates that don’t see eye to eye on all issues. I want to see the big
family-like atmosphere, with characters roaming the halls of the Brownstone
(which may or may not still be around) even if they aren’t a key part of the
story, and I’m not sure that segregating the younger team members from the older
ones is the way to go.
I thought the arc by Matt Sturges and Bill Willingham, over in ‘JSA’-proper, was
awesome, and if you enjoyed it then you’ll be glad to know that this issue plays
directly out of the end of that story. Here, you get the younger and more
disaffected members of the Society looking to wander around stomping mud-holes
in the behinds of baddies everywhere. Led by co-captains Magog and Power Girl,
the ‘JSA-ALL-Stars’ are taking the fight to their antagonists! Oh, and they
might try to figure out who put a bounty on all of their heads, you know, if
they have time. That’s right, someone is out to get every member of the JSA,
with one minor exception (hey, she told me she was 18!). It seems whomever IS
responsible has a bit of a crush on Star Girl, one that seems a little one-sided
and very, very scary.
Matt Sturges and Freddie Williams II are the two guys who were behind the
phenomenal “Final Crisis: AFTERMATH: Run!” mini-series starring the Human Flame,
and if they can make a third-tier $#!t-head like that as enjoyable in his
debauchery as they did, then I’m sure they can work wonders for the lesser-known
names that populate the pages of “JSA”. Williams II does some of the most
exciting work I’ve ever seen with these characters. His visuals convey the
big-action take on the team that DC is hoping sends this rocketing up the sales
charts, and his ability to get Sturges’ point across seems easy based on the
chemistry these two share. While I’m not sure how I feel about the addition of a
new JSA book, I’m willing to read the first arc and see where these two are
going.
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FALL OF THE HULKS: GAMMA |
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Writer:
Jeph Loeb
Artists:
Johnny Romita Jr.
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Reviewer:
"Sweet" Dan Sweet
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Publisher:
Marvel Comics
Shipped On:
122309 |
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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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It's almost here! JEPH LOEB and original WORLD WAR HULK artist JOHN ROMITA JR.
bring you the set-up to the event of 2010. With the Hulk family growing
exponentially over the past year, it was only a matter of time before things
came to a smashing head. But what could set all of these characters into a rage
that has them turning on each other, and on the world? Whose death starts this?
Just what role do Skaar, A-Bomb, the She-Hulks and the Marvel Universe play in
this story? One thing's for sure-things are about to get incredible!
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SWEET DAN'S REVIEW:
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I think this issue serves a double purpose, acting as both a cop out and red
herring at the same time, and I’ll explain why later, but to begin let me start
with this simple announcement: I enjoyed this comic, quite a bit. And it was
written by Jeph Loeb. Without spoiling anything major, because, hell, Loeb
doesn’t, this issue is about the funeral for General Thaddeus “Thunderbolt”
Ross, father of suspected Red She-Hulk, Betty Ross, and perpetual thorn in the
side of Bruce Banner, the Hulk-Hulk.
With that in mind the first three pages of this thing, if you haven’t read it
yet, are told in flash back, so you never actually see Ross and Red Hulk duke it
out, but rather we’re treated to Leonard Samson’s rendition of what transpired,
and see a body removed from the scene, still donning the Redeemer Armor the old
man had used to go up against Hulk way back when. From there readers are taken
on a whirlwind funeral service for a guy that most characters and readers agree
was a major (sorry, General) pain in the ass. There’s another appearance by a
back from the dead Steve Rogers, so take that fans of that Brubaker-bust that is
“Captain America: Reborn”, still waiting on the sixth issue to figure out what
happened?
I think this is the one where Loeb let a few too many details out of the bag, to
a point where I don’t believe Glenn Talbot to be the secret identity of the Red
Hulk, like so many of my peers on the internet do, but rather the supposed dead
man “Thunderbolt” Ross himself. Think about it, an off-panel death scene almost
always screams “Things are not as they seem!”, and the fact that Loeb throws out
an appearance from Glenn Talbot and Betty Ross, whom are both mentioned in the
past tense more than once by guests of the funeral, including Bruce Banner,
leads this casual observer to believe he’s trying to dupe us.
This is my theory, and I’m using my column as a chance to put it out there in
the court of public opinion. Betty Ross is Red She Hulk, and she’s controlled by
M.O.D.O.C.K. and the Leader. Glenn Talbot is a Life Model Decoy, utilized by
M.O.D.O.C.K. and the Leader to keep a docile Red She Hulk, in the form of Betty
Ross, in check. Red Hulk is “Thunderbolt” Ross, based on the off-panel death
scene, and the final scene where the Red Hulk, fresh from his split with
M.O.D.O.C.K. and the leader, is shown with his new accomplice. There’s a
particular air to that final scene that solidified my stance on Loeb’s Hulk
epic. Now, even if he hasn’t figured it out yet, I’ve given him an easy out.
Check’s in the mail, I’m sure.
John Romita Jr. is the hardest working man in comics. I don’t think he
necessarily brought his A-game to the table with this one, not in the way he
does with “Kick-Ass” or even “Dark Reign: The List: Punisher”, but I definitely
appreciate his style and his timeliness with which he can illustrate an
oversized issue. Besides there’s an awesome two-pager featuring Red Hulk
punching Ross’ spine through his butt hole. Combine that with the two-page
spread of the classic Hulk taking on a very classic looking Fantastic Four, in
the vein of Jack Kirby, and well, you understand why this guy is a comic book
mainstay since before I liked anything other than X-Men.
So, I think the cat may be out of the bag, but if it isn’t, and I’m wrong, then
it’s just another example of how Loeb’s plots are incomprehensible webs of plot
threads heaped upon plot threads until he can take the story in any direction he
chooses, and still walk a twisty, turning line back to the beginning, but
seriously, it’s been a year and a half (or longer), tell us who the Red F***ing
Hulk is.
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FALL OF THE HULKS: ALPHA |
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Writer:
Jeff
Parker
Artist:
Paul Pelletier
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Reviewer:
"Sweet" Dan Sweet
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Publisher:
Marvel
Comics
Shipped On:
120309
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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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M.O.D.O.K. The Leader. Mad Thinker. Egghead. Red Ghost and the Super-Apes.
Doctor Doom. They make up the secret group who have analyzed every victory and
every defeat in the Marvel Universe to create the perfect battle plan that
results in FALL OF THE HULKS! The origins and shocking truths of some of
Marvel's most dangerous villains are revealed as the biggest HULK EVENT yet
begins! From fan-favorite creators JEFF PARKER (AGENTS OF ATLAS) and PAUL
PELLETIER (WAR OF KINGS) comes this tale of the "Smartest There Is" and their
quest to prove it, once and for all.
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SWEET DAN'S REVIEW:
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So this whole Red Hulk, Green Hulk, Blue A-Bomb, and dark Doc Samson thing got
started by a guy named Jeph, but it wasn’t Jeff Parker, so I was more that a
little off-put when I saw his name above the banner (no pun intended). I
wondered why he’d choose to inject himself into the middle of Loeb’s hulking
horse pile, but by the time I was finished reading the issue I was more than
enthusiastic to invite him back for more, that is, if any of the Hulk’s
franchise of books make it out of this alive.
For a book called “Fall of the Hulks” there’s actually very little face time
with anyone even remotely resembling a Hulk, let alone THE Hulk. Instead, Parker
unleashes his own secret society deep within the confines of Marvel continuity,
the Intellegencia, made up of The Leader, Red Ghost, the Wizard, Egghead (before
he was killed by Hawkeye), Mad Thinker, and Doctor Doom. The group of
super-brains has been traversing the Marvel U in search of all of the texts that
once made up the Library of Alexandria, and they’re playing some pretty big
names for fools as they go about it. By the end of the issue the group has
dissolved, primarily due to Doom’s over-aggressive selfishness, but that’s not
where the story ends. As it turns out The Leader may have a bit more to do with
the whole Red Hulk debacle than anyone thought, even though Loeb claims to have
sprinkled clues through out his book, daring readers to figure out the identity
of the crimson killer. The end kind of falls flat, but I’m not surprised there
weren’t any big reveals in the first chapter of this opus, but rest assured the
identities of all the members of the Hulk family are sure to be revealed by the
end.
The real star of this book is the phenomenal artwork by Paul Pelletier. Here’s a
guy who’s always slid by under the radar, and I think I know why: in this issue
he’s teamed with an inker by the name of Vincente Cifuentes, and as far as I can
recall this is the first time I’ve seen Pelletier’s art inked by this guy, but
he really seems to bring out the best in Paul’s pieces without over doing them.
Parker crafts an interesting retcon of minor Hulk history (mainly the networking
of his foes to better explain why they haven’t been killed ten times over by the
heroes) that doesn’t rely on drastic character change-ups, or any convoluted
story switching (which we all know the internet hates), but instead expands upon
the interesting, but rather two-dimensional character development each of these
villains (with the exception of Doom). I liked this book, too bad it’s only the
top piece of bread to Loeb’s rather lofty $#!t-sandwich.
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NEXT ISSUE PROJECT #2
aka: SILVER STREAK COMICS #24
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Writers:
Erik Larsen, Paul Grist, Steve Horton & Michael T. Gilbert
Artists:
Erik Larsen, Paul Grist, Alan Weiss & Michael T. Gilbert
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Reviewer:
"Sweet" Dan Sweet
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Publisher:
Image
Comics
Shipped On:
121609
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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 COMIC'S SYNOPSIS:
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THE GOLDEN AGE DAREDEVIL! SILVER STREAK! CAPTAIN BATTLE! THE CLAW! Some of the
greatest creations from yesterday brought back to life by some of the greatest
creators of today! Back at last! Golden Age greats revived for a modern
audience! THE NEXT ISSUE PROJECT is an ongoing series of comics that continues a
classic canceled title! All stories are complete, self-contained and cool as all
hell! All books are Golden Age sized, but these aren't simply an homage to
Golden Age comics: They're updated classics for a new generation by modern
masters! |
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SWEET DAN'S REVIEW:
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In one of the more interesting returns to the Golden Age of super hero story
telling, Erik Larsen and Image Comics’ latest serving of “The Next Issue
Project” is really an exercise in bending the rules as faaaaaar as you can,
without actually breaking them. I had no idea what this was, and even less of a
clue as to why I’d be interested in it, but before you prematurely judge the
book let me explain what this is all about: Image is bringing back classic
titles that were cancelled, and continuing them from their original numbering,
featuring the same line-ups and kinds of stories one would expect from the books
if they were shipped way back when.
Daredevil, Silver Streak, The Claw, and Captain Battle are the stars of these
shorts written by contemporary writers in the vein of the classic adventures
that came out years, years, years ago. Each story isn’t a re-imagining of the
characters so much as it’s an example of how strong the concepts still are in
the current comic climate. Instead of attempting to ‘ultimatize’ the cast and
settings to make it a bit more relatable the writing teams chose instead to
inject a healthy dose of contemporary story-telling, in order to amp up the
excitement. Daredevil’s misadventures rescuing a maiden being burned at the
stake turn into a battle with a wicked witch, intent on consuming his soul.
Silver Streak gets a chance to help out his favorite T.V. cowpokes and solve a
would-be murder mystery. Readers are treated to a behind the scenes look at what
the greatest monster of comics’ Golden Age has been up to for the last fifty
years, (here’s a hint, lots of mani/pedi’s). The most touching story is that of
Captain Battle, a would-be origin story set against one of the worst days in
American history, December 7, 1941.
I wasn’t excited to read this when I first grabbed it, but by the time it was
over I was hoping against hope that there’d be more to come, and while there
will be other ‘Next Issue Project’ offerings, I don’t think we’ll be seeing
anymore Silver Streak Comics. Erik Larsen is great, even if his writing and art
aren’t for you, his love of the comics medium keeps his company pushing
boundaries of story telling, without losing focus of what they’re trying to
accomplish. These guys aren’t trying to reinvent the wheel; they just want to
release comics that get people excited, even if the source material is fifty to
sixty years old.
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JONAH HEX #50
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Writers:
Justin Gray and Jimmy Palmiotti
Artist:
Darwyn Cooke
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Reviewer:
"Sweet" Dan Sweet
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Publisher:
DC
Comics
Shipped On:
120309
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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'S SYNOPSIS:
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Darwyn Cooke illustrates a double-sized anniversary issue as we hit #50! Jonah
Hex discovers a secret being kept by Tallulah Black that could change everything
Hex is about. But happiness has no place in the life of Jonah Hex, so what kind
of tragedy awaits our disfigured gunslinger? |
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SWEET DAN'S REVIEW:
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With a major motion picture just a few months away it’s kind of hard to believe
that DC isn’t pushing this title, even just a little bit. I’m a fan of westerns,
but not so much the comic book variety, so when I grabbed this my excitement was
primarily due to the fact that Darwyn Cooke would be illustrating the
over-sized, fiftieth issue. I was surprised to find Gray and Palmiotti’s take on
the old west to be a little bit “Unforgiven” and a little bit “Smoking Aces”,
which may perplex some of you, seeing as how “Smoking Aces” is as far from the
genre as one can get, but the story, which finds Jonah Hex on the trails of
fifty men wanted for various crimes, reads more like a big-summer action movie
than cowboys and Indians.
Violence and blood shed start the issue, and it pretty much maintains that
course through out. When Hex and his partner/lover Tallulah make quick work of a
group of outlaws they find time to celebrate with each other (Bow-chicka-wow-wow),
but come morning Hex is left all by his lonesome, without clue as to where his
lady friend made off to. It’s at this point that he’s approached by a man with a
job-offer: fifty bounties at three-thousand dollars a piece. It’s hard for
anyone to turn down that kind of money, and before you know it Hex is hot on the
trails of any and all the men that make up the list. The chapters read like a
series of vignettes, and in each one Hex’s unrelenting passion for justice is
explored in brutal and sometimes hilarious ways. The story is brought full
circle when Hex is reunited with Tallulah under some pretty horrific
circumstances. I don’t want to go into too much detail, simply because it would
ruin a perfectly paced story that really deserves to be read, but it deals with
religious fanaticism, revenge, more revenge, and letting go of everything in the
face of terrible uncertainty.
It’s easy to forget how difficult life was in post-Civil War era America; people
treated life and death very casually, seeing as how most didn’t live to a very
old age. Gray and Palmiotti make the life of a gun-fighter seem romantic,
without ever forgetting the harshness of the reality that these men and women
faced. Jonah Hex is an odd duck in that sense; seeing as how Western-themed
funny books are a rarity, it’s reassuring to see that the industry as a whole
isn’t bound by what’s popular or accessible. Here is a guy, much like the
Wolverines or the Punishers that freckle the comic landscape, who may or may not
be a good guy, but he’s got a good story, and that’s really all that matters.
I realize at this point that I didn’t go on and on about how great Darwyn
Cooke’s pencils look but, to be honest, it goes without saying. Cooke’s style is
complex in its simplicity, and it’s the unassuming nature that his art takes
which makes it so enjoyable. He rarely overdraws panels, instead choosing to
show readers exactly what they need to get the point across, leaving the rest
open to interpretation. His inks are simple and in the vein of John Romita, or
even John Romita Jr.; he’s teamed with colorist Dave Stewart whose use of
Earth-tones and muted colors captures the period of the piece without peer. This
is absolutely worth a read before the movie makes its way into theaters.
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POWER GIRL #7
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Writers:
Justin Gray and Jimmy Palmiotti
Artist:
Amanda Conner
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Reviewer:
"Sweet" Dan Sweet
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Publisher:
DC
Comics
Shipped On:
121609
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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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A blast from the past! The alien Vartox has come to Earth to claim a wife-and
her name is Power Girl! PG may have wanted a boyfriend, but not quite like this!
The fan-favorite team of Palmiotti, Gray and Conner craft another winner! |
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SWEET DAN'S REVIEW:
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Alright, there are a couple of inside jokes one such as yourself should be privy
to before delving into the latest issue of one of my favorite series of last
year. “Power Girl” #7 sees the return of Vartox of Valeron to the DC universe
after many, many years of relative obscurity. Who is Vartox of Valeron, you may
ask yourself, and that’s fine, because that’s EXACTLY what I did, before Comic
Book Man so graciously filled me on the character’s checkered past and HILARIOUS
origin.
Everything about this issue is a tribute to an era of comics and storytelling
long gone. From the tribute cover, to the inspiration of the character Vartox
(who was created back in 1974 as an allusion to a sci-fi movie “Zardoz” and the
character Zed, played by Sean Connery. If you need to, take a few minutes to
image search Google for the word “Zardoz”…I’ll wait…See? Isn’t that the coolest
thing in the world? So, in addition to being a send up of Sean Connery in a
banana hammock, the character flies around in a giant head-shaped space ship,
JUST LIKE THE CHARACTER IN THE MOVIE.
Anyway, after a contraceptive bomb explodes leaving all the women on Valeron
unable to reproduce, Vartox sets off on a quest. He’s tracked down the only
woman in the known galaxies capable of bearing his child, and his travels have
brought him to Earth in an attempt to woo Power Girl. Of course his misguided
attempts at flirtation turn ugly when he release a giant space beast trying to
show off, and the Pee Gee goes and makes everything worse by causing the big,
nasty to multiply into dozens of little nastier things.
There’s very little in this Power Girl series that isn’t great on multiple
levels. Amanda Conner may be one of the best comic book artists currently
employed by DC, with her clean lines and attention to detail. Palmiotti and Gray
do a fantastic job in making a quirky, 70’s, disco, space-man into, well he’s
not necessarily a threat, but he’s definitely not as hokey as some may expect
him to be clad in red leather underwear, with matching vest. Yeah, you may not
have been born in the 70’s, and you may not ever have to sit through the
mind-numbing drek that is “Zardoz”, but at least the happy-go-lucky era of
comics isn’t entirely dead and buried, not as long as great creators like these
are able to put a fresh spin on an old ‘mort.
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GOD COMPLEX #1
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Writers:
Dan Berman and Mike Oeming
Artist:
John Broglia
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Reviewer:
"Sweet" Dan Sweet
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Publisher:
Image
Comics
Shipped On:
120909
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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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IMAGE'S SYNOPSIS:
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Meet Paul, he's an everyday kind of guy. He's kinda tall, kinda strong and kinda
not mortal at all. Paul is actually Apollo (no, really) in hiding... from his
family... the ancient Greek gods. Paul's father (you know, Zeus) would rather
see Paul dead than living as a mortal... So, for Paul, being a god is complex...
and dangerous...
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SWEET DAN'S REVIEW:
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It’s not easy being a deity, at least not in the city of Los Angeles, and when
Apollo, God of the sun, up and quits his job as a member of the Pantheon of Gods
he sends ripples through the Kronos Corporation that reverberate through the
entire city. ‘Finally…free from the dullness of God-hood and immortality, the
monotony of endless sunsets, the gluttony of countless indulgences without
consequence.’ Seems like Apollo, or Paul, as he’s seen fit to call himself, is
just after a normal life, which if his former friends and family have anything
to say about it, may come to an end a whole lot faster than he originally
anticipated.
So what’s a Greek God to do when he no longer desires to remain a god? He works
in a Greek restaurant of course. It is in this restaurant that he meets Sophia,
daughter of the restaurant’s owner, whom he falls in love with, although she has
no interest in a big, dumb, dishwasher. When Paul is forced to betray his
secrets in order to protect Sophia and her father from a vicious street gang
looking for protection money he becomes a neighborhood sensation, and as anyone
who’s ever been on the run would know, drawing attention to one’s self is the
last thing you want to do. Once the Pantheon finds out where he’s hiding they’re
quick to send a witch and her magic to finish off Paul and his friends, and when
she throws a Griffin-bomb in the middle of the street Paul must once again use
his powers to protect those he cares about most.
I enjoyed this book a great deal, and despite the fact that Oeming’s name is
plastered all over the cover he really didn’t have a lot to do with the
execution of the story. That credit goes to Dan Berman and John Broglia, who
took Oeming’s concept and brought it to life on the page. Broglia’s art is
similar to that of Oeming’s so it’s not that much of a shock from the front
cover, although some panels do come off rather two-dimensional. I think that Dan
Berman was able to a take a God and make a regular guy out of him, which is
impressive, because even books that star characters similar to Paul (“The
Incredible Hercules”, “Thor”, “Superman”) constantly dwell on the differences as
opposed to the similarities these characters share with the humans they surround
themselves with. I’m not quite sure whether this is an on-going series or a
mini, but I’m on board for the long haul. Hell, maybe Oeming’ll even through a
pin-up in there for good measure or something.
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UNKNOWNS #1
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Writer:
Mark A. Altman
Artists:
Alisson Borges
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Reviewer:
"Sweet" Dan Sweet
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Publisher:
Femme Fatales Comics
Shipped On:
122309
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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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FFC'S SYNOPSIS:
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Wanted meets The Bourne Identity when a beautiful woman living an average
suburban life, Alexis Davenport, discovers she was once a superhero and part of
a disbanded superhero team, The Unknowns. With the help of her former partners
who all have unique superpowers, she now must discover why her memory was erased
and what is the secret of the vast conspiracy they were trying to cover up.
Features the likeness of model Monica Olsen as Alexis. Retailers, please check
the order form for ordering the variant incentive photo cover.
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SWEET DAN'S REVIEW:
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Reading an awful lot like “The Long Kiss Goodnight” (it was a Sam Jackson/Geena
Davis vehicle…and it was $#!tty) and starring some lady I’ve never heard of as
some comic character I’m not familiar with comes “The Unknowns” from the
co-publisher of Femme Fatales Magazine. The main character in “The Long Kiss
Goodnight” was Charlie Baltimore, a woman who, at one point, was a fierce
assassin but could no longer remember that part of her life. “The Unknowns” is
about Alexis Davenport, a woman who, at one point, was a fierce operative in
some shadowy organization.
This book reads page for page like a script for some poorly budgeted made-for-T.V.
action serial. Everything is so squeaky clean; bad guys can’t shoot, good guys
can, everyone has something witty to say right before they lob some dude’s head
off with a meat cleaver, dust themselves off and have a laugh. I could take a
minute here to go into the details of the plot for a moment, but it would only
serve to confuse anyone with an above average intelligence level (and many
without one). The story is so convoluted, and relies so heavily on
cliché-riddled devices that one could think of any number of other stories,
books or film, that this drew inspiration from, and then repeatedly raped over
and over until all that was left was a bloodied husk of an original idea covered
in the sputum of geek-culture.
I don’t think it’s written well, and I mean besides the
‘been-there-done-that-to-death’ concept. The characters are two-dimensional
caricatures of what the author thinks it takes to make a person seem ‘bad-ass’
and not a single one is worthy of that sort of praise. Whether it’s the
super-cool pilot/agent/love-interest who seems capable of taking multiple
bullets to the chest without a vest and living to tell the tale, or the
vampire-man who’s 876 years old and dresses like it. Then there’s the Asian
woman named Ming (because Hop Sing was taken) and would you believe it, she
knows martial arts, which makes her a formidable opponent for anyone looking to
take Alexis out. The stereotypes don’t stop there, but I’ll leave the rest for
you to track down like eggs on Easter morning.
The face that this steaming crap-pile is illustrated by a woman may be its only
redeeming characteristic. At least I know the naked woman chained to the wall in
the first two pages wasn’t only there for some boyhood misogynistic fantasy
fulfillment. Her pencils are very Manga-influenced, but also remind me a bit of
what the Luna Brothers have been doing over at Image Comics. The colors by Caleb
Souza and Ale Starling really get the tone across, even though the writer does
everything in his power to make sure readers remain uninterested.
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MIGHTY AVENGERS #32 |
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Writer:
Dan Slott
Artists:
Koi Pham
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Reviewer:
"Sweet" Dan Sweet
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Publisher:
Marvel
Comics
Shipped On:
121609 |
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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 Coming Darkness..."-The throw down you've been waiting for-- and that Loki,
God of Mischief-- has been scheming towards: THE MIGHTY AVENGERS versus THE DARK
AVENGERS! Hank Pym's team has tried their best to be a shining light in the
world of Dark Reign but this might be the time that light gets snuffed out!
Special appearance by the MIGHTY THOR!
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SWEET DAN'S REVIEW:
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In response to the clamoring of many, many ‘Classic Avengers’ fans who find
Bendis’ take on the team’s legacy to be less-than-satisfactory Marvel Editorial
peeled off “The Mighty Avengers” and handed it over to Dan Slott, who won many
fans over with his take on “Avengers: The Initiative”. In this latest issue we
get a brief confrontation between Hank Pym’s team and Norman Osborn’s before the
Absorbing Man becomes an omega-level threat by absorbing and taking on the
properties of a cosmic cube. There’s a lot of stuff that I like about Slott’s
Avengers, but there’s also some things that don’t sit well with me in this day
and age of ‘widescreen’ comics.
While Norman’s team may be the government sanctioned American super team that
believes itself to be the only ones worthy of the title “Avengers” it’s Pym’s
team that has garnered world-wide acclaim by never failing to stop a threat too
big for one hero to deal with. As one would expect, the egomaniacal Norman
Osborn is not at all pleased with this turn of events, and as such, he’s made it
his personal mission to out-maneuver Pym in the eyes of the media. There’s a
great line of dialogue where Norman asks Hank: “So, still slapping women
around?” to which Pym can only reply: “You still throwing them off bridges?”
That made me laugh out loud, and it’s that kind of mentality that Slott brings
to this book that makes it so popular. This is the Avengers with
thought-balloons, ties to classic continuity, and a much more classic roster
than anything seen in any book written by Bendis, and that’s not to discount
anything that BMB is doing (because I’m a fan) but this book feels more like a
90’s era take on the team, which apparently many people have been missing.
There’s not a ton of action in this issue, contrary to what the cover would have
you believe, but they set the stage quite nicely for the next issue, and it’ll
be cool to see if the two teams combine their strengths to combat Crusher Creel,
or if they end up fighting each other.
Koi Pham’s art seems to be an acquired taste. I, for one, enjoy his pencils a
great deal, but a majority of people I’ve talked to online feel as though he’s
not a good fit for this title. I’m amazed by that sentiment and can’t, for the
life of me, think of one name who’d be better suited to illustrate this
‘Avengery-Avengers’ title. I think Slott’s writing is a bit nostalgic for my
tastes, but he’s been very successful at capturing the classic feel without
making this book a retread of the sixty-plus years of continuity that have come
before it. There’s still something very contemporary about Slott’s take on the
characters, what with Pym being named Scientist Supreme (a fact that gets
hammered home in this issue more so than any other since he’s gained that
title), Hercules’ pal Amadeus Cho supporting the team from the Infinite Mansion,
or Cassie and Vision, current members of both the Mighty Avengers and the Young
Avengers not quite sure what team they belong to anymore. I’m a fan of this
book, even if sometimes it comes off a little amateurish, but with “Siege”
around the corner I’m anxious to see how the results of that event affect the
cast of this title. .
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DINGO #1
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Writer:
Michael Alan Nelson
Artists:
Francesco Biagini
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Reviewer:
"Sweet" Dan Sweet
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Publisher:
BOOM! Comics
Shipped On:
120309
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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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INDY'S SYNOPSIS:
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A bold new mini from the writer of the best-selling Fall of Cthulhu! A
supernatural crime story in the vein of 100 Bullets, a man named Dingo who's
after only one thing: a box. And he'll stop at nothing to obtain it, no matter
how many bad men get in his way. But the real question is, what's in the box?
And why is Dingo willing to kill to get it back? A rough-and-tumble thriller
with a hint of the unearthly and a pinch of something nasty.
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SWEET DAN'S REVIEW:
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Any book that starts with a guy willfully chained to a dungeon wall, getting the
crap kicked out of him by a hot dominatrix, and then pause the action to take a
phone call to the get the story rolling is pretty cool in my book. “Dingo” is
one of the latest efforts by a company that is quickly solidifying its position
as one of my favorite independent publishers in all of comics. BOOM! Studios
have been consistent in their out-put of intelligent, well-written books that
feature some of the most beautiful illustrations by some of today’s greatest
teams, but that isn’t the case here. In fact, I’ve never heard of either the
writer nor artist on this series, but I’m glad I’ve been introduced to them,
because I plan on following this series for the next three issues, and then
following them faithfully on to whatever they work on next.
Dingo is not necessarily a good guy, but he’s not a bad guy either, he’s just a
guy, or at least that’s the way it seems. Sure, his brother is a high profile
rock’n’roller, and sure, they have some sort of deep, dark, hidden family secret
that may come back to bite them in the ass sooner than they ever wanted, but
really, who doesn’t? In the end it’s all about a box. That’s all. Get the box,
save the day. Sounds easy right? Throw in a couple sexy, yet devastatingly
deadly ladies, a giant devil dog named Cerberus, and a hard shot in the head
with a crow-bar and you have a pretty solid read from a company that seems
intent on making good comics.
I thought this book was really well done, and I have to admit I almost passed
this bad boy up for one reason or another, but I’m glad I didn’t. Both the art
and the story play really well off one another, creating a fool-proof rhythm to
the story that makes reading this thing a breeze. I hope by spotlighting more
books like this that fans of similar characters start to make the switch to more
indy titles. I was a little put off by the price, $3.99 is steep, but there
isn’t a single ad in the whole thing, so you still get just as many pages as a
Marvel title at the same price. The only negative I got to print is that I still
don’t know what’s inside that damn box Dingo is trying to get back. I want to
know what’s in the damn box!
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SIEGE: CABAL |
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Writer:
Brian Bendis
Artists:
Michael Lark and Stefano Gaudino
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Reviewer:
"Sweet" Dan Sweet
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Publisher:
Marvel
Comics
Shipped On:
120309 |
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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 SIEGE STARTS HERE!! Remember when you were first introduced to the Cabal,
the gathering of the most sinister members of the Marvel Universe, and you said
to yourself: Well, that's going to blow up in everyone's face! Well, you were
right and it happens right here!! Norman Osborn faces off with Doctor Doom and
his mysterious threat to Doom is revealed. All of this is setting the stage for
next month's explosive event: SIEGE!
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SWEET DAN'S REVIEW:
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Another week of comics, and another dozen-or-so of Bendis’ books to read; this
one here is about to kick off the shortest event I can recall Marvel doing in,
eh, ten or so years, called “Siege”. Marvel Comics claims that it’s ‘an even
seven years in the making’. They say that Bendis has had this planned all along,
ever since the worst day in Avengers history. They say a lot of things, don’t
they? Well, I for one am not entirely sold on the idea of Bendis and company
putting the proverbial band back together. I mean, what’s going to happen to
Luke Cage, or Jessica Jones? Where are Spidey and Wolverine going to hang out
when they’re not guest starring in thirty other books each month? Where else can
Clint Barton dress up like a ninja and kick the crap out of other guys dressed
like ninjas? I don’t know. I just don’t know.
Norman Osborn and his collective of callous Cabal counter parts have hit a snag,
or a few snags, on their path of world domination. Emma Frost and Namor flew the
coop, and in their place Osborn has inserted Taskmaster, a move that Dr. Doom
has a problem with. This leads to Osborn bumping heads with Doom, which ALMOST
leads to a reveal of Norman’s secret weapon, whom he’s been holding over
everyone’s heads like an axe, ready to drop it at a moment’s notice, if
provoked. Doom, of course, is too smart for everyone and pulls a stunt that
leaves Osborn vulnerable and his command in question. In the end, it’s all about
the next step in the process, and for Osborn that’s the invasion of Asgard, and
with the preview of next month’s “Siege #1” at the end of this issue it looks as
if he may have found his way in.
Michael Lark and Stefano Gaudino lit my world on fire with their work on
“Daredevil” and even though Bendis has done a few of these Illuminati/Illuminaughty
one-shots, I think this may be the most visually captivating. I think that
Bendis has a great command of the characters (as he should after all these
years) and Lark is about to bring them to life in a way that only he knows how.
I do wanna know why Loki is a man again, and who the damn secret weapon is, but
some questions have to hold off until the Mini-Event. That’s what, I believe,
Marvel is calling this little experiment of theirs. Instead of forcing one
giant-sized event book down everyone’s throat this year, we’ll see several
different Mini-Events touching each of the family of characters in their own
titles without too much spill over. I mean how many tie-in’s can Marvell fit
into a four-month stretch.
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IRON MAN VS.WHIPLASH #1 (of 4) |
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Writers:
Marc Guggenheim and Brannon Braga
Artist:
Phillippe Briones
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Reviewer:
"Sweet" Dan Sweet
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Publisher:
Marvel Comics
Shipped On:
120309 |
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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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Meet the all-new, all-different, all-deadly WHIPLASH in this special
in-continuity lead-in to the Iron Man 2 movie. Who is Anton Vanko and why does
he blame Tony Stark for the murder of thousands? For that matter, why does the
United Nations? Brannon Braga (STAR TREK: ENTERPRISE) and Marc Guggenheim
(AMAZING SPIDER-MAN) and artist Phil Briones (SUB-MARINER: REVOLUTION) have the
answers!
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SWEET DAN'S REVIEW:
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Let the movie-based character retcons begin! In the grand Marvel tradition, any
time a movie featuring a character of theirs is released small changes are felt
rippling through the comic like so many tiny pebbles cast across the calm water
of continuity. In this case the character, Whiplash, soon to be played by Mickey
Rourke in the highly anticipated (at least by me) sequel to last year’s “Iron
Man”, gets a bit of an update to his origin, and Tony Stark finds himself in the
hot seat on the international stage as he’s accused of laying waste to a small
Russian village as Iron Man.
Cutting right to the chase, Iron Man did destroy the village of Volstok, in the
former Soviet Union, but Tony Stark claims it wasn’t him piloting the suit at
the time. This isn’t the first situation where Stark-Tech has been swiped and
put to foul use, and I’m sure it won’t be the last. Guggemheim and Braga focus
on the courtroom drama that unfolds in the aftermath of the carnage, even
bringing in the Red Guardian (kind of a Russkie Cap) to testify against Stark.
There’re some cut-away scenes involving a young man fashioning a suit out of
discarded Stark-Tech weaponry, which in the end proves to be the only glimpses
of the title’s other main character.
Phillipe Briones can bring life to a comic page. His art is extremely well-done,
and it makes a book like this, a tie-in to a film, seem almost readable. In
fact, of all the movie-based comic tie-ins I’ve had the misfortune to read, this
one plays like a real comic, and not like a comic trying to shoe-horn in certain
aspects of the movie to make it gel more easily with any potential new
readership. Guggenheim is a great writer (his run on “Wolverine” during ‘Civil
War’ notwithstanding) and I enjoyed this title for what it was. It’s set to run
it’s course through March of 2010, and I’m pretty sure the new movie hits in
May, so don’t be surprised if you see a glut of similar books, with less focus
on substance and much more on the flash-bang style of summer action movies
popping up around then. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.
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FEARLESS DAWN #1 (OF 4)
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Writer/Artist:
Steve Mannions |
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Reviewer:
"Sweet" Dan Sweet
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Publisher:
Asylum Press
Shipped On:
121609
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MSRP:
$2.95 each
(15% OFF during it's 1st Week of release only at Alternate Reality!)
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ASYLUM PRESS' SYNOPSIS:
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Jet-riding good girl Fearless Dawn battles her arch-nemesis Helga Von Krause!
Fearless infiltrates the vaunted "Manitoba Sector" to discover the secret behind
Helga's chemically-induced Nazi Monsters. Meanwhile, all is not well back at
home base when Fearless' boss discovers that she has broken probation and flown
the coop! With all-new interior artwork and a new back cover.
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SWEET DAN'S REVIEW:
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Hot babes, jet planes, knock-out spray, and super-powered, mutant Nazis, that’s
what this book has in spades. What it doesn’t have so much of: a cohesive story,
or characters that anyone could possibly give a crap about. I’m not trying to be
hard on this title. In fact, I grabbed it despite its cheesecake cover and main
character because Steve Mannion’s pencils are truly out of this world, but if
you’re looking for any semblance of story, whatsoever, then you’ve come to the
wrong place.
Dawn has just gotten home from the joint, that’s prison to you or me, and she’s
wasting no time in getting back to work. What she does, who she does it for, and
why, are all questions that don’t get any answers at all. All the readers are
told is that she’s headed to Manitoba to get a sample of some serum that’s
turning Nazis into Uber-Nazis. By the time she gets there Mannion throws her
headlong into a battle on the roof of some big building that probably has no
business being built in the middle of the jungle. Dawn is a talented combatant,
but when some giant Nazi sneaks up behind her with a can of Knock-Out Spray (for
Knockin’ em Out!) there’s very little she can do to protect herself, and before
you know it she’s locked up in the gulag awaiting rescue by a friend, Old Number
Seven. Seven’s rescue doesn’t go as planned, and after getting his butt-whipped
by a guard, he ends up in the slammer with Dawn, and the two of them must hatch
a plan to try and escape.
While the issue is high on concept, its lack of any explanation at all manages
to only confuse readers who are new to the character (her origin story is
available in a trade entitled “The Bomb”). I mean it says right on the cover
that Dawn is fearless, but how about ‘incapable,’ ‘not-so-badass,’ or
‘weak-stick,’ because any of those seem as plausible an adjective as any to
plaster in front of her name, based on her performance in her debut issue. I’m a
fan of Mannion’s art; his pencils invoke the spirit of Paul Pope, and his
characters remind me of a trippy “Heavy Metal” vibe that obviously treads the
line between the mainstream and the counter-culture aspects of comic readership.
I’d like to see more artwork from Mannion, and less writing, but team him up
with someone who’s capable of writing a smart female lead and this series may
have legs, until then, no thanks..
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NEW AVENGERS #60 |
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Writer:
Brian Bendis
Artist:
Stuart Immonen
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Reviewer:
"Sweet" Dan Sweet
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Publisher:
Image/Top Cow
Comics
Shipped On:
122309 |
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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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Get ready for something you never thought you'd see! Is this the end of Luke
Cage? Has the Dark Reign found a casualty so horrifying that the Avengers may
not be able to keep it together?
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SWEET DAN'S REVIEW:
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Is this the end of the line for fan-fave (or at least BMB-fave) character, and
recent Avengers mainstay, Luke Cage? If the cover is to be believed the New
Avengers may end up another teammate light by the end of this story…oh who am I
kidding, there’s no way Marvel is going to let Bendis ice their latest golden
boy in his only starring role, would they?
Without giving away too much, suffice it to say that the lead in to the upcoming
‘Siege’ epic goes out with a BANG, but it’s not Jessica Jones’ baby-daddy that
gets the Wile E. Coyote treatment. Instead Bendis takes readers all the way in
one direction, while setting them up with a rather pleasant surprise coming out
of far left-field. There’s a nice bit of resolution with the
bomb-strapped-to-his-heart Cage, as well as a decent bit of set-up between the
currently in-charge Osborn and his Cabal-caballero the Hood in regard to their
ever-complicated business relationship. The villain, Dr. Jonas Harrow, meets an
untimely end for his betrayal of the Hood, in hopes of leading his own army of
super-villains.
There’s a great deal of personality in Bendis’ ragtag grouping of Avengers, and
it shines in issues where the whole gang comes together to wrap their collective
noggins around a conundrum. I love the way that this decade’s Avengers are a
true super-powered network of crime fighters whose personalities really reflect
the working class nature of Marvel’s Universe, as opposed to previous line ups
that featured the big-heavies that didn’t allow for any flexibility in story
telling due to their own titles.
Suart Immonen is second to none in his ability to cram detail into a panel
without losing sight of the point. I hate his Daredevil; what’s with the big,
red, saucer-shaped eyes? But other than that I have to admit that his stint on
the book has been one of the most visually exciting, and considering that this
is a title that can boast such names as Finch, McNiven, Yu, and Bachalo, that’s
saying something..
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DAYTRIPPER #1 (of 10) |
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Writer/Artist:
Gabriel Ba and Fabio Moon |
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Reviewer:
"Sweet" Dan Sweet
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Publisher: DC/Vertigo
Comics
Shipped On:
120909
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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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Brazilian wonder twins Fábio Moon and Gabriel Bá are back writing and drawing in
a hauntingly lyrical series set in their native Brazil. With DAYTRIPPER, they
follow in the tradition of Craig Thompson, Paul Pope and David Mazzucchelli -
cartoonists at the top of their game making comics about the quiet moments that
ask big questions. Brás de Oliva Domingos is an obituary writer with a famous
father, a career he hates, and tons of questions. How does a person become a
successful writer? How does a man get out of his father's shadow? But those
concerns will dwarf the surprise he'll find in the first issue - a twist both he
and readers will never see coming, which will grow into a mystery about the
meaning of life itself.
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SWEET DAN'S REVIEW:
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No matter how good or bad things get, life is forever capable of throwing the
most unmanageable curves at you when you’re least expecting them. In the end
it’s how a person is or isn’t able to make the most of a poor set of
circumstances that determines if their story will live beyond their passing, or
if their memory is destined to fade away into obscurity. This is what makes Ba
and Moon’s “daytripper” such an interesting comic experience, and it’s their
refreshing perspective that allows for the seemingly mundane to magically
transform into the marvelous. There’s a quote on the cover of this book
attributed to musician/writer Gerard Way (whose “Umbrella Academy” co-created by
Ba is nothing short of brilliant) in which he proclaims “daytripper” ‘completely
blew [him] away’, and quite honestly, that may have been a literal
interpretation of the book’s contents.
Bras de Oliva Domingos writes obituaries for a local newspaper, which, for some,
may make him one of the more boring leads in a comic book ever. Yeah, it’s not
necessarily for the cape and tights crowd, but Bras’ passion for life, and his
dream to write about it takes audiences for a walk in his shoes as he deals with
work, a blossoming relationship, family, and the burden of living up to one’s
own expectations. With the story set on their own turf, Ba and Moon are able to
really take readers to the city of San Paolo, in Brazil, a country very rich in
beauty and culture, yet also a romanticized dark side that is easy to get swept
away in.
I’m not sure how safe it is to get into the details of the story without giving
away too much of the plot, so I’m planning on using full discretion. This is a
story about a guy’s passion for writing about life, but also his struggle, and
inability to fully embrace what he has to do to succeed both in writing and in
life. I thought that it was a thoughtful, insightful story; simultaneously
heart-warming and blood-chilling by the final page and all of it was handled
marvelously by a fantastic pair of creators.
Gabriel Ba has tackled two ‘Umbrella Academy’ mini-series along with partner
Gerard Way. Together the brothers (they’re twins) took on Matt Fraction’s
“Casanova” over at Image. This is they’re first foray into the world of Vertigo
Comics, of what is set to be a ten-part story, and if the first issue is any
indication, well, I have absolutely no idea what to expect from the remaining
nine issues. All I know is that Ba and Moon seem to have hit a stride in their
work, where their comfort level is at an all-time high, and I think it shows in
their immaculate illustrations and thought-provoking story telling..
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SPIDER-MAN AND SECRET WARS #1 (OF 4) |
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Writer:
Paul Tobin
Artists:
Patrick Scherberger
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Reviewer:
"Sweet" Dan Sweet
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Publisher:
Marvel Comics
Shipped On:
120909 |
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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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How do ten heroes end up buried alive beneath one hundred and fifty BILLION tons
of rock? And is the Hulk mad enough to do anything about it? What were the
events that led up to this catastrophe? What are the heroes thinking? And with
the weight of an entire mountain range above them, how do they go about their
desperate fight for survival? All the answers are in the first issue of the
series that takes you deeper into the classic events of the Secret Wars, and
pulls the lid off stories that were left untold!
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SWEET DAN'S REVIEW:
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Alright, so even though it took place nearly thirty
years ago, for some reason, fans are still enthralled by that concept of
Marvel’s “Secret War” and “Secret War II”. So much so, in fact, that Marvel
editorial has seen fit to revisit the saga through the eyes of their flagship
character, Spider-Man, and retell the story for a whole new generation of
readers. I’m not sure just how necessary this sort of a book is, especially
because in terms of ‘high-concept story-telling’ this just doesn’t cut the
mustard, but eh, what’s a guy to do but sit back, relax, and enjoy the ride as
many of Marvel’s favorite heroes and villains of yesteryear get on with the
beating of the crap out of each other.
Readers are thrust into action right off the bat, as the crew of heroes must
attempt to free themselves from the rubble of a mountain that Molecule Man, um,
dropped on them. Thankfully, the Hulk, usually a bigger pain in the ass than he
is assistance, has managed to combine Hulk’s strength with Banner’s intellect,
and he’s braced a majority of the mountain’s mass above the stranded heroes,
although his disdain for being responsible for everyone’s safety shines through.
The rest of the issue is a recap of how they came to be in the predicament that
we find them in at time: current. There’s some cool Captain America character
beats between him and the title character, Peter Parker, the spectacular
Spider-Man, and in the end it’s the brainy little neighborhood do-gooder that
figures out a way to provoke Hulk into freeing them all.
This is a fun little read that took me back many, many years in my comic reading
experience. I was too young to pick up either ‘Secret War’ title in stores, and
I never bothered to track any back issues down because I just didn’t care at
that point. With this series Paul Tobin is able to recapture a time when heroes
and villains just threw-down because that was the thing that heroes and villains
did. There was no master plan, no need for depth, or characterization, or story,
as long as someone was punching someone on the page, well that got the point
across just fine. Paul Scherberger’s work is reminiscent of Chris Bachalo, who
can be quite hit or miss a lot of the time. I think that Paul brings a great
deal of detail to his work, and his characters are consistent, and his
backgrounds are think and full of life. I’m not sure if this is a kids-book or
not, but it sure did take me back to when I was younger, and being a fan meant
that you picked you’re favorite characters and you couldn’t wait to see them
going at it, which is pretty much what “Secret War” was all about, right?
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PILOT SEASON MURDERER #1 |
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Writer:
Robert Kirkman
Artists:
Nelson Blake II
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Reviewer:
"Sweet" Dan Sweet
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Publisher:
Image/Top Cow
Comics
Shipped On:
120909 |
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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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IMAGE/TOP COW'S SYNOPSIS:
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From the creative minds of Image partners Robert Kirkman & Marc Silvestri!
This is the story of a murderer. But this killer only hunts and murders people
who deserve it, before they can hurt others. The only question is how does he
select his victims?
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SWEET DAN'S REVIEW:
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As another year draws to a close Top Cow
Productions, once again, dangles the carrot that is ‘Pilot Season’ in front of
fans’ faces hoping that our odd buying habits help net them a sure-fire,
number-one-selling property with little to no risk on their part. That’s all
‘Pilot Season’ is anyway, a chance for Top Cow to do what any number of other
companies try every month; by publishing a small run of one-shots, and making
fans vote on what they’d like to see, the P.(owers)T.(hat)B.(e) have been
absolved of any commitment to their creations. After all they only have to feign
interest in an idea or a story long enough to figure out if it’s going to fetch
them a tidy profit. And don’t get me started on the books that have already won
‘Pilot Season’ over the last two years, because they haven’t come out.
“Murderer” is one of the better ORIGINAL ideas I’ve seen Robert Kirkman come up
with in quite a while. Seeing as how ALL of the ‘Pilot Season’ books are
concepts he’s been kicking around for a bit, I’m anxious to see what he’s got
floating around in there. In “Murderer” Kirkman introduces readers to Jason, a
young man whose ability to read the thoughts of those around him has gone
unchecked, and his inability to control his power has led him to seek out those
who would do harm to others and do harm to them, seriously major harm. The cover
of this book pretty much sums up the whole story in a nutshell. Scrawled across
Jason’s grungy, white, t-shirt reads: ‘If you are reading this it means you are
a bad person and are about to DIE’, I’m not sure how much dead-on a cover has to
be to garner more attention.
I’m not sure how I feel on Top Cow’s little promotion as a whole, but I’ve
enjoyed a few of the titles that I otherwise would not have been exposed to, and
I’ve enjoyed this immensely. Nelson Blake II’s pencils are unassuming, and his
line-weight doesn’t bog down the panels with chunky, unnecessary, and frankly
dull pictures. His style is very similar to other artists Kirkman has been known
to work with, so if you’re a fan of “Invincible” or “Astounding Wolf-Man” then
this will be right up your alley. Kirkman is also, in my opinion, at his
strongest when he’s pushing fresh ideas on an unsuspecting audience. The reason
his comics work so well is his lack of respect for the mundane, clichéd way of
telling stories, and it’s this same element of ‘anything goes’ that keeps
readers coming back for more, and more, and more! I enjoyed this book, and I
anxiously await the others that are headed our way, but I hope Top Cow gets on
the stick and finally starts to publish whatever book happens to win this
year…we’ll see.
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BLACKEST NIGHT THE FLASH #1 (OF 3) |
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Writer:
Geoff Johns
Artists:
Scott Kolins
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Reviewer:
"Sweet" Dan Sweet
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Publisher:
DC Comics
Shipped On:
120309 |
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MSRP:
$3.99 each
(15% OFF during it's 1st Week of release only at Alternate Reality!)
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DC'S SYNOPSIS:
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The Flashes of Two Cities - Barry Allen and Wally West - battle the undead
Rogues. Will the legendary speedsters be able to handle the Black Lantern
Rogues' revenge? Plus, witness the resurrection of Barry's greatest enemy, the
Reverse Flash in this hyper-speed miniseries event reuniting the fan-favorite
FLASH creative team of Geoff Johns and Scott Kolins!
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SWEET DAN'S REVIEW:
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Oh, woe is me. I know a whole bunch a you’se guys
are b@!!$ deep in Geoff Johns’ epic GL event, which has seen the return of too
many dead characters to the land of the living than I have fingers and toes to
keep track of it all, but I haven’t managed to muster up the interest in the
title and the three years or so worth of back story that comes along with it. I
especially enjoy how every year the publishers talk about how they’re planning
on scaling back the events, and cutting back on tie-ins to the events that are
just too good to pass up, and then do the exact opposite of what they’ve said.
Every year. “Blackest Night: The Flash” is Geoff Johns love letter to himself,
as he teams with former partner Scott Kolins (The Flash, Avengers) to riff on
his own work that his did with Wally West’s rogue’s gallery.
The story starts with a warning from Barry Allen to all of his constituents.
Then we go into an origin re-cap, which seems really unnecessary considering
he’s not even finished bringing the character back over in “Flash: Rebirth”. The
Rogues have a hidden graveyard in Central City, which is the most ridiculous
thing I’ve ever heard, but whatever, that aside I’ve always found the Rogues to
be the most interesting part of The Flash mythos, so when I thought that this
would be more about them than it was about The Flash, I was let down. There’s
some Rogue-on-dead-Rogue action, but for the most part it’s Barry worrying about
Reverse Flash, and the some talking gorilla.
Scott Kolins is an acquired taste, and while I didn’t care for his “Avengers”
stuff, I think his line-work and his art style is much better suited for a book
like this, which is naturally a bit cartoonier. Johns, well, he’s Johns, so if
you like him and his way of writing comics then you’ll probably be a fan of
this. If you’re a Flash fan and you don’t really care about what’s going on in
the GL part of the DCU then skip this altogether. If you’re like me, and don’t
particularly care about either, well, then, keep crossing your fingers for a
Rogue-centered book, but don’t hold your breath.
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X NECROSHA GATHERING |
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Writers:
Craig Kyle and Chris Yost
Artists:
Various
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Reviewer:
"Sweet" Dan Sweet
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Publisher:
Marvel Comics
Shipped On:
120909 |
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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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Selene's Inner Circle stand revealed... Wither, Mortis, Senyaka, Eli Bard and
Blink. But what led Selene to gather some of the deadliest mutants in the world?
Why would one of the X-Men's students join her? Who is Mortis? How is Blink
alive? The stories of the Black Queen's death dealers are told in this anthology
one-shot by some of today's hottest artists.
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SWEET DAN'S REVIEW:
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The thing I love about comics is that you’re allowed
to pace a story in any number of ways; based on the fact that most comics come
out on a monthly basis that leaves three extra weeks out of any given month that
lag between chapters in any given story at any given time, so when creators find
ways of taking important pieces of the story and create a tie-in that actually
answers some questions (albeit small ones) and develop the threat that the
heroes face into real opposition, well, that just makes me a happy, happy pony.
What we have here are five short stories, all written by Kyle and Yost (so don’t
go getting your panties in a twist), with visual interpretations by some pretty
talented artists, that find all of the focus shifted to the villains who
populate the evil Selene’s coven of…evil villainy.
Wither, Blink, Senyaka, Mortis, and Eli Bard; all are barely known by and large
by X-fans everywhere, but their stories come deeply rooted in the mythology of
the X-Men, X-Force, and the New Mutants. Blink has seen somewhat of a following
behind a version of her character (who didn’t die during “Phalanx Covenant”)
utilized in the “Age of Apocalypse”, and then was later scooped up by Judd
Winick for use in the title “Exiles”, but the writers are able to step back in
time and pluck her from death’s icy grasp in order to please the Black Queen of
the HellFire Club’s dark agenda. Senyaka is a villain who I’ve seen featured in
the pages of the first volume of “X-Force” when it was Nicieza and Capullo on
the creative end, but his backstory is fleshed out just a bit (more than enough
to find him pretty terrifying). Wither’s story is one that goes back to the
first issues of the failed “New Mutants” relaunch, that very quickly gave way to
a title change to “New X-Men”, a title that I stuck with through two title
changes and however many creative team changes, until finally it landed in the
more than capable lap of Kyle and Yost. Mortis’ being the sister of a particular
member of the X-Men threw me a little bit, and I’m not sure if it’s established
canon or if these guys are flying by the seat of their pants on this one. The
final story, the one of Eliphas, Selene’s former lover and current adversary is
what ties it all back to what’s happening in the main storyline over in
“X-Force” (which I’m sure will ship in a week or so), and maybe, just maybe gets
a particularly mean-spirited, black lingerie-clad, queen of the damned off of
his back.
I first raved about Ibraim Roberson when he illustrated the New Mutants short
story at the end of “Necrosha X” and I’ll do pretty much the same thing again
here. I don’t know if it was the dark theme of his story, or if he was teamed
with a different inker, but his pencils seemed softer than I remember them to
be. I think the strongest artist of the bunch was either Leonardo Manco, who
illustrated the Senyaka segment, or Kalman Andrasofszky, whose Mortis story
looked like a mix between Terry Dodson and Frank Cho. There’s a guy who’s ready
to step into the majors. I think that Clayton Crain’s homage cover to another
Hollywood vampire movie (where they don’t sparkle in the sun) is cool as hell! I
hope to see more of these theme covers out of the rest of this mini, seeing as
how I’ll be on board for the long haul..
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ANYWHERE #1 (OF 6)
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Writer:
Tom Akel
Artist:
Alan Quah
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Reviewer:
"Sweet" Dan Sweet
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Publisher:
Arcana Studios
Shipped On:
120909 |
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MSRP:
$1.00 each
(15% OFF during it's 1st Week of release only at Alternate Reality!)
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ARCANA STUDIO'S SYNOPSIS:
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From Comedy Central producer Tom Akel comes the misadventures of Dust and
Wormhole, two twenty-somethings who possess the powers to go anywhere but are
more interested in unlocking the nude code in Tomb Raider than saving the day.
Along the way they'll battle ex-roommate Dirt, current roommate Hans, Wormhole's
addiction to tequila, and Tom's inability to write a coherent script.
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SWEET DAN'S REVIEW:
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Here’s a suggestion to new comic creators by and
large: if you want people to really, REALLY dig your comic try not to undermine
yourselves at every possible juncture by acting ‘too cool for school.’ I
understand that humility and a sense of humor are ‘musts’ in every creators
trick bag, but when you title the first chapter of your seemingly
too-pretentious-for-its-own-good series ‘Why are you reading this?!’ well, don’t
be surprised when readers ask themselves that very question. Why read this? I,
for one, think that you shouldn’t.
There’s little rhyme or reason as to what goes on in this book, in fact, so
little goes on the book that I’d be hard-pressed to find any rhyme or reason for
the book itself. “Welcome to Anywhere, where anything can happen but nothing
ever does.” Never a more appropriate tag line has been uttered on the printed
page. Seriously, this is the adventures of two loser “Superheroes” who spend
most of their time drinking, playing video games, and pretty much nothing else.
There are some interesting supporting players, but none of which don’t feel like
a dozen different stereotypes all shoved into one singular being, the gay coffee
shop barista who can fellate himself is one example. By the end of the issue,
just as the two characters whose day we’ve been dragged through are about to jet
off into action, the issue ends. Oh yay!
I thought that both the story and the art in this endeavor were seriously
lacking anything that made them stand out from the crowd of self-deprecating
comic creators anxious to launch a hot-selling property. I don’t know what
really inspired any of this nonsense; I’m assuming that an overdose of Marvel
Comics and Seinfeld are to blame. The art by Alan Quah is tolerable at some
points and unbearable most of the way throughout. I think he’s got a keen eye
for perspective and story telling, but his faux-graffiti inspired figures really
don’t play well against the rest of the stuff on shelves. Not every artist is
going to be a Phillips, or a McNiven, or even a Paul Pelletier, but this is
barely professional, and hardly deserves any sort of attention or acclaim.
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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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