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FALL OF HULKS RED HULK #1 (OF 4) |
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Writer:
Jeff Parker
Artist:
Carlos Rodriguez
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Reviewer:
"Sweet" Dan Sweet
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Publisher:
Marvel
Comics
Shipped On:
012710 |
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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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FALL OF THE HULKS continues in this all-new series! What secrets will be
revealed? What plans has the RED HULK been hiding from everyone? And what does
all of this have to do with the COSMIC HULK robot!? |
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SWEET DAN'S REVIEW:
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I’m not sure just how necessary this book is. It’s baffling to the mind that
after nearly two years of “Hulk” starring the red Hulk, Marvel Editorial saw fit
to bless us with a second (Third? Fourth? How many Hulks can there be?!) title
starring the ravaging, red, rage-aholic. Even more baffling to the mind is that
this over-priced rag is written by a guy whose work I’ve raved about on multiple
occasions, and yet I never feel him hit his stride with this character. Jeff
Parker lit my world on fire with “Agents of Atlas” and its follow-ups; his indy
work won me over in “Underground”; he even got my attention on the
surprisingly-good “Fall of the Hulks: Alpha”, so why does this feel like a tired
re-tread, full of useless info that in the wake of this ‘shake-up’ is going to
be viewed as trivial and pointless.
Never mind the fact that it’s called “Red Hulk” #1, yet who adorns the cover,
regular old Bruce Banner-Hulk, that’s not that big of a deal to me. Never mind
the fact that by the third page the dialogue takes a scary turn, never recovers,
and we’re forced to read Rick Jones (as A-Bomb) refer to himself in the third
person and spout lines like “You love it.”, “Whatevs.”, and “Chill, this is
clearly some kinda CD or MP3 player-”. In fact, it’s that last line right there
that gets the ball rolling in terms of where this story is going. Apparently,
Rick Jones, who used to run with the Avengers, and was recently bestowed
gamma-radiation induced powers, is a complete moron. Just like that, he’s
capable of making a bad situation worse, and now he and the Red Hulk have to
take on a cosmic-powered Robo-Hulk. Yeah…Robo-Hulk, at least the cover makes a
bit of sense, finally.
There’s a brief dust-up between Red Hulk, Green-cosmic-powered-robot-Hulk, and
the A-Bomb (and I’m never going to refer to him as anything else, ever again)
which is suddenly cut short when The Leader and M.O.D.O.K. recall their robo-smasher,
in hopes that he’ll absorb more cosmic energy and become even more powerful.
Rulk and A-Bomb end up back at Banner’s place, bitching and moaning about how
unfair everything is, only for Banner to take ten whole minutes to decipher a
bit of alien technology. Turns out that Robo-Hulk is actually the Cosmos
Automaton, a creation of Galactus, discarded in favor of living heralds; now
faced with the fact that two of his most powerful enemies control a weapon
designed to aid in the destruction of planets, Banner and his ‘team’ start to
sweat a bit.
Jeff Parker is great, but just not here. Carlos Rodriguez is a talented artist,
but I think his work suffers from his having to draw a bunch of bulky, muscular
monsters through out the whole issue. Vincente Cifuentes’ inks really play to
Rodriquez’s strengths; soft when they need to be, and precise, yet bulky at
other parts, establishing the darker tone that the story takes. I don’t know for
sure that I’m sold on Rodriquez’s Rulk, especially after McGuinness’ is starting
to grow on me, but the guy handles the action scenes and the talky-parts with a
great deal of ease, and that’s impressive, in and of itself. Overall, I’m not
on-board with this. It’s taken nearly two-years for Marvel to figure out how
they were going to tell this story, and I don’t think a bunch of tie-in’s and
‘related’ material is the way to go.
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WILDCATS #19
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Writer:
Adam Beechen
Artist:
Tim Seeley
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Reviewer:
"Sweet" Dan Sweet
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Publisher:
DC/Wildstorm
Comics
Shipped On:
012710
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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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The Carrier has left UnLondon, taking some of Earth's most powerful defenders
with it. Can the heroes who remain help the planet survive not one, but two
alien invasions? In the world's darkest hour since NUMBER OF THE BEAST, Super
Heroes from every corner of the WildStorm Universe must put aside past rivalries
and disagreements to work together as one massive team of incalculable power -
and it still may not be enough! |
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SWEET DAN'S REVIEW:
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There was a time when “WildCats” was a must-read book for me month in, and month
out. For some reason, ever since Joe Casey’s mind-blowing run on the third
volume cleverly entitled “WildCats 3.0”, every subsequent gathering of creative
knuckleheads sees fit to ignore the great strides Casey made with each of the
characters, choosing instead to shoe horn the team collectively back into their
roles as super-heroes.
The truth is simple; I strayed from my roots as a WildStorm fan long before the
company ever changed hands from Image to DC. Sure, I’d stick around for an
occasional mini like Brubaker’s “Authority” or Freeman and Bernadin’s “Highway
Men”, but for the most part, when editorial slammed the door in Casey’s face I
felt as if I’d been personally insulted. So what Grant Morrison was going to
team up with Jim Lee? They were bringing back the colorful costumes and the
Daemonites, and ignoring virtually EVERYTHING that was cool about the characters
at that time in favor of trying to recapture the in-your-face attitude the
company built as its foundation in the early ninety’s. Then that series went
nowhere, and they were forced to reboot again, and so, here we are.
The WildStorm Universe as a whole is in a state of shambles. The current
post-apocalyptic direction that’s been taken has really turned me off to the
universe as a whole, even for old favorites like the ‘Cats or “The Authority”.
It’s bad enough that the citizens of DC’s Earth-50 just had their world wrought
asunder, but not they have to deal with an alien invasion on top of an alien
invasion (no that’s NOT a typo). So the Kherans, the group of ‘good’ aliens that
the WildCats belonged to back when they were the WildC.A.T.S., have come looking
to terraform Earth to meet their environmental needs when the rest of the
invading party come to colonize. So while all the heroes of the WildStorm
Universe are present and accounted for, and apparently getting their asses
handed to them by an elite group of Kheran soldiers known as the Red Blade,
another band of alien invaders, known as Sliding Albion, come to take a shot at
taking the planet for themselves.
Blah, blah, blah, yeah, that’s all well and good, but does it come off as cool?
No, it doesn’t. There’s a lot of really f***ed up $#!t that they did to get this
universe to this place, and I’m not particularly sure as to why. It’s almost as
if the entire sum of minds at the DC/WildStorm offices thought the only cool way
to make their characters popular is have everything revert back to 1994. Take a
look at the George Perez cover (maybe the only truly cool thing about the book);
I count three people without shoulder pads, and why does The Midnighter have
SPIKES jutting from his jacket?! Spartan, who may have had the most
characterization, or at least the most transformative journey of everyone on the
team looks like Buzz Lightyear with a battle axe.
To carry on as to the lazy, uninspired feel of the WildStorm Universe one must
only point to the costumes worn by the latest incarnation of the classic Gen-13
team. Freefall is fast, so she has a lightning bolt symbol on her chest, makes
sense; Burnout controls flame, so he has fire on his chest, still with me?
Grunge’s body takes on the properties of anything that he can touch, so his
chest emblem is a picture of his hand, touching something. I mean, seriously? Is
that what it’s come down to? Is there really that little creativity left in the
swamp of ideas that is DC/WildStorm?
Anyone who likes this crap and continues to buy it is, in my opinion,
contributing to the degradation of the medium. Purchasing this garbage is akin
to creating it, and by exercising your opinion with your hard-earned dollar
you’re, in effect, telling the powers-that-be that it’s okay to continue to push
this wretched, uncreative, fecal explosion into stores and onto shelves. I don’t
like it, and you shouldn’t either.
This is the second time I’ve tried to get into this new take on an old favorite,
but unfortunately I haven’t found anything redeeming about its regression. Sure,
the art by Tim Seeley is well done, but everything else about this book is over
done, leaving a foul, distinctively 90’s taste in my mouth. I’m sure there will
never be a 100% turn around of the characters, stories, or the desolate state of
the WS universe as a whole, but man, somebody has to get their collective $#!t
together. Who wants to read about superheroes in a post-apocalyptic wasteland?
Exactly, no one.
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PILOT SEASON: DEMONIC |
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Writer:
Robert Kirkman Artist:
Joe Benitez |
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Reviewer:
"Sweet" Dan Sweet
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Publisher:
Image/Top Cow Comics
Shipped On:
012710
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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/TOP COW'S SYNOPSIS:
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The demon is in his head. The demon makes him strong. The demon gets angry when
he doesn't kill. Scott Graves is possessed and he will do anything the demon
asks as long as it promises not to make him kill his wife and daughter. Scott
stalks in the night as Demonic, a vigilante known for savagely slaughtering the
wicked. He asks himself, how long can he continue living this way and what if
the demon isn't real? |
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SWEET DAN'S REVIEW:
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Good idea, but it suffers a flawed execution. That’s what I took away from
Kirkman and Silvestri’s newest concept in the Top Cow Pilot Season promotion,
that’s so far seen two, no, four books win, and exactly…one series released as a
result, with a second $#!t-canned for creative differences. I don’t know if they
just like the name “Pilot Season” or what, but usually pilots are followed by a
series (whether mini, maxi, or on-going, it doesn’t matter) and that doesn’t
seem to be the case here. However, this is the first year in which all five
entries are penned by the same author, with only the art chores handled by
separate teams.
“Demonic” is the second of Kirkman and Silvestri’s offerings, and while I found
it to be sound in concept, I didn’t really think much of the finished product.
It’s not that I find the writing to be particularly bad, I’m a fan of Kirman’s
other works, and the art is tolerable, not my thing per say, but it’s keeping
within the Top Cow ‘House Style’ that’s been laid down by the creative teams of
yesteryear. I just don’t think it works as a done-in-one book. There are too
many questions that are left unanswered, and while I understand that it’s
supposed to keep you wanting more, this left me need more information.
At night a family man is visited by a demon, to which he owes some sort of debt,
and in order to keep the demon from devouring the souls of his wife and child,
this man dons a silly costume with sharp finger-blades and stalks the streets
for any criminal element he can find. The problem? The only element he comes
across is a squad of police officers that have been assigned to take the
dangerous vigilante down. Where Batman would throw a few smoke bombs, and maybe,
just maybe throw a few punches, Demonic starts hacking cops into tiny,
bite-sized pieces, leaving a trail of blood and carnage in his wake that’s sure
to make him public enemy number one in the eyes of law enforcement.
The problem that I have is that there’s no rhyme or reason to it all. Demonic is
a man tortured by the never-ending taunts of an evil, demon beast, to whom a
debt is owed, but why? Why does Demonic choose to assault the police officers as
opposed to escaping without any violence? What exactly is this guy capable of?
Because I can’t figure out what his powers are other than evading shots fired at
him from fully automatic assault rifles no more than a foot away from him…or is
he invulnerable? These are just some of the basic things that should be somewhat
obvious to a reader; the only thing this guy does that is so impressive is chop
body parts off with a single, graceful, slice.
Joe Benitez does a great job illustrating the carnage. Since it’s a ‘Pilot
Season’ book there’s a lot of posing and posturing the character, pin-up style.
I think he’d be great on a Wolverine title, considering this is a lot like
Wolverine, only with demons. The line work is solid, but the backgrounds are
sparse. I’d like to see more of an environment established in an issue like
this, where I’m supposed to develop an interest in what’s going on.
Overall, I’m sure this will not go on to win the contest. There’s just not
enough substantial story to keep people clamoring for more. Even the ‘twist’ at
the end is weak, and easily deduced through the less-than-subtle foreshadowing
that Kirkman beats readers over the head with. Again, that’s not a slight
against the guy as an author, I love a lot of his work, but this time he just
took a swing, and missed.
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GI JOE: COBRA II #1
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Writers:
Mike Costa and Christos Gage Artist:
Antonio Fuso |
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Reviewer:
"Sweet" Dan Sweet
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Publisher:
IDW Comics
Shipped On:
012710
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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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IDW'S SYNOPSIS:
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"CHUCKLES is the only man alive to have successfully infiltrated COBRA...and
he’s M.I.A. Has he been killed? Defected? Gone rogue to fight a one-man war
against the enemy? None of these alternatives are acceptable to GENERAL HAWK. He
wants CHUCKLES back with G.I. JOE, so he’s sending a new Joe to retrieve him.
But what she finds may be worse than anyone could have imagined... Also, get a
deeper look inside COBRA than ever before, as TOMAX, XAMOT, and Erika continue
to feel the effects of the previous miniseries, and several COBRA operatives are
introduced for the first time in an IDW book!"
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SWEET DAN'S REVIEW:
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I grew up with the Joes. It was one of the only toys that I could buy at the
drug store, down the street from my house, with just some loose change that I
scraped together from searching through the couch cushions. I thought the idea
of a paramilitary organization design with one purpose, to stop terrorism, was
the coolest thing on the planet, and in some ways, I still do. I was too young
for the G.I. Joe stuff that Marvel put out in the late 80’s and early 90’s, and
the re-launch at DDP, written by Josh Blaylock was cool, even though it was
riding the wave of throw-back titles that came out around that time (TMNT,
Thundercats, and G-Force, to name just a few).
Writers have tried time and again to make the children’s toy-turned comic book a
bit more adult friendly, by darkening the tone of the book, and adding a whole
lot of superfluous violence. You get a bit of both in this issue, which reads
like an episode of ‘24’ crossbred with the big summer blockbuster that just so
happens to share a title with this comic (although the tagline is different).
Shadow governments, private military contracts, espionage, chicks with guns,
it’s all a part of trying to make a kid-friendly concept not-so-kid-friendly,
and while the book is good, it’s not the first to take the characters in this
direction.
Gage is a great writer, and while I’m not familiar with Mike Costa’s work, the
two seem to blend together quite well, with no glaring differences in tone from
scene to scene. The plot is pretty simple; a Joe went and got himself caught by
the enemy. Now, another Joe has to slip in undetected and extract the prisoner,
oh, and wreaks as much havoc as she can on the way in. Jinx, and Chuckles, two
established, but somewhat under used characters star in the issue, with General
Hawk serving as the only other Joe to appear. There’s a great deal of Cobra
stuff, and I guess that’s appropriate considering the title, but I’m not sure
where it’s all going.
The art sets the tone quite well, with a great deal of detail going into the
textures and backgrounds, which a guy like me can appreciate. The characters
remind me of Jae Lee, and that’s not a bad thing. I think the action, what
little there is, is handled quite well. There’s a tremendous amount of violence
crammed into only two pages, and it serves to show what kind of bad asses we’re
dealing with on this outing. It was cool to see some ninja stuff that didn’t
revolve around Snake-Eyes and Storm Shadow. I’m glad that the Joes have lasted
as long as they have, and this latest resurgence in their popularity is sure to
extend their shelf-life for quite a bit.
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GREEN LANTERN #50
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Writer:
Geoff Johns Artist:
Doug Mahnke |
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Reviewer:
"Sweet" Dan Sweet
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Publisher:
DC Comics
Shipped On:
012710
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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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BLACKEST NIGHT spreads with an oversized anniversary issue! Surrounded by
friends and enemies, Hal Jordan goes into battle with a being he will never
defeat – the Black Lantern Spectre! Can Saint Walker, Sinestro and the others
put a stop to this bizarre Spectre rebirth?
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SWEET DAN'S REVIEW:
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Here’s a suggestion for Mr. Geoff Johns: Don’t unveil a comic’s last
page-‘surprise’ on the cover of the book, it’s anti-climactic. Everyone who’s
familiar with my column already knows that I’m not the biggest Johns fan in the
world. It’s not that I’d put him on the short list of creators I think are
horrible, but I just don’t find his style of classic-contemporary comic writing
to be my cup of tea. This latest “Blackest Night” offering is little more than a
giant fight-scene, giving the author a chance to show off the latest recruits of
the multi-colored Lantern Corp, which is cool, because it gives Doug Mahnke a
chance to stretch his legs a bit, and he illustrates the crap out of this title.
Too bad, all Johns gives him to illustrate is crap.
Like I said previously, this issue is nothing more than a drawn-out fight scene
between the latest batch of Lanterns (The Atom, The Flash, Wonder Woman, Mera,
Scarecrow, and Lex Luthor), their predecessors, and the Black Lantern-Spectre.
Apart from the occasional character beat, which were few and far between, Johns
does his best to keep the characters as bland as possible. In a book that
guest-stars Lex Luthor in possession of an Orange Ring of Avarice, you’d think
he’d get more that TWO WORDS. The Atom is in two whole panels before he’s
shuffled off in favor Hal and Sinestro. Heck, Scarecrow has more lines than The
Atom, Lex, and Wonder Woman combined, which would be interesting if I believed,
for one second, that he may remain a more powerful player in the DCU, but
judging from the plethora of books that were released last week that take place
AFTER this series ends, I’m not getting my hopes up.
That may be the biggest problem I have with this series, so far, there doesn’t
seem to be anything drastically different going on. I’m aware that the mini
still has two issues, and however many tie-in issues, to go before it’s all
wrapped up in a nice little bow, but I’m not sold on the Green Lantern Corp (or
any other Corp) playing a bigger part in the DCU by the time this is all over.
I’m not sold on any dead characters comic back to life; I’m not sold on any of
the power-ups, tossed around like beads-for-breasts at Mardi Graz, lasting
beyond the final issue of the series; I’m not sold on the character of Hal
Jordan, and the ultra-macho, yet indecisive way Johns depicts him.
Jordan isn’t thrilled that the rings chose Luthor or Crane (Scarecrow) as
representatives of Avarice and Fear, as a result he thinks that he should
attempt to disarm them, separating them from their orange and yellow rings,
respectively; then seven panels later he says “We need to…hit Nekron not each
other.” First, Nekron isn’t in the comic, so that was kinda weird, and second,
Jordan was the one that was starting all the infighting, so the line only served
to make Jordan look wishy-washy. Not to mention the use of the made-up word
‘fear-asaurus’ by Jordan, as he attempts to insult the entity known as Parallax,
right before allowing the being to possess him. Really Geoff? ‘Fear-asaurus’ is
the best you could come up with when you share an office with Jeph Loeb and
Allan Heinberg? As soon as Hal said that, Sinestro and Carol Ferris should have
taken turns kicking him in the balls; that’s how lame that line was.
Alright, so I’ve been ragging on the writing, but to be honest, there isn’t one
bad thing I can say about the way the book looks. Doug Mahnke, time after time,
solidifies my opinion that he’s easily one of the most talented, and consistent
artists employed by DC. If there was one down side it would be the inks were
inconsistent, but when there are five inkers credited as working on the art it’s
not too surprising that the cohesion would be thrown off. Other than that I have
no bad things to say, Mahnke is a master of his craft, and if he’d been teamed
with one inker as opposed to four (one of the five credited inkers is Mahnke
himself) the illustration would have been flawless.
All in all, I’m glad the “Blackest Night” is coming to an end. I can’t honestly
say that I’m excited for “Brightest Day”, but depending on the mini-series’
final couple of issues, if there’s enough of a drastic direction-shift in the
DCU to warrant curiosity, then I’ll check it out. Otherwise, if it’s just
another Geoff Johns’ stroll down ‘memory lane’, where the characters are bland,
boring, caricatures of what he remembers reading, well, then count me out.
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JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #41 |
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Writer:
James Robinson Artist:
Mark Bagley |
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Reviewer:
"Sweet" Dan Sweet
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Publisher:
DC Comics
Shipped On:
012710
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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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Who is the face of true evil in the Ultimate Universe? What is the biggest
secret the world doesn't know? Join the gathered heroes as they embark on an
adventure unlike anything seen in Marvel Comics...and that's a promise!!
Ultimate Universe co-founder, BRIAN MICHAEL BENDIS (Ultimate Spider-Man, Secret
Invasion) and rising star Rafa Sandoval (Avengers: The Initiative) unveils this
important new chapter in the most exciting line in comics!!
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SWEET DAN'S REVIEW:
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The summer’s big, cross-over, event comics drawing to a close, the board is
clear, and the pieces are finally in place for Jim Robinson’s take on ‘the
world’s greatest superheroes’, but does anybody still care? The truth is that I
don’t, but that doesn’t mean I wasn’t anxiously awaiting this little gem with
the utmost anticipation, all the while planning to tear into J.R. (not that J.R.)
if I found anything that I considered cheesy, hokey, or well, too ‘Jim
Robinson’.
I must say that I wasn’t surprised at all with the campy, unsatisfying dialogue;
cliché-riddled, pretentious, whiny snots…that’s the state of the JLA in
Robinson’s hands. There’s a scene between Donna Troy and Wonder Woman where
Diana convinces her younger counterpart that their life will always be devoted
to causes larger than themselves; that’s all well and good, but if that’s the
case why is Wondy passing the buck to Wonder Girl? Donna Troy then goes about
collecting random members of the Titans, convincing them that they’re needed on
more urgent business.
Starfire, Cyborg, the current Batman - Dick Grayson, Dr. Light, Mon-El, and
apparently Green Lantern and Green Arrow, not to mention the Guardian, and
Congorilla are featured but it’s not clear as to whether they’re going to play
bigger roles in the story. At some points it’s hard not to confuse this
incarnation of the Justice League with the Legion of Substitute Heroes, but on
the other hand, a lot of these characters are established personalities that
many could argue are deserving of their shot in the big time. I’m most
interested in the inclusion of classic Leaguers like G.L. and G.A., as the book
wasn’t initially marketed as anything other than DC’s perpetual need to reinvent
the team, minus the big three.
Mark Bagley is an artist’s artist. I don’t think there’s ever been a deadline
that the guy has been incapable of meeting, while far exceeding expectations
along the way. It’s clear that he’s a fan of Donna Troy, as he pays her and her
breasts a great deal of attention through out the issue. I also thought that his
rendition of Mon-El is by far the best that I’ve seen from anyone in the DC
camp. There’s an element about his work that really fits the DC Universe and its
characters more so than Marvel. It’s no wonder they had tucked him away in the
Ultimate corner for damn near ten years before he jumped ship. Seeing him
illustrate the light-hearted DCU nobility, such as GL, Wonder Woman, and Batman
makes more sense than the dark and brooding characters that freckle the
landscape at every other comic company.
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ULTIMATE COMICS ENEMY #1 (OF 4)
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Writer:
Brian Bendis Artist:
Raphael Sandoval |
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Reviewer:
"Sweet" Dan Sweet
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Publisher:
Marvel Comics
Shipped On:
012710
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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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Who is the face of true evil in the Ultimate Universe? What is the biggest
secret the world doesn't know? Join the gathered heroes as they embark on an
adventure unlike anything seen in Marvel Comics...and that's a promise!!
Ultimate Universe co-founder, BRIAN MICHAEL BENDIS (Ultimate Spider-Man, Secret
Invasion) and rising star Rafa Sandoval (Avengers: The Initiative) unveils this
important new chapter in the most exciting line in comics!!
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SWEET DAN'S REVIEW:
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Something is amiss in the Ultimate Universe, and for the first time in half a
year, it’s not Jeph Loeb. Nope, Brian Bendis gets the latest catastrophe-ball
rolling with “Ultimate Enemy” and really just serves to confuse the hell out of
me, and even though I’m a fan of Bendis, I’m not sure I’m into it this time.
With everyone getting over the Ultimatum that Magneto gave the world, it’s easy
to see why someone would wait until the heroes of the Ult. U. were at their
lowest before attempting to strike; what we get is a preemptive assault that,
well, I hope it’s a preemptive assault. I really hope this isn’t the Ultimate
Marvel Universe versus the big, nasty,
purple-thing-that-looks-like-chewed-up-gum.
Jessica Drew is a clone of Peter Parker, created by the Roxxon Corporation, and
as such, she feels as if the company may owe her thing or two. She swings into
action, and into our hearts, as she is the first on the scene when the giant,
oozing, purple mass makes its big debut. The story jumps from there to the
Richards household, and not the one we’ve come to know and love from the
616-Universe, but rather Reed’s family (seeing as how the Ultimate Reed is only
a teenager) just before they get blowed-the-heck-up by some unseen, but
obviously hardcore bad guy.
What comes next is a departure from the death and devastation that’s served to
set the tone for the title so far. Bendis adds a great deal of depth to Susan
Storm’s character, causing me to yearn for the days of “Ultimate Fantastic Four”
when he, and Mark Millar, really amped up the energy level of the characters and
their cluttered mythos. There’s a brief reunion between her and the ever-lovin’,
blue-eyed Thing, Ben Grimm, in which a secret is revealed that may have been
better kept under lock and key. I’m not sure what the reason was for the twist,
but it’s interesting, and I’m sure it will play some sort of a role in wherever
these two end up at the end of this whole shpiel.
The final scene serves to complicate matters a bit. An old guy, sitting at an
out-door café turns out to be Nick Fury, in one of those really cool ‘Mission
Impossible’ style masks that could turn Sam Jackson into an old, white dude. It
turns out that whatever it is that’s been tearing apart different parts of the
city has been on the look out for the world’s number one super-spy, and now that
he’s got Fury right where he wants him…to be continued. There’s no reveal as to
who’s causing all the destruction, and to be honest, I’m not sure if it’s really
that pertinent at this point.
You know what I’ve noticed, there is a sever lack of respect for human life in
the Ultimate Marvel Universe. First, Loeb goes and murders millions at the hands
of the master of magnetism, and now Bendis takes out families, kids,
pedestrians, and anyone else that gets in his way, and doesn’t’ bother to tell
us what the hell is going on. I can’t imagine this series lasting less than six
issues, so by my calculations we might know what’s going on by issue three or
four. At least Loeb isn’t writing it, it might go years before the mystery is
solved (I’m looking at you Rulk).
The true star of this whole issue is Rapha Sandoval, whose Ultimate U is a mix
of Stuart Immomen and Steve McNiven. His interpretation of Ben Grimm is one of
the best I’ve seen since Art Adams, and that’s a big deal for me (as Grimm is
one of my favorite characters, ever). He’s able to flawlessly illustrate the
tumultuous ordeal that the citizens of Ultimate New York are once again
subjected to, and even though no one throws a punch (the Thing does get hit
once) it doesn’t feel as though there isn’t enough action. I’m anxious to see
what else Bendis thought would be cool to see Sandoval illustrate, and even if I
don’t think the story is really cooking with gas just yet, I’m sticking with
this title for the art alone.
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AVENGERS VS AGENTS OF ATLAS #1 (of 4) |
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Writer:
Jeff Parker
Artists:
Gabriel Hardman & Takeshi Miyazawa |
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Reviewer:
"Sweet" Dan Sweet
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Publisher:
Marvel
Comics
Shipped On:
012010 |
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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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Spacetime is being selectively eroded by an unknown force. To stop the effect,
the Agents of Atlas seek the help of the Avengers- and find a much earlier
version of the team than they expected: Captain America, Iron Man, Wasp,
Giant-Man and Thor are together again, with the atomic wildcard THE HULK! |
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SWEET DAN'S REVIEW:
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Somebody’s gotta' hand it to Jeff Parker; the guy just won’t allow the Agents of
Atlas to go away without a fight. First, it was the X-Men, then the
Thunderbolts, and now, finally, the Avengers; whose toes are these guys going to
step on next? After a cancelled series, a back-up in a cancelled series (sorry
‘Herc’ fans), a mini-series, and now a second mini-series, a guy can only wonder
where this is all going. Is Marvel going to rel-aunch the series with Parker at
the helm? Or is the team destined to star in cross-over after cross-over, with
no real growth, for ever and ever, and ever?
SO, there’s some weird $#!t going on in the 616 and you know what that
means…time for guys in costumes to punch stuff! The issue starts with a couple
of simultaneous attacks on the island of Manhattan and southern Arizona…yeah,
Arizona. Lava men, the Growing Man, and some odd spiritual energy seem to be the
primary antagonists. Atlas attempts to help, but their misguided style of
‘shoot-first, ask questions if anyone makes it out alive’ approach only ends up
assisting the bad guys more than the good ones. By the end of the issue there’s
a bit of a shake up, with the New Avengers getting sucked into some
vortex-of-strange, only it’s the original Avengers who find their way out.
Truth-be-told, I have no idea what is really going on. This is the first time
I’ve seen the Agents go up against a threat that may be rooted in Avenger
continuity, or it may be the first time we’ve seen the threat at all. In fact,
most of the time the Agents of Atlas are busy fighting other super-heroes, so it
was cool to see a bit of a team-up, despite how brief it actually was. I’m
curious if the Avengers who made it out of the swirling, dark, void of
nothingness, plan on throwing down with the ‘AoA’, and if so, is Parker planning
on jobbing them out to get his boys over?
Gabriel Hardman is capable of capturing a contemporary feel while maintaining a
classic look to his art. His style would be right at home on a title like
“Daredevil” or “Iron Fist”, and it fits both the ‘Agents’ and the ‘Avengers’
quite well. He’s another guy who does his own inking, which I’m not always in
favor of, but in this case, I can’t complain. I’ve seen his work before on the
“Agents” title, and I’d be able to get into his work on pretty much anything
he’s given. I know his style isn’t going to be for everyone, but I can’t really
wrap my head around ‘why?’. The fact that editorial felt the need to slap a
cartoony Humberto Ramos cover, which is about as far away from Hardman’s style
as it comes, really perplexes me.
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JOE THE BARBARIAN #1 |
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Writer:
Grant Morrison
Artist:
Sean Murphy
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Reviewer:
"Sweet" Dan Sweet
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Publisher:
DC Comics
Shipped On:
012010 |
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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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DC/VERTIGO'S SYNOPSIS:
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Having an overactive imagination can get a kid through a lot, but it doesn't
change the facts: Joe's still the kid in school that can't fit in. He's the
victim of bullies. His dad died overseas in the Iraq war. And then there's the
Type 1 diabetes he has to live with. So is it insulin-deprived delirium or
something much, much bigger that transports Joe to a land inhabited by all his
toys - from ninja commandos to action robots to magical knights to star fleet
captains? Is Joe really the savior of this wild fantasyland that's been held
under siege by dark magic and evil forces? With the help of a samurai rodent, is
he ready to take back besieged castles and win the freedom of an oppressed
people? Or is he just an over imaginative boy who could die if he doesn't take
his meds? |
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SWEET DAN'S REVIEW:
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Anyone who’s ever read a Grant Morrison-penned comic knows that there’s a whole
other series of world’s in that guy’s head from which he can draw endless
inspiration. I can only imagine that his newest ‘Vertigo’ series “Joe the
Barbarian” is somewhat based, however loosely, on his own plus-sized
imagination, and whatever trouble it got him into, or kept him out of (depending
on how you look at it). Say what you want about the man’s latest take on the DCU
in “Final Crisis”, or his anti-climactic Bat-family opus “R.I.P.”, but I’ve
found his best work to be in the independent realm, and this is no exception.
It sucks being a kid, sometimes. I’m not sure if that’s the point of this story,
or any story this reminds you of (I can think of a few), but that’s where it all
begins really. Joe’s a diabetic, with a dead father and a less-than-attentive
mother wrapped up in her financial instability. He gets picked on by older kids,
and it’s pretty obvious he has no idea what to do with the attention he receives
from a female classmate. He seeks solace in an attic-hideaway where he keeps his
toys, and books, and from what I can tell, a rat who may be Joe’s only friend,
at least in this world.
Yeah, that’s where the story takes an unusual turn. It’s still rather unclear to
me if Joe is somehow transporting himself between the real world and an
imaginary land in which his toys come to life, or if he’s a sick kid, suffering
from delusions of grandeur. Morrison lends credence to both theories, and it
wouldn’t be unlike him to add a dark, sickly twist on an old-school plot device.
In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised at all, judging from the tone of the first
issue, if the whole thing is an ode to the macabre style of fairy tales written
by the Brothers Grimm all those years ago, and if anyone in the current comic
climate could pull it off, smart money’s on Morrison.
Sean Murphy is a very important part of the comic’s appeal. His line-work and
his inks are able to conjure up imagery that feels cutting-edge, yet dated,
simultaneously. It’s a fine line to walk, daring to be different whilst paying
homage to everything that inspired you as a kid, whether it’s mom and dad’s old,
raggedy furniture, or the action-figures that litter the floor of Joe’s
sanctuary; still the whole issue feels like Murphy is coasting along, not even
getting to the really good stuff yet, which only leaves me anticipating the next
issue even more.
I’m in love with Vertigo’s latest marketing plan. By releasing the debut issue
of each new on-going (I’m not actually sure if this is an on-going) series for
only a dollar, they’ve effectively combated the argument that a fan can’t pick
up a new series for fear of being disappointed by what they’ll find. While each
new Marvel title that comes out clocks in a $3.99, whether a first issue or
last, Vertigo has taken a different approach, almost as if they’re daring
readers to take a chance on their books, more often than not gaining new fans as
opposed to alienating them. I haven’t been on-board with EVERYTHING the
publisher has put out this year (alright, alright, I didn’t get “Greek Street”;
it was over my head), I’ve found most to be a delightful vacation from formulaic
super-heroics.
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MERC: BROKEN WORLD #1 |
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Writer:
Jerry Brown
Artist:
Daniel Schneiderr
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Reviewer:
"Sweet" Dan Sweet
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Publisher:
Zenescope Entertainment
Shipped On:
012010 |
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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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ZENESCOPE'S SYNOPSIS:
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Fifty years in the future the world has become a strange blend of advanced
technology interwoven with a seedy and gritty underbelly. And this world is
where you will find a Merc named Sonny Grissom. Sonny is a human mercenary whose
obscene blend of human tissue and cybernetics has taken a drastic toll in just
ten short years. Sonny was once considered the best in the business, and he
still might be, but Sonny's coming to the end of the road and he knows it. He's
also about to get the one offer that might give him his only chance at redeeming
a wasted life. And who knows, today might be the day he takes his last shot.
Blade Runner meets Die Hard in the brand new supernatural action thriller
mini-series from Zenescope Entertainment.!
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SWEET DAN'S REVIEW:
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Drawing inspiration from any number of fan-favorite genre films, and other
sci-fi sources comes “MERC: Broken World” from Zenescope, where high-profile
hit-men are commonplace. The world is a $#!t-hole; disease and corruption run
rampant, and men find work by harvesting the useful organs of civilians, and
selling them on the black market. Corporations hire others to augment their
physique with machinery, and their mental chemistry with drugs and toxins;
utilizing these mercenaries as weapons in a never-ending war of corporate
espionage and deceit.
I was simultaneously wowed and bored with the environment of the story, and I
don’t mean to walk that line, but I have to. I found the retread of ground
broken so many times, and in so many better ways before to be rather ho-hum. In
truth, I feel that way about most stories with ‘dystopian-future’ settings;
there needs to be a deciding factor, or some top-notch description for me to
avoid instantly writing it off in comparison with something else. But, I did
find the graphic violence satisfying, and ‘devil may care’ attitude the writer
had toward the inhabitants of the story to be rather interesting.
It’s not a safe story, but it’s not a ground-breaking one either. Jerry Brown
didn’t get enough of a chance to establish an environment, but he did manage to
make me believe that anything is possible. SO, who knows, maybe this story is
going some place? I doubt I’ll stick around long enough to find out. Daniel
Schneider’s visual style is similar to Mike Choi’s in that he uses long, clean
lines to define his characters, and you can sense a very distinct influence of
Manga amongst the panel lay-outs and the perspective.
I don’t hate this book, but I definitely didn’t like it enough to stick around.
The concept, if fleshed out properly shows a great deal of promise, but the book
is clearly lacking in the ‘details’ department, and that goes for both the
writer and the artist.
I’d like to see more backgrounds (I’m a stickler for environment, what can I
say…), and obviously more background on the world that this story is set in.
It’s not that far from what I look for in a comic, but it doesn’t deliver on
some key points.
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HULK #19 |
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Writer:
Jeph Loeb
Artist:
Ed McGuinness
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Reviewer:
"Sweet" Dan Sweet
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Publisher:
Marvel
Comics
Shipped On:
012010 |
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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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This is it! The Fall of The Hulks begins here. The opening round: THE RED HULK
VS. THE THING with Reed Richards' life at stake. When the Baxter Building is
attacked by the all-new, all-deadly Frightful Four, who will save the Fantastic
Four? How about THE RED HULK? Not a chance. The superstar team of JEPH LOEB and
ED McGUINNESS shotgun this mindblowing chapter of the biggest Hulkventure of
them all
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SWEET DAN'S REVIEW:
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The never-ending saga of ‘Who is the Red Hulk?’ continues here, and while I’m
sure, in the end, people may be able to make sense of this stuff, I just can’t.
There’s some, seemingly, classic stuff in here like the first time Ben Grimm,
the ever-loving, blue-eyed Thing, gets to throw down with Big Red (that’s my own
personal nick-name for Rulk), as well as a continuation of the “Intelligencia”
idea that first came up in Jeff Parker’s “Fall of the Hulks: Alpha”, which is
cool.
It’s a day just like any other at the Baxter Building, home and headquarters of
the Fantastic Four, and if that’s the case then that can only mean that there’re
bad guys coming, oh wait, they’re already here! The Wizard, a founding member of
the Intelligencia, has reformed and reconfigured his own Frightful Four, with a
few key new-members: Klaw, Lyra (the savage She-Hulk from the future) and the
Trapster. None of the members of this newer and more frightful Foursome could
hold a candle to the FF on their own, but thanks to the master planning of the
Wizard, the bad guys get the drop on our heroes, and manage to kidnap Reed in
the process.
So where’s the Hulk? Or Rulk, or Red She-Hulk, for that matter? Well, you get a
few bits and pieces here and there, but the primary focus is on the guest stars.
Hell, it’s Rulk’s comic, and he only appears on panel for less than half the
number of pages. There’s a lot of the traditional Jeph Loeb-posturing that he’s
become so reviled for; instead of giving us pieces of the bigger picture, he
narrows his focus so that the mystery could go in any number of ways, meaning:
he leaves himself with enough outs that any resolution will seem like it makes
sense.
Ed McGuinness’ style is growing on me. I know, I know, I’ve said that I didn’t
like his square-faced super heroes, and I know I’ve made snarky remarks, but the
more I see of the guy’s work, I can’t help but like it. His rendition of the
Thing is classic, and in truth, I hold any artist that gets the Thing right in
the highest regard. He also manages some great action sequences that put the
earlier issues of this same comic to shame. I don’t know if he’s just getting
more comfortable with his subjects or what, but he’s definitely making a fan out
of me.
I’m not quite sure where all this is going. I’ve said before that I think
Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross is the Red Hulk, and that his daughter, Betty Ross
is the red She-Hulk. What I don’t get is why this series is on the verge of its
second year and fans still don’t really know what’s going on. I’m anxious to see
this story come to an end, and find out what’s going to happen to the characters
during the upcoming “Heroic Age.".
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OUTSIDERS #26 |
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Writer:
Dan Didio
Artist:
Phillip Tan
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Reviewer:
"Sweet" Dan Sweet
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Publisher:
DC Comics
Shipped On:
012010 |
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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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After the horrifying events of BLACKEST NIGHT, Katana and Black Lightning are
dispatched to deal with a terrifying disturbance on the open seas. Meanwhile,
Geo-Force is recalled to Markovia to handle affairs of state. But when Prince
Brion makes a deal with a certain Kryptonian to join the team, the Outsiders
find themselves cast as enemies in the eyes of the world!
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SWEET DAN'S REVIEW:
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They may not be one of DC’s premiere super-teams, or anything even close, but
the Outsiders hold a special place in many fans’ hearts. One of those fans just
happened to be Editor-in-Chief of DC Comics, Dan DiDio, and since his back-up
feature “The Metal Men” is wrapping up with the next issue of “Doom Patrol”, and
apparently he hadn’t relieved himself of that ‘writer’s itch’ that’s plagued him
recently…so here we are.
I’ve never f***ing liked Geo-Force, let’s just get that out of the way right
here and now. I didn’t like him as a kid, I didn’t like it when Brad Meltzer
picked him to be part of his revamped Justice League, and I like him even less
in the hands of Dan DiDio than I did in those of Peter Tomasi. There’s something
about regal characteristics that don’t mesh well with the altruistic qualities
one looks for in their super-heroics; it’s very much an oil/water thing. Well
kids, this is very much a Geo-Force – centered issue, and considering the fact
that I’ve never f***ing liked Geo-Force, I wasn’t enthralled.
The big shift in the comic’s direction is in the changing of the proverbial
guard; “The Outsiders” have always fallen under the Batman-family of titles,
considering Bruce was the one who established the team. The cover of this latest
issue proclaims itself as “Superman and the Outsiders” and no doubt, by the end
of the issue it’s plugged into the Superman world, and all of its goings-on, in
a way that no other DC title has dared to do. It’s difficult to go into details
without spoiling a great deal of the surprise involved with the last-page
reveal, but let’s just say a certain Eo-gay-Orce-fay allies-ay imself-ay and-ay
is-hay ountry-cay ith-way e-thay Eradicator-ay and-ay e-thay lanet-pay of-ay Ew-nay
Rypton-kay. How’s that?
Phillip Tan’s artwork has looked better. A lot better, to be quite honest. I’m
not a fan of the inks, or the colors of the issue either. Everything came off as
soft and out of focus, and though I wasn’t a fan of the previous art team
either, I think they had a better feel for the characters. The fill-in spots by
Don Kramer were by far my favorite parts, visually, and I think he only did a
couple of pages, if that. I don’t know what look they’re going for with this,
but it’s non-traditional, and while I try not to punk anyone that’s going that
route, I can’t support this. The book needs a more consistent flow to the colors
and inks, from page to page, before anyone is going to take it seriously,
visually speaking.
I don’t mind a majority of the changes made to DC through out the time DiDio has
served as Editor, but I’m not sure of what I think of him as a writer. The only
other exposure I’ve had to anything he’s written is the “Metal Men” and that’s
not exactly a book that anyone writes in an effort to be taken seriously. I’m
understanding of this bold, new direction they feel the need to take this title
in, but wouldn’t be surprised if this exercise in vanity suffers an untimely
demise at the hands of the commander-in-chief .
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INCORRUPTIBLE #1 & #2 |
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Writer:
Mark Waid
Artist:
Jean Diaz
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Reviewer:
"Sweet" Dan Sweet
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Publisher:
BOOM!
Comics
Shipped On:
012010 (#2), 121609 (#1) |
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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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BOOM'S SYNOPSIS #1:
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Super villain Max Damage had an epiphany the day The Plutonian destroyed Sky
City. When The Plutonian turned his back on humanity, Max Damage decided to step
up. Now Max Damage has changed his name to Max Daring and turned from his
formerly selfish ways to become Incorruptible. The flip side to this year's
break-out smash hit, examining the hard, difficult road to changing your ways
and making a difference in the world. |
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BOOM'S SYNOPSIS #2:
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The reformed super villain Max Damage and his sidekick, the less reformed
Jailbait, set out on their first mission - to extract vengeance against an old
ally who must be brought to justice and who holds an important key to Max's
plans to bring down the Plutonian! Covers by Tommy Lee Edwards and Rafael
Albuquerque. . |
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SWEET DAN'S REVIEW:
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So this review’s been a little while in the making, not quite as long as the
planning for “Siege” or “Avatar” or anything of that magnitude, but, well…okay,
it’s been about a month, or so. Give or take. The thing is I’m still really
excited about BOOM! Studios latest foray into the world of super heroes, or is
it super villains, or both? I’m not sure, but I know what I like, and I LOVE
this! It’s been a while since someone has gone out of their way to tell stories
about super-people that don’t feel like retreads of tales told before, and Mark
Waid’s done it twice in the same year.
After the hit series “Irredeemable”, which explored the idea of the world’s
greatest super-hero’s snapping, sending him plunging off the deep end, and
becoming the world’s most feared villain, Waid appears ready to turn the tables
on himself, as well as the BOOM! Universe, as Max Damage, formerly the world’s
foremost name in super-villainy, makes the switch from the bad-guys to the side
of the angels. To the surprise of both his partners and the police, Damage
manages to shut down his own people with limited collateral damage, and walking
right past the police when they issue warnings of arrest.
It’s a weird take on a classic comic device. How many times has a good guy
thrown in the towel and switched teams? Too often for it to really have any
impact on readers anymore; it seems characters are changing allegiances more
often than they’re changing the little colored underpants on the outside of
their costumes. It does play well with the idea established in “Irredeemable” –
if all the heroes are dead, gone, or hiding, someone still has to step up and
help people. But, what makes the most-wanted super-criminal turn on his men? It
seems a close encounter with a certain Plutonian (The Plutonian, duh) is all it
took to show Max the err of his ways.
Somewhere off panel, at the end of the first issue, Max tosses the Chief of
Police into the trunk of his car, high-tails it back to his Max-cave
(Damage-cave?), and fills in the Chief, as well as Jailbait, his underage
partner/girlfriend, as to his recent change of heart. This is where the book
started to lose me a bit. Damage takes a flame-thrower to however many millions
of dollars he’s stolen over the years, citing its ‘tainted’ nature as
justification for not donating it to charity. Then he does the same thing to the
bad-ass car that he’d been rolling around in, color me confused.
The biggest problem I found with these two books, which shouldn’t really be that
big of a problem at all, is the preachy nature it took on at a couple different
points. On more than one occasion Max Damage stares stoically out into the eyes
of readers, claiming his turn is motivated by the most noble, and altruistic of
intentions, as Jailbait or the Chief’s face insinuates someone farted in their
mouths. Waid also uses the same joke in both issues, reminding readers that
Damage used to commit statutory rape on a daily basis, but since his change of
heart he’s just not into it anymore. It all serves to illustrate how dedicated
Damage is to his transformation, but it just comes off as a little too
‘hoity-toity’ for my tastes.
The plot takes an interesting turn toward the middle of the second issue. While
attempting to stop a hostage situation, Damage learns of a man, “Origin”, who
claims to be able to give super powers to normal people, in hopes that they can
use them to take out the Plutonian. We never meet “Origin”, but we do get to
witness his work first-hand, as some fiery, blue, naked man delivers a warning,
right before burning out in more ways than one. He claims that there is a safe
place where everyone would be able to escape the wrath of The Plutonian,
however, it doesn’t exist on this planet.
There’s something about Jean Diaz’s pencils that reminds me of Bryan Hitch. It’s
not a dead-on likeness or anything, but the faces, and characters, as well as
the action just reminds me of Hitch’s “Fantastic Four” run, which was littered
with lazy-looking pencils, and fill-in art. I’m not making that comparison to
bring down the art on THIS book, because I like the art, but as far as what it
reminds me of…that’s that. I’m looking forward to future issues, as well as
getting a chance to explore the rest of this universe and its cast of
characters.
In fact, I don’t think there’s very many BOOM! Studios books that I’m not a fan
of. They’ve done a better job than any other (somewhat) new publisher of
consistently putting out a quality line of products that keep me as interested
as I am, month after month. From “Irredeemable” to “Nola”, “Dingo”, “Mr.
Stuffins” (the “Godfather” of BOOM! Studios books), and now “Incorruptible”; I
may be buying more BOOM! books than I am DC, or Image. At $3.99 a pop, well,
that could get a little rich, but you’ll never see me complain about the
quality. The paper stock is on par with anything you’d get from the Big Three,
and the pencils, inks, and colors are consistently better than a number of
titles that garner more recognition and sales.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not trying to sell their product for them, but I find
the truly ‘good’ comics are few, and far between. When I come across a company
that continues to promote books that are new, and fun, and interesting, without
being too watered-down and soft, I get a little jazzed..
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AVP THREE WORLD WAR #1 Of (6) |
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Writer:
Randy Stradley
Artist:
Rick Leonardi
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Reviewer:
"Sweet" Dan Sweet
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Publisher:
Dark Horse Comics
Shipped On:
011310 |
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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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A centuries-old interstellar conflict threatens humanity's very existence as a
long-lost Predator clan stakes its claim for galactic dominance, intent on
exterminating its rival clan, the selfsame trophy hunters who have plagued
Earth's history and every world they have touched. And if the advanced
technology and military precision of this new threat weren't enough, they have
an even more terrifying weapon at their disposal-Aliens, weaponized and under
their malefic control. This puts earthmen in the dangerous position of parlaying
with the same alien warriors who have relentlessly hunted them, and who better
to carry out the negotiations than Machiko Naguchi, the only human known to have
spent time alongside the Hunters.!
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SWEET DAN'S REVIEW:
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So what happens when you take two extremely successful sci-fi properties that
originally inhabited independent universes, and put them in a blender and hit
mix? “Aliens VS. Predator” happens, and to be honest, it’s hard to believe that
the mash-up originally took place all the way back in 1989. Since then, get
this, there’s been a sequel to the original “Predator” movie, playing up the
conflict by adding an Alien-skull Easter-egg for eager fans, and however many
“Alien” sequels, and that’s just movies. There’ve been no less than ten
miniseries and six crossovers with OTHER universes in the Dark Horse Comics
universe, and finally the sci-fi icons were brought together in film history,
not once, but twice in the “AVP” series of films.
Let’s get this straight, this is not a concept that I’m against, or even wary
of, but I don’t think that Dark Horse has ever had the talent to get a series
like this off the ground, beyond the fans that would buy it regardless of who
wrote or drew the thing. The movies sucked. There, I said it. I didn’t like
either of the two “AVP” movie options, and hadn’t even considered picking up a
book like this in well over a decade, but when I saw the cover I was really
impressed, I thought that maybe, just maybe, Dark Horse was gonna get the
formula right this time and give me something classic, but all I found was Coke
II.
Randy Stradley wrote the very first meeting of the ‘bugs’ and the ‘hunters’, as
they’ve come to be known in the comic world, and it’s come full circle since
he’s back to write this latest offering, (apparently after John Arcudi stepped
aside, I’m guessing for the wildly successful “Wednesday Comics”). The
characters are instantly recognizable even after a long absence from their
world. The colonial marines, the ‘bugs’, the random mining (in this case a
Bauxite Mine) colonies that pop up on the grid just long enough to be completely
obliterated by some invading force, the ‘hunters’ or should I say ‘killers’, and
even Machiko Noguchi, who replaced Ellen Ripley as the strong female lead in the
fist mini; all are familiar faces, too bad their drawn by Rick Leonardi.
Randy and Rick take the old-school route, light on detail but heavy on Predators
killing random $#!t. Sure there are panels that come off looking great, but
there are just as many panels that look crumby and out of focus, and that’s
difficult to pull off with out any lenses involved. Randy’s story doesn’t light
my world on fire either, a legendary clan of rebel ‘hunters’ for whom the pride
of the hunt means nothing, but the thrill of the kill means everything. From
that slight deviation on, it’s pretty standard “Aliens” fare, which is what I
found so disappointing. I’m pretty sure I could come up with a different, and
more interesting, “Predator VS. Aliens” idea whilst on the crapper, in the midst
of a vein-bulging, pain-inducing, dry one..
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STAR TREK CAPTAINS LOG SULU #1
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Writer:
Scott & David Tipton
Artist:
Federica Manfredi
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Reviewer:
"Sweet" Dan Sweet
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Publisher:
IDW
Comics
Shipped On:
011310
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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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IDW'S SYNOPSIS:
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Introducing a brand-new series focusing on some of the most famous Captains in
Starfleet history! In the debut issue, Captain Hikaru Sulu, still new to the
command of the U.S.S. Excelsior, finds himself once again face to face with one
of the Federation's most dangerous and mysterious adversaries-the Tholians! From
the creative team behind Spock: Reflections! |
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SWEET DAN'S REVIEW:
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I always knew there was a reason that I never got into the comic book/prose
spin-offs/continuations of my favorite television and movie series, and though I
could never quite put my finger on what it was, after reading this issue of
“Star Trek: Captain’s Log: Sulu”, I finally know what it is. More of the same.
It all comes off to me as a retread that never quite lives up to the hype of the
source material. I’m not just talking Trek either, I was a “Star Wars” kid
growing up, but never learned to accept anything outside of the original trilogy
(except the ‘Battle for Endor’). “Aliens” and “Predator” movies were great,
until the comics shoehorned them together, and then the movies copied that
theme. So, maybe it’s me, but if I’ve enjoyed one version of a story, I’m not
prone to believe that I’ll appreciate it in another medium entirely.
I think the greatest hindrance “Star Trek” has when attempting to make the leap
backwards from movies (let’s not dwell on the original T.V. series, this is
obviously based on the mythology carried on by original films, not the Abrams
revisit) to comics is that everyone is now used to the big, flashy, cinematic
perspective on the world of ‘Trek’ and its inhabitants. While some of the usual
posturing is comforting at first, it all turns into a farce rather quickly, what
with the traditional bridge shake-up, the loose ties back to the days of the
Enterprise (so the traditionalists shut their traps), and the lack of any real
action.
How exciting do you think it would be to watch the Enterprise (er, Excelsior)
get into a space battle in a comic book? Probably about half as exciting as it
is to watch it fight on the big screen, only the Enterprise is pretty much a
stationary combatant, so that probably wouldn’t be very exciting at all, would
it? Somebody explain that to the guys over at IDW, who probably shelled out big
bucks for the license for this stuff, only to have every issue end with the
Trekker’s finding a diplomatic solution to their problems.
Sulu, even as a ship’s Captain, is still the same Sulu even casual Trek fans
know and heart. Writer’s made sure to let you know that he’s still fencing, and
that despite his promotion he still has what it takes to pilot the grandiose
ships that travel through the cosmos. He even gets a chance to reminisce about
his days on the Enterprise, which really begs the question: What’s the point of
telling these stories about the future of the cast of ‘Trek’ if they’re nothing
but glorified versions of the characters as they’ve been portrayed all along?
Why not have Sulu, in the ‘Trek’ Universe, come out of the closet, just like
that actor playing him did? Why not turn Kirk into a vicious drunk? Is the
mythology that sacred that the fans are willing to accept a watered-down homage
to days gone by?
Overall, I’m not a ‘Trek’ guy, but that’s not to say that I couldn’t become one.
I think the book suffers from a lack of imaginations, and even though it is well
written, I would need a lot more characterization to be able to fully immerse
myself in the mythos. As far as “Star Trek” is concerned, I really enjoyed J.J.
Abrams take on the characters and their world, and while that may discredit me
in the eyes of true Trekkers, I don’t care. At least I won’t have to read
anymore of this.
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POLITICAL POWER #4-RONALD REGAN |
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Writer:
Don Smith Artists:
Heath Foley & M. Scott Woodward |
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Reviewer:
"Sweet" Dan Sweet
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Publisher:
Blue Water Productions
Shipped On:
011310
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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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BLUE WATER'S SYNOPSIS:
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Was the Soviet Union an "Evil Empire"? Was President Ronald Reagan at the right
place and right time when it collapsed? Or was he one of the shrewdest occupants
of the White House? Find out how this Midwesterner-turned-actor-turned-President
went from B-movies to revitalizing the Republican Party and orchestrating the
end of the Cold War
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SWEET DAN'S REVIEW:
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Opinions on former presidents vary depending on individual political views, and
the point of this column isn’t to $#!t on anyone’s legacy, and, add to that the
fact that I wasn’t even born until 1983, and well, you can see why I don’t feel
qualified to nit pick the man’s career. What I do feel qualified to nit pick,
however, is the absolute horse-$#!t job Blue Water Comics did putting this book
together. Printing errors, spelling errors, inconsistent art; overall, a lack of
respect for the readers and the subject of the biography was on display as I
turned the pages, rolling my eyes and sighing the entire time.
Don’t blame it on the fact that in the two general Presidential elections I’ve
been old enough to vote in, I voted Democrat. I didn’t read this with a
preconceived opinion on the man, his term as president, or his legacy, and while
I learned a few interesting tidbits, my opinion on the book was overshadowed by
the consistent lack of professionalism on Blue Water Comics part. On the inside
cover there is a list of people responsible for this steaming pile, but amongst
the names lies not one person to whom the title of ‘editor’ belongs. They made
sure to note in two places that that the paper comes from “controlled sources”,
and “well-managed” and “responsibly harvested forests”; they let you know that
their book was “printed using 100% wind energy”, but what does any of that
matter when you won’t pay someone to make sure you don’t print the issue sans
basic spelling and grammatical errors?
“Writer” Don Smith, and I use that term only because that’s what they printed
next to his name on the inside cover, injects himself into 11 of the 24 pages of
this book, a decision he said kept the book from being “about 30 pages long”. I
don’t know if there is any other work to his credit, but I know I wouldn’t go
looking for it after reading this. I, honestly, felt as if I was reading a paper
written by a high-school student; just a random grouping of facts and figures,
most not even delivered in a concise, chronological order. Lines like “Today,
Mr. President…We’re all republican.” made me groan (and if that’s on-record
somewhere as being the end of that little joking exchange, well, F*** that
doctor) and the two-and-a-half page back-story on communism was a tad excessive,
but hey, it gave him the opportunity to use the same lame joke two times!
The art is pretty horrendous, as well. I don’t know who to blame for what,
because there are two artists credited, but their work isn’t specified, but
neither one really lit my world on fire. I know that a biography comic isn’t the
go-to place for the next comics prodigy, but really, a couple of guys with a
little idea of depth perception wouldn’t be too bad, would it? I noticed that
there’s no ‘inker’ credited on the front page, which leads me to believe that
they colored directly over the pencils, which I hate. So, not only does the book
read like $#!t, but it looks like $#!t, too.
I don’t know Darren G. Davis is, but as “Publisher” of BlueWater Comics he
should be more aware of what his company is producing, and selling, with his
name on it. The fact that this line of books is hailed by libraries as “good
comics for kids” kind of scares me, because it seems like they’re produced by
people with a tenuous grasp of the English language. Or maybe, they’re just so
busy pumping out crap like this that they haven’t gotten around to paying anyone
to do anything as important as “proofreading.”
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ARMY OF TW0 #1 |
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Writer:
Peter Milligan Artist:
Dexter Soy |
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Reviewer:
"Sweet" Dan Sweet
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Publisher:
IDW Publishing
Shipped On:
011310
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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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IDW'S SYNOPSIS:
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Coinciding with the release Army of Two: The 40th Day, this new ongoing monthly
series, written by comics veteran Peter Milligan (X-Statix, Greek Street),
follows ex-Army Rangers Salem and Rios as they form their own Private Military
Corporation: Trans World Operations. But the pair get more than they bargained
for as they are unexpectedly caught in a brewing war between the Mexican Army,
drug cartels, and The Maras-one of the most powerful street gangs in Mexico!
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SWEET DAN'S REVIEW:
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As far as I’m concerned, there hasn’t been a single video game-inspired comic
book worth reading, ever. But since the industry is intent on cherry picking
inspiration from the never-ending sea of idiocracy, well, I’m sure we have many
more gems (/sarcasm) such as “Army of Two” to look forward to. I’m mean, I’m not
the target audience, I understand that, but really – what is the fascination
with wandering around third world countries and blowing away their citizens?
Alright, so that’s not the entire plot of this mind-numbing exercise in
machismo, but now you’ve got the gist of it.
“Army of Two” is about a pair of former US Army Rangers, who after their terms
of service found jobs with a private military contractor. Once they discovered
that the company they worked for was crooked they helped in taking it down ‘from
the inside’. Now the army of two is an army of T.W.O., seeing as how they helped
stop one PMC it only makes sense that they’d immediately jump into bed with
another one, Trans World Operations. Yeah, I know, but if they didn’t they could
come up with that really, really sweet play on words.
Gang war is erupting in Mexico, so Trans World Operations sends in their army
(of two) to help quash the violence. What I found most hilarious is the way
these two numb-nuts go charging into battle with an inadequate amount of body
armor, a new partner (army of three?), and little to no intel on the operation
at hand, but they wear really cool hockey masks that intimidate their
opposition, so, yeah. By the end of the issue the new guy is dead, and the
people they’ve come to help have turned against them, and I couldn’t find an
iota of plot worth giving a hot, greasy $#!t about.
I might even be able to tolerate the crappy story if it was redeemed by some
truly fantastic art, bit that’s not the case here. Dexter Soy displays talent,
but no style, and while he accomplishes the minimal task of getting some
semblance of story across to the readers, he does nothing to make this comic
stand out from a million others just like it. His line-work reminds me of a
Manga-ized Lenil Yu, and while I’m a fan of Yu and the occasional Manga, I don’t
believe the two belong merged into one art form.
Peter Milligan is an accomplished writer, but this just doesn’t fit the bill. He
shouldn’t be expending his mental energy hammering out some half-cocked story
about mercenaries fighting gang bangers. And since when did gang bangers become
any sort of competition for trained Army Rangers? I don’t know how he got
wrapped up in all this garbage, maybe he’s locked into a contract or something,
but Milligan needs to find something new. However, the cover just advertises
this as a “#1 issue” with no mention of a limited series or what, so if this is
ongoing, and Milligan is attached for the long haul, well, kiss any respect I
had for that guy ‘goodbye.’
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AMAZING SPIDERMAN #617
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Writer:
Joe Kelly Artists:
Max Fiumara & Javier Pulido |
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Reviewer:
"Sweet" Dan Sweet
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Publisher:
Marvel Comics
Shipped On:
011310
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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 Gauntlet continues to close around Spider-Man in this heartbreaking story of
love, loss and lust for power as the Rhino charges into Spider-Man's life, out
to make a name for himself...by killing the Rhino? Joe Kelly & Max Fiumara, who
kicked off The Gauntlet in Amazing Spider-Man #600's prelude, return for this
pulse-pounding chapter!
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SWEET DAN'S REVIEW:
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A great stand-alone issue by web-head Joe Kelly is just what I need to get my
weekly comic fix rolling. I’m beginning to realize now that “The Gauntlet”, for
which this series of Spidey stories was named, is less the traditional
super-villain ploy, where a hero is expected to take on any number of foes in
rapid succession, and more an emotional roller coaster where Parker is forced to
deal with his past, and the colorful cast of characters that make it up.
First it was Doc Ock, waaaaaay back in issue #600. Then, Max Dillon turned his
Electro persona into a folk hero amongst the tired, and poor, and huddled
masses; after which, the Sandman kidnapped a little girl, but only because he
believed her to be his daughter. Now the Rhino is back on the scene, but not in
the way that I initially expected, and with the backing of a certain hunter’s
family his abilities have been upgraded far beyond what Aleksei Sytsevich was
ever capable of before. That, I think, is the issue’s biggest strong point.
Kelly wastes no time in letting readers know that it’s not the same man under
the impenetrable hide, and while he doesn’t come right out and let everyone know
who it is, he definitely let’s us in on who it isn’t (the old rhino).
That’s what I think I like so much about this latest run of Spider-titles, and
this one in particular. While returning to old foes and revisiting the idea of
what made those foes bad guys in the first place, the brain-trust has
consistently delivered inspired takes on extremely tired characters. How many
times has Spider-Man fought the Rhino? Too many to count. How many times has he
fought the Rhino, side-by-side with the man who originally took on that
identity? Exactly. There’s freshness to the way these guys are approaching
old-school aspects of what makes Peter Parker who he is, and whether it’s Paul
Azaceta’s gritty, every-man take on Electro, or Javier Pulido’s classic, Ditko-inspired
style, the visuals have been every bit as strong as the story.
Max Fiumara isn’t all that reminiscent of illustrators of yesteryear, but he has
a sleek style of penciling that doesn’t intrude on the visual flow of “The
Gauntlet”. His rendition of the Rhino is menacing, without ever being fully
revealed, but the rhinoceros horn-scythe that he carries is a nice touch.
There’s a great page where the new Rhino uses a horse as a club, pummeling
Aleksei as Spider-Man and a reporter-friend get to safety. Fiumara doesn’t
over-do-it, worrying less on the gore and violence and instead focusing on the
disappointed expression on Sytsevich’s face as he realizes his only good work
suit is now ruined.
That brings me to the second part of the story, (that’s right kiddies, two
stories in one comic!) and Kelly’s chance to elaborate on what made The Rhino,
the original, turn away from his life of crime. As it turns out, and the story
goes as far back as Mark Millar’s “Civil War”, Sytsevich just got drunk one day
and turned himself in. S.H.I.E.L.D. specialists were able to surgically remove
his ‘skin’ and he’s placed in a maximum security facility where he serves the
terms of his sentence. He’s approached by gangsters looking for help but turns
them away; he ignores an escape attempt, choosing instead to sit and wait for
the guards to regain order; and finally he’s released due to ‘good behavior’ as
a reformed citizen.
It was interesting to see Kelly really get into the head of Aleksei Sytsevich, a
man who’d been dumped on so many times throughout his life, contented to sit and
wait in jail until such a time as he may be released back into society. Even
when his old life come calling, as it should always be expected to do, Sytsevich
has no place for it in his new life, instead focusing his attention on building
a relationship with a young waitress. There’s a solemn quality to this man that
hasn’t ever been displayed. He’s truly a beaten, tired, old dog whose best days
are in front of him, as long as he stays on the straight-and-narrow.
Next up for Spidey is the return of ol’fishbowl-head, Mysterio, with art chores
supplied by my FAVORITE Spidey artist ever, Marcos Martin. It’ll be interesting
to see how he fits into all this that’s been going on, and if the Kravinoff
family is going to be pulling his strings as well. I’ve been enjoying this
latest run of ‘Amazing’, and seeing as how they’ve established themselves in the
comic world post-OMD, with new villains, friends and love interests, it only
makes sense that they’d bring it full circle and revisit the cast of characters
who made the Spider-Man who he is.
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PHANTOM DOUBLE SHOT #1 (OF 6) KGB NOIR
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Writer:
Mike Bullock
Artists:
Fernando Peniche & Mike Metcalf
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Reviewer:
"Sweet" Dan Sweet
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Publisher:
Moonstone
Comics
Shipped On:
010610
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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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"The Hammer," Part 1. When a cabal of ex-KGB agents plan a WMD buy, it's up to
The Phantom to keep them from obtaining the device. But when our hero engages
the Russians, he soon discovers The Hammer is falling and the United States is
the nail. In the second feature: the debut of Death Angel, the newest pulp hero
in the Moonstone universe. Two members of The Hammer seek to extort state
secrets from an American weapons contractor, but their plans are about to change
when night falls on the wings of death. |
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SWEET DAN'S REVIEW:
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Could anyone explain to me who the Phantom is, seriously, because this is the
second time I’ve read a #1 issue featuring the character and I still don’t have
a clue as to who he is, what he wants, or why the hell I should care? Maybe it’s
an age thing? I remember reading the strips in the newspaper and finding it
incredibly stale, even as a child, but as I get older I’m still perplexed by the
character’s popularity. Purple body-condom and domino mask aside, I know nothing
about the character, and after reading not one, but two separate ‘first-issues’
I should be a little more in the loop, shouldn’t I?
Russian gangsters plan to detonate a warhead and break a country in half so that
the title wave may destroy the eastern seaboard of the United States. Oh, and
the Phantom shows up and attempts to infiltrate the Russian mob for more
information. That’s about all you get. There’s a bit of a fight at the
beginning, with the Phantom showing off his prowess for posing and shooting at
the same time. Then there’s the flawed plot involving the Phantom (and I
continue to refer to him as the Phantom because he’s referred to as nothing else
in either of the issues I’ve read) taking the detonators he just stole from the
mob, to the mob, and then you have to wait until next month to spend more
food-money on this drek.
There’s a back up feature starring Death Angel, or, you know, whatever. It’s a
Mike Bullock creation which he’s seen fit to piggy back on the Phantom for some
reason, despite the fact that the characters share no similarities which would
lead one to believe that if they liked the Phantom, they may enjoy “Death
Angel”. It is illustrated beautifully by Michael Metcalf, even though it would
have looked better with some color. I’m assuming the black and white theme of
the two stories plays into how ‘noir’ it’s supposed to be. All I see are a
couple of stories with poorly fleshed out main characters.
I don’t really see what the point is of revisiting a character over and over
again to sell the same kinds of stories that have been told before. I understand
the nature of the comic business, and the constant flow of ‘new ideas’ has
slowed to a trickle, but there’s another direction this character could go in
that the folks over at MoonStone haven’t found yet. I’m sure throwing a manga-inspired
artist like Fernando Peniche makes it seem like the story is a bit more
contemporary, but I think that right now we’re in an era dominated by writers,
but neither one of the stories contained in this issue show a great deal of
creativity..
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MARVEL BOY URANIAN #1 Of (3)
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Writer:
Jeff Parker Artist:
Felix Ruiz |
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Reviewer:
"Sweet" Dan Sweet
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Publisher:
Marvel Comics
Shipped On:
010610
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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 young man has travelled billions of miles through space in a rocket to help
our world. But is Earth of the 1950's ready for a new super hero? Before he
became the dark figure the Agents of Atlas call The Uranian, Bob Grayson raced
through the skies as Marvel Boy! From the critically acclaimed writer of AGENTS
OF ATLAS and FALL OF THE HULKS: ALPHA comes this all-new look back at one of
Marvel's first heroes!
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SWEET DAN'S REVIEW:
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Some may remember the last time we were graced with a mini-series with the title
“Marvel Boy.” Well, forget it. That was Grant Morrison and J.G. Jones, and that
character is still running around the Marvel Universe (most notably in the “Dark
Avengers Annual” #1), only he’s known as Captain Marvel now. This series is
meant to shed some light on the background of the golden-age Marvel Boy, Bob
Grayson, who’s been running around with the retro super heroes the Agents of
Atlas, in the critically acclaimed, yet short lived series by Jeff Parker. Sure,
he goes by a different name now, but The Uranian plays a key role in the roster,
constantly bailing out his teammates thanks to his mental abilities, advanced
Uranian technology, and his sweet flying saucer.
Set in the 1950’s which was “not a time for superheroes”, Bob Grayson appears
out of nowhere, assisting the U. S. military take out what may be the first
helicarrier. For his kindness and compassion he is imprisoned by the U. S.
government until they can determine whether or not he’s a threat. They hope to
understand and take advantage of his futuristic weapons, but they are incapable
of manipulating the alien technology. They seek answers from Bob, in regard to
where he came from and what his mission on Earth is exactly, but Bob’s utilizes
his special ability to control others’ minds, and makes a clean getaway.
In further explanation of Bob’s background, Parker takes readers all the way to
the planet Uranus. The human inhabitants of that alien world are actually
descendants of the people of Earth, from thousands of years ago. There, they
patiently develop their abilities, with emphasis on mind control, until such a
time that the people of Earth have abandoned the brutality of war and conflict,
and embraced peace. The Uranians want nothing more than to share their
advancements with our people, but will not take part in any conflict or fight,
so they watch from a distance in hopes that we’ll see the error of our ways.
It’s this characterization that makes Bob so interesting. He’s more than capable
of obliterating any and all who may stand in his way, but all he wants to do is
learn more about Earth culture, and help those who may not be able to help
themselves. He’s a classic analogue: The spaceman who comes to Earth with the
best intentions, but due to our own ignorance ends up an outlaw. But this is
where the story takes a slight detour. Parker teams Bob up with a small
publisher known as Timely Comics, where he’s given a chance to tell his story,
and takes on a new moniker, Marvel Boy, and before you know it Bob is back out
on the street standing up for the little guy.
Parker is a great writer and his “Agents of Atlas” has refused to say die,
despite only lasting eleven, maybe twelve issues. Since its cancellation the
characters have co-starred alongside Marvel’s not-so-merry mutants in “X-Men VS.
Agents of Atlas”, they’ve been featured as a back-up in “The Incredible
Hercules”, duked it out with Norman Osborn’s “Thunderbolts”, and soon will get
it on with the Avengers (not sure which ones) in the up coming “Avengers VS
Atlas” mini. Word through the pipeline is that a relaunch of their book is on
the horizon, and it can’t possibly come soon enough, seeing as how the quirky
characters can’t seem to stay out of every one else’s.
Felix Ruiz’s art is alluring in concept, but comes off as too scratchy for my
tastes. I like the retro styling, and his storytelling ability, but I like my
books to have a cleaner look to them. His style is most comparable to artist
Eric Canete (he illustrated the recent issue of “The Amazing Spider-Man” that
featured a fight with Deadpool; not very popular) in the way that his figures
come off gangly and odd-looking. I’m not sure why they didn’t go with someone
like Dan Panosian, who had been illustrating the crap out of the Agents as their
series slowed to a crawl, and most recently had been drawing the back up stories
in ‘Herc’.
There’s a reprint of the classic, golden-age version of the character, whose
stories served as the inspiration behind the ret-conned origin. In the first,
Bob Grayson is here on Earth preventing a group of pirates from laying claim to
an unknown continent that rises from the depths of the sea. In the next, Bob is
back on Uranus and preventing an uprising of the people which is only meant to
camouflage an invasion by the Satanians from the nearby planet Satania (*grooooooaaaaaaaaaaaan*).
Both short stories display an awful lot of imagination, and in the classic
storytelling style, both manage to wrap everything up in a neat little package
within the shortest number of panels. At least it was over quick, right?
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All Books/Characters pictured herein are © Copyright 2010 by their respective
owners. No rights given or implied by Alternate Reality, Incorporated.
Reviews © 2010 Alternate Reality, Inc.
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"The
opinions expressed in the reviews below are not necessarily those of
Alternate Reality, Inc. Hey, I don't agree with all of them either!"
