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HAIRY THINGS #1 Of (3) |
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Writers:
Jay Carvajal
Artist:
Marc Borstel |
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Reviewer:
"Sweet" Dan Sweet
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Publisher:
Ape Entertainment
Shipped On:
040710
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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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APE ENTERTAINMENT'S SYNOPSIS:
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The Wild West can be a scary place, as four unlikely
friends discover, when they stumble upon a remote town deep in the Colorado
Rockies that is being attacked by big hairy creatures. Sadly, for this gang,
these hairy things may be the least of their worries! |
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SWEET DAN'S REVIEW:
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As generic as this story comes off, it’s a really,
really cool concept. It draws a couple of complaints from me in particular due
primarily to execution, but we’ll get to that a little later. There need be only
two words strung together to get me even mildly interested in a story from any
medium, and those two words are Big Foot. Combine that with my affinity for the
Western genre, even though I’m about forty years too late to jump on that band
wagon-train (rim shot!), and I was sure that this wasn’t going to be a complete
waste of my time, and for the most part it wasn’t. It’s a little corny in terms
of dialogue, and if you’re one of those people that doesn’t mind digitized art
and coloring, and books with THAT sort of look then more power to ya, but as far
as I’m concerned, no thanks.
After taking on an alien invasion Sheriff Clark and Deputy Jefferson are set to
kick back, enjoy some floozies and booze, and not really worry about much except
starting their lives over. Well, things aren’t that easy in the frontier
country, because the first town they come to on their journey west is a town
full of cannibals who have themselves a conflict with a band (pack, herd, pride,
school?) of Bigfoots (Bigfeet?). As fate would have it the team (Sheriff Clark,
Deputy Jefferson, some chick, and a big Indian dude) gets separated, and now
they’re forced to fend for themselves against hungry humans and Bigfeet alike.
Again, I find this to be really, really cool in concept, but the book suffers
from mediocre execution, or at least execution that I don’t enjoy personally.
The look of the book just doesn’t strike me as dynamic. Sure it’s amazing what
people can do with computers, but everything comes off like 3-D characters on a
2-D background. It would make for a very poor quality animated film, but in
comic form it almost seems over the top. It could just be that my art taste has
change a great deal from when I was young enough to be amazed by how realistic
the characters look, before I was old enough to realize how little digital
coloring adds to the image, as opposed to degrading it. Marc Borstel’s website
indicates that his pencils are on par with some of the best in the industry, and
his digital coloring style suits SOME of the work I saw, most of which had a
Sci-Fi, futuristic feel to it, but taking a look at some Marvel samples of his I
could tell that ‘Hairy Things’ would have looked a whole heck-of-a-lot better
had it been traditionally inked and colored. |
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MARVEL ZOMBIES 5 #1 (OF 5) |
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Writers:
Fred Van Lente
Artist:
Kano |
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Reviewer:
"Sweet" Dan Sweet
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Publisher:
Marvel
Comics
Shipped On:
040710
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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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MACHINE MAN IS BACK! Zombies of the multiverse,
watch your rotting backs! To obtain a cure for the zombie virus for Morbius the
Living Vampire, Aaron Stack, Agent of ARMOR, must traverse alternate realities
hunting down the plague in all its myriad forms...with a most unusual (but
somehow oddly appropriate) partner! First up: in the Alterniverse known as "The
Territory," the Old West never died. But when the greatest gunslingers of
Marveldom -- Two-Gun Kid, Phantom Rider, Kid Colt, and many others -- rise from
their graves in Boot Hill, the stage is set for a High Noon showdown with
flesh-eating outlaws the likes of which you've never seen! Saddle up and ride
into the tale we had to call "THE DEAD AND THE QUICK! |
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SWEET DAN'S REVIEW:
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This is a really good example of a series that’s
finally found something cool to do with itself long after it’s jumped the shark,
and almost everyone who counts has lost interest. If I’m not entirely incorrect
this isn’t a sequel to “Marvel Zombies 4: Midnight Sons”, so much as a
semi-continuation of a thread from “Marvel Zombies 3” in which Machine Man and
blah, blah, blah. Like I said, this series jumped the shark a long, long time
ago, and while I’m crazy about Fred Van Lente, and the art in this particular
volume is some of the best I’ve seen from the series since Sean Phillips, I’m
just not inclined to care what happens, and that’s the bane of any comic.
Machine Man is now an operative of S.W.O.R.D., and his mission is to jump from
Earth to Earth to Earth to Earth, each existing in a parallel reality, in an
attempt to track down samples of zombie tissue in hopes of developing some sort
of antidote for the condition. While I’m not too sure how one would reverse
‘dead’, it would make sense that they’d send someone who couldn’t be infected
with the virus to do the collecting, and there’s some pretty cool sequences that
lead me to believe that THIS might actually redeem the somewhat misguided
series, but again my interest is at a bare minimum.
In this issue the zombie infection has reached the old west, or at least a
parallel Earth in which America had never developed past the era of gunslingers
and cattle-drivers, and while it makes for an interesting read I’m just as
anxious to see what other parallel Earths may or may not have themselves a
zombie plague on their hands. From the solicitations for next month’s issue it
looks like readers are getting a glimpse at Killraven, a character I can’t even
remember seeing in print in the last however-many-years or so.
Again I’m plagued with decisions with regard to a tolerable story blessed with
better-than-good art that really manages to grab my attention, yet at the same
time, I just can’t find myself interested in ANOTHER Marvel-zombie story at $4
an issue (at five issues that’s $20!). Don’t get me wrong, Van Lente is
phenomenal as usual, and Kano is, like I said before, better than good, but by
purchasing this book I’m, in effect, telling Marvel Editorial that I want to see
MORE of this type of stuff, which I don’t, not even a little bit. So, as with
most things in this capitalist society we find ourselves trapped in, I vote with
my dollar, and my dollar is saying “No, thank you.” |
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AVENGERS ORIGIN #1 (OF 5) |
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Writers:
Joe Casey
Artist:
Phil Noto |
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Reviewer:
"Sweet" Dan Sweet
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Publisher:
Marvel
Comics
Shipped On:
040710
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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 true story of the Avengers is revealed right
here! This five-issue extravaganza reveals previously untold details of the
historic first meeting of Thor, Iron Man, the Hulk, Ant-Man and the Wasp! You
only THINK you know the full story. From Joe Casey (AVENGERS: EARTH'S MIGHTIEST
HEROES) and artist extraordinare Phil Noto! |
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SWEET DAN'S REVIEW:
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I’m not sure what the heck purpose this book serves, but I like it. I know why
that is, too, regardless of the needlessness of this tale, told for the
umpteen-millionth time, and revisited by Casey now for the third time (the era,
not the origin story specifically), it’s because Joe Casey is a
better-than-awesome writer, with an ability to pace a story like no other, and
when you combine Casey’s ability with Phil Noto’s story-telling proficiency, not
to mention beautiful, retro-inspired line work and coloring, well, it’s somewhat
of a no-brainer, at least to me.
I’m sure this is going to replay in comic book stores every year for the next
few years or so, until the “Avengers” feature film debuts; I wouldn’t put it
past the wise-guys at Marvel to crank out an annual variation of some sort of
‘Avengers’ origin, simply to coincide with the release of the flick. Anyhoo, if
this does become a trend then count me out after the first ride, and to be
honest, I’m only REALLY interested in this book for the way it looks. I wasn’t
too thrilled to see the juxtaposition of modern technology with the Silver-Age
mindset of the characters, and why the hell would Rick Jones’ friends pull guns
on THOR?! He’s the God of Thunder, not some gangbanger.
While the essence of who the Avengers ARE is essentially the same, it’s
important to remember that this is Casey’s take on how the team was formed, not
so much canon as a nifty twist on an old favorite, which updates the story for
new readers at the expense of alienating older ones. Loki still remains
responsible for the formation of the team, through a means of corrupting young
master Rick Jones and his pack of gun-toting homeboys, as well as manipulating
the Hulk into well, doing Hulk stuff. At the end of the issue Rick Jones almost
seems TOO aware of what the hell is going on, leading me to believe that there’s
some sort of layer of subtext I haven’t grabbed onto yet.
Phil Noto has to be one of my all-time favorite artists, and therein lays the
rub. See, I’d love to say that I have every issue of Noto’s take on the
Avengers, just because it’s so fresh to see something so old-school amidst the
sea of Avengers books ‘New’, ‘Mighty’, ‘Dark’, ‘Young’, and ‘Secret’. Is the art
enough to keep me purchasing the title in monthly form at four-bucks an issue,
probably not, but I’d love to see some sort of hardcover omnibus collecting all
of Casey’s classic Avengers-inspired works. I think it would only serve to
benefit the reader to experience the story in the over-sized format, with
insights into both the art-direction as well as Casey’s take on the team, but
I’m not going to hold my breath. |
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CAPTAIN AMERICA BLACK PANTHER FLAGS OF OUR FATHERS #1 (OF 4) |
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Writers:
Reginald Hudlin
Artists:
Denys Cowan |
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Reviewer:
"Sweet" Dan Sweet
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Publisher:
Marvel
Comics
Shipped On:
040710
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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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For the first time ever, see the full story of the
first meeting of Captain America and the Black Panther! It's a World War Two
adventure featuring a young Steve Rogers, the Black Panther and Nick Fury and
his Howling Commandos in combat with the nastiest Nazi villains in the Marve
Universe! |
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SWEET DAN'S REVIEW:
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Honestly, I dropped “The Black Panther” after the first arc of the first Hudlin-penned
series, even though it showed a great deal of promise. Editorial mandates
dragged that series through one event after another, and while I realize the
need to meet sales figures in order to validate the title’s existence is a heavy
burden to bear I just didn’t find anything, other than that initial arc, to be
interesting enough to keep me sticking around. The one thing I remember most
vividly about the first issue of the first arc is a dynamic little two-page
sequence that really whet my appetite for THIS story, which has taken a little
more than, oh, 5 years to get to.
In the first issue of whatever volume of “The Black Panther” Hudlin launched
with artist John Romita Jr. there was a brief action scene depicting the
previous Black Panther, T’Challa’s father, T’Chaka, getting into it with a newly
christened Captain America, AND defeating him! Now, I’m not a nostalgia junkie
or anything of the sort, but all at once I became intensely fascinated by that
story which, until now, had never been told. Both of these characters are the
closest things to ‘legacy heroes’ that Marvel has, and to see them square off in
that fashion was a fanboy wet-dream that, again until now, had gone unfulfilled.
Thank God for Marvel’s interest in the over-priced, mini-series route in order
to tell stories that would otherwise boost sales in monthly-series that find
themselves, at times, stumbling. I mean, what does it matter if books like
‘Panther’ or “Agents of Atlas” fall off the sales charts, when they can just
$#!t-can them, start a new mini and charge a dollar more per issue?! Well, even
though that’s what they did here I have to admit that I find this book to be
more enjoyable that a lot of the fare that I’ve come across in recent weeks. The
combination of Denys Cowan’s old-school flavor and Hudlin’s ability to tap into
the everyman of the story, delivering a fresh perspective on an old group of
characters, makes this book much deeper than I had anticipated, which surprised
the crap out of me.
The primary conflict revolves around the Nazi’s and their desire to march into
the African Nation of Wakanda in order to march out with what else, you guessed
it, VIBRANIUM. This is a cause for alarm for the Allied forces, led by the
Americans and their garishly dressed patriotic symbol (which is Nick Fury’s
reaction, which I found particularly HILarious), so they send a unit (Fury and
the Howling Commandos) in to back up Cap as he attempts to make contact with the
native people. As is the case more often than not, the Americans underestimated
the Wakandan people, but unlike the Nazis they don’t end up with their heads on
pikes, at least, not yet.
Hudlin’s voice, while not the freshest to breathe life into Captain America or
Nick Fury does a phenomenal job introducing the previous generation’s Panther to
a new generation of readers. I’m also really glad that Denys Cowan was able to
grace the page with his talents, almost a comfortable middle ground between J.R.
Jr. and Joe Kubert, and he doesn’t get nearly enough work, which is a damn
shame. All in all, between this and “DoomWar” now is a really good time to be a
fan of The Black Panther, just as long as you’re not a fan of the monthly
series. |
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TURF #1 (of 5)
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Writers:
Jonathan Ross
Artists:
Tommy Lee Edwards |
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Reviewer:
"Sweet" Dan Sweet
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Publisher:
Image
Comics
Shipped On:
040710
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MSRP:
$3.99 each
(15% OFF during it's 1st Week of release only at Alternate Reality!)
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IMAGE'S SYNOPSIS:
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A four- issue hard boiled noir crime thriller with
girls, guns, fangs and aliens.New York, 1929. The height of prohibition. The
cops turn a blind eye while the mobs run the city, dealing in guns, girls and
illegal liquor. But the arrival of the mysterious Dragonmir Family from Eastern
Europe with more of a taste for blood then booze co-incides with a series of
brutal attacks on the gangsters themselves. As the gangs fall before the fangs,
only handful of mobsters survive. But an unlikely alliance formed between tough
guy Eddie Falco and a character from a LONG way from New York City - a long way
from Earth in fact - offers the humans a glimmer of hope. As the strong willed
young reporter Susie Dale from the Gotham Herald tries to survive in the middle
of the maelstrom, and an ancient prophecy unfolds, no one can guess who's going
to win the battle for this particular slice of Turf. |
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SWEET DAN'S REVIEW:
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Ok, I’ll admit that sometimes I read a brand new comic that normally wouldn’t be
at the top of my pull list, and find myself biting off a little more than I can
chew. In the case of “Turf” my previous statement takes on a kind of
double-meaning, what with the setting being prohibition-era New York City and
the constant conflict between rival crime families and their vampire
competition…what? You weren’t aware that there was an intense rivalry between
gangsters and vampire-gangsters? Well, it gets better, when a spaceship, belong
to an alien race, happens to crash in a forest ten or so miles from New York.
You wanna know what was on the ship, other than aliens of course, don’t you?
Firearms and hooch! WOO-DOGGIE!
Alright, on a much more serious note, not that the above statement about the
contents of the book are anything other than factual, but rather the context in
which those contents are taken, when described the way I did, can sound corny or
stupid, but in reality this is one of the more fun, and satisfying books I’ve
read in LONG time. I don’t mean that I needed a cigarette after reading it or
anything, don’t get the wrong idea, it wasn’t THAT satisfying, but in a world of
decompressed storytelling, and the wait-for-trade writing mentality that so many
companies have adopted, it was refreshing to read a book with more words per
page, maybe even more per panel, than the whole of Marvel’s “Civil War” and
“Secret Invasion” combined.
Prohibition was an era where organized crime flourished in cities around the
country, and it’s made even more fantastic by the inclusion of a clan of
vampires vying for control of the vice trades. This book walks the line between
genius and catastrophe, as most genre mash-ups haven’t proven to be a droll
undertaking as opposed to a chore to read, yet, I like gangsters, I like
vampires, and I love aliens…so how could this go wrong, right? The vampires are
brooding, vain, and somewhat reclusive, even though they find themselves amused
by the simple human pleasures of Jazz music and sex with multiple partners. The
gangsters are boisterous and streetwise, with one eye counting their money and
the other always looking over their shoulders, but even they aren’t prepared for
an attack by the supernatural.
The aliens are going to make or break this title, and it’s just that easy. In a
lot of ways I wouldn’t have cared to read a story where crime families are
overrun by their vampire competition; but, include some green guys and a rocket
ship and that Vamp/Gang mix-up could be more interesting than anything the Big
Two have released amongst the glut of cape comics that clog comic shop shelves
like so many arteries caked with plaque, pumping blood to an already unhealthy
heart. With the advent of the iPad, in this age of Amazon.com, it’s reassuring
to me that some publishers realize that the way to go with monthly comics is to
offer MORE bang for the reader’s buck, and at $2.99 I’m sure you’ll find more
people satisfied with purchasing this than anyone who’s paying a dollar more for
a book with less content, including myself.
Tommy Lee Edwards is what drew me to this project, as I’ve loved his style since
the moment I laid eyes on it. His line work is busy, and yet never overbearing
on the storytelling aspects that he’s trying to get across. There’s so much to
absorb, and yet it’s all so easy to take in, almost as if his mastery of guiding
the reader’s eye is akin to some sort of hypnotism. While it was the veteran
artist who attracted my attention to the out-there title, it’s the rookie
comic-writer who’s managed to get me to stick around. Jonathan Ross is,
apparently, sort of a big deal in the UK; a television personality in the vein
of America’s Letterman, or Leno if you’re a big baby. He wrote a documentary
about the life and career of Steve Ditko, which I’m determined to track down,
and is said to own not one, but THREE copies of “Amazing Fantasy” #15, in
addition to a number of other rarities that make my inner-fanboy urinate all
over himself in frustrated envy.
Ross manages, in one issue, to deliver more story and characterization than some
books see in their entire first arc, and I can only thank the man for restoring
a certain amount of respect, in this fan’s heart, to a medium that is quickly
pricing itself out of existence. Mark Millar says, “…it takes longer to have a
pee than read the dialogue in one of my books.” Now, I’m a fan of Millar, in no
uncertain terms, but I’ve often lamented my decision to forego the trade-wait of
six or so months in order to read his stuff before it can be spoiled for me on
the net or just hanging around the store. For one of my favorite creators to
sign off on a ‘new’ writer’s stuff isn’t something I usually lose my cool over,
but to see him do it at his own expense, and about a topic I’m most-passionate
about was very endearing to me, and I hope this starts a trend in a return to a
more classic, condensed style of storytelling in monthly comics. But, it
probably won’t. |
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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!"
