Hey folks Harry here. Trade Paperbacks are an excellent way to just catch up without the hassle of back-tracking issues. Here, I have THE ESSENTIAL CAPTAIN AMERICA: VOLUME 1 myself. It is wonderful, of course the original color work and paper quality in the original TALES OF SUSPENSE just popped more. I love off white paper and the smell of vintage pulp. I also adore the way those original issues' covers seemed to be electric. However, read on down the list and I feel you'll find all sorts of goodies to acquire...
TRADE PAPERBACKS:
The Essential Captain America: Volume 1
Written by Stan Lee and illustrated by Jack Kirby, Joe Sinnott, Don Heck, George Tuska, and others
Published by Marvel Comics
Reviewed by Christopher Allen
While not strictly "super-powered," Captain America has always been the closest thing Marvel Comics has to Superman. He's the clean-cut, patriotic hero whose motivations and actions are always pure. When you see Cap take on a villain, you know that guy deserves what he gets.
The stories reprinted here are from Tales of Suspense, mostly, plus the first three issues of Cap's solo book. And, of all the Essential books, this one may be the most conveniently packaged. What do I mean? Well, ToS was a split book, featuring Iron Man solo stories, followed by Captain America, each running ten pages. So instead of the twenty-plus tales to be found in your average Essential volume, you get well over forty of Winghead’s Marvel Age solo adventures here. The great thing is, you don't have to pay for any of those Lee/Heck Iron Man stories, unless you went and bought Essential Iron Man, of course.
One of the benefits of getting to read this many stories in one book is to see the ways in which Lee responded to reader requests, by changing the types of stories he wrote for Cap. Lee, with the legendary Jack Kirby, starts off Cap's solo debut story, Tales of Suspense #59, in full action mode, with Cap taking down some common thugs. Well, not quite common; one guy wears some sort of armor, and the leader can karate chop through chains. Still, after being briefly captured, Cap rebounds and foils the bad guys. In fact, "briefly" is pretty much the formula for the initial round of stories, the ten page length stifling Lee and Kirby's chances to really shine. To be honest, having Captain America fight lame Cold War villains like "Sumo" showed that Lee wasn't giving the book his full attention. Kirby, always overworked, is dynamic throughout, though he sacrifices detail and backgrounds for the action sequences, which take up much of the space in each story.
Perhaps sensing that he wasn't making the most out of Cap's appeal, Lee switched gears by #63, providing a more fleshed-out version of Steve Roger's origin, originally depicted by Kirby with former partner Joe Simon. Then, it's on to all new, never seen World War II adventures with Cap and Bucky. Bucky would, within these stories, become much more important to the Marvel Universe dead than alive.
Of course, Bucky is important less as a character than as a symbol, or a couple of symbols, really. In the WWII stories, he's a fond remembrance of the Golden Age of Comics, where heroes need only be barrel-chested and brave, and sidekicks were smiling and subservient. In the modern Marvel Universe, or modern in the 60s, Bucky represents Cap's guilt, and the heavy consequences of his never-ending war against tyranny and injustice.
An interesting addition to Captain America's legend, Agent 13, debuted in these WWII stories. She was the Captain's first love, an American intelligence agent who was brave and resourceful, but nonetheless requiring rescue from Nazi villains. Losing her would be another painful burden for the good Captain.
Speaking of Nazis, the story in #66 is the origin of perhaps the most evil villain in Marvel history, The Red Skull. A nobody handpicked by Adolf Hitler as a demonstration that he could create a perfect Nazi from raw material, this origin tale is among the most powerful you'll read. A shame that Chic Stone was chosen to ink it, and many other stories here, as he does Kirby's pencils no favors. Still, the classic nature of this story is undiminished.
By this point, Stan Lee seemed to have realized that not only could he get more drama out of multi-issue stories, but it would involve less invention as well, as writing self-contained adventures month after month had to be taxing. And so, he presented one of the best round of stories in this book, the tension filled "Sleeper" saga, where Captain America tries to destroy three deadly and varied robots that are awakened from their dormant states underground. George Tuska illustrates these and...let's just say Kirby would have done better, but the stories still work.
By issue #75 (told you there were a lot of stories here), Stan had morphed the feature again, returning Captain America to the modern era for all new adventures, with new, colorful baddies like Batroc the Leaper, with his outrrrrageous French accent. Agent 13 (a different one, though the secret is not revealed in this volume) was back, as an agent of S.H.I.E.L.D., which also meant that Nick Fury would start to be a supporting cast member.
It's interesting that while Kirby remained on and off the book throughout this run, many of the best written stories were ones he did not draw, such as the surprisingly romantic Agent 13 love story that Jazzy Johnny Romita handled, or the curious teaming of Red Skull, the Swordsman and Power Man (the bad one). Kirby would be on hand for most of the first Cosmic Cube saga, however.
Around this time, the book became stronger, as Jack Kirby's style was becoming even more fluid and idiosyncratic. Weapons were more ornate and detailed, and the thugs and Nazis began to share space with bizarre creations like the Super Adaptoid.
Cap's feature was becoming at least as popular as Iron Man's, and the growing legions of Marvelites seemed to give Stan the confidence to script something as cheeky as, "Sly Stan knows that no words of his can do justice to Jolly Jack's great action scenes...and so..." And so, he left the rest of the page--a fierce Cap/Batroc melee'--free of captions.
Once Joe Sinnott began inking Kirby's pencils, in issue #92, the stories are minor classics. Agent 13, Nick Fury and S.H.I.E.L.D. have an even greater hold over Captain America's life, and we also see the debut of M.O.D.O.K., one of Kirby's most imaginative monsters. More interesting, though, is the treatment of guest star T'Challa, the Black Panther, toward whom Captain America shows great respect. From the start, this African superhero/ruler was an equal, not a sidekick.
Tales of Suspense ended at issue #99, with Captain America taking over the title of the book, as well as continuing the numbering. Iron Man graduated to his own solo book with a #1 issue. #100 would conclude the Panther/Baron Zemo story, with the extra story space allowing Kirby to loosen up more, even utilizing a full-page splash. #101-102 shows Stan returning to the Sleepers again; this time, a fourth Sleeper awakens. The volume closes out with a Golden Age adventure from Captain America Comics #10, which is written by a young Stan Lee and drawn by Joe Simon.
All in all, this is a fascinating read, with the dynamic storytelling of Jack Kirby there to guide us over some of the rough spots. Characterization is consistent, and though not as restlessly inventive as some of Lee/Kirby's best work, it's usually well-plotted, fast-paced, and lots of fun.
Overall: 8 out of10
Far West Trade Paperback Vol. I
Written and illustrated by Richard Moore
Published by NBM
Reviewed by Kevin Mathews, Click here To Email THE MAN!
It's the Ole West with a twist - instead of ordinary folk, we get elves, ogres, trolls, shape-shifters and dragons! Richard Moore's intriguing concept of a fantasy/western formed the basis of this popular comic book mini-series. This trade paperback collects all 4 issues of this genre-bending work.
The main protagonist of the piece is Meg, a bounty-hunting elf with a big nose (literally!) for trouble and hi-jinks. With her partner/pet Phil, a talking bear, Meg earns her living bringing to justice the outlaws and criminals of this unique reality. Vol. 1 details Meg's encounter with bad elf Neil Voss, a bandit with a ten thousand bounty on his head. Trouble is, Voss is able to boast of a fiery companion, a huge fire-breathing dragon but for Meg this merely sweetens the challenge.
What happens next is full-throttle entertainment, with Moore deftly exploiting the possibilities inherent in the fantasy AND western genres. With the former, Moore is adept at drawing guffaws and raising eyebrows with fantastical elements - e.g. the water spirit that threatens Meg in the bath and the lethal toy soldier that gives Meg more than she bargained for. With the latter, Moore brings high adventure to the equation, the shootout in Voss' hideaway and the climatic chase between train and dragon, are prime instances.
Meg is, without doubt, the star of the show. Tough-as-nails and sexy-as-hell, she is a character that epitomizes the idealized best of womanhood, even though she is technically an elf. Moore ups the sex appeal ante several times, as Meg is given many opportunities to exhibit her ample qualities - wearing a thong in the hard country will inevitably raise more than heads. Moore has a distinct clean style that fits the subject matter - lots of eye candy and at a larger size for maximum effect. Reminiscent at times of the art style of Alan Davis and Chuck Austen, Moore adds an Euro-centric touch to his overall approach and coupled with his easy going writing manner makes for a pleasing and entertaining reading experience.
Overall: 8 out of 10
Judge Dredd: Featuring Judge Death hardcover
Written by John Wagner and illustrated by Brian Bolland
Published by Titan Books/2000 A.D.
Reviewed by Christopher Allen
I read a message board post from a friend of mine the other day mentioning that he never read any Judge Dredd, nor was he interested. "He just kills guys, right?" Well, no.
I’ve known of the character for probably almost twenty years, and yet, it’s only this past year where I finally started to "get" him. The problem was really with 2000 A.D., who didn’t make it easy for American readers to easily jump into Dredd’s world. 2000 A.D. the magazine is released in odd bursts and is very hard to find, and various reprints like the Judge Dredd Megazine were confusing and of very erratic quality. Then in the mid-90s, DC licensed the character for a series called Dredd Tales, I think, which were all new stories by DC talent, many of whom didn’t have a great handle on the character. Oh, and there have been some Dredd one-shots from DC, teaming him with Batman, but it’s been some years since the last one.
Anyway, once 2000 A.D. renewed a relationship with Titan Books, things have changed for the better. Titan has begun to reprint various work written by Dredd co-creator John Wagner and various artists, as well as some early work by the likes of Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon, capitalizing on their Preacher and Punisher fame. And now, what would seem to be a new, long-awaited series of "Classic Dredd" collections featuring timeless work in handsome cloth hardcover format begins here, with this collection of the first two Judge Death serials and a handful of other choice shorts by Wagner and Bolland.
It’s quite fitting, too, because since Bolland has chosen to only provide comic book covers now, for such titles as Flash and Batman: Gotham Knights, his smallish body of work really needs to be available besides just Batman: The Killing Joke and Camelot 3000. Here, readers can see that even in 1978(!), his style was already exciting, and by 1981 it was nearly as fine-lined and dynamic as the later classics mentioned above. In fact, as a short introductory piece explains, while Bolland didn’t create the look of Dredd, he refined it—adding a gritty realism to the outthrust chin and oversize boots—and his look quickly became the one by which all others are measured. In black and white, on glossy paper and without the queasy computer coloring of some of 2000 A.D.’s releases, this is really how his art should be seen.
Wagner, working under the pseudonyms "John Howard" or "T.B. Grover", sometimes alternating in the same serialized story(!), proves himself a brisk but often brilliant plotter in these stories, constantly adding detail to the world of Mega City One he created while always moving the plot forward. And in his hands, Dredd as a character is not quite the fascist or psychotic some may think. He’s an earlier, pre-Marvel Comics type of hero. No feet of clay for Dredd, who never falters or succumbs to doubt or the common weaknesses of man, and yet there is an underlying humor in the way he can accept almost anything if it’s within the law. This is beautifully expressed in "The Oxygen Board," a story about a gang who introduces tranquilizer gas into the oxygen system of a city on the moon that Dredd is either visiting or stationed on. While everyone is unconscious, the thieves easily rob them and hide the swag in their apartment. But later, they’re informed that they’ve failed to pay their oxygen bill on time, and so the oxygen is immediately sucked from the apartment, asphyxiating them. It’s fine for Dredd, since after all, they broke the law by not paying their bill. Wagner has fun with some dark, twisty endings here and there.
As for the Judge Death stories, they are as good as I’d been told. The first serial, which also introduces Judge Anderson of Psi Division, presents a brilliantly conceived villain in Death, who sentences all of humanity to death, because the law on his planet is that life is a crime. Bolland gives him a wonderfully sick parody of Dredd’s uniform, and he’s as formidable and impossible to truly "kill" as Dracula. As my comic shop proprietor told me, "No story with Judge Death in it is ever bad." And indeed, Death, a leering, decrepit baddie is a fun foil for the ultraserious Dredd, because he chews more scenery than Vincent Price. Though Dredd would never admit it, he’s almost out of his depth when it comes to a villain like Death. The gory (though not gratuitous, partly due to the economy of the stories) entertainment gains some poignancy with Death possessing Anderson, but there’s little time for maudlin sentiment in Wagner’s stories.
"Judge Death Lives", which returned the character in 1981, is even better. This time, he’s got help, three other Judges from his planet, Fear, Fire and Mortis, and they’re all different but equally creepy. Anderson takes over in this one, using all her psi-power, and the souls of thousands of dead, to defeat the foursome. "Let the judges be judged," indeed. Just delirious, goofy fun, and other than the occasional anachronistic detail (the action takes place in Billy Carter Block), the stories are timeless.
The rest of the (non-Death) stories show an impressive range for Wagner, including a prescient tale involving augmented athletes; a surprisingly blunt anti-war story (it actually ends with Dredd telling an audience that "War Is Hell!"); an archetypal Dredd tough guy story, "Punks Rule!"; affectionate nods to Laurel and Hardy and House of Wax in "The Face-Change Crimes" and "The Fog", and one of the afore-mentioned dark and twisty endings in the harsh judgment Dredd metes out for "The Forever Crimes." A great book in a stylish, glossy black and embossed silver package, all for only $19.99.
Overall Rating: 9 out of 10
Tales Of The Slayer
Written and illustrated by Various
Published by Dark Horse Comics/Titan Books.
Reviewed by Elliot Kane
This recently released graphic novel is a collection of stories set in the universe of Joss Whedon's Buffy The Vampire Slayer.
As the title suggests, it is an anthology featuring a number of different Slayers, most of whom have, to my knowledge, never been featured anywhere else. Because of this, there are no real limits on time periods, locations, or - best of all - outcomes to the stories.
The writers of this anthology use all this to excellent advantage, creating a compelling and unpredictable series of stories that should interest even those who are not particularly Buffy fans.
Of the eight tales, my own personal favorites are 'Righteous' by Joss Whedon, which is a telling story about people as much as it is a tale about the Slayer; 'Presumption' by Jane Espenson, which has a very neat twist in the tale, and 'Tales', also by Joss and featuring Melaka Fray gaining an opportunity to learn exactly what it means to be the Slayer.
This is not to say the other stories are poor – far from it. There is not a bad one in the whole anthology. Most contain neat twists or other clever story elements, and all are well thought out and fully consistent with the Slayer mythos.
The artwork follows the same pattern as the writing. 'Sonnenblume' is set in Germany in the 1940s, and drawn in the art style of the period. Karl Moline's Fray is as much a delight as ever. The legendary feel of 'The Glittering World' suits the story perfectly. The near-realism of 'Nikki Goes Down' evokes the modern world in superb detail... As with the writing, there are no weak points.
Tales Of The Slayer is, overall, an excellent job by all concerned.
Overall: 9 out of 10
Thor Visionaries: Walt Simonson
Written and illustrated by Walt Simonson
Published by Marvel Comics
Reviewed by Christopher Allen
During the early 80s, in the midst of what has been called some of the tightest and oft-changing editorial restrictions at Marvel, under Jim Shooter, three popular creators became superstars. Frank Miller, with Daredevil; John Byrne, leaving X-Men on a high note to tell several years of great stories in Fantastic Four, and Walt Simonson on the Mighty Thor, finding the perfect vehicle for his loves of science and mythology and rich, sometimes wry, melodrama.
Collecting issues #337-348 of his run, this volume was a revelation to me, as I've never read these stories before. Back in 1983, I was fully into Daredevil and F.F., but never gave Thor a shot. Why not? Well, I guess I brought the same prejudices to the idea of buying the series as a lot of people did, and still do: the corny, Shakespearean dialogue; the oafishness or pompousness of the hero; and so many years of back story of trolls, elves and giants. I was always a fan of mythology, but the few non-Kirby issues of the book I'd sampled never did much for me. Plus, there was no online community to tell me what I was missing back then. I would pretty much have had to hear from a friend or someone in the comic shop that the book was worth getting.
Now, in years since, I've come to realize that the consensus is that this run is one of the highlights of Simonson's fairly illustrious career, and of the series itself. But, hey, there are lots of great old issues to catch up on, so I just put it in the back of my mind. Well, Marvel finally made it easy for me, and for the many fans that'd already read the stories. And, I tell you, it's almost better I missed out, because it's such a thrill discovering these tales completely fresh.
Let me just summarize a bit of what goes on in these twelve issues, handsomely divided by the original covers framed in a striking design, with Norse-style letters listing each issue as a chapter, such as one might see in a great saga put to paper. First, we encounter a strange, clearly evil being, working at an ingot. Throughout the book, short intervals depict the ingot taking shape as a sword, as the ominous word DOOM resounds throughout the various galaxies, dimensions, etc. It's a singularly effective display of suspense building. But I digress. Loki plots against Thor and Asgard itself; a beautiful temptress, Lorelei, attempts to win Thor's heart by foul means; an alien bests Thor and becomes like a son to Odin; and Malekith the Dark Elf schemes and searches to regain the Casket of Ancient Winters, that he may destroy Midgard and remake it for his dark master. Oh, and Clark Kent has a cameo.
Not bad for twelve issues, but what's more impressive than just what happens is, of course, the execution. Simonson's pacing and layering and building of subplots is nothing short of masterful. This really reads like a rich saga, and there are surprises and great drama in every issue, with the twists and revelations packing a bigger, and more complex, punch than your average superhero cliffhanger. I absolutely loved how the sword was slowly created and how everything built to its eventual use. But instead of this being the meat of the stories, Simonson uses this important development as just the icing on the cake, making each issue stand on its own, with its own conflicts to be resolved.
As good as the plotting was, I really loved the characterization and dialogue. Never before or since has Thor sounded so right to me. It's not average-guy speech, but it's clear and consistent, and doesn't trip up the tongue. I also really liked the relationship between Thor and Odin here. It doesn't get a lot of space, but we realize how much Odin loves his son, and why he does things that might seem strange to us mere mortals. In his world, violence and fighting are really the measure of a god, and the best way to prove that god's worth. But in his wisdom, he enforces a sort of responsibility on Thor's power, humbling him subtly but with great effect.
The other two characters that really stood out for me were Beta Ray Bill and Balder the Brave. I thought it was brilliant that Bill, the alien in need of assistance in saving his people from annihilation by demons, was just as noble and lofty as Thor and the other Asgardians. He fit right in, and indeed, made a very worthy Thor himself. Simonson also invests Bill with a history not dissimilar to the Silver Surfer's, to great effect, though in this case, Odin has the solution to return him to what he once was. It makes Bill a less tragic figure, but it feels right for the story. Balder, on the other hand, takes a little while to warm to me, but this is mostly because his story doesn't get going until later. He is awash in guilt over those he has slain in battle, having seen them all in torment, when he died and went to Hel. Now that he's returned to life, there is no savor in his existence. A form of survivor's guilt, I suppose. But after Loki forces Balder to forsake his vows against killing, in a heart-rending moment, Balder gets a wonderfully written chance for redemption, or at least a new perspective, as he visits the Norns. Again, not having read the succeeding issues, I can only assume he returns to his old self and becomes a major player in the coming war in Asgard.
What these Visionaries volumes are really about, as evidenced by Simonson, Miller, Adams, Perez, et al, are creators who are totally in the groove--who understand the material and characters they're dealing with perfectly, and so the results attain more than just what we think of as a "good comic." It's something special, a few moments you know aren't going to last. Fortunately for us, these moments lasted on Thor for a few years, and we can now pull a few of them down off our bookshelves now and then, to relive them again and again. The only bittersweet part is that it now seems clear further collections of this run aren’t forthcoming, which is a shame. But there’s always the back issue boxes and eBay, right?
Overall: 10 out of 10
Video Noire Trade Paperback
Written by Carlos Trillo and illustrated by Eduardo Risso
Published by Dark Horse/Venture
Reviewed by Christopher Allen
The first book solicited for Dark Horse's Venture line of European graphic novel reprints actually took a couple months longer to come out than originally planned, but it was well worth the wait. As we begin, a fat private eye lets some children into his office, having agreed to give them an interview for their school paper. It turns out this was just a ruse to get them in the door, as the little tykes start getting hostile, angry that this private dick has been nosing around their favorite kids’ show hostess, one Miss Dready. At the risk of spoiling it, let's just say that the rest of the book follows on the detective's partner, Benedict, who in classic noir fashion becomes both investigator and suspect of a grisly murder. The increasing tension and dread of the story builds as Benedict descends into a world of supernatural horror, something for which this paunchy gumshoe is ill prepared. And he may not make it out alive.
What this book reminded me most of was the 80s film Angel Heart, directed by Alan Parker. Parker has attempted to work in almost every film genre there is, never repeating himself, and with Angel Heart he was able to work in both the noir and horror genres at once, as Trillo does here. Unlike the film, however, it’s clear from quite early on in Video Noire that we’re not in normal noir territory, though Benedict fits the stereotype of the slovenly, down-at-the-heels detective quite well, right down to the smart mouth that gets him in trouble, and the bad taste in women. I suppose Trillo could have gone with a character not so familiar, but it works here because he makes the reader comfortable, setting him or her up for the horrific surprises.
Risso is exceptionally suited to stories with noir shadings, with his high contrast style, and no one draws sexier femmes fatale. Although Benedict’s gelatinous face took some getting used to, Risso’s style is quite firmly in place here, and 100 Bullets fans will be quite pleased to see his stunning work in black and white.
Overall: 9 out of 10
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Dedicated to the Memory of John Buscema: 1927-2002
Those who wish to send their condolences to the Buscema family can do so at johnbuscema2002@yahoo.com. The Buscema family has announced that visitation will be held at The Bryant Funeral Home, 411 Old Town Road, East Setauket, NY 11733 on Sunday, January 13th from 2 to 4pm and 7 to 10pm. The funeral will be held the following Monday morning. For more information on the services or where to send donations or flowers contact the funeral home at (631) 413 0082.
