| #52 | 3/14/07 | #5 |
BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER: SEASON 8 #1
Writer: Joss Whedon Penciler: Georges Jeanty Publisher: Dark Horse Reviewed by Humphrey Lee
The thing about talking about a Joss Whedon book is that I really just get to talk about a Joss Whedon book. I don't have to really give you a set up, I don't have to give you any sort of run down or summation like I normally would, because everyone knows what they're getting into. All I have to do is sit back and relax, talk about what I liked, talk about what I didn't, what worked, what didn't yadda yadda yadda.It's really quite great actually. There's no company politics, there's no all encompassing hullabaloo around it. It's just a comic, doing what it does, with a creator that's universally recognized so we all have a relative level of understanding of what to expect.
Speaking of which, if you've never watched “Buffy The Vampire Slayer” before, you're absolutely boned here. Sorry.
But come on, who is going to come into a book that was said is the comic equivalent of the eighth season of a show that has had one of the most obsessive cult followings ever? Well, whoever did I have pity on your soul. But onto what I thought about the book, and what I thought about it was "Eh, that was pretty fun." Honestly, I wasn't really sure we needed another "season" to the Buffy franchise. I thought the ending of the TV show was pretty much as perfect as you get. Apocalypse was stopped, the world was widely changed, some lived happily ever after, and some didn't make it past the ride. If anything, I would rather have seen an extension of the “Angel” series, because that show’s ending left me kind of cold. At the very least I wanted to see what came of the prophecy when it came to turning the "vampire with a soul" into a real live boy as they would say. But I digress in my Buffyverse fanboyism...
Back to it: yeah, I thought this was solid. Much of what I liked about this issue was the stuff that won't mean anything to a newcomer, but are casual tips of the hat to the consummate fan. Stuff like mentioning a "Buffy-dupe" gallivanting around Rome with a character called The Immortal (an Angel Season 5 nod) and so on. I do like the little pushes it looks like the characters have taken in the three year gap since Sunnydale went kablooey. Buffy is now more a field general to an army than just a sole slayer against the world, Xander is her high tech eyes and ears for her field ops, and it looks like little Dawn has, er, grown up a bit, and has been taking some more magical lessons to be of use. And the story is already unfolding in true Buffy fashion. We have a hint of a new "big bad" with a cultish symbol popping up a bit, there's a plot thread coming up with the military itself and their growing awareness of Buffy and her crew, and an old thorn in the side character has reared her head again. Overall it's a pretty seamless transition from screen to comic page. The quipping still works if you understand the timing of it. What is actually kind of nice is the use of internal monologue actually helps when it comes to the more interpersonal Buffy moments. That's something you never really got in the TV show. But at the same time, it trades off the dramatic tension that a good musical score can bring to a scene on the telly, or just simply the effect of a stoic Sarah Michelle Gellar strolling out on her lonesome or standing there solemnly against the backdrop can do. You win some you lose some, I guess.
On the art chore front I'm very happy to see Georges Jeanty getting some much due attention here. I loved his work on the very understated WildStorm mini THE AMERICAN WAY last year, and I think it's a perfect fit here. It has its own uncanny sense of realism and is very down to earth in its own right, but is also a great style to showcase the more "fantastical" elements of the story. I think some of the poses he uses might need to be relaxed a bit, but there's a lot of movement between his panels when the action hits so that's a big plus. Add into that a nice range of facial ticks and expressions that are very important to a series that has long relied more on its emotional impact than anything, and this is a great match for how Whedon writes; it could probably just use a tweak or two, that's all.
So there you go. I honestly don't see fans of the “Buffy” TV show being too disappointed with this outing so far, so if for some reason you were one of the three fans of the show that didn't buy this out of skepticism, don't worry, it'll be okay. Conversely, if you're just now finding out who this Whedon chap is because you have left yourself in a bubble of nothing but X-Men comics and, well, more X-Men comics for the past decade, this isn't the place to expand your horizons on what else the man creates. You sir, have about 150 hours of television to watch. But it's definitely worth your time, just like this comic is once you're all caught up. Have at it.
GREEN ARROW #72
Writer: Judd Winick Penciler: Scott McDaniel Inker: Andy Owens Publisher: DC Comics Reviewer: Jinxo
I’ve been reading GREEN ARROW since Kevin Smith helped raise him from the dead. I liked Smith’s run. Might not have been everyone’s cup o’ tea but I thought it was a fun and exciting ride. After Smith left the next couple of arcs continued to be zippy quick fun.Then Judd Winick took over. Okay, opening like that it sounds like I’m going to rake him across the coals. Well… not quite. More like a light broasting.
First off, I do like the art. Don’t want to get too much into it (bigger fish to broast) but I do think the book has a nice look. Not uber-realistic, a little more towards the cartoon side but without actually becoming cartoony. Simple but expressive lines and colors that pop. I likes the look.
As to Winick’s writing, he has some pluses and some minuses. Issue 72 has examples of all of them.
Start positive with the pluses. Winick is good with characters, with making them believable and natural in their interaction with each other. He also is good at big picture planning. In all the individual story arcs he always seems to be building in pieces for a larger, more long-term story.
Now the bad. While he is good with building for the big picture story, the individual arcs almost always suffer for it. Each arc should stand on its own and be exciting but also lay the groundwork for the larger story. Too often the smaller arcs just feel like setup for what’s eventually coming without being fully satisfying on their own. I always finish his arcs thinking “Well that wasn’t super great but clearly, there is something big he’s building towards just down the road.” After three or four arcs of going “Something’s coming just down the road,” it gets tiring. It’s the same sort of problem people are having with “Lost”.
Now when he does pay off, it can be big. He brought things to a head before the DC “One Year Later” leap and it was really cool. Blowing crap up, heroes almost killed… great stuff. Only… if it wasn’t for “One Year Later” forcing his hand, I think he might have left thing to simmer even further. First time I can think of a company-wide event interfering with a comic’s flow for the better.
So what about the current issue? It’s the concluding chapter of a team up which pitted Batman and Green Arrow against the combined forces of their foes Brick and Red Hood (aka Jason Todd – the Robin who died…he got better). Again, great character stuff. Winick does a nice job of playing off of Arrow and Bats’ long friendship, Arrow’s judgmental nature and Arrow also being partly responsible for erasing Batman’s memory in IDENTITY CRISIS. Likewise, he does a good job on making Red Hood tough and bright enough that you believe he was trained by Batman.
The short term arc plot is standard stuff with Red Hood and Brick hooking up because they have common needs they can help each other with. Good enough to get things going and punches flying but nothing that would make it an outstanding arc. But, aha! Red Hood had other motives. As the cover of issue 72 makes clear, Batman’s former sidekick throws down with Arrow’s current sidekick Speedy. The previous issue makes clear Hood’s true agenda was to get to Speedy. Why? Well, I don’t want to spoil anything. Luckily Winick’s writing is so oblique he helps me out there. I really can’t for sure tell you why Hood wanted to meet Speedy. See, he wants to talk to her about…something, but we don’t find out what. And he wants her reaction to whatever he says but we don’t find out what that reaction is. So three issues of fighting all turns out to be a fake out leading to the shocking reveal of Hood’s true intent to…talk to Speedy about something and Speedy responding somehow. Wow! Pulse pounding excitemen…zzzzzzzzzzz. But still, it is clear this mystery will pay off, sigh, down the road.
So, again, Winick sacrifices the excitement of the short arc for, hopefully, a bigger payoff with the bigger story he is building. Only thing is, I think he could have had the best of both. Here’s a thought: don’t hold your cards so close to the vest, Judd. Give us half the puzzle. As it is the ending of this story is an utter mystery. But what if you let us actually hear everything Red Hood had to say but held back on Speedy’s reaction? Or even better, go the other way. We don’t hear what Hood says but we cut back in time to hear Speedy’s reaction. Whatever her reaction is – go to hell; I’ll think about what you’ve said; yes, I now can see why we have to kill those puppies – it would end the arc on an interesting note. I would go out to buy the next issue going, “What the hell did he say to her that she would answer like that?!?!?” As it is, I just have no idea what Red Hood is up to, how Speedy feels about it, whether she’s involved, or if I should even care.
But, for now, I’ll keep reading. Because it always feels like something exciting is coming…just down the road. But seriously, I’m more and more feeling I wanna get off this road.
B.P.R.D.: GARDEN OF SOULS #1
Writers: Mike Mignola and John Arcudi Art: Guy Davis Publisher: Dark Horse Comics Reviewer: Jinxo
Ahhh. I loves me my HELLBOY comics. Even the HELLBOY comics without Hellboy in them! Hellboy’s departure from the Bureau For Paranormal Research And Defense really hasn’t hurt them the way it might have.Let me get off topic for half a second. In addition to writing about comics, I do some writing about television. Recently someone asked me why some shows can spin off characters and continue to thrive while others fall apart after major characters leave. My answer was that the good shows are smart enough to replace the departing characters with new characters that are just as interesting. The shows that flounder fail to fill that void.
When a character leaves B.P.R.D. they are always replaced with new interesting characters. In addition to Hellboy, they recently also lost Roger The Homunculus. For those who don’t read these comics, Roger was an artificial magically created life form. He was a sweet, good soul. Not the type of character you’d expect to see killed off, but kill him off they did. But filling the void is Captain Benjamin Daimyo (introduced shortly before Roger’s death), a tough as nails army man who, well, died. He’s feeling much better now though.
Here’s what’s extra cool about B.P.R.D. They not only bring in new interesting characters to fill the void, they also actually keep the void. Daimyo and the others take up the slack when other characters leave so that things don’t get dull but the hole left from Hellboy’s departure and Roger’s death is practically a character of its own. Hellboy leaving forced the other characters to redefine themselves as something more than a group of sidekicks to the main hero. Roger’s death still seems to haunt them and maybe make them confront their own mortality.
Maybe more than any other book out there right now, I care about these characters. Because of Roger’s death, the possibility that anyone could die (or worse) hangs over this series.
The first chapter of the current run, GARDEN OF SOULS, isn’t crazy exciting. It’s mostly set up, but it’s a setup full of surprises that has me anxious for what comes next. 19th century Mummy Unrolling Parties with unexpected surprises, nightmare dream sequences, real world scenes almost as bizarre… this is all leading somewhere freaky. Good thing about B.P.R.D.: it might start slow but it almost always ends big. Usually an apocalypse of some sort. Sometimes world sized, sometimes a personal one. Either way, it’s usually a hell of a ride.
I also have to compliment the art of Guy Davis. Mike Mignola’s art style is pretty heavily stamped in my mind as the look of the world of Hellboy making it a tough task for someone else to step in and fill his shoes. But Davis is the right man for the job. His art isn’t a copy or a knockoff of Mignola. He has a unique look all his own but it’s one that fits just as well as Mignola’s into the Hellboy world. Mignola’s drawings have a look like old wood carvings, giving his work a dark and ancient feel. Davis doesn’t have the wood carve vibe. His style looks more like quick frenetic comic sketches. And that’s a good thing. People look like people, animals like animals but nothing is tied to exacting real world accuracy so that everything has a slightly more hyper dreamlike vibe. Something might look like a man but the way his face is drawn…maybe he’s a monster. Or maybe if the lines shift just a little he will become one. And when did the background shading change from random patterns to spirals of serpents? Hellboy has left the B.P.R.D. in good hands; Mignola has done the same with the art.
HARD-BULLIED COMICS: FEATURING BILLY BLACKBURN, P.I. #3
Writer: Steve Earnhart Artist: Rudolf Montemayor Publisher: Goodbum Studios Reviewer: Ambush Bug
*scoot**scoot*
*huff-huff*…Okay, soapbox in place.
*step up*
Ahem…fearless readers of Indie Jones, I have something to say. I had the privilege of reading the first two issues of HARD-BOILED COMICS and I was impressed by the leaps and bounds writer Steve Earnhart had evolved as a writer from one issue to the next. This series paid homage to detective noir magazines, books, movies, and TV shows with a bit of super-powered mayhem thrown in for good measure. I commented on how nice the dialogue was and how interesting the character designs were. It is safe to say that I put myself behind this book 100% and gave it an official AICN Indie Jones endorsement.
Then tragedy struck.
Seems the legal representation of some famous comic book creator (who shall remain nameless, but I’m sure you can figure out who it is) contacted Mr. Earnhart commanding him to cease and desist using the term HARD-BOILED in the title of this comic. Mr. Earnhart had a choice. Spend money on a lawyer and fight this idiotic action (which would take away from the money this small publisher would usually spend on…oh I don’t know…publishing this small press comic) or change the title of the book. Mr. Earnhart ended up doing the civil and smart thing and changed the title to HARD-BULLIED COMICS.
But I cry “BULLSHIT!” here, kind readers. For some formerly “hot” comic creator to come down on the little guy like this for something as petty as a pairing of words which has been synonymous with the detective genre for decades is completely insane. I don’t blame Mr. Earnhart for changing the name of his comic rather than discontinue publishing. He had no choice. The blame rests solely on the shoulders of a guy whose only contribution to the medium in recent years has been the unintentionally laughable line “I’m the goddamn Ba…”-oops! Almost slipped there.
Name change or not, this is another fun issue. HARD-BULLIED COMICS chugs along as hard-nosed detective Billy Blackburn continues to get his nuts handed to him by some colorful foes. The plot spirals a bit and peppered throughout is a really intense fight/chase scene. All in all, this is another solid episode of detective noir and another wide leap of improvement from the issue before it. It’s been fun to see this creator grow with this series.
HARD-BULLIED COMICS is a fun read whatever it is called, but the guys behind the legal action should be ashamed for picking on the little guys like this. Maybe the comic book creator in question should think about releasing a few issues of his much delayed series instead of trying to lay claim on a common pairing of words. Now that this is settled I hear both parties are moving on to bigger and better things. Mr. Earnhart is going to put out more fun detective comics, and the comic book creator and his legal team are pumped to take on the Incredible Edible Egg industry.
WORMWOOD: GENTLEMAN CORPSE VOL. 1: BIRDS, BEES, BLOOD AND BEER
Writer/Artist: Ben Templesmith Publisher: IDW Publishing Reviewed by Humphrey Lee
In a recent fit of searching for that old tried and true "new and different" I actually happened upon this little ditty in the backmatter of a PREVIEWS catalog a couple months back. I don't know why I didn't know of its existence, to be honest. Ben Templesmith is an artist I have a very high affinity for due to his work on FELL with Warren Ellis and someone who I think is one of the few comic creators putting out genuinely unique and hauntingly beautiful work in a somewhat glutted industry. But alas, as much as I like to think I'm a pretty well read comic book fan, this one fell through the cracks on me. So this compilation of the first handful of issues of the WORMWOOD: GENTLEMAN CORPSE series from IDW is my redemption, and honestly, I'm not sure what the hell I just read.Now please, don't take that as any sort of negative connotation. It's just that when I refer to this as "new and different", man, is it really new and different. What Mr. Templesmith here has unleashed is a beast unlike anything out there today (at least to my admittedly flawed knowledge). But what WORMWOOD is, is a very eerie book, filled with some outrageous characters, tons of otherworldly and demonic beasts, with an atmosphere that only Ben Templesmith can create in a comic. And I absolutely love it.
Wormwood is apparently just that, a sentient, "parasitic" worm I guess you could say. Centuries (or is it millennia?) old, Wormwood inhabits the eyesocket of a reanimated corpse that he uses to get around, and apparently has a little bit of a task of being a Realmkeeper, i.e. someone who watches over the dimension gates and makes sure nothing comes in that's not supposed to. He also has a homebuilt cyborg for a partner...more on that later. What's great about the book, though, is that you really have no idea what to expect next. There's demonspawn birthing themselves from the inside out of human hosts in some really gory, sometimes sadistic, and strangely humorous incidents. There's strippers, dive bars, dominatrixes, Yakuza, and a lot of gallows humor laced with some dry British wit. I don't know how all that works, but it really, really does.
Now, this isn't a perfect read, not that there is such a thing anyways. There are a few things that I wouldn't say annoyed me with this, but I definitely hope there's some expansion upon later. Like, for instance, Wormwood's partners in crime: his cyborg buddy and a little hellcat by the name of Phoebe that he picks up in this. We know pretty much nothing about them to begin with, and by the end of this twenty dollar piece of trade paperback we still really don't have any info on them other than they make hilarious and sometimes badass sidekicks. I want to know more about where they came from, or how and why they came to be. I assume more is on the way--there's obviously some stories there--but reading a chunk like this and finding out as little as we did kind of leaves you wanting. Also, the story at hand here (about the demon hatchlings) has plenty of humor to keep it entertaining for sure, but the story itself is kind of lightweight. What I mean is that it seems to pretty much be riding on its twisted yet sadistically appealing sense of humor to drive the book. Which it should--it is a horror-comedy book--I just would like a little more balance and, again, a little more fleshing out. The payoff to the story is absolutely golden, though, and makes it all worth it in the end, so it's not like it doesn't have some twists up its sleeve.
Artistically this is a beautiful book, just like any Templesmith book. Those of you already buying this probably came in for the art just like I did, and for those of you who haven't been exposed to it before, well this is as great a shot as any besides two dollar comics that have FELL pasted across the front of them. It's a very dark style, there's no two ways about that, but it's the way it revels in it that brings it to life. There's a lot of subtle background etchings superimposed with some heavily inked and colored figures on top, just enough to give depth to the picture and let you know where the real focus is. And the way he uses his colors and his lighting and just his character designs in general: all just brilliant stuff. His style is probably of the polarizing sort; you either love it or you hate it and much of your enjoyment of this book will be riding on that point, but like it or no you can't say it isn't in a league of its own. But if you're out there looking for a good fix in the "new and different" department, WORMWOOD is definitely as good a place as any to start.
THE PROFESSOR’S DAUGHTER OGN First Second Books
This is a quaint and stylish little fable about love between a mummy and an archeologist’s daughter set mostly in Jolly Old England. Everyone is polite as can be. The adventures are innocent and heart-warming and the overall story is utterly cute and touching. This is one of those stories that takes a ludicrous concept and runs a marathon with it. Writer Joann Sfar does a great job of making this a timeless classic with the help of artist Emmanuel Guibert, who looks to be using a form of watercolor in this book. The artwork looks more like something you might see in the NEW YORKER than a comic book. There’s a classicist quality to it. Guibert is a true artist and it shows in every gorgeously water-colored panel. This is proof positive that comics can rise to a higher level. It’s a thoroughly classic read--one you won’t likely forget and drawn with a vivid flair and loose style that is not often found in today’s comics. I can’t recommend this surprise of a book more. - Ambush Bug
DEAD BY DAWN #3 Scar Comics
Once again, this anthology book delivery in scares, thrills, ironic twists, and gross out horrors. The book starts out with a tale told from the viewpoint of a zombie rather than the usual survivor’s perspective. Story two is a very clever comedic take on Lovecraft and Arkham’s very first airport. “Mass Murder” is a gruesome cartoon about holy retribution gone wrong while “The Prisoner” is a somber haunting yarn. Samurai demons, backwoods freaks, redneck vampires, witchcraft, stalkers, lunatics, and all sorts of evil doings are splattered all over this girthy issue. My favorite of the bunch is a metaphysical journey starting with the life of a pig and edging its way up the food chain to an infinite level. This anthology doesn’t pull any punches and isn’t afraid to offend and frighten. - Ambush Bug
THE COURIERS VOL. 1 -3 Ait/Planet Lar
My love affair with pretty much anything Ait/Planet Lar has to offer continues. This is a company that can’t seem to publish anything but great, fresh, and entertaining reads. You may know Brian Wood from his gritty work on Vertigo’s DMZ or his wonderful LOCAL series, but THE COURIERS is one of his earlier works that stands on its own as original, fun, and pumping with energy from the first to last panel. Set in the near future, New York is a war zone. Urban Mercenary Courier is the most dangerous job there is. And Moustafa and Special are the best of the best. If you loved films like SMOKIN’ ACES, DOMINO, and TRUE ROMANCE you’ll love this series of OGNs. In fact, this series has just been pegged to be adapted to film. And reading each of the three installments, you can see why Hollywood has come a callin’. Not only are each of these OGNs packed with a surefire adrenaline rush, the stories are strong, full of character and tiny details that make this property stand out as something original and different.
In Volume One, we’re introduced to Moustafa and Special, the world they live in, and the rules they abide by. One of these rules is broken in this story as they agree to transport a human being from point A to point B. A touching and heartbreaking story unfolds as the Couriers must transport a little girl through a maze of bullets, explosions, and bad guys. Volume Two: DIRTBIKE MANIFESTO is an extended chase scene that is about as intense as anything you’ve ever read. And Volume Three: THE BALLAD OF JOHNNY FUNWRECKER takes a trip back in time to when Moustafa and Special first met. These three volumes would make an amazing trilogy on film. They read quickly, not due to lack of content, but because your pulse is pounding so much that you can’t help but race from one panel to the next as a frantic pace. All three are littered with intricacies that show that both writer and artist had a blast putting these stories together. And I had a blast reading it. THE COURIERS is a special kind of comic. One that will appeal to all…especially readers of this site. Seek out these issues and thank me later. You can be one of the cool ones who said that they read this obscure series of OGNs before they become cinematic adaptations. - Ambush Bug Remember, if you have an Indie book you’d like one of the @$$holes to take a look at, click on your favorite reviewer’s link and drop us an email.
CIVIL WAR: THE CONFESSION #1 Marvel Comics
Marvel continues to apologize for Mark Millar’s shoddy storytelling with another one shot, this time filling in the holes as to why Iron Man was such a dick throughout the entire miniseries. It’s another case of “too little too late” if you ask me, but I have to admit that if there is a character that writer Brian Michael Bendis seems to be getting right these days, it’s Tony Stark. Bendis is actually so good at getting into the head of this, probably one of the most flawed heroes in Marvel’s pantheon of heroes, that I wouldn’t mind seeing him tackle the character for an extended run as he did with Daredevil. Maleev does a good job once again of capturing the non-action panels (this book has many), but once again falls apart every time the hint of movement is needed. All in all, this would have been an unnecessary comic had Millar done his job and focused a bit on character in CIVIL WAR. I guess Bendis and Maleev do their job, though, of trying to cover up for Millar’s mistakes. - Bug
WONDER WOMAN #5 DC Comics
This is an odd fill-in issue that may have ramifications on future stories of the Amazing Amazon, especially since writer Will Pfeifer is writing the AMAZONS ATTACK event scheduled to be coming soon. Wonder Woman investigates a series of womens’ shelters that have popped up around the world sporting the Amazon moniker. These clinics take inspiration from Diana’s actions and start to take a turn for the worse when some of the women begin to look up to Wonder Woman’s murder of Maxwell Lord on national television a while back. This is a nice little stand alone issue. Pfeifer does a good enough job of pacing it and filling it with nice bits, but Diana remains a cipher. A void of a character. I don’t know what it’s going to take to give Wonder Woman a soul and make her into something interesting. Many writers have tried and failed to varying degrees. A new writer comes aboard and, ever the optimist, I’m rooting for this one to give Diana a shot of character that this book desperately needs. - Bug
NEW AVENGERS #28 Marvel Comics
Can someone tell me why Bendis writes the dialog for every New Avenger as if he or she were a gay hair stylist? The guy’s bald, so I know he isn’t pulling a John Hughes and hanging out in salons. This issue has more OH NO, YOU DI’INT’s than a season of Jerry Springer.This issue also clears up the unnecessarily convoluted conversation between Ms. Marvel and Spider-Woman from two weeks back with little or no dramatic effect whatsoever. How can Bendis knock it out of the park with MIGHTY AVENGERS and swing and whiff so badly with this title? - Bug
ROBIN #160 DC Comics
In this issue Robin battles a ‘roided up street gang and I ask myself why I am still reading a comic that hasn’t been worth a spit for more than fifty issues. This title is in need of a cancellation and a reboot. Robin deserves it. The readers don’t deserve to be punished any longer. - Bug
