| Issue #9 | Release Date: 6/22/11 | Vol.#10 |
(Click title to go directly to the review)
Advance Review: SNARKED #0
FLASHPOINT @$$essment Week 5
50 GIRLS 50 #1
Zenescope’s THE DREAMEATER SAGA Part 1
BRIGHTEST DAY AFTERMATH: THE SEARCH FOR SWAMP THING #1
BLACK HOLE BLUES Novel
FABLES #106
MODESTY BLAISE: THE DOUBLE AGENT TPB
Advance Review: SCALPED #50
CHEAP SHOTS!
Advance Review: In stores in August!SNARKED #0
Writer: Roger LangridgeArtist: Roger Langridge
Publisher: BOOM! Studios
Reviewer: Lyzard
Ignoring the most recent Disney adaptation of ALICE IN WONDERLAND, the Lewis Carroll story is whimsical, fun, and a druggy trip. Langridge captures those first two descriptions in his newest comic, SNARKED.
The cartoony comic focuses on two of the characters from Carroll’s mind, the Walrus and the Carpenter. Actually appearing in the sequel, THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS, these two creatures are introduced in a narrative poem by Tweedledee and Tweedledum. The significance of these two has been overanalyzed for years, but Langridge just wants to play with them. The Walrus, the brain, and the Carpenter, this duo’s Pinky, are two hungry fellas. Downtrodden, the Walrus comes up with a brilliant idea of how to sneak into the Red King’s castle while he is away. But his plan runs into a hitch when the two run into Princess Scarlett and baby Prince Russell. Can the Walrus outsmart these pint-sized royals, or will his dumb partner ruin the day?
There isn’t much for Langridge to go on since the Walrus and the Carpenter only appear in a narrative poem, but he has adapted their portrayals quite faithfully. The Carpenter is most monosyllabic and the Walrus is the loquacious one. While at the end of the original poem Alice at first feels more sympathy for the Walrus, that will not be the case here. The Walrus is an evil genius, chained down by his brainless partner.
As for the new characters of Princess Scarlett and Prince Russell, you learn much more about Scarlett. This is not just from the comic but also from the entry in her diary featured after the story has concluded.
There are several bonus additions to this book, such as sketches, a fake letter to the editor (though it will become a real one come issue #1), a short story about snarks by Lewis Carroll and illustrated beautifully by Henry Holiday, along with some puzzles, games, and the inclusion of the original poem. Yes, for one dollar, this is quite a buy.
Langridge is not only the writer of this comic, but also the artist. The Walrus very much resembles how the creature has been drawn in many depictions, including the Disney animated version. It is the Carpenter that varies from those portrayals, here not being as short nor looking as dimwitted as he is. What I enjoyed most about the artwork is that it mirrored the cartoony feel and tone of the comic. The style of the dialogue matched the pictures accordingly.
Though this comic is from Boom! Studios’ younger market outlet, Kaboom, it still remains entertaining for older readers. Most have grown up on some interpretation of the Walrus and the Carpenter story. Who could forget the famous Beatles line “I am the Walrus,” which was a reference to the poem? What makes it a great book for all ages is the fact that Langridge does not talk down to the main audience--kids. The dialogue is clever, yet not overly snarky. Overall, Langridge has set up two wonderful characters whose chemistry is strong enough to carry them through many more books.
Lyzard is actually Lyz Reblin, a film student at Chapman University. Lyz’s love for comics stems from an internship at Dark Horse Entertainment as a freshman, which may explain why some of her favorite comic book writers are Gerard Way and Steve Niles. You can find her on Facebook, but only if you follow her band: Castle Town Convicts (possibly a Zelda reference?).
FLASHPOINT @$$ESSMENT Week 5
Publisher: DC ComicsReviewer: Optimous Douche
I guess Jesus was right; the freaks shall inherit the earth…or at least my comic buying dollar. GRODD OF WAR has been hands down my favorite entry into the FLASHPOINT universe thus far. It was a complete story, not a set-up for something else in another book, and it also truly transformed the character. Grodd has always wanted power, but those power plays are always thwarted. To see the malaise that came from him finally getting what he always wanted (basically control over an entire continent) was the panacea of story-telling, the micro view on macro events.
People are saying a lot about FLASHPOINT; love it or hate it, there is one undeniable truth: FLASHPOINT is a maelstrom of surprise and a break from the status quo or any other bitch-ass quo ever.
Take this week’s offerings. The book I thought I would love the most (HAL JORDAN) was my least favorite and the book I was ready to despise, CANTERBURY CRICKET, is now my second favorite title in the FLASHPOINT verse, just a gorilla taint hair behind GRODD.
Will any of this stick? Doesn’t matter for me; sometimes it’s about the ride, not the rebooted destination.
All right, enough preamble--let’s hit the books. I think this week I’m going to go least to most favorite, just for some variety. By the way these are all advance reviews dropping today, so be warned you are entering spoiler country.
HAL JORDAN #1Writer: Adam Schlagman/Artist: Ben Oliver
Oliver draws some damn pretty pictures and Schlagman writes a concise narrative, but I can’t give anyone on this a hell of a lot credit for originality. Unlike other heroes that became despots or never existed, Hal Jordan is the exact Hal Jordan we know. I mean exact…from story to dialogue, the only thing that differentiates this book from SECRET ORIGINS is the fact that Ferris Air is part of the war machine against the Amazonians and the Atlanteans. That’s it, folks. Hal even meets Abin Sur at the end. Even if I was apt to write SPOILER before a sentence I wouldn’t for this. If all other things are equal, then, yup…gonna meet Abin Sur at the end.
GREEN ARROW INDUSTRIES #1Writer: Pornsak Pichetshote/Artists: Marco Castiello & Ig Guara
Ah, here we have a gentler, douchier, more inept Oliver Queen. This Green Arrow doesn’t shoot arrows, merely leverages the arrow moniker as a brand for his government funded super missile manufacturing. As you can tell I’m not the biggest fan of this Oliver, but maybe that’s part of the point of FLASHPOINT: it makes us appreciate what we had before the reset button is pushed in halfway in September. Because if anything does end up sticking around from FLASHPOINT in the brave new DC universe, this can’t be one of them since HE DOESNT SHOOT AN ARROW!!!!! I appreciate the old Oliver Queen--the broodier, soulful Oliver Queen—you know, the one that can shoot a freaking arrow. I appreciate PP’s approach; Ollie’s missiles and weapons manufacturing are the caviar of military goods because he reverse engineers the weaponry of those dastardly Rogues and smooshes them inside. It’s also these same weapons he uses to flee for freedom when he is attacked by a scorned accident he had about eighteen years ago with a supermodel. This part of the story was fun and I think I can roll with this for three issues, but this is not a story of Errol Flynn--more like Bradley Cooper. It’s a fun approach for the editorial mandate, but I still miss my old Ollie.
PROJECT SUPERMAN #1Writer: Scott Snyder/Artist: Lowell Francis
Curiouser and curiouser. This ain’t your granddad’s Superman, or your father’s, hell…even yours. This is a Superman, but he’s human, and he’s the puppet of the American government. I did feel some wafts of a certain Marvel character that carries a shield as I watched a young army hotshot sign-up for a program turning men into Supermen, but just a waft. Why? Because Snyder writes characters that are labyrinths of dark emotion; the sunshine of Steve Rogers could never be hung upon the monster that is being created under the charge of General Lane in this book. This is more like SUPREME POWER or A GOD SOMEWHERE. This is a SUPERMAN with humanity’s vanity, arrogance, and genetically coded need to achieve superiority over one another. Essentially Project Superman is the worst case scenario everyone always worried about with our favorite Kryptonian: what if Superman one day said he was better than us? What this book truly explores is whether a man can keep his humanity when he is so clearly an evolutionary step above all the rest of us. The answer is, of course, no! I’m not saying how this book ends exactly…but know that Kal-El does exist, just nowhere near where and when you would expect.
Addendum: upon reread, I realized that I didn’t give any credit to Lowell Francis. Sir, Superman’s powers have never been conveyed in a more visually terrifying presentation. X-ray vision truly sucks ass. Thank you.
CANTERBURY CRICKET #1Writer: Mike Carlin/Artist: Rags Morales
Yeah, I’m giving my top numero uno FLASHPOINT recommendation this week to the CANTERBURY CRICKET. Despite the venerable names behind this creation, when I first saw the cover, I really thought there was no freaking way I could get through this in one sitting, hell I might not even get through it at all. Then I opened the first page. Greeting me was an Amazon attack on Etrigan, the Demon with a panache for poetry, and his companion of freaks. The next thing that struck me was a very civilized set of call out boxes that spoke like a fine gentleman welcoming me into the hell of Amazon-occupied England. Sort of like the opening narrative of APOCALYPSE NOW being told by two blokes at a Chap-Hop concert. I’ll admit…I got some SCHINDLER’S LIST pangs. CANTERBURY CRICKET, believe it or not, is a story of refugees fighting against a seemingly unstoppable force. It’s just these refugees end up meeting a heavenly cursed Cricket and he joins their merry band.
I always give credit to any writer that takes on Etrigan. I’m waiting for the writer who one day says “fuck this” and just zaps Etrigan with a hex that stops him from talking like a Freshman poetry major trying to get laid. I’m also pretty charmed by the team Carlin’s put together. A female Dr. Jekyll wears the pants leading the group, Etrigan is a clear second officer in command, then bottom of the pack is a monstrous little freak that just eats people and is kind of horny…for the Cricket. I know…I can see the TalkBack headlines now bemoaning “sounds terrible.” I’m in shock myself, but this is a pretty bad-ass fucking Cricket that gels with this team so naturally you kind of forget he’s a cricket. It could be because everyone else is more fucked up, but I don’t think it’s just that. This Cricket is really all too human save the exterior and that’s the secret sauce writers use to get us sap readers to care.
This issue is mainly exposition, but it’s a highly imaginative exposition that makes you believe it came from the mind of a genius five year old. The Cricket’s origin story is an exercise in tragic lightheartedness. It’s a pure silver age comic book moment that sidesteps science or true explanation and begs you to just go roll with it. I’ve always loved the parlor trick of applying logic to comics, but sometimes it’s OK for something to get zapped by God, a skull, and a cricket to become transformed. Why so serious? Yes, the Cricket is an agent of God, so much so that he sends Etrigan’s scales on end just by the two being near one another.
I can’t wait to see this team overthrow the Amazons…oh wait…that assumes FLASHPOINT will actually have a happy ending.
Optimous has successfully blackmailed fellow @$$Hole BottleImp into being his artist on Average Joe. Look for Imp's forced labor on Optimous brain child in mid-2011 from COM.X. Friend Optimous on FaceBook to get Average Joe updates and because ceiling cat says it's the right thing to do.
50 GIRLS 50 #1
Writer: Doug Murray and Frank ChoArt: Axel Medellin
Publisher: Image Comics
Reviewer: superhero
Russ Meyer in spaaaaaaaaaccccccceeeeeeee!!!!!
That’s pretty much what you’re getting when you read 50 GIRLS 50. Don’t know who Russ Meyer is? Go Google him. I’ll wait.
OK, got it? Yeah, interesting huh? Mostly only if you’re male, I guess.
I mean, look, the reason I asked to review this book is because I saw the name Frank Cho. I mean, we pretty much know what we’re going to get when we pick up a Frank Cho book. Which is fine. I love his good girl style and despite his T and A obsession I think that he’s obviously one of the best working comic artists out there. I’m not going to deny him that. Besides, I like the ladies, so, y’know, Frank Cho gets a pass from me pretty much. But this book…well, c’mon. The concept itself is just hysterical. It would make Russ Meyer proud.
In the future the resources of the Earth have become scarce so we’ve had to turn to space to try and find more resources or, hopefully, another place for us to settle. Luckily, humanity has discovered wormhole space travel. Unfortunately the only people who can travel though these wormholes are people with a rare Triple X (no, seriously) chromosome mutation. So basically, only women can travel through space. Extremely fit and extremely hot women.
I think I hear Russ Meyer crawling out of his grave to direct the feature version of this comic.
So a crew of fifty extremely fit and extremely hot women go aboard a starship to seek out better fortunes for humanity and when they head back something goes wrong with the wormhole drive and they get lost in space. Stupid women drivers (that was a joke…save your e-mails). They find a planet with a breathable atmosphere but when two extremely fit and extremely hot astronauts head down toward the planet’s surface they discover that something in the planet’s air dissolves plastics, which makes their ship crash land on the surface and their space suits slowly begin to dissolve as they try to figure out a way to get back to their space cruiser in orbit.
Did you catch that last part? I’m not making this shit up.
Yeah, yeah, Frank Cho helped put this together so I guess I shouldn’t be surprised but damn…I gotta say…I didn’t expect it to be this ridiculous. I mean, c’mon, let’s try and have some respect for the ladies, guys.
And, oh, I forgot to mention…Cho doesn’t even draw the book. Which is no big deal as the fantastic Alex Medellin does a great job with the art chores. As a matter of fact, in some ways he may be a better artist than Cho. The whole book looks, ahem, gorgeous and is filled with the excellent production value that is to be expected from Image Comics and Frank Cho. But let’s face it, they can disguise it all they want, it’s a T and A book all the way. It’s a good T and A book but it’s T and A. So you’ve either been warned or been notified depending on what your tastes are.
To be fair, I have to say that as far as the story goes it is entertaining enough. It’s not BATTLESTAR GALACTICA or anything but it’s an OK adventure story if you can get past the tight fitting space suits and the melting astronaut gear once they’re on the planet. But if the creators of this book think they’re fooling anyone with 50 GIRL 50 they’ve gotta be kidding. It is what it is and that’s pretty much it.
But for the record…I do like Russ Meyer movies.
Discovered as a babe in an abandoned comic book storage box and bitten by a radioactive comic fan when he was a teenager, superhero is actually not-so mild mannered sometime designer & cartoonist, Kristian Horn of Los Angeles, California. He's been an @$$hole for three years. Some of his work can be seen at www.kristianhorn.com and check out his blog at www.parttimefanboy.com.
THE DREAM EATER SAGA Review Part 1
Story by Joe Brusha, Raven Gregory, & Ralph TedescoTHE DREAM EATER SAGA PRELUDE #0
Writer: Raven Gregory
Art: Anthony Spay
THE DREAM EATER SAGA #1
Writer: Raven Gregory
Art: Roberto Viacava
THE PIPER #1 (One-Shot)
Writer: Raven Gregory
Art: Allan Otero
Publisher: Zenescope Entertainment
Reviewer: Ambush Bug
If you’re not interested in FEAR ITSELF or FLASHPOINT, but still have crossover-it is, Zenescope’s first ever crossover is under way and after reading the first three chapters of it, I found myself surprisingly intrigued by it all. I say surprisingly because aside from the WONDERLAND Trilogy and a few other issues of GRIMM FAIRY TALES here and there, I don’t have a vast knowledge of Zenescope’s world of fractured fables and fairy tales. I knew that they often have pretty horrific elements and that hot chicks often adorned the covers and often the stories inside, but after reading these first three of this twelve part crossover, I have a firm grasp on what the universe is about and who the major players are.
The main reason for this is that the PRELUDE #0 issue is chock full of info about Zenescope’s Universe which includes the realm of Wonderland, Neverland, Oz, and Myst (the magic realm of fairy tales). The issue not only shows a snippet of the evil witch, Baba Yaga’s origin, but it also offers a handbook explaining the important terms and locales that will be at play in this crossover. Not knowing which end was up in the Zenescope U, I was appreciative of this added Encyclopedia Zenescopia. The story itself, by Raven Gregory and artist Anthony Spay was pretty well done too. Gregory does a good job of setting up a scenario that motivates the witch to hate just about everyone and everything while Spay illustrates it all with the proper curves and angles that make every panel nice to look atThings hit the ground running as issue one of THE DREAM EATER SAGA opens in the last moments of a battle where the good guys have obviously lost. Many appear to have fallen to a dark force with only the lion Thane of Oz and a few others left standing. This issue skips locales all around time and space, but what intrigued me was how easily all of the different aspects of the Zenescopes books fit together so seamlessly. This is a well thought out crossover with motivations for all developed and highlighted. The book doesn’t spend too much time in Oz or Neverland or Earth, but just enough to let the reader know that a weird old guy has appeared and he seems to be seeking out the fairy tales and stars of these other books and eating their souls. There’s a sequence where the Dream Eater copies the form of an old man from bones to muscle to skin which plays out both humorously and creepily, another nicely paced set of panels written by Gregory and drawn by Roberto Viacava, which has a similar style as seen in Spay’s PRELUDE and fits nicely when reading the books in sequence.
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The final issue I read this week in the DREAM EATER SAGA was THE PIPER ONE SHOT. Having never read a Piper story, I found this to be a haunting read and a sophisticated update on the Piper of fable’s story. Accompanied by his rats and pipe, the Piper steals souls with his music. A devious character, the Piper meets his match when he faces off with the Dream Eater in this issue, which ends surprisingly.All three of these issues are well paced and contain elements both exciting and horrific. It’s nice to know this crossover is only twelve issues and doesn’t have a million tie ins or a million characters to sort through. If you’re looking for a well thought out, tightly knit crossover, Zenescope’s THE DREAM EATER SAGA seems to fit the bill nicely.
Ambush Bug is Mark L. Miller, original @$$Hole/wordslinger/reviewer/co-editor of AICN Comics for over nine years. Support a Bug by checking out his comics (click on the covers to purchase)!
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BRIGHTEST DAY AFTERMATH: THE SEARCH FOR SWAMP THING #1
Writer: Jonathan VankinArt: Marco Castello & Vincenzo Acunzo
Publisher: DC Comics
Reviewer: The Writing Rambler
When DC’s series BRIGHTEST DAY wrapped up in issue 24 many people, myself included, were left with the burning question of “okay, now what?” There were questions left of what would become of Swamp Thing, the newly resurrected champion of the earth, and exactly why John Constantine was appearing in a mainstream DC title. Those questions are pursued though not really expounded on in BRIGHTEST DAY AFTERMATH: THE SEARCH FOR SWAMP THING #1.
The book itself is an odd read overall. I didn’t hate it, but I also feel like it did nothing to further the story and basically was just 20 pages (I’m not counting the ads, especially the Subway comic where Grodd is defeated by a basketball to the face….I still feel slightly violated after reading that) of letting the non-Vertigo readers know who John Constantine is. The whole story just follows John traveling to the US to find Batman and voice his concerns about Swamp Thing’s return. There’s an appearance by Zatanna as well, but again it almost feels forced, simply to say “see, Constantine knows Batman and Zatanna so he definitely belongs here”. While there’s nothing done particularly wrong, it just feels like a lot of wasted space in a limited series that is only set for 3 issues.
One thing I will commend the book for is its artwork. It does a great job delivering the overall grittiness of Gotham and Constantine’s personality as well. I also really like the way Swamp Thing is captured. While only appearing on one page of the entire book, you can clearly see the power behind the character represented.
Something else I need to touch on is the cover art, which is probably my biggest complaint of the issue. While the art looks great, this has to be one of the worst “bait and switch” covers I remember seeing in a while. Dead center behind Constantine is Superman himself; glaring forward as though he’s prepping to lobotomize John for smoking on the cover. It looks great but the problem is that Superman never appears in the issue and is never even made reference to. It just seemed like a cheap way to entice buyers by putting the company’s biggest star front and center for no apparent reason. Also, I recall in the ads for this as an upcoming title that Zatanna wasn’t on the cover and Hawkman was. I’m guessing they switched this out being that Hawkman is also never seen or mentioned in the book either. Again, it just seems odd and leads me to believe this limited series is not that well prepped.With so little time left before the impending “reboot” of all things DC, one has to wonder if this three issue run is really going to be able to flesh anything out. I’m hoping this story gets to be told and is not just serving as filler to get us from point A to B (though after this first issue that’s how I’m starting to feel). Nonetheless, I’ll be checking it out because I’m hoping now that we’ve gotten past a slow start, the last two issues can provide some real “meat” to the Swamp Thing storyline, plus I hate starting things and not finishing them so DC has me on the books for another $5.98 before this is all said and done.
You can follow The Writing Rambler on his blog here!
BLACK HOLE BLUES Novel
Writer: Patrick WensinkPublisher: Lazy Fascist Press
Reviewer: Mr. Pasty
I’ll be honest, I don’t know a goddamn thing about country music. Well, I guess that’s not entirely true. I know the devil went down to Georgia and being a coal miner’s daughter made Patsy Cline crazy, but outside of a few catchy jingles that cling to my memories like an inbred barnacle, I really don’t have a point of reference for that medium. So imagine my uh, “excitement” when a copy of BLACK HOLE BLUES found itself crammed into my postal box. Especially when it was paired with a note from the author that enthusiastically read: “It's about a country singer writing a love song about every woman's name in the English language. The only things standing in his way are the book's two villains: a black hole and Kenny Rogers.” Whoo-hoo!
Like a toddler choking down his broccoli, I dutifully tore through chapters one and two before confirming what I already knew heading into this endeavor: my ignorance and stupidity are matched only by my propensity for complaining. BLACK HOLE BLUES is a triumph, a stunning achievement in fiction that drives a stake through the heart of the recent crop of “best sellers” that are embarrassing by compare. I spent a long time digesting this material. And by “long time” I mean Sarlacc long. The recipe is absurd: Kenny Rogers, the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), moldy club sandwiches and a talking guitar. But somehow the finished product was inexplicably delicious. I was determined to figure out Patrick Wensink’s formula only to realize it wasn’t about country music, or particle physics, or even cured bacon. It was about a group of people who find themselves connected in a strange and beautiful way as they stumble through their lives in search of a deeper meaning.
Wensink’s narrative is as erratic as the Plinko board. The point of view jumps across several characters, sometimes rapidly and unexpectedly, but to rewarding results. Telling the same story from different perspectives is hardly groundbreaking, but I’ve never walked in the shoes of a lonely club sandwich or heartbroken proton. Wensink also shows great restraint in personifying his inanimate objects: They may be self-aware, but they don’t talk, act or sound like humans, and that’s why it works so effectively and doesn’t feel “gimmicky.” I was also impressed at how sneaky he was with his pacing. The black hole begins its death march in chapter six, leaving Wensink on a tight rope for another 20+ chapters. He doesn’t fall. And to further illustrate at how successful he is at drawing in the reader, there were times when I was so engrossed in the dynamics of the relationships I often forgot it was there at all. Simply put, this is high-level stuff.
The ending is open for interpretation (brownie points!) and it seems like everything in this book stands for something else. I’m a self-admitted mark for metaphors, but I won’t bore you with my interpretation of the material. What I will say is Wensink has accomplished an incredible feat: using nothing more than his sagacious imagination, he somehow convinced me to give a shit about country music. That, my friends, was no easy task.
Web heads who can’t get enough of Mr. Pasty’s word vomit are encouraged to watch him operate as Nostradumbass over at MMaMania.com here. Love, hate and Mafia Wars requests should be directed here.
FABLES #106
Writer: Bill WillinghamArt: Mark Buckingham
Publisher: DC Vertigo
Reviewer: Henry Higgins is My Homeboy
That Was...huh?
I don't know of many people who would argue against FABLES. It's currently one of the best series being produced, and it's comparable to works like SANDMAN, not just in the fantasy subset but in terms of sheer quality. Fables have been dealing with the oncoming threat of Mr. Dark for a while now, and that story reaches a conclusion in this issue. FABLES continues its streak of superb storytelling, and progresses more then one story line beautifully. But I can't help but feel it was almost anticlimactic.
Writing: (4/5) The big draw for this issue is the battle between Mr. Dark and the North Wind. And yes, it is rather fantastic. The fight is fast paced and is brutal. And within eleven pages, the fight is done.
But that might actually be my problem. For all we've seen of Mr. Dark, especially given how powerful he was in FABLES #100, for him to fall in less than half an issue just seems lackluster. The Adversary, for example, took roughly 75 issues to be dealt with, and the battle to remove him from power is one of the most entertaining comics I think I've ever read. It was simply brilliant. This one lacks the gravitas, the ballet of death that I was expecting from two such powerful forces dueling.
But maybe that's the point. The North Wind does say he's not here to fight him; he's here to kill him. Maybe this isn't meant to be a fight or a war, but simply the North killing something vile. It's not pretty, full of choreographed moves and witty banter. It's simply an act of violence, between two immeasurable forces. It's the mundane creeping in and infecting the majestic, the grandiose battle being leveled with realism. I just can't help but wish it had been extended somewhat. The threat of Mr. Dark would diminish over time if such a force of power continually failed to kill the Fables, but I still think there must have been a way to extend this arc.
Following that, many subplots begin to push forward in different directions. Ozma, who sincerely believed her destiny was to lead the Fables to war against Mr. Dark, seems put out by the conclusion. It also leaves an interesting path open; if Frau Totenkinder and Ozma are correct and there is some great threat to be defeated by the leaders of the 13th floor, then what is Ozma's going to be? Rose Red's fate also proves very interesting, and I'm glad that she's remaining at the forefront of the narrative, at least a while longer. It implies she has one greater task ahead of her, while also setting up a possible corruption of her.
As always, the dialogue crackles and flows, and the balance between epic and casual is juggled brilliantly. Nothing much else to say.
Art: (5/5) I love Buckingham. I really do. His art is always amazing, but in FABLES, it's simply marvelous. Everything from small moments (such as Flycatcher’s ecstatic look of relief) to the grand ones (the two page spread of Mr. Dark and North Wind battling) just so perfectly convey this series. If anything, that might be why I feel so let down by Mr. Dark falling so quickly. In my mind, I envisioned a duel between them that lasted an entire issue of two page spreads, and got my hopes up. Buckingham is one of those artists I just can't find any flaws with.
Best Moment: It amuses me that there seems to be a moment of Pinnochio/Ozma, as the two converse in the field.
Worst Moment: A personal thing. I just wish something bigger had been done.
Overall: (4/5) A great issue, but letting down my personal expectations, though I wouldn't have expectations this high if it weren't for the fact that this book is fucking fantastic.
MODESTY BLAISE: THE DOUBLE AGENT TPB
Writer: Peter O’DonnelIllustrator: Neville Colvin
Publisher: Titan Books
Reviewed by: superhero
I never knew a damn thing about MODESTY BLAISE before I picked up this collection. Well, that’s not true. I remember reading an article about the character years and years ago in an old Comics Scene magazine. I knew that she was some sort of female equivalent to James Bond, a female secret agent. But that was the extent of it. So I went into this book sort of blind, as far as the world of MODESTY BLAISE was concerned.
I also have never been a fan of newspaper adventure strips. I don’t know why but I never really grew to love the newspaper equivalent of my comic book adventurers. Maybe it’s just that no one in my house ever really read a daily newspaper so I never had daily access to the funny pages to be able to keep up with the storylines but even in my adult life I’ve never really been eager to track down the newspaper adventures of, say, Superman in collected form. I always thought there was a bit of dryness in the newspaper adventure strip because of the fact that they could never break through that narrow little bit of paper they were confined to on the newspaper page. They could never reach the dynamic heights that a Fantastic Four or Batman comic could. To me, newspaper adventure strips were always a bore.So going into this MODESTY BLAISE collection was a bit of a challenge for me. As I opened the book to read it I was beginning to fear that my preconceived notions of the original format might hold true. At first glance the art seemed a bit stiff and stodgy and the story a bit basic. It also didn’t help that I didn’t know any background information at all about the character. But as I continued reading through the first story in the book, “The Wild Boar”, I started noticing that the art itself was far from the stiff old newspaper strip style that I’d expected to encounter. As a matter of fact, I started noticing that Neville’s art, despite the fact that it was confined to a comic strip style, was pretty damn dynamic. The linework was full of energy and the terrific brushwork transformed into a style that made me challenge my prejudices toward comic strip art. By the time I’d gotten to the second story, “Kali’s Disciples”, I had become a full-on fan of Neville’s work, despite his seeming disability to render human emotions on his character’s faces. Nobody’s perfect, I guess.
I’d also become a fan of the writing. While “The Wild Boar” is a fun secret agent rescue yarn it’s the second story, “Kali’s Disciples”, where the book really kicked in for me. It’s obvious that “Disciples” was inspired in some way by “The Temple of Doom”. The book even acknowledges a distant connection in the introduction to that section of the book. But “Kali’s Disciples” sort of goes its own way and veers away from the over the top adventure of “Doom” and embraces a sort of more mellow yet just as entertaining adventure. The writing and plot are engaging and by the end of “Kali’s Disciples” I’d realized that I was becoming particularly fond of Modesty Blaise and her “sidekick”(?) Willie Garvin. Even if I still didn’t know a thing about them personally, by the end of the book the writer was able to develop their characterization and relationship perfectly so that I was thoroughly entertained by them.
So if you’re a fan of secret agent yarns or old school style newspaper adventure strips I’d highly recommend this collection, or even if you’re an old school comic book fan like me who seems to have outgrown much of what’s out there in the mainstream comic world. While MODESTY BLAISE isn’t new I think it’s different enough from current modern comics that maybe someone out there who hasn’t really been exposed to this type of comic book style might appreciate it. I know I did and I can’t wait to seek out more of it.
Advance Review: In stores today!SCALPED #50
Writer: Jason AaronArtist: R.M. Guera and bunches more
Publisher: DC Vertigo
Reviewer: Optimous Douche
First an admission. The only thing I knew about SCALPED prior to reading this bloody anniversary issue were exclamations of awesomeness from the denizens of my local comic shop, “Douche, it’s awesome. It’s “The Sopranos” on an Indian reservation.” Hey, I love “The Sopranos”, but my pull list already chokes an Excel spreadsheet; I just don’t think I have the time: words, I will never utter again after reading SCALPED. For as long as there is breath in my lungs and the sun shining on my face there is always time for great works of art, and that’s what SCALPED 50 is for a newbie neophyte to the reservation. I may not have context, but I didn’t need it thanks to Aaron’s masterful storytelling. Sure, fans will have a deeper subtext as the images stream across the page or fully encompass the page in the ballsy effective full page spreads that close out the book, but again, context is merely icing on the proverbial cake. Everyone who loves comics will enjoy SCALPED #50.
This book starts with a lesson in scalping--I mean, what’s not to love? As we learn, though, scalping is far more than the precursor to Nair products. Scalping when done right is an act of dominance more brutal an effective than any penis gags or golden showers. Folksy frontiersman logic has always made me giggle with delight; the combination of racial ignorance and dang nabbit rightness that blinded them to the true realities of the world is something that can only be achieved in an age without internet connection. It’s a giggle at them, not with them. Aaron rightly chooses one of these leathery men of yore to discuss the fine art of scalping to his young son. I know it’s hard to believe, but apparently back in the day, the US government was paying whitey to scalp injuns…I know, I’m just as shocked as you are. Guera’s art not only revels in the brutality of the act, but the brutality of the times. This is genocide, one follicle at a time, until the injuns fight back.
I was digging this book until this point, but here’s the part where I fell into manlove with Aaron and SCALPED. When the whitey father gets his skullcap unsnapped, the Indian father that does the deed spews out the same venomous hate as HIS son stands watching. Yes, war and hatred are tales as old as time, but Aaron presented them so damn effectively in Part I of the book that cliché transcended into illumination of the human condition.
Part II shows that young Indian boy thirteen years later being “transferred” to the Prairie Rose Reservation way back when, where I can only assume that SCALPED takes place in modern day. As the young man lays dying from a beating by F-Troop, Aaron chooses to not have his life flash before his eyes, but rather the life that will be for the reservation. This is where the book kicked into hyper-awesome…actually, make that beyond hyper-awesome…this book goes into plaid.
As the Indian dreams of tomorrow we are treated to full page spreads that presumably introduce characters from the modern story…this is where we will defy them…this is where we will grow old…this is where we will make our stand. Each declaration is a full page spread by a veritable who’s who inside the Vertigo stable. My top favorites are the never disappointing Jill Thompson showing an old Indian woman weathered and surrounded by cats and Jordi Bernet showing a naked Indian woman that looks likes the first time you sleep with her will be your last.
Having never read an issue of SCALPED prior, I’m sure I’m missing the deeper picture, but I’m emphatically sure that the big picture is imbedded firmly inside my resin-filled cerebellum. I love and hate Aaron at this point. The love of course stems from being the inception for this wonderful issue. The hate is a direct result of the fact I now have to track down 49 back issues.
P.S. Jock is a genius, this was one of the creepiest and most original covers I’ve seen since his last cover.
BLACK PANTHER: THE MAN WITHOUT FEARMarvel Comics
Though I prefer Priest’s Casper Cole and wanted Elektra to take over as Hell’s Kitchen’s protector in Matt Murdock’s stead, I have to admit, writer David Liss is making Black Panther fun again by putting him in situations he normally is not in. Putting T’Challa at odds against Cage and Spidey was great (especially how differently T’Challa acts around both of them), but bringing in Kraven and Storm into the story for the last two issues has really kicked the heat of this book up. All of this drawn by the amazing, spectacular, sensational new artist Jefte Palo and you’ve got a comic that I’m finding harder and harder to wait for month in month out. - Ambush Bug
COMPLEX #1Impulsive Ideas
This comic is aptly titled; COMPLEX is just that. In only eight pages, Malkin creates an intriguing story rather quickly. In the press release the comic is described as a combination of LOST and AMERICAN BEAUTY. Good connections, for it does feel like a J.J. Abrams mystery set in suburbia. A man wakes up in his bedroom, unable to remember anything, only to be calmed down by his “wife.” It is hard to judge the quality of the comic overall with so little to go off of. But just like Abrams, Malkin grabs your attention immediately. The art is quite rough, but strong enough to set the proper mood. Without color and little inking, the sketches need to be pristine to hide errors. COMPLEX will be available at Impulsive Ideas on July 7th and then in hard copy in September. - Lyzard
BATMAN: GATES OF GOTHAM #2DC Comics
Lots of thickening of plot in this second issue to one of the best Batman miniseries to be published in recent memory. Scott Snyder and Kyle Higgins continue to weave an expansive and fascinating tale of Gotham’s past and how that past is seemingly coming back to haunt the present. Snyder continues to write Dick Grayson Batman like no other giving him both power and humility, but also showing a bit of growth and possibly a comfort in his new role as top guano maker in Gotham (for the time being at least). There are some nice moments between Dick and Tim, plus some even cooler moments between Damian and Cassandra Cain which make the present story fun, but the real intrigue comes from seeing Snyder play with Gotham’s past and making it a character all its own. - Ambush Bug
MYSTERY MEN #2Marvel Comics
It’s writer David Liss again who perks my ears with a story that will make you go JM-who? Sure it’s reminiscent of THE TWELVE, but you know what, I’ll bet we get a whole miniseries from the team of Liss and artist Patrick Zircher. Zircher’s art is phenomenal here channeling the best pulp poses and angles while Liss evokes the old timey black and white super hero films of old with a modern attention to character and detail. I love the liner notes at the end of this issue which shows a lot of passion in this project from the creative team. So maybe we never will get to see the end of THE TWELVE. Who cares when we’ve got MYSTERY MEN to follow. - Ambush Bug
CARNAGE #5Marvel Comics
Though I’m not the biggest Carnage fan, I’m a lesser fan of the way he was killed half-assedly in a side story in the NEW AVENGERS, so this story reurning ol’ Cletus to the status quo was pretty alright. What makes this book worthy of high recommendation is Clayton Crain’s delicious artwork which at times is a bit dark, but makes up for it with panels filled with gooey, gory goodness. This is just a gorgeous looking book. - Ambush Bug
Proofs, co-edits & common sense provided by Sleazy G
