Hey, everyone. "Moriarty" here with some Rumblings From The Lab.
You know the drill by now. Andrew. Gray Haven Magazine.com. Our weekly comics review column. Of course, when I'm in absentia because of other pressing concerns (I am trying to take over the world, remember), then we end up with two weeks worth of material on the same day. That's my fault, since Andrew is his usual punctual self.
Here's last week's column. This week's can be found right here!! Enjoy 'em both!!
Hi Gang. Andrew from GrayHaven Magazine here with a ton of new reviews, as well as some new reviewers to mix things up a bit. Be sure to check out the Preview of The Castaways along with Alan Doane's review, below…
Once again, our handy dandy rating guide:
Don't Miss- A flawless example of a comic book. From writing to art, there is nothing that could be improved upon.
Highly Recommended- While not absolutely perfect, a grade of Highly Recommended goes to books that are a cut above the rest. These are essential reading for any fan of comic books
Recommended- A book that is a bit better than average. A few shortcomings, but otherwise a very good effort.
Mildly Recommended- Average. Books with this rating aren't terrible but they may fall short in one area or another and while they aren't to be discounted, most likely these issues appeal to only the die-hard comic fans.
Adios Palomita -TPB
Written by Olivier Vatine & Alain Clement and Illustrated by Fabrice Lamy & Olivier Vatine
Published by Heavy Metal/Tundra
Reviewed by Mike Gagnon
This story follows a scraggly outlaw with a questionable past, faced with that past when he is taken in the night from his wife and her family of outlaws. Who could have taken him? How about his other wife…you know, the one who spent years in jail for a bank robbery he committed! In short, this is a classic western tale with lots of quirky twists and surprises. This story has everything; a band of outlaws, an insane sheriff, a crazy gold miner, an alcoholic wolf, chain guns, two gorgeous women, and a misunderstood outlaw hero.
The script is pure imported quality here. An outlandish story that is still believable, and I would be surprised in the current comic loving climate of Hollywood if someone doesn't snap up the movie rights to this one pretty quick. Joseph doesn't have a care in the world, until his wife Mary who just got out of jail shows up to collect the bounty on him. One problem though, Joseph is now marries to Dolores, and Dolores has a gang of ruthless outlaws as her kin who'd like Joseph back. There's also the mystery of what Joseph did with his gains from the bank robbery that landed Mary in jail, and much more than can be told here.
The art is of decent quality, and there is some nudity (that you would expect from Heavy Metal), but not to the degree of most of their other stories. Very beautiful in most instances, but there are a few instances of sloppier inking which confuses the eye. Still a great presentation though, especially with the outstanding cover.
Overall, I liked the bends in the story line and the effective use of flashbacks -- which might just be tall tales in this one. Pick it up and find out. It's worth the price
Overall: HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
The Castaways Preview
Written by Rob Vollmar and illustrated by Pablo G Callejo
Published by Absence of Ink Comic Press
Introduction by Alan David Doane
I mean it when I tell you that it is an honour and a privilege to be able to present the following material to you. I've known Rob Vollmar for about two years now, and in that time I've come to trust his instincts for what makes good comic books better than anyone else I've met in three decades (yes, three full decades) of reading comic books. Now, here he is writing them, and i find that his instincts extend to storytelling as well: The Castaways is simply one of the best comics I've ever read, and you're not going to disagree after you read this stunning preview.
I know Rob would nod his head and say "Amen, brother," when I tell you that a large part of the credit for the excellence of The Castaways goes to artist Pablo G. Callejo, someone whose work is not yet known to the larger comics audience, but who has caught the eye of professionals, reviewers and the readers who were lucky enough to read Absence of Ink Theatre, where some of the chapters collected in the forthcoming graphic novel originally appeared. His work is touchingly human and rendered with startling detail that brings you right into the story, where Rob then grabs you with his words, completing the dizzying spell they work and transporting you back to Depression-era America, where the journey begins.
The Castaways graphic novel will go on sale in June, and pay attention, because this is very important: If you like what you see in this preview, it is vital that you go to your retailer now and tell him you want to order a copy. In addition to the original 48 page story, you'll get five new plates from artist Pablo G. Callejo, preparatory sketch work for the series, and an epilogue from writer/co-creator Rob Vollmar. The collection features a wraparound full color cover from Callejo and will be printed for the first time as rendered by the artist in a lush blue tone and perfect bound for only $5.95. You have just a short time to tell your local comics shop you want to pre-order this book, which is listed in the Comics section of Previews under the publisher, Absence of Ink Comic Press.
Now, read the preview, then call or visit your comics shop today and tell them "I want to pre-order The Castaways from Absence of Ink Comic Press." A little piece of the future of comics is in your hands. I know you'll do the right thing after you look at all these pretty pages.
Click Here to Read the Preview!!
Double-Shot #1
Written by Garth Ennis and Rob Haynes and Illustrated by Joe Quesada and Rob Haynes
Published by Marvel Comics
Reviewed by Victor Destefano
Double-Shot featured two stories, each eleven pages long, dealing with The Punisher and Daredevil. The first of the two stories, Roots, is one of the most disturbing things I've seen in comics thus far. Ennis has outdone himself with this one. The whole story is seen from inside the mouth of gangster, Don Signore, and illustrates the dentist visit from hell.
As the gangster has a routine check up, all of his goons are taken out by The Punisher and the dentist is knocked out cold. Ol' Dr. Castle...I mean, Frank Castle takes over revealing that he's not there to make sure Signore has the Cosa Nostra's prettiest smile. No, he has something else in mind. He wants some information about some going-ons dealing with guns and heroine and the gangster's in no position to say "No". But, he does.
So what happens next? Well, something you might not want to look at if you got a weak stomach. Matter of fact, I even had a problem looking at it and I had just finished watching "Beat" Takeshi's Battle Royale again. Let's just say that pliers and a dentist drill are involved and the artist, Joe Quesada, and inker, Danny Miki, managed to make the short story look way to real and full of detail. You could say that Quesada's art is somewhat pretty, but nothing about these pages are.
Definitely nicely executed, no Pun..., er, pun, intended, but you may not want to check this one out if you've recently made yourself an appointment with the dentist. Short, but definitely to the point. Perfect for Punisher fans and those who aren't really familiar with the character.
The second story, Dirty Job, deals with Daredevil and the Kingpin during a brutally cold, snowy day. The Kingpin orders one of his men to fetch a package for him that turns out to be the last thing you'd expect. In doing so, doing some, the goon causes more trouble than he needs to, attracting the police and the blind crime fighter himself.
Most of the story is made up of pages of a really cinematic feeling chase scene between the goon and Daredevil. Something Rob Haynes (of Daredevil: Ninja fame) wrote and illustrates beautifully. Haynes' "cartoony" style worked perfectly with David Self's colors making the 11 page story a real treat, and I hope we see more of Haynes in the very near future.
Unfortunately though, his short story wasn't all great. (Besides the art, that is.) It was bit too cute and some of it really didn't fit. For example, Daredevil is alerted to the goon on the run after he stops a man from raping a girl in an alley. Yeah, the attempted rape takes up one page while a burglary is the main focus here. The scene just didn't fit the cute natured story and just felt off for something that reads like it's supposed to be just fun. (And who tries to rape somebody outside during a blizzard?)
This all leads to a jokey kind of ending that was, again, too cute. Still, a nice little slice of the Daredevil/Fisk world for those unfamiliar with the characters.
Overall: RECOMMENDED
Fray #6
Written by Joss Whedon and Illustrated by Karl Moline
Published by Dark Horse
Reviewed by Elliot Kane
The ongoing story of Melaka Fray, Vampire Slayer of the future, just keeps getting better with each issue. In dealing with the aftermath of Loo's death (last issue), Mel finally comes to terms with who she is and what she has to do. Fully accepting her role as the Slayer, Mel starts to take the war to the vampires. The aimless, shiftless rebel without a cause that she was surrenders to the dedicated hunter of monsters that she must be if her world is to have any chance of survival.
But the leader of the vampires has plans of his own, and if they reach fruition then all Mel's hard work will be for nothing...
Joss skillfully combines pathos, humour, drama and all-out action in a truly outstanding story. His characters change and grow in a logical fashion as a result of their experiences, and his dialogue feels very real. Fray is certainly among his best work in any medium.
Karl Moline's art is, as usual, highly distinctive. His action scenes are superb, and the rather elfin Mel has a totally unique look that I just cannot see any other artist duplicating. He portrays emotion very well too, and I especially love the look on Mel's face after she slays her first vampire. Utterly priceless!
This is one of the best comics currently available.
Overall: DON'T MISS
High Roads #1 (of 6)
Written by Scott Lobdell & Illustrated by Leinil Yu
Published by DC/Wildstorm/Cliffhanger
Reviewed by Raoul Treadwater (aka The Comedian)
What if you took the WWII era Nick Fury and Steve Rodgers and amalgamated them into the same character? Now picture this guy hanging for dear life off of a Gothic Nazi fortress carved entirely out of ice at the North Pole (yeah, I think it's a dopey Fortress of Solitude homage, too.) rat-tat-tatting at a warplane headed straight for him with a ticking time bomb (the classic 6 sticks of T-N-T connected to wires and a stop watch) in his teeth. Hella-cool, innit. That pretty much describes the opening scene of "HIGH ROADS" Cliffhanger's new WWII action mini-series created and illustrated By Leinil Yu and written by Scott Lobdell.
You may remember Leinil as the penciler on Wolverine and X-Men who Grant Morrison let get away for his fellow Scotsman and Earth-2 buddy, Frank "God don't like ugly, BUT I LOVE IT!" Quitely. I really think it's a shame that Marvel let Leinil get away when they could have put him on any one of their high profile books and with the right writer attached sold millions of copies. But alas, spilt milk. Anyway, Leinil teams up with Chris Claremont Junio…I mean Scott Lobdell to bring us this balls to the wall Indiana Jones style period action romp. And judging from the first issue, what a romp it will be.
HIGH ROADS is set during the last days of WWII and stars Nicolas Highroad, a US Army sergeant who seemingly stumbles into a final last ditch effort by the Nazis to turn the tides of war in their favor. In the opening scene I described earlier Nic seems a lot like that other Nick we know so well. His uniform's all torn to hell. He's got a bandage wrapped around his forehead, a five o'clock shadow and all the piss & vinegar bravado of ol' Sgt. Fury AND his DC counterpart Sgt. Rock. After he shoots down the aforementioned warplane we are treated to the second half of the story, which is a flashback set in a liberated Paris 48 hours earlier. In the flashback sequence we are introduced to an altogether different Nic Highroad. He's a bright eyed, innocent, All American doofus from Tennessee who'd rather go see a 5th rate comedy revue than chase after Parisian whores with his army buddies. He's a lot like Steve Rodgers in those WWII stories where acts like a dummy so no one will suspect he's Captain America. Only, it's apparently not an act. The rest of the issue sets up two of the other main characters, a condescending and diminutive English actor who happens to be a midget doppelganger of Adolf Hitler (I like to call him the "Hitler Hobbit") and a spoiled American, high class prostitute who swears up and down that she was once the Fuhrer's mistress. All this while Albino Nazi Ninja's with swastikas tattooed on their faces are lurking in the shadows. It's all pretty much 'set up' for the next 5 issues.
I found HIGH ROADS #1 to be a welcome breath of fresh air. It is what it is: a PG-13 escapist, action-comedy with quirky oddball characters becoming the unlikeliest of heroes. This kind of premise in the hands of someone like Garth Ennis would quickly devolve into some over the top, nihilistic, ultra violent, hypersexual mess. (The Hitler Hobbit would inevitably be sexually assaulted by the prostitute wearing some crude 40's era strap-on or vice versa) But here in the hands of Yu & Lobdell we're getting a clever, well-crafted first issue with characters that are comical misfits as opposed to a hateful, half assed, X-rated freak show full of meandering plot holes. Unlike many of his contemporaries Leinil Yu gives the beautiful and the grotesque equal time as opposed to simply choosing one over the other. The perfect example being the splash page that starts the second part of the issue. Paris celebrates it's newfound freedom in a mosaic of American Soldiers, Hookers, obnoxious Parisians, a mime and a beautiful and simultaneously creepy big breasted, giraffe necked whore leering at us from the page. Yu also delivers in the big action dept. with breath taking action sequences (the opener for example) that don't come off as flat assed, retro 90's Jim Lee clone.
Though his pencils ultimately remind me of Travis Charest's (one of Lee's biggest disciples) I'd say Leinil proves in many a frame that he is far more than the sum of his influences. In an industry where the current art trend seems to be pushing against this kind of big action in favor of quirky indie favorites and vertigo alumni it's nice to read a book like this and see this style of drawing feel fresh again. As for Lobdell's scripting and dialogue. It's pretty much standard and seems somewhat corny until you realize that that's the way people talked in 1945. The plotting and story in this first issue kind of leaves you with a "where the hell is this going?" vibe. Which works out just perfectly. Can't wait for the next issue.
Overall: HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
Highroads #1
Written by Scott Lobdell and Illustrated by Leinil Francis Yu
Published by DC/Wildstorm/Cliffhanger
Reviewed by Chaos McKenzie
Lobdell is an idea man -- you can see it in everything he produces. Problem is that historically he's had troubles shoehorning everything together to make sense. In the end, his cool ideas loose a lot of flavor, and some would argue leave a bad taste all around. It simply comes down to the explanation factor, the need to have whatever half-cocked idea he's come up with have a logical explanation. It's hard to achieve success, in my mind, trying to make things that just don't need to make sense, make sense.
Did that make sense?
If not, just know that I loved Highroads. Besides Yu being my third favorite comic book artist of all time (I know his X-stuff had it's moments but you could always see the potential just waiting to boil over), HighRoads is turning out to be an amazingly bizarre tale with absolutely no apology or explanation. Gone is the worthless tape and glue. It's a fun read, with pretty pictures and for those of you who had forgotten that's what this medium is supposed to be all about.
Highroads tells the story of a mamma's boy soldier in Europe just after the end of WWII and the beginnings of his adventures. These are only hinted at in the first issue but seem to include the excitement of midget sized Hitler's, doe eyed American whores, ninjas, and big buildings made of ice. Nothing really happens this issue, it's more like watching the water boil with the lid on tight, something's going to blow next issue and I can't wait to devour it.
A final word of note on Yu's art this issue, he's a million miles away from where he was when he was doing Wolverine and it's simply stunning. His crowd scenes and his variety in figure, face, and race is simply staggering in today's market of mainstream illustrators who are bent on cookie cutter crowds.
Cheers.
Overall: HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
Jay's Days Vol. 2
Written by Jason Marcy and Illustrated by Jason Marcy, Joe Meyer, and Jeremy Kaposy
Published by Landwaster Books Inc.
Reviewed by Mike Gagnon
Well this one is a hum-dinger of a collection. The cover chants "Thirty, Cavities and Hemorrhoids, oh my!" This book is a collection of the real life stories of creator Jason Marcy in comic book form. Great stories. Basically the idea is that it's not really one continuous story, but many short stories with their own theme collected in a chronological order. Sound confusing? It's not. It's just one of those things you have to read to truly appreciate. The length of stories range from one page to 50 (broken into chapters) and represent all types of prose. Reading this book will make you laugh, cry, and hopefully think along the way.
It's an Indy, so I don't want to hear anyone writing in and comparing the art to anything published by the big 3 okay? If you're looking for something that reminds you of Wolverine or Superman you know where to go - and it's not here. The art is basically a mix between standard cartoon and characature styles, due mostly to the fact that the characters are real people. In that respect the artist does well as I have met some of the characters in real life and instantly recognized them in the comic version.
Canadian citizens will find this interesting for taking place in areas they may find familiar and Americans will appreciate the insight to what life is like for their northern neighbors. Stories of note are "Chelsea", "Gaseous Baby", "Sept. 11th 2001", and "Sweatin' in the Sauna". All are must-reads for fans of this genre! This trade paperback is 172 pages of pure Indy gold. Definitely ask your local independent friendly retailer for this one!
Overall: HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
Queen and Country #7
Written by Greg Rucka and Illustrated by Brian Hurtt
Published by Oni Press
Reviewed by Chaos McKenzie
It's been a long time since I last sat down to do a review, and even longer since I've written one for this book. Despite what people think, I still enjoy this book, in fact I look forward to this book every month, but it becomes a strain sometimes to write reviews for books that you love month in, month out. Especially I find with Queen and Country because I find that the pace of the book is so well laid out that it seems like absolutely nothing is really going on at all. The last two issues to me have been a pounded rhythm getting slowly faster and faster, with this issue the background drums clicked in to high gear while the mighty bass drum kept me sweaty with fear.
This story arc has more or less been an extended epilogue for the first Queen and Country story arc, which saw central character Tara Chace sent in to kill a man in cold blood. This new storyline focuses on Tara's sense of guilt, mixed in with a nice slice or life look at the Taliban. This issue is page after page of payoff as things actually happen and we get our first real sense of the "bigger picture" for the series.
Some clichéd dialogue, and your usual spy games espionage is balanced with some sweet character moments, though I'm not sure if they were enough to distract from some bland conversational moments in the story. One of the biggest highlights of this issue though was seeing the brainy side versus the brawn of the title's main organization as Chace's character ties together loose ends in a simple and dramatic style. Even more breath taking for me was an action sequence framing the climax of the story. Rucka's pacing and Hurtt's layouts brought the scene to life for me in such a way that I could actually hear the sounds and feel the rush as three British operatives make that one final play for "the list."
All in all, Queen and Country is consistently good. I find that I'm beginning to pull away from the characters a little as the story progresses even though I'm intrigued about what's going to happen next.
Overall: RECOMMENDED
Ruse #6
Written by Mark Waid and Illustrated by Jeff Johnson
Published by CrossGen
Reviewed by Elliot Kane
Consulting detective Simon Archard and his assistant Emma Bishop are invited to attend a magic show. Simon is less than excited by the prospect, but an unexpected murder and the introduction of a new nemesis who just may turn out to smarter than Simon himself soon spice the proceedings up. But something is very wrong, and with Simon badly outmaneuvered it may just be up to Emma to save the day - assuming she can survive to do so...
Writer Mark Waid continues to breathe life into his characters, giving us new insights into the way they think and feel. By making Simon and Emma as different from each other as they are, he allows them both greater scope for development and more room to bounce off of each other.
Jeff Johnson provides the art for this issue, and while his work is different from that of regular penciller Butch Guice, the story did not suffer as a result - often a sad side-effect of fill-in issues. Johnson is clearly a talented artist, and I look forward to seeing what he does with Way Of The Rat.
Indeed, I found myself more noticing the absence of regular colourist Laura De Puy, who usually gives Ruse its unique look. This is not to say that Jason Lambert's colours are poor - they are actually very good - but De Puy is a very hard act to follow. I think a special mention this time should go to letterer Dave Lanphear too, whose use of vaudeville styled text during the magic act adds a lot to the feel of the story.
A thoroughly enjoyable issue with fine contributions from the whole team.
Overall: HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
Spider-Girl #46
Written by Tom DeFalco and illustrated by Pat Olliffe
Published by Marvel Comics
Reviewed by Andrew Goletz
Now that the book has been taken off the chopping block, fans can sit back and enjoy Spider-Girl for what it is, a highly entertaining look at the possible future of the daughter of Spider-Man, May Parker.
Spider-Girl is consistently one of the best mainstream superhero books being published and this issue is no exception. For the last couple of months, the creative team has been telling some of the best stories, mixing great action along with humor and sincerity that doesn't seem forced at all. They've added a bonus for fans of the Clone Saga by tying in mentions to Ben Reilly, and increasing the presence of Kaine as well as the bombshell of this issue: the reintroduction of the Scarlet Spider. For those of you unfamiliar with Clone Saga 101 (and I urge you to check out The Life of Reilly at GrayHaven Magazine), the Scarlet Spider was the identity that Ben Reilly (clone to Peter Parker) adopted when he returned to New York. The identity was apparently popular enough to warrant a new action figure (available exclusively at Kay Bee toys) even though no mention of him has been made since Ben's death 5 years ago.
Fans hoping to see Ben Reilly in the red spandex and blue sweatshirt may be in for a disappointment, as this Scarlet Spider identity is taken on by a relatively new character, but there are plenty of Clone Saga moments to keep fans of that storyline entranced. Aside from the new Scarlet Spider, there is the growing subplot of Kaine (the original failed Spider-clone) searching for the evil Alison Mongrain, who was responsible for keeping baby May hidden from the Parkers after Norman Osborn saw to it that she was kidnapped and believed dead by those who loved her. Although Spider-Girl is supposed to take place in an alternate reality/future, there is a great satisfaction at seeing these dangling plots finally tied up after the Saga ended years ago. There are a lot of fans who enjoyed Ben Reilly and his adventures and this is a perfect way for them to see old characters and situations revisited long after it seemed like they'd never be acknowledged again.
A moment to editorialize here, too. I've made no secret of my enjoyment of the Clone Saga and of the character Ben Reilly. I've seen and heard from a lot of people who feel the same way and they're always wondering when and if Ben will return to comics (death be damned). Petitions, emails and hell, even reviews don't work. The bottom line is sales. The creative team at Spider-Girl is giving fans the closest thing they can to a sequel to the Clone Saga from the appearance of Alison, Kaine and the Scarlet Spider to the Ben Reilly flashback in SG 44. If you want to show the powers that be that you want more Ben stories or trade paperbacks or whatever…buy Spider-Girl. Buy several. They've given you the opportunity and now the ball is in your court. End of rant.
Tom DeFalco is having a lot of fun with this book and it's apparent with every issue. With a tip of the hat to the early days of Spider-Man, DeFalco has set May up as a young and enthusiastic hero who still has a lot left to learn about making the right choices and balancing the job between responsibilities to herself and to the innocents she seeks to protect. The relationship between her and Normie (grandson of the original Goblin) Osborn is progressing at a slow, but believable pace and May's affairs of the heart provide for some realistic moments of teen angst.
Pat Olliffe delivers solid art chores once again. The man who dazzled on Untold Tales of Spider-Man has been putting out some of his best work in this title for almost 5 years now and his Scarlet Spider cover is sure to get the attention of even the most jaded readers out there.
Spider-Girl has been spared from cancellation again, after an outpouring of critical acclaim and fan support. Make sure you check out for yourselves why this is the book that is cancellation proof.
Overall: RECOMMENDED
Stupid, Stupid Rat-Tales
Written by Tom Sniegoski Illustrated by Jeff Smith & Stan Sakai
Published by Cartoon Books
Reviewed by Mike Gagnon
Ever read Bone? Ever wondered in the Bone cousins were the first Bones with an interesting story? Are they even the first Bones to get lost in the mysterious valley? Those questions are answered in this collection that tells the story of (get this name) Big Johnson Bone, frontier hero. Big Johnson is apparently the great uncle of the Bone cousins in the bone book, and his tale is told here. There is also a short story of a character called Riblet and his interactions with the Rat Creatures!
Sniegoski writes as if it were Jeff Smith himself behind the pen. This is a great and comical story with the kind of tall tales that stir images of Paul Bunyan. This book is the perfect accompaniment to the world of Bone. The Riblet feature is also hilarious and fits perfectly into the growing Bone mythos.
The art for Big Johnson's story is by Jeff Smith so it will be very familiar to fans of Bone and represents a great blend of cartoon and realism. The Riblet story is illustrated by Stan Sakai and draws a lot more closely to traditionally exaggerated cartooning. In the end, this is a really well written book that fits seamlessly into the regular Bone books and gives you a look into the past and events that relate to the current story.
Overall: HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
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