Unknown Soldier: Haunted House (Vol. 1) written by Joshua Dysart and Alberto Ponticelli consists of issues 1 through 6 of Unknown Soldier.
I came into this book with high expectations as I've read great reviews and I am very interested in stories about Africa. The comic does not disappoint. It is sad, scary, exciting and different.
The story starts with an idealist, practical Ugandan doctor trying to help people in Northern Uganda. He is a pacifist and he is loved by the people he helps. Tragedy changes him into a soldier. This sounds like a ridiculous comic book cliché, a tragedy transforms a person into a vigilante, however the comic uses it in a new way. At almost every issue we get the notion that violence might be making things worse. The villains are monsters, but it is not clear whether violence is the way to stop them or if there's a peaceful solution. I really like that the comic keeps questioning whether violence is the way (something which comics usually take as the default answer).
The art is very well done. Ponticelli does a fantastic job of making the world feel real. It is the part of the book that makes things scary, as the visceral images bring in an extra layer of terror.
A very interesting story that makes you think of tough questions about life. I can't wait to read the next volume.
Saturday, January 30, 2010
Various Single Issues
Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season 8 #31 by Joss Whedon and Georges Jeanty.
The latest issue of Buffy gives hope about the future of the series. 2009 was a bad year for the comic as the quality of the stories went way down from the first two years. This issue was very good, the art was good for the most part and the dialogue was funny and interesting. An issue that gives me hope about the future of this series.
Dingo #1 by Michael Alan Nelson and Francesco Biagini.
The comic book owner at the place I buy comics convinced me to read this comic. The comic is great. The comic creates some suspense about the characters, making me want to know about their backstory. This is something that comics I love have in common. They make me want to know something that they don't reveal right away, but at the same time, it feels natural not to reveal it. In other words, I like stories that start in the middle, that is, you start reading as if you knew the characters already and then things start making sense little by little the more you read.
I should point out that I liked the art in the comic and that the issue has an awesome dog as a character. We need more awesome dogs in comic books.
Amazing Spider-Man #617 by Joe Kelly and Max Fiumara.
I liked this issue a lot. The Spider-Man comic keeps delivering great stuff. I like how Joe Kelly treats the Rhino. The Rhino had already had a really good origin story recently in Web of Spider-Man, and now we get a very good "ending" story for the Rhino.
The comic also has a back up story drawn by Javier Pulido. In the back up, we get to see a little bit more of Rhino, explaining how he fell in love. I liked the back story a lot. Well done.
Spider-Man is my favorite superhero and the issues haven't disappointed me in a long time.
Chew #8 by John Layman and Rob Guillory.
Chew is one of my favorite comics now and I get excited every time I get a new issue. It is the first issue I read whenever I get it. Issue 7 wasn't great so I was hoping this would be better. The issue is much better. We have an interesting adventure following Chu on his quest to find Poyo (a cockfighter) and we get a lot of laughs a long the way. The comic has started every issue with a short prologue and in this issue we don't get one but three prologues, another funny bit that gives the comic a world of its own. I like how the comic has a very clear identity, by having this sort of form play and by having unique art, by the hands of Rob Guillory. Guillory draws perfectly for this offbeat, funny comic. His art is instantly recognizable, I love that.
Chew is fantastic.
Irredeemable #10 by Mark Waid and Peter Krause.
I like this series a lot. This issue wasn't as interesting as others, mainly because it departs a lot from understanding Plutonian, however I can see that some things are developing. First we get to see a villain that was hinted at in the last issue and we get to see how powerful and menacing he is. Secondly, we get to see how much the Plutonian cares for Samsara, which is interesting because it seems that the comic might be shifting into going from hate to Plutonian into pity. The key thing about making Plutonian pitiable is how he was defeated recently in such a convincing manner. I don't understand why weakness can make someone more likeable, but I know it has that effect on us and I am glad that the comic seems to explore that.
I am excited about the next issue.
Amazing Spider-Man #618 by Dan Slott and Marcos Martin.
I like this issue a lot. I am always happy to be surprised in an issue and to have the surprise seem plausible (obviously in a superhero comic book, I have to stretch my imagination when considering something plausible). I like that the comic has a very Spidey feel to it and that it can be read without needing previous issues to enjoy. I also love the art. Martin makes the comic very dynamic.
This issue also got me more interested in reading Web of Spider-Man #4, as it will have the origin story for Mysterio who plays a role in this issue.
Amazing Spider-Man is a really good comic and I am glad that I get to enjoy it three times a week.
The latest issue of Buffy gives hope about the future of the series. 2009 was a bad year for the comic as the quality of the stories went way down from the first two years. This issue was very good, the art was good for the most part and the dialogue was funny and interesting. An issue that gives me hope about the future of this series.
Dingo #1 by Michael Alan Nelson and Francesco Biagini.
The comic book owner at the place I buy comics convinced me to read this comic. The comic is great. The comic creates some suspense about the characters, making me want to know about their backstory. This is something that comics I love have in common. They make me want to know something that they don't reveal right away, but at the same time, it feels natural not to reveal it. In other words, I like stories that start in the middle, that is, you start reading as if you knew the characters already and then things start making sense little by little the more you read.
I should point out that I liked the art in the comic and that the issue has an awesome dog as a character. We need more awesome dogs in comic books.
Amazing Spider-Man #617 by Joe Kelly and Max Fiumara.
I liked this issue a lot. The Spider-Man comic keeps delivering great stuff. I like how Joe Kelly treats the Rhino. The Rhino had already had a really good origin story recently in Web of Spider-Man, and now we get a very good "ending" story for the Rhino.
The comic also has a back up story drawn by Javier Pulido. In the back up, we get to see a little bit more of Rhino, explaining how he fell in love. I liked the back story a lot. Well done.
Spider-Man is my favorite superhero and the issues haven't disappointed me in a long time.
Chew #8 by John Layman and Rob Guillory.
Chew is one of my favorite comics now and I get excited every time I get a new issue. It is the first issue I read whenever I get it. Issue 7 wasn't great so I was hoping this would be better. The issue is much better. We have an interesting adventure following Chu on his quest to find Poyo (a cockfighter) and we get a lot of laughs a long the way. The comic has started every issue with a short prologue and in this issue we don't get one but three prologues, another funny bit that gives the comic a world of its own. I like how the comic has a very clear identity, by having this sort of form play and by having unique art, by the hands of Rob Guillory. Guillory draws perfectly for this offbeat, funny comic. His art is instantly recognizable, I love that.
Chew is fantastic.
Irredeemable #10 by Mark Waid and Peter Krause.
I like this series a lot. This issue wasn't as interesting as others, mainly because it departs a lot from understanding Plutonian, however I can see that some things are developing. First we get to see a villain that was hinted at in the last issue and we get to see how powerful and menacing he is. Secondly, we get to see how much the Plutonian cares for Samsara, which is interesting because it seems that the comic might be shifting into going from hate to Plutonian into pity. The key thing about making Plutonian pitiable is how he was defeated recently in such a convincing manner. I don't understand why weakness can make someone more likeable, but I know it has that effect on us and I am glad that the comic seems to explore that.
I am excited about the next issue.
Amazing Spider-Man #618 by Dan Slott and Marcos Martin.
I like this issue a lot. I am always happy to be surprised in an issue and to have the surprise seem plausible (obviously in a superhero comic book, I have to stretch my imagination when considering something plausible). I like that the comic has a very Spidey feel to it and that it can be read without needing previous issues to enjoy. I also love the art. Martin makes the comic very dynamic.
This issue also got me more interested in reading Web of Spider-Man #4, as it will have the origin story for Mysterio who plays a role in this issue.
Amazing Spider-Man is a really good comic and I am glad that I get to enjoy it three times a week.
Saturday, January 23, 2010
The Unwritten: Tommy Taylor and the Bogus Identity (Vol. 1)
The Unwritten: Tommy Taylor and the Bogus Identity (Vol. 1) written by Mike Carey and Peter Gross consists of issues 1 through 5 of The Unwritten.
The Unwritten is a new series published by Vertigo. Vertigo is my favorite comic publisher*. Mike Carey has also written a comic book I liked a lot (Hellblazer: All His Engines), so between that and that issue 1 was $1, I had to give this series a try. I read the first issue a long time ago (about six months ago) and liked enough to decide to buy the trade paperback when it would come out (I usually prefer trades over issues). After reading the trade, I have to say, I love it and I can't wait to read more.
The Unwritten starts with Tommy Taylor, the son of a famous writer who wrote a series of books about a kid magician called Tommy Taylor. The author named the character of his books after his son. The books are a huge hit in the world, much like Harry Potter and after the thirteenth book the author went missing. Nobody knows where he is.
The first issue introduces the characters smoothly and it leads us to question whether fiction became reality (is Tommy Taylor, the Tommy Taylor from the books?) Throughout the story we get more questions. The comic is fun, interesting and full of questions I want answered. Exactly the kind of comic I love.
The art in this comic is terrific. Most panels have a very detailed background and Peter Gross is able to make the comic feel very different when drawing excerpts from the Tommy Taylor books compared to when drawing "real life". I love the style, he makes a world feel real and it works in an intuitive level. Without explanation, it is very clear from the beginning that what is happening is supposed to happen in a book and not in real life.
The fifth issue is interesting in that it leaves the main story on the side and tells us the story of Kipling (the writer) and how he is related to the villains. The villains in this book seem to believe in the power of the written word so they try to use writers. A very good issue that builds the atmosphere of the comic, while straying from the main story a lot. This is something that comics can do quite well that movies can't. TV shows could do this too if they wanted.
I highly recommend this series. It is fantastic.
*Technically Vertigo is not a publisher but an imprint of the publisher DC Comics
The Unwritten is a new series published by Vertigo. Vertigo is my favorite comic publisher*. Mike Carey has also written a comic book I liked a lot (Hellblazer: All His Engines), so between that and that issue 1 was $1, I had to give this series a try. I read the first issue a long time ago (about six months ago) and liked enough to decide to buy the trade paperback when it would come out (I usually prefer trades over issues). After reading the trade, I have to say, I love it and I can't wait to read more.
The Unwritten starts with Tommy Taylor, the son of a famous writer who wrote a series of books about a kid magician called Tommy Taylor. The author named the character of his books after his son. The books are a huge hit in the world, much like Harry Potter and after the thirteenth book the author went missing. Nobody knows where he is.
The first issue introduces the characters smoothly and it leads us to question whether fiction became reality (is Tommy Taylor, the Tommy Taylor from the books?) Throughout the story we get more questions. The comic is fun, interesting and full of questions I want answered. Exactly the kind of comic I love.
The art in this comic is terrific. Most panels have a very detailed background and Peter Gross is able to make the comic feel very different when drawing excerpts from the Tommy Taylor books compared to when drawing "real life". I love the style, he makes a world feel real and it works in an intuitive level. Without explanation, it is very clear from the beginning that what is happening is supposed to happen in a book and not in real life.
The fifth issue is interesting in that it leaves the main story on the side and tells us the story of Kipling (the writer) and how he is related to the villains. The villains in this book seem to believe in the power of the written word so they try to use writers. A very good issue that builds the atmosphere of the comic, while straying from the main story a lot. This is something that comics can do quite well that movies can't. TV shows could do this too if they wanted.
I highly recommend this series. It is fantastic.
*Technically Vertigo is not a publisher but an imprint of the publisher DC Comics
Walking Dead: Fear the Hunters (Vol. 11)
Walking Dead: Fear the Hunters (Vol. 11) written by Robert Kirkman and Charlie Adlard consists of issues 61 through 66 of Walking Dead.
Walking Dead is a really good ongoing series about the consequences of a zombie outbreak. Instead of focusing on a zombie outbreak and seeing how the protagonists survive, in this comic we get to see what happens over a long period of time. The greatest aspect of Walking Dead is that anything can happen to the characters, the status quo changes all the time.
This collection of issues introduces a group of people that eat others to survive. While what they do is horrible and it threatens the protagonists, what the protagonists do is horrific. This comic really explores how survivors of a zombie outbreak would lose their humanity little by little. The greatest enemy stops being the zombie, but becomes the lack of trust between different people and the search for survival at any cost.
I think this series is great and I should also point out that the art is fantastic. Charlie Adlard does a great job of giving each character life and of making the world feel real.
My one complaint on this collection is in the final chapter (issue 66). I find the resolution a little over the top and I also have some issues with too many splash pages (including two double splashes). I think splashes and double splashes are great and that one strength of the series is the ease of reading, using the art to tell a big part of the story, but this issue went a little too far with that, without the story demanding it.
I recommend this series, a good place to start is the big Compendium which has the first 48 issues.
Walking Dead is a really good ongoing series about the consequences of a zombie outbreak. Instead of focusing on a zombie outbreak and seeing how the protagonists survive, in this comic we get to see what happens over a long period of time. The greatest aspect of Walking Dead is that anything can happen to the characters, the status quo changes all the time.
This collection of issues introduces a group of people that eat others to survive. While what they do is horrible and it threatens the protagonists, what the protagonists do is horrific. This comic really explores how survivors of a zombie outbreak would lose their humanity little by little. The greatest enemy stops being the zombie, but becomes the lack of trust between different people and the search for survival at any cost.
I think this series is great and I should also point out that the art is fantastic. Charlie Adlard does a great job of giving each character life and of making the world feel real.
My one complaint on this collection is in the final chapter (issue 66). I find the resolution a little over the top and I also have some issues with too many splash pages (including two double splashes). I think splashes and double splashes are great and that one strength of the series is the ease of reading, using the art to tell a big part of the story, but this issue went a little too far with that, without the story demanding it.
I recommend this series, a good place to start is the big Compendium which has the first 48 issues.
Monday, January 11, 2010
Daredevil: Born Again
Daredevil: Born Again by Frank Miller and David Mazzucchelli consists of issues 227 through 233 of Daredevil.
Frank Miller had a great run on Daredevil writing issues 165-191 (he co-wrote 165-167). He not only wrote those issues but drew most of them too (he actually starting drawing Daredevil with issue 158). His first solo issue was Daredevil #168 which is a great one, introducing us to Elektra and changing the tone of the book. Miller made the Kingpin into Daredevil's nemesis, while also making Ben Urich a more important character. This run on Daredevil has been very influential since, with Urich, Kingpin and even Turk being important side characters in recent comics. Miller wrote fantastic stories and ended on a high note with a very powerful self-examining last issue.
With all that great work behind on Daredevil, one would be surprised to find that he wrote a much better story for Daredevil a little later when he teamed up with Mazzucchelli with whom he would team up again the following year to write another classic, Batman: Year One.
Daredevil: Born Again is arguably the best comic book story I have ever read. It has a hero defeated and then reborn. It has a great villain who manages to control everything from his tower, a villain that doesn't need to get his hands dirty to hurt you. It has a sad story involving a junkie. It has a love story in the making, with Foggy and Glori. It has moments of great tension, that build up in a way only comics can do. There is a scene where Ben Urich witnesses a murder through a telephone, the art and the story work together perfectly. There are so many things this comic does that make one think about.
I like how the early pages of the first issues always have Murdock sleeping. It is as if we can see that he is on his way down. From a nice bed, to a horrible bed in a cheap hotel, to the streets, to a basement in a church. The destruction of Murdock happens steadily throughout the first issues, not only exemplified in the story itself, but even through a subset of images throughout the story.
I highly recommend this book. It is because of comics like this that I read comics.
Frank Miller had a great run on Daredevil writing issues 165-191 (he co-wrote 165-167). He not only wrote those issues but drew most of them too (he actually starting drawing Daredevil with issue 158). His first solo issue was Daredevil #168 which is a great one, introducing us to Elektra and changing the tone of the book. Miller made the Kingpin into Daredevil's nemesis, while also making Ben Urich a more important character. This run on Daredevil has been very influential since, with Urich, Kingpin and even Turk being important side characters in recent comics. Miller wrote fantastic stories and ended on a high note with a very powerful self-examining last issue.
With all that great work behind on Daredevil, one would be surprised to find that he wrote a much better story for Daredevil a little later when he teamed up with Mazzucchelli with whom he would team up again the following year to write another classic, Batman: Year One.
Daredevil: Born Again is arguably the best comic book story I have ever read. It has a hero defeated and then reborn. It has a great villain who manages to control everything from his tower, a villain that doesn't need to get his hands dirty to hurt you. It has a sad story involving a junkie. It has a love story in the making, with Foggy and Glori. It has moments of great tension, that build up in a way only comics can do. There is a scene where Ben Urich witnesses a murder through a telephone, the art and the story work together perfectly. There are so many things this comic does that make one think about.
I like how the early pages of the first issues always have Murdock sleeping. It is as if we can see that he is on his way down. From a nice bed, to a horrible bed in a cheap hotel, to the streets, to a basement in a church. The destruction of Murdock happens steadily throughout the first issues, not only exemplified in the story itself, but even through a subset of images throughout the story.
I highly recommend this book. It is because of comics like this that I read comics.
Thursday, January 7, 2010
More Reviews of Single Issues
Amazing Spider-Man #616 by Fred Van Lente and Javier Pulido.
The issue continues on the Sandman story introduced in the previous issue. The issue continues with the great artwork and great writing. I particularly liked the artwork on a two page spread where the panel snakes up as Sandman is snaking up. The panel is creative and it makes the action look much better than if the panel were just a rectangle.
The ending in the issue is sad. It made me think about the government taking children away from parents because of negligence. Movies, comics and books many times put this in a bad light, but then again, abusive parents must be held accountable somehow. It is a tough subject. I think child's services is better for society than not having it, but some situations are just sad.
A very good issue.
What If Aunt May had Died instead of Uncle Ben? by Ed Brubaker and Andrea Di Vito.
The story is told as if the narrator was a comic book store owner talking to another comic book fan. It is nice that the owner has a T-shirt with The Watcher in it, as The Watcher is usually the narrator in the What If? storylines.
The story is a fun read. It makes it clear how important Aunt May is in the Spider-Man universe. Without someone to ground him, Spider-Man would lose control and go through more experiences before becoming a good superhero.
It was a good story and I really liked the way it was handled with the two superhero fans discussing this.
Star Wars: Purge Seconds to Die by John Ostrander and Jim Hall
The comic is about a Jedi that tries to take down the Emperor after Order 666. She acts as if she wants to be Sith. The Emperor tells her that he'll take her as a student as long as she defeats Darth Vader. Therefore we get a pretty good fight scene between them.
The issue was good. It established a character I didn't know in one issue and it made me care about what would happen to her.
A solid issue.
Marvel Adventures #57 by Paul Tobin and Matteo Lolli
This issue was great. It had humor, romance, action, Peter having moral dilemmas. Essentially it had everything that a Spider-Man comic needs.
The humor came in the guise of Emma Frost as the Silencer. She became a "villain" essentially to see Spider-Man in action, as her best friend Chat is Spidey's girlfriend. In the issue we get a lot of good dialogue between Chat and Emma, between Spidey and Chat and between Peter and Chat. This is the issue where Spidey and Chat have a fight, as Chat confesses that she knows he is Spider-Man and this fight is what generated the funny line I posted about yesterday "...we're sending messages through pigeons now..."
The series is fantastic.
Web of Spider-Man #1,#2,#3 by J.M. DeMatteis, Fred Van Lente, among others.
The first issue is not very good. It has a good but not great story about Kaine written by J.M. DeMatteis. It has a story about Spider-Girl, which I don't care much about, and it has a story about Frog-Man, which was funny but not much. I felt like the first issue wasn't worth buying.
The second issue has the origin of Electro, which was a good story. It had a better Spider-Girl story (now I start to care a bit more) and it has a pretty good final story involving Jameson. This issue is almost worth the price of admission, but it is not there yet.
The third issue has the origin of Rhino, which is a great story. I have a little more respect for Rhino after reading this. Then it has a good Spider-Girl story, which made me want to get the next issue to find out the conclusion to the Spider-Girl current arc. Finally, it has another J.M. DeMatteis story. This time he writes a nice short about May and JJJ Sr.'s honeymoon. It is a moving piece and very funny too. It is nice how he manages to make it touching and funny.
The third issue is very good and that is the reason I'l; get the next couple of issues.
Haunt #1,#2,#3 by Robert Kirkman, Ryan Ottley, Greg Capullo and Todd McFarlane.
This title generated a lot of news as it brings back Todd McFarlane into creating a character. McFarlane created this character with Kirkman and now inks the series. The comic is about a priest Daniel Kilgore, whose brother is a secret agent, Kurt Kilgore. Kurt dies and somehow his ghost can still talk to Daniel and if he gets inside Daniel's body, they become a powerful being called Haunt. This is the set up.
The first issue is a good start. The story moves fast and we are introduced to the two main characters, Daniel and Kurt,effectively. I like the first issue.
The second issue is even better than the first. We know more about Daniel and we find out that he has a thing for Kurt's wife. It is also fun to see how Daniel reacts to his newfound powers. The interaction between Daniel and Kurt is quite fun.
The third issue reveals to us a lot more. A creepy Bolivian woman calls him Haunt, somehow she's able to sense the ghost of Kurt. We also learn more about where Kurt worked before, as Daniel is there in their jail (while they try to find out how he was able to get into the secret facility). It is a very good issue. The series keeps getting better and better.
As mentioned yesterday, the fourth issue wasn't so great. The series however has great potential.
That wraps up all the issues I have read in the last two months, so I won't be reviewing any more single issues until next Wednesday when a new batch comes in. However I'll be reviewing a lot more trade paperbacks in the coming days.
The issue continues on the Sandman story introduced in the previous issue. The issue continues with the great artwork and great writing. I particularly liked the artwork on a two page spread where the panel snakes up as Sandman is snaking up. The panel is creative and it makes the action look much better than if the panel were just a rectangle.
The ending in the issue is sad. It made me think about the government taking children away from parents because of negligence. Movies, comics and books many times put this in a bad light, but then again, abusive parents must be held accountable somehow. It is a tough subject. I think child's services is better for society than not having it, but some situations are just sad.
A very good issue.
What If Aunt May had Died instead of Uncle Ben? by Ed Brubaker and Andrea Di Vito.
The story is told as if the narrator was a comic book store owner talking to another comic book fan. It is nice that the owner has a T-shirt with The Watcher in it, as The Watcher is usually the narrator in the What If? storylines.
The story is a fun read. It makes it clear how important Aunt May is in the Spider-Man universe. Without someone to ground him, Spider-Man would lose control and go through more experiences before becoming a good superhero.
It was a good story and I really liked the way it was handled with the two superhero fans discussing this.
Star Wars: Purge Seconds to Die by John Ostrander and Jim Hall
The comic is about a Jedi that tries to take down the Emperor after Order 666. She acts as if she wants to be Sith. The Emperor tells her that he'll take her as a student as long as she defeats Darth Vader. Therefore we get a pretty good fight scene between them.
The issue was good. It established a character I didn't know in one issue and it made me care about what would happen to her.
A solid issue.
Marvel Adventures #57 by Paul Tobin and Matteo Lolli
This issue was great. It had humor, romance, action, Peter having moral dilemmas. Essentially it had everything that a Spider-Man comic needs.
The humor came in the guise of Emma Frost as the Silencer. She became a "villain" essentially to see Spider-Man in action, as her best friend Chat is Spidey's girlfriend. In the issue we get a lot of good dialogue between Chat and Emma, between Spidey and Chat and between Peter and Chat. This is the issue where Spidey and Chat have a fight, as Chat confesses that she knows he is Spider-Man and this fight is what generated the funny line I posted about yesterday "...we're sending messages through pigeons now..."
The series is fantastic.
Web of Spider-Man #1,#2,#3 by J.M. DeMatteis, Fred Van Lente, among others.
The first issue is not very good. It has a good but not great story about Kaine written by J.M. DeMatteis. It has a story about Spider-Girl, which I don't care much about, and it has a story about Frog-Man, which was funny but not much. I felt like the first issue wasn't worth buying.
The second issue has the origin of Electro, which was a good story. It had a better Spider-Girl story (now I start to care a bit more) and it has a pretty good final story involving Jameson. This issue is almost worth the price of admission, but it is not there yet.
The third issue has the origin of Rhino, which is a great story. I have a little more respect for Rhino after reading this. Then it has a good Spider-Girl story, which made me want to get the next issue to find out the conclusion to the Spider-Girl current arc. Finally, it has another J.M. DeMatteis story. This time he writes a nice short about May and JJJ Sr.'s honeymoon. It is a moving piece and very funny too. It is nice how he manages to make it touching and funny.
The third issue is very good and that is the reason I'l; get the next couple of issues.
Haunt #1,#2,#3 by Robert Kirkman, Ryan Ottley, Greg Capullo and Todd McFarlane.
This title generated a lot of news as it brings back Todd McFarlane into creating a character. McFarlane created this character with Kirkman and now inks the series. The comic is about a priest Daniel Kilgore, whose brother is a secret agent, Kurt Kilgore. Kurt dies and somehow his ghost can still talk to Daniel and if he gets inside Daniel's body, they become a powerful being called Haunt. This is the set up.
The first issue is a good start. The story moves fast and we are introduced to the two main characters, Daniel and Kurt,effectively. I like the first issue.
The second issue is even better than the first. We know more about Daniel and we find out that he has a thing for Kurt's wife. It is also fun to see how Daniel reacts to his newfound powers. The interaction between Daniel and Kurt is quite fun.
The third issue reveals to us a lot more. A creepy Bolivian woman calls him Haunt, somehow she's able to sense the ghost of Kurt. We also learn more about where Kurt worked before, as Daniel is there in their jail (while they try to find out how he was able to get into the secret facility). It is a very good issue. The series keeps getting better and better.
As mentioned yesterday, the fourth issue wasn't so great. The series however has great potential.
That wraps up all the issues I have read in the last two months, so I won't be reviewing any more single issues until next Wednesday when a new batch comes in. However I'll be reviewing a lot more trade paperbacks in the coming days.
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
What I Read Today (Wednesday Jan. 6)
Today was a good day for me in terms of receiving comics. I got five single issues and three trade paperbacks. I haven't read the trades yet, those reviews will appear sometime this week. However I read the five issues and the reviews follow:
Murderer #1 by Robert Kirkman, Marc Silvestri and Nelson Blake II.
This one-shot is part of the Pilot Season program in Top Cow Productions. The idea is that five one-shots written by Robert Kirkman and Marc Silvestri will come out. Then readers vote on which one they like more. The winner becomes an ongoing series in Top Cow Productions (note that Top Cow is part of Image Comics).
I decided to buy Murderer because the premise looked interesting. Jason is a man who can hear people's thoughts. He has no control over it, so it doesn't feel very good. I won't spoil the particular story of this issue, but I will say that it was very well done. It made me want to read more of this series. The art was very simple and has a lot to improve. However, the writing very well done and makes for a great read.
Now, I am planning on reading the other one-shots. If any of the others is this good, it will be worth buying all four. If none of the others is as good as this one, then I'll happily vote for this one to be an ongoing, I wish it were an ongoing already.
Haunt #4 by Robert Kirkman, Ryan Ottley, Greg Capullo and Todd McFarlane
The first three issues of Haunt were good. Each issue getting better. The third issue made me want to continue buying the series. Today I got the fourth issue and I was looking forward to reading it. I like the issue. The art is very good, which is not surprising as Ottley is a fantastic penciller.
The story is getting more interesting as more questions arise and we get to know the main character more. However, I was bothered by several unbelievable things that happen in this issue. There is one scene were a sports car is driven through a brick wall. In fact there are two scenes where this happens. I don't think this is possible, unless you have a very special car (tank). It did create a cool scene to watch, but it took me out of the story as it was too unbelievable.
Another problem I had was with the reaction Amanda has to the extreme violence. She witnesses a monster-looking thing brutally murder several people and then hugs him. That seemed very strange to me.
I am looking forward to next issue, but I have to say I didn't like this issue that much.
God Complex #2 by Michael Avon Oeming, Dan Berman and John Broglia
Another Image Comics book. The first issue of this comic was good, but not great. The second issue again is good but not great. The first issue made it seem like Paul (Apollo) would have a difficult challenge in this issue. It did take Paul 6 pages to get rid of the monsters threatening him, however, he was never really in trouble. It seems weird for a witch to summon powers of great Gods to create such lame adversaries.
After the initial six pages, the book actually gets good. We are introduced to a new character, Jimmy Wu, who has a lot of potential. I am interested in finding more about Jimmy as he seems to be more powerful than Paul, yet way calmer. It reminds me of a Jedi. The interactions between Jimmy and Paul are great.
I have to say that while I am not loving the series as much as I thought I would, I think the series will get better.
Amazing Spider-Man #615 by Fred Van Lente and Javier Pulido
Amazing Spider-Man has been a joy to read for the last 5 months. Every issue has been great, which must be hard to do if you have to publish three times a month as the title does. They rotate writers and all of them are great, but my favorite is Fred Van Lente. Van Lente did a wonderful one-shot about The Spot in Amazing Spider-Man #589 and then he wrote a great three issue arc #603-605 about the Chameleon. Van Lente is funny and his stories are very fun to read. This issue is no exception.
The issue is very funny and a lot of it comes from the great art work. Pulido has Spider-Man wearing a scarf and socks for winter and does a very good job of having Spidey look like Spider-Man. I don't exactly picture Peter Parker and Jameson the way he draws their faces, but the expressions he draws on them work quite well.
There was one scene that had me laughing a lot, so I'll share it:
Spider-Man comes to Betty to ask for some information on some guy. After Betty talks for a while, she turns left and sees the window open while she says "Spider-Man?". This is the last panel of one page. As we turn the page we see a looming Spider-Man on her right saying "I'm over here." It was such a funny scene, making a little fun of the often used stealthy superhero. This was a scene where the writing and the art were pitch perfect, this is the sort of scene that you can only do in comic books.
Excellent issue.
Marvel Adventures Spider-Man #58 by Paul Tobin and Matteo Lolli
Marvel Adventures Spider-Man is a title for all ages. It is a fantastic comic book. The art is playful, the writing is funny and exciting. It is just a really good comic book. I don't know why, but a lot of "for all ages" products are better than the specific ones. If we look at Pixar, their movies are usually much better than the average movie. That is just one particular example, but this comic happens to be excellent and for all ages.
Let's talk about this issue in particular. We are introduced to a new character, the Blond Phantom, a superhero that makes money out of saving people's lives. She wants to recruit Spider-Man. The issue moves with a conversation between Spider-Man and Blond Phantom while we get some flashbacks to Spidey's day. I like the way the story is told and I love the new character. This issue is also great in that you don't need to read any other issue to get it. It works great as just one issue.
Again, there was one scene that deserves to be mentioned:
Spider-Man gets hit in the head by a pigeon. Spider-Man then talks to the pigeons about a girl. Blond Phantom is confused to which Spider-Man says "My Girlfriend, the girl I'm dating, can talk to animals. We had a fight. We're working through it, but for now we're too mad at each other to talk, so we're sending messages through pigeons. And yes, I know it's weird". Brilliant.
Murderer #1 by Robert Kirkman, Marc Silvestri and Nelson Blake II.
This one-shot is part of the Pilot Season program in Top Cow Productions. The idea is that five one-shots written by Robert Kirkman and Marc Silvestri will come out. Then readers vote on which one they like more. The winner becomes an ongoing series in Top Cow Productions (note that Top Cow is part of Image Comics).
I decided to buy Murderer because the premise looked interesting. Jason is a man who can hear people's thoughts. He has no control over it, so it doesn't feel very good. I won't spoil the particular story of this issue, but I will say that it was very well done. It made me want to read more of this series. The art was very simple and has a lot to improve. However, the writing very well done and makes for a great read.
Now, I am planning on reading the other one-shots. If any of the others is this good, it will be worth buying all four. If none of the others is as good as this one, then I'll happily vote for this one to be an ongoing, I wish it were an ongoing already.
Haunt #4 by Robert Kirkman, Ryan Ottley, Greg Capullo and Todd McFarlane
The first three issues of Haunt were good. Each issue getting better. The third issue made me want to continue buying the series. Today I got the fourth issue and I was looking forward to reading it. I like the issue. The art is very good, which is not surprising as Ottley is a fantastic penciller.
The story is getting more interesting as more questions arise and we get to know the main character more. However, I was bothered by several unbelievable things that happen in this issue. There is one scene were a sports car is driven through a brick wall. In fact there are two scenes where this happens. I don't think this is possible, unless you have a very special car (tank). It did create a cool scene to watch, but it took me out of the story as it was too unbelievable.
Another problem I had was with the reaction Amanda has to the extreme violence. She witnesses a monster-looking thing brutally murder several people and then hugs him. That seemed very strange to me.
I am looking forward to next issue, but I have to say I didn't like this issue that much.
God Complex #2 by Michael Avon Oeming, Dan Berman and John Broglia
Another Image Comics book. The first issue of this comic was good, but not great. The second issue again is good but not great. The first issue made it seem like Paul (Apollo) would have a difficult challenge in this issue. It did take Paul 6 pages to get rid of the monsters threatening him, however, he was never really in trouble. It seems weird for a witch to summon powers of great Gods to create such lame adversaries.
After the initial six pages, the book actually gets good. We are introduced to a new character, Jimmy Wu, who has a lot of potential. I am interested in finding more about Jimmy as he seems to be more powerful than Paul, yet way calmer. It reminds me of a Jedi. The interactions between Jimmy and Paul are great.
I have to say that while I am not loving the series as much as I thought I would, I think the series will get better.
Amazing Spider-Man #615 by Fred Van Lente and Javier Pulido
Amazing Spider-Man has been a joy to read for the last 5 months. Every issue has been great, which must be hard to do if you have to publish three times a month as the title does. They rotate writers and all of them are great, but my favorite is Fred Van Lente. Van Lente did a wonderful one-shot about The Spot in Amazing Spider-Man #589 and then he wrote a great three issue arc #603-605 about the Chameleon. Van Lente is funny and his stories are very fun to read. This issue is no exception.
The issue is very funny and a lot of it comes from the great art work. Pulido has Spider-Man wearing a scarf and socks for winter and does a very good job of having Spidey look like Spider-Man. I don't exactly picture Peter Parker and Jameson the way he draws their faces, but the expressions he draws on them work quite well.
There was one scene that had me laughing a lot, so I'll share it:
Spider-Man comes to Betty to ask for some information on some guy. After Betty talks for a while, she turns left and sees the window open while she says "Spider-Man?". This is the last panel of one page. As we turn the page we see a looming Spider-Man on her right saying "I'm over here." It was such a funny scene, making a little fun of the often used stealthy superhero. This was a scene where the writing and the art were pitch perfect, this is the sort of scene that you can only do in comic books.
Excellent issue.
Marvel Adventures Spider-Man #58 by Paul Tobin and Matteo Lolli
Marvel Adventures Spider-Man is a title for all ages. It is a fantastic comic book. The art is playful, the writing is funny and exciting. It is just a really good comic book. I don't know why, but a lot of "for all ages" products are better than the specific ones. If we look at Pixar, their movies are usually much better than the average movie. That is just one particular example, but this comic happens to be excellent and for all ages.
Let's talk about this issue in particular. We are introduced to a new character, the Blond Phantom, a superhero that makes money out of saving people's lives. She wants to recruit Spider-Man. The issue moves with a conversation between Spider-Man and Blond Phantom while we get some flashbacks to Spidey's day. I like the way the story is told and I love the new character. This issue is also great in that you don't need to read any other issue to get it. It works great as just one issue.
Again, there was one scene that deserves to be mentioned:
Spider-Man gets hit in the head by a pigeon. Spider-Man then talks to the pigeons about a girl. Blond Phantom is confused to which Spider-Man says "My Girlfriend, the girl I'm dating, can talk to animals. We had a fight. We're working through it, but for now we're too mad at each other to talk, so we're sending messages through pigeons. And yes, I know it's weird". Brilliant.
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
Incognito
Incognito by Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips collects issues 1 through 6 of Incognito. 176 pages.
I am a big fan of Ed Brubaker. I love Sleeper, I love his Captain America, his Daredevil and the issues of Criminal I have read. Therefore, I had to buy this the instant it came out. Incognito has a similar feel to Criminal and Sleeper, which it is not surprising as all three are crime fiction and all three have the same duo writing and illustrating.
Incognito is the story of a super villain that is now in protective custody because he testified in court against a bigger fish. His powers are controlled by medicine. He realizes he can counter the effects of the medicine by getting high. He gets his powers back, but not wanting anybody to figure it out, he now uses his powers to stop thieves instead of for crime, as the only reason he does that is for the thrill. For three years he had lost his motivation to live and now it was all back.
As usual with Brubaker, the story gets better as it goes along. The twists keep coming and the story just flows perfectly, thanks to the great art provided by Phillips. I had always known that Phillips was the perfect noir artist, but since I hadn't seen his covers before, I didn't know he was capable of making such beautiful covers. The covers of the Incognito series are mesmerizing, I want one of those as a poster.
I like that the book incorporates ideas from pulp fiction (not the movie, but actual pulp fiction from the 30s), being inspired by those heroes and thrusting them into a great noir story.
Brubaker and Phillips are a perfect team and anything they will write, I will read. Check this book out.
I am a big fan of Ed Brubaker. I love Sleeper, I love his Captain America, his Daredevil and the issues of Criminal I have read. Therefore, I had to buy this the instant it came out. Incognito has a similar feel to Criminal and Sleeper, which it is not surprising as all three are crime fiction and all three have the same duo writing and illustrating.
Incognito is the story of a super villain that is now in protective custody because he testified in court against a bigger fish. His powers are controlled by medicine. He realizes he can counter the effects of the medicine by getting high. He gets his powers back, but not wanting anybody to figure it out, he now uses his powers to stop thieves instead of for crime, as the only reason he does that is for the thrill. For three years he had lost his motivation to live and now it was all back.
As usual with Brubaker, the story gets better as it goes along. The twists keep coming and the story just flows perfectly, thanks to the great art provided by Phillips. I had always known that Phillips was the perfect noir artist, but since I hadn't seen his covers before, I didn't know he was capable of making such beautiful covers. The covers of the Incognito series are mesmerizing, I want one of those as a poster.
I like that the book incorporates ideas from pulp fiction (not the movie, but actual pulp fiction from the 30s), being inspired by those heroes and thrusting them into a great noir story.
Brubaker and Phillips are a perfect team and anything they will write, I will read. Check this book out.
Alias: Ultimate Collection Book 1
Alias: Ultimate Collection Book 1 by Brian Michael Bendis and Michael Gaydos collects issues 1 through 15 of Alias. 360 pages.
Alias is about an ex-superhero, Jessica Jones, working as a private detective. The first story is interesting because someone essentially tricks Jessica into finding out Captain America's identity by having her investigate a woman who ends up being Captain America's girlfriend and who gets killed that night. Jessica is then in trouble with the police and the only way out is to out Captain America which would be a big political hit on the President of the United States. As you can imagine this puts Jessica in a difficult situation.
During the series we get to know Jessica. Her good decisions, her bad decisions and we get to know a strong, flawed female character. The series is very good in that it mixes detective stories with superhero stories with ease, while also making us care for the main character. It develops a character and it tells stories about superheroes that we don't normally here. We get to see a young girl who is inspired by Daredevil to be her self. We see an ex-superhero sidekick go through issues. We get to follow interesting mysteries. A lot of cool stuff goes around in this comic.
I think the best thing about the art is that it does a very good job of making conversations seem real, which is important to do in a book where you have a writer like Bendis that writes a lot of dialogue. The art works great here.
However my favorite piece of art comes in the painted tenth issue. An issue that is not really involved into longer arcs. In the tenth issue we have Jameson trying to hire Jessica to find out who Spider-Man is. The whole issue revolves around this and a lot of funny things happen which I won't spoil. I highly recommend this issue.
The series is a very good book. I would recommend it to anyone interested in detectives in the superhero universe.
Alias is about an ex-superhero, Jessica Jones, working as a private detective. The first story is interesting because someone essentially tricks Jessica into finding out Captain America's identity by having her investigate a woman who ends up being Captain America's girlfriend and who gets killed that night. Jessica is then in trouble with the police and the only way out is to out Captain America which would be a big political hit on the President of the United States. As you can imagine this puts Jessica in a difficult situation.
During the series we get to know Jessica. Her good decisions, her bad decisions and we get to know a strong, flawed female character. The series is very good in that it mixes detective stories with superhero stories with ease, while also making us care for the main character. It develops a character and it tells stories about superheroes that we don't normally here. We get to see a young girl who is inspired by Daredevil to be her self. We see an ex-superhero sidekick go through issues. We get to follow interesting mysteries. A lot of cool stuff goes around in this comic.
I think the best thing about the art is that it does a very good job of making conversations seem real, which is important to do in a book where you have a writer like Bendis that writes a lot of dialogue. The art works great here.
However my favorite piece of art comes in the painted tenth issue. An issue that is not really involved into longer arcs. In the tenth issue we have Jameson trying to hire Jessica to find out who Spider-Man is. The whole issue revolves around this and a lot of funny things happen which I won't spoil. I highly recommend this issue.
The series is a very good book. I would recommend it to anyone interested in detectives in the superhero universe.
Jinx: The Definitive Collection
Jinx: The Definitive Collection by Brian Michael Bendis. Collects al Jinx comics. 480 pages.
Before being the main writer at Marvel, Bendis was an indie comic book writer. Writing Torso, Goldfish, Fortune and Glory. Jinx was one of the things that brought him mainstream as Joe Quesada, the editor in chief of Marvel Comics, offered Bendis to write Daredevil and Ultimate Spider-Man based on his writing in Jinx. Quesada didn't like the art, but he loved the writing.
I can understand Quesada not liking the art for Marvel comics, but it works perfectly for this noir tale. The art is photo realistic at times and full of shadows. It makes us focus much more on the dialogue, which is Bendis strength.
Bendis is very inspired by David Mamet when writing dialogue and I think it works great in this comic. The conversations seem real and it is nice to see unfinished sentences and realistic flirting around in the comic book. The book deals with mainly three characters and all of them are well developed, specially Gold and Jinx. Columbia, the third character, is not as intelligent as the other two, but his mistakes make for a lot of funny moments to happen and also for a lot of the tension to happen, because while not being very bright, he is a very dangerous fellow.
Jinx is a good noir story.
Before being the main writer at Marvel, Bendis was an indie comic book writer. Writing Torso, Goldfish, Fortune and Glory. Jinx was one of the things that brought him mainstream as Joe Quesada, the editor in chief of Marvel Comics, offered Bendis to write Daredevil and Ultimate Spider-Man based on his writing in Jinx. Quesada didn't like the art, but he loved the writing.
I can understand Quesada not liking the art for Marvel comics, but it works perfectly for this noir tale. The art is photo realistic at times and full of shadows. It makes us focus much more on the dialogue, which is Bendis strength.
Bendis is very inspired by David Mamet when writing dialogue and I think it works great in this comic. The conversations seem real and it is nice to see unfinished sentences and realistic flirting around in the comic book. The book deals with mainly three characters and all of them are well developed, specially Gold and Jinx. Columbia, the third character, is not as intelligent as the other two, but his mistakes make for a lot of funny moments to happen and also for a lot of the tension to happen, because while not being very bright, he is a very dangerous fellow.
Jinx is a good noir story.
Monday, January 4, 2010
Noble Causes Archives Vol. 1
Noble Causes Archives Vol. 1 by Jay Faerber and various artists. The volume consists of Noble Causes: First Impressions, Noble Causes #1-4, Noble Causes: Family Secrets #1-4, Noble Causes: Distant Relatives #1-4, and the Noble Causes ongoing series #1-12. Reprinted in black and white (originally the series came out in color). 598 pages.
For $19.99, this collection is very cheap given that it has 598 pages. The catch is that it is printed in black and white instead of color. However, I like the idea of having the series reprinted in two huge volumes instead of needing to get many trades.
Given that I never read this series in color, I don't know what I am missing, but what I can say is that Noble Causes as it is, is fantastic. The comic follows the Noble family, a family of superheroes. This superhero comic book differs from most in that the essence of the story does not boil down to fights with supervillains. The story is driven by characters. We get to meet very interesting superheroes in scenarios that we normally don't see in superhero comic books. A teenage heroine that gets pregnant. Marital problems between two superheroes. The whole series moves more like a soap opera than an action series, but it does in a very entertaining way. I can't help but care about these characters.
One character I like a lot is "Rusty". Rusty was a very powerful superhero that almost died in a battle. His father, being a scientific genius, transferred his mind to a robot (reminding me of Doom Patrol's Metal Man). Rusty has marital problems because of this and after the divorce he finds true happiness with a heroine that has the power of manipulating metal. All of a sudden, Rusty is able to feel again because of his new girlfriend. Rusty goes from being an annoying, mean character to being a very nice, kind character. The isolation he had because of being unable to feel had changed him, but love brought him back to the kind man he once was. This is the sort of thing I enjoyed a lot about Noble Causes, the characters change right in front of our eyes, little by little.
Another character I love is Gaia. She seems to be a really cold, calculating woman. She gives great one-liners that shut up everybody and she is cold when it relates to spinning the stories to the media about the family. However, Gaia has a bastard child, Frost, and when we see in flashbacks how Gaia was tender when seeing Frost and how Gaia loves Doc, we see another side of her. We see the personality that she wants to hide from the outside world, the vulnerability that only her husband and Frost have seen. She was hurt by her husband before, so now she shields that from everyone else with extra zeal. This is the sort of thing that the author conveys to us through images and dialogue. A fantastic job.
The series has very clean pencils, which I think help the story move smoothly. This story is not about exploring with beautiful images, but about understanding characters. I liked the art and I love the writing. This is a great series to check out and for a very good price.
For $19.99, this collection is very cheap given that it has 598 pages. The catch is that it is printed in black and white instead of color. However, I like the idea of having the series reprinted in two huge volumes instead of needing to get many trades.
Given that I never read this series in color, I don't know what I am missing, but what I can say is that Noble Causes as it is, is fantastic. The comic follows the Noble family, a family of superheroes. This superhero comic book differs from most in that the essence of the story does not boil down to fights with supervillains. The story is driven by characters. We get to meet very interesting superheroes in scenarios that we normally don't see in superhero comic books. A teenage heroine that gets pregnant. Marital problems between two superheroes. The whole series moves more like a soap opera than an action series, but it does in a very entertaining way. I can't help but care about these characters.
One character I like a lot is "Rusty". Rusty was a very powerful superhero that almost died in a battle. His father, being a scientific genius, transferred his mind to a robot (reminding me of Doom Patrol's Metal Man). Rusty has marital problems because of this and after the divorce he finds true happiness with a heroine that has the power of manipulating metal. All of a sudden, Rusty is able to feel again because of his new girlfriend. Rusty goes from being an annoying, mean character to being a very nice, kind character. The isolation he had because of being unable to feel had changed him, but love brought him back to the kind man he once was. This is the sort of thing I enjoyed a lot about Noble Causes, the characters change right in front of our eyes, little by little.
Another character I love is Gaia. She seems to be a really cold, calculating woman. She gives great one-liners that shut up everybody and she is cold when it relates to spinning the stories to the media about the family. However, Gaia has a bastard child, Frost, and when we see in flashbacks how Gaia was tender when seeing Frost and how Gaia loves Doc, we see another side of her. We see the personality that she wants to hide from the outside world, the vulnerability that only her husband and Frost have seen. She was hurt by her husband before, so now she shields that from everyone else with extra zeal. This is the sort of thing that the author conveys to us through images and dialogue. A fantastic job.
The series has very clean pencils, which I think help the story move smoothly. This story is not about exploring with beautiful images, but about understanding characters. I liked the art and I love the writing. This is a great series to check out and for a very good price.
Amazing Spider-Man: If This Be My Destiny
Amazing Spider-Man: If This Be My Destiny by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko comprises issues #31 through #33 of Amazing Spider-Man.
"If This Be My Destiny" is more commonly remembered by Master Planner. The story has a mysterious villain, who we only know as Master Planner, robbing any radioactive materials he can get his hands on. The Master Planner wants to take over the world and he needs radioactive materials for his plan (unknown to us). Spider-Man as usual has a lot on his slate, as he just started college and most importantly, his aunt, Aunt May, is in the hospital very ill. As the story progresses we find that Spider-Man needs a radioactive serum to cure his aunt, but the serum is stolen by the Master Planner. An encounter occurs and then we are led to a famous scene where Spidey has to move a roof to get the serum.
The story has everything a great Spider-Man story should have: Peter Parker having day to day problems, Spider-Man facing a talented villain, Spider-Man using his brain to solve something, Spider-Man using his will to keep going. The latter is what has always attracted me to Spider-Man. He never gives up. No matter the odds, no matter how tired, Spider-Man will give his all. This attitude has always been an inspiration to me and issue #33 was certainly very inspiring to the many Spidey writers that have followed since Stan Lee.
If you are a Spider-Man fan, this is a must-read. I still highly recommend it to anyone.
"If This Be My Destiny" is more commonly remembered by Master Planner. The story has a mysterious villain, who we only know as Master Planner, robbing any radioactive materials he can get his hands on. The Master Planner wants to take over the world and he needs radioactive materials for his plan (unknown to us). Spider-Man as usual has a lot on his slate, as he just started college and most importantly, his aunt, Aunt May, is in the hospital very ill. As the story progresses we find that Spider-Man needs a radioactive serum to cure his aunt, but the serum is stolen by the Master Planner. An encounter occurs and then we are led to a famous scene where Spidey has to move a roof to get the serum.
The story has everything a great Spider-Man story should have: Peter Parker having day to day problems, Spider-Man facing a talented villain, Spider-Man using his brain to solve something, Spider-Man using his will to keep going. The latter is what has always attracted me to Spider-Man. He never gives up. No matter the odds, no matter how tired, Spider-Man will give his all. This attitude has always been an inspiration to me and issue #33 was certainly very inspiring to the many Spidey writers that have followed since Stan Lee.
If you are a Spider-Man fan, this is a must-read. I still highly recommend it to anyone.
Star Wars: Dark Empire
Star Wars: Dark Empire by Tom Veitch and Cam Kennedy. 152 pages.
Dark Empire is one of the first Star Wars stories outside of the movies. It came out after the first non-Lucas Star Wars book, but before the sequels (the first book was part of a trilogy called "Thrawn Trilogy" written by Timothy Zahn). Dark Empire was a big hit and it had positive reviews. However, I didn't like it. I think the most important aspect of Luke Skywalker is that he rejected the dark side of the Force. To have a book where that part of the character is taken away just doesn't make sense. However, even if we allow that nonsense, the book is full of completely illogical sequences, such as the Emperor (who is alive because of cloning) making Skywalker a commander. It seems like someone as bright as the Emperor, wouldn't do something so foolish, specially without making Skywalker do some kind of test. He should have also put limits to the power he gave Skywalker over his forces. I understand that Emperor Palpatine is a very arrogant person, so arrogant that it led to his downfall in the movies, but to also have to accept that he is stupid is too much for me.
I also had some problems with the artwork. The characters are not close to how they looked in the movie, and while I understand that in comics one has to give the artist a chance to bring his style into the mix, I had an issue with how different Leia would look between panels.
One thing I would rescue out of the comic is the interesting information regarding the other Jedi who have tried to learn about the dark side. It made me want to learn more. I liked those bits with the Jedi cube.
Overall, I would recommend avoiding this comic book. There are a lot of better Star Wars stories to read (such as the Thrawn Trilogy).
Dark Empire is one of the first Star Wars stories outside of the movies. It came out after the first non-Lucas Star Wars book, but before the sequels (the first book was part of a trilogy called "Thrawn Trilogy" written by Timothy Zahn). Dark Empire was a big hit and it had positive reviews. However, I didn't like it. I think the most important aspect of Luke Skywalker is that he rejected the dark side of the Force. To have a book where that part of the character is taken away just doesn't make sense. However, even if we allow that nonsense, the book is full of completely illogical sequences, such as the Emperor (who is alive because of cloning) making Skywalker a commander. It seems like someone as bright as the Emperor, wouldn't do something so foolish, specially without making Skywalker do some kind of test. He should have also put limits to the power he gave Skywalker over his forces. I understand that Emperor Palpatine is a very arrogant person, so arrogant that it led to his downfall in the movies, but to also have to accept that he is stupid is too much for me.
I also had some problems with the artwork. The characters are not close to how they looked in the movie, and while I understand that in comics one has to give the artist a chance to bring his style into the mix, I had an issue with how different Leia would look between panels.
One thing I would rescue out of the comic is the interesting information regarding the other Jedi who have tried to learn about the dark side. It made me want to learn more. I liked those bits with the Jedi cube.
Overall, I would recommend avoiding this comic book. There are a lot of better Star Wars stories to read (such as the Thrawn Trilogy).
Preacher: Ancient History (Vol. 4)
Preacher: Ancient History (Vol. 4) by Garth Ennis and various artists. This volume contains Preacher: Saint of Killers (art by Steve Pugh and Carlos Ezquerra), Preacher Special: The Story of You-Know-Who (art by Richard Case) and Preacher Special: The Good Old Boys (art by Carlos Ezquerra). 224 pages.
This volume is a little detour out of the Preacher story. It gives us the origin of Saint of Killers, the origin of Arseface and a funny little story starring Jody and T.C.
The Saint of Killers story was pretty good in my opinion. I think the first two issues are better than the last two, but it was interesting seeing a Western story be imbued with a Heaven and Hell story. Westerns are a kind of mythology, so it was interesting seeing a story being so direct about the connection. The Saint of Killers is a man who was born to kill, was shown that he didn't have to kill (with the love of a beautiful woman) and then was shown that killing was his true path as he looked for revenge after the death of his family. A powerful mythology/Western story.
The Story of You-Know Who was pretty good. It is interesting how bad a life Arseface had, but yet after his accident he loved his dad even more. His dad would beat him up, talk him down and never show any respect to him. Yet, after all he went through he still loved his father. I thought this sentiment was very nice. Arseface went through a lot of terrible things but was still capable of love and kindness in the end. In a way, his story is inspiring.
The Good Old Boys is a parody. It is clearly not a serious story. It makes fun of the clichéd hero and of the damsel in distress. It was a fun read. A lot of people acted illogically, but this was the funny part as it was clear that the author was making fun of some action movies.
This volume is very good. The only detractor is that it doesn't really continue the Preacher story. It has three great self-contained stories.
This volume is a little detour out of the Preacher story. It gives us the origin of Saint of Killers, the origin of Arseface and a funny little story starring Jody and T.C.
The Saint of Killers story was pretty good in my opinion. I think the first two issues are better than the last two, but it was interesting seeing a Western story be imbued with a Heaven and Hell story. Westerns are a kind of mythology, so it was interesting seeing a story being so direct about the connection. The Saint of Killers is a man who was born to kill, was shown that he didn't have to kill (with the love of a beautiful woman) and then was shown that killing was his true path as he looked for revenge after the death of his family. A powerful mythology/Western story.
The Story of You-Know Who was pretty good. It is interesting how bad a life Arseface had, but yet after his accident he loved his dad even more. His dad would beat him up, talk him down and never show any respect to him. Yet, after all he went through he still loved his father. I thought this sentiment was very nice. Arseface went through a lot of terrible things but was still capable of love and kindness in the end. In a way, his story is inspiring.
The Good Old Boys is a parody. It is clearly not a serious story. It makes fun of the clichéd hero and of the damsel in distress. It was a fun read. A lot of people acted illogically, but this was the funny part as it was clear that the author was making fun of some action movies.
This volume is very good. The only detractor is that it doesn't really continue the Preacher story. It has three great self-contained stories.
Sunday, January 3, 2010
Preacher: Proud Americans (Vol. 3)
Preacher: Proud Americans (Vol. 3) by Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon. The volume consists of issues 18 through 26. 232 pages.
The whole volume consists of one story, in fact it could be considered the same story arc going back to "Hunters" in the second volume. The Grail has kidnapped Cassidy thinking it was Jesse and they take him to a fortress in France called "Masada". In this volume we get to know more about "The Grail", we get to know more about the angel that fathered Genesis and we get to meet the latest heir of Jesus.
The volume is packed with great action, hilarious moments and even moments of happy love (Tulip and Jesse). We get a little worried about Cassidy and we get to see how powerful Jesse is.
One thing I liked a lot about this volume was the interaction between Tulip and Jesse. It is just really nice. It also brought to my mind the power of friendship, since Cassidy made a big sacrifice for Tulip and now they are doing a big sacrifice for Cassidy. It shows us how important friendship is to these characters.
Another thing I liked a lot in this volume was how ridiculous The Grail is. I was laughing a lot when the leader of The Grail, Allfather D'aronique, appeared for the first time. Being such a fat man that an airplane couldn't land correctly. It was very funny how Ennis was making fun of powerful men.
Besides the great story involving Masada and the rescue of Cassidy, we get a nice break from the action with the last 2 issues, where Cassidy narrates to Jesse how he became a vampire and how his life was when he got to America. It was a very nice break from the action we were getting in the other issues.
A great story continues.
The whole volume consists of one story, in fact it could be considered the same story arc going back to "Hunters" in the second volume. The Grail has kidnapped Cassidy thinking it was Jesse and they take him to a fortress in France called "Masada". In this volume we get to know more about "The Grail", we get to know more about the angel that fathered Genesis and we get to meet the latest heir of Jesus.
The volume is packed with great action, hilarious moments and even moments of happy love (Tulip and Jesse). We get a little worried about Cassidy and we get to see how powerful Jesse is.
One thing I liked a lot about this volume was the interaction between Tulip and Jesse. It is just really nice. It also brought to my mind the power of friendship, since Cassidy made a big sacrifice for Tulip and now they are doing a big sacrifice for Cassidy. It shows us how important friendship is to these characters.
Another thing I liked a lot in this volume was how ridiculous The Grail is. I was laughing a lot when the leader of The Grail, Allfather D'aronique, appeared for the first time. Being such a fat man that an airplane couldn't land correctly. It was very funny how Ennis was making fun of powerful men.
Besides the great story involving Masada and the rescue of Cassidy, we get a nice break from the action with the last 2 issues, where Cassidy narrates to Jesse how he became a vampire and how his life was when he got to America. It was a very nice break from the action we were getting in the other issues.
A great story continues.
Preacher: Until the End of the World (Vol. 2)
Preacher: Until the End of the World (Vol. 2) was written by Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon. The volume consists of issues 8 through 17. 264 pages.
In the second volume we get two stories: "Until the End of the World" and "Hunters".
Until the End of the World gives us a backstory to Jesse. We find out why he left Tulip five years ago and why he became a priest. We also find that his voice powers have a limit, as they don't work on his family. The story made me feel very bad for Jesse as his childhood was terrible. The writing is great because in a way, I felt like I could understand the villains in this tale. It seems like the driving force was family. A bizarre, evil family, but it was what drove the two main villains in this story. The whole tale is perfectly illustrated by Steve Dillon, who makes all the gory scenes come out great and who is able to illustrate really good moments between Jesse and his family and Jesse and Tulip. The art intensifies some scenes. Some of the panels in this story are unforgettable.
While the whole story seems to be about Jesse, the thing that makes the story work is Jesse's love for Tulip. Without the passages about their love and seeing the interaction between the two characters, this story would be worth little. Both Ennis and Dillon do a great job of making a great story about love, family, tragedy and change.
In "Hunters" we are introduced to some disturbing people, people that have crazy orgies and try all sorts of extreme things for pleasure. A lot of the things they do are illegal, but somehow all of this has to do with Jesse and Tulip as they are led there through a series of events that happen throughout. This tale reminds me a little of the show Seinfeld since we have three stories that meet in the middle. We have Jesus de Sade, the organizer of all the debauchery. We have The Grail, a group of people that keep the heirs of Christ safe and who want to find Jesse Custer to protect God. We have the trio of Jesse, Tulip and Cassidy. Somehow they all end up in the same place for different reasons and a lot of violence, sex and swearing happens in the middle. The story has a big cliffhanger that makes one want to read the next volume right away.
This volume is fantastic. It deepens the characters and it moves the plot forward while giving us a lot of funny moments, a lot of sad moments and a lot of happy moments.
In the second volume we get two stories: "Until the End of the World" and "Hunters".
Until the End of the World gives us a backstory to Jesse. We find out why he left Tulip five years ago and why he became a priest. We also find that his voice powers have a limit, as they don't work on his family. The story made me feel very bad for Jesse as his childhood was terrible. The writing is great because in a way, I felt like I could understand the villains in this tale. It seems like the driving force was family. A bizarre, evil family, but it was what drove the two main villains in this story. The whole tale is perfectly illustrated by Steve Dillon, who makes all the gory scenes come out great and who is able to illustrate really good moments between Jesse and his family and Jesse and Tulip. The art intensifies some scenes. Some of the panels in this story are unforgettable.
While the whole story seems to be about Jesse, the thing that makes the story work is Jesse's love for Tulip. Without the passages about their love and seeing the interaction between the two characters, this story would be worth little. Both Ennis and Dillon do a great job of making a great story about love, family, tragedy and change.
In "Hunters" we are introduced to some disturbing people, people that have crazy orgies and try all sorts of extreme things for pleasure. A lot of the things they do are illegal, but somehow all of this has to do with Jesse and Tulip as they are led there through a series of events that happen throughout. This tale reminds me a little of the show Seinfeld since we have three stories that meet in the middle. We have Jesus de Sade, the organizer of all the debauchery. We have The Grail, a group of people that keep the heirs of Christ safe and who want to find Jesse Custer to protect God. We have the trio of Jesse, Tulip and Cassidy. Somehow they all end up in the same place for different reasons and a lot of violence, sex and swearing happens in the middle. The story has a big cliffhanger that makes one want to read the next volume right away.
This volume is fantastic. It deepens the characters and it moves the plot forward while giving us a lot of funny moments, a lot of sad moments and a lot of happy moments.
Preacher: Gone to Texas (Vol. 1)
Preacher: Gone to Texas (Vol. 1) is written by Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon. Vol. 1 collects issues 1 through 7. 200 pages.
I had read the first issue of the series years ago and decided that it wasn't good enough to keep reading the series. However, after I kept hearing from source after source that this comic was great, I had to give it another try, specially since my brother-in-law lent me all volumes of Preacher.
With all volumes in hand, I decided to give it another try. As I was reading the first issue again (which is a double sized issue), I realized it was better than what I had thought before, it almost seemed like I hadn't understood the story at my first try. The conception of Genesis made sense this time. Genesis is a creature born to an angel and a demon. Genesis is very powerful and takes the body of a priest Jesse Custer. After this Jesse decides that his mission is to find God and confront him.
The first 4 issues introduce us to the main characters: Jesse Custer, an rural preacher, Cassidy, a vampire and Tulip, an ex-girlfriend of Jesse who has a past involving guns. These issues also introduce us to a larger than life character called "Saint of Killers", a seemingly indestructible killer that comes out straight out of a Western movie. Besides introducing us with all these great characters, this volume gives us a reason to care for what will happen with Jesse and his search for God. It also brings in a lot of gore and a lot of funny moments.
The last three issues of the volume are kind of outside the mission of finding God. It involves a nasty detective story. I actually liked these issues more than the first four, mainly because the story had an ending and because it is full of shockingly funny moments. It is a great story that shows us how the characters introduced in the first story could come together in funny, exciting ways.
The first volume is very good, but not quite excellent.
I had read the first issue of the series years ago and decided that it wasn't good enough to keep reading the series. However, after I kept hearing from source after source that this comic was great, I had to give it another try, specially since my brother-in-law lent me all volumes of Preacher.
With all volumes in hand, I decided to give it another try. As I was reading the first issue again (which is a double sized issue), I realized it was better than what I had thought before, it almost seemed like I hadn't understood the story at my first try. The conception of Genesis made sense this time. Genesis is a creature born to an angel and a demon. Genesis is very powerful and takes the body of a priest Jesse Custer. After this Jesse decides that his mission is to find God and confront him.
The first 4 issues introduce us to the main characters: Jesse Custer, an rural preacher, Cassidy, a vampire and Tulip, an ex-girlfriend of Jesse who has a past involving guns. These issues also introduce us to a larger than life character called "Saint of Killers", a seemingly indestructible killer that comes out straight out of a Western movie. Besides introducing us with all these great characters, this volume gives us a reason to care for what will happen with Jesse and his search for God. It also brings in a lot of gore and a lot of funny moments.
The last three issues of the volume are kind of outside the mission of finding God. It involves a nasty detective story. I actually liked these issues more than the first four, mainly because the story had an ending and because it is full of shockingly funny moments. It is a great story that shows us how the characters introduced in the first story could come together in funny, exciting ways.
The first volume is very good, but not quite excellent.
Saturday, January 2, 2010
Various Recent Single Issues
Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Willow by Joss Whedon and Karl Moline.
This one-shot tells us a little bit of what happened to Willow between the end of the TV show and the beginning of the comic book series Season 8. Joss is as always perfect with dialog bringing in a lot of funny moments with his word play and his perfectly timed delivery. The story itself is not that great, but since it is a joy to read with the nice art and the great lines I would have to rank this comic highly. It is the best Buffy comic of the year (not that hard given the bad run on the comic book series).
Incorruptible #1 by Mark Waid and Jean Diaz.
Incorruptible is about a supervillain that decides to be a superhero. This first issue doesn't really tell us much. It shows how the villains employed by the supervillain are surprised at him helping cops and it shows how the supervillain tries to make a deal with a cop. Not much happens, but the series itself looks like it would be a fun ride, specially if you're reading Irredeemable as it is a companion series (Irredeemable is about a Superman like superhero who becomes a bad guy).
Chew #6 by John Layman and Rob Guillory.
The most recent Chew issue is #7, but Chew #6 is so good it deserves a nice post about it. The issue starts the second arc in the series. It starts great right off the bat with a funny moment at the detective office and it gets better with the bank robbery where Agent Cho thinks he has to eat poop to figure the case (Agent Cho has the power to eat something and get all of its history). Getting Cho's partner back from issue 1 is nice because he seemed to be a funny guy and we are confirmed of that in this issue. Great issue on a fantastic series.
Chew #7 by John Layman and Rob Guillory.
This issue is good but not as good as the series has been. The arc itself seems like its going to be a good one and a cool character was introduced but the issue wasn't as funny as others have been.
The art is top notch as usual. Guillory has been a great breakout in comics. I love his work on Chew. It is a crucial reason of why this series works so well. A fun cartoony style that can show the gore and the gross without making it seem ridiculous or out of place.
Amazing Spider-Man #611 by Joe Kelly and Eric Canete.
Just like Chew #6 is so good it deserves a post even if it is not the most recent issue, Amazing Spider-Man #611 deserves one too because of how funny it is. Joe Kelly manages to make joke after joke work perfectly in this hilarious issue. I highly recommend reading it to anyone.
With respect to the art, the art is almost distracting at first because it is so unusual, but after a while one gets used to it and then one gets to enjoy it because it is so full of energy (just like the jokes).
Fantastic issue. One of the best of the Spidey issues of the year, although for the best of the year I might have to pick something from Fred Van Lente who always knocks it out of the park when writing Spider-Man.
Irredeemable #9 by Mark Waid and Peter Krause.
This series has been one of my favorites of the year. This particular issue is not that great, but it is very interesting. Now that Plutonian is shown to be vulnerable, it is interesting to see how this affects the psyche of Charybdis, as his ego might be growing a bit too much.
The Last Days of American Crime #1 by Rick Remender and Greg Tocchini.
Radical Comics has been a really cool new publisher that tries different things and this is an issue where that is exemplified. The issue is 64 pages instead of the standard 22 pages and it is only $4.99 (the standard is $2.99 but some even charge $3.99 for 22 pages).
Forgetting about the good price, I'd like to point out that the art is really beautiful and that the story is interesting. I am looking forward to the next two issues.
Daytripper #1 by Fábio Moon and Gabriel Ba (they co-wrote story and art).
This might be my favorite single issue of the year. The cover is great, the art is great and the story is great.
The story concerns an obituary writer on his 32nd birthday. On the day of his birthday, his father gets an award. But the story tells you a lot of information in very subtle ways, either through the art or by indirect dialog. You can only guess it is his birthday, it is never said out loud. You can only guess it is his 32nd birthday (32 is the title of the story). I like how a lot of the story is told by the images and I like how it begins with snippets from obituaries that the main character is writing.
Great issue, I am definitely going to read the series. The question will be to whether read it as the issues come out or wait for the trade.
God Complex #1 by Michael Avon Oeming and John Broglia.
I like the idea of a God living among people. The story has been told before but I wanted to read this comic to see what new idea can be brought to the table. This first issue is not great, but it is good enough to get me to read more of the series. The main character seems to be a bit too powerful to have given up godhood but maybe the powers will fade with time, or maybe the powers won't fade, I'll have to keep reading to find that out. I wouldn't recommend reading this issue.
Deadlocke by Arvid Nelson and Nick Stakal.
This is a one shot comic book. I was surprised that it didn't have any closure in my opinion. I thought there was good potential in the story but that there was not a good ending. Not a comic book I would recommend.
Sugarshock by Joss Whedon and Fábio Moon.
The one-shot is not great because it didn't include the last part of the story, however the whole story is fantastic. It made me laugh a lot. Joss really knows how to deliver the funny stuff and Fábio Moon is able to make the perfect images for this story. I highly recommend reading it. It is possible to read this for free online on MySpace Dark Horse
This one-shot tells us a little bit of what happened to Willow between the end of the TV show and the beginning of the comic book series Season 8. Joss is as always perfect with dialog bringing in a lot of funny moments with his word play and his perfectly timed delivery. The story itself is not that great, but since it is a joy to read with the nice art and the great lines I would have to rank this comic highly. It is the best Buffy comic of the year (not that hard given the bad run on the comic book series).
Incorruptible #1 by Mark Waid and Jean Diaz.
Incorruptible is about a supervillain that decides to be a superhero. This first issue doesn't really tell us much. It shows how the villains employed by the supervillain are surprised at him helping cops and it shows how the supervillain tries to make a deal with a cop. Not much happens, but the series itself looks like it would be a fun ride, specially if you're reading Irredeemable as it is a companion series (Irredeemable is about a Superman like superhero who becomes a bad guy).
Chew #6 by John Layman and Rob Guillory.
The most recent Chew issue is #7, but Chew #6 is so good it deserves a nice post about it. The issue starts the second arc in the series. It starts great right off the bat with a funny moment at the detective office and it gets better with the bank robbery where Agent Cho thinks he has to eat poop to figure the case (Agent Cho has the power to eat something and get all of its history). Getting Cho's partner back from issue 1 is nice because he seemed to be a funny guy and we are confirmed of that in this issue. Great issue on a fantastic series.
Chew #7 by John Layman and Rob Guillory.
This issue is good but not as good as the series has been. The arc itself seems like its going to be a good one and a cool character was introduced but the issue wasn't as funny as others have been.
The art is top notch as usual. Guillory has been a great breakout in comics. I love his work on Chew. It is a crucial reason of why this series works so well. A fun cartoony style that can show the gore and the gross without making it seem ridiculous or out of place.
Amazing Spider-Man #611 by Joe Kelly and Eric Canete.
Just like Chew #6 is so good it deserves a post even if it is not the most recent issue, Amazing Spider-Man #611 deserves one too because of how funny it is. Joe Kelly manages to make joke after joke work perfectly in this hilarious issue. I highly recommend reading it to anyone.
With respect to the art, the art is almost distracting at first because it is so unusual, but after a while one gets used to it and then one gets to enjoy it because it is so full of energy (just like the jokes).
Fantastic issue. One of the best of the Spidey issues of the year, although for the best of the year I might have to pick something from Fred Van Lente who always knocks it out of the park when writing Spider-Man.
Irredeemable #9 by Mark Waid and Peter Krause.
This series has been one of my favorites of the year. This particular issue is not that great, but it is very interesting. Now that Plutonian is shown to be vulnerable, it is interesting to see how this affects the psyche of Charybdis, as his ego might be growing a bit too much.
The Last Days of American Crime #1 by Rick Remender and Greg Tocchini.
Radical Comics has been a really cool new publisher that tries different things and this is an issue where that is exemplified. The issue is 64 pages instead of the standard 22 pages and it is only $4.99 (the standard is $2.99 but some even charge $3.99 for 22 pages).
Forgetting about the good price, I'd like to point out that the art is really beautiful and that the story is interesting. I am looking forward to the next two issues.
Daytripper #1 by Fábio Moon and Gabriel Ba (they co-wrote story and art).
This might be my favorite single issue of the year. The cover is great, the art is great and the story is great.
The story concerns an obituary writer on his 32nd birthday. On the day of his birthday, his father gets an award. But the story tells you a lot of information in very subtle ways, either through the art or by indirect dialog. You can only guess it is his birthday, it is never said out loud. You can only guess it is his 32nd birthday (32 is the title of the story). I like how a lot of the story is told by the images and I like how it begins with snippets from obituaries that the main character is writing.
Great issue, I am definitely going to read the series. The question will be to whether read it as the issues come out or wait for the trade.
God Complex #1 by Michael Avon Oeming and John Broglia.
I like the idea of a God living among people. The story has been told before but I wanted to read this comic to see what new idea can be brought to the table. This first issue is not great, but it is good enough to get me to read more of the series. The main character seems to be a bit too powerful to have given up godhood but maybe the powers will fade with time, or maybe the powers won't fade, I'll have to keep reading to find that out. I wouldn't recommend reading this issue.
Deadlocke by Arvid Nelson and Nick Stakal.
This is a one shot comic book. I was surprised that it didn't have any closure in my opinion. I thought there was good potential in the story but that there was not a good ending. Not a comic book I would recommend.
Sugarshock by Joss Whedon and Fábio Moon.
The one-shot is not great because it didn't include the last part of the story, however the whole story is fantastic. It made me laugh a lot. Joss really knows how to deliver the funny stuff and Fábio Moon is able to make the perfect images for this story. I highly recommend reading it. It is possible to read this for free online on MySpace Dark Horse
Ex Machina: Dirty Tricks
Ex Machina: Dirty Tricks (Vol. 8) written by Brian K. Vaughan with art by Tony Harris. Contains issues 35-39 plus the Masquerade Special Illustrated by John Paul Lennon.
Ex Machina is a series I have enjoyed a lot. It is a little hard to have to wait six or more months to get the next trade paperback, but every trade I read is fun and exciting. This volume is no exception.
A little background on Ex Machina is worth mentioning. Mitchell Hundred is the only superhero in the world, but after an unsuccessful time as a crime fighter he decided to try his hand at politics where he thought he would make a bigger impact. After saving one of the towers on the September 11 attack, Hundred easily won the election for mayor of New York City. The series has followed Mitchell through his tenure as Mayor of New York City.
In this series, there is usually something from the past of Mitchell as a crime fighter that makes an impact in the current day. For this volume, the thing in the past is a woman tour guide that fell in love with Mitchell when he was the crime fighter and saved her life. She makes an impact in the current day as she is a security threat for the Republican Convention which will be held in New York (the story is set in late 2004 just before the election between Bush and Kerry). The series goes through the question of whether Mitchell should give a speech at the convention or not. Mitchell has no political party (he is an independent) so one advisor is worried that he would look Republican if he does, while the other main advisor encourages him because he would make a national political spotlight making it possible for him to run for president in the future.
The whole political angle is interesting and the security threat of the biker girl brings in the fun in terms of funny pranks she does and making people nervous about what she will do next.
Brian K. Vaughan as usual, has some very funny lines and is able to move the story along at a fast pace without making it feel too rushed. This is one of the things I love about reading his work, he makes you want to read the next page right away and it all flows smoothly. Of course, all of this is made possible by the fantastic art by Tony Harris. Harris is one of my favorite artists because he draws beautifully and he makes it easy for the reader to go from panel to panel. I also like how he portrays many different facial expressions in his characters, he is able to do great close ups and also able to do great action scenes. Great artist.
The one thing against it is that I wish the next book were already out so that I could read what will happen next.
Ex Machina is a series I have enjoyed a lot. It is a little hard to have to wait six or more months to get the next trade paperback, but every trade I read is fun and exciting. This volume is no exception.
A little background on Ex Machina is worth mentioning. Mitchell Hundred is the only superhero in the world, but after an unsuccessful time as a crime fighter he decided to try his hand at politics where he thought he would make a bigger impact. After saving one of the towers on the September 11 attack, Hundred easily won the election for mayor of New York City. The series has followed Mitchell through his tenure as Mayor of New York City.
In this series, there is usually something from the past of Mitchell as a crime fighter that makes an impact in the current day. For this volume, the thing in the past is a woman tour guide that fell in love with Mitchell when he was the crime fighter and saved her life. She makes an impact in the current day as she is a security threat for the Republican Convention which will be held in New York (the story is set in late 2004 just before the election between Bush and Kerry). The series goes through the question of whether Mitchell should give a speech at the convention or not. Mitchell has no political party (he is an independent) so one advisor is worried that he would look Republican if he does, while the other main advisor encourages him because he would make a national political spotlight making it possible for him to run for president in the future.
The whole political angle is interesting and the security threat of the biker girl brings in the fun in terms of funny pranks she does and making people nervous about what she will do next.
Brian K. Vaughan as usual, has some very funny lines and is able to move the story along at a fast pace without making it feel too rushed. This is one of the things I love about reading his work, he makes you want to read the next page right away and it all flows smoothly. Of course, all of this is made possible by the fantastic art by Tony Harris. Harris is one of my favorite artists because he draws beautifully and he makes it easy for the reader to go from panel to panel. I also like how he portrays many different facial expressions in his characters, he is able to do great close ups and also able to do great action scenes. Great artist.
The one thing against it is that I wish the next book were already out so that I could read what will happen next.
Simon Dark: The Game of Life (Vol. 3)
Simon Dark: The Game of Life (Vol. 3) is written by Steve Niles with art by Scott Hampton. Vol. 3 contains issues 13 through 18.
I had been eagerly awaiting this book for 8 months since I read the first two trades. However, 8 months is a long time if you have been reading many comic books as I have, so when I started reading this book I had some trouble remembering everything I needed to know about the story. The good thing is that I quickly figured out the main things I needed to remember to enjoy this book.
The main reason the first two trades are great, is that there are many questions that keep arising while reading it. Simon Dark is a very mysterious character with a lot of power and then one finds out there is a detective with similar powers. There aren't really any big villains in the first two trades as the series was building up for the main villain to show up near the end (Vol. 3 is the end of the miniseries).
The villain, is very similar to Simon Dark but instead of being noble and good, he is sinister. The artist does a very good job of creating a villain that makes you think of Simon, yet you can tell he's not Simon once you look at the face. The lettering (by legendary Todd Klein) also does a good job of making it clear which is which, I can imagine the voice of the villain (I keep calling him villain because he has no name).
The art in the whole book is quite dark, realistic and very beautiful. I enjoyed it very much. The writing was also quite fun, although I don't think the end of the series is as good as I expected it to be. Once the mystery was revealed there was little to care about, but I did like to get to know the character of Simon Dark.
I recommend reading the series, but I have to say that I was expecting more out of the ending.
I had been eagerly awaiting this book for 8 months since I read the first two trades. However, 8 months is a long time if you have been reading many comic books as I have, so when I started reading this book I had some trouble remembering everything I needed to know about the story. The good thing is that I quickly figured out the main things I needed to remember to enjoy this book.
The main reason the first two trades are great, is that there are many questions that keep arising while reading it. Simon Dark is a very mysterious character with a lot of power and then one finds out there is a detective with similar powers. There aren't really any big villains in the first two trades as the series was building up for the main villain to show up near the end (Vol. 3 is the end of the miniseries).
The villain, is very similar to Simon Dark but instead of being noble and good, he is sinister. The artist does a very good job of creating a villain that makes you think of Simon, yet you can tell he's not Simon once you look at the face. The lettering (by legendary Todd Klein) also does a good job of making it clear which is which, I can imagine the voice of the villain (I keep calling him villain because he has no name).
The art in the whole book is quite dark, realistic and very beautiful. I enjoyed it very much. The writing was also quite fun, although I don't think the end of the series is as good as I expected it to be. Once the mystery was revealed there was little to care about, but I did like to get to know the character of Simon Dark.
I recommend reading the series, but I have to say that I was expecting more out of the ending.
Friday, January 1, 2010
The Life and Times of Savior 28
The Life and Times of Savior 28 was written by J.M. DeMatteis and Mike Cavallaro.
The Life and Times of Savior 28 is a great story that tries to analyze whether violence is the answer to our problems. Comic book superheroes always solve problems with violence and our world also solves problems with violence. We often think that war is necessary (Obama even mentioned this while receiving the Nobel Peace prize), but why do we have to think this? I think the comic does a very good job of making the reader argue this in his head, while also reading a very good story on paper and illustrated magnificently by the artist.
My favorite line in the book, comes close to the start, it is as follows:
"It's funny, y'know? and kind of Sad.
Never once...in all the decades I spent solving every problem with my fists-
did anyone ever accuse me of preaching violence.
But now...when I talk about finding another way...a better way...for us to live...
...they're always accusing me of ramming my views down people's throats..."
I think this speech is at the heart of what the book is about. But before this sounds too preachy, I must add that there is another very good character in the book that exemplifies realism, a character that believes that war is sometimes necessary. The book has two great characters Savior 28, the idealist and Dennis the realist (reminds me of Quixote and Sancho Panza). The story makes one think and reason to find what is the best approach. The author doesn't claim to know the answer, his just showing a side that we never see in comics, a critique on the level of violence in comics.
With respect to the art, I think the art was very good. Sometimes the art is able to tell the story without words and when many words are necessary the art is able to give a great picture that reflects the idea behind the words.
It was interesting to me, to find out that J.M. DeMatteis had planned this story at first for his Captain America run in the 80s. His plan was to have Captain America become a peace activist, then the other heroes would oppose him and eventually he would be killed. They didn't allow him to write that, but 25 years later we get this fantastic story where he can make his own universe as a background to his hero and story. It seems that the political climate is even better now than in the 80s for this story. As a Captain America story it would have been much wider recognized among comic book fans, but I am glad that he was able to tell a self contained story where his work can be changed later by other authors (as an example, DeMatteis has a great issue of Spider-man where Aunt May dies. The issue is excellent, but later on, Aunt May came back to life with another writer).
This is a great book and it deserves to be read by more people. Check it out.
The Life and Times of Savior 28 is a great story that tries to analyze whether violence is the answer to our problems. Comic book superheroes always solve problems with violence and our world also solves problems with violence. We often think that war is necessary (Obama even mentioned this while receiving the Nobel Peace prize), but why do we have to think this? I think the comic does a very good job of making the reader argue this in his head, while also reading a very good story on paper and illustrated magnificently by the artist.
My favorite line in the book, comes close to the start, it is as follows:
"It's funny, y'know? and kind of Sad.
Never once...in all the decades I spent solving every problem with my fists-
did anyone ever accuse me of preaching violence.
But now...when I talk about finding another way...a better way...for us to live...
...they're always accusing me of ramming my views down people's throats..."
I think this speech is at the heart of what the book is about. But before this sounds too preachy, I must add that there is another very good character in the book that exemplifies realism, a character that believes that war is sometimes necessary. The book has two great characters Savior 28, the idealist and Dennis the realist (reminds me of Quixote and Sancho Panza). The story makes one think and reason to find what is the best approach. The author doesn't claim to know the answer, his just showing a side that we never see in comics, a critique on the level of violence in comics.
With respect to the art, I think the art was very good. Sometimes the art is able to tell the story without words and when many words are necessary the art is able to give a great picture that reflects the idea behind the words.
It was interesting to me, to find out that J.M. DeMatteis had planned this story at first for his Captain America run in the 80s. His plan was to have Captain America become a peace activist, then the other heroes would oppose him and eventually he would be killed. They didn't allow him to write that, but 25 years later we get this fantastic story where he can make his own universe as a background to his hero and story. It seems that the political climate is even better now than in the 80s for this story. As a Captain America story it would have been much wider recognized among comic book fans, but I am glad that he was able to tell a self contained story where his work can be changed later by other authors (as an example, DeMatteis has a great issue of Spider-man where Aunt May dies. The issue is excellent, but later on, Aunt May came back to life with another writer).
This is a great book and it deserves to be read by more people. Check it out.
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