Legion World Forums LEGION COMPANION Dr. Gym'll's Cultural Rarities Any recommendations

Have not seen it mentioned so far but I would recommend North 40 a six issue mini-series by Wildstorm. It is a bit Lovecrafty in story and so far (at the half way point) has been very good indeed.

I picked up Deadpool Team-Up #899 because of three reasons: (A) Fred Van Lente is writing and he's doing some great stuff for Marvel right now, including some of the better Spider-Man stories; (B) Hercules is in it and his comic (co-written by Van Lente) is excellent; and (C) I've been wondering what the fuss over Deadpool is all about and up until now could not find a Deadpool comic in the CBS that looked even remotely good. Also, starting the numbering with #899 was a marketing ploy that worked on me because its amusing.

And you know what? I'm glad I picked it up. A solid, funny issue. Seeing Deadpool interact with Hercules was fun, and the issue had the right blend of humor with action. It was good enough to pick up the next issue (which I believe is traveling backwards in numbering?).

Wishful thinking: this title could be an outlet for the Van Lente / Greg Pak / Jeff Parker corner of the MU and we could see appearances by Agents of Atlas, Banner & Son of Hulk, the new Scorpion and some others.

#899 was Van Lente's only issue (and the ungoing technically started with the previous month's DP #900). I forget who's doing #898 unward.

[And Cable/DP's being released in 18-issue "Deadpool and Cable Ultimate Collection" TPBs - I recommend buying them ]

^^ Well, after I got bummed out that Van Lente was not the ongoing writer ( ), I didn’t pick up the next issue. I don’t like Deadpool *that* much… Meanwhile, maybe I’ll finally check out a Cable/Deadpool TPB…

Anyway, another comic I picked up that I’ll recommend is:

Murderer #1 by Kirkman and Top Cow. Its part of Top Cow’s “Pilot Season” which I guess means they’ll have 5 one-shots then the fans will vote on the best series and it’ll get a mini or ongoing. Which means I have no idea if there will be more stories and that’s why I didn’t give it its own thread. The idea seems great for fan interaction but I really hope this one wins because I liked it and I don’t know if I’ll maintain a level of curiosity to pick up the other contenders over the next few months (history tells me no, I won’t). Anyway, its by Kirkman, teaming with Marc Silvestri (though its obviously mostly Kirkman) and a pretty solid art team. Like “Haunt”, I wanted to get in on a Kirkman comic from the ground floor up because I came in late on everything else he’s done and really ended up liking most of it. He’s a great writer and that really shows here.

The concept of Murderer is one that could go either way—something really interesting or a one-trick pony to showcase some good ol’fashioned gore, and luckily it appears to be the former. The writing it top notch and the character is intriguing. Its most implied but there appears to be a whole heck of a lot going on in his head. The middle of the comic dealt with the inevitable murder but the ending sequences showcased Kirkman’s ability to provide a series with some really heart & soul, which I liked. I think Kirkman is getting much better at making his beginning issues have much more of an impact rather than his traditional slow build.

The art was pretty excellent all the way through by Nelson Blake, whom I’ve never heard of before. It had a very eerie feel to it, and I think that had a bit to do with the coloring job. My only complaint is the lack of backgrounds in the panels—something that is a major pet-peeve of mine, as I feel it’s the classic easy-way out for an artist to get pages out on time. That should be addressed.

Thinking about it, I’ve never really collected any comics from Top Cow. Other than Cyber Force #1 and #2 in the early 90’s, and a few issues of Hunter-Killer on Vee’s recommendation a few yaers aback, the only series I can recall was Wanted. Nothing against the company, I’ve just never really followed Witchblade or the Darkness and don’t really know anyone who does. Marc Silvestri gets roped into the category of other Image founders often, but I think he’s a fantastic artist—I recently reread his X-Men stories in the 80’s and his art was completely awesome back then. His recent Marvel stuff was as well. I think the man is majorly talented and criticisms on his art are often unfair. Sure, he likes to draw scantily clad women (and men too) but I think he’s dynamic enough in his interiors where its not all pin-ups but has a real energy. That’s all beside the point because his involvement here isn’t really noticeable. He’s co-creator with Kirkman, likely on a design basis, but you can tell the story is all Kirkman.

I wonder if any other Kirkman fans will check out? I thought it was totally worth the price of admission.

Maybe it's the spirit of the season, but the gory-sexy-funny Last Resort sounds pretty appealing right now. Are you still reading it, Lardi?

There seem to be a lot of murder/crime books around now, but Kirkman is a big draw.

These days I'm basically collecting every comic in the world, especially independents and Vertigo. So after being genuinely delighted by the new Warlord series by Mike Grell, I decided to pick up the new John Sable, Freelance series by Grell through IDW Entertainment. I know the series history but I've never read any John Sable series before, as I was in the single digits age group in the 80's.

And you know what? Its really freaking good! Grell seems to having a renaissance these days in the quality of his work, even if it seems as if no one is buying it or talking about it. The story is interesting and dynamic, and keeping me curious for more. And the artwork is simply terrific--it seems like he's only gotten better with age, and its better than its ever been. Each page is loaded with interesting layouts, almost popping off the page. He, of course, draws incredibly attractive characters, but has such a unique style that it makes them seem almost normal (which kind of makes them seem even more attractive).

Also, Grell's pencils and inks make the work a little scratchy and then the coloring kind of jumps off the page because of it. Its really kind of dynamic--not sure if thats by design, but I like it.

I think its definitely worth a buy. Good mystery / spy type series with some of the best art in comics these days.

Cramey, the last issue of that mini (5 issues in all) came out last week. After I've finished reading it, I'll let you know here what I thought of it as a whole. Then you can decide whether to buy the trade or whatever. I'm perpetually behind in my comics reading (and like it that way!), so expect the review in about a month, 'kay?

I've read little-to-none of Jon Sable; it's one of those indies I missed out on in the '80s. I've always perceived it as being a crime comic not too far off in tone from Grell's Green Arrow run, but I've never been entirely sure. One thing that always confused me was that mask, makeup or whatever he wears on the edges of his face when he's in action. At times I even thought it was just a shading effect. Des, can you (or anyone else who's read Sable) give me some idea of the flavor of the series and character? (and can anyone explain the mask/makeup/shadow-thing on his face? )

To be honest, I have no idea about the mask/makeup/shadow thing on his face...thus far he hasn't had it on for the first three issues except in flash backs. I'm not familiar enough with the character yet.

From what I've seen thus far (like I said, I've read all of three issues), the closest thing I can compare this to is Grell's Green Arrow. It has the same flavor of being a crime comic with exciting stories and interesting, beautiful characters. Sable is also a pure ladies man with at least four ex-girlfriends / lover interests thus far, so thats comparable to Ollie Queen; Grell does it in such a way though that it doesn't come off as piggish or macho at all, but really endearing. Sable is also older (even referenced in the series) so its similar to how Grell consistently portrayed Ollie as an older man in his 40's going on 50's (even though that obviously no longer applies in DC continuity).

One major difference between Grell's Green Arrow and Grell's Sable is there is a strong connection to Africa in the first two issues and references in the third suggesting there usually are connections to Africa in the series. Sable is aparently there often. So its almost like "what if Grell had just come off doing his Green Arrow run and Warlord run and wanted to tackle the Phantom, but a more crime-based series with little use of costumes" (even though Grell was doing Sable the same time he was doing Green Arrow).

I really think its worth a glance. The artwork was noticably excellent. It stood out as some of the best art of the year in any comic book for me, and I usually focus on the writing.

This morning I read a comic that was so good it made the jump from the "Random Review Corner" to an "Any Recommendations" review. It was Zorro from Dynamite Entertainment.

I picked up Zorro based on the strength of Matt Wagner's writing on Madame Xanadu which has been simply excellent. I've always known Wagner was an enormously talented writer but for whatever reason have not been reading a lot of his stuff over the last few years. But his recent work has been good enough to get me to search out what he's doing. Like most of us, I'm familiar with Zorro, but I've actually never collected any Zorro-related material. Even though I've been curious to check out the various Dynamite licensed properties, I never really considered it.

But boy am I glad I did--it was really terrific! Matt Wagner does an excellent job at providing a solid, really awesome adventurer story. The issue I read is #16, which was a done in one story and it reminded me of Jonah Hex--the story wasn't epic or grandiose but a solid excellent story that I'm glad I bought. Its tightly plotted and has a certain 'wow!' factor to it that reminds you of the coolness of comic books. Even better, Wagner writes Zorro in such a way that its distinctly Zorro the character you're reading about--though it reminds me a bit of Batman, there is a distinctive feel to the character to differentiate him from the numerous other masked mystery men in comics and other mediums.

Even better than the writing--which was great--was the artwork by Francesco Francavilla. I've never heard of him before but his work is really awesome! In a lot of ways he reminds me of Joe Kubert (senior) but some subtle changes--not as "ugly" or ferocious, but the same basic style but cleaned up a little (no disrespect to Joe Kubert whose artwork I love). He also did a great job in showcasing beautiful backgrounds, dynamic fight scenes and some great, cheer-worthy depictions of Zorro. I definitely felt like this guy was the real deal.

The comic was good enough to get me to come back for more. It was a 'modern' story in the sense of style but also had the feel of the pulps / radio serial / other mediums of old the character was born from. Great read!

^^picked up #14 and #15 as well and they were magnificent. I'm really impressed--I'm going to pick up #17-18 next time I go to the CBS.

No recommendations in two months? C'mon Legion World, give 'em to us!

I'll have to say that anyone not reading Jonah Hex every month is missing a great story and in danger of being a person I no longer respect, like or want to see live a fruitful life. Jonah Hex is simply smashing all notions that a western comic can't survive, that a series of done in comics can't survive and that a quality comic book can come out every single month. The writing is always tight, the stories are fantastic and the artwork is just a monthly dose of the best thing on the stands.

Not only should you go buy the latest issue, you should go do it right now. Best part? Every issue is a jumping on point.

I still have to find issue 50. Then we'll see about the rest.

Gotta put in a recommendation for Atomic Robo --anyone not picking this up is really missing the boat. It's a fun series, action-packed, with some great science-fiction and awesomely likable characters. Every issue has hilarious moments. And Robo is just about 100 years old, and his long history makes the larger mythology of the series so fascinating.

Any issue is basically a jumping on point, even mid-miniseries.

Eryk, Lash, Lardy--how are you guys not reading this yet? Especially you, Eryk! This could restore your faith in comics.

Dev and others with kids--this is also a comic that I think kids would love as well, though of course equally enjoyable to adults!

Grimm Fairy Tales by Zenescope.

Cobie...have you ever read Shamans Tears by Grell? I just found the 8 issues I have from Image. Sable is featured in several of them as well.

Dev, I haven't but I remember my Dad buying at least the first issue, if not the first three. We have a misc. Image box which I wanted to take a look at anyway to review Youngblood, so I'll take a look.

Please review them when you get the chance! What I remember most is the cool logo. I bet it came out in 1993 (my memory is usually pretty good).

May 1993 was the first issue. Very good Cobisan.

"These days I'm basically collecting every comic in the world"


Oh yeah?

My comics mail-order for this month:

BEST OF THE WEST #1 (1999)
HAUNTED HORSEMAN #1 (1999)
THE PRESTO KID #1 (1989)


All 3 of these are reprints from AC Comics, and all 3 feature DICK AYERS art. The original GHOST RIDER, I'm reminded in 2 of these 3 books, was MUCH better than the lame version Marvel tried to foist on readers in 1967, which was too watered-down and "Marvel-ized". (Stan, Roy & Gary apparently felt every comic Marvel published should read like Spidey or DD, even if it was set in the old west.) There's no angst in the 50's comics, there's no lame same-opera, there's no annoying recurring characters who exist for no reason but to get on the hero's nerves... just good characters, heroes, and OUTLAWS. And that's how westerns should be! (heh)

JON SABLE FREELANCE was one of the best series from First Comics, one of the best new publishers in the early 80's. It was designed to have a "real world adventure" feel, with Sable being a paid mercenary, like James Bond except on a freelance basis. For quite a lot of issues, month after month, it also featured some of Grell's best artwork. So to me, that puts it heads and shoulders ABOVE Grell's GREEN ARROW run, where I don't recall him ever doing any interior art except for the initial prestige format mini-series. (I STILL have my LONGBOW HUNTERS promo poster hanging on my closet door after all these years!!)

Later, other pencillers took over, during a period where a growing number of writer-artists (Starlin, Byrne, Miller) all got tired of drawing their own stories. Around that time, ABC did a live-action SABLE tv series, but it was rather watered-down from the comic (whose name, stupidly, was changed to reflect the altered name of the tv series-- which only lasted 7 weeks!).


Nice to hear Grell has returned to his "baby" again, I know this isn't the first time he's done so. Wish I could afford it, maybe one of these years...

Curse you. I have to get another issue later this week now. Great stuff, and I only read 1 and 50. Good thing is, I have a lot of reading to catch up on.

I need more convincing Des! There's an eBay lot on the first TPB that's minutes from ending (for a bargain price) that I've been on the fence as to whether or not to buy! Does it have memorable characters, or is it just big, fun robot action?

Characters are highly memorable! Nikola Tesla is a major character! There is a guy who works with Robo named Jensen that is COMPLETELY AWESOME. He's like Batman and he's put in situations that totally mirror Batman in the JLI.

Stories are complex, loaded with science but have a slight whimsical touch!

Backstory is so large you can't help but try to figure it out whenever you open a comic!

Buy it! Totally worth it! You'll love it!

All right, I bought it already! Hope it's not another Umbrella Academy, though...

I liked UA, but it isn't like Atomic Robo at all.

Robo's more funny than weird, though it's weird as well.

The colorist is pretty cool too.