Legion World Forums LEGION COMPANION Dr. Gym'll's Cultural Rarities Vertigo Title Review (R.I.P.)

I just picked up American Vampire #1. Based solely on you guys and your reviews...and that King is involved.

Well, Dev, one thing about LW recommendations--they rarely steer ya wrong!

So I cracked into my recent big buy pile of trades and naturally the first one I went for was the latest volume of Scalped I needed to catch up, Volume #5. I admit at first I was hesitant to start the trades from just being tired with the baby but man, once I got to the title page I was freaking hooked again and couldn’t wait to get through it. So much so that I started it last night at 10:00 PM and have finished it now, 14 hours later—I’ve been sneaking it in at work and read more than half during a long lunch.

So much praise has been thrown at Scalped in this thread by Lardy and myself that I don’t want to keep beating a dead horse. I’ll sum it up: this is in my top five best current comics in the market, is the best noir story/serial to come out since the early 40’s and is one of the greatest comics of all time. Still not blown away by my praise? I’ll come for you in your sleep.

I’m not really a person that likes to pick out volumes and say ‘this is my favorite’, but for Scalped I’ve kind of had it in my head that Vol #2, “Casino Boogie” was just my favorite because of how it worked as a bunch of single issues bundled into a larger story. I now think perhaps Vol. #5 is giving it a run for it’s money. It was just so incredibly terrific and Jason Aaron once again flexes his storytelling muscles in using different time periods and different storylines divided by single issues to weave an incredible tapestry that fits perfectly into a 5 issue trade. I wish Jason Aaron wrote EVERY title I collect.

The artwork is spectacular as always with R.M. Guerra gritty style hammering home the violence and bleak sense of hopelessness. What’s different in this volume was there were two stories with fill-in artists and one just happens to be an artist I’ve been praising like a madman lately, Francisco Francavilla, whose work on Zorro restored my faith in art and humanity. He does the Agent Nitz story, right in the middle of the two, and it was really cool to see his style used in crime fiction—and a much more rugged book at that—rather than the adventure/pulp inspired Zorro stuff. Where he truly excels is the way he portrays so much emotion in very simple ways and how he puts together the composition to pace the issue. In my opinion, Agent Nitz is the biggest asshole in the entire comic book, and yet with this story the creative team actually makes you feel something for him and want to see more of what is in store for Nitz.

That is Aaron’s best quality, of course, as we’ve said all along, that he gets you to feel sympathy and empathy for these characters who are the most part people you wish you’d never, ever meet in real life.

More spoiler-specific:

<span class="spoiler_containter"><span class="spoiler_wording">Click Here For A Spoiler</span><span class="spoiler_text">Lardy, you may have been more aware of this earlier than me, but I totally didn’t realize it was Catcher who killed the agents until I opened up that title page. The trade may be different than any single issue so to let you know, there is a widescreen shot of Catcher on his horse overlooking the terrain; its very beautiful but just filled with sadness. At that moment I realized that not only did Catcher kill Gina, but he probably killed the two agents. And later when you actually see the scene I couldn’t believe at how crazy it is! Catcher is one fucked up dude!</span></span>

Another great character is of course the guy who sets it all off, the con-artist whose real name I’m not sure if we ever learn (I still didn’t believe him when he told Dash who he is). All we know about him is he’s a master con-artist, is black, and can’t help himself to screwing up. That was a classic noir/crime character and just fits so well with what Scalped is all about.

Dash wasn’t in this trade much until the end and yet by the close I felt this was a major turning point for Dash. He survived something that by all rights should have killed him and I hope he quits the drugs and gets his life together. You couldn’t help but feel this was a turning point.

I have the 6th trade as well and will start it tonight. This has been one of the most rewarding series I’ve read since Preacher. I even got my brothers to read it and they aren’t reading much these days, just this and Walking Dead and rereading Sandman and Preacher for the thousandth time.

Indeed!

I think you'll like American Vampire, Dev. Skinner Sweet has been in three comics thus far (or is it four now, I'm so behind ), and he's already establishing himself as one of the great vampires EVER.

I don't want to respond entirely in spoiler box, so I'll try to be vague. No, Cobie, I didn't know before that story exactly who had killed the FBI agents. I mostly vacillated between it either being Gina or Red Crow. It's pretty ironic who Nitz blames, isn't it, with the real killer being mostly off of Nitz's radar? Yes, there's a lot of story to be told about the actual killer and his or her motivations. "The Gnawing" ends with another interesting development for that character.

Speaking of "The Gnawing"...I think you may be just about to reassess again which trade is your favorite! I thought that was one amazing arc and quite possibly the best of the series so far. Can't wait to read what you think since you'll get through that one really soon!

It's interesting seeing someone experience Scalped thru trades. After reading the first two, I caught up with individual issues and am quite happy to be supporting it monthly. It's a top of the stack book, and I couldn't imagine waiting six months or more for my next fix!

Well Lardy, you weren’t kidding! I came home and opened up Vol. #6 and within the last four hours read through it all! There were a few interruptions but I really took my time with it just taking it all in, fighting off the need to rush through it all. And “Gnawing”, this volume, man….now that is some damn good reading.

What sets this apart from the two volumes I liked most previous was while they were almost grand experiments in master storytelling, this was more a culmination of the entire series so far that just exploded into your face! This was a major game changer with every single character having things happen to them that changed the direction of the series and some characters not getting out alive. In, it kind of had the Shakespeare feel where everyone in the finale sequences gets killed one after the other—I kept waiting to see who else would buy it.

And the best part is it feels like there is so much more to go in this series! In a way, the title has come full circle with the relationship of Dash and Red Crow growing tighter again and I’m dying to know where they go next.

<span class="spoiler_containter"><span class="spoiler_wording">Click Here For A Spoiler</span><span class="spoiler_text">And I couldn’t help but cheer when Dash killed that bastard Diesel, especially after Diesel killed Agent Newsome so viciously.</span></span>

I’m seriously concerned about Falls Down as well, since he’s in probably the most dangerous situation he could be considering whose trailer he was last seen in. I like Officer Falls Down quite a bit and his smaller role as conscious of the series is a welcome perspective.

Catcher acting as Dash’s ally / mentor at last just adds even more irony to Catcher’s role throughout the series. As we’ve said a million times, this is the most noir comic perhaps ever and all noir fans know the genre is always loaded with irony. Catcher fills that role in almost every way possible.

Man! So much happened that I can’t get my reactions all down on paper fast enough. Red Crow and Shunka taking care of business at the end in Minnesota was badass as well! I’ve kind of grown to like Shunka. I hope we get a chance to delve into him a little more since at least one of the more major characters bit it.

Even Matt Fraction’s intro in the trade was pretty groovy. He goes into this huge rant about the infamous American myth “the Alabama Corn Snake” and how it was a person/vigilante who killed this gang of Methodists and I’m thinking “wtf?” and then he ends it with how the Alabama Corn Snake once saved his life at a gas station and he asked the vigilante what he would do when all the Methodists were dead and the ACS replied: “I’m going to write comics”…and that was Jason Aaron. (I figured you’d never seen it before Lardy so I’d summarize it).

Funny you should mention Shunka, Cobester. He gets a two-part tale in 36 & 37 that is quite unexpected in its content and revelations. I talked about it a little here without divulging any of the spoilers. I thought it was a terrific spotlight for the character.

In typical Scalped fashion, we don't yet know what happened between Catcher and Officer Falls down as Aaron has used the issues since "The Gnawing" to pull back a little and tell stories like Shunka's, one about Dash's dad and another about a couple on the reservation that are apart from the central cast. This is typical of Aaron's approach, and I wouldn't have it any other way! I'm sure when Aaron does show what happened, it'll be the kickoff to the next big plot movement. (Or maybe it won't, knowing Aaron! )

Interesting that they're still having writers intro the trades. A lot of those fall by the wayside as a series progresses thru collections. Have all of them had intros thru the six volumes?

Even if Cobie has been known to wrong a steer...(mmmoooOOOOO!! O_o )

BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!

Man! Whoever thought the Cobalt Kid/bestiality jokes would pop up in "Vertigo Title Review"?

Read American Vampire #1.

Great book and I cannot wait to pick up issue #2. Cobie and CT have already laid out the premise very well.

I reallyenjoy the period piece aspect of the first story. Just like I loved Sandman Mystery Theatre, which was set just before our entry into WWII.

It was interesting to see the beginnings of Skinner, especially as to how accidental they really were.

Like I said, cannot wait to grab the second issue this week.

Hopin Scott Snyder friends me on FB. He has a lot of posts about AV on his wall. Dude is gonna be big.

I'm thrilled that mine and Cobie's recommendations have hit a home run with you, Dev. Since you're loving Chew based on a push from me, I'm feeling pretty smug right now!

Now all ya gotta do is try Scalped!

Soon as I get some extra cash, the first trade is on my list of things to buy.

Suh-WEET!!!

My second Sandman review.

...

So, the second Sandman story I'm reviewing was from volume 8, World's End. It's called The Golden Boy, and it's illustrated by Mike Allred.

Gaiman once again utilizes an obscure DC character, this time being Prez, from the short-lived Prez series from the 1970s. He was created by the same man who created the Green Team, Brother Power the Geek, the version of Sandman who appeared later on, and the original freakish Outsiders, Joe Simon. The man who also helped create Captain America.

An Oriental man recounts the story of a different America during the 60s and 70s. Prez Rickard, born in the town of Steadfast, was named "Prez" because his mother believed he was destined for great things. Indeed, the boy showed an amazing amount of depth and a love for his country (not an over-agonizingly "red-blooded, patriotic America man" type of thing), but a respect for it. He also had a bit of a thing for watchmaking and repair, for Steadfast was a town famous for it's clocks. It wasn't until Prez came along that all the clocks were not set at the same time.

In this America, eighteen year-olds were allowed the right to vote, and voted to allow the age limit for presidency lowered to 18. A mysterious man named Boss Smiley, the "Prince" of this world with a head like a giant smiley face, approached Prez. The boy had just turned 18, and offered him the role of American president. In return, Boss Smiley wanted him to work for him, sing his praises, and such. Prez refused, and decided to run for President and win on his own terms. Boss Smiley just smiled.

One night, Prez was approached in his bedroom by Richard Nixon, who informed him that he would indeed be replaced by the young man. Nixon explained, though, that no matter what you do, the American people are going to hate you, and years later they'll wonder why they never appreciated him. Four years of being an empty-figurehead, and all you get is an animatronic display at Disneyworld. Prez was not deterred by Nixon's hopeless words, and still remained determined to fix America.

At 19, Prez was elected president, and turned America into a golden kingdom. He dealt with pollution, nuclear arms, homelessness, corruption in big business. He was all about setting America's problems in order first before worrying about anything else. He even appeared on SNL, and John Belushi, in his later years, described it as one of the most inspiring moments of his life. Near the end of his term, Boss Smiley approached him again. Prez told the smiling stranger that he had all government facilities try and find any info on him, but all they found were rumors. Smiley warned Prez that running for a second term might be dangerous.

During said second term, Prez began dating his former high school sweetheart, Kathy, and planned to marry her. The two were happy, until Kathy was killed in a botched assassination attempt on Prez. The killer was a woman obsessed with Ted Grant, who thought killing the president was a surefire way of getting Grant's attention. Prez had no illwill towards the woman, and even offered her clemency, but still she went to the electric chair.

America didn't dissolve, but Prez became somewhat aloof. He was approached again one night by Boss Smiley, who offered to bring Kathy back to life in return for his servitude. Prez refused. Finishing his second term, Prez dropped out from sight to return to Steadfast.

"It's not that things got bad in America, it's just that they weren't spectacularly good again."

Prez often turned down offers to help the new President, until one day he just disappeared. It would be a few years later when Prez died. No one knew how or when, the stories varied, but everyone knew that somehow, Prez Rickard was dead.

And dead he was. Prez, his spirit pertaining his youthful, 19-year old self, is visited by Death. She explains that you never find out what happens to anyone else when they die. But in the case of his death, Prez is kind of special.

Prez asks Death if she's bringing him to the watchmaker. He explains that he heard, long ago, that if you found a watch in a desert, you have to assume somebody made it. A watchmaker. And if the watch stopped, you repair it.

"I don't think this guy made the watch, Prez. He just runs the local franchise."

She brings him to the guys who'll bring him to his world's heaven, but she hesitates for a moment. Prez arrives, and finds... Boss Smiley, gigantic, in a white suit, with an actual yellow smiley face for a head. He thanks Prez for a job well done and now wants him to sing his praises. But when Prez learns that his love Kathy isn't here anymore, he realizes that there are other worlds, other Americas out there, maybe even a desert of broken watchs, and decides to leave. Smiley threatens him, before Dream intervenes and whisks Prez away from an irate Smiley.

Dream explains that Death asked him to help Prez, and opens a doorway to allow Prez to travel to other worlds. Before he leaves, Prez gives Dream his father's old pocketwatch, which he fixed years ago, as a gift. And he departs.

...

Okay, so, the obvious imagery that Gaiman has with Prez is that of the American Dream. Ideal, positive, strong, and somewhat fleeting, as it will eventually end.

There are parallels with Prez and Jesus Christ, as his time as President makes him something of a messiah figure. He ushered in something of a Golden Age which died down, his pure idealism and the inability to corrupt him, no matter how tempting. Boss Smiley is obviously a devil figure.

Is it possible that Dream's role as the "Prince of Stories" means that the American Dream will always live on in stories and tales? We keep it going because of those stories? Or am I again clutching hairs?

Prez would appear again in a Vertigo Voices one-shot which focused on the remaining, obscure DC characters who appeared in Vertigo stories during the early 90s. Prez, Brother Power, Doctor Occult, Doctor 13, and Tomahawk. Prez's was done by Ed Brubaker and Eric Shanower, about a Generation X teen who went on a road trip looking for Prez, who he believed was his father.

The reason I've been thinking of this story is that, well, it's something of an inspiration now. You guys have heard that I've been attempting to get an appointment at DC Comics, to try and get a writing job and try and fix the mess they've made with Arsenal and Lian. I mean, I'm far from perfect, I don't have any conceited ideas of me being a Christ figure or anything. I'm not THAT egotistical. But, if he could run America, I could at least hope to do something. That, and I am about the same age as he was when he ran for president.

I guess I can't help but equate these stories to my own life, in a weird way.

Dev, that's great about American Vampire! Glad you liked it and you're on board. Totally agree about Scott Snyder--guy is going to be big time eventually once people discover his work.

Catching up on a few titles:

Daytripper - As we reach the latter half of this maxiseries, I'm still amazed by how good each issue of the series has been so far. The Fabio Moon / Gabriel Ba creative team has shown me some good stuff in the past on various titles (Umbrella Academy, etc.) but here I think they've officially arrived. The best word I can use to describe every issue is 'poignant'. You walk away from each issue just heavily thinking about what you just read. Great stuff.

Unwritten - Meanwhile, Unwritten continues to a Vertigo title par excellence, and it's current arc is bringing things to a head in a way that has me really looking forward to the "15th Book Release" date event on the horizon. I've praised this title enough in this thread that doing so further will just be me repeating myself--all I can say is the odd / cool premise of this title just keeps drawing me in. I'm especially intrigued with recent developments with Lizzie and hope we get her story now; it appears at the latest issue's close that we're going to be seeing some 19th Century Dickens' London which should be a lot of fun, considering Carey won't be pulling any punches with the reality of the era.

House of Mystery - HoM continues to be a comic I'm loving and the new arc kicks things off in another direction which should move along the larger general story in a nice way. I recently started a thread on House of Mystery #25 which was the 'Exquisite Corpse' issue with mulitple writers putting the subsequent writer into a literary corner (including Paul Levitz); I thought it was a terrific story but unfortunately no one replied to the thread (I get it Legion World, I get it ). It's that kind of variance in the time of structure you get with HoM that I find so appealing. In #26 there is a short story in the middle called "Ziggy" which is a really awesome and incredibly creepy 8 pager that makes me wish we could see more. It's one of those horror premises that is very basic but terrifying when the 'less is more' approach is taken and should me into a movie to scare the hell out of pre-teens.

All three of these series are fantastic and I highly recommend them all (along with the various other Vertigo titles I collect: Unknown Soldier, Scalped, Air, Madame Xanadu, American Vampire, iZombie and of course, Fables).

Madame Xanadu #24 is just what the doctor ordered after the most recent good but overly long storyline: A solid one-shot.

Artist Marley Zarcone (about whom I know nothing) has a cartoony but effective style that works fine here.

OM, I'm glad to see someone else liked it. It was a good read all around. Wagner's use of sterotypes had me wondering if folks would jump to offended before looking past them to a good story set in a volatile time period.

And Zarcone's art really took the creepy factor of the story and gave it a different look. Like TWD, it's gruesome where it needs to be, but not over the top or jarring with the rest of the book.

Anyone read any good Vertigo stories lately?

The Unwritten continues to be a great book, though I can't really do it justice review-wise.

American Vampire continues to be ass-kickingly awesome, doing for vampires what Walking Dead has done for zombies in comics. Namely, removes the bad taste of any ‘lesser works’ with those horror monster icons from your mouth and reminds you how damn scary they can be. Four issues into it, and I’m still loving the fact that half of the issue is the Scott Snyder story featuring Pearl (which is the scarier of the two) and the other half is the Stephen King story featuring Skinner Sweet (which is King creating intense & weird characters—what he does best) with the awesome art of Rafael Albuquerque uniting them both. I think after the initial arc, the series will turn into a strait-up one story per issue format, and I’m cool with that, as it might be appropriate for it to do so at that time.

Anyone who has thought “man, why are vampires so lame?” but really wishes they could read a vampire story that is frightening and awesome at the same time: this is the comic you never realized you were waiting for.

I third your opinions--a solid story by Wagner with some great art by Zarcone. It's got me looking forward to the rest of these 'done-in-on but connected to a larger story' stories (the title might be ending but I'll enjoy it until the end).

I agree about the Zarone art, which was gruesome in places, as you say, but at other times, very classic and beautiful.

With the November solicitis out, Madame X is officially ending.