Legion World Forums LEGION COMPANION Dr. Gym'll's Cultural Rarities Random Review Corner

Here's the place to share reviews of comics you've read that may not fit into any existing topic and that you may feel may not merit their own topic. Maybe it's a book that you may not feel comfortable spotlighting in the "Any Recommendations" thread but would like to share your thoughts on anyway. Single issues, TPBs, graphic novels, classic reprints...these are all fair game here even if they weren't recently released.

No one is discouraged from opening or starting a topic about whatever they want to talk about, but this is an option if you don't wanna do that!

I'll be back shortly with my own Random Reviews...how about YOU?

First up for me is the BOOM! Comics series 28 Days Later, which is the continuation of the movie of the same name. Apparently, it ignores, without directly contradicting, the filmed sequel 28 Weeks Later. If you've seen the sequel, you'll know that it doesn't follow up on any of the characters from the original.

So this series directly follows the continuing adventures of one of the three survivors of the eponymous film: <span class="spoiler_containter"><span class="spoiler_wording">Click Here For A Spoiler</span><span class="spoiler_text">Selena.</span></span> This survivor is approached by a crew of journalists to be their guide as they attempt to illegally enter infection-ridden England to document what has happened in the aftermath of the events of the film. It's kind of a dubious premise given all the character went through to get out, but it's entertaining at times.

Apparently this is an open-ended, ongoing series. That surprised me as all the set-up really seems to scream "mini-series". Is it going to go thru different story arcs, or will it continue to be about this group of journalists indefinitely? I haven't read anything explaining the larger plan for the series, so I don't know.

Another problem I have is what about the other 2 survivors of the film? They are barely even referenced, and I got the feeling they would all be sticking together from then on at the film's end. One possibility is that the series could be going on the filmmakers' original intent that one of these three didn't survive the wounds entailed near the movie's end. If so, that still leaves another character unaccounted for. I liked the character featured here a lot, but the ambiguity about the others bugs me.

I'm on the precipice of discontinuing the book because there's very little reward in reading it on a monthly basis. In other words it seems a prototypical "written for the trades" kinda book. Even though we're down to only three apparent survivors from the crew, most of them apparently perished in an explosion last issue. That's not very much of a reward for longterm reading, and I felt like we barely got to know most of the characters. Plus, we haven't really got very much infected action to this point, so it's been pretty disappointing.

All that said, an advanced review of issue #5 (coming out tomorrow) looks like a promising tale giving us some backstory on theses journalists. I'll probably pick up that issue at least before making a decision.

Next up is another BOOM! licensed series I originally recommended in the "Any Recommendations" thread in this post:

Well, since issue number one, I've slowly decided that Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? is failing for me. This approach to adapting a novel is just not working in the medium of comic books. Six issues in, and very little has happened. Everything that was in that first issue is still there, but the pace is comparable to a snail's.

It looked like in this latest issue that we were gonna finally see Deckard confront an "Andy", but it turns out the one he was looking for had already split. I know it's directly from the book, but we wasted a WHOLE $3.99 ISSUE for that! This would've been, like, a page in any other adaptation! But we've still got 18 ISSUES to go!

This was a noble experiment, but I can't justify spending $96 bucks altogether for this. I'll either get the rest of it in the collected editions or just buy the Philip K. Dick book and save some dough. Hell, they've even apparently eliminated those great articles in the back to show how a page in the book was produced. I've never really been too impressed by those features, so it didn't do that for me here either.

I'm telling my Comic Book Guy tomorrow to take it off my pull list.

This thread is great and I'm glad you started it, Lardy. This can be the catch-all for things that aren't quite good enough for "Any Recommendations" and maybe didn't need their own thread. I would have used it previously for two serires I dabbled with: Rapture by Dark Horse and Doctor Voodoo by Marvel. I also reviewed Dead @ 17 here.

Another one that fits the bill that I picked up recently was Athena by Dynamite Entertainment. Dynamite has carved out a niche for itself as the publisher that is giving all the licensed properties that have been in the comic book industry since the Golden Age: the Lone Ranger, Zorro, Buck Rogers, Dracula, Sherlock Holmes, soon Green Hornet and even almost Fighting American. I know they’re trying to get the Phantom (I think Moonstone does his series now) and this actually seems like where Doc Savage and the Shadow should be published, not DC. The difference between this and so many other attempts is that usually Dynamite does a pretty good job. I’m kicking myself for missing out on Sherlock Holmes, and am hoping to give it a try when the new storyline starts at #6. Anyway, I picked up Athena because she’s one of cooler Greco-Roman deities and I think she could hold her own comic well. While the series wasn’t bad, it unfortunately wasn’t anything to write home to Mom about. It was a little run of the mill and Athena basically wakes up in modern times and becomes a police detective. That premise in and of itself could be interesting but I feel like I read way too many cop-oriented comics already and I’d have preferred a different focus with Athena, something more adventure related and Greek mythology related. The art was fantastic but at times it was slightly gratuitous—which isn’t a bad thing if you like that, but I found it distracting since I see Athena as the Virgin Goddess and that sort of thing threw me off. Ultimately I picked up #1 and #2 and then stopped.

I will, however, be checking out Green Hornet and hopefully Sherlock Holmes with #6. I’ve considered Lone Ranger but never followed through.

I liked 28 Days later but not enough to make me want to follow it up on a comic book. Its obvious comics and other media are going through a 'zombie-mania' era right now. Yet, that type of trend usually means the majority of things will not be the top quality. While Walking Dead is the gold standard of zombie comics, Marvel Zombies is kind of like a #2, with moments of brillance followed up by moments of the more derivative and bland. I figured since I was collecting those two, I wouldn't be adding a third zombie comic book unless someone told me I was really missing out.

You're right, of course--I should so be a moderator on this forum!

Bah! *I* should be a moderator in this forum

Anyway, another review I've been meaning to crank out: Incorruptible by Mark Waid and Boom! Studios. I missed out on Irredeemable when it debuted because frankly, it sounded (and still does) pretty derivative of stories I’ve seen a million times in which a super-powerful hero goes crazy and becomes a bad guy: Miracleman (the classic); a dozen plus Superman stories; Parallax, etc. It just wasn’t enough to make me want to buy and even with some good reviews, I’m still not all that interested. I picked up Incorruptible only half realizing it was connected to Irredeemable in some way (its kind of like the exact opposite set in the same world) but figured I’d still give it a solid chance anyway. I’m a little on the fence on whether I’ll continue following #1. I likely will buy #2 but that will be my cut-off: grab me or lose me forever.

Incorruptible, a mass murderer villain trying to redeem himself while the greatest hero on Earth has gone the other way, is a more interesting premise to me. And the character himself is pretty interesting—that all being said, you don’t really learn all that much about him in #1. In fact, my major complaint is not all that much happens in #1 other than pure set-up, and I’m going to need more than that to commit to anything.

The art is exciting and unique with some Tim Sale type inspiration. That’s a bonus for me, but again, I felt like there was an over-usage of splash page dynamic shots of action mixed with talking heads—not the best way to use an exciting artist.

The main supporting character is a young female sidekick named Jailbait, which of course made me think of my own Jailbait Lass who I created, which of course made me presume that Mark Waid obviously stole this character from me when he registered on Legion World. Anyone who tells me differently will instantly become a hated enemy for life.

Here’s my major complaint: I don’t intend to buy Irredeemable but am considering Incorruptible. Isn’t it a comic book publisher’s job to make every single title accessible to new readers on a stand-alone basis? Shouldn’t one title easily be collectible without the reader having to pick up the sister-title? Obviously I think yes, and I think in order to do that, you need have that title find its own “voice”; thus far, I didn’t see that. I hope I’m wrong…they have one issue to convince me.

Unsurprisingly, a search for a Punisher thread yielded no results, so here I'm taking a few moments to review a the latest mature readers Punisher series called Punisher Max.

Certainly, I'm not the guy who picks up every grim-and-gritty generic franchise vigilante title that comes along, but there are two reasons I did: Jason Aarons and Steve Dillon. The former I know as the writer of his creator-owned Vertigo title Scalped, which is one of my top five favorite comics I'm currently picking up. The latter is a terrific artist best known for his work with Garth Ennis on Hellblazer, Preacher and the first year-plus worth of Punisher stories wrote (plus a mini last year that revisited their Punisher storyline). I'm a big fan of both of their work, so checking this out was a must.

Basically, Aarons is channeling Garth Ennis on this project so far, seeking to capture that blend of over-the-top violence and dark humor that Garth and Steve brewed in their run. What Aarons adds to the mix is his penchant for writing the criminal element, particularly the Kingpin.

This series deals with Marvel Universe characters Fisk and Castle but is outside of continuity. What this means is that Aarons can potentially do whatever he wants with these characters without impacting their roles in the proper "canon". Particularly, Aarons is giving us his version of the Kingpin's rise to power as a potential solution to the menace to the underworld that is Frank Castle. It's a pretty clever idea where the mob families conspire to make Castle believe there'a a person who rules them all in order to draw Castle into a trap. Problem is, Fisk, one of the mob boss's right hands, is orchestrating the ruse but is obviously fully intending to make it a reality with Fisk filling the role for real!

So far, so good. However, if you're not a fan of the Ennis/Dillon style, you're probably not going to like it. If you like Criminal, this is a much less subtle and nuanced type of crime comic and may not be to your liking. There's eyeballs popping out and bullets to thru the eyes left and right. All with the darkest of dark gallows humor in play. It also sucks that this is one of Marvel's numerous $3.99 comics with no extra pages.

What's kinda nice is that Aarons makes it clear, especially in how he and Steve tell issue 2, that there's very little difference between the supposed good guy and bad guy in their methods and ruthlessness. In some cases Fisk actually comes off as more sympathetic as we see the events that made him into who he is and the subtle moments that show us his love for his son. So far, this is definitely much more the Kingpin's story than it is the Punisher's.

Overall, I recommend it highly with the asterisk that it may not be your cup of tea. If you haven't enjoyed the stuff that Garth and Steve have done before, you won't like what Jason and Steve are producing here.

You know, despite his beginnings, I've never been a huge Punisher fan. However, I don't hate the character and there are times I enjoy his presence. Which brings me back to "his beginnings"--I actually love when the Punisher would guest-star in Spider-Man's comics and felt the dynamic was perfect for a great story. The same with Daredevil though to a lesser degree.

That being said, I must credit Chuck Dixon and Johnny Romita Jr.'s 1990's "Punisher War Zone" comic for single-handidly getting my brother into comics after years of resisting. Sure, it was the 3rd Punisher title in an era when the Punisher was everywhere. But I also read it and thought it was excellent; the best series of Punisher issues I've ever read (roughly #1-13 IIRC). I reread not that long ago and its even better than I remember with Chuck Dixon at his absolute best.

That's all a bit off point though in reference to Punisher Max. What I'm getting at is that after Dixon left War Zone, we stopped collecting and then have not collected a Punisher series ever since. Even with Ennis as the writer (whom I love). Now Jason Aaron has come on, after impressing the hell out of me with Scalped (and damn I wish I tried out his Ghost Rider but I didn't realize it was him until after he was gone). Steve Dillon is a favorite of mine from his Preacher days with Ennis. Yet, even with these two guys I probably would have skipped the series all together anyway.

This is, of course, a long winded way of saying I might just have to try this out. It has several reasons I'd want to do so (Aaron, Dillon, sometimes liking the Punisher as a character). It just takes me a recomendation from someone whose preferences I trust.

Two things seem glaring to me: (1) $3.99 with nothing extra, something I find almost criminal. And (2) the usage of the Kingpin outside of continuity. Honestly, I don't see why they'd even bother--they could have just created a new character. On the one hand, I like when writers have some leeway in telling stories without continuity restrictions but on the other hand, you can't shake off the sense that the story doesn't count. Its never a deal-breaker but its definitely a hurdle.

I guess it will come down to the last second decision right there in the store if there is an available copy staring me in the face.

Having just read Incorruptible earlier this week, I can say that I was very, very unimpressed and disappointed in the debut. I was excited by the concept of the opposite story to Irredeemable's Plutonian, but the transition to hero for Max Danger here just seemed too complete and unbelievable.

Now, Max hasn't really been seen over in Irredeemable to this point, so my criticism is NOT based on that. But based on the concept, it just seems implausible that a really bad guy would turn so far from what he was. Here, he's shown turncoating on his old buddies, taking the moral high ground with his underage paramour and destroying his old ill-gotten base of operations along with all his ill-gotten gains.

What's been explained in interviews with Waid (though not in this issue) is that Max's transformation is in reaction to the terrible threat to the world that his enemy the Plutonian has become. That seeing this change changed Max for the better because he saw what true evil was. None of that's explained here, and I think we need it post-haste to really wrap our minds around the character.

Waid has played the Plutonian and his descent into evil very slowly, revealing little clues and bits as he goes along. I think that has worked very well in that title, but there, the Plutonian is the antagonist.

If we're gonna root for Maz Danger, that approach just ain't gonna work in Incorruptible. If I don't see more of what I need really quickly, I'll drop this $4 comic like a hot potato!

Cobie's right, though--the art is really nice and a good fit with Peter Krause's over at Irredeemable.Hopefully, it won't continue to be wasted on a thoroughly uninvolving story!

I've been reading DC's The Great Ten by Tony Bedard and Scott McDaniel. It's picking up on the group from 52. Bedard has managed to make all the Great Ten interesting, independent characters. He's tied them to more traditional Chinese folklore, but nothing require advanced knowledge. Each issue covers a member of the Ten, interacting with others of the group, and moving along a story of ancient gods returning.

The art is energetic, full of activity, very McDaniels. It's great for moving through a story in one issue. And he does a good job of making each issue feel specific to each character.

Something else else different in DC's stable, and I'm liking it.

PunisherMax - well, I stopped by a CBS I don't normally go to (the one near my dog's groomer) and they didn't have a copy of #1 so I didn't pick it up. But if I see another somewhere else, I may follow up on.

Great Ten - I didn't realize Scott McDaniel was the artist here (or Bedard actually). I've loved McDaniel's work since Nightwing. I kind of wrote this miniseries off as something I wouldn't bother with because I now feel a deep distrust towards DC and their endless stream of minis and ongoings that fall flat. I'll browse through in the CBS next time.

One comic I picked up recently was Domino Lady by Moonstone Comics because it looked like a sexy, noirish title in the vain of the 30's pulps. Well, er, the sexy thing is sure true but I didn't realize its more of a platform for pin-up / good girl art than real sort of story. I'd say it hinges dangerous close to softcore porn (no nudity but basically all sex). There's nothing wrong with that but its not what I'm looking for in my comics these days, especially since I have them laying around my condo for my wife and eventually child to see. I guess it would be in the vain of some of those 30's pulps that were more titilating than quality. I won't be picking up another issue.

Yesterday, I read the latest issue of Irredeemable (#9), which is the comic from which the above-mentioned Incorruptible was spun off. I found it to be one of the better issues of the series to date.

For those who are unfamiliar with it, Irredeemable is about a world in which its Superman archetype, called the Plutonian, has gone totally bad. He's committed many, many atrocities including killing millions of people. One memorable issues shows the extent of his depravity as he destroys a Singapore-like country pretty much on a whim.

The protagonists of the series are the survivors of this world's JLA equivalent, the Paradigm. As the series opens, several of the Paradigm's members have already been killed by the Plutonian and more die in the first several issues. The survivors are desperate to find a way to bring the Plutonian down.

The thrust of the series is both their efforts to find a solution and their continuing exploration into what turned him in the first place. The Paradigm from the beginning have been following leads on both of these things. One interesting difference between Plutonian/Paradigm and Superman/JLA is that none of the Paradigm ever really knew much of anything about the Plutonian including his secret identity or the source of his power. So there is NO Kryptonite or any other known weakness, at least none that they've discovered.

So the series typically shows flashbacks to the Plutonian's time as a hero, typically through the remembrances of other Paradigm members. In the present the Paradigm typically split their time between looking for something to use against him, rescuing others from him and running from him. Only with issue #8 have they found anything that is effective at all, finally scoring their first victory against him as one of the Paradigm has gotten a big power boost.

Issue 9 deals with the aftermath of that victory and how this possible solution may be potentially as bad as the problem. Meanwhile, members of the Paradigm still pursue another solution in the form of trying to locate Modeus who was the Plutonian's arch enemy a la Lex Luthor or Brainiac.

I'd say the last few issues have brought some much-needed forward momentum to a series that, while enjoyable, has seemed to meander. This is the reason I haven't put Irredeemable in the "Any Recommendations" thread. For a superhero book, it demands a lot of patience from the reader. While there's been plenty of action, we still haven't, for example, learned exactly what the deal is as to why the Plutonian went bad. We've gotten puzzle pieces, but there's not anything definitive.

In a way this is a "quest" series more than anything. A quest for the truth. A quest for a solution to the problem. Any time you have a series like that, it can be problematic in holding the reader's interest. In that sense (and because it's a $3.99 comic) this may be a more perfect read in trade form.

But Irredeemable is picking up and moving forward, it is becoming less about a bad guy constantly routing the competition and it isgetting better as it goes on. What it isn't delivering so far, surprisingly, is compelling characters. The Paradigm so far haven't really impressed me as characters. In some ways they're kinda generic. To this point I haven't really found myself rooting for any one in particular or being particularly fearful that one or the other would be the next victim of the Plutonian. The Plutonian himself is the most enigmatic of them all but by necessity. Other than continuing the forward momentum, I'd say that is the main thing Waid needs to focus on much more from this point.

The Peter Krause art has been the consistently positive aspect of the series for me. I vaguely remember him from DC's Star Trek comics many years ago, and this guy's work has improved greatly from what I remember. The closest comparison I can think of is Brent Anderson's work on Astro City without seeming like he's aping that style.

So if you want to try it, go back and reread this review and weigh everything I said against your own sensibilities. If you decide to try it, consider trades or buying complete issue sets on eBay. If you pick up a random issue, I think you won't be all that impressed.

Although not a comic book per se, I have just finished reading E.C. Segar's Popeye "Plunder Island". This is an oversized book put out by Fantagraphics.

The book reprints the Sunday strips from Dec 3, 1933 through April 7, 1935 and the daily strips from Dec 11, 1933 through Jult 23, 1935. The Sunday strips are in full color and also feature the accompanying strip "Sappo" (one of the daily strips has Popeye talking about John Sappo)

In the Sunday strips, the actual Plunder Island saga lasts only until July 8, 1934. The rest of the Sunday strips have about 2-4 connected strips, but no overriding story like Plunder Island. Plunder Island introduces us to the Sea Hag and Alice, the Goon. There is a good combination of humor and adventure. Segar is good at setting a mood, setting some strips at night.

The daily strips also follow a story line. Among the story lines are Olive inheriting $20 million, Popeye falling in love with June Vanripple (daughter of the world's richest man), Olive making a movie and then suffering a nervous breakdown, the search for a cure, and dealing with an overthrown king. Later Segar has Popeye going West to root out some thieves and then a quest for the Pool of Youth. The Pool of Youth story brings back the Sea Hag, but Alice only shows up in one panel of one strip.

Popeye's romance with June Vanripple last from March to July of 1934. June shows up again at the end of September and remains in the strip until November of 1934. June's father was in the strip from March of 1934 through January 1935. June is unique among the characters in that she is drawn realistically. I do not think that she or her father were brought back into the strip.

Twice within the daily strips Segar has a stereotypical negro character of the day, the second one seems to have been a new character introduced, but it appears that the character was dropped. There were episodes of Popeye cross-dressing, only once as a disguise. A reoccurring theme is having Popeye come into large sums of money and almost immediately giving the money (and sometimes his clothes) away to impovished people, usually "widers which ain't got no husbands" and their children. Always admonishing them to feed their children spinach and milk.

The oversize of the book makes it a little unwieldy and shelving it difficult. The price is somewhat high at $29.99. The sheer number of strips makes reading it in one sitting almost impossible (you can try it if you want to) I did find another volume in the Boston Public Library. If your library has any of the volumes, I recommend it as a good read.

Cool stuff, Quis! I've been just reading about Popeye lately in my spare time (reading about comic strips that made it into early comic books) and I was surprised at just how immensely popular Popeye was in the 1930's and 1940's. While I'm familiar with Popeye like most Americans, I realize now I'm not as knowledgable as I thought. I actually might be interested in buying a copy of those eventually.

Popeye's "look" and speech patterns make him one of the most likeable and innately silly of all comic strip icons. How can you not like him?

Here's a request if anyone picks up this title: could you post a review/your thoughts on First Wave (the miniseries)? This is one I'm on the fence about. In theory, this is the kind of thing I'd love. But from what I've seen in interviews and previews, I have serious doubts about whether DC will actually produce anything of any real value. The opinions of other Legion Worlders is something that might at least convince me to give it a try or give it a full pass.

PS - still waiting for that Viking review, Lardy

It hasn't come out yet.

Yeah, and there's somethin' else I owe ya, too. I haven't forgotten but never seem to get around to it.

As for Viking, issue 5 came out last week. I believe it's the last issue, but I'm not sure. After I read 5, I'll post a review of the series on this thread.

One of the great things The Walking Dead is doing at Image, since its one of their major sellers, is promote the other comics the company is producing, by offering free preview pages at the end of each issue. In the latest issue #70, we get a preview for Turf by Jonathan Ross (who I'm told is a minor celebrity in the UK) and Tommy Lee Edwards, an artist I don't know that well.

Even though it was 6 or so pages, I thought it was pretty good! Good enough where I might buy issue #1. The premise seemed interesting enough and I like stories set in Prohibition/the Roaring 20's; I don't see many new ones so that always raises my curiousity. I'm not 100% sure what the premise is (are there aliens or vampires or something?) but the preview made me want to learn more. The artwork by Edwards, who as I said I don't really know much about, was also quite good.

Any of you Walking Dead readers read this? I know there was a preview for Choker last month, but I read a page or two and quickly became distracted by the muddled art and gave up on it.

Today I read New Avengers: Luke Cage today; the reasons I picked it up and then read it are as follows:

I've never been much of a Luke Cage fan and in fact considered him silly 70's character for a long time. When Bendis brought him into New Avengers and it became obvious he was one of Bendis' favorites, I was against it at first. It was only begrudgingly that I've really come to grow to love Luke over these last couple of years. I think Cage is one of Bendis' great successes at Marvel--he's really fleshed the character out and made him someone I care about.

Meanwhile, I'm loving a ton of gritty crime comics these days--a genre I've always loved--and I've been in the mood for more of it. So I picked this up on a whim.

It sat in my pile until today when I saw Lash\'s post on John Arcudi made me push it to the forefront of my reading pile.

My reaction was: surprisingly, I'm glad I bought it and I think there's some potential here. It was a pretty enjoyable first issue, I'm curious as to what's going to happen in this little story and will likely pick up the rest of the mini.

A few thoughts:

- John Arcudi is a master storyteller and that shows here. He can balance an issue in a way that progresses the plot, keeps you heading towards each new page with interest and at the same time provide strong action sequences, great humor and good dialogue. He's one of comic's current great under-appreciated writers these days.

- The series starts out as a superhero story with Ronin and Spider-Man making appearances and gradually devolves into a gritty crime story (albeit with Hammerhead and Mr. Negative). I liked how that was done purposely to show the transition from one genre to the other in style as well as story.

- Luke Cage continues to become more likeable over the years. I love his relationship with Jessica and his growing sense responsibility and how that makes him feel more and more confined (anyone with kids would relate as I'm beginning to learn) but he struggles to maintain his principles. And here, he is taken out of that struggle and put into a situation from his older days, but this is still the same, modern Luke. The entire premise creates lots of subtle drama.

- One caveat is the art is not for everyone. Eric Canete is very manga-esque with an overly exaggerated cartoony look that isn't my favorite. But it is pretty dynamic and I can go with it because I liked the story.

The storyline itself will likely turn out to be a solid crime story but not anything that is going to be ground-breaking. I've never collected a Luke Cage comic before and so I'm okay with that--I can always pick up a solid crime story if its of good quality.

Would I recommend it to anyone? Kind of. If the art really isn't your bag, it might turn you off. But if you're looking for something a little grittier with a hero you might know, this might be the thing for you.

Having just completed #5, I feel very confident in recommending the first arc of Punisher Max when it's released in trade form. As the arc progressed, the more comedic elements began to take a back seat to the darkness and grittines to the story and left us with a satisfying conclusion that also sets up the next arc "Bullseye" very well.

The arc was very aptly called "Kingpin" because as my earlier review states, it's more about the Kingpin's rise than it is about the Punisher. In fact the two characters don't even cross paths much at all in the arc. What we find out is what drives Wilson Fisk and exactly how far he's willing to go to achieve his goals. Suffice to say, he's willing to go VERY far.

There's also a gripping confrontation between the Punisher and an Amish assassin! It's actually played pretty straight as the guy used to be a killer but retired to Amish country. To save his sick wife, he takes a contract for the Punisher. Though the confrontation isn't funny, seeing him pursue his prey in a horse-drawn buggy is kind of a sight gag. He inflicts some serious damage on Frank, but the way Frank gets the upper hand is a little disappointing.

So overall, I don't think anyone will find the first arc of Punisher Max disappointing, assuming they realize what kind of story they're getting into.

Well, the unfortunate news about cancellation of Warlord reminded me that I'll need to get my Mike Grell fix somehow in the coming months. I was enjoying Warlord so much that I actually was already going out of my way to pick up his other titles. I picked up John Sable, Freelance: Ashes of Eden and I liked it so much that I placed it firmly in the "Any Recommendations?" thread--I think it was excellent story-wise and the artwork was simply so damn good that it was worth the cover price alone.

The John Sable miniseries ended, and I'm glad there will be another one in a few months. In the meantime, Mike Grell is providing artwork for someone else's story for the first time in like 20 years: The Pilgrim, with a story by Mark Ryan (whom I don't recognize) and published by IDW, like John Sable.

First, the artwork is incredible again, just like Warlord and John Sable. But second, and unfortunately, the storyline didn't really wow me. I found the general story to be a bit too vague for a first issue so that I'm not left interested enough to continue. Worse than that, the narrative was pretty choppy so that it was a little hard to stay focused and find out what exactly is going on. It just seemed to jumble around all issue without any real direction and that comes from the writing. It relied very much on Grell's artwork, which was delivered beautifully, but I felt carried too much of the issue.

So I can't really recommend anyone check this out unless you're really dying for Grell's artwork. Meanwhile, try to find yourself the recent John Sable miniseries and you'll be happy you did.

Here's one that shortly may make the jump from this thread to "Any Recommendations?" and even to its own thread. I'm talking about Turf published by Image Comics, written by Jonathan Ross and artwork by Tommy Lee Edwards.

Turf has a double-whammy: an exciting, awesome premise and a creative team that is able to execute it on every level.

First, the premise is just really cool. It takes place in the Prohibition days of the Roaring 20's in NYC, which is an era I love to read about but never really get to it seems (particularly in Chicago, NYC or other major US cities). It has vampires. It has gangsters. It has a plucky female reporter who is appalled at the willingness of people to indulge in excess even though it supports organized crime. And yes, it even has aliens. The last of those being one I just have no idea how its going to fit in.

The execution hits on every level so far. It's funny and the creative team obviously is acknowledging the combination of all of the above elements is a little funny. Yet, the entire story-telling and dialogue plays it completely serious, which is how I think it should be done here. So you, as the reader, feel completely engaged. The story is tight and moves fast, with solid pacing. And the sheer amount of story you get in the first issue is fantastic...it took me twice as long to read as a normal DC or Marvel comic these days.

Interestingly, I just committed to another vampire comic with a section that takes place in the 20's, American Vampire by Vertigo. Other than those two factors, the two series are completely different however and comparing the two doesn't really show much.

Jonathan Ross is I guess a big celebrity in Great Britain, but I've never heard of him in my corner of the USA. What I do know is that he is providing a solid story, great dialogue and interesting characters. He apparently is a true comic fan too, as I quick check revealed he was the guy who did that incredibly awesome Steve Ditko documentary for the BBC a few years back. This guy is no celebrity visiting comic books. He's a comic book fan who is able to cash in on celebrity status to pursue his hobbies.

Tommy Lee Edwards provides some great artwork as well. I'm not all that familiar with him, but I like his style. It's loaded with detail character designs, with inks that add a ton to each page and detailed backgrounds, all things that are a must for this reader. It has a very noirish feel with bits of horror, which fits for the style of the story. It's definitely a style unlike any other I'm reading these days. Perhaps the closest artist in style is Sean Phillips from Criminal.

Everything clicked for an excellent #1, which was worth every penny. I will definitely be picking up #2 and #3 and hopefully go from there.

Also, a great letters page introduction by Mark Millar who reminds me why he's so damn likable.

From the Roundtable:

With the prospect of my CBS having a big back issue sale on FCBD, I felt the time was right to finally read the first Jason Aaron Ghost Rider trade "Hell Bent and Heaven Bound", which I'd snagged last year and was saving for whenever the mood hit. The combo of the recent mention above and the knowledge that my CBS has most of the subsequent issues beyond the first trade made the timing right.

And you know what? Aaron delivers once again! You KNOW the guy can write when he can take one of the Marvel characters I've had the least affinity for over the years (not to mention a lack of any definitive creative run on the character, IMO) and make me enjoy the heck out of it!

Let me qualify this a little. There are two things that may be viewed as hindrances to your enjoyment of this trade: 1) The story itself is incomplete. This is clearly Book One of the longer arc that Aaron is telling and is more like a set-up for what is to come than a story with a beginning, middle and end. 2) The beginning or the impetus for the plot itself occurred before this trade under another writer. I think Aaron catches us up on what we really need to know, however, so the second is probably less a hindrance than the first. Heck, I'll help ya out with the second myself---Read on!

So we begin Aaron's story with our protagonist Johnny Blaze reeling from the revelation that everything he knew about his spirit of vengeance was wrong. He's learned that rather than getting his powers and role from Hell, the source of everything he's gone through is actually an angel from Heaven using Johnny as a tool. This angel, Zadkiel, is actually following in Satan's footsteps and is staging a second coup against God and looks to be closer to pulling it off than Satan ever was. Somehow, in ways that are unknown, Johnny is an unwilling pawn in Zadkiel's plan and always has been.

So that's where Aaron picks up. Johnny is mad as hell <pun intended> and is looking for a way to find a way to get to Zadkiel and exact his vengeance against the entity whom he now knows is resposible for all his misery. Thing is, Johnny has no idea how to get to Heaven and confront him and is grasping at straws. "Hell Bent and Heaven Bound" is basically the story of the first two stops Johnny takes on that quest.

On the surface this comes off as kind of a retread of the overall arc of Garth Ennis's Preacher, and their are some definite similarities on the surface. Aaron's humorous touches and knack for violent moments mirror Ennis's quite a bit. There's a bit with a cannibal that feels very Ennis-esque, for example. But I'd say so far there are enough differences and unique touches to distinguish it enough for me to overlook the similarities.

One thing I really liked about Aaron's work here is that he gives Johnny a voice and an attitude that don't make him feel generic. Johnny's really rough-and-tumble and has really no room for melodrama. I suppose some could argue he's cut from the same badass cloth as other grim-and-gritties like Dirty Harry or the Punisher, but there's a voice to him that feels fresh irregardless. Since Johnny never made any real impression on me before, I'd say that's a definite step up.

This trade is absolutely packed with action! That can sometimes be a bad thing, but here I'd say it serves the character and the nature of the plot very well. It definitely leans toward the horror side but is peppered with plentiful helpings of dark humor. I mean we've got the cannibal character, killer ghosts haunting a stretch of highway, a Christian priest turned Satanist mass murderer, a killer who tries to save his victims' souls and, best of all--a horde of relentless killer nurses! All in one trade!

The art? Not the best I've ever seen, but overall, I liked it. Both artists suit the mood of the story very well. Both are a little scratchy and prone to ugly facial features and body types, but it serves the stories very well. I doubt anyone would want pin-ups of any given page, but it works.

What unifies it all is a pretty cool style of coloring. It's what I'd describe as kind of a water coloring/oil painting hybrid that I have either not seen before or haven't seen much. It's a clever choice as I think more garish traditional colors may have hurt the sketchier drawing styles of the pencillers.

I think the main thing to say about this trade is that it was a fun read. There's a sense of a bigger story which may leave some dissatisfied, but think of it in terms of the title character's vehicle--Aaron is taking us on a ride on a big badass hawg that leaves a big flaming trail in its wake. It's smart, it's cool and it's wicked fun--everything a concept like Ghost Rider should always have been. I will definitely be completing the story ASAP!

Rise of Arsenal #2 Review

"God damn it, I hate having to play the Devil’s Advocate.
First off, I did not buy this issue. I’m not buying anymore of this miniseries, nor am I buying anymore Green Arrow. Because I already get that the execs at DC are more worried about how much money the books make, and I will not support the direction they’ve decided to go in by giving them my money. However, I will read them, because I still want to know what’s going on and what they are doing to these characters.

I just, I… I understand the way Roy is acting. The grief, the pain. God knows how many times I continue to lash out because of my grandma’s death 11 years ago. Lashing out at Mia and Donna and nearly everybody. I got the reference Krul made to the Titans issue he wrote about Roy and Lian almost immediately. Getting condolences, honest to God condolences, from Rose of all people, it made sense. Her family life is more screwed up than most of the other Titans.

However, they can’t put Cheshire on the cover if she’s only going to be there for the last three pages. That woman has absolutely no right at all to try and kill Roy because of what happened to their daughter. She lost whatever right she had when she was willing to conceive another child as a replacement for her daughter if Mockingbird was serious about the bomb threat in Villains United. And then she uses THAT child as a human shield. A. Human. Shield. If anyone deserves to be maimed and killed, it’s that witch.

No matter what they do with this book, hero or villain, that doesn’t make it right. It doesn’t make it right what they did to them. To try and spin something emotional and meaningful out of not one, but two, attempts at shock value feels wrong. They took the easy way no matter how you look at it.

Yes, I have heard people say that this has made Ollie and Roy interesting again. Well, in my opinion, if they decided the only way to make Roy interesting was to maim him and kill Lian, he doesn’t deserve to be an interesting character. They should’ve just killed him as well."

Okay, now to sound less harsh. Taking a note from someone else, I'm still going to reserve final judgment for this book as a whole when I've read the last issue. Of course, I guess it sounds like I already have. But it's a cliche. The standard "take away everything a superhero holds dear" cliche. I'm just trying to be honest about how I felt about it, mind you. I have nothing against use of loss and tragedy, or the maiming or death of a character for the sake of a good story. Martian Manhunter, the Superman and Lois Lane of Earth-2, Pa Kent. But that's because they had roles in the story. Arsenal and Lian were in Cry for Justice for like, two pages. They had nothing to do with it.

I read the interview on Newsarama, and the statement about making loss mean something again in comics. Yet I'm reminded of the two other Titans who were treated in a similar manner. Risk and Red Star.

Risk: He had his arm ripped off by Superboy-Prime in Infinite Crisis. One Year Later, he basically devolved into white trash, living in a rundown shack and popping pills for the buzz. Deathstroke offered him a place on Titans East, he helped facilitate Bombshell's death, and then got to use Cyborg as a punching bag. Then he shows up in the Superman-Prime special for the Sinestro Corps story, where he gets his OTHER arm ripped off. We haven't seen him in nearly three years since. Is he dead? In prison? Getting rehabilitated?

Red Star: Lost his entire family at Prime's hands in Infinite Crisis. Pantha got her head punched off (and has since become a joke) and Baby Wildebeest had a hole blown through his chest. How much coverage was done on the loss Red Star suffered? One issue of Johns run on Titans, two pages in the Superman-Prime special, and one panel on the first page of Blackest Night: Titans.

So, at the... worry (I'm not saying risk) of sounding jaded, I fail to see the logic in having to ruin two characters for the sake of a story about loss when there were two others who were already suited for it. Of course, these four aren't the only Titans characters who've received treatment like this. There's about 30 of them, and while the Titans have suffered before, it all seems to have become a more consistent/frequent trend ever since Lilith Clay was killed by that Superman robot in Graduation Day. 30+ in the last six or seven years.

The art, well... I'm not exactly sure what to say. I understand the first few pages were a dream, but, I guess I'm gonna have to stay on the fence in regards to a good or bad opinion.