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

Thanks DH. I'll have a look.

ah I see, it was just a back up. Seems the series was a mess but the New Gods back up was great. If I happen to find it I will get it but now I'm not as excited.

I picked up the Jack Kirby's Fourth World Omnibus Volume One.

It was a bit more than I wanted to pay but expect a lot of what i read in these to make it's way to the MMB! I model Power Boy off of the New Gods but I've never read any of the stories! ha!

Well, some in the JLA and what not.

I've read half the first issue of the Omnibus and I am struck by a few things.


Clark Kent is a capable adult reporter! I like this guy. He wears a suit.

Kirby has no end to creativity and introducing new characters!
Mr. Edge the coniving new owner of the Daily Planet and Iron Mask are especially fun.

But, the text is redundant, someone will introduce a character and then that character will introduce themselves!


The colors of the Omnibus are amazing. Should be many hours of entertainment.

That's a common Silver Age/Bronze Age problem. I have fewer issues with that than I do with Kirby's awful dialogue and his inability to make all the plot strands cohere. I think Kirby was one of the greatest "concept people" who ever lived, but he wasn't infallible.

Just my opinion.

I love the smell of the Omnibus paper ... it reminds me of something like a coloring book smell from child hood!

Is there a thread for best smelling comic/ comic shop?

Demerits given form anyone who mentions Squadron Supreme.

Asked in the "So what did you get this week?" thread:



Red Team.....is not exactly what I thought it would be. It's a lot....subtler?--I suppose, than I imagined it. It's basically Garth trying to write this type of scenario more realistically than, say, the Punisher. These guys plan out their hits painstakingly and with a minimum of carnage and gratification. They approach their "jobs" more like surgeons than anything.

The high concept in question is that an elite 4-person major crimes squad designated Red Team decides to cut out all of the red tape and bullshit that lets criminals walk free by taking them out themselves on their downtime.

Garth chooses to build suspense with the reveal upfront that these guys eventually get caught. Everything is told via flashbacks, and we see each member interrogated after the fact. So we know their best-laid plans will eventually cave in. So we keep reading not only to see how they approach each mission but to see what it is that eventually brings their downfall.

It's a big character study, particularly of the two 'junior' members of the team. They're the ones who seem to have the most flaws compared to the more grizzled and soldier-like senior two. Much of the drama comes from how those two act and react under the scenarios presented.

I literally just put down issue #4. That issue shows the unexpected fallout of Red Team's latest execution, as they may have actually done more harm than good. Turns out, the guy was going to work with the FBI to bring down some other crooks. The rest of the issue focuses on the Team's lone woman and shows she may have some issues of her own to deal with when she happens into a skirmish on her own time that quickly gets out of hand. Things go deeply south, and she has to call in the others of the Team to clean up behind her.

I dunno...it's not exactly a must-read, but it's told well. I sometimes feel like eventually reading it all in collected form would really maximize the enjoyment of the material. Doesn't help that it's published irregularly, so it's easy to forget some of the details during the gap. (Such as, I can't even remember any of the characters' names, other than Eddie, who gets name-dropped most frequently.)

I almost feel like Red Team would make a much better TV series than a comic book. In a way, that seems most like what it's trying to be. But I do like it well enough and currently have no plans to drop it.

So, I've been doing some heavy traveling lately (which has caused some lack of posting) but luckily for me I did a fairly large purchase of a whole bunch of TPB’s that I’ve been meaning to read for a good while. So I plan on reviewing those as I get through them (as the traveling ain’t over). I know Lardy will be interested in my take on the final Scalped trades, but before I read those I want to reread at least the last two I read to catch up and that means I have to get my lil’ brother and sister to give them back to me.

One of the things I recently picked up that I absolutely loved was Century West, an original graphic novel by Howard Chaykin through Image that was about two-thirds of the size of a standard OGN (for two-thirds the price). I love westerns and was curious, and I’m really glad I picked it up! It was really fantastic stuff! It really isn’t a western but rather an early 20th century look at the west when the “old West” was giving way to the new century, and the advent of the film industry in Hollywood. It’s a great set-up and more importantly it features some fantastic characters.

Said characters are what makes it so much fun, and there is a whole plethora of them. It’s as much about the town and the various unique characters coming together over and over to work together, and grow to like one another, as various elements (headed by the arch-villains of that era, Thomas Edison and the Pinkertons) work against them.

This is probably my favorite thing Chaykin has done in the last 20 years, if not ever. It’s very light-hearted and reads like a series of single issue stories rather than an OGN, which makes me wonder if that was the original intent. Even that isn’t quite accurate: it’s more like the first 6 episodes of a television show, as it has that organic growth to character & plot across individual adventures pacing.

Chaykin has been on fire as of late with the awesome Satellite Sam and the insanely fun Black Kiss 2, and this goes even further. Unlike those, though, there is none of the stuff that Chaykin is most known for in there. This may be the first Chaykin story without a blowjob since the 70’s. The characters are sexy but the series is a solid PG rating in terms of sex & violence.

Great characters, fantastic art, vibrant coloring, fun stories…this was is a big winner. I wish Chaykin would do more but something tells me there isn’t much of a market for this type of story.

Hopefully Anita and others are picking up the newest miniseries, Resident Alien: Suicide Blonde. It's just one of the best written, best drawn series out there right now that will draw you right in regardless of what genres you might like.

I just read Vol. 1 of The Complete Jon Sable: Freelance, an IDW collected edition I'd grabbed in my cart along with several others the last time I did an online TPB order. It's been sitting in my pile of to-read TPBs for quite a while until I got in the mood to start reading it a couple of nights ago.

Sable is one of many creator-owned indie books of the '80s (like Nexus, Grendel, Mage, Grimjack, Love and Rockets and countless others) that I missed out on because I was a Big 2 kid and was barely aware of or ready for them. So when I saw an exceptionally good deal for this trade, I grabbed it. Didn't hurt that I love Mike Grell's artwork, of course.

I thought the issues collected within (the first six issues) were really, really good! The first two issues show Sable in his element, working a separate case in each. The latter four, though are the real stand-outs as they give Sable's origin. The setting mostly in the wilds of Africa is just the perfect showcase for what Grell could do artistically. Grell puts a lot of true historical details in Sable's background, such as his having been an athlete in the ill-fated Munich Olympics and having been in Africa during conflicts in Rhodesia. It's all a very affecting, involving read for what is essentially a action hero in a comic.

Grell's artwork, even in the '80s, was lush, detailed and exciting in the layouts. The coloring in the reprint edition is probably improved from the original but has a nice retro feel of the better coloring efforts of the '80s. I think this is the most Grell-drawn artwork I've ever read in consecutive comics. In many ways he hasn't been all that prolific on interiors. It looks like Sable is THE place (plus his work on the original Warlord series) for Grell fans to look back and get the fix they want for one of the more talented artists this medium has seen.

I enjoyed it so much that I've decided I'll definitely be picking up subsequent volumes, especially as they appear available at a very steep discount from the sites I use. I'd certainly recommend Sable to anyone who enjoyed his writing on Green Arrow.

Thanks for that Paladin. As I'm not buying anyting really form the big two, it could be a good time to dig up older indies.

I've not read Sable or Grimjack, saw only a flash of Nexus, and Love and Rockets never really stuck. I got Whisper, Cerebus, Grendel, Mage though at least. Oh and Groo, of course.

Care to share some thoughts on these....even if you haven't read them in a while? I'm strongly considering doing an '80s indie binge buy in a near-future trade order (including more Sable), and I'd appreciate any thoughts to help me decide what to get!

She thought that the costume would make her a hero. Instead, it made her a target...

I got into Whisper in a similar way to Strangers in Paradise.

With Strangers, I was attracted by the strong central relationship, some down to earth issues, great art, comedy, character growth and whimsy.

With Whisper it was the good art (Spyder), solid writing (Grant), character growth, and an '80s edgy thriller vibe.

However, behind the parts I was drawn to, there was a huge spectre of previous crimes overshadowing the events I was reading in both comics.

Diane Young grows through the Whisper series. Her psychology changes, her methods change, as does her purpose. She's quite a damaged individual really, and the series sees her develop into her Whisper persona and capabilities.

The comic dealt with government corruption, alienation, connecting with other people and trying to move on from trauma.

In it's better moments it rose above the mass of American ninjas of the time and had a few political thriller ideas.

I recall it being a little hit and miss, with the writer trying out various things to keep things moving along. As a reluctant heroine, Whisper wouldn't have made this easy to do.

I also recall and artist-go-round for the series, which didn't help it.

I just re-read the first First three issues. They are filled with life changing relationships, power struggles and a rather mundane political thriller plot that should really have been much more interesting.

However, a lot of these issues are spent looking over their shoulder to previous series. In fact, the narrative gimmick (good, but annoying in a sixth sense sort of way) deals entirely with it too. All of the characters are impacted and traumatised by events we never see.

On one hand it's good that Grant didn't want to tell the same story twice to readers of the character. On the other, new readers are left a little bored reading about the aftermath.

By the time I jumped on board, the events of the past still reverberated, but not to the same degree as before. But perhaps Grant had lost that initial drive.

Whisper was different. She wasn't a super hero and had no super powers. She primarily used aikido. She was reluctant to wear her costume at all.

She didn't initially have the talent that others thought she had. That ability grew from from the people involved in this series leading form the events that occurred before it.

In summary, it was a title that tried out some new things. It had some interesting moments as it tried to find a lasting direction and was a refreshing change from the Big 2 at the time.

Cover Gallery:
http://www.comicvine.com/whisper/4050-3710/

Lardy, I highly recommend the first two Grimjack Omnibus digest-sized paperbacks from IDW. The second volume ends with issue #30, which is right before the series went off the rails, so it's all the Grimjack you'll ever need.

If you want me to elaborate, I'd be happy to. Without spoilers, of course.

I actually have the first Grimjack Omnibus already! I got it at about the same time as the Sable volume I reviewed above, just haven't gotten to it yet. Hope to read it soon!

Meanwhile, I'm almost certainly purchasing the next few Sable volumes shortly and probably Grendel Omnibus 1 and The Complete ZOT! Vol. 1. (I remember the latter being described not long ago somewhere on LW....)

Oh, that's wonderful! I look forward to finding out what you think of it.

Yeah, I often do TPB buys like that and sit on them until the time feels right. I'm rarely disappointed!

Really looking forward to further thoughts on all these series. Like Lardy, I'm unfamiliar with a lot of highly praised 80's indies.

I loved the recent Sable stories by Grell a few years ago. Now I'm interested in checking out the originals.

Well once again--for like the 20th month in a row--Image has done it again. Yet anther awesome debut new series that was so great I had to drop what I was doing and type this review so people would know about it.

The Saviors, by James Robinson and J Bone, is a fantastic story in the tradition of "small town guy gets caught up in a much bigger adventure", and it's the best one of these I've seen in a great long while. #1 felt like a science fiction story in the vein of the great 1950's thrillers while chalk full of "fun" in tone and style.

Forget everything you know about Robinson from the get-go. This reads like nothing's he's ever written before. I've read them all--both the phenomenal and the dreadful--and this stands apart as something totally different. It feels fresh, original, fun and full of energy. I'm quite impressed.

The real star of the issue is artist J Bone, who I've only recently come to know on the excellent Rocketeer miniseries. His art is in the Darwyn Cooke school and it's nothing short of superb. The cartoony style is clever, dramatic and well-crafted on each page.

Another A+ effort from Image. I expect the usual suspects will like this, and I'd like to personally recommend this to Eryk Davis Ester, as I think I've got a bead on the kinds of comics he digs and this one fits right in.

I haven't been to the CBS the last couple of weeks because there's simply been so little out that I buy. "Saviors" is one that I've been curious about, but the reviews have been pretty tepid overall. Most say it has potential but is bogged down by exposition. I hope there are some copies left next week, so I can at least take a look.

I didn't find it bogged down at all, and in fact welcomed the change of pace of having as much exposition as it did. I'd say it was as much exposition as you'd get 10-15 years ago which to me never felt like that much. Modern readers probably aren't used to it (but it's not like the 70's or anything).

I recommend you try it Lardy.

Ms Marvel was pretty good!

Drawn by the fantastic Alphona and it has similar tones to the spectacular Runaways series. Alphona's art is a bit more stylized than beautiful like his Runaways work.

The character comes off feeling more universal than token and her identity is more about being a misfit, a tried and true Marvel theme.

Young Kamala gets everything she wants in issue one. oh $h%T!!!

I'm in for at least the first ark.

I actually didn't like it all that much. I find it kind of same old, same old, with lots of characters being too stereotypical. I've really liked G. Willow Wilson's work before too, so that's too bad. Her OGN "Cairo" is fantastic.

Also, following up on my last post here, the subsequent 2nd and 3rd issues of the Saviors were not as strong as the first. While the artwork by J. Bone is pretty great to look at, the story and dialogue by Robinson feel very forced. As with a lot of his work in recent years, he's too busy telling me what's happening rather than showing me. He falls back on a lot of narrative techniques and plot twists that are derivative, even if he's deriving them from more obscure places. I think I'm going to have to drop it, even though I really liked #1.

Meanwhile, I'm loving Five Ghosts from Image, which is one of the surprise hits of 2013. The artwork is just so stunning that I'm mesmerized.

What's with all the number 1s all over the Marvel books now btw!?

Sometimes it coincides with issue number and sometimes not.

First "All-New Marvel NOW!" issue.

Sometimes it doesn't even coincide with the start of an arc (See: adjectiveless X-Men).