The Wednesday Comic Review

WCR Episode #19 – “The Impostor’s Daughter”

yearofmark — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 04:59:21 +0000

“The Impostors Daughter”

Laurie Sandel

When a girlfriend recommends a GN, I jump on it. I ordered this book and made it my pick before even reading, based on the recommendation of a friend, the author of the blog “bookends” .

The book is the autobiography of a woman who is dealing with her larger than life father. She has many life experiences as she swims her way through the lies he has told her as a child.

This book, despite its difficult subject matter, is a light read. You learn about relationships, how she deal with drugs, and get the inside scoop on her interviews with famous celebrities.

This is a good gateway book, but is also fun for experienced GN readers. The art is simple and cartoony, but gets across the expressions and character’s attitudes well. It is a page turner, in my opinion.

To be honest, I am not sure where you can buy the book, we got it off Amazon, as I think the comic shops are not really stocked in GN’s like this, but if you order it, your in for a fun, entertaining, and thought provoking read. Check our sidebar for the link to the Amazon Store.

enjoy.

http://www.lilacwindow.com

WCR Episode #17 – “Proof, Vol 1: Goatsucker”

yearofmark — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 14:28:24 +0000

If you believe in monsters… you need evidence… wait that’s not it…

Proof Vol. 1 from Image comics by Alexander Greician and Reily Rossmo

Proof, at it’s heart is a detective story but as you add on the
wonderfully written layers of script and amazing, if not necessarily
orthodox, art, Proof is a detective book like no other!

The book has two main characters, John “Proof” Prufrock, a Sasquatch
and lead detective/investigator for “The Ranch”, and Ginger Brown, a
FBI agent who is transferred out to the ranch after having a run-in
with a Golem.

It is important to note that if you have read this in single issues
prior to picking it up in trade, that the order had been changed. This
being one of the few book that I originally picked up in trade first I
have no idea what the differences are, but I assure you they’re there!

This story is about the Chupacabra or “Goatsucker”. The Chupacabra,
like most of the creatures on the ranch, are what most of society
would call, mythical creatures of creatures of story, but this world
introduces them as though they are a part of everyday life. The reason
they are housed on the ranch is because the rest of the world had
hunted them to near extinction and they need a refuge, such as the
carnivorous Faeries that we all think are nice little creatures flying
around on delicate dragonfly type wings are actually mean little
creatures that have a particular aversion to iron. The ranch is also home
to a few near extinct species as well, such as the Carrier Pigeon and
Dodo Bird. But I digress…

The Chupacabra is a creature that kills humans and wears their skins to
hide who it truly is, and as more and more people start disappearing,
the crack investigative team from the ranch are brought in to try and
sort this Goatsucking problem out! After the Chupacabra inhabits
Sheriff Elivs Chestnuts’ mother’s body (interestingly the only body
she inhabits that she didn’t kill), Sheriff Chestnut becomes
another member of the ranch team, of course being a little choked that
his mom is now not his mom and is in fact some weird creature, Mr
Chestnut decides to try (but fails miserably) and kill the “monster”.

This was one of those books that, if you read my short bio on the
page, actually got me back into comics, it’s not mainstream but still
has all the great elements for an awesome story that I personally hope
keeps going for years to come.

Hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

Next Week – Parker : The Hunter!

WCR Episode #16 – “V for Vendetta”

Martin — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 15:09:10 +0000

Alan Moore Month Continues with V for Vendetta!

V FOR VENDETTA

BY Alan Moore and David Lloyd

There’s no denying Alan Moore’s literary brilliance, and V for Vendetta is a strong addition to his library of works. This is one of his more realistic stories, drawing strength from his vision of how things could be in the future, but from a 1980’s mindset. Obviously, things didn’t quite turn out the way he envisioned, but I don’t think he meant the story to be a prophecy of what was to come, but what could come. It tells us of dystopian life in the UK after nuclear war. The government is a fascist one and the populace is kept in check with violence and methods of control, not that much different from the Nazis during WWII. In fact, eerily similar. From the concentration camps, population curfews, extermination of alternative lifestyles and racism, it resonates Nazi-ism. Only this time, there is no allied forces to the rescue, only V.

V is an anarchist, resolving to terrorism to bring down the fascist government. He’s a complex character, an intellectual who communicates in poetic riddles, a brilliant tactician in complete control of his emotions. There’s also strong elements of madness to his persona. His identity is mostly kept secret behind a smiling mask and his attire appears influenced from the famous 16^th/17^th century restorationist, Guy Fawkes. In fact, that influence goes much farther as V does everything that Fawkes failed at, and more. He has resorted to doing whatever must be done to topple the government, and his ingenious plot is carried out with precise deliverance throughout the story. You will be hard pressed to find a deeper anti-hero in any story.

Moore writes heavy politics into V for Vendetta , fleshing out the layers of the government for us to digest. At times, it can be confusing and complicated as to the agenda’s of the people involved, but it’s all done intelligently. There was times I felt that I wasn’t educated enough to follow it all with a clear understanding, but I got through. It’s a long read, covering 3 books with about 10 chapters per book, and I’d advise anyone to take their time soaking it all in. Lloyd’s art is ok, a throwback to the 80’s style with minimal colors used, but I found that complemented the stories dark, depressing setting. Looking back at it all, I still find myself with many elements to meditate on, so if you’re the intellectual type, you should really get something out of reading this. I did, and I don’t consider myself an intellectual. It’s a great book that deserves a chance, and another hit from the man himself. Keep ‘em coming Mr. Moore, but I think we’ll be taking a break from your mind-thrashing tales at WCR for a while. That doesn’t mean we don’t love you anymore though.

Martin

The Proof is out there, and Mike will show us why next week. Following that will be Parker: The Hunter!

Straight out of Comic-Con

yearofmark — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 05:41:29 +0000

If you are in the Calgary Alberta Area on September 25, 2009 come and check out Richard Harrison give a talk on comics!

Straight Outta Comic-Con: Richard Harrison will be giving the talk he gave
at the Comic Arts Conference in San Diego on the literary, cultural and
commercial forces at work in the origin of Superman story — there’s a lot
more to that than we thought. Mount Royal University, EA1064, Friday, September 25, 2:00pm.

WCR Episode #15 – “The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen Vol 2″

Angie — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 19:47:02 +0000

If you know anything about me, then you know I don’t have much time for reading. Sometimes, it feels I don’t have much time for anything…but I digress. Time, being valuable, has forced me to be choosy about which books I pick up. This one, lying around for a few months, was one I read a couple pages of, but could never seem to make significant progress on, until, well the middle section. Listen to the podcast to find out why.

Yup folks, Im that base. I do like a little Romance between the pages. I also like strong character, and some gritty details. Some literary intellectualism, and english accents pretty much sums it up for me. In the end, I totally got into this book in a big way. Talk about fun!

Being the second volume, Moore could delve into the story and the characters, without having to introduce everyone. We learn to love Hyde, while hating Griffin. There are bad-ass Aliens and a great opening sequence on (you guessed it) Mars. Even though the book is high;y fantastical, it has a grit and sense of reality that takes you down a notch and keeps you thinking. Its critical,while being fun, “Tongue in cheek”, I think, is the expression.

The art is wonderful, just like the first book. It has, again a rough quality, that paints Quartermain’s naked body a little too clearly, while leaving us guessing about Mina’s beauty. I love his cityscapes and the detail in all the images. I cant get enough of this art!

OK, I recommend this book, and would love to hear what you think. Read, and enjoy.

Angie

Next Week – Martin continues the Alan Moore Theme with “V for Vendetta”. Following that, Mike has the PROOF about great comics!

WCR Episode #14 – “Locke and Key – Welcome to Lovecraft”

yearofmark — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 03:18:41 +0000

Locke and key is another of those books that I have picked that I have not previously read. A couple weeks ago on our variety show I said I was through with Horror comics. I didn’t thing that there was any real good horror books out there and was kind of tired of the same old…thing. Then I remembered I picked Locke and Key a couple weeks prior to that statement, and man am I glad I did. More Dark Fantasy than actually horror, Locke and Key has all the story factors I love: A dark erie mystery, a family struggling with loss and Identity, supernatural and magical forces. One of the most amazingly drafted comic-books put to pen, Joe hill and Gabriel Rodriguez have truly crafted a modern day classic. This book knocked me off my socks, and I want more! through with Horror comics. I didn’t thing that there was any real good horror books out there and was kind of tired of the same old…thing. Then I remembered I picked Locke and Key a couple weeks prior to that statement, and man am I glad I did. More Dark Fantasy than actually horrific, Locke and Key has all the story factors I love. A dark erie mystery, a family struggling with loss and Identity, supernatural and magical forces, one of the most amazingly drafted comic-books put to pen, Joe hill and Gabriel Rodriguez have truly crafted a modern day classic. This book knocked me off my socks, and I want more!

Listen In!

Mark

WCR Episode #13 – “Fear Agent Vol 3. The Last Goodbye”

Mike — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 03:20:35 +0000

Our story picks up immediately following Fear Agent Vol 2, just after our hero, Heath Houston learns that his wife has left him for another fear agent. He hit “the bottle” hard, which is sadly not anything out of the norm for Heath. His current partner in crime, Mara, knocks on his door with no answer and enters Heath’s room only to find him not there. Mara looks outside to find him sitting on the edge of a cliff, drinking vodka from a straw, overlooking a large graveyard, which we can assume is the burial site for those lost in the resistance fight against the invading Dressite and Tetaldian forces.

Heath then flashes back to pre-invasion Texas, him sitting in the driver’s seat of his big rig, driving home to see his family. He meets his dad on the side of the road. His dad’s truck is broken down, but they get it running and then they continue on to Heath, and his then wife’s home. They are greeted by Heath’s wife Char and his son Kent. After dinner, Kent is playing with his kite and gets caught in a barbed wire fence, Heath’s father, Charles, goes to help Kent get unstuck when all of a sudden a flying object moves quickly across the sky, dropping a bomb causing one of the biggest comic book explosions I’ve ever seen drawn!

Heath and his wife make a break for a friend’s house that is known to have a bomb shelter to try and wait out the invasion. After a precarious journey they finally arrive and do manage to wait out a few months, which is the beginnings of Mr. Houston’s drinking problem caused by all that time to sit and think of the family lost and no where to go. Heath is not the only one to have lost friends and family and Heath finally has enough, he decides to risk his life (and inadvertently everyone else in the shelter with him) and see what is going on in the rest of the world.

Finally after loosing a number of more friends Heath and a few others decide that they are fed up with doing nothing about the invading aliens that are killing anyone and everyone they know and love, they decide to fight back, which quickly leads into finding a true weakness of Dressites.

The flashback story ends with Heath leaving earth after coming to grips with decisions he’s made and the realization that his wife Char, is not able to live with those same decisions. We then come back to the “present”, where Mara is still talking to Heath with no response from him, but with Heath, in thought word balloons, remembering a quote about loss, from Samuel Clemens.

This story talks to the life we all lead and how, although sometimes decisions seem appropriate at the time, in reflection we find that maybe that wasn’t the best path we could have chosen. Heath has many daemons from his past and coming to grips with his life, I’m sure is something that he has found can only be dealt with by drowning himself in a bottle… and the fact that his ex-wife is the voice for his spaceship’s AI, probably doesn’t make it easier to deal with.

Until next time,

Happy Trails,

Mike

WCR Episode #12 – “Rex Mundi – Book One”

Martin — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 15:04:33 +0000

REX MUNDI BOOK ONE: THE GUARDIAN OF THE TEMPLE

By Arvid Nelson, Eric J, and Jeremy Cox

Rex Mundi (Book One: The Guardian of the Temple)is a quest for the Holy Grail, only let’s throw in elements of murder/mystery, sorcery, a twist in historic timeline where the Roman Catholic Church stomped out the protestant reformation and remains politically strong, and we’ll put it all into an alternate 1933 Paris where secret societies and guilds are deeply rooted into society, the mysterious inquisition are a feared and respected authority acting in the name of the church, and Europe in on the brink of world war, but not the war you’d expect. If you think this all sounds interesting, then this is the book for you. There is similarities in the plot to Dan Brown’s Da Vinci Code, but it’s important to remember that this work predates that. It’s written by Arvid Nelson I would say this is his definitive work so far. He’s done some stories for Astonishing X-Men, JSA: Classified, The Goon, a miniseries called Zero Killer, is presently working on “Kull” for Dark Horse and will be doing “Thulsa Doom” for Dynamite Entertainment. If you are interested in topics like “The Da Vinci Code” or “The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail”, then this is the book for you. One of most fascinating aspects of the story is how Arvid Nelson blends both medieval and modern history without it feeling out of place and unrealistic. He has done a lot of research on the legends and history surrounding elements of the Holy Grail and it shows in the detail of the story. Not much is mentioned about the holiest of artifacts in this first book, but it doesn’t take a private investigator to see where the story is leading to. Every discovery and revelation is intriguing and fascinating drawing deep into Catholic history and legends, and there’s lots of them . There is a noir-ish element to the style, dark and moody. Eric J’s art is realistic not only with his characters, but with fashion and scenery of the times. The use of classic photographs throughout the book is a nice touch, helping the story feel as if it was part of our history. Each chapter ends with prose’, in the form of the Le Journal de la Liberete newspaper, filling us in with key elements pertaining to the world around the story. If events in history turned out a little different for us, this is one cool interpretation of how things could have been. The elements of sorcery are subtle, but play an important role without taking away from the realism and complement the medieval influence I was talking about earlier. This is the beginning of a rich and fascinating journey to find the Holy Grail, this is easily one of my favorite graphic novel series. It surprised me that it slipped under the radars of recognition.

Martin

COME BACK IN ONE WEEK SO MIKE CAN BRING US FEAR AGENT!

QUEEN & COUNTRY: THE DEFINITIVE EDITION VOL. 1

Martin — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 02:59:45 +0000

By Greg Rucka, Steve Rolston, Brian Hurtt, and Leandro Fernandez

Q&C is a modern day spy drama focusing on the operations of the Special Section of Britain’s Ministry of Intelligence, more covertly known as SIS or MI6. In 2002 it won an Eisner for “Best New Series” and was nominated 2 more times for “Best Continuing Series” and “Best Serialized Story” for “Operation: Broken Ground”. It’s written by Greg Rucka who shows a deep knowledge and understanding of the espionage game and the players involved. There is tons of realism in his portrayal of British covert operations, from the missions themselves to the people behind the scenes running them. The book is thick with espionage lingo, and once you get used to it and know who’s who, it paints an awesome picture of the spy game. The stories focus a little more on one of the Minders. There’s 3 of them (designated Minders 1, 2, and 3) and their role is that of field operatives. Minder 2, Tara Chace, is the main character and we get a deeper look into her life more than anyone else. She’s a strong female lead in a man’s game and it’s interesting to see how she keeps it up. The bureaucracy is thick between the agencies directors and adds tons of intrigue and background to the story. By the time you’re done, you feel like you have a good understanding of each character and their roles within the agency. This definitive edition collects 3 arcs, all drawn in monochrome by different artists.

Operation Broken Ground by Steve Rolston (Brian Wood’s “Pounded”, The Escapists),
Operation Morningstar by Brian Hurtt (The Damned, Skinwalker, Three Strikes),
Operation Crystal Ball by Leandro Fernandez (Punisher MAX, Stormwatch, Hulk, Wolverine, Iron Fist).

Operation Broken Sword sets everything up and brings you into the game, so by far it’s the best story. It’s this story that won the Eisner. Steve Rolston’s art is lacking fine detail and looks a little bare at times with hardly any shading, but it still visualizes the story just fine. Operation Morningstar takes a look into the mind of Tara Chase (Minder 2) during therapy while her team continues on without her on an important operation. Brian Hurtt keeps to a similar style with Steve Rolston but uses shadows more effectively making everything appear more detailed. Operation Crystal Ball was a different style that of the first 2 chapters, and was by far my favorite as far as art goes. The way Fernandez draws his facial expressions is really cool. Overall, the art just rides on the tail of the strong storytelling, so if you like espionage and spies, check this out. I, for one, am glad I did.

Martin

PLANETARY: ALL OVER THE WORLD AND OTHER STORIES

Martin — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 23:09:06 +0000

By Warren Ellis, John Cassaday, and Laura DePuy

“What if you had a hundred years of superhero history just slowly leaking out into this young and modern superhero world of the Wildstorm Universe? What if you could take everything old and make it new again?” – Warren Ellis

Warren Ellis has been a heavyweight writer for comics for some time now, and this first volume of Planetary goes back to 1998. It got some recognition in 2000 being nominated for both “Best Continuing Series” and “Best New Series” at the Eisner Awards, and once again being nominated for “Best Continuing Series” in 2002, and in 2005 another nomination for “Best Serialized Story” for issues # 19-20, “Mystery in Space/Rendezvous”. The cover for issue #1 has an intriguing description of what this is all about. Archeologists of the Impossible. Very cool. Planetary is set in the Wildstorm universe and each chapter is a one-and-done story while still maintaining plot structure throughout the series. It ends up being a fascinating mix of classic archetypes re-imagined in a world of modern superheroes and science fiction. Planetary is an organization that investigates the world’s secret history. It’s 3 operatives, Elijah Snow, Janika Wagner, and The Drummer are super-powered investigators with unlimited resources who are sent to various spots around the world to investigate the various unknown. The first chapter focuses on plot structure more than character development and background, but Warren Ellis drops a bomb of a plot on us. He re-invents familiar characters from comic history such as Doc Savage, Fu Manchu, Tom Swift, Tarzan, The Shadow, G-8, Operator No. 5, JLA, The Fantastic Four, Godzilla, all with unique facelifts that make them tie into the Wildstorm universe. You could say it’s 100 years of creative influence all rolled into one big story , drawing inspirations from not only comics and science fiction, but from real world mysteries and mythologies, and answers them in a ways only a comic book can. This is an excellent and fascinating read. The third chapter was a fun read. “Dead Gunfighters” resonates a John Woo Hong Kong action flick, a really cool story about a murdered Hong Kong cop who hunts down and kills criminals as a ghost out for vengeance.Even the dialogue feels foreign, a nice touch. Chapter 5, “The Good Doctor”, switches between regular paneled art and prose. The prose are done with a style from the perspective of the storyteller telling us about a period in history. I love the history lessons, there’s some really interesting storylines in there. It’s here you a introduced to some really interesting character concepts. The inspiration behind the “snowflake” and the multiverse is all influenced by a real mathematical concept called The Monster Group. Google it. It’s really interesting how Ellis incorporates elements of science into his stories, an example being the sci-fi graphic novel “Orbiter”( see my review from June 26^th). I’m a bit of a sci-fi junkie and Ellis has shown a deft ability to write about things right up my alley. John Cassaday’s art is quite realistic and detailed, his work on Planetary got him Eisner Awards in 2004, 2005, and 2006. Deservedly so. This, for me, is yet another amazingly cool world to sink my teeth into. Great stuff.

Martin

WCR Episode #11 – “The Secret History of The Authority – Hawksmoor”

Angie — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 19:23:59 +0000

The secret History of the Authority, Hawksmoor. Wildstorm. Mike Costa, Fiona Staples.

Being new to the old comics thing, It was bound to come to a point where I would need to make picks I hadnt read yet. Better yet, picks I hadn’t even hear of.

But I had heard of Fiona Staples. Actually my claim to fame is having sat next to her and Frazer Irving at the 24 hour comic day. Yeah, I am that close to being famous.

Anyways, I picked Hawksmoor because Fiona drew it, and I thought it would be cool to read something of which I knew the artist. It really gives me an excuse to name drop, and advertise my “claim to fame”. As per the last paragraph. But I digress.

With this book I could have been way in over my head, “The Authority” (as I have come to find out) has quite a history, and Hawksmoor, is a long time member.

I have to say, even though I am a newb in all this, I found the book accessible and fun. The whole concept was interesting and rather hip. A super hero who can talk to cities?.. cool. Also cool that he wears a suit, with bare feet.

This is Mike Costa’s first published work, and though I think there were a few places the book could use some refinement, it was a great read. I loved the dialogue with the city, the fun dialogue and strange plot twists. I may even pick up some other Authority books in the future, and for me, thats saying a lot. Read the book and listen to the podcast for all our opinions.

enjoy.

Astro City “Confession”

yearofmark — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 16:17:10 +0000

In many ways I believe that Kurt Busiek is one of the best comic book writers that is alive today. Let the awards speak for themselves.

1994, with Marvels, he won Best Finite Series/Limited Series Eisner Award and the Best Continuing or Limited Series Harvey Award

1995 won Harvey Award for Best Single Issue or Story (for Marvels #4)

1996 Astro City won Eisner and Harvey awards for Best New Series

1996 Astro City was awarded the Best Single Issue or Story Harvey Award

1996–1998/2004 Best Single Issue/Single Story Eisner

1997–1998 Won the Best Continuing Series Eisner Award

1998 won Eisner for Best Serialized Story award

1998 Harvey Award for Best Writer

1998 Harvey Award for Best Continuing or Limited Series.

1999 Eisner Award for Best Writer

We did a WCR podcast on Astro-City Vol.1: Life in the Big City a couple of weeks ago and I was pretty much enthralled after that. I recently had the pleasure of reading the next volume entitled “Confession”. Confession collects Astro City Volume 2 issues 4-9, as well as a one shot originally printed in Wizard magazine. Any problem that one might have had with the anthology story telling that took place within the first volume need have no fear with the follow-up! This is a complete story, and man is it ever complete. Kurt Busiek was creating plots and subplots 10-15 years ago that clearly influence how comics are being written today, particularly with Marvel. I should note that this post is more of a commentary of Astro City Confession then it is a conventional review. So the spoiler warning is officially erected to protect the un-protected. Mostly, if have not read Confession you won’t know what I am talking about anyways.

****SPOILERS****

Lets start with my understanding of this volume and its main characters. We are introduced to Brian. Brian is a atypical “farm” boy with wild ideas about manhood and the big city. Brian is just arriving in Astro city and is easily picked out by the fact that he is constantly looking up in the sky. Residents of the city notice these traits with newcomers as they are constantly looking for “supes” or superheroes. Brian, it seems, has done his research and is actively seeking out superheroes, as he intends to join their ranks. His actions at the end of the first chapter have brought about the attention of a superhero called “The Confessor”. The Confessor who is clearly a Batman Archetype, recruits Brian to be his Alter-Boy (a Robin side-kick archetype). What really makes this combination more interesting is that The Batman and Robin relationship can be considered dark(Batman) and the light(Robin). This is by design, Robin’s “light” helps Batman not become too “dark”. This description also applies to Alter Boy and The Confessor, however the contrast is still there, but the new characters are in some ways more complex. The Confessor is dark in character and nature, however, he possess a large heart for the people. Alter-boy is by comparison a lighter character than Confessor, however he is less morally straight and in some ways is driven by ego and vanity. These characteristics are fleshed out within the 6-part epic.

The real cool thing about this whole story is that I thought I figured out what was happening early on, and I was kind of sad because I wanted to be surprised. I still was. A major plot within the story revolves around a group of mysterious killings that seemed to be unsolvable. This impacts the mass population to be scared and resentful towards the Heroes who are unable to find the killer. A situation that is exploited by the local Mayer of Astro City, a character who is more than what he seems. Later I realized that Busiek tricked me into thinking that the Confessor was responsible for the Shadow Hill killings. He also tipped his hand about the shape-shifting aliens early on with the Crackerjack subplot. I loved the fact that this 6-part story starts small(A boy on a bus coming to Astro City, wide eyed) and ends in a large way(A eath wide alien invasion incorporating all the known super heroes on the planet to resist. Busiek does this in such a natural way that it just makes sense. The Aliens and fear that caused the need for Superhero Registration pretty much sums up the last 3-4 years of Marvel plots and points, but Busiek did it in 6 issues. I would love to read whatever stories inspires Kurt to write Confession.

There is something magical about visiting Astro City. Although some of the hero’s are stereotypical, you really feel as if they are unique in design. His narrative style of writing is so rich with dialogue and description that you cannot help but be totally sucked into his world. The problems I have heard with the first volumes was that Busiek spent little time with his characters, quickly moving on to flesh out the city and as many characters as possible. I see now that the first volume was really a primer or stage set-up. Creating the world and characters that he will explore in detail as time would allow. I have read 13 issues of Astro City over the two volumes and I would honestly say that it is perhaps one of the most fascinating and engaging works that I have ever read, and I am so happy that there is so much more to read and sink myself into. This, like a great conversation is something that I don’t think I want to rush.

If you have any comments about Astro City “Confession” Please, Let’s Talk.

Mark Hebert

HATTER M – THE LOOKING GLASS WARS

Martin — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 20:38:07 +0000

By Frank Beddor, Liz Cavalier and Ben Templesmith

“What if Alice in Wonderland really existed? And Lewis Carroll got the story all wrong?”

This book puts a unique and mature twist on the Alice in Wonderland mythos. Wonderland has been taken over by Queen Genevieve’s evil sister Redd, and Royal Bodyguard Hatter Madigan is forced to escape with Princess Alyss and keep her safe. During travel to our world, they are separated and Hatter M ends up in Paris, 1859, and he’s alone, Alyss is missing, and so is his hat. He begins a long 13 year search for his beloved princess searching for clues throughout Paris, along the way being tried in court for murder and finding his hat in the care of a zombie conjurer. M’s hat is pretty important to him, not only is it a symbol of the royal bodyguard of the queen of Wonderland, it’s also a deadly projectile weapon that slices and dices and returns to M. Along with the 4 strange scimitar-like blades attatched to his back and the knives attached to his gloves, Hatter Madigan is a deadly foe. Soon enough, the trail leads to Budapest and M has to deal with an orphanage that is siphoning the imaginations out of it’s children. Frank Beddor and Liz Cavalier have warped Lewis Carrol’s magical fantasy story into something darker and more sinister, opening up a world of lore I previously had not much interest in. I haven’t read them, but there is a series of novels by Beddor called “The Looking Glass Wars”, I would suggest checking those out if you’re interested in more story, but this volume being reviewed is only an spin-off of those stories. It would be nice to see those adapted for graphic novel. Ben Templesmith’s art is dark, sketchy,cartoonish, and eratic….sometimes you think you’re looking at a children’s book, then Hatter M’s blades come out and all blurry hell breaks loose. I would almost say he’s the Tim Burton of the comic medium. It might not be for everyone, but I thinkt there’s beauty to the art . The end of the book has some great gems that give detailed insights and background of Hatter M and The Looking Glass Wars, all making for a fascinating take on the classic fantasy from our youths, much more my style.

Martin

ASTOUNDING SPACE THRILLS – ARGOSY SMITH AND THE CODEX RECKONING

Martin — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 22:28:31 +0000

“A few short years into the 21^st century, the laws governing the universe change – time flows at a different angle, space folds against the grain, and positive particles aren’t so sure”

It doesn’t get much more golden age sci-fi than this. Steve Conley writes and illustrates this humorous serial adventure, drawing heavy influence from classic golden age science fiction. Initially a popular webcomic, Conley has put together quite a detailed universe, and it’s jam-packed with bizarre sci-fi goodies. The art, initially, seems pretty sub-par compared to today’s standards using mainly 3 colors, but you realize it fits the golden age theme as you get into the story, and it wasn’t long before I found an appreciation for it’s style. It’s supposed to look the way it does, otherwise it would be a different experience. Our hero, Argosy Smith, is a combination of the Flash Gordon/ Indiana Jones archetype who, without second thoughts of outcome, gets himself involved in impossible situations, and has an incredible knack of getting out of them, no matter how ridiculous or absurd his plan may be. His sidekick and travelling companion, Theremin, is a former human antique dealer who has since been transformed into …goo… in a nice suit. He’s a loyal friend to Argosy, and brings light-hearted comedy relief. The interactions between Argosy and Theremin, especially when in the midst of action, contribute to the absurdity of the situations. There’s a few main protagonists Argosy has to deal with throughout the book, my favorite being Redmond, CEO of Macroshaft Inc. His oversized glass cranium houses 3 brains which are constantly bickering and babbling with one another. The story revolves around two main arcs, The Codex Reckoning and The Secret of Mooch’s Loot and a single filler chapter in between, Aspects of Iron. Overall, Steve Conley has created a light, fun and detailed sci-fi adventure that easily draw parallels to the science fiction influences from my own childhood. My biggest complaint, and it’s not that terrible, was the simplicity and cheesiness of the dialogue at times, making it feel slightly un-edited. The last chapter was presented in full color and looked awesome, adding another dimension to the art. I would have loved to have seen the whole book done like the last chapter. Regardless, it was a very cool read. All sci-fi geeks should enjoy this.

Martin

WCR Episode #10 – VARIETY HOUR!

yearofmark — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 14:23:39 +0000

Were Back!

After a week off the WCR crew is back in form with a special show showcasing some of the different books read over the break. Hear Mike talk about his first steps into the land of the Dead with Walking Dead Vol:1. Gasp! as we listen to Angie discuss her love for Preacher Vol:1. Feint! as Mark and Martin discuss the Horror Genre and the different hits and misses from the books they “enjoyed”. All this and more! So go ahead and download this very special WCR Variety Hour!

WCR Crew

NEXT UP Angie introduces the crew to Jack Hawksmoor with The Secret History of the Authority : Hawksmoor

FALL OF CTHULHU: THE FUGUE

Martin — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 07:35:33 +0000

In my journey into the world of horror, the works of H.P. Lovecraft resonate the strongest , so I’ve been trying to find books that draw influence from the famed writer of horror and the occult. Thus, I discovered Fall of Cthulhu: The Fugue from BOOM! Studios. It is written by Michael Alan Nelson and predominantly drawn by Jean Dzialowski, save for the dreamland sequences which are drawn by Andrew Ritchie. It’s a pretty freaky book, capturing the essence of Lovecraft by using his mythology and lore, introducing us to people such as Abdul Alhazred (the Mad Arab), author of the Necronomicon, and the Gods Nyarlathotep and Cthulhu, or places like the Arkham Boarding House and “The Dreamlands”, and then there’s the typical objects of the occult such as demonic statues and ancient sacrificial knives. The book is rich with the stuff, and it left me with a lingering thirst for more. Nelson is great at blending a realistic story full of suspense, thrills, and horror with fascinating Lovecraftian lore, Dzialowski’s art is sketchy and realistic, and the colors help bring the sketches alive. Ritchie’s dreamland sequences are a completely different style from Dzialowski’s which adds to the feeling of departure from the world where the story takes place. That’s a great thing. Dreamland is supposed to be a really strange, abstract, other-worldly place, for us readers to interpret both visually and mentally. Ritchie’s style appears rough and poorly colored, but it works surprisingly nice in the dreamland sequences. This is a really freakin’ cool series and I can’t wait to get another dose in volume 2, The Gathering.

Martin Collins

Worst Cover Art Ever!!!!

Mike — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 19:11:28 +0000

This post is going to be really short, but I picked up my “Captain Britain and MI13″ issue #15 from last week and my frist thought before even reading it was “Oh My God, This Cover is hidious!!” Cover art by Mico Suayan and Frank D’Armata. Judge for yourself and let me know what you think.

Mike

G.I.Joe: Origins – First Arc Wrapped

Mike — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 17:00:38 +0000

In the great tradition of me writing about a single issue series that wraps and will, hopefully one day be a trade…

As well as talking about GI Joe in anticipation of the movie I bring you my review of GI Joe: Origins!

This one is probably going to be quite a bit shorter than the last one, but I felt a need to try and boost IDW’s ego a little bit after my last review, not that they need it! (or read this site at all ;D )

The short version, I loved this book! The writing was concise and effective, and the art, although maybe not my favourite ever, was still great and did a wonderful job of conveying the story through the visual medium. As opposed to GI Joe: Cobra, Origins was great at getting the story of the beginnings of the “Joe” squad together, and the last issue in particular was great because we finally got to see SnakeEyes in all his glory! He had a bit of action in issue #2 or 3 (don’t have the books in front of me) but it was basically him running to save his life. In issue #5 he really comes and kicks some butt! This book is everything that I was hoping that “Cobra” was going to be.

I know I’ve said it before, but I seriously think there might have been a bit of overkill on the GI Joe titles, but this book makes it all worth while!

I can honestly tell you all that I will be continuing to read this book as long as it is getting made.

Thanks for listening and until next time,

Mike

PIXU: the MARK of EVIL

Martin — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 15:40:55 +0000

by Vasilis Lolos, Gabriel Ba, Fabio Moon, and Becky Cloonan

I can’t say I’ve read a whole lot of horror comics over the years, but not out of a lack of interest. Only recently have I had more of a focus on the genre and so far I’ve enjoyed what I’ve found. Up to this point, the strangest horror graphic novel I’ve read has to be Pixu: The Mark of Evil, written by Vasilis Lolos and drawn by Gabriel Ba and Fabio Moon. I can’t say that I’ve read anything like it. Lolos’ dialogue throughout the story is minimum, just enough to nudge the story along, and it works well because the strength in the story lies in the visuals, that’s where the elements of horror lie. It is drawn in black and white, and the blacks are used heavily, adding to the darkness and creepiness of the story really making it feel like a horror. The scenes of true horror are almost abstract, leaving you wandering what the hell you’re looking at. The supernatural force throughout the story is kept a bit of a mystery, as far as visually goes, it gets drawn with what looks like a paintbrush gone awry, which I think is great. We don’t really get much of a background on our characters, you don’t really need it,but all 5 are kinda screwed, living in this cursed apartment building/house. The house is more like the main character anyways. The tenants are a strange bunch, all of them emotionally scarred in some way, and that plays well with the psychological effect the house has on them. The book is beautifully packaged in a nice undersized hardcover. Dark Horse has some really intriguing horror books to offer and I know I’ll look there for some other horror stories.

Martin

WCR Episode #9 – “Scalped”

yearofmark — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 04:43:59 +0000

Scalped can be described as a Noir Crime and Western Genres smashing head first into each other, procreating and delivering a bastard child with a first volume entitled “Indian Country”. Scalped has very little in the way of good or right. You will find that all the characters are flawed and or damaged people holding their lives together with dried up duct tape. None have any real redeeming qualities. It has many critiques against its use of foul language, intense violence and seemingly stereotype against first nations. I still don’t know if the main “good” guy is really all that good and if the main “bad” guy is really all that bad. Perhaps in the world of Scalped there is no good and bad just very blended shades of grey (leaning towards the bad at this point I think). I should mention now that this story is not for the weak of heart or the sensitive minded. I guess thats good, because I am neither.

The story of Scalped follows Dashiell Bad Horse as he returns to his home Prairie Rose Reservation. Prairie Rose is a haven for drugs, prostitution, alcoholism, gangs, violence, you name it. Apparently he is just passing through but cannot help himself by getting into bar fight after bar fight. These actions eventually catch the attention of Lincoln Red Crow, the reservation’s Chief. Lincoln, who seemingly is a pretty bad guy offers Dash a job and makes mention of the fact that Dash is a full blooded Lakota and he wants him around. You will have to read to see if Dash Accepts this offering. Also we are introduced to the other characters: Dash’s mother Gina(a Native Activist), Carol Red Crow (Lincoln’s estranged foul mouthed daughter, and apparently Dash’s first love). There is more than meets the eye to Dash and his reasons for returning and it is quickly shown that it is not a happy engagement.

The series is created by Jason Aaron(Writer) and R.M. Guera(Art). One of the main criticism of the public is the fact that Aaron has never been on a reservation nor is he First Nations. This fact, however does not bother me. Many stories are written purely by research alone. Although it might have more weight if the writer was first nations. Aaron has no problem dealing with foul language and intense mature subject themes, again this is not for the kids. R.M. Guera creates a world that is visually harsh, dirty and unpleasant, which is perfect.

Also note that I failed to mention about the **SPOILER** aspect of the WCR Show at the beginning of the episode, be aware.

Enjoy the show!

Mark

On the Subject of Horror: Two Houses and an Anthology

yearofmark — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 03:52:35 +0000

So, I have been on vacation the last couple of weeks and ran out of books (early). I decided to check out some local store and try to pick some up. I wanted to do a quick review on some horror books, a genre that I love very much. On the trip I took with me a copy of “House of Mystery” a Vertigo title recently launched. I was hopeing to pick up Locke and Key but I was unable to find any. I posted earlier about the finding of Eduardo Risso’s Tales of Terror at RX Comics in Vancouver, so that would replace Locke and Key. However I still needed a third book (I like to do these things in three’s, I dunno why). Well while I was at RX Comics talking with the owner my wife waited for me a couple of doors down at a used books store. I headed over to pick them up when she told me of the bookshelf of Graphic Novels. I was floored by the amount that they had. This had turned into a remarkable find as I quickly picked up a bunch of books that I will talk about in another post. What I was really excited about was the fact that I had found “Arkham Asylum”, a Batman original graphic novel for like ten bucks! I had known about this book but for some reason never picked it up. I had heard that it is considered one of the best Batman Stories told, right after One Year Later, Dark Knight Returns and The Killing Joke. So I decided that due to the nature of the book it will be my third. One is a ongoing monthly, One is an anthology, One is a complete graphic novel. Lets see if they were good picks!

House of Mystery Vol 1 – Room and Boredom – Mathew Sturges & Bill Willingham & Luca Rossi

In 2008 Vertigo launched this tile as a regular monthly title. Mathew Sturges and Bill Willingham are at the helm and they do not displease. The story centers around A “Mysterious House” that resides somewhere and in the house the currency is stories. Fictional characters come and go, some are from science fiction others from high fantasy. the main story revolves around the poeple that work at the house. You see there is a bar that the fictional characters visit. These people that work at the bar are trapped within the house without any way to leave, and believe me they try! The Bar and its employees is the continuing story that we see unfold throughout the issues, and in its own way is very compelling. What makes the book extra special are the stories that are being told. These stories are sometimes written by Sturges sometimes by Willingham. These side stories are drawn by different artists, which really takes them away from the main story that has a regular artist, that being Luca Rossi. So although there is a continuing story there is always another story to be told. Although more creepy than there other work in Fables and Jack of Fables, there does exist a certain similarity in story and character which I love, and I wouldn’t be surprised if Jack showed up in the bar, in fact that would be awesome. The main story is also compelling enough to keep me coming back for more, therefore the next trade will be something I will be picking up in the near future.

Eduardo Risso’s Tales of Terror – Eduardo Risso & Chris Trillo / Dynamite Entertainment

I am a huge fan of Eduardo Risso’s art on 100 Bullets, he is gritty and pretty all at the same time. I would say that it would be really hard for him to top that work, I mean 100 issues, that’s something to be proud of. The best thing about this book is that he doesn’t veer to far away from that style. So I can honestly say that the art for this anthology is simply amazing, some of his best black and white work. However, I cannot say the same for the writing, which unfortunately did not match the great art. The stories were “ok”. It’s hard to look at a book and not be really impressed by it. I understand the work involved and I want on some level to like everything I read, but in this case I really had to read this book in small doses, which ironically worked rather well as it is an anthology and all. Some of the stories were riddled in cliche and others were just plain boring. There is the Vampire story, the Monster story, a couple Lovecraftian stories, and a number of others that I have already forgotten. On the bright note there are a couple I did like, first story about a son and his mother really hit me in the gut. I know Eduardo’s name is in the title but the book is written by Carlos Trillo, which Eduardo was collaborated many time. I think that there is something lost in the translation as it was originally written in Spanish. I wished it was done better. Sometimes you take a chance on a book and it pays off, this time not so much. All said and done the book semi-entertained me.

Arkham Asylum – A Serious House on Serious Soil – Grant Morrison & Dave Mckean / DC Comics

I never knew this book, at time of the 15 anniversary printing, was the highest selling Original Graphic Novel of all time. Now remember I mean Original Graphic novel, which means a complete work, not a collected work (like Watchmen). This really impressed me. I didn’t really have a problem with the book, in-fact there are way more pluses then there are negatives. The painted art from Dave Mckean is simply amazing, in fact his art in combination with Grant Morrison’s words reminds me in a way of David Macks Kabuki style. Out of all the books that I have this book is hands down the best out of the bunch. It is the most creepy, scary, disturbing to read book I think I have ever read, which is a good thing. I don’t think I can every see the joker again without thinking about Dave Mckean’s version of him. This story was one of Grant Morrison’s first pitched for DC way back when and I have to hand it to the guy, it really pays off.

The story is split into two different narratives that being the journal of Amadeus Arkham that takes place in the 20’s and that of the present, Batman is required to go into Arkham because the inmates have taken over the facility. Inmates like Harvey Dent, and the Joker. The story sweeps in and out of the two narratives until they both merge. While I was reading I did however have trouble understand who and what Batman was fighting, I imagine a more serious Batman fan had no real problem figuring it out, but I had. It’s important to note that this story takes place outside the continuity of the regular Batman world, it simply stands on its own, which is important because apparently Grant takes some liberties with the rogues of Batman. I also had a hard time with the voice of Batman, he seemed unsure about himself and he didn’t seem right to me. This was answered later in the book when it is noted that Grant did this on purpose and he would not write Batman like this again, outside of this particular story.

All in all I would place this as on the top Batman stories told. Read this book.

Have a great Weekend,

Mark

Conan vol. 1 : The Frost-Giant’s Daughter and Other Stories

Martin — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 02:44:37 +0000

“Writer Kurt Busiek treats Conan with the dignified respect due one of the towering figures in fantasy literature…it feels like historians unearthed a vibrant, bloody tapestry. These are, once again, the days of high adventure” – Entertainment Weekly

Kurt Busiek obviously knows Conan well enough to re-tell his story as it should be told, and complemented with Cary Nord’s beautifully colored art, it injects the franchise with a bold new interpretation. The stories are based on adaptations and early unpublished works of Robert E. Howard telling us the tales of Conan’s early days. The prologue itself is a great way to launch the series, and a great story itself. It sets the book up as a tale being told of ages past, told to us by a suspicious looking wizard called Wazir (I’d be surprised if he didn’t turn out to be Thoth-Amon) who has been ordered, by his prince master, to research the long dead Conan. After failing to dissuade the prince, the disgruntled Wazir presents his lord with his findings, beginning the tale with the classic Nemedian Chronicles, graciously offered and depicted for us in 6 pages worth of Nord’s stunning pencil sketches and brought to life with Dave Stewarts graphic and bloody colors. Busiek tells us the stories leading up to The Frost-Giant’s Daughter and the events just after in poetic fashion, tying them all together neatly and effortlessly. The descriptive narration adds a whole element of storytelling of it’s own in the form of the Nemedian Chronicles depicting Conan’s adventures. In this collection of stories, Conan is young and unproven, exploring lands and civilization for the first time and still learning the many skills he becomes so proficient at, but no less the cunning and brutal warrior you expect, clutching to the old and simpler ways of his barbaric homeland. This is Conan at his absolute best, and that’s pretty strong praise. It’s a bloody chronicle and an epic saga all in one. If you are unfamiliar with Conan, this is the perfect place to start. The best thing is, this is just the beginning of Conan’s adventures, and i’ll be on this ride for the long haul.

Martin

WCR Episode #8 – “Green Lantern – Secret Origin”

Mike — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 16:09:49 +0000

So, it’s my pick again is it?? well, in that case let’s do something completely different… a review of a true honest to goodness, big publishing company superhero comic. OMG What?? that’s just crazy! Crazy you say… the only thing crazy about this book is Geoff Johns story telling!! This was the book that got me reading Green Lantern for the first time and after reading it, I thought to myself, “Self… WHAT WERE YOU DOING WAITING THIS LONG?!?”

This is the (wait for the surprise) origin story of Hal Jordan becoming the Green Lantern for Space Sector 2814. As a side note Space Sectort 2814 is the sector that earth is in , and the Green Lanterns are an intergalactic police force.

The story starts with some notebook type word bubbles talking about how Hal used to go to the air field where his father used to be a test Pilot for the USAF. His Father suddenly crashes and Hal basically waits for his opportunity to leave home and join the Air Force himself. He becomes a bit of a “Maverick” and ends up crashing a new plane. Meanwhile, in another area of space Abin Sur, the “current” Green Lantern for space sector 2814, is hunting down a being who can apparently tell the future and is telling Abin Sur about the coming of the “Blackest Night” (which is the soon to be started summer event for DC’s Green Lantern books.) Abin Sur dies when his space ship crashes and his ring finds the new Green Lantern (Hal Jordan) and brings him to Abin Sur. The rest of the story is about Hal’s training as a Green Lantern and his interactions with his family and how his life starts to change trying to conceal his identity from his family and friends.

If you have ever wanted to get into a superhero story but didn’t know where to start, this is a good place. Geoff Johns’ storytelling is a great introduction to the Green Lantern world and Ivan Reis’ art was clean and was colored wonderfully for the world in which this story takes place.

Hope you enjoy this as much as I did, until next time

Mike Burtwistle

REMEMBER TO COME BACK NEXT WEEK TO SEE MARK GET SCALPED!!!

SOLOMON KANE vol. 1 THE CASTLE of the DEVIL

Martin — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 05:54:53 +0000

Who is Solomon Kane? You’ll still be asking yourself this when you’re done “The Castle of the Devil”. I was expecting more of a background story on Kane, but it never came. Is that good or bad? Depends. I’m left so far with the impression that part of Solomon Kane’s appeal is the mystery to him, and I’ll most likely look into more of his stories because I like the genre. I can’t say the same though for everyone else who reads this book. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a little disappointed that there was no background to our puritan hero. It felt like I was jumping into a series halfway through it, but at the beginning of a new arc. Scott Allie gives us a pretty good story, filled with murder, mystery, and devil worshiping. His dialogue though between characters seems a little broken at times with their 16^th century ”talk”, making it a little harder to follow. Solomon Kane is a very cool character concept, but I felt he just wasn’t fleshed out enough, within the story but especially in the art. Mario Guevera’s sketchy art style is brought to life with the color. Thank god for the color! It almost seemed to me that the way Solomon Kane is drawn has the least artistic effort out of everything else drawn. He has no color to him, he’s black and white. While that may add to the mystery of Kane, which I’m totally fine with, he’s kind of dull to look at from the artists interpretation. I wouldn’t say this book is for everyone, but if you’re a fan of the genre, there’s still a good story to be told. Because I’m a fan of Robert E. Howard, ( Conan rocks my world) and the mystery of who Solomon Kane is, I will read more, but my expectations for him have grown some. The potential is there, but I need to read more. Maybe the art will grow on me too. For now, it’s a solid story surrounded by mediocrity. Let’s see where it goes.

Martin Collins

RX Comics & Hidden Gems

yearofmark — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 03:50:02 +0000

I recently was on vacation in Vancouver and I quickly realized the books that I had brought with me, “research for the show”, was quickly becoming smaller and smaller. Moving quickly, I pulled out my trusty iPhone and did a comics shop search in the Vancouver area. I needed to do some tent maintenance so I was hoping I could kill two birds with one stone. I found this shop, RX Comics, conveniently located in a relatively easy to find road. RX comics has the appearance of a shop that is owned by a comic fan boy. This means that it is not very well organized or inviting to non-comic people, not my favorite type of store compared to the one I frequent back in my hometown of Calgary. However I still liked the place and started to sort through the various bookshelves of trades, (of course ignoring the singles). I wanted to do some research on horror comics so I could do a special or something. I was looking for a book call Locke and Key. With a search that would put a tiger hunter to shame, the result was a no. I was semi-perturbed as I was excited about reading it but I could understand that they didn’t have it. So I tried something new.

I asked the store owner what he would recommend to me in this time of need.

This is a new concept for me as I think of my self as somewhat of a research on this subject, but the result was quite rewarding. He suggested I try Edwardo Risso’s Tales of Terror. I was instantly excited because I am a big fan of Edwardo’s art from his 100 Bullets fame.And from the look of the cover I was drooling.

See what I mean, well its not for everyone.

Anyways I guess the point behind this brief post is that never judge a book by its cover (well in the case of this book, you certainly can!). RX Comics is the atypical comic shop, however, within those walls is a deep knowledge about books I might not have known about. Ironically, while I was there the proprietor mention that the following day there was gong to be a comics show near at the heritage hall. Unfortunately I was unable to attend. I wish I could have interviewed him, he was pretty cool!

Thank you RXComics.

Mark

PS – I am writing a compilation of some scary/horror books that I have been reading and want to share them, look for that post sometime next week!

“G.I. Joe: Cobra” the first four issues

Mike — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 21:12:38 +0000

Jumping on the hype bandwagon of this summer’s big G.I.Joe: The Rise of Cobra film, IDW comics has released 4 G.I.Joe comic series’.

First they did a reboot of the standard G.I.Joe title… Reading it!

Second is a cool look at how the Joes all end up together as a team in G.I.Joe: Origins… reading it!

Third is an “officail” movie prequel book also titled G.I.Joe not to be confused with the reboot version of the original comic… P.S. – Not Reading it!

Lastly (and what today’s discussion will be about) a look at the life of one Joe who is tasked with infiltrating the Cobra organization called G.I.Joe: Cobra

Without getting into too much detail, Cobra is about a Joe by the name of Chuckles who is, for all intents and purpose, kicked out of the G.I.Joe organization, and told that he will no longer have any contact or dealings with any of his former Joe associates, with the obvious exception of General Hawk and one or two others who are central to him going undercover. He makes initial contact with Cobra by becoming a mercenary, developing quite a name for himself as one bad “dude” (censored). His, somewhat obvious, goal is to infiltrate Cobra and discover who their leadership is and report back/take them out. And the final plot point I’m going to share is this is supposed to be the begginings of the Cobra organization, sadly without much of that story actually explained.

Let me start with by saying this… four books?? Really guys? a little overkill don’t you think? (speaking of overkill, check out the latest Ed Brubaker/Sean Phillips book Incognito… SOLID!!) I mean really, I know there is a movie coming out and lord knows the marketing guys are really pushing to make money off the hype wave while it’s rolling, but I’m thinking maybe two would have been good. Next I would like to point out that this book G.I.Joe: Cobra was probably the book that never should have been, out of this quadfecta of marketing chaos it is by far my least favourite! Granted I’m not reading the movie prequel book, but I think I can confidently say that I wouldn’t expect much from that one anyway. The art in Cobra was mediocre at best, and the story never, ever, made me care enough about Chuckles or his trial and tribualtions. A lot of the supporting cast was inconsequetial and had little to no personality.

My only recomendation would be, pick up G.I.Joe, and G.I.Joe: Origins but don’t bother with either of the other two titles. Cobra for the above mentioned reasons, and the movie prequel because, who wants to ruin what I’m hoping will be a good movie, but sadly fearful of the fact that I truely think it’s going to ruin my childhood memories of afternoons in the backyard with some of the greatest toys ever created; and I make this assumption based on two words… “Accelerator Suit”!

And now you know, and knowing is half the battle!

This is Mike, Over and out!

WCR Episode #7 – “Kurt Busiek’s Astro-City Vol:1 – Life in the Big City”

yearofmark — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 03:00:44 +0000

After reading the first volume of Kurt Busiek’s Astro City: Life in the Big City, it was easy for me to see something special evolving as I turned the pages. It’s presented as an anthology , each story introducing faces, places, and history of Astro City from different perspectives. It’s not so much about the daily heroics of the local superheroes, but what they are doing in their off-time and how they navigate their lives with everyday activities . It’s about the 2-bit hood and what his life is like after stumbling upon the identity of one of the superheroes. Every chapter is essentially a seperate story, each one adding to the scope and depth. You get the sense of it all tying in together and the more you read, the more the city comes alive with lore. Every part of the city has it’s own story evolving, some more intriguing than others, but when you think of it as a whole, is where it gets sold. You just want more.

Brent Anderson’s art took a bit for me to get used to. Not until I started to get a clearer picture of what Astro City was all about did I really begin to appreciate the art. There is a definite visual influence of silver age comics that may seem a little aged by today’s standards, but it all fits perfectly with Busiek’s modern, story driven, psychological style of writing. What you end up with is a meshing of comic ages that is extremely refreshing. Some characters seem very simplistic and odd at first. Take Jack-In-The-Box. He’s sort of like the Daredevil crime fighter, only appearing as a clown in tights traveling around with weird foot springs that launch him around and fist springs that launch out for various combat maneuvers. You’re given more of a perspective from the public’s view of him, which adds a lot of mystery to him, and it’s also like that with some of the other characters. You can reference elements of many different influences from other comics. Superman( Samaritan ), Daredevil ( Jack-In-The-Box ), Flash ( MPH ), Wonder Woman (Winged Victory ), The Fantastic Four ( The First Family ), The Spectre ( The Hanged Man ), The Justice League ( Honor Guard ), Captain America ( portrayed as 2 characters, Old Soldier and Silver Agent), but they are all, also, very different, their stories and histories woven with Busiek’s edgier style. Much the same can be said about some of the villains. Busiek writes at times with obvious silver age influences. One-liners in the heat of battle are plentiful and cheesy at times, and it works awesome in combination with the art.

I really enjoyed the pace of the book. It’s jam packed with lore and it’s presented without staying in one place for too long. The universe feels fresh, you don’t have decades of continuity to deal with, and the history and lore are presented swiftly. There’s a lot going on in Astro City and it’s fun to keep up with it all. I would say a unique blending of the Marvel and DC universes. There’s a lot of possible arcs that are foreshadowed, and that will keep me joyously reading the series. Busiek has made a niche of his own in the superhero genre. Any fan of the genre should get something out of Astro City. It would also make a great doorway for new comic readers because it doesn’t overwhelm you with years of continuity and lore.
If you’re not too worried about spoilers, check these sites out:

www.herocopia.com
www.astrocity.us

Thanks,

Martin

COME BACK NEXT WEEK WHEN MIKE SHEDS SOME LIGHT WITH GREEN LANTERN : ORIGINS!

Is it the jumping on point, or jumping off?

yearofmark — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 04:16:09 +0000

A funny thing seems to be happening right now. It seems more and more people are making the switch to the trades. Or is it the same phenomenon as when you buy a particular car you start to see that car everywhere? I don’t know, but I do notice it more. Making the switch to trades due to whatever reason be it price, storage…whatever is hard. I know I have talked about this before but I think I still need to get it off my chest. When you make the drop single issues and you still care about the story not being ruined for you, you have to ignore the people that still read them. The only other time I needed to do this was when I quit drinking/Smoking. In other words, its major. If you don’t care about spoilers then it isn’t such a big deal anyways!

When you collect comics you hear from time to time of the thing called the “Jumping-On Point. It is the space in a long term comics series when something happens that makes the story more accessible to new readers. This event might be a new status qua, such as the Brand New Day event for Amazing Spider-Man or it might be a new creative team taking on a established book, such as Mark Miller and Brian Hitch doing a 12 comic run on Fantastic Four. These things makes it easier for new readers to understand what is going on. That is why I bring the up the idea of the “Jumping Off Point”, same idea but its an excuse to exit a series not start. This point, strangely enough, coincides with the realization that you have 30,000 comics in a room, a room you dread going in because it has so much “weight”. And why not drop the singles? They are becoming to expensive anyways, and the trades are cheaper and generally will look better on the shelf.

Another good reason to find a jumping off point is that it is a clean transition from story line to storyline.

I recently decided to drop Amazing Spider-man, not because I didn’t love it but because I love reading complete story arcs all at once. In a way, it mirrors my TV habits as I never watch TV from cable, only rented/buy. No commercials makes me very happy.

Now I just want to make it clear, I don’t have 30,000 comics. I many regards I barely have any compared to what I could have had if I was consistent over the last 20+ years. But my bookshelf is growing weekly, and that makes me happy!

Mark Hebert

CAIRO a graphic novel by G. Willow Wilson

Martin — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 23:44:56 +0000

“ Chock full of brilliant ideas drawn from the mythology and legends of the Middle East, deftly reinterpreted and modernized by Wilson’s agile and whimsical mind and Perker’s impressive craft.”

- Bill Willingham

creator and writer of FABLES

That’s what convinced me to give it a shot. Simple as that. I’m a big fan of Fables and if Willingham suggests reading it, sure, I’ll give it a shot. What a cool story it turned out to be. Obviously, the setting is Cairo, modern day Cairo. It’s probally the first graphic novel I’ve read where the setting is Cairo. The story is about 5 strangers and their inevitable intersection with one another to find an artifact protected by a Jinn . The artifact has also drawn the attention of a local crime-lord who practices magic. I think it’s a great concept. We are introduced to some middle eastern influenced concepts regarding mythology and legends, some are familiar and some not so much, and it feels fresh and interesting.

The Jinn, known as Shams, is the most interesting of the characters. He appears very prince-like…wearing a nice white suit, slick hair and goatee, you almost imagine a pompousness. But, he’s a noble and kind Jinn. Shams has been trapped in a Hookah, which ends up in the hands of a young American-Lebanese traveller, Shaheed, who inadvertently releases him from his prison. Both Shams and Shaheed develop a journeyman/apprentice sort of relationship, and also a friendship in the process and it’s these characters that introduce us to the middle eastern mythology and legends.

One of the things I noticed was the pairing of all the main characters. This gives everyone more “screen time” if you will, without having to get too much into individual stories. Everyone complements one another nicely. Ashraff and Tova are 2 people from places and professions where by all rights, they should be enemies. Ashraff is a drug smuggler and Tova is an Israeli soldier. Ali and Kate are both journalists, Ali being the veteran from Cairo and Kate being the student from America. You end up with 6 characters involved in 3 arcs, and it’s the journey of those 3 arcs to make 1 that makes an interesting read.

G. Willow Wilson, I found out later, practices Islam and began her writing career living in Cairo. She uses those influences in her writing which is great. Wilson writes some of the characters dialogue in where you can imagine their accents, and throws in Arabic phrases here and there, like common slurs and minor derogatory comments which all adds to the feel of the middle eastern setting. M.K. Perker’s black and white art captures the Cairo look nicely. His style reminds me of Tony Moore and Charlie Adlard of The Walking Dead. I really enjoyed his ability to capture expressions on people’s faces. Both writer and artist are working on Vertigo’s “Air” which has had some favorable nods from within the industry. Wilson and Perker make a good team and Perker’s art in color looks really nice. Cairo is a great book, there’s not much to dislike. Check it out.

Martin

WCR Episode #6 – “Kabuki Vol 1: Circle of Blood”

Angie — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 03:40:20 +0000

Kabuki was my nose-dive into the graphic novel medium. I read the single issues that are currently on the shelves, and loved them. I wanted to know more. “Circle of Blood” is the first graphic Novel of the Kabuki series. Though it was written 13 years ago, I haven’t seen other graphic novels that attempt to use, transform and celebrate the medium as much as this book.

“Circle of Blood” was written by David Mack, as his final university project at the age of 21. It was written as single issues, and then compiled into the novel format. It is currently published by Image.

The book covers the story of a woman in a near future reality, in Japan. She is an assassin, military weapon, and a pop culture icon. She is used by a secretive agency called the NOH, who control crime and government. Its pretty gory, using lots of masks, crime, subculture, infiltration, subversion, rape, murder, and war psychology. yeah, I admit, its not really pretty.*

What is totally fascinating is not the story is, but instead HOW the story is told. Mack uses images, icons, shapes and the page layout itself to convey moods and feelings. At the best parts the book is like a poem that tells and retells an intense feeling of loss, confusion, anger, pain and transformation. Using only black and white, and the traditional panel format, Mack plays with the space between images, to create visual riddles that warp our expectations. A cold hearted killing machine, is actually a little girl, who is mourning the loss of her mother. The ambition of the book, is not just to say that, but to reveal it, and what is must feel like to experience it.

Though the writing can at times be a little philosophical, and redundant, I feel the book itself is a masterpiece of the medium and deserves all the nominations** and attention it has got. I just hope it doesn’t get lost in history. Its a little obscure these days, but deserves to be pulled out and examined. If you want a book that challenges and goes a little deeper into the medium and into ideas of family, culture, love and deceit, I’d check it out.

*I must add though that the women actually ARE very pretty – even scar-face herself. I don’t know if Mack could draw an ugly Asian woman. In context the whole sex-appeal only adds to the subversive attitude of the book, though I can’t say it celebrates women, or empowers them. I’d say there’s a lot of objectification in there, but I’m pretty sure Mack is smart enough to know it… Though I am not sure I know where he’s going with it…

**Eisner nomination, 2 Eagle awards, Harvey award and the Kirby award… to start.

Thanks,
Angie Rout

Next Week Martin takes us on a ride to “Kurt Busiek’s AstroCity”. Make sure your here!

Ultimatum

Martin — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 23:32:49 +0000

So, it’s been a while since i’ve followed what’s been going on in the Ultimate universe. I was pretty surprised to hear about the dismantling/destruction of the universe so Marvel can give it a reboot. That in itself is cool….nothing wrong with a fresh start. I did a little research into what some people were saying about it all and here’s what I found;

Jesse Schedeen of IGN.com has said, “Loeb’s handling of these characters is at best misguided, and at worst completely disrespectful.”

PopCultureShock.com has said that “But, the fact remains that a story based on Magneto wanting to kill all the humans is just deathly dull and unoriginal.”

iFanboy.com has said about Ultimatum #4 that “I consider this type of writing to be “eye-rape”: I didn’t ask for it, but it sure as hell was forced it’s way in.”

David Wallace of Line of Fire Reviews has said “There’s a gleeful quality to Loeb and Finch’s destruction, much of which manifests itself through gruesome action sequences: we see heads being popped off the top of still-living bodies, arms being cleaved off by gigantic swords, a graphic image of someone being shot in the eye, and a little (more) cannibalism, just for good measure. All of this violence and gore reinforces the impression that the book is being sold on the strength of its shocking content, rather than on the promise of a decent story.”, and went later to say “I’m personally sad to see the Ultimate Universe go out in so undignified a fashion.”

Seems pretty negative. I’m not really following what’s going on right now in the Ultimate Universe, but I am interested in some of your views.

ORBITER by Warren Ellis

Martin — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 22:11:13 +0000

“It’s a book about glory. About going back to space, because it’s waiting for us, and it’s where we’re meant to be.” Warren Ellis.

I bought this book a while back, looking for a good one-shot science fiction story, and I think I hit the mark. Orbiter is an intimate story about the fictional space shuttle Venture which returns to Earth after mysteriously disappearing in orbit 10 years ago. Because of it’s disappearance, NASA hasn’t put man into space since, electing instead to send robotic flights instead. Of the 7 crew members, only 1 returns and the ship has been altered with alien technology. A specialty team is brought in to investigate the whole thing, and it’s their investigations and discoveries that carries the story along. Warren Ellis weaves us through the story quite quickly, it’s to the point, without feeling like there’s not enough happening. The dialogue flows, from beginning to end. This is obviously close to Ellis’ heart. The book itself is dedicated to the crew of Columbia, a nice touch. I liked the convincing techno babble between the scientists…very believable. Colleen Doran’s art doesn’t stand out, but it works well. Her organic style adds a sketchy detail into panels when it should be there and keeps it fairly uncluttered everywhere else. When you read a book, it has to have some kind of impact on you, great or small. I’ve discovered something special in this story, it’s realistic and believably sincere. That’s a great impact. I’d like to find more stories like this, they seem to be few and far between. For sure, you should all check this one out.

Martin.

Three Reasons Why Vertigo

yearofmark — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 19:11:18 +0000

An interesting thing has occurred to me. A you can see on the right side panel we have put up a creator search in the form of a tag cloud. A tag cloud basically is a bunch of words that represents links to different writings or reviews shows (i.e. click a name and a list of content referencing the name will appear).The cool part is that if the name appears larger that the other names it means that there are more links or content using that tag. As you can see the name Vertigo is quite large. I wonder why? Now to be fair, we are a relatively new website/show and our content will grow over the next while so different names will be bigger at different times, but I have a feeling that Vertigo will most likely remain a very large name. The reason is simple, Vertigo produces some of the best mature themed books on the market right now. Bold Statement you say? Not really, and I will tell you why.

Lets go through a brief list of some of the works by Vertigo.

Y – The Last Man
Preacher
Hellblazer
Scalped
Young Liars
Exterminators
…etc

These are only a handful of the books, some I have read, some I will read. It would be wrong for me to discuss books I have read so I will just focus on the ones that I have, these are going to be brief outlines of the books and generally for the people whom have not read them.

It would be hard to talk about that list without mentioning Preacher. This is a nine volume collection that follows Jesse Custer (The Preacher), Tulip(His Girlfriend), and Cassidy (His Friend) as they go on a mission to find God. The Story is full of hard hitting violence, strong relationship, action, love, perversion, and above all heart. Garth Ennis(Writer) has truly crafted a masterpiece that will forever be the comparison of future works. If you like cowboy stories, comedies, romance, and a taste of the outlandishly weird you will love Preacher. Also, one great note is that the series is finished, so it is not that hard to get caught up! Warning! Not for the week of heart.

One of the first Vertigo books that I picked up was the trade for The Exterminators. TheExterminators is the brain child of Writer Simon Oliver. Originally planned to be a tv script Simon decided that it would be best served if brought to the comics medium instead. The Exterminators is the story of a small extermination company that takes its job very seriously. They are aware of the delicate balance between humans and nature and the battles in between. Another not-for-the-weak-of-heart stories that is part creepy horror and kneel slapping comedy. This series is 30 issues deep and is collected in 5 trade books. If you like bugs and violence, wicked humor then you will love The Exterminators.

The latest book I am currently loving is the current work of David Lapham, title Young Liars. David Lapham is well known for his Eisner winning work on the independent “Stray Bullets”, as series I intend to check out. The work I am more familiar with is his early work at Valiant Comics and Defiant Comics in the early 90’s. Young Liars follows a group of twenty-somethings around on various adventures. It would seem that the series is quite musical in influence and at the beginning of each issue there is a recommended listening list, it is unknown if the songs are the influences to the current issue, but one can assume. The characters seem to live fantastic lives and sometimes when the topic of back stories of the characters are discussed there is conflicting points of facts, thus it is hard to decide on who is lying and who is telling the truth. Through that in to the mix along with chases, love, romance, and a tough psychotic midget and you only have a taste of Young Liars. This series is two trades deep and I highly recommended it. Also it is the tamest of the group this week.

All these books are accessible and have helped put the “V” into Vertigo. We can expect some or all of these books to be a review book some point in the future .

Have a great weekend and see ya next week!

The Un-Men: Get Your Freak On

Martin — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 01:21:09 +0000

This was just a random pick for me in my quest for “something different”. Yeah….i’d say this is different. In a good way though. For those who are not familiar with the Un-Men….I wasn’t till 2 days ago….they are a creation of writer/editor Len Wein. Wein is probally best known for co-creating The Swamp Thing with Berni Wrightson, editing Alan Moore’s Watchmen, and reviving the X-Men way back in ‘75, where he co-created Nightcrawler, Storm, Colossus, Thunderbird (whoever that is…lol), and everyone’s favorite Wolverine. He has also scripted a long run of Batman and collaborated on Green Lantern. Quite the resume i’d say. Anyways, back to the Un-Men. Wein had created the Un-Men as a “synthetic” army created by one of Swamp Things nemesis’ Anton Arcane. That was then. This is now.

John Whalen, with artist Mike Hawthorne, have revived the Un-Men and have given the whole concept a hefty makeover. I don’t pretend to know a whole lot about the history of the Un-Men, but you don’t need to. It does spark an interest in the Swamp Thing for me though, especially the Alan Moore run. The jist of the sory is about a bunch of freaks (for lack of a better term) living on an old atomic bomb site called Aberrance USA, donated to them by the goverment some time ago. A company called Uncorp runs the place, turning the place into a Disneyland meets Carnival amusement park, a tourist hit. It is policed by the Uncorp security detail, a normal bunch of people jusr doing their job, save for their genetic alterations such as the 6 limbed security guard Mr. Tripes, the 5-eyed swat commander Sgt. Panoptes, and and the gorgeous 1 armed C.O. of Uncorp Niko Parish, with angel wings and all. Uncorp is run by Janus & Son….with Janus Jr. being literally a growth coming out of his fathers back. All these un-natural “freaks’ are the creation of the real “freak” pulling the strings at Uncorp….Cranius, or publicly known as Dr. Von Schadel, medical expert of the controversial kind, and possibly the biggest freak of them all. All the “regular” freaks and misfits are known as the Gaffs and are treated rather harshly by Uncorp, they make up the general workers and sideshow attractions of Aberrance.

The story revolves around Phineas Kilcrop, a black albino D.O.E. agent (an organization similiar to FBI) sent to Aberrance to investigate the death of the sideshow attraction known as The Amazing Gill-Boy. What unfolds is not what most would expect. Murder, abominations, horror, politics, warped humour, they’re all present. Even the twist of a TV reality show is thrown into the mix. I personally think is quite unique and makes for a real fun read. There’s definately that feeling of 80’s pulp horror, not serious enough to actually be scary or anything, just warped fun. I’m sure any fan of the Swamp Thing, Frankenstein, or H.P. Lovecraft’s work will enjoy this read, just don’t take it too seriously. I found it to be a nice surprise, taking elements from various genres and creating it’s own freaky style. The art doesn’t stand out, but it works, it’s your typical Vertigo style we’re used to seeing. Funny, i’m starting to see a pattern in Vertigo’s art style. John Whalen keeps the story semi-light with enough twists and warped revalations to pull me into his world of freaks, geeks and mishaps. I know i’ll be looking for more. Check it out.

Martin

Only 10 ?????

Martin — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 07:02:24 +0000

What if, let’s say (God forbid), you could only have 10 TP’s and 10 only. What would they be? (No mega sized books with volumes in them). Here’s mine.

1. The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen vol. 1
2. Astro City: Life in the Big City
3. Batman: Year One
4. Watchmen
5. The Ultimates vol. 1
6. Pride of Baghdad
7. V for Vendetta
8. Batman: The Long Halloween
9. The Ultimates vol. 2
10. The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen vol. 2

WCR Episode #5 – “The Umbrella Academy – Apocalypse Suite”

yearofmark — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 17:19:36 +0000

Although this is technically my second pick for the show, the process of picking a book is a long and arduous one. How does one choose? Do I go with something I have actually read? or something new? If I go with what I have read, I miss out in the potential to share in new experiences with the rest of the panel, however this could be a bad thing if it was a poor choice. Luckily, I believe it is a good choice, no strike that, a great choice!

I was first introduced to the Umbrella Academy (which is excellently written by My Chemical Romance front man Gerard Way and wonderfully penciled by Gabriel Ba) along side the rest of the world during Free Comic Book Day 2007. It was a one shot which simply introduced us the main characters, who so happen to be named The Umbrella Academy. The Academy is a group of superheroes that work under the tutelage of their adopted father “The Monocle”. The funny thing about their introduction is the way Gerard Way makes mention of the fact that some of the characters will be dead or changed when the Mini series (Apocalypse Suite) begins. To try and do a brief plot description in a way will bastardize the story. Now I’m not trying to get out of the job of doing it, I’m just saying its gonna be hard.

This book follows a group of kids that share a mysterious past. They grow up under the tutelage of a demanding stepfather and in a way are all disenchanted by the family. Events transpire that bring together the family again, events that are influenced by the word “Apocalypse” and “Suite”. I will leave the rest to your imagination and hopefully it is enough for you to read the book, then listen to the show, then perhaps comment as well.

Gerard Way writes like a experience pro. He never loses me in an overtly complex plot or poor panel transitions. It is clear he obviously created these characters and knows them inside and out, which is great because they are so rich with “character”. I guess I have a thing for people with the head of a man and the body of an enormous gorilla, throw in some space gadgets and I am totally hooked. And that is just one of the many characters he uses to spin his yarn.

Gabriel Ba, fresh from Casanova I believe, brings these characters to life in a way unlike anything I have seen in a long while. He has created such a vibrant world full of nice brilliant color and sharp pencils. You can call his style cartoon, but not in the way you would see in a newspaper panel, more like what you would see if you could only half see what you would see, and if you were on acid, but in only the good way. Confused? Ya so am I. Needless to say the art will (hopefully) blow your mind (as it has done mine), or there is something wrong with you (or me?). And don’t get me started on the beautiful covers from James Jean.

Grant Morrison (in his introduction) sums it perfectly “It begins with an elbow and ends with a sandwich…”

What an imagination they have, this story has killer robots, homicidal orchestras, talking monkeys, moon bases, a Berserking Eiffel Tower, etc. Sounds crazy? It is, and it works, really, REALLY well. In the good way.

Your Welcome,

Mark

Next Week Angie picks David Mack’s “Kabuki – Circle of Blood”

Audio Fixes

yearofmark — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 16:28:19 +0000

Hey All, just wanted to let you know that I believe I have fixed the audio “Irregularities”. SO check them out and let me know. Also for some reason the RSS reeds weren’t picking up the non-podcast related stuff, that should be working as well. So re-subscribe if you want all the good stuff we are planning for you people.

Thanks for giving us a try, we are a work in progress!
Mark

A Short Review on Captain America #600

Mike — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 16:09:47 +0000

I had honestly forgotten that this was even coming out, but as I arrived at my LCS (Local Comic Shop) on Wed, I was plesently surprised when I saw this on the shelf. I started reading Captain America about a year ago, going back and collecting the first two trades that started immediatly post Steve Rogers’ death and the start of Buckey Barnes picking up the mantle of Cap. This issue of Captain America is the story of a number of people, including Sharon Carter (Steve Rogers’ girlfriend at the time of his death and, ironically, the person who shot him), The “Other” Steve Rogers (a clone that was being used by Red Skull and Dr. Faustus) , and Cross-Bones (the “Super-Villan” framed for shooting Captain America), and a few others and where they were when Captain America was shot and how they’ve been dealing with the last year.

The one major complaint I would have about this book is the price tag. Granted there is a lot of material in the book itself, the $4.99 price tag was a little steep. I know the days of $3.50/book are just around the corner (and for some of the indi books, is already here), but is was still a little hard to swallow.

But ignoring the coffee I could have bought and the stories in this book were great. The opening two pages of the book are a short origin story, reprinted from Capatin America: Red, White, and Blue done by Alex Ross, Paul Dini and Todd Klein. Let me just say PERFECT, what a way to open a book remembering Captain America! Them, as per a usual Cap issue, Ed Brubaker does a masterful job of storytelling for the “One Year After” story, and the art, being very aware of the fact that we were looking at art from 5 pencillers, 4 colourists, and 2 different letterers, I still enjoyed most of the art. The fact that is wasn’t a page for page thing and that each artist worked on a different sub-story and the different art lendt itself well to the marjority of the book. I particularly enjoyed the Sharon Carter story of her tracking down the gun that she used to shoot Captain America; and The Vigilant, which was the story of the “true” Avengers (read up on Dark Avengers for clarification), attending the late night vigil honoring Captain America.

The In Memoriam story was a very touching account from the view of Bernadette “Bernie” Rosenthal, who was one of Steve Rogers’ loves, and her story of how she found out who Steve really was and how hard life was knowing what she knew and how she has been dealing with Steve’s death.

The real treat was the last story in the book. A reprint of Captain America #16, by Stan Lee and Al Avison. Talk about going back to the vault!

I would definitely recommend picking this book up if you are a Cap fan, and if you’re not, well, it’s good, but you might not get the same out of it. This book completely reaffirms why I am a Captain America fan and more correctly an Ed Brubaker fan. I can’t wait for the next story arc.

Well, until next time, keep reading

Mike Burtwistle

June 22, 2009

Lost Time – A Serious Case of Happy-Sad

yearofmark — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 19:07:37 +0000

Sometimes I feel like I have been cheating. Not on my wife, but on my hobby. I have loved comic books for a long time, but for some reason gave up on them for periods. It would be hard to nail down specifics of the whys, but I am sure I could come up with something. I look back and see the time I spent away from comics and wish that I didn’t leave, weird huh? Let me explain.

The majority of time I spend now I read old collected works, well not all of them are old. I do read current books in trade, meaning only a couple of years old. But I’m talking about older books like Watchmen and Dark Knight. Books that have weight. Now I truly believe reading them is a important thing to do, especially if you want to understand modern comics. But I wonder what it would be like to collect them in singles, waiting months at a time to have that experience of anticipation. Spreading out Watchman over a year, or longer. What did that feel like? Frustrating? I wonder. Needless to say one could, if they were so disposed to doing it, could decide to read only one chapter a month over a year’s time. That would be hard. Then again it still would not be the genuine experience.

I listen to a lot of podcasts and read a lot about comics and comic creators. The fans that run theses shows, in some regards, are totally loyal to this hobby/life. They stuck around and supported the creators and the fall of the nineties while I ran like a little girl. They collected Astro-City and Preacher in singles while and when they came out. They had different experiences than I have now reading them. And Although I love these stories I think I will always be one step further removed from them. And it saddens me.

In some ways deciding to wait for the trade mirrors the same idea as leaving, except I am not years removed, generally only months removed, this I can handle. I get to still feel anticipation for the next Walking Dead book collecting the previous 6 issues, and I am only a few months behind. I get to experience that same feeling of collecting singles only I need just a little patience. This makes the book “mine” not someone else’s. I feel connected to it. I feel the same about Jason Aaron’s amazing book “Scalped” which I also feel connected to and would love to share it to the people who have the stomach to deal with its violent nature. In some ways I feel happy that I get to be witness to some amazing creative endeavors. This is a good thing.

I guess I didn’t really know where this post was going except to talk about the experience of comics. But mostly I think its talking about finding that balance of what makes you happy. I think I have found it, and I will be able to experience books in a way that does make me happy. What do you think?

Mark Hebert

June 18, 2009

WCR Episode #4 – “Echo Vol: 1 – Moon Lake”

Mike — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 03:38:54 +0000

The Pick of the Week for June 17, 2009

So, the pick this week was mine, and for my first pick on this show, I decided to choose Terry Moore’s Echo. I enjoyed this book for one specific reason, Terry Moore created this book almost solely by himself, with the exceptions of the coloring of the cover art, and the editing. He is the Writer, Penciler, and the book is published under his publishing company, Abstract Studios.

Echo is the story of a young woman named Julie who is taking photos in the desert when she sees an explosion in the sky. The explosion was of a prototype battle suit with another young lady named Annie inside it. This explosion causes little droplets of the suit to fall on Julie and her truck. At a later point these little drops join together and
start forming the the beginning of a battle suit on Julie. Clearly the organization that build the suit wants it back, and what appears to be a chase story begins.

Terry Moore, by himself, does a great job on this book, He is able to maintain a fairly regular schedule, better than a lot “big” books can do with an entire team of people working on it. His stories are intriguing, and well written, with the only criticism being, I wish that they were longer.

His art is some of the more enjoyable black and white work that I have had the opportunity to partake of. His lines are clean and he has an ability to portray more emotion and active expression in his character’s faces than I have seen in any book.

I’m sure Terry Moore needs no help from me with selling this book, but, let me just say, you should pick it up if you are looking for a well written story about characters whose stories continually intertwine at every turn. I am sure, if you enjoy this book as much as I have, that you will feel as I do that, and say to yourself “if only every story was just a little bit longer.”

Hope you enjoy it,
Keep on reading,
And listening,

Mike Burtwistle
June 16, 2009

NEXT WEEK – “UMBRELLA ACADEMY: APOCALYPSE SUITE”

Making the Trade-Transition (It’s not a dance!)

yearofmark — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 04:51:29 +0000

If you have been listening to the show then you will know that I have recently decided to make the plunge into collecting only trades, and leaving the world of monthly comics behind. Now its important to note that this is not the first time I have left monthly comics , in-fact its not even the fourth time, but it is the first time that I didn’t leave comics entirely. I can sum up the process of quitting and returning to comics in numerical format.

Recently decided to come back into a comic shop to look around and see what superman is up to these days. This is usually around the same time as a very exciting and thoroughly awesome comic book movie has been watched the night before.
I remind myself that I will only pick up one or two books and thats final. This tactic works for a week or so, but then one or two quickly becomes six-seven, a week. Even books that you don’t really want, but hey doesn’t everyone want to know what Beta-Ray Bill is up too post secret invasion? I mean I was pretty sure I did.
As the weeks turn into months and you find that as you walk towards the new release section by the collection books, you look down and see two trade books you assume you put there but haven’t the memory of it.
This trend continues for about three to four months until enough is enough and you walk away again. Walk away from incomplete mini series, incomplete stories.
This is a vicious circle.

The important thing to remember here at the point of quitting you look at all the single issues you purchased and think, “Ok what the **** am I gonna do with this stuff?” I mean it is very likely I will only read maybe 10 of the hundreds that I have. So I box them, and never read them again, because I forget they are there. But of course I won’t box the trade books I purchased because they look so good on the shelf, like a library!

OK lets just get the trades! They look good, have an excellent chance of being read multiple times, and in many cases can be shared with people to incite some form of conversation. This is a great idea! or is it?

You see when you “trade-transition” there are many things to consider.
Firstly comparing singles to trades money-wise you can expect to get more out of trades, meaning sometimes a collection of six monthly books into a trade and the actual six books can be cheap (marginally), unless you only buy Absolute Editions or oversized books, which are expensive. This is a good thing.
If you collect monthly you get many stories coming at you, but in small installments. Trades mean you get (sometimes) complete story arcs from beginning to end in one shot, but you will only get so many a month (usually four to five). Therefore you will have to wait, perhaps months until you get to that awesome Black Canary crossover you were enjoying.
Sometimes you have to wait a long time until the story is put into a trade, if it even is.
What do you do if you have issues one through five of a six arc story? Do you buy the trade or complete the arc then buy the trade? This can be an “expensive cross-over event” where you are getting trades and getting single, what to do?

Anyways, these are some point to ponder as you make the “trade-transition”, points that keep me up late awake and stressed. I’m sure I will be adding to this in the coming weeks. But man do they ever look pretty on my shelf!

More to come!

Mark Hebert

June 13, 2009

WCR Episode #3 – “Jack of Fables Vol: 1 The (Nearly) Great Escape”

Martin — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 03:55:15 +0000

The pick of the week of June 10, 2009

A spin-off of the comic book series “Fables” written by Bill Willingham and Mathew Sturges focusing on the adventures of Jack Horner, an exiled “Fable” who we might recognize from stories such as Little Jack Horner, Jack and the Beanstalk, Jack and Jill, Jack Be Nimble, Jack Frost, Jack O’Lantern, and Jack the Giant Killer. To say this Jack Horner is a bit of a rogue is an understatement. He’s a classic adventurer, the anti-hero, the vigilante, with a knack for finding trouble, and when he finds it or it finds him….the end result is sometimes well deserved.

He believes he can do anything he wants, treat people however he sees fit, and generally believes he can get away with anything, resulting in a self-absorbed, ego driven cockiness due to the fact he’s practically immortal, which adds an element of perversed, diabolical humor to the character leaving you anticipating what he’s going to get himself into next. I loved it. He has no problems breaking rules when the result is fame, glory, or wealth. This makes him at times not the nicest guy adding to the coolness of the character, and throw in a lust-fueled relationship with the gun-toting political agitator Goldilocks, it’s clear they were made for one another, there is some real deep, dark, edgy characters to explore.

The volume is a bit of a play on the classic movie “The Great Escape” where Jack finds himself in a “Fable” penitentiary and convinces his fellow inmates to join him in escape. It’s fascinating to me how Willingham presents the characters to us that is on one extreme so familiar from our childhood stories where you expect a level of innocence, but at the other extreme so obviously flawed and twisted, such as the tragic Mr. D (Humpty Dumpty) , who is way overly stressed and resigned to the fact that its only a matter of time before he breaks because he’s……well….an egg. Comedy is perfectly placed here and there, such as in scenes paying homage to the motorcycle riding Steve McQueen from The Great Escape, only being replaced by the 15-20ft. tall Paul Bunyon on the motorbike piggy-backing an equally huge Babe the Blue Ox as they try to escape their captors. There’s a whole world of interesting characters and possibilities to explore here, and Jack takes the cake. I want more. Great art, strong character development, and gripping tales makes this series, along with the original “Fables” is a must read for all.

Martin Collins

NEXT WEEK – TERRY MOORE’S ECHO

WCR Episode #2 – “The Fountain”

Angie — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 01:32:22 +0000

“The Fountain” by Daren Aronofsky was my pick for this week.

It’s one of my favorite books, so I was thrilled to introduce it to my co-hosts. It’s got all the things I like in a graphic novel: great artwork, emotional and simple story, a little metaphysical truth, and pretty trees. I try not to be a stereotypical ”girl” in this group, but hey, I can’t help what I like… and I like floating bubbles containing tai-chi-dancing-bald-guys, and immortal love. Sue me.

So. Confessions aside, this book was written alongside (or actually instead of) a major motion picture. Daren Aronofsky is actually a film director, who has made the arty and critically acclaimed movies “∏”(Pi) and “Requiem for a Dream” (both of which I am still meaning to see…). “The Fountain” was meant to be his masterpiece, a major motion picture… but it was axed. Being resilient and persistent Aronofsky decided to make a graphic novel instead. (Something I wish more people would do.) This book is the outcome.

It tells three narratives which center around a sacred tree, and a man’s search for love and closure. It is really about his personal growth and acceptance of death, but then I’d suggest reading it for yourself and letting me know what you think.

That’s a few words about it from me. Listen to the podcast to hear the other’s opinions – and they are entitled to them, whether or not I agree… right?

’nuff said. Enjoy.

Angela Rout

Next Week Bill Willingham’s Jack of Fables Vol 1: The (Nearly) Great Escape

WCR Episode #1 – “The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen”

yearofmark — Tue, 26 May 2009 15:47:12 +0000

Our inaugural episode! After falling into many a rathole our panel was able to focus and discuss Alan Moore and Kevin O’Neils “League of Extraordinary Gentlemen”.

Enjoy!

Hosts

Mark Hebert

Angie Rout

Martin Collins