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COMIC REVIEWS FOR THE MONTH OF: MAY 2002
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ORIGIN #6
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Writer:
Paul Jenkins
Artist:
Andy Kubert
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Review By:
Larry "Bocepheus" Evans
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Publisher:
Marvel Comics
Shipped On: 052202 |
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MSRP:
.$2.95 each
(15% OFF during it's 1st Week of release only at Alternate Reality!)
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MARVEL'S SYNOPSIS:
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Is there more tragedy waiting for Logan or could his
Origin actually have a happy ending? Don't miss out on the final chapter that
will have people talking for years! |
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BO'S REVIEW:
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CEO/co plotter Bill Jemas wants to do Origin 2
sooner rather than later but Joe Quesada (one of the other co plotters) wants to
wait for a while so we must wait to learn how Logan got so feral.
When we last left Logan (or James Howlett, as we now know) the man we thought
was Logan (Dog) was given the assignment of chasing the missing Logan and Rose
down. Rose and Smitty have decided to get married which annoys Logan to no end.
This issue has Logan fighting in a cage (just like in the movie) and taking on
other members of the mini's supporting cast including the annoying company cook.
This story ends badly for one of them and that places Logan out where we see him
on the cover.
This series was to have ended in January but some things take longer than others
to produce. The art/color team of Andy Kubert and Richard Iscanove move on to
the Neil Gaiman mystery project 1602 so if there is a sequel it may not involve
them. The techniques the two used was so incredible that Marvel may be willing
to wait for them.
Paul Jenkins is still working on Spider-Man but may not be working on Peter
Parker much longer. When this was announced Jenkins talked to a friend of mine
at last year's Wizard World and he laid out what this series would entail. We
now know Logan's real name, where he was born and how old he is, when he first
learned about his claws and who his first love was. There are more questions but
answers are forthcoming. |
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WAY OF THE RAT #1 |
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Writer: Chuck
Dixon
Artist: Jeff Johnson |
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Review By:
Larry "Bocepheus" Evans
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Publisher:
Crossgen Comics
Shipped On: 051502 |
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MSRP:
.$2.95 each
(15% OFF during it's 1st Week of release only at Alternate Reality!)
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CROSSGEN'S SYNOPSIS:
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Beginning a martial arts epic that spans from the
back-alleys of a fortress city to the throne room of the Emperor. Join Boon Sai
Hong, a common thief, as he steals two artifacts that will challenge him to
become the greatest fighter of his age. The beautiful Princess Mai and a talking
monkey named Po Po are his only allies as the entire world turns against him. |
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BO'S REVIEW:
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The latest series from Crossgen is the first new
title Chuck Dixon has created since leaving DC. The story has some elements of
the Top Cow mini No Honor-thief vandalizes something that causes him more
trouble than it is worth.
Way of the Rat is loosely based on the character of Boon Sai Hong, the basis of
the Jackie Chan character in Drunken Master, also seen in Iron Monkey and played
by Jet Li in the Once Upon A Time in China trilogy. That character carried an
umbrella as a weapon; this one has a talking monkey as a sidekick. The story
takes place in a walled city that Boon glides into in order to steal one thing
but ends up getting something else instead.
That something is a ring and once he places it on his finger he becomes a
martial arts master. He also makes himself wanted by a larger number of people
including a mysterious woman in white who may want to kill him.
Chuck Dixon's story is outstanding and this is the best Jeff Johnson art since
his debut many years ago on the cancelled Wonder Man series. This issue also
contains extra pages of story as well as biography pages of the entire creative
team, which shows you what each member did. |
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ULTIMATE X-MEN #18 |
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Writer: Mark
Millar
Artist: Adam Kubert |
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Review By:
Larry "Bocepheus" Evans
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Publisher:
Marvel Comics
Shipped On: 051502 |
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MSRP:
.$2.25 each
(15% OFF during it's 1st Week of release only at Alternate Reality!)
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MARVEL'S SYNOPSIS:
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The students hit Colossus's home turf -- and wait
until you see how the steel-skinned strongman handles the visit! Plus: Professor
X's biggest secret comes back to haunt him -- with a vengeance! |
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BO'S REVIEW:
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The 'regular' Marvel version of the Proteus saga is
one of comics all time classics which placed a major obstacle in Mark Millar's
path. In the concluding part of the World Tour he shares with Chris Claremont
the tool of Proteus's destruction but does it in a more mundane way. Charles'
son, David is inside Betsy (Psylocke) Braddock's body and he uses her to create
damage on an Arizonean scale thus creating a world full of death. Millar has him
screw with everybody by showing them better versions of their lives. He also
shows the team at rest wondering if Charles has been screwing with their minds
in order to get them to join the group. |
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SPIDERMAN BLUE #1 (of 5) |
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Writer: Jeph
Loeb
Artist: Tim Sale |
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Review By:
Larry "Bocepheus" Evans
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Publisher:
Marvel Comics
Shipped On: 050802 |
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MSRP:
.$3.50 each
(15% OFF during it's 1st Week of release only at Alternate Reality!)
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MARVEL'S SYNOPSIS:
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Take a bittersweet look at Peter Parker's college
career, his first days on the job at the Daily Bugle, and his lethal battles
with the Green Goblin! You saw the first five pages in Wizard #126, but now you
can feast your eyes on Loeb & Sale's interpretations of Harry Osborn, J. Jonah
Jameson, Robbie Robertson, Mary Jane, Gwen Stacy and more! |
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BO'S REVIEW:
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Jeph Loeb/Tim Sale's second Marvel project (the
third and forth have not been revealed) involves the $200 million plus man-Spidey.
The Blue of the title involves a state of mind, not a color prominent in the
series. The story revolves around the death of Gwen Stacy and the events that
led up to it. We also see that Spidey places a rose on the George Washington
Bridge every year on the anniversary of her death. Norman has discovered Peter's
identity at that point then had apparently lost his mind soon after. He loses it
here by page 10. Pete and Gwen haven't hooked up yet; he has yet to meet MJ and
he's about to buy the bike he rode during John Romita Sr.'s tenure on the book.
Tim Sale plays around with panel size a lot here; he uses full page spreads to
establish characters, half pagers to convey emotion in a way similar to editing
a film. In what could be a homage to Romita he also never shows MJ's face until
the moment Pete sees it a few issues down the line.
Loeb moves through his story casually-he knows the history and assumes you know
it too so he has fun with it. This is another in a series of incredible
Loeb/Sale projects and any self-respecting Spider-fan shouldn't miss this. |
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QUEEN & COUNTRY #8 |
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Writer: Greg
Rucka
Artist: Leandro
Fernandez |
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Review By:
Larry "Bocepheus" Evans
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Publisher:
Oni Press
Shipped On: 050802 |
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MSRP:
.$2.95 each
(15% OFF during it's 1st Week of release only at Alternate Reality!)
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ONI'S SYNOPSIS:
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Beginning the first monthly-shipping Queen & Country
story arc, with a new artist and a whole new playing field for Tara Chace!
Following the events in New York and Washington DC on September 11, 2001, the
world of international intelligence has changed dramatically. The SIS has been
following the trails of terrorists for months, seizing their money and shutting
down their operations. Word travels through channels, however, that something
big is on the way, and Tara must go to Cairo to meet up with the one man who may
be the key to stopping the attack. |
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BO'S REVIEW:
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Bill Willingham's last Vertigo project: Proposition
Player didn't sell well at all but it at least reminded us who he was. He was
the man behind the ultra-popular Elementals series at Comico, the creator of
Eros' Ironwood and the father of the comics' swimsuit issue as well as superhero
adult comics. The problem with Prop Player was that he didn't draw it; he isn't
going to draw any issues of this series either but he chose talented people to
do it. Newcomer Lan Medina and comic veteran Steve Leialoha team up here for
this story of murder, sex and mayhem involving characters of the fable world.
Willingham has taken Snow White, Prince Charming (who could be called a hoe
here), Jack (without a beanstalk) and the rest of the bedtime story folks and
landed them in the middle of New York. The citizens don't know this and the
fable folks try to keep it that way. They like to take care of their own so when
Jack arrives at the offices of the Big Bad (and now chain smoking human) Wolf's
office to report the murder of Snow White's sister, Rose Red the adventure
begins.
The Willingham story is cool and the art is awesome to look at. Medina gives us
some heavily detailed stuff and Leialoha darkens the pages admirably. This could
develop into Preacher type sales numbers if you are willing to take a chance on
it. |
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FABLES #1 |
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Writer: Bill
Willingham
Artists: Lan Medina and
Steve Leialoha |
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Review By:
Larry "Bocepheus" Evans
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Publisher:
DC/Vertigo
Comics,
Shipped On: 050802 |
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MSRP:
.$2.50 each
(15% OFF during it's 1st Week of release only at Alternate Reality!)
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DC/VERTIGO'S SYNOPSIS:
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A new VERTIGO series takes a decidedly dark spin on
familiar fairy tale characters. Led by Snow White, a reformed Bigby Wolf, and a
slew of others, the secret community of Fabletown is adjusting to life among the
"mundanes." But this is no fairy tale, and when Snow White's estranged sister,
Rose Red, goes missing - her apartment a grizzly, bloody scene - it's up to her
sister and Mr. Wolf to find the culprit. But the question remains, will they
find Rose intact, or will the cryptic message on her wall come true: "No More
Happily Ever After?" |
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BO'S REVIEW:
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Bill Willingham's last Vertigo project: Proposition
Player didn't sell well at all but it at least reminded us who he was. He was
the man behind the ultra-popular Elementals series at Comico, the creator of
Eros' Ironwood and the father of the comics' swimsuit issue as well as superhero
adult comics. The problem with Prop Player was that he didn't draw it; he isn't
going to draw any issues of this series either but he chose talented people to
do it. Newcomer Lan Medina and comic veteran Steve Leialoha team up here for
this story of murder, sex and mayhem involving characters of the fable world.
Willingham has taken Snow White, Prince Charming (who could be called a hoe
here), Jack (without a beanstalk) and the rest of the bedtime story folks and
landed them in the middle of New York. The citizens don't know this and the
fable folks try to keep it that way. They like to take care of their own so when
Jack arrives at the offices of the Big Bad (and now chain smoking human) Wolf's
office to report the murder of Snow White's sister, Rose Red the adventure
begins.
The Willingham story is cool and the art is awesome to look at. Medina gives us
some heavily detailed stuff and Leialoha darkens the pages admirably. This could
develop into Preacher type sales numbers if you are willing to take a chance on
it. |
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All Books/Characters pictured herein are © Copyright 2002 by their respective owners. No rights given or implied by Alternate Reality, Incorporated.
Reviews © 2009 Alternate Reality, Inc.
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OTHER REVIEWS...
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RASSLIN' REVIEW
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Pay Per Views and House Shows, we
layeth the Smaketh- Down on both!
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KIDS REVIEWS
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Dozen's of kid friendly titles arrive every week and we review the ones that
stand out.
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AT THE MOVIES
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Every week we give you our opinion on what's playing at the cinema.
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