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COMIC REVIEWS FOR THE MONTH OF: JANUARY 2009
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BOOK OF THE MONTH FOR: JANUARY 2009
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INCOGNITO #1 |
REVIEW BY:
"Sweet" Dan Sweet |
Writer:
Ed Brubaker,
Artist:
Sean Phillips,
Publisher:
Marvel/Icon,
Shipped On:
110208
MSRP:
$3.50
(15% OFF during it's 1st Week of release only at Alternate Reality!)
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"Brubaker draws us into Zack’s life and we find ourselves caring about a guy
who’d probably just as soon beat your head in as have a beer with you"
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MARVEL'S
SYNOPSIS:
From the creators of Criminal and Sleeper comes the most insane and evil
super-villain comic you've ever read! What if you were an ex-super villain
hiding out in Witness Protection... but all you could think about were the days
when the rules didn't apply to you? Could you stand the toil of an average life
after years of leaving destruction in your wake? And what if you couldn't stand
it? What would you do then? INCOGNITO - a twisted mash-up of noir and
super-heroics - by best-selling creators Ed Brubaker (The Death of Captain
America) and Sean Phillips (Marvel Zombies) with Val Staples on colors. And
continuing Criminal's single issue tradition, each issue of Incognito has more
pages of story content, as well as articles on pulp and noir and behind the
scenes looks! |
DAN'S REVIEW:
Ed Brubaker isn’t known to pull any punches in his story telling, and he’s sure
to let readers know right from the start that Zack Andersen, the main character
of his new outing with artist Sean Phillips is not a good guy. In fact it’s safe
to assume he never was.
Zack isn’t used to living a quiet life of obscurity as a file clerk in a big
faceless corporation, but for the last three years that’s exactly what he’s had
to do. He isn’t exactly employee-of-the-month material, but Zack does his job
and minds his own business, most of the time (key words being: ‘most of the
time’). You see Zack had another job, before he was cast away to the stacks in
some dreary office basement. He was one half of the super-powered criminal duo
infamously known as The Overkill Brothers, muscle for hire employed by a
gangster known as ‘The Black Death.’
Well something bad must have happened, because when we meet Zack his brother is
dead, he’s laying low in the government sponsored witness protection program,
and has ditched his old surname in favor of the
much-less-likely-to-raise-eyebrows, traditional, WASPy, run of the mill
Andersen, ‘with an e’.
So he’s given up his life of crime, and made a deal with the feds giving him
immunity as long as he testifies against his boss, but the cost of protection is
rehabilitation. Zack is forced to take pills preventing him from accessing his
abilities, and attempt to acclimate himself to the life of an average human if
he doesn’t want to end up in a cell. But how can a guy who’s lived on top of the
world fall into line with the very people he’s looked down upon his whole life?
Despair leads to depression, in which Zack turns to drugs, and that’s how he
makes a startling discovery about his powers. Brubaker is quick to let readers
know that we’re not the only ones sharing in Zack’s surprise. The twist ending
sets up issue two with a cameo/tease of someone responsible for Zack’s
development (using some very colorful language).
Bottom line is:
This comic is awesome. What can I say about Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips that
hasn’t been screamed from rooftops in regard to their other projects Sleeper,
Criminal, and the lesser known DC/Vertigo title Scene of the Crime (Phillips
inked Michael Lark’s pencils on that one)? Not much. The story is great, and
moves with a quick pace. Brubaker draws us into Zack’s life and we find
ourselves caring about a guy who’d probably just as soon beat your head in as
have a beer with you. Phillips art is strong. He’s such a crafty storyteller
that even scenes with no action feel gripping and intense, keeping the reader’s
attention. Also, major kudos to colorist Val Staples for really holding the book
together…see what I did right there? The colors really evoke the emotion that
Phillips art is so celebrated for. Each panel jumps off the page, slaps your
senses, and firmly plants itself in your memory with a steel toed boot. Buy it. |
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HACK/SLASH #18
Writer:
Tim Seeley,
Artist:
Emily Stone ,
Review By:
Larry "Bocepheus" Evans,
Publisher:
Devil's Due Comics,
Shipped On:
120408
MSRP:
$3.50
(15% OFF during it's 1st Week of release only at Alternate Reality!)
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DEVIL'S DUE'S
SYNOPSIS:
Following the life-altering events surrounding Cassie's parents and the
Re-Animator, Cassie and Vlad find themselves at a fated crossroads. Yet even as
they question their future as slasher slayers, the NEF LORDS dispatch a new
assassin to finish POOCH's job. Featuring surprise guest appearances by
Firebreather, Wolf-Man, and Loaded Bible's Jesus! |
BO'S REVIEW:
For those of you who are wondering where #16-17 of this title is there is an
explanation for that on the first page. The short version is that DDP and
Diamond had a bit of a problem with one another and DDP wanted to distribute the
book without Diamond. So Diamond didn’t carry the issues and if you want to have
them in your hands and keep your collection complete then talk to the guy behind
the counter and he can order them directly from DDP. You can also go to their
website and read the issues in that arc for free since of you don’t then you
will have no idea what’s going on with Cassie at the start of this issue. Let’s
just say that she isn’t happy with her career choice but from the events of this
issue she isn’t going to get what she wishes for. As you can see from one of the
covers Vlad spends part of the issue in a bar and when he tries to enjoy an
adult beverage things don’t work out well for him either. Seeley has a few other
things going on during the issue and one of them adds an element to Cassie that
we never considered. Stone’s art isn’t major league quality yet but she shows
the potential to be picked up by one of the big two if she keeps working at it.
This title is never going to be a huge seller but it should do well enough to
keep going for a while since we can never really run out of monsters who need
slaying. It’s basically Buffy with a lot more rough edges. And with the news
that Universal may be dropping its Rogue Pictures division we may never see the
film version of this book so let’s just enjoy reading it, shall we? |
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THUNDERBOLTS #126
Writer:
Andy Diggle,
Artist:
Roberto De La Torre,
Review By:
Larry "Bocepheus" Evans,
Publisher:
Marvel Comics,
Shipped On:
111908
MSRP:
$2.99
(15% OFF during it's 1st Week of release only at Alternate Reality!)
|
MARVEL'S
SYNOPSIS:
The new creative team of writer Andy Diggle (Losers, Green Arrow: Year One) and
penciler Roberto De La Torre (IRON MAN: DIRECTOR OF S.H.I.E.L.D.) shake up
Marvel's most unpredictable team! The events of Secret Invasion have taken
Norman Osborn out of Thunderbolts Mountain...and when the cat is away, the mice
will play! Bullseye owes Songbird big time - and now it's time to settle up! A
huge upheaval is coming for the T-Bolts, and the beginning tremors are felt
here! |
BO'S REVIEW:
The events set forth at the ending of Secret Invasion actually start here with
the debut issue of the new Thunderbolts team of Andy Diggle and Roberto De La
Torre. Things begin on the top of Thunderbolts Mountain with Swordsman and
Songbird as we watch Andreas Strucker pay last respects to his fallen sister
before making a promise concerning the fate of Norman Osborn and issuing a
warning. Diggle moves the action to Washington to show Osborn testifying before
the Senate over his actions in SI. He has the character down pat because his
Osborn is greasier than a Burger King Breakfast sandwich. We then watch him play
shadow games with certain members of the Thunderbolts that he has shown an
inability to control. We see here that Diggle will make this title darker than
it was when Warren Ellis was writing the book. He is aided by former Iron Man
artist De La Torre. The book is filled with characters living along with the
shadows; occasionally wandering into the light. If I didn’t know any better I
would swear that this was the Marvel version of a Vertigo book. |
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ULTIMATE FANTASTIC FOUR #58
Writer:
Joe Pokaski,
Artist:
Tyler Kirkham, ,
Review By:
Larry "Bocepheus" Evans,
Publisher:
Marvel Comics,
Shipped On:
111908
MSRP:
$2.99
(15% OFF during it's 1st Week of release only at Alternate Reality!)
|
MARVEL'S
SYNOPSIS:
Ultimatum hits the Baxter Building! As the team is torn apart in more ways than
one, the fate of the Fantastic Four rests on the rocky shoulders of the Thing.
Ben Grimm steps up and embarks on a hero's journey to the very center of the
Earth to find the one man who can help his imperiled teammates. And that's just
the beginning... |
BO'S REVIEW:
In the mega-event Ultimatum we saw the Ultimate Universe pummeled with one of
the largest waves in history and watched as our heroes tried to deal with the
attack from Magneto. We saw Reed go off after the man he believed responsible
for the attack but in doing so he left the unconscious Sue Storm and Ben Grimm.
Pokaski tells us what is happening with Sue (who is in a bad way) while also
going back in time to show how two polar opposites like Reed and Ben could be
friends. With Reed gone (and Johnny MIA) someone need to figure out a way to
save Sue and that someone is a former classmate of Reed’s who has his own
problems underground. Just how Sue can (or may) be saved is something we will
see in the next issue but if you remember seeing Raquel Welch in a form fitting
space suit you may have an idea of how Ben and friends will try. |
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AMAZING SPIDERMAN #578
Writer:
Mark Waid,
Artist:
Marcos Martin,
Review By:
Larry "Bocepheus" Evans,
Publisher:
Marvel Comics,
Shipped On:
111908
MSRP:
$2.99
(15% OFF during it's 1st Week of release only at Alternate Reality!)
|
MARVEL'S SYNOPSIS:
Mark Waid (FANTASTIC FOUR, KINGDOM COME) joins the Spider-team with fan favorite
Marcos Martin to bring you part one of this two-part blockbuster! Random
earthquakes don't happen in New York - trust us, we live here. So how did one
trap Spidey and a subway car full of New Yorkers underground? But there's more
to these passengers than meets the eye as a high powered mob trial's verdict is
in their hands. And one of them has a crucial connection to Pete's old boss, J.
Jonah Jameson! |
BO'S REVIEW:
Mark Waid makes his return to Spider-Man (for an entire issue and not a back up
tale) for a short arc that introduces someone that we should have met a long
time ago but didn’t. Marcos Martin comes in to join Waid in a story that if you
haven’t figured out from the cover is homage to a classic Spider-Man story from
the Steve Ditko years. We begin the story by showing Spidey on a roof top in the
driving rain eating some Chinese food from a carton. His fortune says that ‘this
is his lucky day’ but we all know that the Parker luck means bad things and not
good ones. As he finishes his feast he ends up getting a subway pass stuck to
his web umbrella and that gets him on the subway but considering what happens
after that he should have kept getting wet. An explosion here, a collapsed
tunnel there, some very important passengers and my, gosh you have a story. Waid
has written Spidey before and he has a knack for capturing the character in
familiar moments. Martin has a style that seems made for Spidey. He sort of
reminds you of Ditko but his Spidey moves at a higher rate of speed. He also has
a nice talent for anatomy and facial expressions. We do see the return of a
classic Spidey villain here and as I said in the open we meet someone that we
may not have wondered about but obviously had to exist. |
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GOON #30
Writer/Artist:
Eric Powell,
Review By:
Larry "Bocepheus" Evans,
Publisher:
Dark Horse Comics,
Shipped On:
111908
MSRP:
$2.99
(15% OFF during it's 1st Week of release only at Alternate Reality!)
|
DARK HORSE'S
SYNOPSIS:
The war with Labrazio is reaching its boiling point as Franky faces his greatest
moral dilemma. And it has nothing to do with his pants! |
BO'S REVIEW:
It’s hard to believe but Goon Year is almost over. We have seen an issue a month
of the Eric Powell creation eleven months straight. When we last left the
character he had a reunion with Bella, his lost love and as you can see from the
cover Franky isn’t happy to see her at all. As the Goon wanders away from her to
get some much needed forget-me-juice he encounters Taliba, the gypsy lady who
tells him to watch out. Powell is telling multiple stories here so we stay with
the Goon reunion, meet some kids who need to stay out of the woods, get some
gunplay and watch the strange goings on in Horse-Eater’s Wood. This book is
wonderfully off-center but entertaining at the same time. The lead character is
heroic and tragic at the same time. His sidekick is a blank eyed homicidal
maniac. He lives in a world where ‘normal’ is a truly relative term and in which
violence and massive blood loss can happen with the turn of the page. There are
some books that you read for fun and this is one of them. |
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DARKNESS #7
Writer:
Phil Hester,
Artist:
Jorge Lucas,
Review By:
Larry "Bocepheus" Evans,
Publisher:
Imabe/Top Cow,
Shipped On:
111208
MSRP:
$2.99
(15% OFF during it's 1st Week of release only at Alternate Reality!)
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TOP COW'S SYNOPSIS:
Never has Jackie Estacado's dark, evil history served him so well as when he
crosses paths with La Bruja de Las Paredes. Fleeing from the Central American
country he once ruled over, Jackie runs afoul of the witch, who has enslaved a
Mexican town by eating the memories and nightmares of its citizens. |
BO'S REVIEW:
In order to give Michael Broussard a break from time to time Jorge Lucas has
signed on to spell him and keep the book on a regular schedule. This issue has
been marked as a ‘Legacy’ issue and that means that this is really the 71st
issue of the series and not the seventh in case you have boxed up your issues in
numerical order. The issue begins with Jackie walking his motorcycle across the
desert and coming across a boy who tells him that the town he is about to
approach isn’t safe. Since Jackie is going to need to get his bike fixed he
doesn’t listen to the boy and goes into town anyway in direct violation of
Storytelling 101. (Any time a character has to go into a small out of the way
town something bad is going to happen since there is something wrong with the
town) Naturally, guns are drawn and hot women appear carrying trouble before
Jackie brings forth the Darkness and we move on to the next issue. Hester’s
story is creepy, funny at times and very effective. Lucas is a better fit for
this story than Broussard would have been. He has a darker style that fits this
style of story; Broussard would have made the issue more ‘pretty’ than
semi-creepy. |
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All Books/Characters pictured herein are © Copyright 2009 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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