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COMIC REVIEWS FOR THE MONTH OF: FEBRUARY 2009
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BOOK OF THE MONTH |
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"Caught between hero and villain; guilt and innocence we wonder on what
side she (Emma) will fall."
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SECRET INVASION DARK REIGN |
REVIEW BY:
Larry "Bocepheus" Evans |
Writer:
Brian Michael Bendis
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Artist:
Lenil FrancisYu |
Publisher:
Marvel Comics |
Shipped On:
120408
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MSRP:
$3.99
(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 Invasion is over!! There are winners and there are losers and
in this major one-shot from the Eisner award-winning team of Bendis and Maleev,
(New Avengers: Illuminati, Civil War: The Confession) the stage is set for the
next major era in Marvel Comics. Hold onto your beenies, boys, because you have
NEVER seen your universe turned upside down like this!! |
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BO'S REVIEW: |
The face of the Marvel Universe has changed again with the ending
of Secret Invasion. The insane Norman Osborn fired the final shot that defeated
the head of the Skrull Empire and is now perceived as a hero even though we fans
know that it isn’t the case at all. Tony Stark has been saddled with the blame
of not protecting us and on the last page of Invasion we saw Norman at a meeting
of folks who for the most part have been considered villains. Before Secret
Invasion begun we saw a one shot that introduced us to the Illuminati and here
we are introduced to what has been called the Cabal (Loki, Namor, the Hood,
Doctor Doom and Emma Frost).
The one shot begins interestingly with Emma who is still dealing with the loss
of Kitty Pryde in Astonishing in her mind before she receives an invitation to
meet Norman and his new friends. By starting with someone who we now accept as a
hero Bendis puts us off our game and lays the bait to keep us reading to see
what is going on. The assemblage of the group in a subbasement of Avengers tower
is handled well. We heard Norman’s speech to the group in Invasion but here we
see the arrivals of the principals and the reactions between them as they await
his arrival. The revelation of Norman’s agenda is well paced. We see that he
knows who he is dealing with and that he understands all of them while keeping
on his side an ace in the hole that isn’t revealed to us but is revealed to the
assemblage. Maleev’s artwork keeps things moving briskly and his choice of panel
layouts allows Bendis to pack as much dialogue in as possible to get us up to
speed. Dean White’s color art adds to the proceedings as well. It’s muted
instead of being garish and matches the tone of what the story is trying to
accomplish.
The conclusion if the book works on two fronts. We follow Norman after the
meeting and see that his hold on sanity is very tentative indeed. It matches the
way that Warren Ellis handled him in Thunderbolts (and ties into the first
issues of the Andy Diggle run) put pushes him well past that. As for Emma? We
end as the issue began with her dealing with Kitty. We can see that she will
become a more interesting character in the Marvel U. Caught between hero and
villain; guilt and innocence we wonder on what side she will fall. |
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SWORD #14
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Writer:
Joshua Luna
Artist:
Jonathan Luna |
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Review By:
"Sweet" Dan Sweet
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Publisher:
Image Comics,
Shipped On: 010709 |
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MSRP:
$2.99 each
(15% OFF during it's 1st Week of release only at Alternate Reality!)
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IMAGE'S
SYNOPSIS: |
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The sword is taken from Dara. |
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SWEET'S REVIEW:
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Dara Brighton’s quest for vengeance continues in
issue #14 by creative-powerhouse-duo/brothers Jonathon and Joshua Luna.
Following up critically acclaimed runs on both ‘Ultra,’ and ‘Girls,’ the Luna
Brothers are now more than halfway through this series which blends super hero
action with good old-fashioned blood-thirst, and revenge. Their books have no
rules, and the characters that reside between the pages are put through the
wringer in ways so traumatic and heart-wrenching you can’t help yourself but to
feel their anxiety, their fear as your own. After defeating one of the super
powered strangers responsible for the destruction of her home and family it
doesn’t take Dara and her friends long to track down Knossus, the second of the
three siblings who share the ability to control the elements of nature. Still
wielding her father’s sword, Dara does battle with a small army of drug dealers
and assorted henchmen. She makes short work of most of them, in fight scenes
rendered flawlessly by Joshua Luna, whose style, while not stylized X-book
fodder, is unique in its ability to tell an uncompromising story that feels more
like you’re watching a movie than reading a comic. The end of the book leaves
Dara in a very uncomfortable place, and ‘The Sword’ is anything if not
unpredictable, so the reader shares in that discomfort, unsure if our favorite,
sword-swinging, semi-super heroine will be back for anymore adventures. |
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BATMAN #685/DETECTIVE COMICS #852
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Writer:
Paul Dini
Artists:
Dustin Nguyen & Derek Fridolfs |
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Review By:
"Sweet" Dan Sweet
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Publisher:
DC Comics,
Shipped On: 010709 & 012809 |
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MSRP:
$2.99 each
(15% OFF during it's 1st Week of release only at Alternate Reality!)
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DC'S
SYNOPSIS OF BATMAN #685: |
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A "Faces of Evil" issue starring Catwoman!
Continuing from this month's DETECTIVE COMICS #852, Selina Kyle's path of
vengeance against Hush knows no bounds! After confronting the man responsible
for nearly destroying her life, Selina's wrath propels her into a downward
spiral. With Tommy Elliot almost certain to suffer dire consequences, could
Catwoman's humanity be next to perish? |
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SWEET'S REVIEW:
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Expanding on the Detective Comics story line “Heart
of Hush” that ran parallel to Grant Morrison’s “Batman R.I.P” arc, this two part
tie-in to DC’s Faces of Evil “event” (I guess that’s what their calling it, it
seems more like a theme than an event to me, but anyway) continues the running
feud between Catwoman & Hush. After all, the last time we saw these two Hush had
surgically removed Catwoman’s heart in a ploy to trap Batman, after he altered
his own appearance to impersonate Bruce Wayne. The end of that storyline left
Hush in a less than favorable position both physically and financially, and this
picks up with him attempting to rebuild his own fortune, which Catwoman
absconded with, by taking Bruce Wayne’s assets as his own. Shenanigans ensue,
leading up to a showdown in Vietnam, smack in the middle of a poaching camp. A
twist at the end leaves the reader with plenty of reasons to stick around the
titles for the foreseeable future.Paul Dini’s Batman is spot on, even when the
caped crusader doesn’t show his masked mug through the whole book. He’s been
consistent with his approach to Bats since the animated series, and although I
am looking forward to Neil Gaiman’s “Whatever happened to the Caped Crusader?”,
I also can’t wait for Dini to get his hands back on the characters. Strong
writing and characterization backed up with great art by Dustin Nguyen makes
these two issues a great read for fans of the bat-family. |
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DETECTIVE COMICS #852
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Writer:
Paul Dini
Artists:
Dustin Nguyen & Derek Fridolfs |
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Review By:
Larry "Bocepheus" Evans,
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Publisher:
DC Comics,
Shipped On: 010709 |
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MSRP:
$2.99
(15% OFF during it's 1st Week of release only at Alternate Reality!)
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DC'S
SYNOPSIS: |
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A "Faces of Evil" issue starring Hush! Following the
events of "Heart of Hush," this two-part story starts here and ends in the pages
of this month's BATMAN #685. Catwoman has a score to settle with Hush after
their most recent encounter, but Hush isn't likely to take any attacks quietly.
Will anyone be able to temper Selina's rage, or will she become a face of evil
again? |
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BO'S REVIEW:
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Jeph Loeb and Jim Lee created the character of
Thomas Elliot, aka Hush when they took over Batman for a year. He was a
childhood friend of Bruce Wayne’s who turned to a life of crime instead of
becoming a hero which made him the direct opposite of Bruce. The idea behind the
character wasn’t an original one; there was an Ellery Queen story a long time
ago that had the great detective pitted against someone as brilliant as he was
in a story called ‘The Player from the Other Side’. Loeb also took a lot of crap
because before the arc we had never even heard of Elliot but even with that the
character is still interesting. The last time we saw Hush he had come up with a
brilliant plan to kill Catwoman in front of Bruce, kill Bruce and then replace
him since Elliot had plastic surgery to make himself the exact duplicate of him.
Of course, the plan didn’t work and when this issue begins Tommy is in a bad way
but as the story progresses he gets much better. Dini expertly shows us how
someone like Elliot would resurrect himself in a manner that suggests he and I
have the same reading lists. The angular art by Nguyen keeps the issue moving
like a shark searching for prey and that matches what is going on inside
Elliot’s head. These ‘Faces of Evil’ issues are basic character studies that
define the villains in the DCU so that when they take on their respective foes
we understand them as well as we understand the heroes they oppose. |
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PUNISHER WAR ZONE #1-6
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Writer:
Garth Ennis
Artist:
Steve Dillon |
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Review By:
Larry "Bocepheus" Evans,
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Publisher:
Marvel Comics,
Shipped On:
121008-012809 |
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MSRP:
$2.99 each
(15% OFF during it's 1st Week of release only at Alternate Reality!)
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MARVEL'S
SYNOPSIS OF ISSUE #1: |
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The latest offering from the red-hot Marvel Knights
line reunites the seminal creative team of Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon for a
special, weekly-shipping 6-part limited sequel to their legendary story arc,
"Welcome Back, Frank." It all starts when two mobsters take a trip to the zoo
and piss off the wrong monkey. Limbs are lost (the kind you can't easily
replace), vultures are fed (with said appendages), and then things get, like,
really crazy. Like back-from-the-dead crazy. That's right -- she's back and she
wants payback. Ma Gnucci. Eighty-five pounds of hairless, armless, legless evil
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BO'S REVIEW:
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This limited series had nothing to do with the movie
but served as a chance to reunite the team of Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon on a
character that the duo has had great success with. The idea behind the book was
to bring back from the dead someone we had thought was long since gone-Ma Gnucci.
When Frank took down her family she had lost both arms and legs and he tad
tossed her into a burning house but surprisingly she wasn’t dead. Ennis
introduces two new characters here-Charlie, the last surviving member of the
Gnucci outfit and the son of the white clothed vigilante Elite, who has decided
to take up the family business. We also spend some quality time with Lieutenant
Molly Von Richtofen who has what you would call relationship and anger issues.
There are some great twists and turns along with some t &a here but the fun part
of the book is the massive amount of carnage that takes place in every issue. We
do learn the secret behind Ma’s return from the dead and in doing so we see that
Ennis understands Frank Castle perfectly. I would expect Marvel to let Ennis and
Dillon wander back into the Punisher world whenever they have an idea for
another limited series. This project will last longer in the memory than the
film that came out at the same time. |
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BATMAN #683 |
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Writer:
Grant Morrison
Artist:
Lee Garbett |
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Review By:
Larry "Bocepheus" Evans,
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Publisher:
DC Comics,
Shipped On:
122408 |
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MSRP:
$2.99
(15% OFF during it's 1st Week of release only at Alternate Reality!)
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DC'S
SYNOPSIS: |
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This special two-part tale narrated by Sir Alfred
Pennnyworth reflects upon the life and times of Gotham City's most celebrated
citizen - and hints at what's next for The Dark Knight. Grant Morrison delivers
a story of past memories, present heartache and future promises. A spectacular,
unforgettable farewell to The Dark Knight, mixing memory, dream and speculation
as Alfred closes the casebook on the greatest crimefighter of all time. With
guest appearances by Batman friends and foes from every era of Batman's history,
this epic adventure cannot be missed. |
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BO'S REVIEW:
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By now there are quite a few fans out there bitching
and moaning about the conclusion of Batman RIP because it wasn’t really over at
all. We did not learn the final fate of Bruce Wayne as Batman until Final
Crisis #7, but this issue set's us up for that
revelation. Morrison and guest artist Garbett show us a Bruce Wayne who is being
held by the forces of Darkseid. They are manipulating his mind and as they work
we see various parts of Batman’s career but each memory is a little off center.
Morrison shows us multiple outcomes of important parts of Batman’s history and
as an effect of that shows us just how strong his will is because even under
captivity he fights on. The story is narrated by Alfred and at the end we do not
know the final fate of Batman but know that there will always be someone out
there who will fight against evil. The issue is schizophrenic as it should be
since we are examining different points on the curve. Garbett isn’t a household
name but his art here is strongly similar to the artwork of Dustin Ngyuen and so
he should be allowed to have another shot at drawing the Dark Knight no matter
who is under the cowl in 2009. |
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MISTER X: CONDEMNED #1 (of 4) |
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Writer/Artist:
Dean Motter |
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Review By:
Larry "Bocepheus" Evans,
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Publisher:
Dark Horse Comics,
Shipped On:
122408 |
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MSRP:
$3.50
(15% OFF during it's 1st Week of release only at Alternate Reality!)
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DARK HORSE'S
SYNOPSIS: |
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Twenty-five years ago, Mister X debuted with a
concept so clever and a character so captivating that it influenced an entire
generation of comics fans and creators. Today, Motter reclaims the reins and
sets out to inspire a whole new generation with Mister X: Condemned, a
completely fresh introduction to the elusive Mister X and his dystopian home-Somnopolis,
the City of Nightmares. With influences from Film Noir to German Expressionism,
this story of a city gone mad and the never-sleeping man who's obsessed with
saving it will amaze anyone interested in masterpiece storytelling born from the
vision of a single iconoclastic creator. One of the most iconic characters of
alternative comics-Mister X-is reborn in a new four-part series by his original
creator, legendary designer Dean Motter! |
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BO'S REVIEW:
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Dean Motter’s Mister X was huge when it was a
regular fixture on the racks during the heyday of the independents. It was
highly stylized and easy to relate to for the audience who had no interest in
what was going on at DC and Marvel. Mister X lived in Radiant City, a world
where everything was supposed to be perfect but turned out not to be perfect at
all. The citizens were slowly being driven insane by the city itself and X
slipped from the shadows to protect the citizens as well as the city. I was
never a fan of the original appearances of the character because I found the
tales to be more style than substance but the character had a following that
even its creator couldn’t kill off. Motter left X a few times and went off to
create other things but when he wandered convention floors someone always asked
him when he was going to bring X back. At one of those conventions that someone
was DH’s Diana Shultz. She wanted to reprint all of the color issues involving
the character and suggested that Motter do a new story with X to refresh the
memory of why the character was so interesting to fans. In this first issue we
see that Radiant City is still screwed up but the city fathers have a plan to
fix the city and restore the dreams that led up to the construction. We do not
actually see X until the last page but the well constructed story keeps our
interest going. Motter’s art was always a bit unconventional and what we see
here is no exception. None of the characters look alike and he has a great sense
of panel design. I did enjoy the story but I am not adding it to my pull list
just yet. |
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X-MEN: KINGBREAKER #1 (of 4) |
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Writer:
Christopher Yost
Artist:
Dustin Weaver |
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Review By:
Larry "Bocepheus" Evans,
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Publisher:
Marvel Comics,
Shipped On:
121708 |
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MSRP:
$3.99
(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 X-Men have been defeated. Havok , Polaris and
the Starjammers are being held and tortured in the most secure prison in the
universe. Marvel Girl, Korvus and Lilandra are being hunted by the Imperial
Guard. Vulcan is Emperor of the Shi'Ar Empire and his expansion has begun. No
King will stand when Vulcan and his armies are done. Join Christopher Yost
(X-FORCE) and Dustin Weaver (Star Wars:KOTR) as they spin the story of a fight
against insurmountable odds. Do not miss this mini-series that will change the
shape of the Universe and pave the way for the War of Kings. |
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BO'S REVIEW:
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Part of the road to Marvel’s War of Kings event
begins with the first issue of this limited series. When last we saw Alex
Summers and the Starjammers he had been captured by his brother, Gabriel, also
known as Vulcan. Gabriel is the new head of the Shi’ar Empire and as this issue
opens up he is in the midst of conquering another race. Yost does a fine job
here establishing all we need to know about what is going on as quickly as
possible because the book is filled with a major amount of action. He gets us
into the head of Vulcan to show that he is obsessed with breaking his brother
and his team mates while also showing us that the team isn’t even close to being
broken. Weaver is a newcomer to the business and a book this loaded could have
left him lost in the shadows but he shows that he seems to be able to handle
complications. He shows a great sense of pacing and a talent for battle
sequences. All of this is leading to another cosmic event that Marvel has shown
a great sense for which is surprising because that is the one genre they were
known to be weak at. We have seen during the past few years that both DC and
Marvel have shown a commitment to events that take place off Earth and that
works for me. |
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VIGILANTE #1 |
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Writer:
Marv Wolfman
Artist:
Rick Leonardi |
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Review By:
Larry "Bocepheus" Evans,
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Publisher:
DC Comics,
Shipped On:
122408 |
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MSRP:
$2.99
(15% OFF during it's 1st Week of release only at Alternate Reality!)
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DC'S
SYNOPSIS: |
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In New York City, crime is on the rise, and terror
fills the streets. Gang warfare is escalating, and metahumans are being drafted
into battle. Through the corruption and lawlessness, one man emerges to right
the wrongs as only he can. So when a Super Hero conspiracy plot is brought to
light, the Vigilante returns to find the traitor and mete out his own brand of
justice - with extreme prejudice! Join us as writer Marv Wolfman (NEW TEEN
TITANS, CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS) continues the street-level adventures of the
mysterious new crime fighter he introduced in the pages of NIGHTWING. |
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BO'S REVIEW:
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Marv Wolfman recreated the classic DC hero Vigilante
before during the 80’s when he was at the time one of the hottest writers in
comics. The original Vigilante had a western theme and wore bright clothes but
carried a gun that he sometimes had to use. He was also a lighter character. The
80’s version was much darker in tone and a much more complicated back story
since he was also a district attorney who went after criminals at night while
convicted them during the day. Wolfman created a new version of the character
during his run on Nightwing. This isn’t the previous version since the person
who wore a similar costume happens to be dead but the characters share a member
of their supporting casts so there is a connection of some sort between the men
behind the mask. The tone here is similar to the Punisher since the book is
narrated by the lead character but since DC doesn’t have a MAX line there isn’t
much of a chance to confuse the two titles. Here the mission statement for
Vigilante is tied up to the low selling DC: Decisions limited series since he is
after the man behind the events of the last issue of that project. Vigilante,
like the Punisher is going to face opposition from the heroes of their
respective universes. The story moves along well and does create an interest in
at least seeing how the opening arc turns out. Leonardi’s are here is the
cleanest it has been in a while which suggests that he is really into the book.
I don’t think that this book is going to be a major seller though, just a steady
one. It isn’t different enough to stand out and the fact that Marvel is doing a
Punisher title that has him closely tied into the mainstream Marvel universe
will make readers pick which of the two similar in tone titles to pick up each
month. |
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GARTH ENNIS BATTLEFIELDS NIGHT WITCHES #1-3 |
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Writer:
Garth Ennis
Artist:
Russ Braun |
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Review By:
Larry "Bocepheus" Evans,
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Publisher:
Dynamite Comics,
Shipped On:
102908-012109 |
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MSRP:
$2.99 each
(15% OFF during it's 1st Week of release only at Alternate Reality!)
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DYNAMITE'S
SYNOPSIS OF ISSUE #1: |
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Late summer, 1942. As the German army smashes deep
into Soviet Russia and the defenders of the Motherland retreat in disarray, a
new bomber squadron arrives at a Russian forward airbase. Its crews will fly
flimsy wooden biplanes on lethal night missions over the German lines, risking
fiery death as they fling themselves against the invaders - but for these
pilots, the consequences of capture will be even worse. For the pilots of the
599th Night Bomber Regiment are women! In the deadly skies of the Eastern Front,
amidst the carnage of the Great Patriotic War, they will become a legend known,
to friend and foe alike, as the Night Witches. |
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BO'S REVIEW:
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The first of the limited series from Ennis that fall
under the heading of Battlefields involves women pilots during the World War II.
There actually was a unit of Russian female fighter pilots who flew only at
night in antique planes. All of their missions had to be at night because they
were females and that fact needed to be kept secret. They were actually at
greater risk that male pilots because rape was a foregone conclusion if they
were shot down and captured. Ennis counterpoints their activities with soldiers
on the ground making their way thru war torn Russia. The ground soldiers know
what they are doing but the female pilots are new at this and have to deal with
the prejudices against them as they go on missions. The soldiers are used here
to show the brutality of war and to create the legend of the female fliers. We
get to know Anna, one of the Witches quite well along with a German soldier
named Kurt who is often conflicted between his job and his sense of morality.
The art by Braun isn’t conventional but works in getting the story told. Ennis
does books like this because he loves history and wants these stories to be told
so it’s nice that Dynamite has allowed him to get them on the racks. |
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GREATEST AMERICAN HERO #1 |
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Writers:
William Katt, Chris Folino and Sean O'Reilly,
Artist:
Clint Hilinski |
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Review By:
Larry "Bocepheus" Evans,
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Publisher:
Arcana Comics,
Shipped On:
121708 |
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MSRP:
$3.50
(15% OFF during it's 1st Week of release only at Alternate Reality!)
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ARCANA'S
SYNOPSIS: |
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After 25 years, The Greatest American Hero returns
with all new original stories and adventures! Stephen J. Cannell's beloved cult
classic makes it debut to the comic book world courtesy of The Greatest American
Hero star William Katt, along with acclaimed writers Christopher Folino
(Sparks), Sean O'Reilly (Kade), and Derek McCaw (Tony Loco). |
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BO'S REVIEW:
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Stephen J. Cannell was at one point the Jerry
Bruckheimer of his day. He created the Rockford Files, Baa Baa Black Sheep, the
A-Team and many other shows during the 70’s and for the most part all of them
were major hits for their respective networks. The Greatest American Hero was
one of those hits. The show was about a schoolteacher named Ralph Hinkley, who
one night in the desert saw a space ship. He was taken into the ship and given a
suit that gave him superpowers but after he got the suit he lost the instruction
book so he had no idea how to control them. He could fly (landing was an issue),
was invulnerable and had other powers. We never knew just how many powers he had
since he didn’t have the instruction book so during the run of the show we
learned what Ralph could do along with him. The supporting cast for the show was
tight ass FBI agent Bill Maxwell (who used Ralph on cases) and Ralph’s lawyer
fiancée. While it lasted the show was fun and naturally had a huge following
from comic fans since Ralph was a superhero. The property has been on the minds
of a few people over the years and has been optioned as a movie so the folks at
Arcana along with Katt decided to make a comic based on the show. Katt has done
a few things over the years and one of them was creating his own comics company
so he packaged up what we see here and the fine folks at Arcana put the book
out. The story in this issue doesn’t follow the exact events leading up to Ralph
getting the suit but makes the connection between Ralph and Bill a lot closer.
Hilinski’s art is pleasant here and the story makes no attempt at high art but
is entertaining. Fans of the show will like this and newcomers are likely to
wander into a store and see if they can rent or buy the DVD collection of the
series. |
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SECRET INVASION REQUIEM |
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Writer (new material):
Dan Slott,
Artist (new material):
Khoi Pham |
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Review By:
Larry "Bocepheus" Evans,
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Publisher:
Marvel Comics,
Shipped On:
122408 |
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MSRP:
$3.99
(15% OFF during it's 1st Week of release only at Alternate Reality!)
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MARVEL'S
SYNOPSIS: |
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Pick up the free Marvel Previews: Dark Reign Edition
in-stores the same day as Secret Invasion #8 for more information on this book. |
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BO'S REVIEW:
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This title really isn’t much of one. It does give
you a look at the new team on Mighty Avengers (Dan Slott and Khoi Pham) but the
story is surrounded by two stories that marked status changes in both Hank Pym
and Janet Van Dyne. We get a reprint of a Stan and Jack tale showing how Janet
became the Wasp and when she met Hank. The reprint also has improved coloring
which makes each panel stand out. We also get a reprint of the Shooter/Hall
story that clouded the relationship between the two for a long time and was for
its time a pretty daring story. The coloring for this story has been improved as
well but Hall’s art remains as off center as it was when I first read the story.
Slott and Pham’s wrap around story shows Hank working in his lab to try to deal
with his feelings over the death of his former wife. His partner in the story is
the robot Jocasta who has the same brain patterns as Janet since Hank built her
years back. She finds him in the lab working on something and as he continues to
perfect what he is trying to do he tells her of the adventures and tragedies of
times past. The conclusion of the story echoes back to the events of the first
encounter between Hank and Jan while marking another change in the status quo of
Hank. The story does suggest that Mighty is in very good hands in the post-Bendis
era. We also get in this oversized book a reprint of Jan’s profile and a page
that shows the many outfits that she wore during her super hero career |
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BIRDS OF PREY #125 |
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Writer:
Tony Bedard,
Artists:
Scott McDaniel & Andy Owens |
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Review By:
Larry "Bocepheus" Evans,
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Publisher:
DC Comics,
Shipped On:
121708 |
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MSRP:
$2.99
(15% OFF during it's 1st Week of release only at Alternate Reality!)
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DC'S
SYNOPSIS: |
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After their intense encounter with The Joker last
issue, Oracle and Black Canary take a much needed breather. Of course, vacations
don't always go as planned and this one's plagued by one threat after another! |
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BO'S REVIEW:
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The delightfully goofy nature of the cover suggests
that once we opened the pages of this issue we would have a good time and that
promise was fulfilled for a change. The breezy issue has Canary and Oracle tooling
around Las Vegas, California and a faux eBay headquarters joyriding and creating
havoc in an attempt to annoy the living crap out of the Caretaker. The joyriding
takes place in a vintage car that barrels thru a number of Vegas hotels with a
multitude of assassins behind it. As Canary and Oracle go joyriding Infinity and
Huntress see just what’s below the eBay warehouse and in turn help quite a few
people. The tone of the issue is a jaunty one but Bedard lays within the tale a
solid core showing how close Canary and Oracle have become. He also makes it
clear that there are unresolved conflicts inside the head of Barbara Gordon over
her paralysis due to the hands of the Joker. I have always liked the art of
McDaniel and he does a good job here simulating the streets of Vegas which
suggests that he has spent some time wandering the city as I have. |
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HAUNTED TANK #1 |
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Writer:
Frank Marraffino,
Artist:
Henry Flint |
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Review By:
Larry "Bocepheus" Evans,
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Publisher:
DC/Vertigo Comics,
Shipped On:
120408 |
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MSRP:
$2.99
(15% OFF during it's 1st Week of release only at Alternate Reality!)
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DC'S
SYNOPSIS: |
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The Haunted Tank is back in action, but this time
it's an M1 Abrams in modern-day Iraq! African American tank commander Jamal
Stuart has his 21st century war ride in full battle rattle and is ready for
anything - anything except the whistling-Dixie combat guru ghost who shows up
uninvited! Of course, this isn't the first time the spirit of Confederate Civil
War General J.E.B. Stuart has helped guide a tank. In times of war he makes
himself available to assist his descendants in battle. Jamal Stuart, meet your
forefather! It's the newest chapter in the legacy of a long-time DC icon from
writer Frank Marraffino (The Dark Goodbye) and artist Henry Flint (OMEGA MEN). |
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BO'S REVIEW:
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DC seems to have figured out that older concepts
work better in the world of Vertigo. Either that or they have decided that if
you slap the Vertigo label on a book then older readers will be willing to
gamble on picking up at least the first issue. Here we take the concept of the
Haunted Tank and move the setting to the military situation in 2003 Iraq instead
of during WW 2. As was the case in the old series the tank in question is
haunted by the spirit of US Calvary General Jeb Stuart. We meet on the first
page the current occupants of the tank as they drive thru the desert many miles
behind the rest of their detail and are aware immediately that they are severely
screwed. Stuart makes himself known to the crew after blowing the crap out of a
bunch of Iraqi soldiers and that’s where the fun starts. You see, Jeb is bonded
with the task of protecting his descendents and fought for the Confederacy while
the current commander of the tank happens to be Jamal Stuart, a Black man. The
exchange of dialogue between Jamal and Jeb once they understand their situation
is worth the price of admission. The book also has wonderful artwork from Flint.
He started his career a long time ago with DC books such as Omega Men and the
independent title Grimjack. His art then had a rough, edgy quality that seemed
to a few steps below what was needed to sell a book but here his art is clearer
than it has ever been. Due to the Vertigo label the language in this issue is a
bit harsh but fits what the writer needs to use to get the concept across. I had
no interest in the concept of the Haunted Tank when the book was a regular
staple on comic spinner racks years ago but for the first time I can say that I
get it. |
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INVINCIBLE IRON MAN #8
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Writer:
Matt Fraction,
Artist:
Salvador Larroca |
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Review By:
Larry "Bocepheus" Evans,
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Publisher:
Marvel Comics,
Shipped On:
121708 |
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MSRP:
$2.99
(15% OFF during it's 1st Week of release only at Alternate Reality!)
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MARVEL'S
SYNOPSIS: |
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In the aftermath of SECRET INVASION, Iron Man is no
longer the hero he used to be, and Tony Stark's entire life is torn apart. We
can't say much now, but...how bad does it get? Here's a hint: Read WORLD'S MOST
WANTED Part One! By the blockbuster INVINCIBLE IRON MAN creative team of Matt
Fraction and Salvador Larroca, lauded by fans and critics alike! |
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BO'S REVIEW:
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Being Tony Stark isn’t going to be much fun in 2009
and in the first Iron Man tale since the conclusion of Secret Invasion we find
out why. He is no longer director of SHIELD, all government contracts with Stark
technology have been cancelled, he was attacked by a Skrull virus and so his
Extremis capabilities are gone, he is being blamed for the Skrull invasion and
if that wasn’t enough Norman Osborn is now in charge of what used to be SHIELD.
Fraction starts the issue with the last day on the job of Maria Hill and does a
wonderful job showing the change in her world before showing us just how well
regarded Tony is when he tries to help with the rebuilding of the world. He also
gives us an update on the rebuilding of Pepper Potts before we see Stark last
meeting with Norman. Naturally it doesn’t go well and we get a hint of what
Norman would like to do with a particular piece of property that Tony was in
charge of before we get a reminder of who Tony is and who Norman will always be.
The issue ends with Tony and his brain trust of Hill and Pepper meeting at a
place that some will see as very familiar where they learn something amazing
that makes the statement on the cover so very true. The first arc on this title
was awesome and I didn’t think it was going to be possible to top it but after
reading this issue I changed my mind fast. We no longer have an Iron Man who is
capable of everything due to his Extremis abilities but in losing those
capabilities we get a more vulnerable Tony. The threat level is much higher as
well. We also have Fraction’s tight stories to move us from page to page as we
gush over Larocca’s artwork. |
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X-MEN NOIR #1 of 4
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Writer:
Fred Van Lente,
Artist:
Dennis Calero |
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Review By:
Larry "Bocepheus" Evans,
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Publisher:
Marvel Comics,
Shipped On:
121008 |
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MSRP:
$3.99
(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 coroner's men flipped the redheaded corpse over
so Dukes and Magnus from Homicide could get a better look at her. 'Better' being
a relative term in this case, with the claw marks that slashed her face into a
featureless, bloody mask and turned her guts into a butcher shop explosion.
"But the tattoo -- the simple, encircled 'X' above the left shoulder blade --
remained intact, and Dukes pointed it out with the toe of his wingtip once Peter
the rookie was done heaving up lunch.
"'See this ink?' he said. 'Means she did time at this reform school upstate, run
by this shrink, Xavier...'" |
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BO'S REVIEW:
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As a rule the noir genre hasn’t been embraced in
full by the general public. It’s too dark for some and not dark enough for
others. The word of noir is found in shadows and populated by characters who may
know they are doomed but do what needs to be done anyway. Marvel has decided to
gamble with the genre with a series of limited series that takes Marvel
characters and places them in the past. There are no costumes here but the
characters still have some of their abilities. In this limited series Van Lente
and Calero adapt the X-Men into a dark world in which truth is relative and
death is always around the next corner. The issue begins with the discovery of a
body that is assumed to be another victim of murders committed by the X-Men by
the police. The dialogue is terse and the art seems to be a collection of
shadows. We become immersed in this dark world quickly and efficiently. The book
isn’t for everyone though. The dark tone may scare some readers off (even though
sales have been solid) and there isn’t a great deal of action within these
pages. It is a nice change of pace, though and Marvel may want to try this again
next year with the X-Men or even the Avengers. |
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ASTONISHING X-MEN: GHOST BOXES #1 & 2 |
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Writer:
Warren Ellis,
Artists:
Alan Davis, Adi Granov, Clayton Crain & Kaare
Andrews |
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Review By:
Larry "Bocepheus" Evans,
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Publisher:
Marvel Comics,
Shipped On:
102908 & 121008 respectively
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MSRP:
$3.99
(15% OFF during it's 1st Week of release only at Alternate Reality!)
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MARVEL'S
SYNOPSIS: |
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You met Subject X in the pages of ASTONISHING X-MEN.
But what was he really doing and who was he was doing it for? Find our in this
special 2-issue tie-in series to Warren Ellis and Simone Bianchi's opening salvo
on Astonishing X-Men! Ghost Boxes is about the real stakes of the Ghost Boxes
storyline, and what will happen if the X-Men fail to solve that mystery. |
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BO'S REVIEW:
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This limited series allows Simone Bianchi to get
ahead on the next few issues of the series and also serves the purpose of
allowing Alan Davis, Adi Granov, Clayton Crain and Kaare Andrews to work with
Warren Ellis. In the regular series the X-Men learned of the death of an
undiscovered mutant who wasn’t a mutant at all but the subject of an experiment
by a man called Subject X. When the team found Subject X he was trying to open
what he called a ‘Ghost Box’ and the box made it possible to open windows
between Earths. It seemed that X was a mutant from another Earth but since he
killed himself the team couldn’t prove that. Here we get four stories that take
place at completely different times but all connect to X, his mission and
decisions made. The Davis story shows the debriefing of X during his time as he
tells of the battle on our Earth. The story is written in a manner that allows
Davis to draw in the same style he used on his Killraven project. The action is
quite busy and intertwined with the cool storytelling of Agent X-13. Our second
tale is drawn by Granov and takes place in a Victorian world (Earth-889) in
which the team is called the X Society. They are summoned to a location in which
they are shown something most unusual and as they investigate they create an
impact on history. Granov colors the story himself and it literally jumps off
the page in detail. Tale three (by Crain) is a singular tale involving Scott
Summers at an interesting time in his life. It is dark and full of sorrow and
ghosts and shows what could happen if the Ghost boxes were opened. Andrews
finishes things up with another tale of the future that is even grimmer than the
story that precedes it. In it we see three survivors of the invasion from
another Earth as they make their way to a rumored sanctuary. You could complain
about the fact that this limited series is just a collection of short stories
that don’t push the actual story being told in the regular series along but each
story is a damn good one. We also get a copy of Ellis’ scripts for the stories
at the end of each issue. |
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DARKNESS LODBROK'S HAND
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Writer/Artist:
Mike Avon Oeming, |
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Review By:
Larry "Bocepheus" Evans,
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Publisher:
Image/Top Cow,
Shipped On:
121008
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MSRP:
$2.99
(15% OFF during it's 1st Week of release only at Alternate Reality!)
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TOP COW'S
SYNOPSIS: |
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In a barbaric age lost to history, mad kings
sacrifice their subjects to strange gods, dragons fill the sky, witches weave
their spells, warriors wade through bloodstained snow, and still The Darkness
reigns. Lodbrok's Hand is Viking mayhem on an epic scale with an intense twist
only The Darkness can provide! |
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BO'S REVIEW:
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While gearing up for the return of Powers sometime
in 2009 Mike Avon Oeming lends a hand (no pun intended) to Phil Hester by doing
the art chores on this Darkness one shot involving another incarnation of the
character. Our story here involves the pirate captain known as Lodbrok. We begin
with him on the bow of his ship watching the dark seas ahead as members of his
crew discuss him and the fact that he only had one hand. Hester has an older
crew member tell the tale of the younger days of the captain and in doing so
explains the loss of the hand and since this is a tale of the Darkness, an
earlier version of the character. When Lodbrok was a child his family and
village were under the rule of an insane king who had under his control a dragon
and as is the tradition of a tale like this there was an artifact that would
free them and also slay the dragon. He, his sister and a band of young warriors
do find the artifact, a horn that will summon help but as is also the case in
tales such as this the help may be much worse than the insane king and his
creation of an idol. What follows is a tale of blood and battle and yes,
something bad that has given the captain good reason to stand at the bow of his
ship looking for revenge and redemption. This is a pretty dark story in tone and
telling that serves as a nice change of pace from the adventures of the current
wielder of the Darkness. Oeming is great at books that offer that change of pace
and he is helped here by the dark color work of Val Staples. The story doesn’t
lend itself to a sequel but it would be cool if Oeming dropped in from time to
time to assist Hester in telling tales of earlier versions of the character. |
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JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #27
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Writer:
Dwayne McDuffie,
Artist:
Ed Bennes, |
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Review By:
Larry "Bocepheus" Evans,
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Publisher:
DC Comics,
Shipped On:
121008
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MSRP:
$3.50
(15% OFF during it's 1st Week of release only at Alternate Reality!)
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DC'S
SYNOPSIS: |
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A "Sightings" tale! Doctor Light is missing, and her
former Justice League teammates intend to find the man responsible and make him
pay. But before they do that, they'll have to get past his Shadow Cabinet of
powerful superbeings who have sworn to "Save humanity from itself." Milestone
Comics characters Icon and Hardware make their first modern DCU appearance, but
this time it's not clear whose side they're on! |
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BO'S REVIEW:
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As you can see from the cover the Milestone
characters have entered the DC Universe proper. Things begin with Dr. Light at
STAR Labs. She is still dealing with the fact that she cannot control her powers
and the fact that they were stolen from her. McDuffie does a great job showing
us someone who can’t stand what her life has become and what she has to deal
with right before having some of the Milestone characters show up at her place.
They want something but exactly what isn’t revealed until we get to JLA
headquarters where the members are dealing with their own issues before the two
worlds collide. This issue has a nice balance between action and interpersonal
relationships on the team. I do, however, think that the art here looks a bit
rushed. Benes has done better work but I will assume this is just a glitch. Now
DC’s explanation about the Milestone characters is that they have always been a
part of the DCU but never happened to be in the same place at the same time. I
don’t really buy that since there are obviously newspapers, magazines and the
internet in the DCU so it stands to reason that someone had a clue somewhere.
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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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