Review: Will Eisner's THE SPIRIT #1

WILL EISNER'S THE SPIRIT VOL. 1 #1
DYNAMITE ENTERTAINMENT – @dynamitecomics

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

WRITER: Matt Wagner
ART: Dan Schkade
COLORS: Brennan Wagner
LETTERS: A Larger World Studios
COVER: Eric Powell
VARIANT COVERS: Matt Wagner with Brennan Wagner; Alex Ross; John Cassaday; Francesco Francavilla; Dan Schkade; Matt Wagner; Dennis Calero; Jenny Frison; Stephen Mooney
32pp, Color, $3.99 U.S. (July 2015)

Rated T+

The Spirit (a.k.a. Denny Colt) is the masked crime-fighting hero created by legendary cartoonist, the late Will Eisner.  The Spirit first appeared on June 2, 1940 as the main feature of what would come to be known as “The Spirit Section.”  This was a 16-page, tabloid-sized, newsprint comic book insert first distributed in the Sunday edition of Register and Tribune Syndicate newspapers.  “The Spirit Section” ended in 1952.  With only a few exceptions, Eisner did not produce new stories featuring The Spirit as a regular feature after 1952.

In the last two decades, Kitchen Sink, DC Comics, and IDW published comic book series featuring new Spirit stories created by other writers and artists.  Sometime in the last year, Dynamite Entertainment obtained the rights to produce new Spirit comic books.  July 2015 saw the debut of Will Eisner's The Spirit, written by Matt Wagner, drawn by Dan Schkade, colored by Brennan Wagner, and lettered by A Large World Studios, with covers by Eric Powell.

Will Eisner's The Spirit #1 opens some time in the 1940s, two years after the last sighting of The Spirit.  Central City Police Commissioner Eustace Dolan wonders about the fate of his loyal, crime-fighting friend, but he must focus on the city's politics, which are not necessarily playing in his favor.  Commissioner Dolan's daughter, Ellen Dolan, is busy with her role as a city councilman, and though she was romantically involved with The Spirit, she has moved on with her life.  She even has a new boyfriend, attorney Archibald “Archie” Shale.

The Spirit's former sidekick, Ebony White, is now part of “Strunk and White: Private Investigators.”  Ebony has grown bored of chasing people, and has decided that it is time to chase The Spirit.

There have been some good recent Spirit stories produced by creators other than Will Eisner; Alan Moore and Darwyn Cooke come to mind.  Even back in The Spirit's original run, the comic was produced by people other than Eisner.  I imagine that readers who are not familiar with Will Eisner won't know the difference between his Spirit and that of other creators, so I will partly review Will Eisner's The Spirit #1 in that context.

It is a decent comic book.  It has potential, but I wouldn't pay a cover price of $3.99 for it on a regular basis.  Series artist Dan Schkade draws so that his compositions try to capture the graphic style of a comic book from the 1940s.  However, his drawing, in terms of comic book art and storytelling, is raw, and the quality of his work says semi-pro webcomic.

Now, as a longtime fan of The Spirit, who has liked both Eisner and non-Eisner Spirit comics, I have to say that Will Eisner's The Spirit #1 simply does not live up to the best of either Eisner or non-Eisner Spirit.  The reality is that anyone who takes on The Spirit works in the shadow of Eisner, one of the greatest and most influential comic book artists and creators of all time.

So truthfully, Dynamite Entertainment needs to do better than Dan Schkade as the series artist.  Flashy cover artists cannot hide that this book does not even come close to living up to its pedigree.  [I must admit to loving Alex Ross' gorgeous “Subscription Cover” variant cover.]  I want this to be better, and I think writer Matt Wagner and artist Dan Schkade can do better.  They must.

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux


The text is copyright © 2015 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

-------------------

Review: FIGHT CLUB 2 #2

FIGHT CLUB 2 #2
DARK HORSE COMICS – @DarkHorseComics

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

WRITER: Chuck Palahniuk
ART: Cameron Stewart
COLORS: Dave Stewart
LETTERS: Nate Piekos of Blambot
COVER:  David Mack
VARIANT COVERS: Francesco Francavilla
EDITOR: Scott Allie
32pp, Color, $3.99 U.S. (June 2015)

“The fire inspector said...”

Author Chuck Palahniuk has written the sequel to his 1996 novel, Fight Club, as a comic book.  Published by Dark Horse Comics, Fight Club 2 is written by Chuck Palahniuk, drawn by Cameron Stewart, colored by Dave Stewart, and lettered by Nate Piekos, with cover art by David Mack.

In Fight Club 2, the unnamed protagonist of Fight Club now calls himself “Sebastian.”  A decade ago, he had an army of men ready to take down the modern world.  Now, an assortment of pills and medications have taken him down.  Sebastian is married to Marla Singer, his former co-revolutionary, and they have a son, “Junior.”  All is boring, but an old friend, Tyler Durden, is back.

Fight Club 2 #2 (“The fire inspector said...”) opens in the aftermath of the destruction of Sebastian and Marla's suburban home.  In theory, they are grieving parents, as their son was killed in the fire.  As one would expect, more-to-the-story isn't just a catch phrase.  Someone adjusted someone's medicine so she could screw someone special, and an old army demands an audience with its leader.

I really hoped that Fight Club 2 would be an exceptional comic book, and it is – dare I call it great?  It would not be an exaggeration to say that Chuck Palahniuk was born to write comic books, which he proves with this bracing and invigorating story.  Of course, he is blessed with a talented co-author in artist Cameron Stewart.  Stewart tells the story with subtly and with a sense of mystery.  Graphically and visually, Stewart delivers the story with a matter-of-fact quality that makes Fight Club 2 seem genuine and not contrived, but without loosing the surreal qualities of Palahniuk's world.

Once again, David Mack lets loose a stellar cover painting.  Yes, there is an element of menace in these covers, but much is left to interpretation because we control our destiny because we don't control our destiny... and Tyler is watching.  I don't know why people aren't making a huge freaking deal about this comic book instead of worrying about what Marvel Comics or DC Comics are going to do to or with their precious faux universes.

A

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux


The text is copyright © 2015 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog for syndication rights and fees.

I Reads You Review: ARCHIE VS. PREDATOR #1

ARCHIE VS. PREDATOR #1
DARK HORSE COMICS in association with Archie Comics – @DarkHorseComics and @ArchieComics

WRITER: Alex de Campi
PENCILS: Fernando Ruiz
INKS: Rich Koslowski
COLORS: Jason Millet
LETTERS: John Workman
COVER:  Fernando Ruiz and Rich Koslowski with Jason Millet
VARIANT COVERS: Eric Powell; Francesco Francavilla
28pp, Color, $3.99 U.S. (April 2015)

Eternal comic book teenager, Archie Andrews, was created in 1941 by Vic Bloom and Bob Montana and first appeared in Pep Comics #22 (cover date: December 1941).  The Predator is a movie monster that was created by the sibling screenwriting team of Jim and John Thomas in 1985 and that first appeared in the still-popular, 1987 science fiction film, Predator.

Now, Dark Horse Comics, in conjunction with Archie Comics, is pitting Archie Andrews and his friends against the Predator in the four-issue comic book miniseries, Archie vs. Predator.  The series is written by Alex de Campi, penciled by Fernando Ruiz, inked by Rich Koslowski, colored by Jason Millet, and lettered by one of the masters of comic book lettering, John Workman.

Archie vs. Predator #1 (“When You Wish Upon a Star”) opens with America's favorite teen, Archie, and his pals, including Betty, Veronica, Reggie, Jughead, and Moose, trying to decide where they can spend Spring Break.  They don't want to spend another Spring Break camping, tubing, or shopping at the outlet mall.  Of course, the wealthy Cheryl and her boyfriend, Jason, are rubbing it in that they will spend the vacation yachting in the Caribbean.

As luck (or fate) would have it, the gang does manage to travel to the lovely Los Perdidos Resort in Costa Rica.  However, instead of enjoying fun in the sun, Archie and the Gang allow old rivalries, jealousy, and violence to take over their Spring Break.  Meanwhile, something dangerous hides in the nearby jungle, watching and waiting.

It has been some time since I have enjoyed an Archie comic book as much as I enjoyed Archie vs. Predator #1.  For the most part, the Predator is a background player in this first issue.  What makes this such a good Archie comic book is that writer Alex de Campi encapsulates eight decades of rivalries, jealousies, and disputes into 22-pages.  The charm of Archie and company is not just that they are friends; it is also about their conflicts and schemes, although I must admit to being surprised at the physical intensity and emotional distress de Campi depicts in this story.

The art team of Fernando Ruiz, Rich Koslowski (an Archie Comics writer-artist), and Jason Millet capture the classic Archie look, which is based on the work of the late Dan DeCarlo, probably the most influential Archie Comics artist of all time.  Archie vs. Predator #1 looks like an Archie comic book and graphically, it reads like one.

I am waiting for the Predator's presence to explode in this story, probably next issue.  For now, I implore anyone who has ever liked an Archie comic book to try the first issue of Archie vs. Predator.

A

[This volume includes a one-age bonus story, “Sabrina Meets Hellboy” by Alex de Campi, Robert Hack, and Clem Robins.]

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux


The text is copyright © 2015 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog for syndication rights and fees.

Dark Horse Comics from Diamond Distributors for April 15, 2015

DARK HORSE COMICS

FEB150015     ARCHIE VS PREDATOR #1     $3.99
DEC140098     ART OF HE MAN AND THE MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE HC     $39.99
DEC140126     BANDETTE HC VOL 02 STEALERS KEEPERS     $14.99
FEB150060     BPRD HELL ON EARTH #130     $3.50
DEC140081     BTVS SEASON 10 TP VOL 02 I WISH     $18.99
DEC140141     CRIME DOES NOT PAY ARCHIVES HC VOL 09     $49.99
FEB150032     DARK HORSE PRESENTS 2014 #9     $4.99
FEB150020     EI8HT #3     $3.50
OCT140163     FRANK FRAZETTA DEATH DEALER PLAYING CARDS     $4.99
OCT140162     FRANK FRAZETTA WARRIOR COASTER SET     $9.99
NOV140116     GAME OF THRONES MAGNETIC BOOK MARK SET 2     $6.99
DEC140183     GAME OF THRONES STATUE BRIENNE OF TARTH     $225.00
FEB150048     GROO FRIENDS AND FOES #4     $3.99
DEC140110     HALO ESCALATION TP VOL 02     $19.99
DEC140167     OREIMO KURONEKO TP VOL 01     $10.99
DEC140128     POLAR HC VOL 02 EYE FOR AN EYE     $17.99
DEC140096     PROMETHEUS FIRE & STONE TP     $14.99
FEB150025     SHAPER #2     $3.99
FEB150094     STRAIN NIGHT ETERNAL #8 (MR)     $3.99

Dark Horse Comics from Diamond Distributors for March 18, 2015

DARK HORSE COMICS

NOV140026     ANGEL AND FAITH SEASON 9 LIBRARY ED HC VOL 01     $29.99
NOV140041     BALTIMORE HC VOL 05 APOSTLE & WITCH OF HARJU     $24.99
JAN150099     BPRD HELL ON EARTH #129     $3.50
OCT140012     BPRD HELL ON EARTH TP VOL 10 DEVILS WINGS     $19.99
JAN150095     BTVS SEASON 10 #13 MAIN CVR     $3.50
OCT140022     BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER PANEL TO PANEL SEASONS 8 & 9 TP     $24.99
NOV140013     CHRONICLES OF CONAN TP VOL 29 SHAPE IN THE SHADOW     $19.99
OCT140129     CHRONICLES OF KING CONAN TP VOL 10 WARLORD OF KOTH     $19.99
NOV140086     COURAGEOUS PRINCESS HC VOL 01 BEYOND HUNDRED KINGDOMS     $19.99
JAN150121     DARK HORSE PRESENTS 2014 #8 MAIN FRANCAVILLA CVR     $4.99
NOV140074     DEEP GRAVITY TP     $14.99
JAN150126     EI8HT #2     $3.50
JAN150084     FRANKENSTEIN UNDERGROUND #1     $3.50
JAN150138     GROO FRIENDS AND FOES #3     $3.99
JAN150118     MIND MGMT #31     $3.99
NOV140114     OH MY GODDESS RTL TP VOL 47     $12.99
OCT140044     OINK HEAVENS BUTCHER TP     $17.99
JAN150116     SHAPER #1     $3.99
JAN150107     STRAIN NIGHT ETERNAL #7 (MR)     $3.99
NOV140101     TEX THE LONESOME RIDER HC     $49.99
OCT140089     USAGI YOJIMBO SAGA LTD ED HC VOL 02     $79.99
OCT140088     USAGI YOJIMBO SAGA TP VOL 02     $24.99

I Reads You Review: DJANGO/ZORRO #1

DJANGO/ZORRO #1
DYNAMITE ENTERTAINMENT/Vertigo (DC Comics) – @dynamitecomics

WRITERS: Quentin Tarantino and Matt Wagner
ART: Esteve Polls
COLORS: Brennan Wagner
LETTERS: Simon Bowland
EXECUTIVE EDITOR: Reginald Hudlin
COVER: Jae Lee with June Chung
VARIANT COVERS: Francesco Francavilla (Cover B); Matt Wagner with Brennan Wagner (Cover C)
32pp, Color, $3.99 U.S.

Rated T+

Dynamite Entertainment, in association with DC Comics' Vertigo imprint, present an exciting new comic book miniseries based on licensed properties,  Django/Zorro.  Django Freeman, the hero of Quentin Tarantino's Oscar-winning film, Django Unchained, joins forces with Don Diego de la Vega, better known as Zorro, the legendary fictional character created in 1919 by New York–based pulp writer Johnston McCulley.

For almost a century, Zorro (the Spanish word for “fox”) has appeared in countless movies, television series, comic books, and stories.   Django/Zorro is the first new story starring Django Freeman since his film debut almost two years ago.  [Vertigo did publish a comic book adaptation of Django Unchained as a miniseries, beginning in 2013, so this isn't Django's first comic book appearance.]   Django/Zorro is written by Quentin Tarantino and Matt Wagner, drawn by Esteve Polls, colored by Brennan Wagner, and lettered by Simon Bowland.

Django/Zorro #1 opens several years after the events depicted in Django Unchained.  According to the back story to this series (provided by Dynamite), Django is still a bounty hunter.  He has settled his wife, Broomhilda, near Chicago, and is working in the western states to avoid the bounty on his head back east.  As the story begins, Django encounters the aged and sophisticated Don Diego de la Vega and his man-servant, Bernardo.  Django, of course, does not know that Don Diego is also Zorro.

After Django shows his shooting skills with a pistol, Don Diego hires him as a bodyguard.  Django is fascinated by this unusual older man, who reminds him of a deceased old friend (King Schultz).  Don Diego is also the first White man who seems unconcerned with Django's skin color.  Now, Django will follow his new boss on an adventure in which he will discover that slavery in these United States isn't just for Black folks.

First, I have to say that Esteve Polls is one of those comic book artists perfect for drawing comic book Westerns.  The Spanish artist's style and storytelling recall the late, great artist of Western comic books, John Severin.  In this first issue, Matt Wagner's script merely teases what his and Tarantino's story will offer in later issues, but still, it is a very good tease.  As first issues go, this is the kind that entices you to keep reading.

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux


The text is copyright © 2014 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog for syndication rights and fees.

Archie Andrews to Get Cap in Ass - The Official Announcement

Legendary Comic Book Character Archie Andrews Dies in July

Future “Life with Archie” storyline reveals redheaded icon’s heroic final moments

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Archie Comics, the acclaimed and bestselling comic book publisher that is home to some of the best-known pop culture creations in the world, including Archie, Jughead, Betty & Veronica, Josie & The Pussycats, Sabrina the Teenage Witch and the hit AFTERLIFE WITH ARCHIE series, announced the unthinkable today: Legendary comic book character Archie Andrews will die to conclude the hit LIFE WITH ARCHIE comic series.

The iconic comic book character, beloved by millions around the globe for over 70 years, will sacrifice himself heroically while saving the life of a friend in the pages of July’s LIFE WITH ARCHIE #36, the final issue in the flash-forward series, which spotlights Archie’s adventures after high school and college.

“We’ve been building up to this moment since we launched LIFE WITH ARCHIE five years ago, and knew that any book that was telling the story of Archie’s life as an adult had to also show his final moment,” said Archie Comics Publisher/Co-CEO Jon Goldwater. “Archie has and always will represent the best in all of us—he’s a hero, good-hearted, humble and inherently honorable. This story is going to inspire a wide range of reactions because we all feel so close to Archie. Fans will laugh, cry, jump off the edge of their seats and hopefully understand why this comic will go down as one of the most important moments in Archie’s entire history. It’s the biggest story we’ve ever done, and we’re supremely proud of it.”

The story will be available in multiple formats, including an extra-large magazine-size LIFE WITH ARCHIE #36, two comic-sized issues—LIFE WITH ARCHIE #36 and #37—and a trade paperback collecting the entire story, written by regular LIFE WITH ARCHIE writer Paul Kupperberg, with art by Pat & Tim Kennedy and Fernando Ruiz.

While LIFE WITH ARCHIE #36 shows readers Archie’s final moments, #37 leaps a year into the future, showcasing how the remaining members of the Riverdale gang—including Jughead, Betty & Veronica and Reggie—have honored the legacy of their dear friend. Both stories will be collected in the double-sized LIFE WITH ARCHIE #36 magazine and upcoming trade paperback.

In addition to the acclaimed regular LIFE WITH ARCHIE creative team, the two comic book issues—sold exclusively at comic shops in July—will feature a pantheon of artistic luminaries contributing covers to the historic issue, including Francesco Francavilla, Fiona Staples, Ramon Perez, Walt Simonson, Jill Thompson, Mike Allred, Cliff Chiang, Adam Hughes, Tommy Lee Edwards and Alex Ross.

ABOUT ARCHIE COMICS:
Archie Comics is the leading mass market comic book publisher in the world and the home to a wide array of the most popular humor, action-adventure and superhero characters in entertainment, including Archie, Jughead, Betty and Veronica, Reggie, Kevin Keller, Josie and the Pussycats, Sabrina the Teenage Witch, Afterlife With Archie, The Fox, The New Crusaders, The Shield, Li’l Jinx and many more. Archie Comics have sold 2 billion comics worldwide and are published around the world in a number of languages. In addition to comics, Archie characters have been featured prominently in animation, television, film and music.

I Reads You Review: AFTERLIFE WITH ARCHIE #3

AFTERLIFE WITH ARCHIE #3
ARCHIE COMICS – @archiecomics and @AfterlifeArchie

STORY: Roberto Aquirre-Sacasa
ART: Francesco Francavilla
LETTERS: Jack Morelli
COVER: Francesco Francavilla
VARIANT COVER: Tim Seeley
32pp, Color, $2.99 U.S. (February 2014)

Rated Teen+ for Violence and Mature Content

Escape from Riverdale:  Chapter Three – “Sleepover”

Writer Roberto Aquirre-Sacasa and artist Francesco Francavilla have taken Archie Comics to the dark side – the classic horror comics dark side – with Afterlife with Archie.  It’s the hot “zombie apocalypse” genre come to Archie Comics.

The end of Archie Andrews’ beloved hometown of Riverdale begins when Forsythe P. “Jughead” Jones shows up at the door of Sabrina (the Teenaged Witch).  Jughead is holding the mangled body of his beloved pooch, Hot Dog.  Sabrina helps her friend, but her use of forbidden magic has dire consequences for her, Jughead, and the rest of Riverdale.  Hot Dog returns from the dead and bites Jughead, and the flesh-eating fever spreads like wildfire.

Afterlife with Archie #3 finds Archie and friends finding refuge in Lodge Manor, the stately mansion home of Hiram Lodge, the father of Archie’s sometimes girlfriend, Veronica.  Mr. Lodge believes that the high-tech security his money bought him will protect everyone inside, but they cannot protect him from his memories… or bad dreams.

However, Archie is not content with staying within the safety of Lodge Manor.  He is determined to check on everyone’s parents.  Meanwhile, the surviving members of the Archie gang are enjoying the amenities of Hiram’s Lodge’s estate, without realizing that one among them is already infected.

After three issues, I can safely say that Afterlife with Archie is no fluke.  This is a genuinely good comic book.  It is also a sincerely terrifying horror comic book.  It’s like a classic scary movie, recalling George Romero, The Walking Dead, EC Comics, and other zombie horror fiction in general.

Roberto Aquirre-Sacasa and Francesco Francavilla come together to present a different take on the world of Archie Comics.  Yes, it is dark and thrilling, but besides the horror elements, Afterlife with Archie bears more than a passing resemblance to a television teen soap opera.  The typical “young love” of comic book romance is replaced by young love just a little more complicated.  There is desire, jealousy, want, and even (gasp) the threat of sex.  Take Afterlife with Archie for what it is – something different and exciting.

As an extra, Afterlife with Archie #3 reprints the comic book short story, “Horripilate Host” written and drawn by Dick Giordano, the late artist, editor, and DC Comics executive.  This story was originally published in the comic book series, Chilling Adventures in Sorcery (which was part of Archie Comics’ Red Circle Comics imprint), in the mid-1970s.

A

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux


The text is copyright © 2014 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this site for syndication rights and fees.

I Reads You Review: AFTERLIFE WITH ARCHIE #2

AFTERLIFE WITH ARCHIE #2
ARCHIE COMICS – @archiecomics and @AfterlifeArchie

STORY: Roberto Aquirre-Sacasa
ART: Francesco Francavilla
LETTERS: Jack Morelli
COVER: Francesco Francavilla
VARIANT COVER: Tim Seeley
32pp, Color, $2.99 U.S. (January 2014)

Rated Teen+ for Violence and Mature Content

Escape from Riverdale:  Chapter Two – “Dance of the Dead”

I am captivated by the surprising new Archie comics series (that I assume it is going to be a miniseries or limited series of some kind).  Entitled Afterlife with Archie, this Archie comics horror series is written by Roberto Aquirre-Sacasa and drawn by Francesco Francavilla.  Afterlife with Archie pits Archie Andrews and the other beloved Archie comics characters against a zombie horde – led by their pal, Jughead.

What may be the end of the world begins when Forsythe P. “Jughead” Jones shows up at the door of Sabrina (the Teenaged Witch).  Jughead is holding the mangled body of his beloved pooch, Hot Dog.  Sabrina helps her friend, but her use of forbidden magic has dire consequences for her, Jughead, and the rest of Riverdale.

Afterlife with Archie #2 is mostly told in flashback from Lodge Mansion.  There, Veronica Lodge tells her father, Mr. Lodge, about the terror that occurred at the annual Halloween dance and about the unfolding horror that is heading their way.  The familiar has now turned very hungry, and Mr. Lodge may have to accept Archie as he never believed he would ever have to do.

Recalling George Romero, The Walking Dead, EC Comics, and other like zombie horror fiction in general, Afterlife with Archie is the real deal.  It is really an excellent and hugely entertaining horror comic book.  Writer Roberto Aquirre-Sacasa has simply turned Archie dark, and he retains what is familiar about the characters.  I think Aquirre-Sacasa is depicting their characteristics and quirks as if they were characters in a nighttime teen soap opera, rather than as in the usual Archie stories.

Certainly, what Afterlife with Archie artist, Francesco Francavilla, is doing is creating a true horror comic book.  It may not look like Dan DeCarlo’s classic Archie, but the spirit of the classic is there, somewhere behind the mood and the dark.

As an extra, Afterlife with Archie #2 reprints the comic book short story, “…Cat!” written and drawn by the late Gray Morrow, a story originally published in Chilling Adventures in Sorcery in the mid-1970s.  Morrow also edited Chilling Adventures in Sorcery, which was part of Archie Comics’ Red Circle Comics imprint.

A

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux


The text is copyright © 2013 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this site for syndication rights and fees.

I Reads You Review: AFTERLIFE WITH ARCHIE #1

AFTERLIFE WITH ARCHIE #1
ARCHIE COMICS – @archiecomics

STORY: Roberto Aquirre-Sacasa
ART: Francesco Francavilla
LETTERS: Jack Morelli
COVER: Francesco Francavilla
VARIANT COVERS: Francesco Francavilla, Tim Seeley, Andrew Pepoy
32pp, Color, $2.99 U.S.

Rated Teen+ for Violence and Mature Content

There is a rather surprising new Archie comics series, so surprising that I assume it is going to be a miniseries or limited series of some kind.  Written by Roberto Aquirre-Sacasa and drawn by Francesco Francavilla, Afterlife with Archie pits the beloved Archie comics characters against a zombie horde – led by their pal, Jughead.

Afterlife with Archie #l begins with how the world will end.  When Jughead shows up at her door, holding the mangled body of his beloved pooch, Hot Dog, Sabrina (the Teenaged Witch) wants to help him.  But her forbidden magic will have dire consequences for her, Jughead, and the rest of Riverdale.  Meanwhile, Betty and Veronica squabble over which of them Archie will escort to the big Halloween dance.  At the same time, Archie is trying to figure out why Reggie is down-in-the-dumps.

When I think of an Archie comic book, I think of a kind of pop culture firmly rooted in the first two decades of post-World War II America.  An Archie comic book is also something rooted in sameness – same characters, familiar themes, constancy in plots, etc.  I also see it as Americana, possessing a timeless quality; no matter where and when you are, this is still Archie.  For me, these are the impressions, ideas, structures, and especially that delightful timeless quality that also permeate Afterlife with Archie #l.

Although the influences are obvious, Afterlife with Archie isn’t necessarily George Romero, The Walking Dead, EC Comics, or like zombie horror fiction in general.  It is like a ghost story told around a campfire – scary, but age appropriate even for grade school age children.  It’s scary, ominous, and creepy, but fun and exciting to read.

Roberto Aquirre-Sacasa and Francesco Francavilla form an excellent creative team.  Aquirre-Sacasa writes an Archie comic book that is true to the characters, but puts them in the horror genre that reads as genuine.  Francavilla has the ability to match pulp art with high-end graphic design to create visually striking comics, which is what makes him one of the best comic book artists working today.  In Afterlife with Archie, Francavilla eschews the splashy graphics of his Black Beetle comics for straight-forward, moody storytelling that recalls early Mike Mignola Hellboy.

This is good stuff.  It is an Archie comic book that is as good as any dark fantasy and horror comics being published by Vertigo or Dark Horse Comics.  I want to live a long Afterlife with Archie, so more please.

A

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux


The text is copyright © 2013 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this site for syndication rights and fees.

Dark Horse Comics from Diamond Distributors for October 16 2013

DARK HORSE COMICS

AUG130093 BALTIMORE INFERNAL TRAIN #2 $3.50
APR130019 BLACK BEETLE NO WAY OUT HC VOL 01 $19.99
AUG130054 BLOODHOUND CROWBAR MEDICINE #1 $3.99
AUG130089 BPRD HELL ON EARTH #112 $3.50
AUG130062 BRAIN BOY #2 $2.99
AUG130061 BUZZKILL #2 $3.99
AUG130072 CONAN THE BARBARIAN #21 $3.50
AUG130080 SHOOT FIRST #1 $3.99
AUG130100 STRAIN THE FALL #4 $3.99

Review: SILVER #2 – Sledge

SILVER #2 – SLEDGE
DARK PLANET COMICS

CARTOONIST/CREATOR: Stephan Franck – @stephan_franck
COVER: Stephan Franck with Alan Bodner
32pp, B&W, $3.50 U.S.

I’m always looking for a comic book that reminds me of why I love comic books so much.  When I find one, as a comic book reviewer, I want to convince other readers to try it, hoping that they will like it – even if they don’t like it as much as I do.

Silver is a new 12-issue miniseries created by writer, director, and animator, Stephan Franck, and published by Dark Planet Comics.  Silver extends the fictional world of writer Bram Stoker, the author of the novel, Dracula (1897), into the 1930s.  The series focuses on a con man who plans to steal silver from the living-dead and his mission to assemble a crew that can help him pull off the biggest heist of the last ten centuries.

The story opened in New York City, 1931 at the Harker Foundation, a creation of the recently deceased Jonathan Harker and his late wife, Wilhelmina “Mina” (Murray) Harker.  There, con man and thief extraordinaire, James Finnigan, crashes an auction of rare silver pieces from the Harkers’ private collection.  Finnigan accidentally stumbles into a crypt where he finds an ancient bar of silver.

As Silver #2 (entitled “Sledge”) opens, Finnigan learns that he did not make quite the clean getaway from the Harker Foundation that he thought he did.  He left something behind, and now his partners, Mullins and Brantley, are none too happy about it.  Finnigan, however, is always a man with a new plan – a bigger and bolder plan... or so he thinks.  Now, he must find a young woman named Rosalynd Sledge, but wait until he learns what her line of work is.

Like The Black Beetle (Dark Horse Comics), Silver is a great new comic book series that harkens back to the classic past of comic books. Silver’s Stephan Franck and The Black Beetle’s Francesco Francavilla remind me of writer/artists and cartoonists such as Steve Ditko, Will Eisner, Harvey Kurtzman and others who mastered the graphic storytelling sensibilities possible with comics.

Whether it is flashy page layouts or weird and imaginative compositions of splash pages or within panels, the masters of the Golden and Silver Ages of comic books made the narrative of sequential art an eye-popping, mind-bending experience.  But the art was not just pretty illustrations, but it was also story, and it conceived, heightened, and embellished the story, character, and setting.

This is Silver, the visual and graphical elements of comics unleashed as a gripping narrative.  Franck’s black and white art might also remind people of Frank Miller’s work in his Sin City comic books.  I hope readers embrace Silver the way they did Sin City.  Silver is the antidote for our comic book reading complacency.

A+

Readers can purchase Silver #2 here or http://www.darkplanetcomics.com/store

Readers can purchase Silver #1 on ComiXology: http://www.comixology.com/Silver/comics-series/10508

www.darkplanetcomics.com
www.facebook.com/DarkPlanetComics
www.darkplanetcomics.tumblr.com

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux

The text is copyright © 2013 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this site for syndication rights and fees.

Review: STAN LEE'S How to Draw Superheroes

STAN LEE’S HOW TO DRAW SUPERHEROES
WATSON-GUPTILL PUBLICATIONS/Dynamite Entertainment – @CrownPublishing and @dynamitecomics

WRITERS: Stan Lee with Danny Fingeroth, Keith Dallas, and Robert Sodaro
COVER:  Ardian Syaf; back cover by Alex Ross
ISBN: 978-0-8230-9845-3; paperback (July 9, 2013)
224pp, Color, $24.99 U.S., $28.99 CAN

Excelsior!  Stan Lee’s back!  And he is here to teach us about comic books – this time focusing on superheroes.  That is the case in the recently released Stan Lee’s How to Draw Superheroes.

This paperback book is the third in a series “how-to” books published under Stan Lee’s name by Watson-Guptill Publications (a division of the Crown Publishing Group).  Under a cover by Ardian Syaf, this 2013 book is co-written by Danny Fingeroth, Keith Dallas, and Robert Sodaro.  Stan Lee’s How to Draw Superheroes is a follow-up to Stan Lee’s How to Draw Comics and Stan Lee’s How to Write Comics.

The stated purpose of Stan Lee’s How to Draw Superheroes is to give aspiring superhero creators information on just about everything related to the comic book superhero genre: from sidekicks and secret hideouts to super-villains and monsters.  The book also has 24 step-by-step exercises designed to help readers learn how to draw a variety of superhero types – from poses and powers to secret identities and secret bases.

I did not have to peruse through too many chapters of Stan Lee’s How to Draw Superheroes before I began to think that the book was about superheroes as much as it was a “how-to” art book, if not more so.  There are 13 chapters in this book, and all of them are basically written surveys of superheroes, costumed heroes, and super-powered humans and heroes, from Gilgamesh all the way to the new superheroes being introduced by Dynamite Entertainment.

With chapters devoted to “Sidekicks and Teen Heroes” and “Robots, Androids, and Cyborgs,” Stan Lee’s How to Draw Superheroes is a broad overview of the elements that make up and the ideas that shape and structure superhero comic books.  This book can either be a refresher course for those familiar with superheroes or a guide for those unfamiliar who want to enter the unique world of reading that is American superhero comic books.

As a book about superheroes, Stan Lee’s How to Draw Superheroes is good.  As a how-to art book:  well, there are better, and that includes Lee’s own How to Draw Comics the Marvel Way (1978), produced with the late John Buscema.  In fact, the earlier Watson-Guptill book, Stan Lee’s How to Draw Comics, offers more about drawing theory and procedure than Stan Lee’s How to Draw Superheroes.  So buy this book for what it is (about superheroes) and not for what it is advertised as (a how to draw book).

B

www.crownpublishing.com
www.watsonguptill.com


Contributing artists:  Vinicius Andrande, Javier Aranda, Mark Bagley, Ed Benes, John Byrne, Tim Bradstreet, John Buscema, J. Scott Campbell, Jim Cheung, Chris Caniano, Will Eisner, David Enebral, Francesco Francavilla, Ale Garza, Phil Hester, Joe Jusco, Jack Kirby, Jim Lee, Adriano Lucas, Steve McNiven, Frank Miller, Ivan Nunes, Lucio Parillo, Paul Renaud, John Romita, Jr., Alex Ross, Tim Seeley, Joe Shuster

Review: THE BLACK BEETLE: No Way Out #4

THE BLACK BEETLE #4
DARK HORSE COMICS – @DarkHorseComics

CREATOR/CARTOONIST: Francesco Francavilla
LETTERS: Nate Piekos (of Blambot)
COVER: Francesco Francavilla
28pp, Color, $3.99 U.S. (June 2013)

“No Way Out” (Part 4 of 4)

The Black Beetle: No Way Out, the miniseries by Eisner Award-winning artist, Francesco Francavilla, comes to an end. The Black Beetle, a comic book character created by Francavilla, blends the aesthetics of pulp fiction, mystery, and the superhero. He is a super-heroic sleuth, operating in Colt City.

The Black Beetle attempted to infiltrate a meeting of Colt City’s two crime families, the Galazzos and the Fierros. Shortly after he arrives at Spencer’s, the site of the meeting, the place goes up in a tremendous explosion – killing everyone inside. Determined to discover who came between him and bringing these gangsters to justice, the Black Beetle meets a wily adversary, the enigmatic Labyrinto.

The Black Beetle: No Way Out #4 opens as our hero races to Camp Creek. This woodland estate is where he will find Joseph “Joe” Fierro, A.K.A. “Faccia D’Angelo,” once thought to have been killed at Spencer’s, but who is actually alive. Camp Creek is also where The Black Beetle plans to have his final showdown with Labyrinto, whom he plans to take care of once and for all.

The thing about mystery fiction is that sometimes getting to the conclusion or answer or discovering whodunit is the best part. The resolution, or discovering of who the villain is, can be a little bit of a letdown, especially when what came before it is exceptionally good.

Everything leading up to The Black Beetle: No Way Out #4 was so good. While this last issue is good, it does not reach the heights of what came before it. I thought that a villain such as Labyrinto deserved a more potent last act than what we get here (although this might not be the last time we see him). The reveal and resolution are somewhat disappointing.

As for the art and graphical storytelling: both are still visually striking and pop on the page. I could not help but linger over certain pages, just to enjoy the beauty of Francavilla’s art. I’m ready for The Black Beetle’s return this fall.

A-

http://pulpsunday.blogspot.com/

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux

Review: THE BLACK BEETLE #3

THE BLACK BEETLE #3
DARK HORSE COMICS – @DarkHorseComics

CREATOR/CARTOONIST: Francesco Francavilla
LETTERS: Nate Piekos (of Blambot)
COVER: Francesco Francavilla
28pp, Color, $3.99 U.S. (April 2013)

“No Way Out” (Part 3 of 4)

Created by artist Francesco Francavilla, The Black Beetle is a comic book character that blends the aesthetics of pulp fiction, mystery, and the superhero. The Black Beetle is a super-heroic sleuth, and his base of operations is Colt City, a classic pulp and noir-type urban landscape.

In his first comic book series, the Black Beetle attempted to infiltrate a meeting of Colt City’s two crime families, the Galazzos and the Fierros. Shortly after he arrives at Spencer’s, the site of the meeting, the place goes up in a tremendous explosion – killing everyone inside. Determined to discover who came between him and bringing these gangsters to justice, the Black Beetle meets a wily adversary, the enigmatic Labyrinto.

The Black Beetle: No Way Out #3 opens at The Coco Club, a music club and gathering place for Colt City’s high society. The club was also owned by the late Joseph Fierro, A.K.A. “Faccia D’Angelo,” one of the crime lord’s killed in the explosion at Spencer’s. The club certainly seems to be doing well with its owner dead, so who’s operating it now?

In disguise as a stranger-in-town named Ray Steves, the Black Beetle visits the Coco Club. He even makes a new friend in hot singer, Miss Ava Sheridan. But something else catches his eye, something that should not be.

As I wrote in my review of The Black Beetle #2: it is good when a comic book series proves itself not to be a fluke after a dynamite debut issue. Well, sometimes, it is the third issue of a comic book series where the actual slump or letdown occurs. If there is a slump coming in The Black Beetle, it will have to wait because issue #3 is as good as the issues before it.

I think the Black Beetle is so appealing a character because Francavilla went back to the roots of the superhero to create him. The character captures the essence of a costumed hero, without covering him with the barnacles of modern relevance and fake psychological claptrap. So, this is simply the mystery man taking on colorful villains.

The thing that makes this first Black Beetle comic book series so attractive is the graphic design and page layout. Reading this comic book is like following a trail of my favorite treats as my vision pursues the sparkling visual elements on each page. The colors, which switch from muted to vibrant, are simply appealing to the eye. Damn, I love this comic book.

A+

http://pulpsunday.blogspot.com/

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux

Review: THE ANSWER! #3

THE ANSWER! #3
DARK HORSE COMICS – @DarkHorseComics

STORY: Dennis Hopeless and Mike Norton
SCRIPT: Dennis Hopeless
ART/COVER: Mike Norton
COLORS: Mark Englert
LETTERS: Crank!
PIN-UP: Francesco Francavilla with Dominic Marco
28pp, Color, $3.99 U.S. (March 2013)

Part 3 of 4

We get closer to the Answer in the latest issue of The Answer!

Created by writer Dennis Hopeless (Avengers Arena) and artist Mike Norton (Battlepug), The Answer! is a four-issue comic book miniseries. The series follows Devin McKenzie, a research librarian, and The Answer!, an odd, masked crime fighter with a giant exclamation point on his face mask, both of whom are embroiled in a conspiracy surrounding a mysterious motivational speaker.

As The Answer! #3 opens, Devin McKenzie is living out her dream at the Brain Trust. She’s eating her favorite foods, and all she has to do all day is think big thoughts. High on “brain boost,” she doesn’t have a care in the world, but fellow thinker, Kara, is about to rock Devin’s comfortable world. And what is the Anaximander Codex?

Meanwhile, the Answer is stuck in a nuthouse nightmare. Strapped do a gurney and in a hospital gown, the strange superhero finds himself in a predicament. When he tries to escape, the hero ends up with his ass hanging out and a chemical in his brain that disconnects his central nervous system. Devin and the Answer will have to wake up and work together if they are going to unravel the mysteries of the Brain Trust.

After the novelty of the first issue of The Answer! wore off for me with the second issue, The Answer! #3 makes me say that the thrill is not gone. Mystery, eccentric characters, by-the-skin-of-their-teeth escapes, and fisticuffs – all with a humorous bent – are what this series does well. There are more revelations, and less of the coy act the second issue put on. The killer ending here prepares the way for what will likely be a good end. Read this series.

B+

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux

I Reads You Review: UNCANNY X-MEN #1

UNCANNY X-MEN #1 (April 2013)
MARVEL COMICS

WRITER: Brian Michael Bendis
PENCILS/COLORS: Chris Bachalo
INKS: Tim Townsend, Jaime Mendoza, Al Vey
LETTERS: VC’s Joe Caramagna
VARIANT COVERS: Skottie Young; Joe Quesada and Danny Miki with Richard Isanove; Francesco Francavilla; Gabriel Del’Otto; Stuart Immonen with Marte Gracia
28pp, Colors, $3.99 U.S.

Rated T+

Part of Marvel Comics’ Marvel NOW initiative (the re-launch of their comics line) is another re-launch of Uncanny X-Men. The new series is written by Brian Michael Bendis, who is also writing Uncanny’s sister title, All-New X-Men. For the time being, the art is being produced by Chris Bachalo (pencils) and Tim Townsend (inks). Longtime comic book readers know why I’m saying “for the time being.”

The roster of X-Men that makes up this new Uncanny X-Men is Cyclops, Magneto, Emma Frost the White Queen, Majik, and two new mutants. The newbies are an Australian girl, Tempus, and a boy who is a healer and who has not chosen his mutant name, yet. Cyclops/Scott Summers, one of the original X-Men, has become a highly controversial figure and is also the public face of a new mutant revolution.

Uncanny X-Men #1 opens in an underground S.H.I.E.L.D. interrogation bunker. Director Hill is about to interview a mysterious figure who has shown up out of nowhere. He has a tale to tell about Cyclops and his band of X-Men. It begins with the rescue of Fabio Medina, a young mutant whose powers have just awakened. What is this stranger really offering S.H.I.E.L.D. and what does he really want?

Brian Michael Bendis is proving himself to be the best X-Men writer in a decade or, at least since Grant Morrison on New X-Men. Bendis is doing his excellent work without making the changes Morrison did when he became an X-writer. In this first issue, the set-up of the mysterious stranger peddling information creates a thrilling sense of mystery, drama, and anticipation. It’s enough to have me coming back.

OK. Chris Bachalo. Yeah, used to like him a lot. He has done some really good work. Bachalo is from the school of eye-candy comic book art. He has sometimes been more about style than storytelling, and his compositions can be crowded, though not always. Gawd, remember Steampunk? Luckily, the crowding is down significantly. In Uncanny X-Men #1, the storytelling is off-kilter, at times, and the page design is sometimes a jumbled cluster-fk that makes certain pages annoying to read.

Thank God for Bendis.

A-

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux

Review: THE BLACK BEETLE #2

THE BLACK BEETLE #2
DARK HORSE COMICS – @DarkHorseComics

CREATOR/CARTOONIST: Francesco Francavilla
LETTERS: Nate Piekos (of Blambot)
SKETCH: Darwyn Cooke
COVER: Francesco Francavilla
28pp, Color, $3.99 U.S.

“No Way Out” (Part 2 of 4)

One of those most enjoyable reads of the year returns with a second issue. The Black Beetle is a comic book series created by Eisner Award-winning artist Francesco Francavilla. Blending the aesthetics of pulp fiction, mystery, noir, and the superhero, the Black Beetle is a super-heroic sleuth, and his base of operations is Colt City, a classic pulp and noir-type urban landscape.

The Black Beetle’s new comic book series finds the hero attempting to infiltrate a meeting of Colt City’s two crime families, the Galazzos and the Fierros. Shortly after he arrives at the site of the meeting, the place goes up in a tremendous explosion – killing everyone inside. One of Don Pasquale Galazzo’s nephews, Constantino, is still living and is holed up in The Fort, an Alcatraz-like prison. The Black Beetle arrives at The Fort in time to witness Constantino’s murder.

As The Black Beetle: No Way Out #2 opens, our hero is fighting not to become the newest resident at The Fort. Then, it becomes a fight for his life. Freedom and a return to Colt City mean a return to the bomb site. That is where the Black Beetle is brought face to face with a wily adversary, the enigmatic Labyrinto.

It is good when a comic book series proves itself not to be a fluke after a dynamite debut issue. How does a creator prove that? Francesco Francavilla does so by creating a dynamite second issue.

Comic books are a visual, or more specifically graphics-based, medium, and Francavilla composes The Black Beetle with striking graphics and arresting static images. Page layout, panel design, color, lettering, and captions combine to create a visual flow that moves, hops, skips, and boogies to a pulpy Film-Noir beat. Readers looking for pure pop comics will find it in The Black Beetle: No Way Out.

A+

http://pulpsunday.blogspot.com/

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux

Review: THE BLACK BEETLE #1

THE BLACK BEETLE #1
DARK HORSE COMICS – @DarkHorseComics

CARTOONIST/COVER: Francesco Francavilla
LETTERS: Nate Piekos (of Blambot)
PIN-UP: Mike Norton
28pp, Color, $3.99 U.S.

“No Way Out” (Part 1 of 4)

Francesco Francavilla is an Italian comic book artist. Francavilla won the 2012 Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards trophy for “Best Cover Artist” for providing cover art on such titles as Black Panther (Marvel Comics); Lone Ranger (Dynamite Entertainment), and Archie Meets Kiss (Archie Comics), among others.

The Black Beetle is a comic book character created by Francavilla. The character has been appearing on Francavilla’s blog and in the anthology series, Dark Horse Presents. The Black Beetle has more than a passing resemblance to DC Comics’ Batman because they share conceptual DNA.

The Black Beetle blends the aesthetics of pulp fiction, mystery, noir, and the superhero. The character is not only part superhero, but he is also a costumed vigilante and weird detective in the vein of such classic pulp heroes as The Shadow and The Spider, with some of Zorro and Sherlock Holmes thrown into the mix. Black Beetle is a super-heroic sleuth, and his base of operation is Colt City, a classic pulp and noir-type urban landscape. Black Beetle debuts in his own comic book series, entitled The Black Beetle.

As The Black Beetle #1 begins, the Black Beetle is about to make himself an uninvited guest in a meeting of two crime families, the Galazzos and the Fierros. In this summit, which will determine the future of Colt City’s criminal empire, Black Beetle sees an opportunity to take out two major crime bosses, Don Pasquale Galazzo and Joe Fierro. When the hero makes his move at Spencer’s, the neutral sight where this crime conference is being held, he discovers that he is not the only hunter.

The Black Beetle: No Way Out #1 is clean comic book storytelling. This is classic, two-fisted, masked-man comic book action. It’s gritty and pure, lacking in pretension or the goal to be the soap opera version of character drama that most superhero comic books offer. This is the kind of pulpy mayhem that first made me fall in love with comic books.

I don’t think that I can adequately describe just how gorgeous Francesco Francavilla’s art is. Some of the pages use a standard comic book page layout, but most of them are more imaginative and inventive. Some pages resemble movie posters and movie theatre lobby cards; others are similar to narrative paintings. Some pages are designed as splash pages, but with details and assorted art embedded on them.

The Black Beetle is pure pop comics. Between the new Stars Wars series and The Black Beetle, Dark Horse Comics is doing their own version of Marvel NOW and The New 52. Dark Horse is just doing a better job of making classic seem so fresh.

A+

http://pulpsunday.blogspot.com/

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux

Dark Horse Comics from Diamond Distributors for January 16 2013

DARK HORSE COMICS

NOV120038 BILLY KIDS ODDITIES & ORM LOCH NESS #4 $3.50

NOV120030 BLACK BEETLE #1 NO WAY OUT $3.99

NOV120037 BPRD 1948 #4 $3.50

NOV120031 CONAN THE BARBARIAN #12 $3.50

SEP120048 CONAN TP VOL 12 THRONE OF AQUILONIA $19.99

NOV120041 EX SANGUINE #4 (MR) $3.99

NOV120096 GOOD LUCK TROLLS MYSTERY BOX SERIES 2 PI