Review: KING CONAN: The Hour of the Dragon #2

KING CONAN: THE HOUR OF THE DRAGON #2 (#10 in the series)
DARK HORSE COMICS – @DarkHorseComics

WRITER: Timothy Truman
ART: Tomás Giorello
COLORS: José Villarrubia
LETTERS: Richard Starkings & Comicraft
COVER: Gerald Parel
EDITOR: Philip R. Simon
28pp, Colors, $3.50 U.S. (June 2013)

Adapts the novel by Robert E. Howard

The Hour of the Dragon Part 2 of 6: “The Haunts of Hell”

The Hour of the Dragon is the only Conan novel written by the character’s creator, author Robert E. Howard. The Hour of the Dragon (also known as Conan the Conqueror) is currently being adapted into comic book form by Dark Horse Comics. The novel will yield two six-issue miniseries. The first is King Conan: The Hour of the Dragon, and the second will be entitled King Conan: The Conqueror.

King Conan: The Hour of the Dragon is written by Timothy Truman and drawn by Tomás Giorello, already acclaimed for the Conan comics they have produced together over the last several years. They are joined by their stellar collaborators, José Villarrubia on colors and Richard Starkings & Comicraft on letters.

King Conan: The Hour of the Dragon #2 opens in Tarantia, capital city of the kingdom of Aquilonia. King Conan continues to recount to the young scribe, Pramis, the tale of how he met his wife, the late Queen Zenobia.

The story once again returns to the long-ago, this time the aftermath of the battle at Valkia. With the help of the resurrected sorcerer, Xaltotun, a conspiracy against King Conan was successful in nearly destroying the army of Aquilonia. Now, the victorious army of Nemedia, however, is about to find out that the king is not dead. And Xaltotun does not want him dead.

Weakened by Xaltotun’s spells and imprisoned in a foreign land, Conan has lost his kingdom, and he could lose so much more. Now, his only hope may rest in the hands of a mysterious, harem girl named Zenobia.

I was ecstatic upon hearing that Dark Horse Comics was going to adapt into comics, Robert E. Howard’s sword-and-sorcery novel, The Hour of the Dragon, one of my all-time favorite books. After reading King Conan: The Hour of the Dragon #2, my initial excitement about the series is truly justified. This is a great comic book. I wonder if writer Timothy Truman and artist Tomás Giorello can maintain this high level of quality through the remaining four issues.

The word to describe Truman’s adaptation of Howard’s novel is “meaty.” This is masculine, sword-wielding fantasy. No one’s contemplating an epic war in which elves, little people, and squabbling human try to retrieve some magical items from the really, really bad guy. This is get-your-hands-dirty fiction.

Yet Tomás Giorello brings the pomp and circumstance of epic fantasy to this story. He makes it as spacious and epic, as it is closed-in, sword to sword. With José Villarrubia’s colors, there is an elegant, bejeweled quality to the art that does not take away from the frenzied, masculine sensations in King Conan: The Hour of the Dragon.

A

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux

One Piece: Cool Fight

I read One Piece, Vol. 67

I posted a review at ComicBookBin.

Review: Uncanny #1

UNCANNY #1
DYNAMITE ENTERTAINMENT – @dynamitecomics

WRITER: Andy Diggle
ARTIST: Aaron Campbell
COLORS: Bill Crabtree
LETTERS: Simon Bowland
COVERS: Jock (A), Sean Phillips (B), Dan Panosian (subscription cover)
28pp, Color, $3.99 U.S.

Rated T+

Season of Hungry Ghosts, Part One

Dynamite Entertainment launched its “Crime Line” with the comic book series, Red Team, from writer Garth Ennis. The second title in this new line is Uncanny. Written by Andy Diggle (Action Comics) and drawn by artist Aaron Campbell (The Shadow), Uncanny blends the supernatural (the lead character’s paranormal abilities) into a realistic genre (the fast-paced crime thriller).

Uncanny #1 introduces Weaver, a man born with an uncanny ability that allows him to steal other people’s skills. He can absorb their memories, abilities, and expertise and turn them into his own, but for only a short time. Weaver is a professional gambler, con-man, and thief-for-hire, and he prefers to look out for “Number One,” himself. When he tries to use his abilities at a casino card table in Hong Kong, he finds trouble that he did not expect. His only luck may be in the form of a mysterious young woman named Maggie.

After one issue, I’m not ready to pass complete judgment on Uncanny, but it is not bad at all. Uncanny #1 is a good read, slick and polished in its script. It reminds me of one of those espionage television series that were so popular and prevalent in the 1960s. Add some of Richard Stark’s Parker to that and you have Uncanny and its star, Weaver.

The art by Aaron Campbell yields good, if not spectacular graphical storytelling. Honestly, the art won’t “wow” you with prettiness or striking page design, but it is good, clear storytelling. So it would be a crime for readers who don’t mind some paranormal in their crime fiction not to try Uncanny.

B+

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux

Sequart Preps Neil Gaiman Documentary

Sequart Research & Literacy Organization, in conjunction with Respect! Films, is honored and proud to announce that author Neil Gaiman will be the next subject in its expanding line of comics-centric documentaries.

In the tradition of Sequart’s Grant Morrison: Talking with Gods and Warren Ellis: Captured Ghosts documentaries, the Neil Gaiman film will be an all-access look at the scribe’s illustrious, media-spanning career, from his first foray into published writing all the way up to the current signing tour for his new novel, The Ocean at the End of the Lane. This unique profile will include footage from Neil’s performances with Amanda Palmer, lectures and readings from across the country, as well as extensive interviews with Neil and his fans, contemporaries, and closest collaborators.

The film will be directed by Patrick Meaney, produced by Jordan Rennert, and executive produced by Mike Phillips and Julian Darius. More details will roll at Sequart.org throughout the summer, but for the time being, please enjoy this little teaser trailer: http://sequart.org/magazine/23941/sequarts-next-documentary-film-subject-is-neil-gaiman/.

In addition to the Gaiman documentary, completion is just a few months away on two other Sequart documentary projects. The Image Revolution, chronicling the founding and history of the world’s most successful independent comic book company, Image Comics, is extremely close to completion, and will be playing at festivals this autumn. Comics in Focus: Chris Claremont’s X-Men is also nearly complete. The film reveals the behind-the-scenes story of Claremont’s landmark seventeen-year run on the title. It will be released this autumn.

Our two previous films, Grant Morrison: Talking With Gods and Warren Ellis: Captured Ghosts, are available on Special Edition DVD, each with over two hours of bonus material (or for download).

About the Publisher: Sequart Research & Literacy Organization is a non-profit devoted to the study and promotion of comic books as a legitimate art form. It publishes books and documentaries aimed at making comics scholarship accessible. For more information, go to http://sequart.org/

Book Review: IF YOU WERE HERE: A Novel of Suspense

IF YOU WERE HERE
HARPERCOLLINS – @HarperCollins

AUTHOR: Alafiar Burke – @AlafairBurke
ISBN: 978-0-06-226915-7; hardcover (June 4, 2013)
384pp, B&W, $25.99 U.S.

Alafair Burke is formerly a prosecutor and currently an educator in criminal law. She is also the best-selling author of several novels, including the “Ellie Hatcher” series. Burke’s most recent book is the 2013 crime and mystery novel, If You Were Here. The novel focuses on a magazine journalist who is chasing down leads on a hot story only to discover that it involves someone from her past.

McKenna Jordan spent four years in the New York City District Attorney’s Office. Then, the controversial case of police shooting of a Black teenager led to her disgrace and departure. A decade later, McKenna Jordan is a journalist at NYC Magazine.

McKenna’s current assignment has her chasing the latest urban folktale. This is the story of an unidentified woman who heroically pulled Nicky Cervantes, a teenage boy, from the subway tracks seconds before the arrival of an oncoming train. McKenna gets lucky and locates a cell phone video that purportedly captures the incident. Our roving reporter thinks that she has an edge on competing journalists that are also scrambling to identify the mystery heroine.

When she sees the video, McKenna has her past come rushing headlong into her present. The woman on the video bears a striking resemblance to Susan Carol Hauptmann, a West Point classmate of McKenna’s husband, Patrick Jordan. But Susan disappeared 10 years ago, and is believed by some to be dead. Now, McKenna has to revisit everything that happened a decade ago, including the case the cost her a promising career. This former prosecuting attorney’s search for the truth is a journey of twists and turns across New York City. She will find that some friends are foes, and she will find in an enemy someone that has her back. But can McKenna deal with this cruel reality – some of the darkest secrets are actually buried close to her?

I can use sports metaphors and terms to describe If You Were Here. Like an exceptional football running back, once the mysteries and conspiracies that drive the narrative get moving, If You Were Here becomes a great “downhill runner.” There is no stopping this novel until it reaches the end zone.

Seriously, If You Were Here is a good read. I think this novel works because author Alafiar Burke forces the reader to become one with McKenna Jordan. McKenna is the reader’s friend, not just because she is the heroine, but also because the other characters are not one-hundred percent trustworthy (at least compared to McKenna).

McKenna is the protagonist, of course, but to some degree, all the other characters are antagonists. Not every character is an adversary, nemesis, villain, or killer, of course. Real or imagined, directly or indirectly, deliberately or inadvertently, purposefully or accidentally, everyone else is doing something that is an obstacle to McKenna’s goals. Some mean well, but they certainly live up to the saying about the road to hell being paved with good intentions.

That is how Burke creates a novel of twist and turns, surprises and shocks, and just plain bombshells. There are times in the story when McKenna takes things for granted or makes assumptions, and it leads to an embarrassment or worse, mortal danger for her and her allies and loved ones.

I do find If You Were Here to be a bit longer than necessary. There is a noticeable amount of this novel that seems like padding. In the realm of pop novels known as pot-boilers, however, Alafair Burke writes prose that brings heat to readers’ imaginations and keeps them hopping from one page to the next.

B+

www.alafairburke.com

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux

Albert Avilla Review: All-New X-Men #11

All New X-Men 011

Review by Albert Avilla

Writer: Brian Michael Bendis
Pencils: Stuart Immonen
Inks: Wade Von Grawbadger
Colors: Marte Gracia

We’re at issue #11 already and things are still rolling. Here are some words that I never thought I would say: Brian Michael Bendis is one of my favorite X-writers of all time.

There have been some legendary writers who have chronicled the exploits of the X-Men; Bendis is more than holding his own. He is bringing his A-game. Bendis has been honing his craft, and now we get to enjoy the work of a master who is prolific enough to put quality work on the stands on a consistent basis. This is issue #11, and I feel like Bendis is just showing us the onion without revealing the multitude of layers beneath the skin. Few in the business today can handle the group dynamic as well as Bendis.

I wouldn’t try to count the number of characters that had a part in this story. I find the interaction between the two Beasts and the two Icemen interesting. They have similar personalities, but they are not carbon copy, “Xerox”, cut and paste, “Photoshopped” versions of each other. Damn, you have to go through a lot of advances in technology just to use figurative language that everyone can understand, and I left out holograms.

Bendis dropped a bomb on us. Angel is leaving the original team to join the Uncanny X-Men. I didn’t expect any of the original X-Men to leave the group, certainly not this early in the storyline. Mystique is off causing her own brand of mischief. She’s messing with the big boys.

Finally, to get this issue filled with all the uncanny there is, the Uncanny Avengers show up to leave us anticipating the next issue. The action was light, but this was a very interesting story. Bendis is exploring relationships within the X-Men. This pulls you into the story and reveals how the characters have grown over the years.

The art is really good. There are two scenes that really catch the eye, the burning factory and the basketball court at night.

I rate All New X-Men #11 Buy Your Own Copy. #2 (of 5) on the Al-O-Meter.

DC Comics from Diamond Distributors for June 26 2013

DC COMICS

APR130208 ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN #2 $3.99

APR130193 ALL STAR WESTERN #21 $3.99

APR130141 AQUAMAN #21 $2.99

APR130209 ARROW #8 $3.99

APR130117 BATMAN SUPERMAN #1 $3.99

APR130122 BATMAN SUPERMAN #1 COMBO PACK $4.99

APR130168 BATMAN THE DARK KNIGHT #21 $2.99

MAR130264 BEFORE WATCHMEN MINUTEMEN SILK SPECTRE DLX HC (MR) $29.99

MAR130263 BEFORE WATCHMEN OZYMANDIAS CRIMSON CORSAIR DLX HC (MR) $29.99

APR130176 CATWOMAN #21 $2.99

APR130256 DJANGO UNCHAINED #5 (RES) (MR) $4.99

APR130143 FLASH #21 $2.99

APR130196 GREEN TEAM TEEN TRILLIONAIRES #2 $2.99

APR130244 HE MAN AND THE MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE #3 $2.99

MAR130304 HELLBLAZER DEATH AND CIGARETTES TP (MR) $19.99

APR130213 INJUSTICE GODS AMONG US #6 $3.99

APR130137 JUSTICE LEAGUE #21 $3.99

APR130140 JUSTICE LEAGUE #21 COMBO PACK $4.99

APR130200 JUSTICE LEAGUE DARK #21 $2.99

APR130127 JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #5 $3.99

APR130130 JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #5 COMBO PACK $4.99

APR130123 LARFLEEZE #1 $2.99

MAR130273 RED HOOD AND THE OUTLAWS TP VOL 02 STARFIRE (N52) $14.99

APR130188 RED LANTERNS #21 $2.99

APR130153 SUPERMAN #21 $2.99

MAR130290 SUPERMAN FAMILY ADVENTURES TP VOL 01 $12.99

FEB130212 SUPERMAN HC VOL 02 SECRETS AND LIES (N52) $24.99

MAR130274 SUPERMAN TP VOL 01 WHAT PRICE TOMORROW (N52) $14.99

APR130165 TALON #9 $2.99

APR130206 TEEN TITANS #21 $2.99

APR130258 UNWRITTEN #50 (MR) (NOTE PRICE) $4.99

APR130250 WAKE #2 (MR) $2.99