#IReadsYou Review: BANKSHOT #3

BANKSHOT No. 3 (OF 5)
DARK HORSE COMICS – @DarkHorseComics

STORY: Alex de Campi
ART: ChrisCross
COLORS: Snakebite Cortez
LETTERS: Alex de Campi
EDITOR: Aaron Walker and Randy Stradley
COVER: ChrisCross with Snakebite Cortez
28pp, Color, $3.99 U.S. (August 2017)

Bankshot is a five-issue comic book miniseries from writer Alex de Campi and artist ChrisCross.  Snakebite Cortez is the series colorist and de Campi is the letterer.  Published by Dark Horse Comics, the series focuses on an anti-hero Marcus King, part modern-day Robin Hood, part terrorist, part tech-enhanced super-human or both – on a mission of revenge.

Bankshot #3 takes place in two time periods.  First, the story returns to Tunisia, a decade earlier, where King recuperates in an unnamed hospital.  The revolutionary nanonite procedure that will help him walk again is already showing changes in King – in ways that are almost supernatural.  Jump forward to the present, King is in the Ukraine, tearing through the base of operations of The Dutchman, the man who left King for dead in North Africa, but just when King seems to have snatched victory...  Meanwhile, the CIA makes its boldest move yet against King.

I will keep saying it as long as they keep doing it.  Alex de Campi and ChrisCross are killing it with Bankshot... and then killing it again.  This is pure action-adventure like Jason Borne, James Bond, and Mission: Impossible movies with a dash of the novels of James Rollins.

Bankshot is a pop comic from the action, mercenary, noisy side of the pop comic house.  I like that Alex de Campi has focused on Marcus King's past from a decade earlier to establish him as a character,  but I have to admit that I have a blast when de Campi slams us with some fight comics.  She can get down in the dirt with male writers of action comic books; she is better than many male comic book writers who are allegedly top writers of violent action comic books.

ChrisCross' storytelling captures all the moods and the switches in pace and setting.  He visually and graphically creates a balance between the drama and suspense and the action and violence.  Boy, though, he can draw some wild and crazy fight scenes.  Hurry up, space-time; get us to #4

A
9 out of 10

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"


The text is copyright © 2017 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for syndication rights and fees.

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#IReadsYou Review: BANKSHOT #2

BANKSHOT No. 2 (OF 5)
DARK HORSE COMICS – @DarkHorseComics

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

STORY: Alex de Campi
ART: ChrisCross
COLORS: Snakebite Cortez
LETTERS: Alex de Campi
EDITOR: Aaron Walker and Randy Stradley
COVER: ChrisCross with Snakebite Cortez
28pp, Color, $3.99 U.S. (July 2017)

Bankshot is a new comic book series from writer Alex de Campi and artist ChrisCross.  Snakebite Cortez is the series colorist and de Campi is the letterer.  Published by Dark Horse Comics, this five-issue miniseries focuses on an anti-hero. Part modern-day Robin Hood, part terrorist, or both, Marcus King is on a mission of revenge.

Bankshot #2 takes place in two time periods.  First, a decade earlier, Marcus King was left for dead after the CIA tried to kill him during a mission in North Africa.  He awakens a paraplegic in a hospital in Tunisia, where a nurse, Leah Soraya, cares for him.  After another attempt on his life, Marcus finds shelter in facility where a Soviet scientist may have the miracle tech to restore Marcus.

In the present, Frank, a special agent with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), plots to stop Marcus, who has stolen untold millions in cash and property from government agencies and wealthy corporations and individuals connected to the FBI and CIA.  Meanwhile, Marcus' incredible body is a subject of interest to a group of scientists and engineers.

Like a Tim Duncan bank shot, the Bankshot comic book is more hit than miss.  [If you don't know Tim Duncan, try Wikipedia and sometimes ESPN Classic.]  Alex de Campi and ChrisCross are, as they say, killing it... and killing it again.

It seems as if some of the best elements of the Blade, Jason Borne, James Bond, and Mission: Impossible movies are blended with a dash of the Iron Man comic books and movies to create something that looks different – for obvious reasons – and is unique.  This is also a comic book that takes on the troubles in the Middle East and North Africa and Russia and Eastern Europe and connects it to the corrupt American security state.  Then, on the pop comic side, Bankshot gives us a hero who can destroy whatever is rotten in international rottenness.

I like that Alex de Campi has focused on Marcus King's past from a decade earlier to establish him as a character, while only serving up the “super” Marcus in small doses.  De Campi is making us care about the man, who is just as important as the colorful hero man.  ChrisCross' storytelling captures all the moods and the switches in pace and setting, and visually and graphically creates a balance between the the drama and suspense and the wild action and violence.  Even after two issues, it is obvious that Bankshot should continue past this miniseries.

A
9 out of 10

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"


The text is copyright © 2017 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this site for syndication rights and fees.

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

Amazon wants me to inform you that the link below is a PAID AD, but I technically only get paid (eventually) if you click on the ad below AND buy something(s).

#IReadsYou Review: BANKSHOT #1

BANKSHOT No. 1 (OF 5)
DARK HORSE COMICS – @DarkHorseComics

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

STORY: Alex de Campi
ART: ChrisCross
COLORS: Snakebite Cortez
LETTERS: Alex de Campi
COVER: ChrisCross with Snakebite Cortez
28pp, Color, $3.99 U.S. (June 2017)

Bankshot is a new comic book series from writer Alex de Campi and artist ChrisCross.  Published by Dark Horse Comics, this five-issue miniseries focuses on an anti-hero who is a modern-day Robin Hood or a terrorist or both.  Snakebite Cortez is the series colorist and de Campi is the letterer.

Bankshot #1 opens at the J. Edgar Hoover Building in Washington D.C., the home of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).  Some FBI agents have just gotten the worst of Marcus King, who might be a terrorist.  The truth of Marcus King is probably an origin story than began in North Africa.  Now, Marcus will have to deal with an adversary who knows what the truth about Marcus King is and where that truth is buried.

I like the cover for Bankshot #1, which is drawn by ChrisCross and colorist Snakebite Cortez, because it looks like it was drawn by longtime comic book artist Paul Gulacy, who can draw a nice cover for sure.  I also enjoyed reading this first issue, but so much of the plot and narrative remain hidden in the shadows of battle scenes and tense meetings.

In Alex de Campi I trust, however, because of her recent comic books like No Mercy (Image Comics) and her unexpectedly thrilling crossover hit, Archie vs. Predator (Dark Horse Comics).  I think the best is yet to come in Bankshot.  I am enjoying ChrisCross' art, but the art is also cluttered in many panels, which is (say it with me!) static in the line communication between the story and the reader.  I look forward to the next issue.

B+
7.5 out of 10

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"


The text is copyright © 2017 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

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

Amazon wants me to inform you that the link below is a PAID AD, but I technically only get paid (eventually) if you click on the ad below AND buy something(s).

Review: ARCHIE VS. PREDATOR #4

  ARCHIE VS. PREDATOR #4 (OF 4)

DARK HORSE COMICS in association with Archie Comics – @DarkHorseComics and @ArchieComics

[This review first appeared on Patreon.]

WRITER: Alex de Campi
PENCILS: Fernando Ruiz
INKS: Rich Koslowski
COLORS: Jason Millet
LETTERS: John Workman
COVER:  Andrew Pepoy with Jason Millet
VARIANT COVERS: Faith Erin Hicks with Chris Peter; Joe Quinones
MISC. ART: Fernando Ruiz with Anwar Hanano
28pp, Color, $3.99 U.S. (July 2015)

“Guess Who's Coming to Dinner”

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).  That was almost a half-century before sci-fi movie monster, “The Predator,” (created by the sibling screenwriting team of Jim and John Thomas) first appeared in the still-popular, 1987 science fiction film, Predator.

Dark Horse Comics, in conjunction with Archie Comics, has set the Predator against Archie and his pals and gals 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 John Workman.

Archie vs. Predator #4 (“Guess Who's Coming to Dinner”) opens at Lodge Manor.  It's and the final chapter!  Archie is down for the count, and now only Betty and Veronica are left to face the killer alien monster (The Predator) that followed them from Costa Rica.   Veronica has set the mansion to explode, and she thinks she can save Archie's life.  Meanwhile, Betty learns that she has an admirer...

I read Archie vs. Predator #1 because I received a PDF review copy of it.  I enjoyed that first issue so much that I decided to follow the series.  And guess what, dear readers; I am not disappointed, and I am sorry the series has come to an end.  Writer Alex de Campi proved that two wildly different media franchises can be brought together for great affect.  She was clever in the way that she stayed true to the classic Archie milieu of rivalries and friendships, while keeping the Predator a killer.

The art team of Fernando Ruiz, Rich Koslowski (an Archie Comics writer-artist), and Jason Millet proved that the classic Archie graphic and art style can work with and be welcoming to foreign visitors, meaning the Predator.  John Workman's killer lettering gives the story such energy.  Encore!  If you haven't yet read Archie vs, Predator, the hardcover collection is due in November.

Wait!  There's more.  This issue includes a two-page bonus story, “Josie and the Pussycats Meets Finder,” by Alex de Campi, Carla Speed McNeil, and Jenn Manley Lee.  This trio is the art team behind one of the most exciting miniseries of the year, No Mercy (Image Comics).  Finder is the long running comic book series, webcomic, and comics serial written and drawn by Carla Speed McNeil, which won an Eisner Award.   Josie and the Pussycats is a classic, mini-media franchise from Archie Comics.

I am a fan of Josie and the Pussycats going back to my childhood.  I love this two-pager.  Jon Goldwater (publisher of Archie Comics), in regards to your “new direction” comics;  de Campi, McNeil, and Lee are your dream team for a Josie and the Pussycats revamp slash relaunch.

A

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux


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

Image Comics from Diamond Distributors for June 3, 2015

IMAGE COMICS
APR150494     AIRBOY #1 (MR)     $2.99
FEB150589     AUTUMNLANDS TOOTH & CLAW #6 (MR)     $2.99
MAR158515     AUTUMNLANDS TOOTH & CLAW #6 CVR B OEMING (MR)     $2.99
MAR150553     BIG MAN PLANS #3 CVR A POWELL (MR)     $3.50
APR150505     COVENANT #1 CVR A LIEFELD     $3.99
APR150506     COVENANT #1 CVR B LIEFELD     $3.99
APR150576     CRIMINAL TP VOL 05 THE SINNERS (MR)     $14.99
NOV140648     DEATH VIGIL #7 (MR)     $3.99
APR150637     EMPTY #4     $3.99
APR150584     FUSE TP VOL 02 GRIDLOCK (MR)     $14.99
APR150537     HUMANS #5 (MR)     $2.99
APR150647     JUPITERS CIRCLE #3 (MR)     $3.50
MAR158534     JUPITERS CIRCLE #3 CVR B QUITELY CHARACTER DESIGN (MR)     $3.50
MAR158535     JUPITERS CIRCLE #3 CVR C QUITELY BLACK & WHITE (MR)     $3.50
MAR150576     MICE TEMPLAR V NIGHTS END #3 CVR A SANTOS     $3.99
MAR150577     MICE TEMPLAR V NIGHTS END #3 CVR B OEMING     $3.99
APR150656     MINIMUM WAGE SO MANY BAD DECISIONS #2 (MR)     $3.99
DEC140744     MORNING GLORIES #46 (MR)     $3.50
APR150659     NAILBITER #13 (MR)     $2.99
APR150661     NO MERCY #3     $2.99
MAR158641     NONPLAYER #1 4TH PTG (MR)     $2.99
APR150542     NONPLAYER #2 (MR)     $2.99
MAR150616     WICKED & DIVINE #11 (MR)     $3.50
MAR158540     WICKED & DIVINE #11 CVR B STAPLES (MR)     $3.50
MAR150617     ZERO #17 (MR)     $2.99

I Reads You Review: NO MERCY #1

NO MERCY #1
IMAGE COMICS – @ImageComics

WRITER: Alex de Campi – @alexdecampi
ARTIST: Carla Speed McNeil – @CSpeedMcNeil
COLORS: Jenn Manley Lee – @jemale
28pp, Color, $2.99 U.S. (April 2015)

Rated T+ / Teen Plus

No Mercy is a new comic book series from writer Alex de Campi and artist Carla Speed McNeil (Finder).  The series focuses on a group of stranded American teenagers who must navigate the hostile landscape of a foreign country if they are to survive.

In No Mercy #1, it all begins with an arrival at an airport in the Latin American country of Mataguey.  A group of incoming freshmen at Princeton have traveled to the country to build schools in a Central American village.  Princeton Summer Service is a trip before college that allows some of the students to get to know other freshmen, while doing something good.  Then tragedy strikes, and because help is unlikely to come, these privileged students will have to help themselves.

The one thing that immediately stands out about No Mercy is Carla Speed McNeil's art.  When I first met her in college – ages ago, I thought she had a bright future in front of her.  That has come to pass, as she has even won an Eisner for her work on Finder, a long-running comic book and sometimes webcomic that I heartily recommend.  She always seems to find a way to draw each character as a unique individual creation – not just in appearance, but also in visible personality.  This gives her work an earthy and inviting quality.

In No Mercy, McNeil's art is combined with the gorgeous coloring of Jenn Manley Lee, with whom I am unfamiliar.  Lee's striking hues and McNeil's compositions remind me of the color comics of the late and legendary Moebius.  Since I loved me some Moebius, I want more of this McNeil-Lee joint.

It is obvious from the beginning that Alex de Campi is composing a merciless story in which merciless people and a pitiless environment will torment a band of clueless kids.  The biggest difficulty that many of this young adults have faced is probably typical family drama and conflict.  Now, they are in a country where the obligation to observe their privilege does not exist.  Personally, I'd like to see this story work through the eyes of one particular character.  While I do have my favorite, there are some others that have the potential to carry the readers through this land of No Mercy.

Granted that I am partial to McNeil, I think this is a comic book worth following.

[This comic book contains a preview of “Mythic #1 by Phil Hester and John McCrea.]

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux on Patreon.


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