#IReadsYou Review: FIRE AND ICE VOL. 1 #1

FIRE AND ICE VOLUME 1 #1

DYNAMITE ENTERTAINMENT

STORY: Bill Willingham

ART: Leonardo Manco

COLORS: Leonardo Manco

LETTERS: Taylor Esposito

EDITOR: Matt Idelson

COVER: Bill Seinkiewicz

32pp, Color, $3.99 U.S. (August 2023)

Rated Teen+

Fire and Ice created by Ralph Bakshi and Frank Frazetta

“Good in Life”

Fire and Ice is an animated epic, dark fantasy, adventure film directed by Ralph Bakshi.  The film is the result of a collaboration between Bakshi and the legendary fantasy painter, Frank Frazetta, with the film's screenplay being written by veteran comic book writers, Roy Thomas and Gerry Conway.

In 2022, Dynamite Entertainment announced that it had gained the license to produce a comic book series set in the world of Fire and Ice.  The series would act as a prequel to the film.  Fire and Ice the comic book is written by Bill Willingham; drawn and colored by Leonardo Manco; and lettered by Taylor Esposito.

Fire and Ice Volume 1 #1 opens in the Riverlands, situated between the Ice Lands and the Fire Kingdom.  Larn is part of a group of young warriors led through the forests of the Riverlands by its “Hunt Father.”  Tragedy strikes, however, and Larn soon finds himself captive.  Eventually, he ends up being a prize for an ambitious witch.

Meanwhile, the Queen of the Fire Kingdom and her young daughter, Princess Teegra, are also on the hunt when they come upon the D'Kora Kai, the tribal lackeys of Juliana, Queen of the Ice Lands.  Can evil be blunted in this time before the Fire Kingdom waned and the Ice Lands surged?

THE LOWDOWN:  Since July 2021, Dynamite Entertainment's marketing department has been providing me with PDF review copies of some of their titles.  One of them is Fire and Ice Volume 1 #1,  which is the first Frank Frazetta-related comic book I have read in a long time.

I have never seen Fire and Ice, except for a few minutes so long ago that I can't remember that time or what I saw.  I am a fan of the films of Ralph Bakshi, especially of Wizards (1977).  I enjoy looking at Frank Frazetta's paintings.  I enjoy the comic book work of writers, Roy Thomas and Gerry Conway, and I am a big fan of the Conan movie they wrote, Conan the Destroyer (1984).  So let's say that I should and will eventually watch Fire and Ice.

In the meantime, there is this prequel comic book series.  I think readers can enjoy Fire and Ice Volume 1 #1 without having seen the movie.  As I said, I have not, but I did read the film's Wikipedia page before reading this lovely first issue.  The Wikipedia info combined with Bill Willingham's engaging script is enough to have made this issue a joy.

Willingham's script works so well because it is in the hands of artist Leonardo Manco, who easily captures the prehistoric and savage splendor of the sword and sorcery genre to which Fire and Ice belongs, in both pencil and color.  Also, Taylor Esposito's lettering creates a pounding graphical soundtrack to this first issue.

Hey, dear readers, this is really good stuff. I'm an definitely coming back for more, and you should definitely come around at least for this first issue.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS:  Fans of Ralph Bakshi and Frank Frazetta will want to try the comic book, Fire and Ice Volume 1.

A

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

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#IReadsYou Review: PRODIGY: The Icarus Society #1

PRODIGY: THE ICARUS SOCIETY #1 (OF 5)
IMAGE COMICS/Netflix

STORY: Mark Millar
ART: Matteo Buffagni
COLORS: Laura Martin
LETTERS: Clem Robins
COVER: Matteo Buffagni with David Curiel
VARIANT COVER ARTIST: Bill Sienkiewicz
32pp, Color, $3.99 U.S. (July 2022)

Rated M / Mature

Prodigy: The Icarus Society is a new five-issue comic book miniseries produced by writer Mark Millar and artist Matteo Buffagni.  It is a sequel to the 2018-19 six-issue miniseries, Prodigy.  The Prodigy comic books focus on the adventures of the world's smartest man, who believes that he is the go-to guy when there is a global crisis to solve.

Prodigy: The Icarus Society #1 opens in Maine where a credit controller has just spontaneously exploded.  In fact, this is an entire afternoon of spontaneously exploding people in Maine  When the mayor and the governor don't know what to do, they call the Pentagon, and the Pentagon calls Edison Crane, the world's smartest man.

The person behind these explosions is the just the beginning of “The Icarus Society.”

THE LOWDOWN:  Of Mark Millar's recent Netflix comic book series, I am a huge fan of The Magic Order, but I am always thinking about Prodigy.  After reading the first series, Prodigy, I was intrigued and thrilled, and after re-reading it in trade paperback form, as Prodigy: The Evil Earth, I admired it all the more.

Millar uses Prodigy: The Icarus Society #1 to introduce readers to Edison Crane's state of mind (more or less).  Our hero is in need of a challenge.  Millar builds the issue slyly; the new threat is all around Crane, preparing to reveal itself.  At the same time, rascally Millar teases us with this idea:  doesn't it seem as if Crane is deliberately setting himself up to be challenged and abused?...

The art by Matteo Buffagni for The Icarus Society is quiet compared to Rafael Albuquerque's fast and furious storytelling in the earlier series, The Evil Earth.  Buffagni creates a story that conveys the current malaise (of Crane) and simmers with the coming menace (from the “rival” geniuses).  Colorist Laura Martin is a master of creating the varied moods of action and violence, and here, she delivers on shadowy and secretive and sudden violence.  Clem Robins does much the same, carrying the reader through the wavy flow of time and pace in this story.

I can tell from this first issue that Millar and Buffagni are going to throw everything and many kitchen sinks at us.  Prodigy: The Icarus Society reminds us that a month with at least one Mark Millar comic book is a good month, indeed.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS:  Fans of Mark Millar and of his comic book, Prodigy, will want to read Prodigy: The Icarus Society.

A

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


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#IReadsYou Review: KILLADELPHIA #12

KILLADELPHIA #12
IMAGE COMICS

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

STORY: Rodney Barnes
ART: Jason Shawn Alexander
COLORS: Luis Nct
LETTERS: Marshall Dillon
EDITOR: Greg Tumbarello
COVER: Jason Shawn Alexander
VARIANT COVER ARTISTS: Todd McFarlane with Luis Nct; Bill Sienkiewicz
36pp, Colors, 3.99 U.S.(January 2021)

Rated “M/ Mature”

“Burn Baby Burn” Part VI: “Endgame”

Killadelphia is an apocalyptic vampire and dark fantasy comic book series from writer Rodney Barnes and artist Jason Shawn Alexander and is published by Image Comics.  At the center of this series is a police officer caught in a lurid conspiracy in which vampires attempt to rule Philadelphia, “the City of Brotherly Love.”  Colorist Luis Nct and letterer Marshall Dillon complete Killadelphia's creative team.

Killadelphia focuses on James “Jim” Sangster, Jr., who comes home to Philly to deal with the final affairs of his recently murdered father, revered Philadelphia homicide detective, James Sangster, Sr.  Not dead, but undead, the father joins the son, the chief medical examiner (Jose Padilla), and a rebellious vampire to lead the battle that saves Philly from the vampires.  But that was just the first battle, and this is a war.

Killadelphia #12 (“Endgame”) opens in one of those neighborhoods (a.k.a. “gated communities”) where the well-to-do and rich white people go to avoid the riff raff.  One such refuge from the refugees, however, can't keep all the … bad things out.

Meanwhile, James, Sr., Jimmy, and Ms. Padilla head out to the center of the vampire revolution.  Now, they will see for themselves just how crazy Abigail Adams is.

Elsewhere, in the afterlife (so to speak). Tevin Thompkins has his own plans for the revolution.  First, he needs to see the boss.  He needs to see “Corson.”

THE LOWDOWN:  The second story arc of Killadelphia, “Burn Baby Burn,” comes to an end, but it ends on a cliffhanger.  This is as it should be, if you think about it.

Writer Rodney Barnes has revealed that what we thought to be a rather straight-forward concept is rather complex.  Like blood splatter, Killadelphia's plots and subplots go all over the place, but it is a narrative with purpose.  This is a world beyond the narrow confines of the world-beating ambitions of would-be vampire gods and monsters.  I don't want to be one of those readers who are always saying, “This is the best issue ever!”  Still, if each issue isn't better than its predecessor, then, each issue certainly expands the “Killa-verse,” making it all the more alluring.  Killadelphia #12 is the best and boy, does it ever expand the undead playing field.

For Killadelphia #12, Jason Shawn Alexander's storytelling is no one thing.  Pages seven and eight show the Sangsters and Padilla in a quiet moment of discussion and planning, but a feeling of intensity infuses the moment.  A short scene between Tevin and is grandmother is sweet, but without a hint of anything extra – neither irony nor weirdness.  However, the opening pages, with their comeuppance of the gated communities, is fun, crazy, and righteous.

Luis Nct's colors are like traffic lights and signals directing our emotions, imaginings, and feelings in specific directions.  Marshall Dillon's lettering is our driver, and he takes us to places where our minds will love the fire.  Killadelphia #12 reveals that “burn, baby, burn” is not necessarily a bad thing, especially when we get a cliffhanger leading to the next arc instead of only ashes.  Killadelphia #12 establishes this series as a top five comic book, without a doubt.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS:  Fans of vampire comic books and of exceptional dark fantasy will want Killadelphia.

10 out of 10

[This comic book includes an “Afterword” by Rodney Barnes.]

Killadelphia #12 has a backup feature:
“Elysium Gardens” Part 5 “Cry Havoc”

Story: Rodney Barnes
Pencils/Gray Tones: Jason Shawn Alexander
Inks: Bill Sienkiewicz
Layouts: Sherard Jackson
Letters: Marshall Dillon
Edits: Greg Tumbarello

The back-up feature, “Elysium Gardens,” has returned to its “present day.”  In the wake of their encounter with Malcolm X, Angela/Zubiya and her pack of werewolves go on the attack, but even they know their limits.  If they want to use their curse as a key to “Black Liberation,” they need to know more about its origins.  Brother Jabir knows where they need to go, and it is a familiar place.

Part 4's appearance of Malcolm X was shocking and an utter delight.  Part 5 offers beloved comic book master artist, Bill Sienkiewicz, as a contributor, as an inker, to this chapter.  It is the right time for a legend to show up, as the flow of this narrative makes its first great change of direction.


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


The text is copyright © 2021 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

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#IReadsYou Review: KILLADELPHIA #8

KILLADELPHIA #8
IMAGE COMICS – @ImageComics

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

STORY: Rodney Barnes
ART: Jason Shawn Alexander
COLORS: Luis Nct
LETTERS: Marshall Dillon
LOGO/GRAPHIC DESIGN: Brent Ashe
EDITOR: Greg Tumbarello
COVER: Jason Shawn Alexander with Luis Nct
VARIANT COVER ARTIST: Bill Sienkiewicz
28pp, Colors, 3.99 U.S.(September 2020)

Rated “M/ Mature”

“Burn Baby Burn” Part II: “Oh So Close...”

Published by Image Comics, Killadelphia is a comic book series from writer Rodney Barnes and artist Jason Shawn Alexander.  At the center of this series is a police officer caught in a lurid conspiracy in which vampires attempt to rule Philadelphia, “the City of Brotherly Love.”  Colorist Luis Nct and letterer Marshall Dillon complete Killadelphia's creative team.

Killadelphia focuses on James “Jim” Sangster, Jr., who came home to Philly to deal with the final affairs of his recently murdered father, revered Philadelphia homicide detective, James Sangster, Sr.  But Senior was not dead; he was of the undead.  It took the son, the vampire father, the chief medical examiner (Jose Padilla), and a rebellious vampire (Tevin “See Saw” Thompkins) to lead the battle to save “the City of Brotherly Love” from a vampire apocalypse.  But that was a battle, and there is a war.

Killadelphia #8 (“Oh So Close...”) opens with Jim, Sr. in his grave and ready to move on with his afterlife, but the vampire revolution still plans on being televised.  Jim, Jr. and Ms. Padilla are digging through the bloody mess found at the Governor's mansion, and what they discover will require help – even if the help doesn't want to be required.  Meanwhile, Abigail Adams and her acolytes make their next move by targeting a big event in an act of violence that cannot be ignored.

THE LOWDOWN:  Killadelphia's first story line, “Sins of the Father,” is quite fantastic. Writer Rodney Barnes seems intent on making “Burn Baby Burn” an even more intense reading experience.  I don't want to spoil this wonderful issue, but Barnes sends one of his characters on a dark fantastic journey that recalls the travels readers experienced in Neil Gaiman's The Sandman (DC Comics).

Did artist Jason Shawn Alexander also sell his soul at the crossroads?  Seriously, in Killadelphia #8, Alexander offers his most imaginative compositions and graphical storytelling.  He introduces new landscapes and dreamscapes into this narrative that takes Killadelphia where no other vampire comic book has gone.

Colorist Luis Nct turns out the fiery hues and neon lights for this excellent issue that transports this narrative to new worlds and also conveys the encroaching horror to its next battlegrounds.  Marshall Dillon's lettering is becoming its own character, especially as this story goes new places.

Damn, I thought this comic book would settle down.  I didn't know that Killadelphia would still be scratching at the window of my imagination by the eighth issue.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS:  Fans of vampire comic books and of exceptional dark fantasy will want Killadelphia.

10 out of 10

Killadelphia #8 has a backup feature:
“Elysium Gardens” Part 2 “Blood Moon”
Story: Rodney Barnes
Art: Jason Shawn Alexander
Layouts: Sherard Jackson
Letters: Marshall Dillon

After opening on the Santa Monica Pier in Los Angeles, California on April 28, 1962, the back-up story, “Elysium Gardens,” moves to Sicily, 827 A.D.  There, the mystery woman, Zubiya, recounts her dark and mystical past, but it is in the 1960s where she will find some surprising truths.

Rodney Barnes' story and Jason Shawn Alexander's art (with its ethereal and mystical qualities) recalls the black and white horror comics magazines of Warren Publications (like Creepy and Eerie).  But it is also something new, and “Elysium Gardens” looks like it wants to break more than just a little ground.

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


https://twitter.com/TheRodneyBarnes
https://twitter.com/jasonshawnalex
https://twitter.com/luisnct
https://twitter.com/MarshallDillon
https://twitter.com/ImageComics
https://imagecomics.com/
http://rodneybarnes.com/


The text is copyright © 2020 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

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#IReadsYou Movie Review: THE NEW MUTANTS

The New Mutants (2020)

Running time:  94 minutes (1 hour, 34 minutes)
MPAA – PG-13 for violent content, some disturbing/bloody images, some strong language, thematic elements and suggestive material
DIRECTOR:  Josh Boone
WRITERS:  Josh Boone and Knate Lee (based on the Marvel Comics characters)
PRODUCERS:  Simon Kinberg, Lauren Shuler Donner, and Karen Rosenfelt
CINEMATOGRAPHER:  Peter Deming (D.o.P.)
EDITORS:  Andrew Buckland, Matthew Rundell, and Robb Sullivan
COMPOSER:  Mark Snow

SUPERHERO/HORROR/FANTASY/ACTION

Starring:  Blu Hunt, Maisie Williams, Anya Taylor-Joy, Charlie Heaton, Henry Zaga, Alice Braga, Adam Beach, Thomas Kee, Colbi Gannett, and Happy Anderson

The New Mutants is a 2020 superhero movie from director Josh Boone.  It was 20th Century Fox’s thirteenth and final film film based on Marvel Comics’ X-Men comic book franchise.  The film uses comic book characters and stories created by writer Chris Claremont and artist Bob McLeod and Bill Sienkiewicz.  The New Mutants movie focuses on five young mutants held in a secret facility where they try to deal with their powers, pasts, and sins.

The New Mutants opens with Danielle “Dani” Moonstar (Blu Hunt), a young Cheyenne Native American, experiencing the devastation of her entire reservation by what seems to be an “F5” tornado.  After falling unconscious during the tornado, Dani awakens in an empty hospital room to find herself secured to a bed by restraining straps.

Dani soon meets Dr. Cecilia Reyes (Alice Braga), who comforts Dani.  Dr. Reyes explains that Dani is not an ordinary human being, but is rather a “new mutant,” a mutant who is just awakening to her mutant abilities and powers.  Dr. Reyes also explains that Dani will be confined to this mysterious and unnamed medical facility until they discover what exactly Dani's mutant power is and also until Dani learns to control that power.

Dani is introduced to four other new mutants:  Sam (Charlie Heaton), Illyana (Anya Taylor-Joy), Roberto or “Bobby” (Henry Zaga), and Rahne Sinclair (Maisie Williams).  Rahne befriends Dani and the two set out to discover the secrets of both the facility and the identity of the mysterious entity (Essex Corporation) that controls it.  Dani discovers that she isn't the only one trying to escape the traumas of her past.  Will her mysterious power and her past, personified by a mythical creature called the “Demon Bear,” destroy not only Dani, but also the other new mutants.

Apparently, Josh Boone, the co-writer and director of The New Mutants,” described the film's same-sex love story and subplot between Dani and Rahne as “character-driven stuff.”  That pretty much describes the character drama and development in The New Mutants; it's all just stuff.  Dani and Rahne's gay-teen-puppy-love is actually sweet, and when The New Mutants focuses on that, the film is actually enjoyable.  All the other character-driven … stuff is the usual young adult tropes:  (lame) bullying; (lame) guilt, (lame) grief, and (lame) teen squabbling and conflict.  And the rotten cherry on top is Anya Taylor-Joy's awful, lazy, and deplorable Russian accent as Illyana.

I am a decades-long fan of The New Mutants, going back to the original Marvel Graphic Novel (written by Chris Claremont and drawn by Bob McLeod) in which the characters made their debut and to the first issue of their own comic book, The New Mutants #1 (cover dated: March 1983).  The screenplay for The New Mutants film is not so much an adaptation of any particular New Mutants comic books, but is rather a cherry-picking of a few elements from particular stories like “The Demon Bear Saga” (written by Claremont and drawn by Bill Sienkiewicz).

The New Mutants is an explosive concept, especially considering that it follows kids with traumatic pasts who have largely unknown and untested, dangerous extraordinary powers.  The New Mutants film is a misfire instead of an explosion.  It is not that this film's story is incoherent; it is simply an easy-to-follow, but boring story.  I wanted the characters to save themselves and to have a happy ending because I simply wanted this tiresome and uninspiring movie to end.

When I first heard that 20th Century Fox was making a horror movie set in the X-Men franchise, I thought that this film could be a disaster, but I secretly hoped that they could pull it off.  But my first instincts were right, and luckily Disney absorbed Fox and put an end to Fox's parade of trashy X-Men movies.  As bad as The New Mutants is (and it is awful), its ending also signals the end of a nightmare series of movies in a franchise that had a very promising start back in 2000 with the film simply entitled, X-Men.  I won't recommend The New Mutants to anyone, even to the fans that feel they have to watch every X-Men movie.

D

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


The text is copyright © 2021 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint or syndication rights and fees.

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Marvel Comics from Diamond Distributors for September 2, 2020

MARVEL COMICS

JUL200708    AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #850 BY RYAN OTTLEY POSTER    $8.99
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Comics, Magazines and Books from Diamond Distributors for December 11, 2019

COMICS & GRAPHIC NOVELS

OCT191776    AGENTS OF PACT TP VOL 01 FLEURS DE CONFLIT (RES)    $12.99
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OCT191609    BETTY & VERONICA JUMBO COMICS DIGEST #279    $7.99
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Review: FIREFLY #1 (2018)

FIREFLY No. 1 (2018)
BOOM! Studios – @boomstudios

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

STORY: Greg Pak
ARTIST: Dan McDaid
COLORS: Marcelo Costa
LETTERS: Jim Campbell
EDITOR: Jeanine Schaefer
COVER: Lee Garbett
VARIANT COVER ARTISTS: Jock; Joe Quinones; Tula Lotay; J.G. Jones; Bill Sienkiewicz; Adam Riches; Diego Galindo
32pp, Colors, $3.99 U.S. (November 2018)

Firefly created by Joss Whedon

“Firefly” was a science fiction and Western-themed television series created by Joss Whedon.  It was originally broadcast on the Fox Television Network during the 2002-2003 television season, although Fox only televised 11 of the 14 episodes that were produced.

The series was set in the year 2157 in a star system where human immigrants from Earth settled some time in the distant past.  The primary characters are the crew of nine people traveling aboard the “Firefly-class” spaceship named “Serenity.”  The lead character is Malcolm “Mal” Reynolds, the owner and captain of the Serenity.  Like his second-in-command, Zoe Alleyne Washburne, Mal is a veteran of the human civil war known as the “Unification War,” fighting on the side of the “Independent Army.”

The other characters are Hoban “Wash” Washburne, Serenity's pilot and Zoe's husband, and Kaywinnet Lee “Kaylee” Frye, the ship's mechanic.  There are also Inara Serra, a “Companion” (a kind of sex-worker) who resides aboard one of Serenity's two shuttles; Derrial Book, a “Shepherd” (equivalent of a pastor); and the mercenary, Jayne Cobb.  The final two passengers are Dr. Simon Tam, a top trauma surgeon; and River Tam, his sister who is a child prodigy who was part of some kind of “Alliance” science experiment.

From 2005 to 2017, Dark Horse Comics produced four miniseries, two one-shots, and one original graphic novel based on the “Firefly” franchise, under the title, “Serenity,” the name of the 2006 film based on the TV series.  BOOM! Studios recently obtained the license to produce comic books based on “Firefly.”

BOOM!'s debut title is the comic book series, Firefly.  It is written by Greg Pak; drawn by Dan McDaid; colored by Marcelo Costa; and lettered by Jim Campbell.  Firefly the comic book 2018 will apparently delve into Mal and Zoe's past in the Unification War (also known as “War of Unification”).

Firefly #1 finds the Serenity suffering from the purchase of bad replacement parts.  Things get worse when the ship is attacked by the federals in the form of an Alliance Army dreadnaught.  Forced to land on a moon named “Bethlehem,” the crew of the Serenity must find jobs that will earn them the one thousand in platinum credits that it will take to buy the new replacement parts that will allow Serenity to return to space.  A new job is the least of their worries, however, as two of the crew members find themselves with high bounties placed on their heads.

I became a huge fan of the “Firefly” TV series after a friend gave me a box-set collection of the series as a gift.  I liked that the show was as much a Western drama as it was a space adventure.  Greg Pak writes in his afterword that he will use this comic book to explore three different sub-genres within the larger Western genre.  Firefly #1 seems to borrow the well-worn Western sub-genre that involves a wagon train of outcasts slash misfits employing “hired guns” to escort them on a perilous journey.

In this case, the “hired guns” are our heroes from the Serenity.  I'll go with this scenario because this Firefly comic book reminds me of the American Western TV series, “Wagon Train” (1957 to 1965).  I am a fan of this mostly black-and-white series, which focused on a “wagon master” and his employees.  Each episode also detailed the trials and tribulations a guest character or characters (usually portrayed by well-know film and television stars of the day).  Elements of Firefly 2018 also remind me of the 1950 John Ford Western film, Wagon Master, which apparently inspired “Wagon Train.”

I like what I have read in this new Firefly comic book, although I will admit that this story is simply a slight variation on familiar television characters and themes in addition to the elements taken from the “Firefly” TV series and the Serenity film.  Much of Dan McDaid's art for Firefly #1 is unattractive, and the characters' faces are “fugly.”  Still, the art is highly functional, from a graphical storytelling point of view, and the coloring and lettering is good.  So let's see where this goes.

[This volume includes an “Afterword” by Greg Pak and short text pieces from Joss Whedon and Dan McDaid.]

7 out of 10

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


The text is copyright © 2018 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

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

Review: HOUSE OF WHISPERS #1

HOUSE OF WHISPERS No. 1
DC COMICS – @DCComics @vertigo_comics

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

STORY: Nalo Hopkinson
ART: Dominike “Domo” Stanton
COLORS: John Rauch
LETTERS: Deron Bennett
EDITOR: Molly Mahan
CURATOR: Neil Gaiman
COVER: Sean Andrew Murray
VARIANT COVER: Bill Sienkiewicz
32pp, Color, $3.99 U.S. (November 2018)

“Suggested for Mature Readers”

The Sandman created by Neil Gaiman and Sam Kieth

“Broken Telephone”

The Sandman Universe is a new line of comic books inspired by the dark fantasy comic books that Neil Gaiman wrote for DC Comics, in particular The Sandman (1989-1996) and The Books of Magic (1990-1991).  Neil Gaiman acts as a curator of the line, which currently includes four titles, The Dreaming, Books of Magic, Lucifer, and the subject of this review, House of Whispers.

House of Whispers is written by Nalo Hopkinson; drawn by Dominike “Domo” Stanton; colored by John Rauch; and lettered by Deron Bennett.  The series focuses on a tragic goddess who grants the wishes and counsels the souls of those who visit her in their dreams.

House of Whispers #1 (“Broken Telephone”) opens just outside a houseboat known as the House of Dahomey.  Uncle Monday of the Brotherhood of Teeth has come to visit the owner the houseboat, the goddess Erzulie Fréda.  This is also where souls of Voodoo followers go when they sleep.  They travel to Erzulie's houseboat where they can beseech the flirtatious and tragic Erzulie to grant them their hearts’ desires or where they can ask her to counsel them on their futures and fortunes.

From her perch in the bayou, Erzulie sees four human girls open a mysterious and magical journal.  This little book is filled with whispers and rumors that, if they spread, could cause a pandemic unlike any the Earth has seen.  Erzulie must discover the whereabouts of and then stop the conniver behind this plot, Erzulie's nephew, Shakpana.

We have Neil Gaiman to thank for bringing writer Nalo Hopkinson into The Sandman Universe fold.  Left to its own devices, DC Comics would not have chosen Hopkinson.  In twenty-five years of publishing hundreds of comic books and graphic novels, only a handful have been written by African-Americans, black writers, or writers of African descent.

What Hopkinson offers in this first issue is a dazzling array of colorful sequences, sparkling story elements, and fabulous characters.  Reading this comic book is like experiencing an African or African-American folk music festival full of fierce beats and infectious rhythms.

Artist Dominike “Domo” Stanton offers imaginative compositions that yield a style of graphical storytelling that is bursting with magic.  My eyes greedily took in every corner of the Domo's panels and observed every line for secrets.  John Rauch's colors enrich Domo's illustrations and even accentuate the eccentric to make this comic book truly a unique visual treat.

Deron Bennett's clever lettering pretends to be a rhythm section, but when I pay attention, I see Bennett's fonts giving Hopkinson and Domo's story that extra whatever it needs or even taking the lead in conveying the story.  Also, Sean Andrew Murray's gorgeous cover art makes this comic book hard to ignore on a store shelf.

I won't lie and say House of Whispers #1 is perfect.  Sometimes, it is so busy being different that the story gets lost in its House of Dahomey house party shenanigans.  Still, this may be the best of The Sandman Universe's debut quartet.

8 out of 10

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


The text is copyright © 2018 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for syndication rights and fees.

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

Marvel Comics from Diamond Distributors for September 25, 2019

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Marvel Comics from Diamond Distributors for July 31, 2019

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Review: BLACK LIGHTNING/HONG KONG PHOOEY Special #1

BLACK LIGHTNING/HONG KONG PHOOEY SPECIAL No. 1
DC COMICS – @DCComics

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

STORY: Bryan Hill
PENCILS: Denys Cowan
INKS: Bill Sienkiewicz
COLORS: Jeromy Cox
LETTERS: Janice Chiang
EDITOR: Jim Chadwick
COVER: Denys Cowan and Bill Sienkiewicz with Jeromy Cox
VARIANT COVER: Chris Cross with Gabe Eltaeb
48pp, Color, $4.99 U.S. (July 2018)

Rated “T” for “Teen”

Black Lightning created by Tony Isabella and Trevor Von Eeden

“Revenge of the God Fist”

Black Lightning is a DC Comics superhero.  Created by writer Tony Isabella and artist Trevor Von Eeden, the character first appeared in the comic book, Black Lightning #1 (cover dated:  April 1977).  Black Lightning is the civilian, Jefferson Pierce, an African-American school teacher who originally obtains electrical or lightning-based power via technology.  [His origin has since been changed.]  Black Lightning was DC Comics third African-American character, and the first one to star in his own comic book series.

“Hong Kong Phooey” was a half-hour, Saturday morning animated television series produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions. It was broadcast on ABC from September 7, 1974, to December 21, 1974.  The main character was Hong Kong Phooey, an anthropomorphic dog character who fought crime as a martial-arts hero.  He had a secret identity, a clumsy and mild-mannered janitor named Penrod “Henry” Pooch also known as “Penry.”  Hong Kong Phooey and Penry had a pet/sidekick, a striped cat named “Spot,” who was sly and talented.

DC Comics has been re-imagining Hanna-Barbera characters in ongoing comic book series, miniseries, and one-shots and specials since early 2016.  Black Lightning and a re-imagined Hong Kong Phooey are united in the one-shot comic book, Black Lightning/Hong Kong Phooey Special.  It is written by Bryan Hill; drawn by Denys Cowan (pencils) and Bill Sienkiewicz (inks); colored by Jeromy Cox; and lettered by Janice Chiang.

Black Lightning/Hong Kong Phooey Special #1 (“Revenge of the God Fist”) opens in Metropolis in the year 1976.  Here, we find Black Lightning getting beaten up by the supervillain team-up of Professor Presto, Bronze Tiger, and Cheshire.  [Professor Preston a.k.a. “The Malevolent Magician” was a villain that appeared in the original “Hong Kong Phooey” TV series.]

Later, Black Lightning's civilian alter-ego, Jefferson Pierce, is summoned by an old acquaintance, Penry.  When he returned from Vietnam, Penry, the kung fu master who is an anthropomorphic dog, opened his own inner city detective agency.  Penry tells Jefferson a tale of the darkest kind of “wushu magic.”  Generations ago, a monk bound a demon and forced it to teach him the most powerful wushu technique, “the Way of the God Fist” (or “God Fist” for short).  Although he realized how dangerous the God Fist was, the monk did not want it to die with him.  So he made a scroll with the secrets of the God Fist written on it, and he divided that scroll into three sections.  Penry inherited one third of the scroll.

Presto wants to revive the scroll and already has two sections of it, and now, he makes his move against Penry.  Bronze Tiger and Cheshire even attack Rosemary, a friend of Penry's who teaches kung fu.  [Rosemary was a character and friend of Penry in the original animated series.]  Now, Penry leads Black Lightning and Rosemary in a bid to stop Presto from gaining the God Fist and using it to destroy the world.

I have enjoyed some of DC Comics re-imaginings of classic characters from Hanna-Barber animated TV series from the period of the late 1950s to the 1970s.  I really like this re-imagining of “Hong Kong Phooey” via Black Lightning/Hong Kong Phooey Special #1.  I credit some of the success of this comic book to writer Bryan Edward Hill.  I enjoyed his standalone Miles Morales' Spider-Man Annual #1 (2016).  [In fact, I was shocked how much I liked it.]

It is not so much that Black Lightning/Hong Kong Phooey Special #1 features a great story as it is that the story is inventively conceived and executed.  I would go so far as to say that this comic book presents the groundwork for what could be a cool Black Lightning comic book miniseries or series, written by Bryan Edward Hill, of course.

I am also a big fan of both pencil artist Denys Cowan and inker Bill Seinkiewicz.  Separately, Cowan and Seinkiewicz are great artists; together, they make a cool art team.  I like the gritty style they have concocted for this story, which is the perfect visual mood for this 1970s-era kung fu tale.  Colorist Jeromy Cox brings some needed brightness to this story, and veteran letterer, Janice Chiang, perfectly paces this story with her smallish lettering and balloons that somehow make an impact without being obtrusive and showy.

BACKUP STORY:  The Funky Phantom in “Spectre of the Gun”

STORY: Jeff Parker
ART: Scott Kolins
COLORS: Tony Avina
LETTERS: Janice Chiang
EDITOR: Jim Chadwick

The Funky Phantom was a Saturday morning cartoon that was televised on ABC from September 1971 to September 1972.  Produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions, this “Scooby-Doo” knock-off featured three teenagers and their dog who solved mystery with a ghost and his cat.  The ghost was an American patriot named Jonathan Wellington "Mudsy" Muddlemore who died inside a grandfather clock where he was trapped during the American Revolutionary War.

Black Lightning/Hong Kong Phooey Special #1 contains a backup story, “Spectre of the Gun,” a re-imagining of “The Funky Phantom.”  Written by Jeff Parker and drawn by Scott Kolins, this story only uses Jonathan Muddlemore.  The story opens at some kind of gun rights slash Second Amendment rally.  The grandfather clock containing Muddlemore's skeleton is on stage, and Jason Blood (also known as “The Demon”), summons Mudsy's spirit from the skeleton.  So how will this former American rebel, soldier, and patriot react to this new world of modern gun rights?  Hilarity ensues.

There is nothing special about Kolins art or Tony Avina's coloring of it.  Even Janice Chiang's lettering does not stand out.  None of it is bad work; it just is not particularly special.

However, Jeff Parker's story is an excellent bit of satire, and I must commend Parker for the intensity in which he skewers gun rights extremists.  His disdain for people who insist that the United States Constitution grants them the right to posses military-style weapons is also admirable and brave.  Among comic book fandom is a strain of reactionary and right-wing extremism, sexism, and racism that has been vocal enough to scare some comic book creators and to even get a few creators dismissed from assignments (Chuck Wendig, to name one).

I am a fan of Jeff Parker and have immensely enjoyed quite a bit of his work.  “Spectre of the Gun” is the cherry on top of Black Lightning/Hong Kong Phooey Special #1's chocolate, kung fu ice cream sundae.  I wish DC Comics could serve up another sundae of this type.

9 out of 10

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


The text is copyright © 2019 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

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Marvel Comics from Diamond Distributors for July 10, 2019

MARVEL COMICS

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Review: CONAN THE BARBARIAN #1

CONAN THE BARBARIAN #1 (2019) – Legacy #276
MARVEL COMICS – @Marvel

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

STORY: Jason Aaron
ART: Mahmud Asrar
COLORS: Matthew Wilson
LETTERS: VC's Travis Lanham
EDITOR: Mark Basso
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: Akira Yoshida
COVER: Esad Ribić
VARIANT COVER ARTISTS: Daniel Acuna; Mahmud Asrar with Matthew Wilson; John Cassaday with Laura Martin; John Tyler Christopher; Kirbi Fagan; Adi Granov; Greg Hildebrandt; Esad Ribic; Jesus Saiz; Bill Sienkewicz; Skottie Young; Gerardo Zaffino with Rain Beredo
48pp, Color, $4.99 U.S. (March 2019)

Parental Advisory

Conan the Barbarian based on the “Conan” character created by Robert E. Howard

“The Life & Death of Conan” Part One: “The Weird of the Crimson Witch”

Conan the Cimmerian is a fictional “sword and sorcery” hero created by Robert E. Howard (REH).  Conan first appeared in the pulp fiction magazine, Weird Tales (1932).  Conan lived in Howard's fictional “Hyborian Age” and was a mercenary, outlaw, pirate, thief, warrior, and eventually a king, but because of his tribal origins, some characters that encountered him thought of Conan as a barbarian.

In 1970, Marvel Comics brought Conan to the world of comic books with the series, Conan the Barbarian.  It is doing so again, having recently published the first issue of a revival of Conan the Barbarian.  It is written by Jason Aaron; drawn by Mahmud Asrar; colored by Matthew Wilson; and lettered by VC's Travis Lanham.

Conan the Barbarian #1 (“The Weird of the Crimson Witch”) opens sometimes during Conan the Cimmerian's prime as “a thief, a reaver, and a slayer.”  In Zamora, the city of thieves, his brutal prowess in the fights pits of Maul has attracted the attention of a comely young woman.

Conan has always cheated death, continues to cheat death, and perhaps, he always will?  The more he cheats death, the more his blood becomes imbued with the power of “Death Magic.”  It is that magic that the Crimson Witch and her death god, Razazel, needs.  Does King Conan know that?

The new Conan the Barbarian is a comic book that I can keep reading... at least for awhile.  For one, I am a fan of artist Mahmud Asrar and have been since I started seeing his work eight years ago.  His elegant compositions are pleasing to the eye, and his figure drawing creates the illusion of powerful figures in motion.  There is also a sense of dynamism even in characters that are depicted as moving not at all or as moving very little.

Colorist Matthew Wilson, one of best colorists working in comic book today, takes Asrar's beautiful art to an edgier place.  The red, yellow, and orange hues make the bloody sequences even bloodier, and the color turns the Crimson Witch's magic into a thing that rages and pulses.

Jason Aaron's story is good, but it is not as passionate as Asrar-Wilson's art.  However, Aaron has created a menace (the Crimson Witch) that it actually and legitimately dangerous to Conan, throughout his life.  I like that Aaron is willing to depict Conan as a brutal killer (and that Asrar and Wilson draws that cleaving, hacking, slashing, and beheading with glee).  Speaking of glee, the villains are gleefully murderous, and that is a good thing.  I have to give letterer Travis Lanham credit; he makes Aaron's script read like true-blue, bloody mayhem Conan the Barbarian.

Conan the Barbarian #1 (2019) is a good first issue.  It isn't great, but it doesn't have to be.  I was certainly hopeful that I would have a reason to be a regular reader of Conan the Barbarian again (which I have not been since the Reagan era).

7 out of 10

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


The text is copyright © 2019 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

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Review: TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES Universe, Volume 1

TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES UNIVERSE, VOLUME 1: THE WAR TO COME
IDW PUBLISHING – @IDWPublishing

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

LETTERS: Shawn Lee; Chris Mowry
EDITORS: Bobby Curnow (series); Justin Eisinger and Alonzo Simon (collection)
COVER: Freddie E. Williams II
MISC. ART: Ben Bishop; Freddie E. Williams II; Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird; Kevin Eastman with Tomi Varga; Antonio Fuso; Damian Couceiro; Agustin Graham Nakamura; Eddie Nunez; Ian Chase Nichols; Dan Duncan; Tess Fowler with Tamra Bonvillain; Sajao Shah; Johnnie Christmas with Tamra Bonvillain
ISBN: 978-1-63140-874-8; paperback; 6 5/8 x 10 3/16 (May 2, 2017)
120pp, Color, $19.99 U.S., $25.99 CAN

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird

The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (also known as TMNT and Ninja Turtles or sometimes as “the Turtles”) are a media empire that began with characters created by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird for the comic book, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #1 (cover dated: May 1984).  Donatello, Leonardo, Michelangelo, and Raphael are four teenage anthropomorphic turtles who walk and talk like humans).  IDW Publishing has held the license to produce Turtles comic books since 2011 and has essentially rebooted the Turtles comic book universe.

Launched in August 2016, the comic book series, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Universe, explores characters and story-lines that are pivotal to the IDW TMNT universe.  The first trade collection of the series is entitled Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Universe, Volume 1: The War to Come.  It reprints Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Universe #1-5.

The opening story arc of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Universe, Volume 1: The War to Come is “The War to Come” (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Universe #1-4).  The Ninja Turtles are facing increasing threats against their existence.  An organization called the “Earth Protection Force” (EPF) is determined to wipe mutants from the world.  Led by Agent Bishop, the EPF launch an attack on the Turtles and others it considers mutants and freaks.

The Turtles find a reluctant ally in a murderous scorpion-like mutant named Zodi.  Meanwhile, Turtle ally, April O'Neil, goes to her former boss, the mad scientist and Turtle adversary, Baxter Stockman, who is also reluctant to help them.  However, the full-on assault of the EPF may force some to become the saviors of those who would be their enemies.

This trade paperback contains two stand-alone tales.  In the story, “Inside Out” (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Universe #4), Leonardo fights the Foot Clan, Utroms, Koya, the Rat King, and his own fear.  In the story “Urban Legends” ( Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Universe #5), two mutants, Hob and Leatherhead, raid a dog-fighting tournament, but being on the same side does not mean being on the same side.

First, let me say that the two short stories, “Inside Out” and “Urban Legends,” are not particularly special.  “Urban Legends” is the better of the two, but “Inside Out” features the art team of Kevin Eastman (layouts) and Bill Sienkiewicz (pencils and inks), which is something of a big deal... at least, for me.

The main story, “The War to Come,” is a really good story.  From the start, the stakes feel high, and the Ninja Turtles are very much in peril.  The EPF is a collection of mean, murdering bastards, and the Turtles allies are questionable, at best, so the story is edgy and intense.  Writer Paul Allor also plays up the conflict within the Turtles as a group, so the readers get complications on top of the threat to the heroes.  That certainly makes for a riveting read.

The art team of Damian Couceiro (pencils-inks) and Ronda Pattison (colors) is gritty and reflects the stinginess of hope for salvation that Allor depicts in the story.  I would say that “The War to Come” is the kind of story TMNT fans will want to read, and it alone makes Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Universe, Volume 1: The War to Come a worthwhile purchase.

I must say that I am surprised.  When IDW sent me a review copy of this book a while back, I did not expect much upon first glance.

B+
7 out of 10

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The stories reprinted in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Universe, Volume 1: The War to Come
“The War to Come” (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Universe #1-4)
STORY: Paul Allor
ART: Damian Couceiro
COLORS: Ronda Pattison

“Inside Out” (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Universe #4)
STORY: Kevin Eastman, Bobby Curnow, and Tom Waltz
SCRIPT: Tom Waltz
LAYOUTS: Kevin Eastman
ART: Bill Sienkiewicz
COLORS: Tomi Varga

“Urban Legends” (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Universe#5)
STORY: Chris Mowry
ART: Michael Dialynas
COLORS: Tomi Varga

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


The text is copyright © 2018 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

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