#IReadsYou Review: STAR WARS: Crimson Reign #1

STAR WARS: CRIMSON REIGN #1 (OF 5)
MARVEL COMICS – @Marvel

STORY: Charles Soule
ART: Steven Cummings
COLORS: Guru-eFX
LETTERS: VC's Travis Lanham
EDITOR: Mark Paniccia
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: Akira Yoshida a.k.a. C.B. Cebulski
COVER: Leinil Francis Yu with Sunny Gho
VARIANT COVER ARTISTS: Steve Cummings with Guru-eFX; Ario Anindito with Edgar Delgado; Clayton Crain; Valerio Giangiordano with Arif Prianto; David Lopez; Rahzzah; Khoi Pahm with Lee Loughridge
36pp, Color, $4.99 U.S. (February 2022)

Rated T

Part 1: “The Orphans”

Star Wars: War of the Bounty Hunters was a Marvel Comics Star Wars publishing event that was comprised of 34 individual comic books, published from May to October 2021.  The series imagines a series of events that occur between the time bounty hunter, Boba Fett, collects Han Solo frozen in carbonite in 1980s The Empire Strikes Back (Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back) and his appearance in 1983's Return of the Jedi (Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi).

Coming out of War of the Bounty Hunters is the comic book miniseries, Star Wars: Crimson Reign.  It is written by Charles Soule; drawn by Steven Cummings; colored by Guru-eFX; and lettered by Travis Lanham.  According to Marvel, Crimson Reign is the second installment of a trilogy that will reshape the history of the Star Wars Galaxy during the “Age of Rebellion.”

Star Wars: Crimson Reign #1 opens in the halls of the group known as “Crimson Dawn.”  Qi'ra of Corellia is now the group's leader.  She has taken on the killers, liars, and thieves that make up this group and has given them a purpose.

Qi'ra has gathered a diverse group:  “The Knights of Ren,” “Chanath Cha and the Orphans,” Deathstick, Ochi of Bestoon, Margo and Trinia, and the Archivist to carry out of her plans, which is to destroy the Sith in order to free the galaxy.  Her main targets, of course, are Emperor Palpatine a.k.a. “Darth Sidious” and his apprentice, Darth Vader.  Qi'ra begins her mission by sending her allies against the galaxy's criminal syndicates, but has doom for herself and her group already been foretold?

THE LOWDOWN:  I have enjoyed the vast majority of the Charles Soule's Star Wars comic book work that I have read.  I have enjoyed Steven Cummings art since I was first exposed to it in some OEL (original English language) manga from Tokyopop, including Pantheon High (2007), Star Trek: The Manga (2007), and CSI: Intern at Your Own Risk (2009).

However, Star Wars: Crimson Reign #1 isn't the kind of first issue that will inspire me to go out of my way to read the rest of the series.  It is professionally written, professionally drawn, professionally colored, and professionally lettered.  This isn't a bad comic book.  I simply have little interest in Qi'ra's conspiracy, which is contrived past the point of being credible.  I find it hard to believe that not one syndicate leader would notice that the troubles begin shortly after Qi'ra and her ilk begin meeting with the syndicates.  Does it take two issues for even one of them to figure this out?

Lucasfilm and Marvel seem determined to retcon the fuck out of the original Star Wars trilogy and the imaginary timeline surrounding it – known as the “Age of Rebellion.”  That is their prerogative, but it is mine to choose to read it.  I choose not to.  I have never been that curious about “what happened” between the films, The Empire Strikes Back (1980) and Return of the Jedi (1983).  But if that is your thing, Crimson Reign is not only a miniseries, but it is an event that will take place in various issues across Marvel's line of Star Wars comic books.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS:  Fans of Marvel's Star Wars comic books may want to try Star Wars: Crimson Reign.

B

★★★ out of 4 stars

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


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#IReadsYou Review: STAR WARS: The Rise of Kylo Ren

STAR WARS: THE RISE OF KYLO REN
MARVEL COMICS – @Marvel

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.  Also, visit Star Wars Review Central here.]

STORY: Charles Soule
ART: Will Sliney
COLORS: Guru eFX
LETTERS: VC's Travis Lanham
EDITOR: Mark Paniccia
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: Akira Yoshida a.k.a. C.B. Cebulski
COVER: Clayton Crain
MISC ART: Carmen Carnero with Rachelle Rosenberg; John Tyler Christopher; Jodie Muir; Stefano Landini and Nicola Righi; Giuseppe Camuncoli with David Curiel
ISBN: 978-1-302-92418-8; paperback (August 11, 2020)
112pp, Color, $15.99 U.S., $20.99 CAN

Rated T

Star Wars: The Rise of Kylo Ren is a Marvel Comics trade paperback collection of the Star Wars comic book miniseries, Star Wars: The Rise of Kylo Ren #1-4 (December 2019 to March 2020).  The miniseries is written by Charles Soule; drawn by Will Sliney; colored by Guru eFX; and lettered by Travis Lanham.

The Rise of Kylo Ren is an official part of the Star Wars “canon” and explores the backstory of Kylo Ren.  He is the face of the Dark Side in the Star Wars “sequel trilogy” of films:  Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Star Wars: The Last Jedi, and Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.

Star Wars: The Rise of Kylo Ren opens long ago and introduces the mysterious leader called “Ren” and his “Knights of Ren.”  Two brothers, Karrst and Filin,” learn the high cost of being recruited by Ren.  The story moves to the present which finds the Jedi Temple of Luke Skywalker in flames, as Ben Solo, the son of Leia Organa and Han Solo and the nephew of Jedi Master Luke Skywalker, watches.

Soon, Ben is accused of murder by three fellow Jedi students:  Voe, Hennix, and Tai.  Escaping their attempts at justice, Ben seeks the counsel of Snoke, a user of the Dark Side of the Force, who has been in contact with Ben for some time.  Snoke points Ben to the Knights of Ren as a “good stop” on his journey to the Dark Side.

But will Ben truly be able to find himself and his place with the Knights?  How will he measure up to the expectations of the Knights' leader, Ren, with his talk of “good death” and of the “Shadow?”  How will Ben deal with his former classmates as they pursue him in the name of justice.  And most of all, when will Ben be able to embrace his new name?...

THE LOWDOWN:  In the recent “Skywalker Saga” Star Wars films, Kylo Ren is a figure of intrigue and mystery.  Except for a few flashback sequences, visions, and what little Luke Skywalker and Kylo himself say, little is known about his past.

In a little more than 90 pages of narrative, writer Charles Soule illuminates the history of Kylo Ren and chases away at least some of the shadows of Kylo's past.  In the little more than five years since Marvel Comics resumed publishing Star Wars comic books, Soule has made himself one of the very best writers of Star Wars comic books.  While he offers a tale of duplicity and violence, Soule also reveals the true struggle of Kylo Ren, to be liberated from the expectations and legacies of others so that he can chart his own path.

After reading Star Wars: The Rise of Kylo Ren, I have no doubt in my mind that Charles Soule could spin many a wonderful yarn featuring Kylo Ren.  I don't want to minimize the work of artist Will Sliney, who is a good graphical storyteller.  Or the work of Guru eFX, which brings this story's settings to life with a variety of hues.  Or the work of letterer Travis Lanham, who is always quite good at capturing the right tone of the characters' dialogue.  However, Charles Soule's writing is the star in Star Wars: The Rise of Kylo Ren simply because he does what so few have done – deliver on the potential of the character known as both Ben Solo and as Kylo Ren.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS:  Fans of Star Wars comic books and of Star Wars canon will certainly want to read Star Wars: The Rise of Kylo Ren.

10 out of 10

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


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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Review: IMMORTAL HULK #1

IMMORTAL HULK #1 (Legacy #718)
MARVEL COMICS – @Marvel

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

STORY: Al Ewing
PENCILS: Joe Bennett
INKS: Ruy José
COLORS: Paul Mounts
LETTERS: VC's Cory Petit
EDITOR: Tom Brevoort
COVER: Alex Ross
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: Akira Yoshida
VARIANT COVERS: Clayton Crain; Kaare Andrews; Sal Buscema; Alfredo Alcala with Eber Evangelista; Dale Keown with Jason Keith
36pp, Color, $4.99 U.S. (August 2018)

Rated T+

Hulk created by Jack Kirby and Stan Lee

“Or is He Both”

The Hulk is a Marvel Comics superhero and monster character.  Created by artist Jack Kirby and writer Stan Lee, the Hulk first debuted in The Incredible Hulk #1 (cover dated: May 1962).  Hulk comic books have mostly covered two characters.  The first is Dr. Robert Bruce Banner (mostly referred to as “Bruce Banner”), a physically weak, socially withdrawn, and emotionally reserved, but brilliant physicist, who is exposed to gamma rays via the explosion of an experimental bomb.  This gamma ray exposure physically transforms Banner into the Hulk, a green-skinned (originally grey-skinned), hulking and muscular humanoid that possesses incredible super-strength.

Marvel Comics recently relaunched (again) its Hulk comic book franchise, and the result is the new series, Immortal Hulk.  It is written by Al Ewing; drawn by Joe Bennett (pencils) and Ruy José (inks); colored by Paul Mounts; and lettered by Cory Petit.

Immortal Hulk #1 (“Or is He Both”) opens somewhere in rural America (the desert southwest?).  Bruce Banner is caught up in a convenience story shooting and ends up dead along with two other people.  The man is dead, but is the monster?  Thomas Edward Hill is about to find out!

I had the pleasure of reading some early Hulk comics via a reprint collection.  I was struck by how much those first four years of Hulk comic books and appearances blended elements of science fiction, sci-fi B-movies, horror fiction, and monster stories.

Writer Al Ewing and artist Joe Bennett have come together to revive the darker elements of the Hulk IP and of the world of The Incredible Hulk.  Immortal Hulk #1 is a fantastic first issue, and it reminds me more of a horror comic book from an independent publisher (say Zenescope Entertainment) than it does a Marvel Comics title.  Bennett's compositions blend with Ruy Jose's intricate and bejeweled inking and  Paul Mounts perfectly-tuned colors to create a moody, brooding horror comic book that seethes and rages to release the power of the monster contained within its covers.

And when the story explodes, the pages can barely contain its star, the Hulk, even the double-page spreads.  I hope Al Ewing has not merely teased us with a debut issue that will ultimately not reflect the overall tone of Immortal Hulk.  I don't mind the Avengers appearing in this series, but I hope it stays dark fantasy/horror, the way Alan Moore's Swamp Thing did even when the Justice League of America appeared in The Saga of the Swamp Thing #24 (cover dated: May 1984).

8.5 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.


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Image Comics from Diamond Distributors for April 8, 2015

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I Reads You Review: DEATHLOK #1

DEATHLOK (2014) #1
MARVEL COMICS – @Marvel

WRITER: Nathan Edmondson
ART: Mike Perkins
COLORS: Andy Troy
LETTERS: VC's Joe Sabino
COVER: Mike Perkins with Andy Troy
VARIANT COVERS: Clayton Crain: Skottie Young
28pp, Color, $3.99 U.S. (December 2014)

Rated “T+”

“The Enemy of My Enemy”

Deathlok is a Marvel Comics cyborg character that first appeared in Astonishing Tales #25 (cover date: August 1974).  Also known as “Deathlok the Demolisher,” he was created by artist Rich Buckler and writer Doug Moench.  There have been several different versions of the character, but the recurring theme for all these characters was that a dead human was reanimated with cybernetic technology and became Deathlok.

Now, there is a new Deathlok, and he appeared in the eight-issue event miniseries, Original Sin.  This Deathlok is Henry Hayes (an African-American), who works for Medics Without Borders, a job that cost him a leg.  Hayes received a composite fibers prosthesis from a company called Biotek, but the company also placed him under mind-control.  Apparently, Hayes is now an operative who works as an assassin, killer, and soldier.  Henry Hayes is the star of a new Deathlok comic book series from writer Nathan Edmondson, artist Mike Perkins, colorist Andy Troy, and letterer Joe Sabino.

Deathlok #1 (“The Enemy of My Enemy”) finds Henry getting some fine-tuning on his Biotek prosthesis.  A week later, he is on a mission in Ludzern, Switzerland.  Back home, Henry's teenaged daughter, Aria, is mostly ignoring him.  S.H.I.E.L.D isn't ignoring him, however, as Director Maria Hill has assigned Agent Hope, a researcher, to investigate Deathlok.

I really like Mike Perkins' art in this first issue.  It seems like a blend of Bryan Hitch and styles not seen since the 1970s and 80s, especially in the depiction of human anatomy and of the domestic scenes.  Nathan Edmondson, who can write intriguing stories, does just that here.  Deathlok #1 is a well-put together first issue.  I am curious enough to read more issues, but I don't see myself paying $3.99 per issue for the pleasure of reading this new Deathlok past the first story arc.  That might change if I hear things about the second arc that really intrigues me.

PREACHING TIME: By the way, I have nothing against Nathan Edmondson.  I always enjoy his writing.  However, I have to admire the contortions through which Marvel Comics will go in order to avoid hiring Black writers, even on books starring African-American characters.

I had to laugh at Marvel Studios' announcement of a Black Panther movie, when I know that no Black man will play a major part in this movie beyond Chadwick Boseman as the film's star.  I don't see a Black woman doing much in the film other than playing a small supporting role, either.  Will a Black man or woman ever write, direct, or produce a Marvel feature film?  I certainly don't see that happening during this round of films that Marvel has mapped out to the year 2028 (or 2029). PREACHING TIME OVER

Oh, yeah.  Once again, Deathlok #1 is good and has potential.

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux


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