Review: THE WILD STORM: Michael Cray #1

THE WILD STORM: MICHAEL CRAY #1
DC COMICS – @DCComics

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

STORY: Warren Ellis
WRITER: Bryan Hill
PENCILS: N. Steven Harris
INKS: Dexter Vines
COLORS: Steve Buccellato
LETTERS: Simon Bowland
COVER: Denys Cowan and Bill Sienkiewicz with Steve Buccellato
VARIANT COVER: Gene Ha
32pp, Color, $3.99 U.S. (December 2017)

Rated “T+”

Michael Cray created by Jim Lee and Brandon Choi

“Michael Cray – Chapter One”

Started by Jim Lee and Brandon Choi, WildStorm Productions was one of the founding studios of Image Comics.  The WildStorm Universe was the fictional shared universe of comic books published by WildStorm and debuted in WildC.A.T.s #1 (cover dated: August 1992).

Jim Lee sold WildStorm Productions and his intellectual properties to DC Comics in 1999, and eventually the WildStorm Universe was folded into the DC Universe (DCU) proper.  It can be argued that the most interesting and perhaps, most influential comic books to come out of the WildStorm Universe came after that sale.  Those books were written by Warren Ellis (StormWatch, The Authority and Planetary).  Ellis is currently relaunching the characters, concepts, story lines, etc. of the Wildstorm Universe in his comic book, The Wild Storm, with artist Jon Davis-Hunt.

The first solo spin off series in the relaunch of “The Wild Storm” is The Wild Storm: Michael Cray.  It is written by Bryan Hill with Warren Ellis contributing story.  The series is drawn by N. Steven Harris (pencils) and Dexter Vines (inks); colored by Steve Buccellato; and lettered by Simon Bowland.  Michael Cray also known as the professional assassin, Deathblow, first appeared in the comic book, Darker Image #1 (cover dated: March 1993).

Michael Cray seeks revenge against International Operations (I.O.) for the death sentence with which its has basically trapped him.  The Wild Storm: Michael Cray #1 finds Cray with an offer of help.  Christine Trelane will give him support, resources, medical aid, and a home, but she has targets that she want Cray to take out.  It starts with that sociopath Silicon Valley billionaire, Oliver Queen.

I thoroughly enjoyed the first issue of The Wild Storm: Michael Cray.  One reason is that in terms of story pacing and in graphical style, Michael Cray is like The Wild Storm comic book.  Writer Bryan Hill writes a script that allows the story to breathe, which in turns allows the reader to enjoy the surprises and shocks and the edginess the script delivers.  Just the Oliver Queen segments are quite enjoyable and enjoyably tart.

N. Steven Harris' compositions and the sharp inking Dexter Vines lays on them are similar to Jon Davis-Hunt's clean drawing style in The Wild Storm.  Harris and Vines deliver good storytelling while graphically tying their work to Ellis and Davis-Hunt's flagship title.  I like The Wild Storm: Michael Cray #1 and will be back for more.

A
8 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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DC Comics from Diamond Distributors for October 11, 2017

DC COMICS

APR170432    ABSOLUTE AUTHORITY HC VOL 01    $75.00
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AUG170265    WONDER WOMAN #32    $2.99
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Review: Star Wars: MACE WINDU #1

STAR WARS: MACE WINDU No. 1
MARVEL COMICS – @Marvel

[This review was originally posted on Patreon. Visit the "Star Wars Central" review page is here.]

STORY: Matt Owens
PENCILS: Denys Cowan
INKS: Roberto Poggi
COLORS: Guru-eFX
LETTERS: VC's Joe Caramagna
COVER: Jesus Saiz
VARIANT COVERS: Russell Dauterman; Rahzzah; Javier Rodriguez
28pp, Color, $3.99 U.S. (October 2017)

Rated “T+”

“Book 1, Part 1”

The Jedi Knight and Jedi Council member, Mace Windu, was introduced in the film, Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace (1999).  Although, Windu has appeared in numerous Star Wars novels, even being the lead character in one, he has never headlined his own comic book series.

That changes with the new five-issue comic book miniseries, Star Wars: Mace Windu (which is apparently also known as Star Wars: Jedi of the Republic – Mace Windu).  The series is written by Matt Owens; drawn by Denys Cowan (pencils) and Roberto Poggi (inks); colored by Guru-eFX; and lettered by Joe Caramagna.

Star Wars: Mace Windu #1 opens immediately after the events depicted in the film, Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones (2002).  The Clone Wars have begun, and while the Jedi have been the peacekeepers of the galaxy for over a thousand generations, they now find themselves in a new role.  The Jedi Knights are now generals in the Army of the Republic.

Mace Windu has mixed feelings about fighting in a war, but, like the other Jedi Knights, he must make peace with this new role, lest he be swallowed up by the tide of this war.  Now, Mace must lead a small contingent of Jedi:  fellow council member, Master Kit Fisto; the blind Jedi, Prosset Dibs; and the recently knighted Jedi and pilot, Rissa Mano.  Their mission will take them to the Outer Rim, specifically to the jungle planet, Hissrich, where they will monitor their Clone War antagonist, the Separatists.  However, this is a dangerous and wild world, and Windu and company are unaware of the true danger they will find on Hissrich.

I have been waiting for a Mace Windu comic book for well over a decade, and in the span of a year Marvel Comics has given me both a Lando Calrissian and a Mace Windu comic book.  Yep, it's like Marvel did it just for me.  And yes, I am pleased as punch that the lead artist on this Mace Windu comic book is the incomparable Denys Cowan.

From the fierce cover to the spectacular interior art by Cowan and inker Roberto Poggi, Mace Windu offers graphical storytelling of striking images (especially the first page) and explosive action.  The vivid coloring by Guru-eFX makes the art seem to pop off the page.  Matt Owens' story balances the philosophical conundrum the Clone Wars has caused the Jedi with the energetic sci-fi/fantasy action that we expect of Star Wars.

Star Wars: Mace Windu #1 gives the series a good start.  If the other first issues of solo miniseries (like the Han Solo and Lando series) are any indication, what follows Mace Windu #1 will be a blast.

A
8.5 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.

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Marvel Comics from Diamond Distributors for August 30, 2017

MARVEL COMICS

JUN170957    AMERICA #6    $3.99
JUN170968    BLACK PANTHER #17    $3.99
JUN170969    BLACK PANTHER #17 FRISON CONNECTING VAR A    $3.99
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MAY170941    BLACK PANTHER WHO IS THE BLACK PANTHER PROSE NOVEL HC    $24.99
MAY170955    BULLSEYE COLUMBIAN CONNECTION TP    $15.99
JUN170901    DEADPOOL #35 SE    $3.99
MAY170963    DEADPOOL VS PUNISHER TP    $15.99
MAY170984    DEFENDERS EPIC COLLECTION TP ASHES ASHES    $39.99
JUN170960    DOCTOR STRANGE SORCERERS SUPREME #11    $3.99
MAY170962    DOCTOR STRANGE/PUNISHER TP MAGIC BULLETS    $15.99
JUN178451    EDGE OF VENOMVERSE #2 (OF 5) 2ND PTG MATTINA VAR    $3.99
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JUN170914    INFAMOUS IRON MAN #11    $3.99
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MAY170968    SPIDER-MAN 2099 TP VOL 06 APOCALYPSE SOON    $15.99
MAY170970    SPIDER-MAN REVENGE OF THE GREEN GOBLIN TP NEW PTG    $39.99
JUN171018    STAR WARS #35    $3.99
JUN171002    STAR WARS JEDI REPUBLIC MACE WINDU #1 (OF 5)    $3.99
JUN170981    THANOS #10    $3.99
JUN171039    TRUE BELIEVERS KIRBY 100TH ANTMAN & THE WASP #1    $1.00
JUN171038    TRUE BELIEVERS KIRBY 100TH IRON MAN #1    $1.00
JUN170923    UNCANNY AVENGERS #26    $3.99
MAY170952    UNSTOPPABLE WASP TP VOL 01 UNSTOPPABLE    $12.99
JUN170996    X-MEN BLUE #10    $3.99

Review: NIGHTHAWK #1

NIGHTHAWK No. 1 (2016)
MARVEL COMICS – @Marvel

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

WRITER: David F. Walker
ARTIST: Ramon Villalobos
COLORS: Tamra Bonvillain
LETTERS: VC's Joe Caramagna
COVER: Denys Cowan and Bill Sienkiewicz with Chris Sotomayor
VARIANT COVERS: Rafael Albuquerque; John Tyler Christopher; Bill Sienkiewicz; Skottie Young
28pp, Color, $3.99 U.S. (July 2016)

Parental Advisory

Nighthawk is a Marvel Comics character.  While there have been several versions of the character, the first Nighthawk was Kyle Richmond, initially a supervillain and also a member of the Squadron Supreme.  Richmond, as the original Nighthawk, debuted in The Avengers #69 (cover dated:  October 1969) with two other members of the Squadron Supreme.

The “All-New, All-Different Marvel” event offers a new ongoing Nighthawk comic book.  This series focuses on an African-American version of Kyle Richmond from Earth-31916, who also uses the identity of Raymond Kane.  Nighthawk is written by David F. Walker; drawn by Ramon Villalobos; colored by Tamra Bonvillian; and lettered by Joe Caramagna.

Nighthawk #1 opens in Chicago, Illinois which is both roiled by racial strife and rotten with political corruption.  The city's streets, neighborhoods, and districts are Nighthawk's stomping grounds.  In fact, we find him stomping on the “True Patriots,” a White supremacist gang that deals in guns and meth production.  Nighthawk uses his physical and mental skills to destroy them, will his partner, Tilda Johnson, as usual, helps with the robotics and technology Nighthawk uses.  Meanwhile, Kane faces a dirty offer from Dan Hanrahan; plus, a sinister figure returns.

Stunned.  I am truly stunned both by how much I like this comic book and by how good it is.  If DC Comics were not so afraid of letting African-American scribes write marquee titles, David F. Walker would be writing Batman now.  [Walker recently had a short stint as writer of the Cyborg comic book for DC.]  Although I am a fan of both Denys Cowan and Bill Sienkiewicz, I think the cover art they provided for Nighthawk #1 is kinda whack.  When I first saw the cover, I looked at this comic book with disdain.

But something made me buy it.  Maybe, it is the buy-the-first-issue fanboy gene that made me do it, but whomever or whatever I have to thank – thank you, bitches!  I think that Walker is going to tackle issues surrounding themes of anger, aggression, rage, violence, political corruption, and corporate depravity.  So that makes David F. Walker's Nighthawk a smart buy.  Besides, the covers are going to get better, aren't they?

As artist, I like the choice of Ramon Villalobos, whose work on last summer's E is for Extinction (a Secret Wars title) wowed me.  You know what?  I'm going to highly recommend this book to you, dear readers.

A

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


The text is copyright © 2016 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

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I Reads You Review: DEATHLOK #1 (1991)

DEATHLOK #1
MARVEL COMICS – @Marvel

WRITERS: Dwayne McDuffie and Gregory Wright
PENCILS: Denys Cowan
INKS: Mike Manley
COLORS: Gregory Wright
LETTERS: Ken Lopez
EDITORS: Tom Brevoort, Bob Budiansky (executive), Tom DeFalco (EiC)
COVER: Denys Cowan
32pp, Color, $1.75 U.S. (July 1991)

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

The character, Michael Collins, was the third Deathlok and debuted in the four-issue miniseries Deathlok (cover dates: July-October 1990).  An African-American character, Professor Michael Collins was a pacifist working for Cybertek, a subsidiary of Roxxon Oil.

Collins was developing software to control artificial limbs, and he thought that Cybertek, a cybernetics corporation, was working towards the same goal of helping to make disabled people walk again.  He was wrong.  What Collins was really working on was a cyborg killing machine named Deathlok.  Collins’ boss, Harlan Ryker, attacked him after the discovery.  Ryker had Collins’ brain transferred into Deathlok.

After the 1990 miniseries, Deathlok received his own ongoing comic book series that ran for 34 issues and two summer annuals (1992 and 1993).  I read the first issue years ago, which was written by the late Dwayne McDuffie and Gregory Wright and penciled by Denys Cowan.  Whenever I came across Cowan’s name or work, for some reason, I always thought about that first issue of Deathlok, for which Cowan drew a visually striking cover.

Deathlok #1 (“The Wolf at the Door”) opens with Harlan Ryker activating a contingency plan.  Facing treason charges, Ryker needs to get rid of any witnesses to his crimes that the government has.  He activates the cyborg killing machine he developed before Deathlok – a creature called “Warwolf.”

Meanwhile, Deathlok is in Paterson, New Jersey at the home of his wife, Nancy Collins, and his son, Nick.  In hiding, he consoles himself and grieves his situation.  He hopes not only to find where Ryker hid his body, but to also be able to have his brain restored to his body so that he can be human again.  First, he has to stop Ryker, and that means dealing with Warwolf.

Rereading Deathlok, I was surprised to find it intriguing.  Other than Cowan’s art, especially the cover, I did not remember much about it – even that Dwayne McDuffie was one of the writers.  Cowan’s art is stylish and has art deco flourishes.  The pencil art has a painterly quality to it, and the compositions display varying degrees of dynamism.  Cowan just seems to know how much energy is needed or not needed to depict the mood and drama in a panel or over a sequence of panels.

Deathlok/Michael Collins’ quest to recover his body recalls the wandering of Bruce Banner/Hulk.  The last panel of this issue reminds me of the end of The Terminator (1984), as Sarah Connor heads off down a lonely highway to an uncertain future.  This is a good comic book, but it isn’t great.  That’s alright; not everything can be spectacular, but being good is good.  I don’t remember if I read the second issue all those years ago, but I want to now.

B+

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux


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

I Reads You Review: STATIC SHOCK SPECIAL 1

STATIC SHOCK SPECIAL 1
DC COMICS

WRITERS: Felicia D. Henderson; Matt Wayne
PENCILS: Denys Cowan; John Paul Leon
INKS: Rodney Ramos, Prentis Rollins, and John Stanisci; John Paul Leon
COLORIST: Lee Loughridge; Noelle Giddings
LETTERS: Dave Sharpe
PIN-UPS: Keron Grant, Jamal Igle with Guy Major, Eric Battle with John Kalisz, John Rozum, and Derec Donovan
TEXT: Michael Davis, Derek T. Dingle
COVER: J.H. Williams, III
44pp, Color, $2.99 U.S.

Released to comic book shops about two weeks ago, Static Shock Special 1 (cover dated August 2011) is more than just another comic book featuring the most popular Milestone Comics character, Static. Static Shock Special (hopefully the first of many Milestone specials) is also a memorial to Dwayne McDuffie.

McDuffie, a longtime comic book writer for DC Comics and Marvel Comics (where he was also an editor), died earlier this year in February. McDuffie’s death seems like a blow to diversity in comic books – meaning more African-American characters and creators, particularly writers. It was a heartrending loss to me, as I’d always hoped to one day work with McDuffie.

McDuffie, along with artist Denys Cowan, writers Michael Davis, and Derek T. Dingle, created Milestone Media and the Dakota Universe, a comics universe that included characters like Static, Hardware, Icon, and Blood Syndicate, among others. Milestone Media also created the Milestone comics imprint, which was published through DC Comics. Despite producing some good and, in some cases, brilliant comics, Milestone found the direct sales comics market hostile to it (for various reasons). Within four years, Milestone was no longer producing comic books. You can’t keep a great thing down, and Milestone Comics lives on with the Dakota Universe characters folded into the DC Universe proper.

Death and remembrance and legacy and legend are the prominent themes and ideas in Static Shock Special 1. The opening story is by Felicia D. Henderson (story) and Denys Cowan (pencil art). The issue begins with Virgil Ovid Hawkins AKA Static, waiting by the gates of River Green State Penitentiary. Virgil’s uncle, Teshomé Gabriel Hawkins (his father’s older brother), is being freed after spending a decade in prison for several murders that he did not commit.

As Teshomé tells his nephew, “A Black man’s never free,” so Static takes on an old prison rival who wants to kill Teshomé. His name is Blinder, a “bang baby” (someone who gained superpowers during the Big Bang event that gave Virgil his powers). It’s Static to the rescue, but even his powers can’t stop a tragic turn of events.

Also, Static and the young heroine, Rocket, join Dwayne McDuffie in a defiant memorial from writer Matt Wayne and artist John Paul Leon. It’s the best two-page comic I’ve read in a long time.

Felicia D. Henderson’s Static tale captures everything that made Static unique, fun to read, and socially relevant – from the social commentary (Teshomé’s plight and fate) to Static’s matchless superhero style. Denys Cowan remains a brilliant visual stylist and skillful comics storyteller. Here, Cowan captures the Kirbyesque energy of super-powered fights, the cool but simmering defiance of the hero, and the cold-bloodied injustice of the just-ice… I mean justice system. Henderson and Cowan left me wanting more.

You may find Michael Davis and Derek T. Dingle’s text pieces informative, and they are. They suggest, however, that the best parts of the stories of Milestone Media and Dwayne McDuffie are yet to be told.

A

[This comic book contains a bonus comic insert, a tie-in with the movie Super 8. It is written by Peter Tomasi, drawn and colored by Tommy Lee Edwards, and lettered by John Workman, with a cover by Alex Ross.]

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux

I Reads You Review: MILESTONE FOREVER #2

MILESTONE FOREVER #2

DC COMICS

WRITER: Dwayne McDuffie

PENCILS/INKS: John Paul Leon (framing sequence)
PENCILS: Denys Cowan, ChrisCross
INKS: Prentis Rollins, Rob Still
LETTERS: Sal Cipriano
COLORS: Snakebite
COVER: Admira
48pp, Color, $5.99

Milestone was an imprint of DC Comics, active in producing comic books from 1993 through 1997. It was the creation of Milestone Media, a collective of African-American comic book creators. Milestone focused on comic books featuring minority characters, specifically African-American superheroes. Several titles appeared under the imprint, including Hardware, Icon, and Blood Syndicate. One of them, Static, was developed into an Emmy Award winning animated series, Static Shock.

After Milestone Media shuttered the imprint, Milestone’s characters mostly disappeared, although some made appearances in various DC Comics series. In the summer of the 2008, Dwayne McDuffie, a Milestone Media co-founder, announced that the Milestone characters would be merged into the DC Universe. That was a business decision, involving legal matters. Published early last year, Milestone Forever dealt with the fictional matters. It was a two-issue miniseries that provided the fictional depiction of Milestone’s universe, the “Dakotaverse,” merging with the DCU.

Milestone Forever focuses on a character named Dharma, the god-like being who initiated the “Big Bang,” the event that gave characters like Static their superpowers. Dharma believes that one of the Dakotaverse stars is the superhero who can save existence, thus, keeping Dharma from doing something dreadful. But which hero is the savior? In Milestone Forever #2, Dharma looks towards Hardware and Static. One is at a crossroads, however, and the other is having an adventure through his future.

As much as I liked the first issue of Milestone Forever, this second issue is a big improvement over the first. The first issue came across as a nostalgic piece of 1980s superhero fight comics, but #2 just seems nostalgic, a sentiment I share. The Hardware story, drawn by the incomparable Denys Cowan, and the Static story, drawn by the underrated ChrisCross, simultaneously celebrates the two characters in a low key way and pines for what was and will likely never again be.

Cowan’s art, great on its own, takes flight thanks to Snakebite’s fiery colors, and the art once again testifies to the potential that the Hardware comic book not only had but reached. Snakebite’s dazzling array of hues make the ChrisCross drawn story a tale that recalls both Static’s four-color foundation and its gritty take on it.

But Dwayne McDuffie must always get his due. He is a thoroughly underrated writer, and here, his magic is not in merging two universes, but rather in affirming that Milestone superhero comic books weren’t a stunt. They were the real fucking deal.

A-