Review: BABYTEETH #1

BABYTEETH No. 1
AFTERSHOCK COMICS – @AfterShockComix

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

WRITER: Donny Cates
ARTIST: Garry Brown
COLORS: Mark Englert
LETTERS: Taylor Esposito
COVER: Garry Brown
VARIANT COVERS: Garry Brown; Dylan Burnett; Elias Chatzoudis; Juan Doe; Francesco Francavilla; Phil Hester; Nat Jones; Tobias Morrow; Brent Peeples; Shelby Robertson; Mike Rooth; Elizabeth Torque; Arturo Torres with Larry Watts
32pp, Color, $3.99 U.S. (June 2017)

Mature Readers

Babyteeth created by Donny Cates and Garry Brown

“Mother of God”

Babyteeth is a new comic book series from writer Donny Cates and artist Garry Brown.  Their collaborators are Mark Englert on colors and Taylor Esposito on letters.  Published by AfterShock Comics, this series will focus on the young woman who gives birth to the Anti-Christ, a child that will eventually break down the barriers between the earthly and demonic planes.

Babyteeth #1 (“Mother of God”) opens in a darkened exterior.  Using a smart phone, young Sadie Ritter records a story to tell her baby, which takes us back one year prior.  In Salt Lake City, Utah, 16-year-old Sadie is trying to hide her pregnancy from her classmates.  Her sister, the bad-ass Heather, knows about the bundle of joy and has to make some people back up off her little sister.  When Sadie's contractions start, some weird crap starts happening, too, including Sadie's belief that she may be dead!

All I can say is that I am intrigued by Babyteeth.  Writer/co-creator Donny Cates is hot as he comes off two Image Comics, God Country and Redneck.  I get the feeling that Babyteeth will be somewhat funny, maybe a black comedy or a satire or both.  It is hard to tell how dark or violent it will be, but there is something in Garry Brown's angular compositions and matter-of-fact storytelling that makes Babyteeth seem promising.  It is almost as if Brown's art and graphical storytelling is saying to us, “Oh, you are going to want to see the rest of this!”

And for now, I do want to see more of this.

[This comic book includes the following extras and back-matter:

There are four-pages of the behind-the-scenes process of producing Babyteeth #1, from script to art to coloring and lettering.

This is a six-page preview of upcoming AfterShock Comics title, Unholy Grail E1 by Cullen Bunn and Mirko Colak.]

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


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

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Review: SHIPWRECK #1

SHIPWRECK No. 1 (OF 6)
AFTERSHOCK COMICS – @AfterShockComix

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

WRITER: Warren Ellis
PENCILS: Phil Hester
INKS: Eric Gapstur
COLORS: Mark Englert
LETTERS: Marshall Dillon
COVER: Phil Hester with Mark Englert
VARIANT COVERS: John McCrea; Phil Hester with Mark Englert; Declan Shalvey with Jordie Bellaire; Elizabeth Torque
32pp, Color, $3.99 U.S. (October 2016)

For mature readers

Shipwreck created by Warren Ellis

Chapter 1: “Argur”

Shipwreck is a new comic book series created by Warren Ellis (Transmetropolitan, Injection).  Published by AfterShock, this six issue miniseries is written by Ellis; drawn by Phil Hester (pencils) and Eric Gapstur (inks); colored by Mark Englert; and lettered by Marshall Dillon.  Shipwreck focuses on the sole survivor of a very unusual and very secret shipwreck.

Shipwreck #1 (“Augur”) introduces Dr. Jonathan Shipwright, who might be dead or dreaming or on a mission.  He awakens on a rocky plain and makes his way to a decrepit diner where he meets an “Inspector.”  The man has lots to say, including that Shipwright's shipwreck involved a boat voyaging from another planet... wrecked by a saboteur... whom Shipwright must find.

Over the last few years of reading several #1 issues of comic books written by Warren Ellis, I have often found myself intrigued and sometimes bored.  I was intrigued by Injection (Image Comics), which paid off in a fantastic comic book.  I thought the first issue of Ellis' recent Moon Knight comic book for Marvel was dull, but that turned out to be a gem of a six-issue miniseries.

You know, in the past, I have earned ire for suggesting that many comics, including some written by Warren Ellis, would not be published if they were the creation of little-known or previously unpublished comic book creators.  The truth of the matter is that over the last few decades some comic book writers have built enough of a following or written enough popular comic books that practically any vanity project they propose finds a publisher among the independents, such as Image Comics and, now, apparently AfterShock Comics.

I don't know what the fuck is going on with Shipwreck.  It might turn out to be a fantastic read in collected form, but as a first issue, it's...  I don't know what to call it because there isn't enough to declare it good or bad.  It simply is, meaning it's there for you to read.  I can't even say I'm intrigued.  Oh, well.  Whatever.  Nevermind.  Maybe, it's just me.

Okay, I get.  That's how things work.  I'm sure AfterShock was quite excited to get something from Warren Ellis.  They were certainly more excited than Guy Ritchie was.  Even the art for Shipwreck leaves a lot to desire, although the cover is quite nice.

You know, I'm trudging through Joe Hill's recent novel, The Fireman.  It is clearly the work of a famous author's son, meaning that the book's publisher, William Morrow, would not publish this book if it had been written by an unpublished author, especially if he or she were not seeded from a famous author's balls.  Yeah, Joe Hill is Joesph Hillstrom King, one of Stephen King's progeny.

I am certain that neither AfterShock nor any other major independent publisher would publish Shipwreck if it were produced by an African-American author or by a Latino not named Los Bros.  Hell, I don't think the indies were knocking themselves out to publish original or creator-owned works by the late Dwayne McDuffie.  But this...

Oh, well... on to the next creation of White privilege.  I don't know what I expected from Shipwreck #1, but yeah, I am surprised that this is the reaction I got from it.

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 or syndication rights and fees.

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Review: THE ANSWER! #4

THE ANSWER! #4
DARK HORSE COMICS – @DarkHorseComics

STORY: Dennis Hopeless and Mike Norton
SCRIPT: Dennis Hopeless
ART/COVER: Mike Norton
COLORS: Mark Englert
LETTERS: Crank!
32pp, Color, $3.99 U.S. (April 2013)

Part 4 of 4

The final issue of The Answer! does provide some answers. It also made me ask a lot more questions.

The Answer!, a four-issue comic book miniseries created by writer Dennis Hopeless (Avengers Arena) and artist Mike Norton (Battlepug), comes to end. The series focuses on Devin McKenzie, a research librarian, and The Answer!, an odd, masked crime fighter with a giant exclamation point on his face mask. Both characters are embroiled in a conspiracy surrounding a mysterious motivational speaker and a secret organization.

As The Answer! #4 opens, the director of the Brain Trust shows his crazy side. That is, however, not the biggest crazy. Chip Carney, the motivational speaker, reveals how he is tied to the Brain Trust. He even reveals his connection to Devin’s past. Now, Carney confronts Devin with the Anaximander Codex. Will The Answer! save the day? Can the mystery man save himself? Or will Devin have to save herself before Chemical X turns her brain to mush?

This comic book review of The Answer! #4 first has to say that the series offers an enjoyable ending and an explosive conclusion. In fact, there are actual explosions. Also, the strangeness, that the first issue of the series offered, returns, both in the execution of the story by the artists and in the story itself.

I noticed, particularly in this final issue, that Mike Norton’s art has a quality similar to John Byrne and Jerry Ordway’s Fantastic Four art back in the 1980s. That is fitting, as there is a vibe to The Answer! that suggests past comics. In the end, the best thing that I can say about The Answer! is that I certainly want another miniseries.

Readers wondering if they can find a superhero comic book that is both offbeat and fun to read have The Answer!

A-

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux

Review: THE ANSWER! #3

THE ANSWER! #3
DARK HORSE COMICS – @DarkHorseComics

STORY: Dennis Hopeless and Mike Norton
SCRIPT: Dennis Hopeless
ART/COVER: Mike Norton
COLORS: Mark Englert
LETTERS: Crank!
PIN-UP: Francesco Francavilla with Dominic Marco
28pp, Color, $3.99 U.S. (March 2013)

Part 3 of 4

We get closer to the Answer in the latest issue of The Answer!

Created by writer Dennis Hopeless (Avengers Arena) and artist Mike Norton (Battlepug), The Answer! is a four-issue comic book miniseries. The series follows Devin McKenzie, a research librarian, and The Answer!, an odd, masked crime fighter with a giant exclamation point on his face mask, both of whom are embroiled in a conspiracy surrounding a mysterious motivational speaker.

As The Answer! #3 opens, Devin McKenzie is living out her dream at the Brain Trust. She’s eating her favorite foods, and all she has to do all day is think big thoughts. High on “brain boost,” she doesn’t have a care in the world, but fellow thinker, Kara, is about to rock Devin’s comfortable world. And what is the Anaximander Codex?

Meanwhile, the Answer is stuck in a nuthouse nightmare. Strapped do a gurney and in a hospital gown, the strange superhero finds himself in a predicament. When he tries to escape, the hero ends up with his ass hanging out and a chemical in his brain that disconnects his central nervous system. Devin and the Answer will have to wake up and work together if they are going to unravel the mysteries of the Brain Trust.

After the novelty of the first issue of The Answer! wore off for me with the second issue, The Answer! #3 makes me say that the thrill is not gone. Mystery, eccentric characters, by-the-skin-of-their-teeth escapes, and fisticuffs – all with a humorous bent – are what this series does well. There are more revelations, and less of the coy act the second issue put on. The killer ending here prepares the way for what will likely be a good end. Read this series.

B+

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux

Review: THE ANSWER! #1

THE ANSWER! #1
DARK HORSE COMICS – @DarkHorseComics

STORY: Dennis Hopeless and Mike Norton
SCRIPT: Dennis Hopeless
ART/COVER: Mike Norton
COLORS: Mark Englert
LETTERS: Crank!
28pp, Color, $3.99 U.S.

Part 1 of 4

Mike Norton is the creator of the Eisner Award-winning web comic, Battlepug. Dennis Hopeless is a writer for Marvel Comics (Avengers Arena). The Answer! is a new, four-issue comic book miniseries created by Hopeless and Norton. The series focuses on a librarian and an odd, masked crime fighter.

In The Answer! #1, we meet Devin McKenzie, an insomniac librarian who works at a research library. Devin has a knack for solving puzzles, which results in an out-of-the-ordinary 30th birthday gift from her mother. The gift leads to the “apeiron” website and Chip Carney, an ominous-seeming motivational speaker. When things go crazy, things get really crazy when Devin meets The Answer!, a masked crime fighter with a giant exclamation point on his face mask.

The cover for The Answer! #1, by co-creator and series artist, Mike Norton, does not convey how different this series is. I don’t know if The Answer! is a superhero; he seems like a costumed hero/masked man type – more like The Spirit than Batman. So The Answer! comes across less like a superhero fantasy and more like a mystery series featuring a resourceful heroine. This is a girl-on-the-run tale, and of course, there is a man of mystery who happens to understand the conspiracy set against our girl-hero.

And I love it. I like Norton’s clean, traditional art, which owes more to Alan Davis than to Bryan Hitch. Dennis Hopeless’ script is smart, funny, and (dare I say) sassy, like its heroine. Although I think that this first issue offers too much teasing, for my taste, I am delightfully surprised, and I want to read #2, now! Readers wondering if they can find something both offbeat and good will find The Answer!

A-

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux

Review: THE ANSWER! #2

THE ANSWER! #2
DARK HORSE COMICS – @DarkHorseComics

STORY: Dennis Hopeless and Mike Norton
SCRIPT: Dennis Hopeless
ART/COVER: Mike Norton
COLORS: Mark Englert
LETTERS: Crank!
28pp, Color, $3.99 U.S.

Part 2 of 4

We’re still waiting for The Answer! The Answer! is a four-issue comic book miniseries created by writer Dennis Hopeless and artist Mike Norton. Norton is the creator of the Eisner Award-winning web comic, Battlepug, and Hopeless is a writer for Marvel Comics (Avengers Arena). The series focuses on Devin McKenzie, a research librarian, and The Answer!, an odd, masked crime fighter with a giant exclamation point on his face mask.

As The Answer! #2 opens, Devin McKenzie has been on the run with The Answer! ever since he broke into Newberry Library, the research library where she worked. Now, the mismatched pair faces off against a small army of brawny men dressed in medical scrubs. While the hero fights off the muscular brutes, a mysterious trio absconds with Devin. The three strangers claim to be from an organization and quasi-secret society called the Brain Trust, and they say they want Devin’s smarts.

The novelty of The Answer! being different from other superhero comics has slightly worn off for me. The series is, at this point, still hiding too many things. This goes beyond “the mystery deepens” and has just become withholding-info-just-to-be-cute. Still, The Answer! makes me think of the 1980s ABC romantic-comedy and crime series, Moonlighting, so I’m ready to read #3.

B

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux