#IReadsYou Review: SPAWN #300

SPAWN #300

IMAGE COMICS

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

STORY: Todd McFarlane with Scott Snyder (Chapter 2)

PENCILS: Greg Capullo (Chapter 1); Todd McFarlane (2); Jason Shawn Alexander (3) J. Scott Campbell (4); Jerome Opeña (5)

INKS: Todd McFarlane with Jonathan Glapion and J. Scott Campbell

COLORS: FCO Plascencia; Brian Haberlin; Peter Steigerwald; Matt Hollingsworth

LETTERS: Tom Orzechowski

EiC: Jon Goff

COVER: Todd McFarlane

VARIANT COVER ARTISTS: Todd McFarlane; Greg Capullo; Greg Capullo and Todd McFarlane; J. Scott Campbell; Jerome Opeña; Jason Shawn Alexander; 

72pp, Color, $7.99 U.S. (September 2019)

Spawn created by Todd McFarlane

Spawn is a superhero/antihero character that stars in the long-running comic book series, Spawn.  Published by Image Comics since its first issue, Spawn is Image's longest running title and, in terms of number of issues, is one of the longest-running independently-published comic book series in American comics history.  [When I use the term, “independently-published,” I mean that it is not published by a comic book publisher like Marvel or DC Comics that is owned by a media conglomerate.]

Created by writer-artist and Image co-founder, Todd McFarlane, Spawn first appeared in Spawn #1 (cover dated: May 1992).  Spawn is Albert Francis Simmons.  He was a Lieutenant Colonel in the United States Marine Corps, and he went on to work for the United States Secret Service and the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA).  Simmons joined the U.S. Security Group as a highly capable assassin, but is murdered during a mission.

Because of his life as an assassin, Simmons is sent to Hell where he made a deal with Malebolgia, one of the major Lords of Hell.  Simmons agreed to become a “Hellspawn” (an officer in Hell's army) and to serve Malebolgia if he is allowed to see his wife, Wanda, one last time.  While Malebolgia does return Simmons to Earth as a creature named “Spawn,” he stripped Simmons of his memories.  Eventually, Spawn decided to break his agreement Hell, and then, began a long campaign to stop the forces of evil.

Spawn has reached its three-hundredth issue, and like he did for Spawn #100 and Spawn #200, McFarlane adds big names to this special issue's creative team.  That includes DC Comics' superstar, Scott Snyder, as co-writer; superstar comic book artist Greg Capullo; rising star, Jerome Opeña; artist Jason Shawn Alexander; and variant cover hustler, J. Scott Campbell.  Colorists FCO Plascencia, Brian Haberlin, Peter Steigerwald, and Matt Hollingsworth join longtime Spawn letterer Tom Orzechowski to complete the creative team.

Spawn #300 opens in Kearney, Nebraska, where the Johnston family is having its annual family reunion during the first weekend of August, as it has for the last twenty-six years.  What is different this year is that there is a killer among them.

Meanwhile, Spawn continues his mission to free humanity from the clutches of both Heaven and Hell.  Having already freed his own ass, Spawn is without his allies from Hell, and Heaven sure hasn't stopped being his enemy.  Now, Spawn must face two of his oldest adversaries, the Clown and Violator.  While Spawn fights to survive to the next stage of his struggle, new allies, however, are emerging...

I was a Spawn reader from the first issue back in 1992.  I even read spin-off miniseries and ongoing series like Angela (Image Comics, 1994-1995), Curse of the Spawn (Image Comics, 1996-1999), and Spawn/WildC.A.T.S. (Image Comics, 1996).  I stuck with Spawn for almost six years.  Why did I quit?  The story never really seemed to be going anywhere, and the story was stuck in a rut.  It was always about Spawn either pining for his life as Al Simmons or struggling against his destiny as a “Hellspawn,” a member of the officer corps that would lead the forces of Hell.

Twenty-seven years later, Spawn has not changed much.  Spawn is still struggling against Hell, but now he sees Hell and Heaven as interchangeable adversaries.  Spawn wants to lead humanity in a war against both sides in order to free itself, as he did.

Todd McFarlane, like many of his Image Comics cohorts, launched Image with comic books that looked like superhero comics.  However, these superheroes were military types – special operatives, secret agents, mercenaries, etc., and the stories featured the kind of action and violence of military science fiction and fantasy.  Quite frankly, the initial Image Comics titles were closer to movies like James Carmeron's Aliens (1986) and select titles from actor-screenwriter Sylvester Stallone's filmography (especially the Rambo film series) than they were like classic comic books.  Sure, some Image titles had a passing resemblance to Marvel and DC Comics titles.  Cyberforce and WildC.A.T.s shared elements with Marvel's X-Men, and Spawn had more than a passing resemblance to Batman, especially to the Batman of Frank Miller's Batman: The Dark Knight Returns.  Still, Image Comics was introducing new kinds of superheroes to the American comic book artists.

The problem was that Todd McFarlane and his Image colleagues were never really good at the techniques of writing comic books.  They were all about big action-oriented illustrations that depicted violence and characters in action-figure poses.  Comics uses graphics, including illustrations, to tell stories.  Pretty art, overwrought, “detailed” art, and striking visuals does not really tell a story.

However, it is good to see the art team of Greg Capullo (pencils) and McFarlane (inks) back together.  The Capullo-McFarlane team drew most of the issues of Spawn that I read, so their reunion in Spawn #300 gives me a nice feeling of nostalgia.  Nothing else in this issue registers with me, although I must say J. Scott Campbell is perfectly utilized here.  The chapter that Campbell draws, which introduces “She-Spawn,” epitomizes the low-brow, exploitation, speculator-market crap heap from which Campbell emerged on his way to being a “superstar creator” and comic book “legend.”

The coloring and lettering in Spawn #300 are of professional quality but don't make the issue feel like the landmark it should be.  In the end, I did find some things in Spawn #300 that I liked, enough to make me be generous with me grading.

★★★ out of 4 stars

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

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Review: BATMAN: White Knight #1

BATMAN: WHITE KNIGHT No. 1 (OF 8)
DC COMICS – @DCComics

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

STORY/ART: Sean Murphy
COLORS: Matt Hollingsworth
LETTERS: Todd Klein
COVER: Sean Murphy with Matt Hollingsworth
VARIANT COVER: Sean Murphy with Matt Hollingsworth
32pp, Color, $3.99 U.S. (December 2017)

Rated “T+” for “Teen Plus”

Batman created by Bob Kane and Bill Finger

Sean Gordon Murphy is a respected comic book creator, writer-artist, and artist, thanks to projects like Punk Rock Jesus, The Wake (with writer Scott Snyder), and Joe the Barbarian (with writer Grant Morrison).  I like Murphy's stylish art, striking graphics, and dramatic graphical storytelling.

Late last year, DC Comics launched an eight-issue event miniseries, Batman: White Knight, written and drawn by Murphy, colored by Matt Hollingsworth, and lettered by the amazing Todd Klein.  White Knight finds The Joker determined to save Gotham City from Batman, whom he believes has gone too far in his fight against crime and has become dangerous.

Batman: White Knight #1 opens with Batman imprisoned and in chains.  Flash back to a year earlier, The Dark Knight is engaged in another hot pursuit of The Joker.  Things get out of hand.  Batman brutally assaults The Joker while Commissioner Jim Gordon and the Gotham City Police Department stand by and watch.  Then, The Joker is seemingly cured of his insanity and homicidal tendencies.  Enter Jack Napier, Gotham's “white knight” who will save Gotham from its “dark knight.”

I'm intrigued.  Batman: White Knight #1 is all over the place as a first issue.  I think that there is a lot to take in because Sean Murphy decides to put the entire premise and central plot right out there to the reader without being coy and dividing the introductions and inciting events over the first two issues.  I think Murphy can show how truly innovative or inventive he is as a comic book creator in what he presents and by how he executes it.  I guess I mean by how much of the narrative over these eight issues is or is not story padding.

I usually like Matt Hollingsworth's work as a colorist, but I find his work in Batman: White Knight#1 to be garish and also counterproductive to the story.  Todd Klein's lettering is good... as it always is... because he is amazing.

I have issues #2 through 7, and I am thinking about reading the rest of this series in one sitting.  But it may be too tempting to wait for the final issue.

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.

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Review: INFAMOUS IRON MAN #1

INFAMOUS IRON MAN No. 1 (2016)
MARVEL COMICS – @Marvel

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

WRITER: Brian Michael Bendis
ART: Alex Maleev
COLORS: Matt Hollingsworth
LETTERS: VC's Clayton Cowles
COVER: Alex Maleev
VARIANT COVERS: Mike Deodato with Frank Martin; Anthony Piper; Esad Ribic; Mike McKone; Skottie Young; John Tyler Christopher
28pp, Color, $3.99 U.S. (December 2016)

Rated “T+”

Iron Man created by Stan Lee, Larry Lieber, Don Heck, and Jack Kirby

Victor von Doom a.k.a. Doctor Doom, one of Marvel Comics most infamous villains, made his debut in The Fantastic Four #5 (cover dated: July 1962).  Iron Man is now one of Marvel Comics most popular characters, thanks in no small part to a series of hit movies and hit movie appearances beginning in 2008 with the Oscar-nominated film, Iron Man.  Also known as the “Golden Avenger,” Iron Man debuted in Tales of Suspense #39 (cover dated: March 1963), a little more than half a year after Doctor Doom first appeared.

Iron Man and Doctor Doom were never meant to be together, as Iron Man fights to save the world and to help mankind progress, while Doctor Doom wants to rule the world and subjugate humanity.  In the wake of the events depicted in Marvel Comics' event miniseries, Civil War II, there is a new comic book series that seeks to bring them together, Infamous Iron Man.  It is written by Brian Michael Bendis; drawn by Alex Maleev; colored by Matt Hollingsworth, and lettered by Clayton Cowles.

Infamous Iron Man #1 finds Doctor Doom meeting with the members of his bad-guy collective, The Cabal.  But that was the old Doom.  Now, he is trying to save Maria Hill, director of S.H.I.E.L.D. and also to comfort Dr. Amara Perera, the woman who loved Tony Stark.  What is Doctor Doom up to, and how and why does it involve Iron Man?

Infamous Iron Man writer Brian Michael Bendis does not need to give us a lot of information.  Just about anyone reading Marvel Comics these days knows that Doom is going to take on the mantle of Iron Man.  The most important thing about any comic book written by Bendis is not the hook, but the execution of his storytelling.  Will it work or will it be a failure?  Right now, it is working (as usual for me), and I want more.

I must admit that I am enjoying the art drawn by Alex Maleev, which looks gorgeous under Matt Hollingworth's subdued, earthy, natural-lighting-like colors.  Maleev's graphical storytelling has an exciting, yet mysterious vibe when combined with Hollingworth's colors.  Yeah, Infamous Iron Man is certainly worth your time, my superhero comic book 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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Review: SEVEN TO ETERNITY #1

SEVEN TO ETERNITY No. 1
IMAGE COMICS – @ImageComics

[This review was first posted on Patreon.]

WRITER: Rick Remender
ARTIST: Jerome Opena
COLORS: Matt Hollingsworth
LETTERS: Rus Wooton
COVER: Jerome Opena with Matt Hollingsworth
VARIANT COVER: Tony Moore
32pp, Color, $3.99 U.S. (2016)

Rated M / Mature

Seven to Eternity created by Rick Remender and Jerome Opena

Seven to Eternity is a new fantasy comic book series created by writer Rick Remender and artist Jerome Opena.  Colorist Matt Hollingsworth and letterer Rus Wooton complete the creative team.  The series focuses on a dying knight from a disgraced house who must choose between a desperate bid for freedom or the gifts of an evil God.

Seven to Eternity #1 opens on the world of Zhal.  There, “the God of Whispers” rules with fear over an entire kingdom.  Also known as “the Mud King,” this dark tyrant will give you everything your heart desires – if you listen to what he has to say.  After an attack on his homestead, which leads to the death of a family member, disgraced knight Adam Osidis decides to fight back.  But first, he will do something he knows he should not, hear what the God of Whispers has to say.

First issues, even those by veteran and/or acclaimed creators, can be tricky, especially in the modern era when stories seem more decompressed than ever.  Writers are stingy with character revelations, often offering information as nothing more than a trickle.  Plots plod along, teasing with explosive sequences that don't necessarily speed the story.  Artists offer beautiful panoramas and vistas that are alluring, but also don't necessarily speed-the-plow of the narrative.

Seven to Eternity #1 is different.  Poetic and lyrical exposition and dialogue unites with beautiful art dressed in splendid covers, Seven to Eternity is straight-forward about the hero's dilemmas and the obstacles he faces.  Writer Rick Remender generously reveals his character's bravery as he simultaneously declares his shame.  By the end of the first issue, the reader knows the conflict and those in conflict (for the most part).  Readers are not left hanging.

Jerome Opena tells this story with an expressive sweep that also captures the intimate and gritty details.   His compositions and graphical storytelling make Seven to Eternity #1 a unique debut.  This comic book recalls Michael Moorcock fantasy and the science fiction and fantasy comics of the 1970s and 1980s that appeared in Heavy Metal and Epic magazines and others that were published by Pacific Comics and Star Reach.  However, Seven to Eternity also moves like a Western thriller that ambles to the sounds of Kentucky bluegrass notes.

There is a reason Seven to Eternity #1 is selling quickly.  Imaginative, inventive, and visually alluring, it promises to be like no other fantasy comic book we have seen in a long time.

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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Review: ALL-STAR BATMAN #6

ALL STAR BATMAN No. 6
DC COMICS – @DCComics

STORY: Scott Snyder
ART: Jock; Francesco Francavilla
COLORS: Matt Hollingsworth; Francesco Francavilla
LETTERS: Steve Wands
COVER: Jock
VARIANT COVER: Jock; Francesco Francavilla
40pp, Color, $4.99 U.S. (March 2017)

Rated “T” for Teen

Batman created by Bob Kane and Bill Finger

“Ends of the Earth” Part 1 and “The Cursed Wheel” Part 5

When I first saw the straight-to-video animated film, Batman & Mr. Freeze: SubZero, I realized what a great character long-time Batman nemesis, Mr. Freeze, could be.  To put it simply, the late actor Michael Ansara killed it delivering a great voice performance as Freeze in SubZero.  I think Boyd Kirkland and Randy Rogel created pathos for Freeze in SubZero that the character has rarely (if ever) had.  Since seeing that film, I have chosen to hear Michael Ansara's voice whenever I read comic books in which Mr. Freeze appears.

So I was happy to learn that Mr. Freeze is the bad guy in the second story arc of the new star-creator-driven Batman comic book series, All-Star Batman.  This new story features series writer Scott Snyder, and is drawn by Jock; colored by Matt Hollingsworth; and lettered Steve Wands.

All-Star Batman #6 opens with Batman trudging through snow in Alaska, 300 miles north of the Arctic Circle.  There is where he will find Mr. Freeze, hold up with a small army of living dead and about to hatch a plan to unfreeze Armageddon on humanity.

There is a sense of desperation in this new story, “Ends of the Earth.”  Personally, professionally, and socially – in the grand scheme of things, personal drive and desire drive conflict for the players in this new Batman thriller.  Each side believes that his choices are, if not the ultimate good, then, the best outcome for everyone.

This is the apocalypse writ intimately on old grudges and broken promises, and Jock's art is perfect for this stylish, world-ending, character study.  After the shiny, thrilling opening arc, Scott Snyder brings everything down to a simmer that still manages to threaten the world.  Meanwhile, “The Cursed Wheel” continues with a new artist, Francesco Francavilla, who delivers a creepy opening chapter.

A-

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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Review: WE STAND ON GUARD #1

WE STAND ON GUARD #1
IMAGE COMICS – @ImageComics

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

WRITER: Brian K. Vaughan
ARTIST: Steve Skroce
COLORS: Matt Hollingsworth
LETTERS: Fonografiks
36pp, Color, $2.99 U.S. (July 2015)

Rated M / Mature

We Stand on Guard is a new comic book series from writer Brian K. Vaughan and artist Steve Skroce.  Vaughan is best known for the comic book series, Saga and Y: The Last Man.  Skroce began his career as a comic book artist, drawing the late 1990s Gambit series and a four-issue story arc of Wolverine.  He found fame as the storyboard artist for the 1999 film, The Matrix.

We Stand on Guard #1 opens in Ottawa, Ontario in the year 2112.  It is a scene of domestic tranquility until the United States launches a devastating military strike against Canada.  The story moves to Yellowknife, Northwest Territories in the year 2124, where we meet Amber, who survived the 2112 strike as a child.  Hunting for food, Amber finds herself facing off against an American war machine when she is rescued by “The Two-Four.”

This Canadian resistance group is both curious and wary of Amber.  She could be a spy, or worse, a collaborator with the Americans.  The next time they face an American war machine, Amber will have to prove herself, but is she willing to do so?

I did not know what to expect from We Stand on Guard #1.  I am not a regular reader of Brian K. Vaughan's work, having only read the first 10 or 12 issues of Y: The Last Man several years ago.  I have not read Vaughan's popular and award-winning series, Saga.  I am a fan of Steve Skroce, and I read his comics whenever he produces any.

Having read the first issue, I now have high expectations for We Stand on Guard.  The concept is intriguing and plausible.  The majority, or at least a sizable minority, of the American ruling and political class seems increasingly belligerent and jingoistic when it comes to international relations.  The characters in this comic book do not play to type, and I want to get to know them.  And surprise, surprise:  we have a science fiction comic book series that has an actual Black male character.

Skroce's art and storytelling is as striking as one would expect, but the graphical storytelling is focused on drama, character, and setting rather than on bells-and-whistles and on over-rendered illustrations.  I would say that this clear storytelling is closer to Skroce's work on The Matrix storyboards than it is to the busy, detailed oriented art found in his Wolverine (1988 series) story arc, “Blood Debt,” (issues #150-153).

I am ready for the second issue of We Stand on Guard, which is in comic book shops as I write this review.  I heartily recommend that you, dear readers, find this comic book.

A

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux


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

Review: BATMAN #41

BATMAN #41
DC COMICS – @DCComics

[Originally posted on Patreon.]

WRITER: Scott Snyder
PENCILS: Greg Capullo
INKS: Danny Miki
COLORS: FCO Plascencia
LETTERS: Steve Wands
COVER: Greg Capullo and Danny Miki with FCO Plascencia
VARIANT COVERS: Sean Murphy with Matt Hollingsworth (Joker 75th Anniversary Cover)
32pp, Color, $3.99 U.S. (August 2015)

Rated “T” for “Teen”

Batman created by Bob Kane and Bill Finger

“Superheavy” Part One

RoboBatBunny?  June 2015 kicks off the latest new direction for DC Comics (of sorts).  It's called “DC You.”  So, even DC's most popular characters must take a new direction, to one degree or another.  Gone, gone o'form of Batman... and rise the battle-suit Batman!

Batman #41 (“Superheavy” Part One) opens with some kind of bio-electrical monster attacking Gotham City's Little Cuba neighborhood.  Sometime before that attack, however, Powers International (an advanced tech company) makes former Commissioner James “Jim” Gordon an offer that common sense tells him he should refuse.  But he really can't.  At the age of 46, Jim Gordon may be the only man who can bring to life the new Batman that Gotham needs right now.

Yeah, I want to be a hater.  A year and a half ago, I would agree with those who said that Scott Snyder is one of the best Batman comic book writers ever.  After the tedium that was “Endgame” and the naseum of the overly long “Zero Year,” I was only grudgingly willing to say that Snyder is one of the best Batman writers of the last two decades... maybe.  And then this new Batman thing...

But... and it's a big but (and I know that BellBivDevoe said “don't trust a big butt and a smile”), Snyder could do something really good with this new Batman.  Truth to be told, I have always been interested in Batman battle-suits and armor-suits (like the cool one in Frank Miller's Batman: The Dark Knight Returns).  I can't help but be interested in Jim Gordon the superhero.  Let's slave our imaginations into this Batman's guidance system, and see where it goes... at least, for a little while.

B+

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux


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

I Reads You Review: CHRONONAUTS #1

CHRONONAUTS #1
IMAGE COMICS – @ImageComics

WRITER: Mark Millar – @mrmarkmillar
ARTIST: Sean Gordon Murphy – @Sean_G_Murphy
COLORS: Matt Hollingsworth
LETTERS: Chris Eliopoulos
COVER: Sean Gordon Murphy with Matt Hollingsworth
VARIANT COVERS: Matteo Scalera with Matt Hollingsworth; Declan Shalvey with Jordie Bellaire; Dan Panosian; Fiona Staples; Ryan Ottley with Kelsey Shannon; Fabio Moon; Chris Weston
28pp, Color, $3.50 U.S. (March 2015)

Rated M / Mature

Chrononauts is a new comic book series created by writer Mark Millar (Kick-Ass, The Secret Service) and artist Sean Gordon Murphy (Punk Rock Jesus).  The series focuses on the world's first time travelers and the problems they encounter.

Chrononauts #1 introduces Corbin Quinn.  He is the star scientist in NASA's Temporal-Observation Program.  After testing several “temporal vehicle” prototypes, Quinn and his partner, Dr. Danny Reilly, are ready for their first manned-mission through time with the help of their “chrono-suits.”  Something goes wrong; some always goes wrong, and it is usually not so easy to fix.

Like much of Mark Millar's creator-owned comics outside of Marvel Comics, Chrononauts is the usual, glossy, high-concept piece featuring people who know a lot, but don't realize how much they don't know.  Chrononauts lacks the gall of Kick-Ass and the gleeful maliciousness of Nemesis; plus, it seems like a shiny makeover of the late Michael Crichton's1999 novel Timeline that was adapted into a 2003 film of the same title.

I suspect Millar will offer more surprises in the second issue, so I will give it a try (if I can find a second issue).  Sean Murphy is a good comics storyteller, but nothing he does here really piques my interest.  Murphy is the series co-creator, but virtually any veteran comic book artist could have drawn Chrononauts.  Maybe, Murphy will also surprise in the second issue.

http://www.millarworld.tv/

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux on Patreon.


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

I Reads You Review: WYTCHES #1

WYTCHES #1
IMAGE COMICS – @ImageComics

WRITER: Scott Snyder
ARTIST: Jock
COLORS: Matt Hollingsworth
LETTERS: Clem Robins
32pp, Color, $2.99 U.S. (October 2014)

Rated M / Mature

Wytches is a new comic book series from DC Comics superstar writer, Scott Snyder (Batman, American Vampire), and artist Jock (The Losers).  It presents an alternative version of witches as creatures called “wytches,” which are ancient, terrible, powerful, and hungry.

Wytches #1 opens in early September 2014.  The book introduces a teenager named Sailor Rooks, a girl beset by trauma and tragedy.  Her father is children's book author, Charles Rooks, and her mother, Lucy, is wheelchair bound.  The Rooks relocated because of a killing in which Sailor was involved, but the teen knows that her reputation or infamy has proceeded her.  That is not the only thing that has followed Sailor.

I thoroughly enjoy Scott Snyder's work on The New 52 relaunch of Batman (with artist Greg Capullo), which is surprising because I did not expect much for the series after reading their Batman #1.  Jock has created some comic books that I have liked... I guess.  I only bought Wytches #1 because I currently have an itch for number one issues published by Image Comics, which is Wytches' publisher.  Because the comic book shop I frequent sold out of Wytches #1, I had to pay $4.99 to get a copy from Mile High Comics.

Oh, yes, it was worth the extra two bucks plus postage to get this comic book.  I have decided to stop giving grades to number one issues.  Sometimes, I am conservative and give number one issues a lower grade than they deserve.  Sometimes, I am so surprised by a first issue that I really become to generous with the accolades and grading.

However, I am tempted to ignore my new policy and give Wytches #1 an A+, but I am going to stay the course like George H.W. Bush.  The concept is hugely intriguing, and Jock's art, with its bold, slashing brush work and jagged and edgy compositions, delivers some striking, bone-chilling, blood-curdling moments visuals and graphics.  I have to have the next issue, even if it is at Mile High Comics prices.

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux


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

I Reads You Review: SAVAGE HULK #1

SAVAGE HULK #1
MARVEL COMICS – @Marvel

WRITER/PENCILS: Alan Davis
INKS: Mark Farmer
COLORS: Matt Hollingsworth
LETTERS: VC’s Clayton Cowles
COVER: Alan Davis and Mark Farmer with Val Staples
VARIANT COVER: John Cassaday with Paul Mounts; Alex Ross
28pp, Color, $3.99 (August 2014)

Rated T+

“The Man Within”

Savage Hulk is a new comic book starring one of Marvel Comics’ seminal characters, the Hulk.  Like Savage Wolverine did with Wolverine, Savage Hulk will feature the Hulk in standalone story arcs produced by some of Marvel’s top creative talent.  […big names, super stars and break out talent…” says Savage Hulk editor Mark Paniccia]

Savage Hulk’s first story arc is being produced by a comics creator who truly can be called a “superstar,” veteran writer, artist, and writer/artist, the great Alan Davis.  Davis is writing and penciling Savage Hulk with his longtime collaborator, Mark Farmer, inking his pencils.  To start things off with an incredible Hulk bang, Davis is teaming the Hulk with a group of characters that are familiar to Davis, the X-Men.  Davis is essentially writing a sequel to X-Men #66 (cover dated:  March 1970), which featured the original X-Men against the Hulk.

Savage Hulk #1 (“The Man Within”) recaps a battle between the Hulk and the X-Men: Cyclops, Marvel Girl, Angel, Beast, and Iceman.  The X-Men needed the help of Bruce Banner, the Hulk’s alter ego, to bring their teacher and leader, Professor Charles Xavier out of a coma.  They succeed in getting a device from Banner that helps Xavier; now, the Professor wants to return the favor and help Banner.

Joined by Polaris and Havok, the X-Men return to the last place they saw Banner.  However, long-time Hulk nemesis, The Leader, has been monitoring the actions of Hulk and the X-Men.  Now, he is ready to launch his latest diabolical scheme against the Savage Hulk.

My review of Savage Hulk #1 is this:  I like Alan Davis.  I enjoy the clean, straight-forward way that Davis tells superhero stories with a mix of soap opera and the kind of weird fantasy that is unique to comic books.  Thus, I thoroughly enjoyed Davis’ Savage Hulk #1.  I’m ready for the next issue, and I wish someone at Marvel Comics would encourage Davis to do more comics starring the original X-Men.

A

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux


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

I Reads You Review: HELLBOY: Seed of Destruction #1

HELLBOY: SEED OF DESTRUCTION #1 (OF 4)
DARK HORSE COMICS – @DarkHorseComics

STORY/ART: Mike Mignola
SCRIPT:  John Byrne
COLORS: Mark Chiarello
COVER: Mike Mignola
32pp, Color, $2.50 U.S. $3.40 CAN (March 1994)

Hellboy is a superhero and horror comic book character created by writer-artist Mike Mignola.  The character first appeared in San Diego Comic-Con Comics #2 (cover date: August 1993).  My how time has passed, because it is now the 20th anniversary of the first Hellboy comic book series, Hellboy: Seed of Destruction.  This four-issue miniseries is plotted and drawn by Mignola and scripted by John Byrne (who would script all four issues of Seed of Destruction).

Hellboy: Seed of Destruction #1 opens on December 23, 1944 in East Bromwich, England.  The story is first narrated by 1st Sgt. George Whitman.  He is part of a special Ranger unit waiting out what is supposed to be a paranormal event related to the Nazi’s “Project Ragna Rok.”  Besides the military, World War II-era American superhero, the Torch of Liberty, is present.  Probably the three most important people in attendance are Professor Malcolm Frost, Lady Cynthia Eden-Jones (England’s top medium), and Trevor Bruttenholm (pronounced “Broom”).

Meanwhile, far to the north, on a tiny island just off the Scottish coast, a special group of Nazis are invoking and conjuring.  The result is Hellboy.  Fifty years later, Bruttenholm senses impending Doom, and Hellboy ain’t a boy anymore.

I have not read Hellboy: Seed of Destruction #1 since I read it in trade paperback form ages ago.  When I was reminded that this was a Hellboy anniversary, I decided to dig up my copy (which is surprisingly signed by John Byrne).  It is still a blast.  Hellboy: Seed of Destruction may not ever make any “greatest comic books of all time” lists, but it should.  This was and remains an exceptional and unique comic book.  I feel positively giddy about it.

Mignola’s moody gothic art would have made H.P. Lovecraft shiver with ecstasy.  This is Lovecraft’s fiction brought to life in way that honors the original and simultaneously takes it new places.  Mark Chiarello’s coloring does wonders creating horror comics art that is, simply put, pretty.  The coloring on the cover is garish, but in a kitschy beautiful way.  John Byrne’s script makes everything clear, informing the reader without spoiling the mystery or the sense of mystery.

Wow!  I had forgotten how good Hellboy: Seed of Destruction is.

[This comic book contains a back-up comic, “Who Are Monkeyman and O’Brien?” written and drawn by Art Adams, lettered by L. Lois Buhalis, and colored by Matt Hollingsworth.]

A+

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux


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

I Reads You Review: WOLVERINE #1

WOLVERINE (2013) #1
MARVEL COMICS – @Marvel

WRITER: Paul Cornell
PENCILS: Alan Davis
INKS: Mark Farmer
COLORS: Matt Hollingsworth
LETTERS: VC’s Cory Petit
COVER: Alan Davis and Mark Farmer with Jason Keith
VARIANT COVERS: Olivier Coipel; Salvador Larroca and Frank D’Armata; Humberto Ramos and Edgar Delgado; Skottie Young
28pp, Color, $3.99 (May 2013)

Parental Advisory

Until Demon Knights #1 (DC Comics, 2011), I disliked every comic book written by Paul Cornell that I read.  Now, I have found another one that has really grabs my imagination.  It is the new eponymous Wolverine comic book, part of the Marvel NOW initiative that has seen the re-launch of several Marvel titles.

Wolverine is written by Cornell and drawn penciller Alan Davis and his longtime inker, Mark Farmer.  This new series is not specifically a team-up series, but it will apparently feature some surprising guest appearances by Marvel characters, both the familiar, the surprising, and the unusual.

Trying to stay relatively spoiler free, I will say that Wolverine #1 (“Hunting Season” Part 1 of 4) opens with Wolverine in a bad way.  The cause is Robert Gregson, a 41-year-old man on a murderous rampage, and Gregson’s young son, Alex, may be the only person who can help Wolverine put an end to a massacre.

To me, Wolverine #1 simply works because Cornell manages to put Wolverine in a perilous situation, one in which he actually seems imperiled.  The longer these superhero characters are published, the more they become like indestructible demigods and the less like fragile humans with special abilities, which is what most Marvel characters are in their beginnings.  However, without revealing spoilers, I can say that I certainly thought Wolverine would be killed, and that made Wolverine #1 an exciting read.

The other reason I like this comic book is Alan Davis.  I love this comic book artist, and it is always a joy to read comic books drawn by Davis – even when the story isn’t that good.  He brings humanity to the characters, emphasizing their vulnerability over their super powers.  I look forward to following this Wolverine series – especially if both Cornell and Davis keep delivering the good stuff.

A-

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux

The text is copyright © 2013 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this site for syndication rights and fees.

I Reads You Review: The Wake #1

THE WAKE #1 (OF 10)
DC COMICS/Vertigo – @vertigo_comics

WRITER: Scott Snyder
ARTIST: Sean Murphy – @Sean_G_Murphy
COLORS: Matt Hollingsworth
LETTERS: Jared K. Fletcher
COVER: Sean Murphy with Jordie Bellaire
VARIANT COVER: Andy Kubert with Brad Anderson
32pp, Color, $2.99 U.S. (September 2013)

Part One

The Wake is a new 10-issue miniseries created by writer Scott Snyder and artist Sean Murphy.  Snyder has described The Wake as a “deep-sea, sci-fi, horror epic, with elements of post-apocalyptic storytelling...”  The series follows a marine biologist who investigates new threats from the depths of the ocean.

The Wake #1 takes place in three different time periods.  Two hundred years in the future, a young woman and her dolphin companion are on a quest in a half-drowned city.  In the present, Lee Archer, a marine biologist in exile (sort of), is approached by Agent Astor Cruz of the Department of Homeland Security.  Cruz is calling upon Archer to examine and to give her analysis of something that was found at the bottom of the ocean.  The final chapter of the first issue takes place 100,000 years ago with a cave painter.

The Wake #1 is a great big tease.  In recent decades, comic books are published in which stories are “decompressed,” and those stories are told in arcs that can run five or six issues or more before the conclusion.  This means that comic book writers have to find ways to keep readers interested in buying multiple issues.  There are often single panels, scenes made of several panels, or sequences of pages that are more about sensation than storytelling.  Ultimately, a reader could pay $18 to $30 for what is basically a short story that is told as a 100+ page graphic narrative, so titillation is needed to give the reader a reason to keep buying future issues.

The Wake #1 barely classifies as a chapter.  It is bits and pieces of various prologues with some nice “gotcha” moments and shocking-reveal panels to make investing in a second issue seem worth it a comic book reader/comic book customer.  The Wake #1 is not a bad comic book.

Sean Murphy’s art that is published in color has a clean, attractive drawing style, and Scott Snyder is a good modern comic book writer.  Both have done quality and entertaining work, so on the reputation of the creators alone, The Wake is worth a look.  If lesser known or even unknown creators had created The Wake, I doubt Vertigo would be publishing it.  Maybe, Image Comics would.  That said, I do look forward to trying the second issue.

B

http://www.seangordonmurphy.com/
www.vertigocomics.com

I Reads You Review: HAWKEYE #1

"Hawkeye: Year One?"
HAWKEYE #1
MARVEL COMICS

WRITER: Matt Fraction
ARTIST: David Aja
COLORS: Matt Hollingsworth
LETTERS: Chris Eliopoulos
COVER: David Aja with Matt Hollingsworth; variant cover by Adi Granov; Pasqual Ferry with Matt Hollingsworth
28pp, Color, $2.99 U.S.

Hawkeye is a Marvel Comics superhero character and the Marvel Universe’s most prominent archer, marksman, and sharpshooter. Created by Stan Lee and Don Heck, Hawkeye, whose civilian identity is Clint Barton, first appeared in Tales of Suspense #57 (September 1964 cover date). He first appeared as a member of the Avengers in Avengers #16 (May 1965 issue).

Marvel’s The Avengers movie is a shocking worldwide box office success. With the appearance in the film of a spiffy-looking Hawkeye, it was a no-brainer that Marvel Comics would try out the character in his own new comic book series. Hawkeye (2012) is written by Matt Fraction, drawn by David Aja, and colored by Matt Hollingsworth.

Hawkeye #1 opens in New York City and finds Hawkeye/Clint Barton having some serious health issues. After healing, Clint returns to his apartment in Bedford-Stuyvesant (Bed-Stuy), where he finds the real trouble. His Russian landlord is bringing pressure on Clint and the other tenants. When Clint tries to save the day and to make a deal with these Russian heavies, things get bad – for our Avenger and a cute dog.

If Hawkeye #1 seems familiar, it’s the highly-stylized riff on Frank Miller and David Mazzuchelli’s Batman: Year One that plucked your memory. Hawkeye even comes across as being similar to Bullseye from Miller’s famous run on Marvel’s Daredevil comic book series in the early 1980s. That aside, this first issue of Hawkeye is more a Clint Barton story than a Hawkeye comic book, and that’s fine. I like how Fraction depicts Barton as a sort of laconic everyman who only turns on the extra-powers when he has to do so. Here, he does it just to balance the scales for the little guys and gals. Notice, I said, extra-powers, in this story, Clint doesn’t come across as a superhero.

As for Aja’s art, which is a scratchy imitation of Mazzuchelli on Batman: Year One, it’s nice, but not great. The storytelling is good; by drawing so many small panels, Aja creates a pace and rhythm that serves this story quite well. The only problem is that Fraction’s script is non-linear, jumping back and forth as if Fraction were trying to write a Quentin Tarantino movie. Thus, just as Aja’s graphical storytelling is moving briskly on a particular sequence, it moves to another set piece, which is jarring, especially when the previous sequence was going so well.

Still, I like this enough to read future issues. It’s both different and entertaining enough to warrant more attention.

B+

I Reads You Review: WOLVERINE and BLACK CAT: CLAWS 2 #1

WOLVERINE & BLACK CAT: CLAWS 2 #1 (OF 3)
MARVEL COMICS

WRITER: Jimmy Palmiotti and Justin Gray
ART: Joseph Michael Linsner
COLORS: Dan Brown and Nick Filardi with Ian Hannin
LETTERS: Jeff Eckleberry
COVER: Joseph Michael Linsner
32pp, Color, $3.99

Chapter 1: “Back and Forth”

I have to be honest. I only bought the first issue of Wolverine & Black Cat: Claws 2 for the art by Joseph Michael Linsner. I’m not a big fan of Lisner’s work, but I like it enough to look at it when I get a chance. Apparently, there was a first Wolverine & Black Cat: Claws miniseries (3 issues, 2006) that I ignored.

Wolverine (A.K.A. Logan) is practically everyone’s favorite member of the X-Men (though mine is Storm). Black Cat (A.K.A. Felicia Hardy) is a cat burglar extraordinaire and Spider-Man femme fatale. Wolverine & Black Cat: Claws 2 #1 takes place after the events of the first series and finds Wolverine and Black Cat back in New York City. They’re enjoying an evening of food and romance at a swanky eatery. Meanwhile, their adversaries from the first miniseries, Arcade and his partner White Rabbit, have also found their way back to NYC to give Logan and Felicia a dose of revenge.

The prolific writing team of Jimmy Palmiotti and Justin Gray can deliver on an action premise (see Radical Publishing’s Time Bomb). Claws 2 is a simple superhero fight comic book with no pretensions to be a character drama or landmark miniseries. There’s violence, humor, and the threat of Wolverine engaging in sexual intercourse. Claws 2 proves that even the team that delivered on the nail-biting Time Bomb can deliver a tepid, mildly humorous, X-Men product.

The art and graphical storytelling by Joseph Michael Linsner look as if they belong in a Marvel comic book from the 1970s or 1980s. Linsner’s drawing style is like a new version of Dave Cockrum’s drawing style with touches of Wally Wood and Eric Stanton. Marvel’s EiC-turned-CCO once referred to a comic book artist friend of mine’s drawing style as passé. Considering that statement, I’m surprised that Linsner’s “old school” graphical approach has anyplace at Marvel, especially in the industrial part of this publisher/trademark maintenance firm that cranks out Wolverine comic books every hour on the hour.

Still, there is an innate charm to Linsner’s work, and his compositions and page designs yield results that really do look like genuine comic book graphics and visuals instead of looking like paintings trying to be comics. His storytelling has a sense of humor and imagination.

I would say that readers looking for something different in Wolverine should give Wolverine & Black Cat: Claws 2 a try. That difference is Linsner.

B

[This comic book features a five-page preview of The Punisher #1, a new series from writer Greg Rucka, artist Marco Checchetto, and colorist Matt Hollingsworth with covers by Bryan Hitch.]

I Reads You Review: ULTIMATE COMICS AVENGERS: BLADE VS. THE AVENGERS

ULTIMATE COMICS AVENGERS: BLADE VS. THE AVENGERS
MARVEL COMICS

WRITER: Mark Millar
PENCILS: Steve Dillon
INKS: Andy Lanning and Scott Hanna
COLORS: Matt Hollingsworth with Matthew Wilson and John Rauch
LETTERS: VC’s Cory Petit
COVER: Leinil Francis Yu and Marte Gracia
EXTRA ART: Olivier Coipel and Laura Martin; Greg Land and Frank D’Armata
ISBN: 978-0-7851-4009-2; hardcover
152pp, Color, $24.99 U.S., $27.99 CAN

Several years ago, there were rumors or perhaps a semi-official announcement that Mark Millar was going to be the writer of a new comic book series featuring, Blade, Marvel’s resident vampire hunter. It never came to pass.

Now, Mark Millar writes Blade. Nuff said…

Well, not quite, but Blade gets his name in the title in the new hardcover collection, Ultimate Comics Avengers: Blade vs. The Avengers. Written by Mark Millar and drawn by Steve Dillon, this book reprints Ultimate Avengers 3 #1-6. This story arc sees the Avengers battle a highly-organized attempt at a vampire takeover of the world.

The story begins when Blade gets an offer of a truce from Anthony, a new vampire leader. Mysterious and charismatic, Anthony has encased himself in an old Iron Man suit of armor, making him hard to kill. Anthony’s plot to rule the world involves building an army of superheroes converted into vampires.

After one of their own is bitten and recruited into the vampire army, Nick Fury and his black-ops task force, the Avengers, find themselves on the frontlines fighting to save humankind. The new vampire king rallies all the various vampire clans to his ever-growing number of super-powered Nosferatu. Meanwhile, Fury is wary of half-vampire Blade, who offers his help. Is the Daywalker friend or foe?

This Ultimate Avengers story arc is not so much “Blade vs. The Avengers” as it is The Avengers vs. the vampire apocalypse – with Blade as a character on the periphery. It’s as if Millar didn’t realize that the Blade he was writing is supposed to be a major player and not just a player in a few interludes. Still, what we get of Blade is quite good. Millar’s knack for dialogue makes this a sparkling read. Millar doesn’t just write snark and satire. His dialogue defines the characters mood as well as it colors the scene in which a character speaks. Millar’s Blade is the most attractive since the 1970s Blade of Marv Wolfman and Chris Claremont.

Equally evocative is the art of Steve Dillon. With his clean style, Dillon conveys character, setting, and plot and executes a narrative that is as complex as it is streamlined. For all their photo-realism, cross-hatching, and computer coloring, most artists can’t touch Dillon’s depth of storytelling. For all this story’s craziness, Dillon even manages to wring out a few poignant and dramatic moments.

Yeah, I wanted more Blade, much more Blade, but I like Ultimate Comics Avengers: Blade vs. The Avengers.

B+

Ultimate Comics Avengers: Blade Vs. the Avengers (See all Superheroes Graphic Novels)