Review: JOOK JOINT #1

JOOK JOINT No. 1 (OF 5)
IMAGE COMICS – @ImageComics

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

STORY: Tee Franklin
ART: Alitha E. Martinez
COLORS: Shari Chankhamma
LETTERS: Taylor Esposito
EDITOR: Brenda Wright
COVER: Alitha E. Martinez with Shari Chankhamma.
VARIANT COVER ARTISTS: Mike Hawthorne with Jordie Bellaire
28pp, Color, $3.99 U.S. (October 2018)

Rated M/Mature

Jook Joint is a new comic book series from writer Tee Franklin (Bingo Love) and artist Alitha E. Martinez (Black Panther: World of Wakanda).  The series focuses on a voodoo priestess who is the proprietor of a strange music and social club that resides somewhere outside New Orleans.

Jook Joint #1 opens in the 1950s.  Everyone knows that the hottest spot in all of New Orleans is the Jook Joint, where the jazz is always popping and people keep on a-bobbing.  The women who work in the club are to die for... and men literally die if they don't follow the Jook Joint's only rule:  “Keep your hands to yourself.”  Of course, some men don't believe that rules apply to them, and that is when the Jook Joint's owner, Mahalia, and her coven get to enjoy themselves delivering punishment.

Joint Joint #1 is a timely publication in these times when women are pushing forward and coming out of the dark to tell the truth about the abuse, degradation, and violence that they have faced and continue to face at the hands of (mostly) men.  In an afterword at the end of this first issue, writer Tee Franklin talks about how Jook Joint emerged from her recovery and healing from the years of hurt and pain she experienced in numerous abusive relationships.  Text pieces in Jook Joint #1 offer three phone numbers and two website addresses where abused women and men can seek help after they experience domestic and sexual violence or if they are considering suicide.

Jook Joint #1 does not offer a story so much as it presents an introduction to the world of Mahalia and her Jook Joint.  It is an introduction that glorifies in revenge against and punishment of men who plot domestic and sexual violence against women and of men whose sense of entitlement will lead them to commit wanton acts of sexual violence.  I think the second issue of Jook Joint is where the story will really begin.

Artist Alitha E. Martinez, who was brilliant in Black Panther: World of Wakanda, offers powerful illustrations and graphics in service of this taste of honeyed revenge.  Colorist Shari Chankhamma's old-school, earthy hues recall classic horror comic book coloring, like that found in the Joe Orlando-edited DC Comics titles.

I'm not sure how to describe Taylor Esposito's lettering.  It is like a musical accompaniment, conveying the threats of abusive men while capturing the sly sultriness of the warnings given to those men.  Then, Esposito's lettering blasts out the avante-garde sounds of bloody punishment.

When I was a kid, a “jook joint” was a trashy club owned or frequented by Black folks, where a jukebox filled the club with music that was intermittently interrupted by gunfire.  Jook Joint the comic book ain't trashy, but there will be blood.

9 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: SUPERIOR SPIDER-MAN #1

SUPERIOR SPIDER-MAN No. 1 (2019)
MARVEL COMICS – @Marvel

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

STORY: Christos Gage
PENCILS: Mike Hawthorne
INKS: Wade von Grawbadger
COLORS: Jordie Bellaire
LETTERS: VC's Clayton Cowles
EDITOR: Nick Lowe
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: Akira Yoshida
COVER: Travis Charest
VARIANT COVER ARTISTS: Mike Hawthorne with Jordie Bellaire; Marko Djurdjević (Fantastic Four Villain Variant Cover);
28pp, Color, $3.99 U.S. (February 2019)

Rated  “T”

Spider-Man created by Steve Ditko and Stan Lee

The Superior Spider-Man was a  Marvel Comics superhero comic book series featuring an alternate version of Spider-Man.  Cover dated between January 2013 and June 2014, the series featured Otto Octavius a.k.a. Spider-Man villain “Doctor Octopus” in the role of Spider-Man.

The series returns as Superior Spider-Man.  It is written by Christos Gage; drawn by Mike Hawthorne (pencils) and Wade von Grawbadger (inks); colored by Jordie Bellaire; and lettered by Clayton Cowles.  Once again, Otto Octavius is in a new body and is a “superior” Spider-Man.

Superior Spider-Man #1 opens in San Francisco, the city that Otto Octavius-The Superior Spider-Man has chosen to protect and to improve.  After dealing (successfully) with Stilt-Man, Otto heads to Horizon University where he will adopt his identity as Professor Elliot Tolliver and deliver “a crucial, end-of-term lecture.”  Then, it is off to more villain fighting, but Otto/Elliot/Superior is about to discover that someone from his past has joined the faculty of Horizon.  That person is ready to reveal the true face of the Superior Spider-Man to the authorities.

I was cynical.  I was ready to hate Superior Spider-Man #1.  In fact, I only bought this comic book to give to a friend who reads any Spider-Man comic book put in front of him.  I am not over-awed by writer Christos Gage's script, but it is good.  I am not crazy about the art team of Make Hawthorne and Wade von Grawbadger, but the storytelling is good.  Jordie Bellaire delivers her usually solid colors, and Clayton Cowles delivers his solid lettering.

But there is something about this comic book that demands I read one or two more issues.  I enjoyed the first issue enough to maybe read more.  So I will say to you, dear reader, maybe you should try at least Superior Spider-Man #1.

6 out of 10

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


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

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Review: CHAMPIONS #1

CHAMPIONS No. 1
MARVEL COMICS – @Marvel

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

WRITER: Mark Waid
PENCILS: Humberto Ramos
INKS: Victor Olazaba
COLORS: Edgar Delgado
LETTERS: VC's Clayton Cowles
COVER: Humberto Ramos with Edgar Delgado
VARIANT COVERS: Alex Ross; Mark Brooks; John Tyler Christopher; Jay Fosgitt; Rahzzah; Art Adams with Jason Keith; Mike Hawthorne with Matt Milla; Skottie Young
40pp, Color, $4.99 U.S. (December 2016)

Rated T

Back in 1975, Marvel Comics introduced a new team of superheroes known as The Champions.  Marvel Comics' new publishing initiative, NOW!, offers a new version of that semi-classic.  Entitled Champions, it is created by writer Mark Waid and artist Humberto Ramos.  The comic book is written by Waid; drawn by Ramos (pencils) and Victor Olazaba (inks); colored by Edgar Delgado; and lettered by Clayton Cowles.

Champions #1 opens in the home of Kamala Khan a.k.a. Ms. Marvel.  The teen girl's life is in a state of flux.  Just five days ago, she quit the Avengers.  Now, she calls on two other former teen Avengers who quit the team before her, Spider-Man (Miles Morales) and Nova (Sam Alexander).  Kamala is going to try to convince her former teammates to start a new team, one that wants to “put the wold back together” whenever their superhero activities break it.  Can she convince them and maybe a few more young heroes to go along with that idea?

Sometime in the long-ago, I am sure that I read The Champions, either that or a comic book in which they appeared.  That is not important here because the new Champions are something different.  They want to fix the things that they break because they believe that the “grown up” or “older” superheroes are not concerned with damage control or the mess they leave behind, or are at least not as concerned as they should be.

I am curious to see where this goes.  When Mark Waid is good, he is quite good, and he starts good here.  I am a sucker for most anything drawn by Humberto Ramos and have been for over two decades.  I should be upfront with that.  I am partial to giving this creative team a shot, and I am willing to recommend the first issue, at least.  But I'm coming back for more and will review this series again, probably soon.

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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Leroy Douresseaux on CONAN ROAD OF KINGS #6

CONAN: ROAD OF KINGS #6
DARK HORSE COMICS

WRITER: Roy Thomas
PENCILS: Mike Hawthorne
INKS: John Lucas
COLORS: Dan Jackson
LETTERS: Richard Starkings & Comicraft
COVER: Doug Wheatley
32pp, Color, $3.50

Conan: Road of Kings is the third ongoing Conan series from Dark Horse Comics, following Conan (50 issues, 2004-2008) and Conan the Cimmerian (25 issues, 2008-2010). Scheduled to run 12 issues, Conan: Road of Kings is written by Conan storytelling legend, Roy Thomas.

Road of Kings follows Conan as he travels from the easternmost edge to the westernmost shores of the map of the Hyborian age (drawn by Robert E. Howard, the creator of Conan). To reach his destination, Conan must trek the fabled Road of Kings that winds its way through the civilized kingdoms. Along the way, he helps people fight against monsters, malevolent magic, and the power-mad, while also protecting his own skin.

As Conan: Road of Kings #6 begins, our favorite sullen-eyed, dark-haired barbarian is in the capitol of Ophir, specifically in the palace of King Kennak. There, he prepares to rescue the king’s daughter, Olivia, from a death sentence pronounced by her own father! The real culprit, however, is Olivia’s stepmother, Queen Sophonesba, whom Olivia believes killed her birth mother. Conan may have met his match, as Sophonesba has a mystic ring and the powerful astrologer, Necrodemus, on her side. Meanwhile, the sword-handed assassin, Gamesh, awaits Conan.

Roy Thomas is the most famous and prolific writer of Conan’s comic book adventures. One issue of a Roy Thomas Conan comic book is like three of another writer’s, because there are multiple subplots. This sixth issue of Road of Kings seems to be three tales: the rescue of Olivia, the guard Captain Jemal, and Olivia’s kidnapper Fharos; the royal family drama; and Conan’s battle against Gamesh. Honestly, while these stories are entertaining, they’re not slam dunk-exciting like Conan: Island of No Return, although the Gamesh battle offers a hot finish.

The art by penciller Mike Hawthorne and inker John Lucas is dynamic and clean, with excellent coloring by Dan Jackson. The art, however, looks like a better fit for an adventure comedy set in the sword and sorcery genre. The art is more slick than dramatic, although it does give the bloodletting an edge and also seems to work for the Gamesh battle at the end of this issue.

B+