Review: CAPTAIN AMERICA #1

CAPTAIN AMERICA No. 1 (Legacy #705)
MARVEL COMICS – @Marvel

[This review ws originally posted on Patreon.]

STORY: Ta-Nehisi Coates
PENCILS: Leinil Francis Yu
INKS: Gerry Alanguilan
COLORS: Sunny Gho
LETTERS: VC's Joe Caramagna
COVER: Alex Ross
VARIANT COVERS: Adam Hughes; Joe Jusko; David Mack; Jim Sternako; Frank Miller with Edgar Delgado; Leinil Francis Yu; Paul Renaud; Joe Simon and Jack Kirby; Marko Djurdjevic; Ron Garney with Matt Milla; Mike Zeck with Richard Isanove; John Cassaday with Laura Martin
40pp, Color, $4.99 U.S. (September 2018)

Rated “T+”

Captain America created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby

“Winter in America” Part 1

Captain America is a Marvel Comics superhero created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby.  Captain America was Steve Rogers, a frail young man who reached the peak of human perfection via the experimental “super soldier” serum.

He first appeared in Captain America Comics #1 (cover dated:  March 1941), which was published by Timely Comics, a predecessor of Marvel Comics.  After Captain America Comics was canceled in 1949, there was a revival of the series from 1953 to 1954.  Captain America fully returned to modern comic books in The Avengers #4 (cover dated: March 1964).

Steve Rogers/Captain America embarks on a new beginning again with a relaunch of his title series.  The new Captain America comic book series is written by Ta-Nehisi Coates; drawn by Leinil Francis Yu (pencils) and Gerry Alanguilan (inks); colored by Sunny Gho; and lettered by Joe Caramagna.  In the new series, Captain America faces an existential crises as he wrestles with how people view and perceive him in the wake of the Hydra Captain America impostor that briefly took over the world as an authoritarian dictator.

Captain America #1 opens in the Sayan Mountains of Russia months earlier.  There, something new is emerging from the ashes of Hydra.  In the present day, Captain America and the Winter Solider battle a small army of men who resemble Cap's old adversary, Nuke.  They are killing civilians in a mass shooting event in and around the National Mall in Washington D.C.  As Captain America battles to save lives and stop these killers, he will also have to face another harsh reality.  No one really trusts him anymore... even the people who should know him best.

I would not call Captain America #1 2018 a great comic book, but it is the best written Captain America comic book that I have read in ages.  Ta-Nehisi Coates cleverly uses the battle at the National Mall's aftermath to depict not so much Captain America in crisis, but the Sentinel of Liberty as man at odds with the people, places, and nation he has sworn to protect and to defend.  It makes for great reading, because we known this is the true Captain America, but the dramatic tension brought by the distrust of Cap from the other characters makes for some good reading.

Leinil Francis Yu has been a skilled graphical storyteller for over two decades, but his drawing style has taken an ugly turn the last several years – as far as I am concerned.  He is better here, and Sunny Gho's evocative colors strengthen how the narrative conveys its ideas and heightens the drama.  Letterer Joe Caramagna creates a steady sense of rhythm that paces the narrative flow for both the action scenes and for the character scenes that confront Captain America.

I think Ta-Nehisi Coates will make me a regular Captain America reader for the first time in ages.  I think this is the beginning of a good age for Captain America.

8 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: STAR WARS: Thrawn #1

STAR WARS: THRAWN No. 1 (OF 6)
MARVEL COMICS – @Marvel

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

STORY: Jody Houser
ART: Luke Ross
COLORS: Nolan Woodard
LETTERS: VC's Clayton Cowles
COVER: Paul Renaud
VARIANT COVERS: Francesco Mattina; John Tyler Christopher
36pp, Color, $4.99 U.S. (April 2018)

Rated “T”

Based on the novel by Timothy Zahn

Grand Admiral Thrawn is a character in the Star Wars media franchise.  An Imperial military commander, Thrawn was introduced in the 1991 novel, Heir to the Empire, written by Timothy Zahn and also known as the first novel in the “Thrawn trilogy.”  Zahn also wrote a two-novel set known as the “Thrawn duology” that brought the character back, seemingly from the dead.

After the Walt Disney Company bought Lucasfilm, the owner of the Star Wars franchise, Thrawn became a “Star Wars Legends” character – meaning he was not part of Star Wars canon, also known as “official Star Wars lore.”  Thrawn became a cannon character when he appeared in the third season of the animated television series, “Star Wars Rebels” (Disney XD).

Now, Marvel Comics is adapting Timothy Zahn's 2017 novel, Star Wars: Thrawn, as a six-issue miniseries.  Like the novel, the comic book adaptation chronicles the origins of Grand Admiral Thrawn.  The comic book miniseries is written by Jody Houser; drawn by Luke Ross; colored by Nolan Woodard; and lettered by Clayton Cowles.

Star Wars: Thrawn #1 opens in that area of the galaxy that is beyond the “Outer Rim” and that is referred to as “Wild Space.”  Captain Parck of the Imperial Navy leads a squad of Myomar Imperial Academy cadets on a mission to an unnamed planet in Wild Space to search for a possible new alien species.  What they find is a highly-skilled non-human that calls itself “Thrawn.”  Being the only member of the mission who can speak to Thrawn, Cadet Vanto soon finds himself ensnared in Thrawn's surprising Imperial ambitions.

I am not familiar with the original novel of the same name upon which this comic book, Star Wars: Thrawn, is based.  I can say that writer Jody Houser has fashioned an excellent first issue in this adaptation of the novel.  The pacing is excellent, and the dialogue is evocative and detailed in conveying the machinations and personalities of the characters, especially Thrawn.  Houser creates a comic book that is a joy to read and also does not feel like another Star Wars retread.

As always, artist Luke Ross delivers strong compositions and page design.  Ross arranges the panels in a way that allows the story to flow while it presents the characters, plots, and settings in rich detail.  Nolan Woodard's vivid colors, especially the blue and green hues not only make the art sparkly, but also heighten the sense of mystery and danger about Thrawn.

Clayton Cowles' lettering make the story hum with energy and creates a sense that a surprise is coming around every corner on the way to the next panel.  All of this wonderful graphical storytelling simmers underneath another striking example of Paul Renaud's art – the cover illustration for this first issue.

I was merely interested in Star Wars: Thrawn; now I can't wait for the next issue.

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 for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

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Review: RISE OF THE BLACK PANTHER #1

RISE OF THE BLACK PANTHER No. 1
MARVEL COMICS – @Marvel

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

STORY: Evan Narcisse with Ta-Nehisi Coates (consultant)
ART: Paul Renaud
COLORS: Stephane Paitreau
LETTERS: VC's Joe Sabino
COVER: Brian Stelfreeze
VARIANT COVERS: Paul Renaud; Chris Sprouse and Karl Story with Laura Martin; Tyler Kirkham with Arif Prianto
28pp, Color, $3.99 U.S. (March 2018)

Black Panther created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby

Rated “T”

“The King at the End of Everything”

Black Panther is a Marvel Comics superhero created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby.  He first appeared in Fantastic Four #52 (cover dated: July 1966).  Black Panther is T'Challa, the king and protector of the (fictional) African nation of Wakanda.  Black Panther was also the first Black superhero is mainstream American comic books.

As we approach the release date of the highly-anticipated theatrical Black Panther film from Disney/Marvel Studios, we will see more Black Panther-related comic books from Marvel Comics.  One of them is the new miniseries,  Rise of the Black Panther.  It is written by Evan Narcisse with Ta-Nehisi Coates, the writer of the ongoing Black Panther comic book, acting as consultant.  Paul Renaud is the artist.  Stēphane Paitreau is the colorist, and Joe Sabino is the letterer.

Rise of the Black Panther #1 (“The King at the End of Everything”) is narrated first by Queen N'Yami, the wife of King T'Chaka and the mother of T'Challa, and then by Queen Ramonda, the second wife of T'Chaka and second mother to T'Challa.  The story opens with during World War II where a famous American hero strikes a bargain and friendship with Azzuri, the Panther King of Wakanda and the father of T'Chaka and grandfather of T'Challa.

Azzuri is determined to keep the existence and the whereabouts of his kingdom, Wakanda, a secret.  Because of its wealth, technology, and especially because of its greatest natural resource, outsiders and outside entities with continue to search for the legendary kingdom – including some of the most evil people on Earth.

One of the things that Rise of the Black Panther has going for it is that Brian Stelfreeze is the series cover artist.  Stelfreeze was the opening series artist on Ta-Nehisi Coates' Black Panther series and is responsible for most of that series' conceptual and graphic design.  Stelfreeze provides a striking painted cover for the Rise of the Black Panther #1, and, far as I can tell, also for the second issue.

Evan Narcisse gathers many of the elements from previous Black Panther comic books and brings them together to form a gripping, suspenseful, and thrilling tale of the history of the Black Panther.  It starts during WWII, the dawn of the American superhero, and also the point in time when Wakanda begins its inevitable track to joining the world.  Narcisse gives the story the feel of a “lost world” story that is part Arthur Conan Doyle and part Golden Age comic book.  If the rest of this series is like the first issue, it will be a thoroughly readable and enjoyable.

The series artist is rising star Paul Renaud, whose art was excellent in the shockingly good Generations: Sam Wilson Captain America & Steve Rogers Captain America #1.  Renaud's storytelling is quite good here, but his stylish art is a revelation.  Renaud and colorist Stēphane Paitreau create a rich tapestry of graphical storytelling that recalls narrative paintings.  Rich in detail, backgrounds, sets, and environment, Renaud's art is fitting for a tale of kings and kings' sons.  Joe Sabino's lettering strikes the perfect tone and and enhances the story.

I was not sure of what I should expect of Rise of the Black Panther #1, but after reading this excellent first issue, I expect a lot of the rest of it.

8.5 out of 10

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


The text is copyright © 2018 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

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Marvel Comics from Diamond Distributors for January 3, 2017

MARVEL COMICS

NOV170908    ASTONISHING X-MEN #7 LEG    $3.99
NOV170991    BLACK BOLT #9 LEG    $3.99
OCT171002    BLACK PANTHER ADVENTURES DIGEST TP    $9.99
OCT170998    BLACK PANTHER BY HUDLIN TP VOL 02 COMPLETE COLLECTION    $39.99
NOV170938    CAPTAIN AMERICA #697 LEG WW    $3.99
OCT171001    COLOR YOUR OWN BLACK PANTHER TP    $9.99
JUL171192    DEADPOOL & CO OMNIBUS HC    $125.00
JUL171190    DEADPOOL WORLDS GREATEST HC VOL 03    $34.99
OCT170816    GUARDIANS OF GALAXY LH #150 LEG    $4.99
NOV170979    HAWKEYE #14 LEG    $3.99
NOV171008    ICEMAN #9 LEG    $3.99
OCT171015    INHUMANS BEWARE THE INHUMANS TP    $34.99
NOV170969    IRON FIST #76 LEG    $3.99
JUL171193    MARVEL CINEMATIC UNIVERSE GUIDEBOOK ALL CONNECTED HC    $24.99
NOV170889    PHOENIX RESURRECTION RETURN JEAN GREY #2 (OF 5) HUGO CONNECT    $3.99
NOV170891    PHOENIX RESURRECTION RETURN JEAN GREY #2 (OF 5) LEE JEAN GRE    $3.99
NOV170888    PHOENIX RESURRECTION RETURN JEAN GREY #2 (OF 5) LEG    $3.99
NOV170915    RISE OF BLACK PANTHER #1 (OF 6) LEG    $3.99
NOV170920    RISE OF BLACK PANTHER #1 (OF 6) MOVIE VAR LEG    $3.99
NOV170932    ROGUE & GAMBIT #1 (OF 5) LEG    $3.99
JUL171191    SPIDER-GWEN HC VOL 02    $34.99
NOV170960    SPIDER-MAN #236 LEG    $3.99
OCT171005    SPIDER-MAN DEADPOOL TP VOL 04 SERIOUS BUSINESS    $15.99
NOV171027    STAR WARS #41    $3.99
NOV170996    X-MEN GOLD #19 LEG    $3.99
NOV171016    X-MEN GRAND DESIGN #2 (OF 2)    $5.99
NOV171017    X-MEN GRAND DESIGN #2 (OF 2) PISKOR CHARACTER VAR    $5.99

Review: GENERATIONS: Sam Wilson Captain America & Steve Rogers Captain America #1

GENERATIONS: SAM WILSON CAPTAIN AMERICA & STEVE ROGERS CAPTAIN AMERICA No. 1
MARVEL COMICS – @Marvel

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

STORY: Nick Spencer
ART: Paul Renaud
COLORS: Laura Martin
LETTERS: VC's Joe Caramagna
COVER: Paul Renaud
VARIANT COVERS: John Cassaday with Laura Martin; Paolo Rivera
36pp, Color, $4.99 U.S. (November 2017)

Rated T+

Captain America and Steve Rogers created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby; Sam Wilson created by Stan Lee and Gene Colan

“The Americas”

The Marvel Comics event comic book, Generations, comes to an end with a tale of two Captain Americas.  A 10-issue anthology miniseries, published weekly, each issue is written and drawn by a different creative team, and each issue features a different team-up of a classic Marvel superhero with his or her modern-day counterpart.  The series is meant to unite the legacy of classic Marvel Comics superheroes with a new generation of heroes, as both the original characters and the new ones move into the future of Marvel Comics storytelling.

The tenth issue (by my account) is Generations: Sam Wilson Captain America & Steve Rogers Captain America, which brings together two versions of a classic Marvel Comics character, Captain America.  The first is the original Captain America, Steve Rogers.  Rogers first appeared in Captain America Comics #1 (cover date: March 1941).  The second is Sam Wilson who first appeared in Captain America #117 (cover date: September 1969), and who was originally the superhero, Falcon.  Wilson became Captain America and starred in the series, All-New Captain America #1 (2014).  This issue of Generations is written by Nick Spencer; drawn by Paul Renaud; colored by Laura Martin; and lettered by Joe Caramagna.

Generations: Sam Wilson Captain America & Steve Rogers Captain America #1 (“The Americas”) opens with Sam Wilson-Captain America being questioned by government agents about why a particular group of ten superheroes disappeared (including Wilson) during the “Battle of Washington” (as seen in the Secret Empire event).  Wilson disappeared and reappeared in the 1940s as the United States of America gears up to enter World War II.

Unlike the other nine heroes, Wilson spends a lifetime in the world to which he is transported.  When Wilson enters the war as an enlisted man, a special enlisted man, the “Man in the Air,” he meets his friend Steve Rogers, a young man trying to find his way as Captain America, so the question is will Sam Wilson also find his own path?

While reading the first nine issues of Generations, I found several that I liked and two that I called the best of the lot.  But Generations: Sam Wilson Captain America & Steve Rogers Captain America #1 takes the prize.  I wish Marvel would consider turning this into its own series; it could at least make an excellent, thought-provoking, twelve-issue series.

In this final issue of Generations, Nick Spencer delivers a Generations manifesto, which is this.  It is okay to have personal heroes and roles models.  It is okay to be inspired by someone's achievements.  Once you begin to take your own path, however, it is your own path, not your inspiration's path.  You don't have to live up to the legacy of another; make a legacy of your own that is worth living up to.

Artist Paul Renaud's compositions and art for this tenth Generations is both subtle and evocative.  He conveys a story that takes a trip down memory lane, but nevertheless reaches towards the future and its infinite possibilities.  Laura Martin's colors quietly amplifies the moods and emotions and summons the sense of each time period in which Sam Wilson travels.

Generations: Sam Wilson Captain America & Steve Rogers Captain America #1 brings Generations to a close on a high note that the earlier issues did not necessarily suggest.  As event miniseries go, this is one of those single issues that are worth remembering even when the overall event miniseries is only remembered for its central plot or concept.

A
9 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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Review: Journey to Star Wars: The Last Jedi - CAPTAIN PHASMA #1

JOURNEY TO STAR WARS: THE LAST JEDI – CAPTAIN PHASMA No. 1
MARVEL COMICS – @Marvel

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

STORY: Kelly Thompson
ART: Marco Checchetto
COLORS: Andres Mossa
LETTERS: VC's Clayton Cowles
COVER: Paul Renaud
28pp, Color, $3.99 U.S. (November 2017)

Rated T

Captain Phasma: Book 1, Part I

Two years ago, Marvel Comics published Journey to Star Wars: The Force Awakens – Shattered Empire.  It was a four-issue miniseries that was set in the immediate aftermath of the events depicted in the 1983 film, Return of the Jedi (or Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi).  It introduced the parents of a pivotal character who, at the time, was to appear in Star Wars: The Last Jedi (Episode VII), a little over two months after the first issue of Shattered Empire.

Now, a little over two months before the theatrical release of Star Wars: The Last Jedi (Episode VIII), Marvel is publishing another Star Wars “Journey to” comic book miniseries.  This is Journey to Star Wars: The Last Jedi – Captain Phasma.  It written by Kelly Thompson; lettered by Clayton Cowles; and features the team of artist Marco Checchetto and colorist Andres Mossa (who drew and colored Shattered Empire).

Journey to Star Wars: The Last Jedi – Captain Phasma #1 opens on the First Order's super-weapon, “Starkiller Base,” parallel to what is the final act of The Force Awakens.  Captain Phasma has escaped from the trash compactor into she was forced by Han Solo, Chewbacca, and the former stormtrooper FN-2187, now known as “Finn.”  Starkiller Base is under attack by Resistance Forces, and Phasma discovers that the Resistance had help inside the base.  Now, Phasma has a new mission – hunt and kill the traitor who allowed Starkiller Base to be destroyed.

From the moment Star Wars fans first spotted Phasma in an early movie trailer for The Force Awakens, they have had high expectations for this character.  Alas, her part in the film was small and her role mostly unimpressive – relative to expectations.  Phasma is supposed to have a bigger role in the upcoming Star Wars: The Last Jedi.

In the meantime, she comes across as quite menacing in Journey to Star Wars: The Last Jedi – Captain Phasma #1.  Writer Kelly Thompson tells the story using first person narration by Phasma and gives the readers a look at how relentless she is in service of the First Order.  This could prove to be perilous however, if Thompson characterizes Phasma as nothing more than a cog in service of the First Order.  That would make this miniseries a long and dull one.

I find the work of artist Marco Checchetto here to be what it has been in his previous Marvel Comics work:  pretty art, but sometimes cluttered graphical storytelling.  Luckily, Andres Mossa is here to add some dynamism to the storytelling.

So I hope that the storytelling in Journey to Star Wars: The Last Jedi – Captain Phasma gets stronger.  This first issue shows the potential of the series, but is itself a bit lukewarm.  Of course, this may be because Captain Phasma is still a character that is mostly a blank slate.

B
6.5 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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Review: FUTURE QUEST #4

FUTURE QUEST No. 4
DC COMICS – @DCComics

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

STORY: Jeff Parker – @JeffParker
ARTIST: Jeff Parker; Ron Randall; Evan “Doc” Shaner
COLORS: Hi-Fi
LETTERS: ALW Studios' Dave Lanphear
COVER: Evan “Doc”Shaner
VARIANT COVER: Paul Renaud
32pp, Color, $3.99 U.S. (October 2016)

Rated “T” for “Teen”

“How the Mighty Fall!”

Future Quest is a comic book series produced by DC Comics that re-imagines and re-interprets the classic sci-fi and superhero television series created by American animation studio, Hanna-Barbera.  Future Quest brings together the stars of the TV programs “Jonny Quest,” “Space Ghost,” “The Herculoids,” “Birdman,” “Frankenstein Jr.,” “The Galaxy Trio,” “The Impossibles,” and “Mightor.”

Future Quest is written by Jeff Parker; colored by Jordie Bellaire; and lettered by Dave Lanphear.  Evan “Doc” Shaner is the series' lead artist, with artists Ron Randall and Steve Rude as frequent contributors.  So far, the main focus of Future Quest is the cast of “Jonny Quest” (referred to as “Team Quest”):  Jonny Quest; his adopted brother, Hadji; his father, Dr. Benton Quest; family bodyguard, Race Bannon; and, of course, Jonny's dog, Bandit.

Future Quest #4 (“How the Mighty Fall!”) opens on the world of Mightor as the hero faces the universal and time-line threat, Omnikron.  Meanwhile, Space Ghost sidekick, Jan, tries to remember her past, with some encouragement from Team Quest.  Two extra stories, “The Structure of Fear” and “Frankenstein Jr. Making Friends,” peak in on the evil Dr. Zin and the terror organization, F.E.A.R., and tells the origin story of Frankenstein Jr., respectively.

I eagerly tore through Future Quest #4 – another whirlwind reading tour of an issue of Future Quest.  I love this comic book because I love classic Hanna-Barbera sci-if/superhero series like “Space Ghost” and “Jonny Quest.”  I also love this series because writer Jeff Parker is gifted in his ability to create pop comics that recall the imaginative, weird, and escapist fun of comic books and TV cartoons past.  This issue, Parker even treats us to some of his comic book art with the story, “The Structure of Fear.”  I did not know that he could draw comics.

I must say that I think that Future Quest will read better, for many readers, in trade paperback form.  For various narrative and production reasons, Future Quest is told in chucks, interludes, chapters, flashbacks, back story, cutaways, etc.  It often seems that Future Quest can never give the reader enough of one thing because it has to jump over to another thing.

Still, Future Quest is DC Comics' best comic book right now.

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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