#IReadsYou Review: BATTLE CHASERS ANTHOLOGY

BATTLE CHASERS ANTHOLOGY

IMAGE COMICS

STORY: Joe Madureira and Munier Sharrieff

PENCILS: Joe Madureira; Adam Warren

INKS: Tom McWeeney with Joe Madureira; Adam Warren

COLORS: Liquid!; Christian Lightner; Aron Lusen; Ryan Kinnaird

LETTERS: Richard Starkings & Comicraft

COVER: Joe Madureira with Grace Liu

ISBN:  978-1-5343-1522-8; paperback (September 25, 2019)

32pp, Colors, 24.99 U.S.

Rated “T/ Teen”

Battle Chasers created by Joe Madureira

Battle Chasers is an American fantasy comic book series created by artist Joe Madureira.  Launched in April 1998, the series was sporadically published for nine issues over a period of a little over three years.  Battle Chasers #1 to #4 (cover dated: April to October 1998) were published by Image Comics' studio, Wildstorm Productions, via its “Cliffhanger” imprint.  Issues #5 to 8 (cover dated: May 1999 to 2001) were published by DC Comics via Wildstorm Productions and its “Cliffhanger” imprint.  The series returned to Image Comics for Battle Chasers #9 (cover dated: September 2001).  Although there was some art produced for a Battle Chasers #10, the issue was never published.

Well, Battle Chasers #10 finally arrives June 14th, 2023 (at least 21 years late) albeit with new series artist.  So I decided to go back and reread the original run, and there is a handy way to do that.

Battle Chasers Anthology, originally published in September 2019, collects every Battle Chasers comics story.  That includes Battle Chasers #1 to 9; the eight-page story from Battle Chasers Prelude (cover dated: February 1998); the 10-page story published in Frank Frazetta Fantasy Illustrated (cover dated: Summer 1998); and the Joe Madureira-Adam Warren “Red Monika: Interlude” serial, which was originally published in Battle Chasers #6 and #9.

[This volumes also includes a 21-page sketchbook section; a 10-page pin-up and illustration gallery; and 27-page cover art gallery.]

Battle Chasers takes place in a “steampunk” nineteenth century-type fantasy world.  It focuses on five main characters.  The first is Gully, a ten-year-old girl who possesses a pair of magical gloves left behind by her father, the great warrior, Aramus, who disappeared.  Next is Garrison, a legendary swordsman and grieving widow; he has a powerful magical sword.  Knolan is a powerful 500-year-old wizard.  His companion is Calibretto, a towering “Wargolem,” who is also an outlaw and the last of his kind.

The four join forces to find Gully's father.  They must also stop four extremely powerful villains that were inadvertently released from imprisonment by the fifth main character, Red Monika, a rogue and a voluptuous bounty hunter.  Meanwhile, the legacy of Aramus, the machinations of King Vaneer of the Unified Territories, and the secrets of Knolan begin to poison everything and everyone around them.

THE LOWDOWN:  I was a huge fan of Joe Madureira a.k.a. “Joe Mad” in the 1990s.  I used to call him “the young master” because his talent, abilities, and art seemed to explode every few months into something even better and more beautiful.  I even collected multiple pages of Joe Mad's original art.

So I was ecstatic when his first creator-owned comic book, Battle Chasers, was announced in 1997.  I was so excited about Battle Chasers when it arrived in the spring of 1998 that I also bought one of the variant covers.  I enjoyed the series, but it was a bit hard to follow because … well, because Mad took two and a half years to deliver nine issues.  For instance, there was a 16-month delay between the publication of Battle Chasers #6 (August 1999, DC Comics) and #7 (January 2001, DC Comics).

In the end, Joe Mad abandoned the series to work in the video game industry and went on to co-found a video game company.  Eventually, he did return to Battle Chasers, and Battle Chasers Anthology was published in 2019.

It is through Battle Chasers Anthology that a reader can see how imaginative, inventive, and fun to read Battle Chasers was and is.  Having the series gathered in one book allows a reader to enjoy the series without waiting months or a year-and-half to read each chapter.  The story flows, so the overall narrative comes across as impressive and well-thought out, and except for some wonky names for people, places, and beings and some awkward dialogue, the script writing by Munier Sharrieff is really good.  Engaging plots, interesting character, and surprising cliffhangers make this an exciting and gripping read.  Battle Chasers is a wild gumbo of video games scenarios, Dungeons & Dragons, and anime and manga.  Still, it is original rather than being a pastiche, although on the surface, it might appear to be as such.

To that end, along with the end of his run on Marvel Comics' Uncanny X-Men, Battle Chasers is peak Joe Mad art.  His creature design for this series is still impressive, and there was nothing like it, at least in American comic books, back then.  Battle Chasers' character design is also quite good, simply because none of the lead characters or main supporting and guests character look remotely alike.

Like Tim Townsend did when he inked Joe Mad, Tom McWeeney uses his inks to control the wild energy and eccentricity that showed itself in Mad's comic book art after he left Battle Chasers.  In the 1990s, I thought that there were no better comic book colorists than Liquid Graphics a.k.a. Liquid!  Twenty years later, the studio's work on this comic book still looks amazing.  Even the lettering by Richard Starkings & Comicraft stands out as exceptional – even today.  I'm starting to believe that, in spite of their lateness, Battle Chasers and the other two original Cliffhanger titles were not only peak 1990s mainstream comic books but also a peak in mainstream comic books in general.

I wanted to read Battle Chasers Anthology just in case I decided to read the finally arrived Battle Chasers #10 (Image Comics).  I enjoyed this collection so much that I feel that I have to at least read this new issue.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS:  Fans of artist Joe Madureira and of his former comic book series, Battle Chasers, will want Battle Chasers Anthology.

A

[This volume includes an introduction by Jeph Loeb and an afterword by Joe Madureira.]

[MISC ART: Joe Madureira; Joe Madureira and Tom McWeeney with Liquid!, Joe Maduriera and Alex Garner; Joe Madureira and Vince Russell; Joe Madureira and Richard Starkings; Ed McGuiness and Liquid!; David Finch and Liquid!; Travis Charest and Richard Friend; Ed McGuiness and Jason Martin with Justin Ponsor; Travis Charest and Richard Friend with Liquid!; Joe Chiodo; Adam Warren with Liquid!; Humberto Ramos and Sandra Hope with Liquid!; J. Scott Campbell and Richard Friend with Liquid!.]

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

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Review: THE IMMORTAL MEN #1

THE IMMORTAL MEN No. 1
DC COMICS – @DCComics

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

STORY: James Tynion IV
PENCILS: Jim Lee and Ryan Benjamin
INKS: Scott Williams and Richard Friend
COLORS: Jeremiah Skipper and Alex Sinclair
LETTERS: Carolos M. Mangual
COVER: Jim Lee and Scott Williams with Alex Sinclair
32pp, Color, $2.99 U.S. (June 2018)

Rated “T” for Teen

The Immortal Men created by James Tynion IV and Jim Lee

“The End of Forever” Part 1

DC Comics has launched a new superhero comics initiative, “The New Age of DC Heroes,” coming out of its Dark Nights: Metal event miniseries.  This line of comic books will consist of eight new comic book series:  The Curse of Brimstone, Damage, New Challengers, Sideways, The Silencer, The Terrifics, The Unexpected, and the subject of this review, The Immortal Men.

The Immortal Men is created by James Tynion IV and Jim Lee.  The series is written by Tynion; drawn by Lee and Ryan Benjamin (pencils) and Scott Williams and Richard Friend (inks); colored by Jeremiah Skipper and Alex Sinclair; and lettered by Carlos M. Mangual.  The series focuses on a young man who is an emerging metahuman and who may also be the last hope for the survival of a group of immortal heroes.

The Immortal Men #1 introduces Ghost Fist, Reload, Stray, and Timber.  They are the last of the “Immortal Men,” protecting humanity from the shadows since the dawn of time.  The Infinite Woman, The Hunt, and the “Bloodless,” are in the process of destroying everything about the Immortal Men.  Their most important target just may be the Immortal Men's savior, Caden Park,  a young man plagued by visions of another world.

The problem with DC Comics' “The New Age of Heroes,” is that while some of the writers and artists involved in this new line are some of the most popular comic book creators, they are not necessarily the most imaginative and inventive.  Sorry, dear readers, to inform you of this.  I love Jim Lee's art, but he has built a career out of drawing some of the most popular comic book characters ever created:  X-Men and The Punisher for Marvel and Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Justice League, etc. for DC Comics – all created by other people.  When Lee created his own “universe” of comic book creations, the result, the “Wildstorm Universe,” was mixed, with characters that are not iconic or legendary... or particularly popular, for that matter.

The grade of “B-” that I am giving The Immortal Men #1 is generous because I am a fan of both Lee and this series co-artist, Ryan Benjamin.  However, this concept is mediocre material that is a rehash of other people's work, ideas, and concepts – Warren Ellis and John Cassaday's Planetary and Alan Moore and Kevin O'Neill's The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, for example.

Yet, I am intrigued by The Immortal Men.  I hope that James Tynion IV can deliver a better script than what is in this issue; he is certainly capable of it, as I have enjoyed quite a bit of his writing.  The problem is that in a distressed market, as the comic book Direct Market currently is, star creators put their names on comic book product that they would not accept for publication from unknown or new comic book creators – such as The Immortal Men.

5.5 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 blog for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

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Review: NEW SUPER-MAN #1

NEW SUPER-MAN No. 1
DC COMICS – @DCComics

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

WRITERS: Gene Luen Yang
PENCILS: Viktor Bogdanovic
INKS: Richard Friend
COLORS: Hi-Fi
LETTERS: Dave Sharpe
COVER: Viktor Bogdanovic with Kelsey Shannon
VARIANT COVER: Bernard Chang
40pp, Color, $2.99 U.S. (September 2016)

Rated “T” for “Teen”

Superman created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster

“Made in China” Part One

DC Comics is having a “Rebirth,” and that means lots of new comic book series.  One of the new titles is New Super-Man, which uses Superman creators Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster's original spelling for the Man of Steel, whom they named “The Super-Man.”  Even the “S” shield on this “New Super-Man” recalls Joe Shuster's original “S.”

New Super-Man is written by Gene Luen Yang; drawn by Viktor Bogdanovic (pencils) and Richard Friend (inks); colored by Hi-Fi; and lettered by Dave Sharpe.  The series is set in China and introduces “The Super-Man of China.”

New Super-Man #1 (“Made in China” Part One) opens in Shanghai, China.  We meet our lead character, Kenan Kong, who is bullying rich kid, Luo Lixin.  However, Kenan ends up saving Luo from Blue Condor, one of Shanghai's first American-style supervillains and a dangerous dude to boot.  Kenan's interaction with Blue Condor brings him into contact with the Ministry of Self-Reliance, a meeting that will change his life in unbelievable ways.

It is not often that I call a comic book cute, even when describing children's comics, but New Super-Man #1 is cute.  It is an amusing, mildly intriguing, pleasantly entertaining comic book, and while I wouldn't go out of my way to read it, I will read it when the occasion arises – if for no other reason than that I am also intrigued by the Chinese versions of Batman and Wonder Woman.

The art by the team of penciller Viktor Bogdanovic and inker Richard Friend is gorgeous.  That alone tempts me to return to this title.  The New Super-Man has the potential to be a good book, especially with Gene Luen Yang as the writer, but something tells me that the series could just as easily become just another tepid superhero title.

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 #5

ALL STAR BATMAN No. 5
DC COMICS – @DCComics

STORY: Scott Snyder
PENCILS: John Romita, Jr.
INKS: Danny Miki, Tom Palmer, Sandra Hope, and Richard Friend
COLORS: Dean White
LETTERS: Steve Wands
COVER: John Romita, Jr. and Danny Miki with Dean White
VARIANT COVERS: Jock; Declan Shalvey with Jordie Bellaire
40pp, Color, $4.99 U.S. (February 2017)

Rated “T” for Teen

Batman created by Bob Kane and Bill Finger

“My Own Worst Enemy” Finale

All-Star Batman is the recently launched Batman comic book that is written by superstar writer Scott Snyder and drawn by superstar artists and hot up-and-coming comic book-drawing talent.  The first story arc, the five-issue “My Own Worst Enemy,” is drawn by John Romita, Jr. (pencils) and Danny Miki (inks); colored by Dean White; and lettered by Steve Wands.

In “My Own Worst Enemy,” Batman and Harvey Dent/Two-Face are on a 498-mile journey to a house, where young Bruce Wayne and young Harvey Dent lived together as almost-brothers for a short while.  Now, Dent wants to go back to that house to find something that will be life-changing for him.  As a threat to keep Batman from interfering, Two-Face has promised to publicly reveal the dark secrets of Gotham's criminal overlords.  Now, Batman and Harvey Dent/Two-Face, with Batman's new partner, Duke, in tow, fight to reach their destination with some of Gotham's most lethal killers on their heels.

All-Star Batman #5 (“My Own Worst Enemy” Finale) opens with Batman and Two-Face practically at the last miles of their destination.  However, Batman is battered and the KGBeast wants to batter him some more, forcing Batman to protect both his and Duke's lives, as well as the life of Two-Face.  Now, Batman must outwit his pursuers and Two-Face, while back in Gotham, Commissioner Jim Gordon and the Gotham City Police Department are just feet away from discovering the secrets of the Batcave.

While I did not always like every issue of Scott Snyder's 2011 to 2016 run on Batman, I do believe that his off-beat storytelling did serve to liberate Batman the character from a 25-year malaise.  This rut resulted because practically every DC Comics editor and most Batman writers chose to follow the tone of Frank Miller's seminal Batman: The Dark Knight Returns.

Snyder made the Dark Knight/Detective less Batman-as-Clint Eastwood and more Batman-as-Bruce Wayne-on-a-mission.  Snyder returned the man to Batman, showing the humanity in the hero.  Snyder carried that over into All-Star Batman, where Snyder depicts a Bat-Man in stories that are action-thrillers.  All-Star Batman's tone and graphic aesthetic is almost like the “wide screen” action of Warren Ellis and Bryan Hitch's The Authority from the 1999-2000.  However, in All-Star Batman, Snyder cops the edgy, speedy, thrill-ride, action movie aspect of Chris Nolan's “The Dark Knight” trilogy, especially 2008's The Dark Knight.

Of course, Snyder needs a graphical storyteller and comic book artist that can pull that off.  John Romita, Jr. does big.  He does edgy.  He does kick-ass.  Here, Romita is cinematographer, designer, art director/set decorator, and stage director.  Danny Miki's electric inking adds the zing.  And yeah, Dean White is still smashing booty with his coloring.  Even Steve Wands' lettering is explosive.

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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I Reads You Review: WONDER WOMAN #36

WONDER WOMAN #36
DC COMICS – @DCComics

WRITERS: Meredith Finch
PENCILS: David Finch
INKS: Richard Friend
COLORS: Sonia Oback
LETTERS: Sal Cipriano
COVER/VARIANT COVER: David Finch and Richard Friend with Sonia Oback
32pp, Color, $2.99 U.S. (January 2015)

Wonder Woman created by William Moulton Marston

“War-Torn” Chapter 1

I have not read a Wonder Woman comic book since I read The New 52 re-launch, Wonder Woman #1, back in the fall of 2011.  There is a new creative team on the monthly Wonder Woman series:  writer Meredith Finch, penciller David Finch, inker Richard Friend, colorist Sonia Oback, and letterer Sal Cipriano.  So I decided to try this team's first issue.

DC Comics is adamant about not providing a synopsis on the first page of each issue of its comic books the way Marvel Comics does.  I think DC refuses to have a first-page synopsis simply because Marvel does it.  Anyway, beware of my synopsis because I had to do some research of my own.

Wonder Woman #36 (“War-Torn” Chapter 1) opens with the depiction of a rural village being destroyed by raging flood waters.  It is apparently just one of many villages destroyed by environmental catastrophes.  This springs Wonder Woman a.k.a. Diana and the rest of the Justice League:  Superman, Batman, Aquaman, Flash, and Cyborg, into action.  Swamp Thing is also investigating these disasters, unbeknownst to the League.

Meanwhile, unrest stirs on Paradise Island (which DC has been calling Themyscira for years), the home of Wonder Woman/Diana and the Amazons.  Apparently, there was some kind of conflict on the island, and males, formerly forbidden, now reside there, which enrages some Amazons.  Diana is now the God of War, and in charge of Paradise Island because her mother, Queen Hippolyta, is now a clay statue (!).  That last thing is now also in a state of flux.

I had planned on reading more than one issue of Brian Azzarello and Cliff Chiang's New 52 Wonder Woman and never got a round to it, though I still plan on doing it.  I am intrigued enough by this new Finch and Finch production to read more.  If anything, I love the art by Finch, Friend, and Oback.  It's gorgeous, and Finch's Wonder Woman recalls the pin-up girl art of his former Top Cow Productions stablemate, the late Mike Turner (may he rest in peace drawing nekkid pictures and near-nekkid pictures of the buxom beauties that share Heaven with him).

I think I'll make a harder (clears throat) attempt to follow Wonder Woman now.

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux


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

Albert Avilla Reviews: Justice League #13

Justice League #13
DC Comics

Reviewed by Albert Avilla

Writer: Geoff Johns
Pencils: Tony S. Daniel
Inks: Richard Friend and Batt

The Secret of the Cheetah (Spoilers!)

Johns is getting me interested in the League. Superman and Wonder Woman continue the Kiss. Where is this going? Do we want Superman running around all frustrated? We don't linger long on the love story. The next scene is a throw down between Wonder Woman and the Cheetah. Awesome splash page gets the action started. After a few good rounds, Cheetah knocks Wonder Woman the f.... out. Batman and Aquaman question Trevor about Cheetah to give us a little background information.

Back at the satellite, Superman gets some time alone with Wonder Woman. Yeah! he wants some of that Amazon loving. Who's going to be the artist for that Scene? Cyborg admits to not having a life. He needs to go out and find his own archenemy or two. All the other superheroes don't have enough time in the day to put all the criminals in jail and he's sitting around moping. The team tracks Cheetah to the Congo where she proceeds to throw down on the whole team. She bites Superman in the process, and we end up with Cheetah Superman.

We get a Justice League of America and the Superman crossover H"El on Earth preview. Man, I need a better job. I can't afford all of these books.

Mr. Johns is earning his spot on the flagship of DC Comics. Action, mystery, exotic locales, and sexual tension: what more can you ask for in a story? Not a dull moment and hot chicks kicking that ass.

If Jim Lee is not the artist anymore, then, Tony Daniel is the next best thing. The fight in Central Park and the waterfall in the Congo were worth the price of admission. The cover had me before I saw a page. Tony Daniel is a premier artist.

I rate Justice League # 13 Buy Your Own Copy.  #2 (of 5) Al-O-Meter Ranking

The New 52 Review: BATMAN: THE DARK KNIGHT #1

"This Batman is fo' reals, y'all!"

BATMAN: THE DARK KNIGHT #1
DC COMICS

PLOT: Paul Jenkins and David Finch
WRITER: Paul Jenkins
PENCILS: David Finch
INKS: Richard Friend
COLORS: Alex Sinclair
LETTERS: Sal Cipriano
32pp, Color, $2.99 U.S.

Late last year, DC Comics launched a new Batman comic book series, Batman: The Dark Knight (#1, cover date January 2011). The series was written and penciled by David Finch. It dealt with Bruce Wayne’s life in Gotham City, with an emphasis on the commitments, relationships, connections he has in the city.

Now, a new volume of Batman: The Dark Knight is the fourth Batman comic book series to come from “The New 52,” DC Comics re-launch of its superhero comic book line. As I read it, this book features a Batman that is older, smarter, more powerful, and certainly more dangerous. I would say that he is 30-something, maybe even late 30’s. He acts and sounds like a police officer, and in the opening scenes, Batman is a very self-assured superhero.

Batman: The Dark Knight #1 (“Knight Terrors”) opens with Bruce Wayne attending one of those social gatherings that involve charity and very rich and successful men, like Wayne, making speeches. All is not clean and neat, as Bruce has to entertain a sleazy Senator and fend off an aggressive officer from Gotham City Police Department Internal Affairs. The beautiful Jaina Hudson makes the night interesting, however. Meanwhile, all hell has broken loose at Arkham Asylum, and Two-Face seems to be the focal point.

Setting the initial action and conflict of a first issue at a high society party doesn’t seem like a smart move on the part of co-plotters David Finch and Paul Jenkins, who wrote the script. That would be true if Finch and Jenkins weren’t setting up what seems like a more dangerous Gotham; don’t turn your back, Bruce, to anyone – unless you’re ready to take on the knife. Add Arkham sequences, and Batman: The Dark Knight will need a Batman who is a seriously dark knight. The storytelling is not as polished as it is in the new Detective Comics and new Batman and Robin, but it could get there.

The art by the team of Finch, Richard Friend (inks), and Alex Sinclair (colors) is quite good. By now, Finch’s pencils no longer really resemble the pencil art of Marc Silverstri, Brandon Peterson, Jim Lee, or whoever may have influenced him – not really. Some of the faces Finch draws quite frankly look bizarre, and in one case, what looks like an ugly top lip is really a mustache. Still, there are moments of brilliance: the two-page spreads on pages 2 and 3 and on 12 and 13 (of the story) and also the final page, which has an EC Comics quality.

B+