#IReadsYou Review: LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES #1

LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES #1 (2020)
DC COMICS – @DCComics

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

SCRIPT: Brian Michael Bendis
PENCILS: Ryan Sook
INKS: Ryan Sook and Wade von Grawbadger
COLORS: Jordie Bellaire
LETTERS: Dave Sharpe
EDITOR: Brian Cunningham
COVER: Ryan Sook
VARIANT COVER ARTISTS: Ryan Sook; Jim Cheung with Romulo Fajardo, Jr.
32pp, Color, $3.99 U.S. (January 2020)

Rated “T+” for “Teen Plus”

Legion of Super-Heroes created by  writer Otto Binder and artist Al Plastino; Superboy created by Jerry Siegel

The Legion of Super-Heroes is a DC Comics superhero team created by writer Otto Binder and artist Al Plastino.  First appearing in Adventure Comics #247 (cover dated: April 1958), the Legion is a group of super-powered beings living in the 30th and 31st centuries of the DC Comics Universe.

Initially, the Legion of Super-Heroes was portrayed as a group of time travelers and was closely associated with the original version of Superboy.  [Created by Superman co-creator Jerry Siegel, the original Superboy was depicted as Superman/Clark Kent being a superhero when he was a teenager.]  It was in Adventure Comics #247 that Superboy met three teenagers from the 30th century:  Lightning Boy, Saturn Girl, and Cosmic Boy.  They were members of a “super-hero club,” called the “Legion of Super-Heroes,” that had been formed with Superboy as its inspiration.

Lightning Boy, Saturn Girl, and Cosmic Boy had time traveled to the past to recruit Superboy as a member of their club.  After a series of tests, Superboy was awarded membership and returned to his own time.  Strangely, this adventure was intended as a one-off story focusing on Superboy, but the Legion of Super-Heroes proved so popular that the team returned for an encore in Adventure Comics #267 (December 1959), on their way to being a stable of the DC Comics.

The Legion's origin story has been rebooted a few times, and Superboy's part in the Legion's origin story has been omitted or altered.  Legion of Super-Heroes comic book series have come and gone, but the popular team has returned in a new series, entitled Legion of Super-Heroes, of course.  It is written by Brian Michael Bendis; drawn by Ryan Sook (pencils) and Wade von Grawbadger (inks); colored by Jordie Bellaire; and lettered by Dave Sharpe.  The new series focuses on a Legion that has banded together to stop the galaxy from repeating its past mistakes.

Legion of Super-Heroes #1 finds Ultra Boy chasing a murderous group of aliens belonging to the race known as “the Horraz.”  In these alien's possession is a canister that contains an ancient and powerful device, and they were apparently delivering it to “Mordru” the demon gangster.  Luckily, Legionnaires Karate Kid, Wildfire, and Star Boy arrive to help Ultra Boy.

Meanwhile, the Legion of Super-Heroes has pulled Superboy/Jon Kent from the time stream with the intent of making him the newest Legionnaire.  By doing this, however, the Legion may have done something terribly wrong.

I recently came across an interview of writer Brian Michael Bendis in which he said that he wanted to do upbeat stories set in the future.  In this new Legion of Super-Heroes #1, Bendis has written his best first issue for DC Comics since his tenure began in 2018.  It is indeed exciting and spiffy and full of bubbly Legionnaires, to say nothing of their awesome headquarters.  I am not a devoted Legion of Super-Heroes fan, so I am happy with this first issue, although I don't know if it will satisfy the biggest Legion fans.  I would like to see future issues really delve into the characters.

Ryan Sook's art recalls DC Comics' space age and early Silver Age comic book art.  The storytelling is clear, and Wade von Grawbadger's inks give Sook's pencils weight and heft.  Grawbadger's inks also make Sook's pencils look like the pencil art of Stuart Immonen, with whom Grawbadger has formed one of the best art teams of the last several years.

As usual Jordie Bellaire's colors are a delight.  Here, she gives some of the pages candy-colored hints. Dave Sharpe's sharp lettering completes the futuristic vibe of the story.  And Ryan Sook's cover art for this first issue will make it stand out on comic book shelves.

So, yeah, this is only the first issue, but I'm excited for a Legion of Super-Heroes comic book series in a way that I have not been in decades.  I don't know if it will make me a devoted Legionnaire, but I really like the start for Legion of Super-Heroes 2020.

8 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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#IReadsYou Review: FALLEN ANGELS #1

FALLEN ANGELS #1 (2020)
MARVEL COMICS – @Marvel

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

STORY: Bryan Hill
ART: Szymon Kudranski
COLORS: Frank D'Armata
LETTERS: VC's Joe Sabino
EDITOR: Jordan D. White
EiC: Akria Yoshida a.k.a. “C.B. Cebulski”
COVER: Ashley Witter
VARIANT COVER ARTISTS: Mark Bagley and John Dell with Israel Silva; Gabriele Dell'Otto; Greg Land with Frank D'Armata; Pepe Larraz with David Curiel; Rob Liefeld with Romul Fajardo, Jr.; and Tom Muller
44pp, Color, $4.99 U.S. (January 2020)

Rated T+

The X-Men created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby; Fallen Angels created by Jo Duffy and Kerry Gammill

“Bushido”

The X-Men are a Marvel Comics superhero team and franchise created by writer-editor Stan Lee and writer-artist Jack Kirby.  The X-Men #1 (cover dated: September 1963) introduced readers to a professor and his students who had unique powers and abilities because they were “mutants.”

One of the X-Men spin-off titles was Fallen Angels.  Created by writer Jo Duffy and artist Kerry Gammill, Fallen Angels was more accurately a spin-off of the X-Men spin-off, The New Mutants.  The Fallen Angels was a team that featured two New Mutants, Sunspot and Warlock, and Boom-Boom of X-Factor.  The team's only appearance was in the eight-issue miniseries, Fallen Angels (cover dated:  April to November 1987).

This past summer (2019), writer Jonathan Hickman revamped, rebooted, and re-imagined the X-Men comic book franchise via a pair of six-issue comic book miniseries, House of X and Powers of X (pronounced “Powers of Ten”).  October 2019 welcomed “Dawn of X,” the launch of six new X-Men titles.  The new series are Excalibur, Marauders, New Mutants, X-Force, X-Men, and the subject of this review, Fallen Angels.

Fallen Angels 2020 is written by Bryan Hill; drawn by Szymon Kudranski; colored by Frank D'Armata, and lettered by Joe Sabino.  Fallen Angels focuses on the outsiders of Krakoa, mutants who don't belong in paradise because of their anti-heroic pasts.

Fallen Angels #1 (“Bushido”) opens as Kwannon does something bad.  Meanwhile, on Krakoa, the living island and mutant nation-state, Psylocke is in a state of meditation, in this new world of “Mutantkind,” unsure of her place in it.  But she gets a warning, a demand that she face a new threat, a god named “Apoth,” and it seems as if Psylocke's past is starting to come back to her.  Seeking the aid of Mr. Sinister and gathering the mutant warriors, Cable and X-23, to her side, Psylocke begins her personal mission of revenge.

I have come across commentary on the inter-webs that Fallen Angels is the best of the first wave of “Dawn of X” titles.  I am sorely disappointed to say that I have practically nothing to say about it.  The first issue barely registers with me, which is surprising.  I am a fan of Bryan Hill's writing, and his potent, forceful storytelling always moves something in me.  I'll check in on Fallen Angels later, but I still think that fans of this new X-Men direction should check out at least the first issue of all six titles.  In the meantime, I don't have a grade for Fallen Angels #1.

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


The text is copyright © 2020 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint and  syndication rights and fees.

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Review: SAVAGE AVENGERS #1

SAVAGE AVENGERS No. 1
MARVEL COMICS – @Marvel

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

STORY: Gerry Duggan
ART: Mike Deodato, Jr.
COLORS: Frank Martin
LETTERS: VC's Travis Lanham
EDITOR: Tom Brevoort
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: Akira Yoshida a.k.a. “C.B. Cebulski”
COVER: David Finch with Frank D'Armata
VARIANT COVERS: Simone Bianchi with Simone Peruzzi; Mike Deodato, Jr. with Frank Martin; Moebius; Skottie Young; Leinil Francis Yu with Romulo Fajardo, Jr.
36pp, Color, $4.99 U.S. (July 2019)

Rated “Parental Advisory”

Avengers created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby

Chapter One: “Once Upon a Time in the City of Sickles”

The Avengers are Marvel Comics' premiere team of superheroes.  Known as “Earth's Mightiest Heroes,” the team made its debut in The Avengers #1 (cover dated:  September 1963) and were created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby.

Conan the Cimmerian is a “sword and sorcery” character created by Robert E. Howard (REH).  Conan first appeared in the pulp fiction magazine, Weird Tales (1932).  Conan lived in Howard's fictional “Hyborian Age” and was a mercenary, outlaw, pirate, thief, warrior, and eventually a king, but because of his tribal origins, some characters that encountered him thought of Conan as a barbarian.  In 1970, Marvel Comics brought Conan to the world of comic books with the series, Conan the Barbarian.

Conan the Barbarian teams-up with Wolverine, The Punisher, Venom, Elektra and Doctor Voodoo to give the Avengers a savage spin in the new comic book series, Savage Avengers.  This ongoing title is written by Gerry Duggan; drawn by Mike Deodato, Jr.; colored by Frank Martin; and lettered by Travis Lanham.  The premise of this team-up is that these heroes, anti-heroes, and villains must work together to put an end to the machinations of the evil wizards of Conan’s world who have start trading spells with The Hand, the infamous ninja organization.

Savage Avengers #1 (“Once Upon a Time in the City of Sickles”) opens with a famous opera singer who is kidnapped and spirited away to The Savage Land, specifically the “City of Sickles.”  There a menacing man known as the “Cult Leader” kills the opera singer and throws his body into a giant bowl.  This bowl is filled with the bloody and broken corpses of some of mankind's best artists, thinkers, and warriors.  But more is needed if this cult is going to summon a brutal dark god, “Jhoatun Lau, the Marrow God,” who resides on a mysterious planet beyond Pluto.

Meanwhile, Conan, looking for priceless jewel now in the Savage Land, runs into Wolverine.  Suddenly, two of the fiercest, most vicious, and most brutal warriors of two worlds will fight, apparently to the death.  Meanwhile, Frank Castle a.k.a. The Punisher makes a discovery that will summon his dark side.

I was interested in Savage Avengers when I read the first announcement about it, but I was not interested enough to read it right away.  I recently came upon a copy of Savage Avengers #1, and, after putting it off, decided to read it.  Wow, I must say I enjoyed it.  Most of this issue depicts a brutal, hack-and-slash, stab-and-stab-again battle between Conan and Wolverine.  Still, writer Gerry Duggan offers a dark and interesting scenario – a giant bowl containing a pool of blood and ofal – and a scary-sounding dark god.

As usual Mike Deodato, Jr. presents beautiful art.  His art is an illustrated symphony of sharp line work and precision crosshatching.  Deodato's graphical storytelling suggests classic horror comics, and Frank Martin's colors are the perfect accompaniment to Deodato's night music art.  Deodato and Martin's depiction of Jhoatun Lau makes the geek in me holler, Awesome!

Letter Travis Lanham also plays music, the ebb and flow offering different levels of intensity.  Lanham goes from intense and loud (Conan vs. Wolverine) to menacing intensity (the cult).  I'm shocked by how much I like Savage Avengers #1, but I am looking for more issues.

8 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 syndication rights and fees.

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Review: MAJOR X #1

MAJOR X No. 1 (OF 6)
MARVEL COMICS – @Marvel

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

STORY: Rob Liefeld
PENCILS: Rob Liefeld
INKS: Rob Liefeld with Adelso Corona and Dan Fraga
COLORS: Romulo Fajardo, Jr.
LETTERS: VC's Joe Sabino
EDITOR: Jordan D. White
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: Akira Yoshida a.k.a. C.B. Cebulski
COVER: Rob Liefeld and Romulo Fajardo, Jr.
VARIANT COVER: Whilce Portacio with Romulo Fajardo, Jr.
36pp, Color, $4.99 U.S. (June 2019)

X-Men created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby; Major X created by Rob Liefeld

Comic book writer, artist, and publisher, Rob Liefeld started working at Marvel Comics in 1989.  He drew the cover of New Mutants #85 and became the series artist and co-plotter with issue #86 (February 1990).  However, it was with New Mutants #87 (March 1990), Liefeld's presence and creativity exploded on Marvel Comics, as that issue introduced one of Liefeld's first, big-time (co-) creations, the mutant warrior-hero, Cable.

In New Mutants #98 (February 1991), Liefeld and his collaborators sprang his greatest (co-) creation, Deadpool, on the world.  Deadpool is probably the most famous superhero character introduced during the last three decades.  Two live-action feature films starring the character have grossed over 1.5 billion dollars in global box office.

Liefeld and Marvel would later launch a new X-Men comic book series, X-Force, in 1991, but less than a year later, X-Force #9 (April 1992) marked the end of three years of edgy new characters and explosive character redesigns, as Liefeld left Marvel to begin his own publishing ventures.  Four years later, however, Liefeld would return to Marvel Comics in 1996, the first of two decades of an on-again, off-again Marvel Comics-Rob Liefeld relationship.

Rob is back at Marvel again to introduce a... new mutant character, Major X.  The character is the star of a six-issue miniseries, entitled Major X, that will ship twice a month from April to June 2019.  Liefeld will write the series.  The first issue is drawn by Liefeld (pencils and inks) with Adelso Corona and Dan Fraga (inks); colored by Romulo Fajardo Jr.; and lettered by Joe Sabino.  Other artists will also provide art for series.

Major X #1 opens with a strange visitor appearing at the Xavier School for Gifted Youngsters (a.k.a. “the X-Mansion”).  He is called “Major X,” and he is from another dimension or plane of existence known as “the X-istence.”  He needs Cable's help, but Cable just wants to hit Major X.  Plus, Deadpool fights a familiar-looking foe, and Wolverine steps in.

Once upon a time, I was a regular reader of Rob Liefeld's X-Men related comics and other stuff he did for Marvel.  I even tried to read Liefeld's mostly unreadable Image Comics title, Youngblood, but I gave up after the fourth issue or so.  If I remember correctly, Liefeld took one year to deliver all four issues.  Maybe, Youngblood is where it all went wrong for Liefeld.

His early Marvel work (1989-92) had spark.  No one had seen anything like it before.  Liefeld's art, with its screwy dynamics and incorrect compositions, leaped off the page.  His graphical style seemed perfect for superhero comics.  For various reasons (such as his inability to keep a consistent publishing schedule), the novelty wore off.  It is as if Liefeld had his time, and then, he and his work were things that just cropped up to remind readers of what was and what could have been – once upon a time...

Major X is like that:  once upon a time, this would have been something really fun.  Major X and Rob Liefeld don't seem as desperate as Madonna to still be relevant; they both want to be something hot.  Liefeld's drawing might still be tolerable... to some, but his writing and storytelling are as poor as ever.  Romulo Fajardo Jr.'s coloring is quite pretty, though.

Maybe, Marvel Comics, Liefeld, and collector-minded fans hope that Major X will be another Deadpool (by far Liefeld's most famous and popular comic book creation).  Yeah, if Major X does become a hot character, great... for Marvel and Liefeld.  I wish the comic book Major X #1 had tried to be great.  Maybe, the rest of this series will be...

4 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: STAR WARS: Vader - Dark Visions #1

STAR WARS: VADER – DARK VISIONS No. 1
MARVEL COMICS – @Marvel

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

STORY: Dennis “Hopeless” Hallum
ART: Paolo Villanelli
COLORS: Arif Prianto
LETTERS: VC's Joe Caramagna
EDITOR: Mark Paniccia
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: Akira Yoshida a.k.a. C.B. Cebulski
COVER: Greg Smallwood
VARIANT COVER ARTISTS: Giuseppe Camuncoli & Elia Bonetti; Leinil Franics Yu with Romulo Fajardo, Jr.
36pp, Color, $4.99 U.S. (May 2019)

Rated T

“Part 1 of 5

Star Wars: Vader – Dark Visions is a new five-issue, Star Wars comic book miniseries from Marvel Comics.  The series presents characters who view the Star Wars universe's ultimate villain, Darth Vader, in ways that are different from how most familiar Star Wars characters view the Sith Lord.  Star Wars: Vader – Dark Visions is written by Dennis “Hopeless” Hallum.  The art team for the first issue is comprised of illustrator Paolo Villanelli; colorist Arif Prianto; and letterer Joe Caramagna.

Star Wars: Vader – Dark Visions #1 opens on a lush green, but devastated world where we meet a young native boy.  The boy, who also narrates this story, refers to his world as “Cianap.”  His people live underground, but enjoy a brief time above ground, a time called “the Slumber.”  While enjoying the current season of the Slumber, our narrator witnesses a fireball that explodes above Cianap's atmosphere.  This conflagration is the result of a fierce battle above the planet between forces of the Galactic Empire and of the Rebel Alliance.

One of the participants in the battle is Darth Vader, whose TIE fighter is damaged, forcing him to crash land on Cianap.  When Vader emerges from his fighter, to the boy, he looks like a “Black Knight.”  To the boy, this Black Knight may be the one to save his world from the god called “Ender.”

Fans of the Star Wars Expanded Universe, especially the Star Wars novels, remember the series of novels now known as the “Thrawn trilogy.”  In the second novel of the three, Dark Force Rising (1992), Princess Leia visits the planet, Honoghr, where the denizens of the world view Darth Vader as a savior (a matter which turns out to be a bit more complicated).  When I first read the novel, I became intrigued by the idea of people and sentient beings who viewed Vader as some kind of hero or savior, especially people that did not directly serve or work for the Empire.  In the years since, I have waited for someone to take that idea present in Dark Force Rising and expand on it.

In this standalone story that is Star Wars: Vader – Dark Visions #1, the writer Dennis Hallum (who previously wrote under the pen name, “Dennis Hopeless”) offers a nice tale that satisfies may craving for Vader-as-hero.  Hallum's story has a fairy tale quality, and it strips Darth Vader of the complexities that surround the character and focuses on his power and on the striking nature of his black costume-suit and physicality.  At thirty pages in length, this story, which is more like a campfire tale, is a nice Star Wars tale, a desert for readers who are used to the main Star Wars narratives, which often seem like the storytelling equivalent of a elaborate, dark, and heavy 12-course meal.

Artist Paolo Villanelli's illustrations for Star Wars: Vader – Dark Visions #1 have an eye-catching quality and remind me of the work of Bryan Hitch.  Villanelli's storytelling here is stirring and always seems to be striving forward, carrying the reader just as the boy-narrator is dragged along by the circumstances of an epic battle.  Colorist Arif Prianto offers a muted palette that still manages to make the story crackle, and, as usual, Joe Caramagna delivers lettering that makes the story bigger.

I hope the rest of Star Wars: Vader – Dark Visions is like this really nice first issue.  I heartily recommend it to Star Wars comic book readers.  And it gives me what I want – characters who have a view askew of Darth Vader.

8 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 syndication rights and fees.

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Review: STAR WARS: Age of Republic - Qui-Gon Jinn #1

STAR WARS: AGE OF REPUBLIC – QUI-GON JINN No. 1
MARVEL COMICS – @Marvel

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

STORY: Jody Houser
PENCILS: Cory Smith
INKS: Walden Wong
COLORS: Java Tartaglia
LETTERS: VC's Travis Lanham
EDITOR: Mark Paniccia
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: Akira Yoshida a.k.a. C.B. Cebulski
COVER: Paolo Rivera
VARIANT COVER ARTISTS: Cory Smith with Romulo Fajardo, Jr.; Giuseppe Camuncoli with Elia Bonetti; Mike McKone with Guru-eFX
28pp, Color, $3.99 U.S. (February 2019)

Rated T

“Balance”

Qui-Gon Jinn, a Jedi Knight, was one of the breakout characters in Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace.  He was killed in that movie, but his presence was a fixture in later films and animated television series, directly and indirectly.

Marvel Comics is currently publishing a new Star Wars maxi-series project that comprises three books:  Star Wars: Age of Republic, Star Wars: Age of Rebellion, and Star Wars: Age of Resistance.  This project will span 30 issues in total (reportedly), with each issue spotlighting one hero or villain from one of three particular Star Wars eras:  Republic (prequel trilogy), Rebellion (original trilogy), and Resistance (sequel trilogy).

Star Wars: Age of Republic – Qui-Gon Jinn #1 (“Balance”) was the first release (December 2018) in the nine-issue Age of Republic series.  It is written by Jody Houser; drawn by Cory Smith (pencils) and Walden Wong (inks); colored by Java Tartaglia; and lettered by Travis Lanham.  The story is set sometime before the events depicted in The Phantom Menace.

The story entitled “Balance,” opens on the planet of “Bri'n.”  Qui-Gon was trying to negotiate a peace between Mistress Th'er, the “Priestess of the Wood,” who wants to save the trees of the planet and the “Metal Clan,” who want to cut down the trees.  Ultimately, Qui-Gon and his padewan, Obi-Wan Kenobi, have to take Th'er back to Coruscant, much to her chagrin.

Troubled by what happened on Bri'n, Qui-Gon has a philosophical discussion with Master Yoda of the Jedi Council.  The result of this conversation is that Qui-Gon seeks a place where he can commune with the Force, but only the Force will decide this place of communion.

Star Wars: Age of Republic – Qui-Gon Jinn #1 is a nice read.  Perhaps, here, writer Jody Houser is offering a tale that is a little stronger than the one she offers in Star Wars: Age of Republic – Darth Maul #1.  “Balance,” with its refusal to offer concrete answers, seems to personify the Qui-Gon of The Phantom Menace, a Jedi conflicted about the state of things concerning and surrounding the Jedi.

Artist Cory Smith is certainly a good Star Wars comic book artist.  The environments, characters, costumed, ships, etc.:  Smith illustrations here are convincing, and Walden Wong's inking makes Smith's pencils seem solid.  That is good thing in a story that can be a bit dreamy and ethereal in places.  Java Tartaglia's coloring is quite good, especially on the Bri'n scenes and in the “dream” sequence.  Travis Lanham keeps his lettering unobtrusive, but he tells the story in an effective manner while his lettering seems to blend into the scenery of the story.

I would like more of Star Wars: Age of Republic – Qui-Gon Jinn #1.  In fact, like all the Age of Republic comic books, this one especially should be a double issue.

7 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: MICRONAUTS #1

MICRONAUTS No. 1 (2016)
IDW PUBLISHING – @IDWPublishing

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

WRITER: Cullen Bunn
ARTIST – Breakdowns: David Baldeón
ARTISTS – Finishes: Fico Ossio; Max Dunbar; Jack Lawrence; David Baldeón
COLORS: David Garcia Cruz; Joana Lafuente, Thomas Deer; John-Paul Bove
LETTERS: Tom B. Long
COVER: J.H. Williams III
VARIANT COVERS: David Baldeón with David Garcia Cruz; Gabriel Rodriguez with Nelson Daniel; Jack Rivera (photographer); Casey W. Coller with John-Paul Bove; Butch Guice with Joana Lafuente; Michael Golden; Darick Robertson with Joana Lafuente; Adam Hughes; Stuart Sayger; Rob Liefeld with Romulo Fajardo, Jr.
40pp, Color, $4.99 U.S. (April 2016)

Micronauts was a toy line that now-defunct toy company Mego manufactured and marketed, beginning in the mid-1970s and ending in 1980.  This science fiction-themed line was based on Japanese toy company Takara's “Microman” toy line.  Mego licensed Microman and other similar toys to create the Micronauts, which were both repackaged Microman toys and also modified and reconfigured versions of both Microman and other Takara toys.

In 1979, Marvel Comics began publishing The Micronauts, a comic book featuring a group of characters based on Mego's Micronauts toy line and also a few original characters Marvel created to appear in The Micronauts.  Marvel ceased publishing comic books based on the Micronauts in 1986.  In the 21st century, Image Comics and Devil's Due Publishing each published its own Micronauts comics for a short period of time.

Last year, IDW Publishing, which seems to specialize in publishing comic books based on licensed properties, announced that it had obtained the license to publish Micronauts comic books.  IDW recently published the first issue of Micronauts.  This series is written (and apparently conceptualized) by Cullen Bunn.  Artist David Baldeón provides the character designs and conceptual art, and draws the breakdowns from which several illustrators provide the finished art.

Micronauts #1 opens on the planet Saqqura where five Biotrons face the wrath of the “entropy storm” that rages against the planet.  Later, on Micropolis-12, Oziron “Oz” Rael and the crew of the “Heliopolis” find themselves tempted by a local crime boss.  Soon, Oz is leading Phenolo-Phi (Space Glider), Acroyear, and their guest, an “orbital defender,” named Larissa into what is either a big score or a big trap.

From its snazzy J.H. Williams III cover to its colorful interiors, Micronauts #1 sure is a pretty comic book.  It was hard to miss it on the shelf of a local comic book shop; to me, it stood out like a pretty candle on Bay Street.  The spiffy new character designs by David Baldeón are eye-candy and are obviously influenced by animation and anime.  I like them; these designs would make cool toys.

This first issue gives the reader just a taste of the opening story line, but I'm betting that the cliffhanger ending will make a large percentage of people who bought this first issue come back for more.  [In fact, I have already obtained a copy of the recently released second issue.]  For the time being, I believe in Cullen Bunn.  I am also somewhat enamored with the art, from page layout and composition to color and graphic design, this looks to be an exciting read.

There are also “extras” and back matter in this first issue, which include a page from Bunn's notebook, 10 pages of character designs, and also a script to inked art comparison.  Yeah, the $4.99 cover price is on the expensive side, but this first issue goes far in giving readers their money's worth.

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: Dark Knight III: The Master Race #6

DARK KNIGHT III: THE MASTER RACE No. 6
DC COMICS – @DCComics

STORY: Frank Miller and Brian Azzarello
PENCILS: Andy Kubert
INKS:  Klaus Janson
COLORS: Brad Anderson
LETTERS: Clem Robins
COVER: Andy Kubert with Brad Anderson
VARIANT COVERS: Jim Lee and Scott Williams with Alex Sinclair; Frank Miller with Alex Sinclair; Klaus Janson with Romulo Fajardo, Jr.; Greg Tocchini; Giuseppe Camuncoli with Dave Stewart
32pp (plus 16-page insert), Color, $5.99 U.S. (December 2016)

Batman created by Bob Kane with Bill Finger

For a long time, film critics and movie buffs considered sequels to acclaimed and/or popular films to be inferior, and they mostly were.  Sequels were often cheaper, made with production budgets that were lower (sometimes much lower) than the original film's budget.  Sometimes, not only were key members of the original cast missing, but also missing were the original screenwriter(s) and director.

Of course, there were exceptions.  Many people think that The Godfather II was a better film than The Godfather, which itself is one of the greatest films of all time.  George Lucas may have been unhappy with the reception to The Empire Strikes Back, but almost everyone thinks this sequel was vastly superior to the more famous and financially successful Star Wars (1977).  And Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight (2008) practically eclipsed his first Batman film, Batman Begins (2005), which itself was and still is one of the best movies based on a superhero comic book ever made.

Batman: The Dark Knight Returns (also known simply as The Dark Knight Returns or DKR) was a four-issue comic book miniseries starring Batman.  Published by DC Comics in 1986, this prestige-format comic book was written by Frank Miller; drawn by Miller (pencils) and Klaus Janson (inks); colored by Lynn Varley; and lettered by John Costanza, with the book covers drawn by Miller and Varley.  Dark Knight III: The Master Race (also known as DKIII), the second sequel to DKR, is an inferior sequel to a landmark original.

Yes, a planned nine-issue series, DKIII is written by DKR's Frank Miller and Brian Azzarello; drawn by Andy Kubert (pencils) and DKR's Klaus Janson (inks); colored by Brad Anderson; and lettered by Clem Robins.  Yes, you have the original author and some of the biggest names in mainstream comic books joining him, but DKIII is not only inferior, but is also nothing more than corporate product meant to cash in on a still-famous original.  But first things first...

Dark Knight III: The Master Race #6 finds Batman and Superman leading a revolt against the alien menace from the Bottled City of Kandor (now grown full-size) that has put Gotham City under siege and threatens the same to the rest of the world.  Meanwhile, Carrie, the Robin from DKR who is now the new Batgirl(?), battles the new “Supergirl,” who is Lara, the daughter of Superman and Wonder Woman.  How does it end?  With a death... maybe.

First, I don't buy that Frank Miller actually has much input in the main narrative.  Yeah, you can rag on The Dark Knight Strikes Again (DK2), the original sequel, but it was both original and an eclectic take on familiar comics tropes.  DKIII is just a rehash of ideas from DKR – old and aging superheroes, Bat vs. Kryptonian, and some vague law and order themes.  In some ways, this doesn't even rise to the level of Azzarello's previous and acclaimed work.

Secondly, The Dark Knight Returns was a “What if” or “Elseworlds” Batman story that DC Comics bosses and comic book fans turned from a special event into an entrenched mindset.  They can't let it go, and everything that they have done with it since the debut of DKR only serves to prove how special and of-its-times the original was.  Even Frank Miller has not been able to recapture the glory of the original, and honestly, the only thing that Brian Azzarello and Andy Kubert can do is lend their names to the corporate, Batman sub-brand that is “The Dark Knight.”

Dark Knight III: The Master Race is not a bad comic.  I bought into the hype, although part of me knew where this was going even while buying the product.  There are indeed some stand-out Batman comics being done right now by Scott Snyder and John Romita, Jr. on All-Star Batman and by Tom King and David Finch on Batman.

Dark Knight Universe Presents: World's Finest #1 (Insert comic book)
STORY: Frank Miller and Brian Azzarello
PENCILS: Frank Miller
INKS: Klaus Janson
COLORS: Alex Sinclair
LETTERS: Clem Robins
COVER: Frank Miller with Alex Sinclair

Frank Miller seems to have a bigger hand in these Dark Knight Universe Presents comic books which are inserted in the middle of each issue of DKIII.  To date, there has not been much to say about them, and that has not changed.

C+

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


The text is copyright © 2016 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

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Review: THE OMEGA MEN #1

THE OMEGA MEN #1
DC COMICS – @DCComics

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

WRITER: Tom King
ART: Barnaby Bagenda
COLORS: Romulo Fajardo, Jr.
LETTERS: Pat Brosseau
COVER: Trevor Hutchinson
VARIANT COVER: Toby Cypress
32pp, Color, $2.99 U.S. (August 2015)

Rated “T+” for “Teen Plus”

The Omega Men created by Marv Wolfman and Joe Staton

The Omega Men are a team of extraterrestrial superheroes that have appeared in various DC Comics comic book titles.  The team first appeared in Green Lantern #141 (cover dated: June 1981), and were created by Marv Wolfman and Joe Staton.

Fans who remember The Omega Men comic book series from the mid-1980s probably remember it as the series in which Lobo debuted.  Now, the “DCYou” brings the team back in the new comic book series, The Omega Men.  It is written by Tom King, drawn by Barnaby Bagenda, colored by Romulo Fajardo, Jr., and lettered by Pat Brosseau.

The Omega Men #1 opens in the Vega System on Planet Ogyptu, the scene of an impending fight between law enforcement and the Omega Men.  You see, the Omega Men murdered White Lantern Kyle Rayner, and the universe wants them to pay for that crime.  Ti-Gorr (Toghurrhu)seems to be the most wanted, but he is ready to fight back, as are Broot (Charis-Nar), Scrapps, Doc (Med-Ro model-141D), and even Primus (Pren NuParr).  The question becomes, “What is the real story behind these wanted, intergalactic criminals' actions?

With the surprise... really... shocking success of Disney/Marvel's 2014 film, Guardians of the Galaxy, it was probably a no-brainer on DC Comics' part to revive the intergalactic mercenary slash superhero team, the Omega Men.  There is a retro feel to this new series that suggests space opera and sci-fi/fantasy adventure from the 1970s and 1980s.  Think Heavy Metal (the magazine and the film), Star Wars, Dreadstar, Epic Magazine, etc.

Even the coloring by Romulo Fajardo, Jr., over Barnaby Bagenda's compositions, seems like the painted science fiction comics of the 1980s.  At least, writer Tom King offers an easy-to-digest story, and he ends this first chapter in a way that teases the reader into thinking about trying the second issue.  This first issue is indeed a tease; it is barely an entire first chapter, but it does intrigue.

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: MIDNIGHTER #1

MIDNIGHTER #1
DC COMICS – @DCComics

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

WRITER: Steve Orlando
PENCILS: Aco
INKS: Aco with Hugo Petrus
COLORS: Romulo Fajardo, Jr.
LETTERS: Jarek K. Fletcher
COVER: Aco with Romulo Fajardo, Jr.
VARIANT COVER: Bryan Hitch with Alex Sinclair
32pp, Color, $2.99 U.S. (August 2015)

Rated “T+” for “Teen Plus”

“Midnighter”

Midnighter is a superhero created by writer Warren Ellis and artist Bryan Hitch.  The character first appeared in Stormwatch (Vol. 2) #4 and later became a member of the superhero team, The Authority.  Midnighter has superhuman abilities and is known for killing his opponents and is Batman-like, although Warren Ellis apparently based him on The Shadow.  The Midnighter is also gay.

As part of the “DCYou,” Midnighter stars in his first solo comic book series since his 2007 Wildstorm series.  The new Midnighter is written by Steve Orlando; drawn by Aco with Hugo Petrus assisting on inks; colored by Romulo Fajardo, Jr., and lettered by Jared K. Fletcher.

Midnighter #1 (“Midnighter”) opens with an attack on “The God Garden,” some kind of orbiting platform, and the attacker wants its secrets and “toys” (biotech weapons).  Meanwhile, terrorists from the country(?) of Modora attack the restaurant where Midnighter is entertaining a guest.  This is a time of transition for the hero, but duty calls even when he is on a booty call.  Who is Lucas Trent?

Writer Steve Orlando is so cryptic in Midnighter #1.  Either he assumes that there are a lot of Midnighter fans who just want a book featuring the character or he plans on mostly starting from scratch with the character.  I hope its the latter.

Series artist Aco is talented; I must admit that he draws pretty pictures, but in Midnighter #1, his storytelling is only average.  He litters the page with a smattering of tiny panels.  I think that Aco does this to depict Midnighter's tactical ability to see multiple points of view and to predict his opponent's every move.  In terms of storytelling, splattering panels across the page creates static that disrupts the ability of a series of static images to tell a story.

My prediction is that this new Midnighter comic book series is a short-timer.  I would be surprised if it lasts a year.

C

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux


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

I Reads You Review: ANGELA: Asgard's Assassin #1

ANGELA: ASGARD'S ASSASIN #1
MARVEL COMICS – @Marvel

WRITERS: Kieron Gillen; Marguerite Bennett and Kieron Gillen
PENCILS: Phil Jimenez; Stephanie Hans
INKS: Tom Palmer; Stephanie Hans
COLORS: Romulo Fajardo; Stephanie Hans
LETTERS: VC's Clayton Cowles
COVER: Stephanie Hans
VARIANT COVERS: Phil Jimenez and Dan Green with Frank D'armata; Joe Quesada; Skottie Young
28pp, Color, $3.99 U.S. (January 2015)

Rated “T+”

Angela created by Todd McFarlane and Neil Gaiman

Angela: Asgard's Assassin is a new comic book series launched as part of Marvel Comics' “Avengers NOW!” initiative.  The series features a character that was not originally a Marvel Comics character.

Angela is a comic book character created by writer Neil Gaiman and artist Todd McFarlane.  She first appeared in Spawn #9 (cover dated: March 1993) as a supporting character and adversary.  Published by Image Comics, Spawn was McFarlane's creator-owned series, and Angela was later the subject of a protracted legal battle between McFarlane and Gaiman.

Gaiman eventually won the rights to the character and transferred those rights to Marvel Comics.  Angela's Marvel debut was in the event miniseries, Age of Ultron (#10; cover dated: June 2013).  Angela's origin and purpose were changed from what they were in Spawn.  In the Marvel Universe, Angela was revealed to be Aldrif, the daughter of Odin (King of Asgard) and his wife, Frigga, which makes her the sister of Thor and Loki.  Once believed to have been murdered, Angela is now “the deadliest warrior in all the Ten Realms.”

Angela: Asgard's Assassin #1 finds Angela walking through the desert of Limbo, facing down hordes, and carrying... a baby?!  Plus, her partner, Sera, tells a tale of Angela's past.

Hmmm... Wow...  Over two decades later, Angela belongs to another publisher, yet the new publisher releases an Angela comic book that seems as if it were produced by the old publisher 20 years ago.  By that, I mean pretty art, underwhelming story.

Phil Jimenez and the great inker, Tom Palmer, deliver stellar art, creating a tale that looks like a bizarre melding of J.R.R. Tolkien and Robert E. Howard.  The gor-to-the-geous colors by Romulo Fajardo make the main story of Angela: Asgard's Assassin seem like a piece straight out of classic Heavy Metal.  However, the story does nothing for me, and I am not even interested in trying to talk about it.

The side story by writer Marguerite Bennett and artist Stephanie Hans is better.  It is a familiar story type, and with its pretty art, it also recalls Marvel's old Epic Magazine.  That said, I can't see myself reading future issues of Angela: Asgard's Assassin.

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: DANGER GIRL: Mayday #2

DANGER GIRL: MAYDAY #2
IDW PUBLISHING – @IDWPublishing

WRITER:  Andy Hartnell
PENCILS: John Royle
INKS: Eeshwar
COLORS: Romulo Fajardo
LETTERS: Neil Uyetake
EDITOR: Scott Dunbier
COVER: John Royle and Eeshwar with Romulo Fajardo
VARIANT COVERS: John Royle and Eeshwar with Romulo Fajardo (subscription cover)
28pp, Color, $3.99 U.S. (May 2014)

I loudly declared my return to reading Danger Girl comics with my review of the first issue of Danger Girl: Mayday.  Written by Andy Hartnell and drawn by John Royle, it is the latest entry in the comic book series created by artist J. Scott Campbell and Hartnell back in the 1990s.

Mayday focuses on one of the original Danger Girl stars, Natalia Kassle, revealed to be a traitor in the Danger Girl organization.  In the first issue of Danger Girl: Mayday, a team of rogue brigands finds an unconscious Kassle during a battle on Hammer Island.

Danger Girl: Mayday #2 opens in the Kingdom of Bhutan in South Asia.  There, Kassle lives among a group of women, a sisterhood, as she gradually regains her physical fitness.  Recovering her memories remains a problem.  However, she has a new ally, April Mayday, who seems to know quite a bit about Natalie and is determined to make her the most dangerous woman in the world… again.

As soon as I saw Danger Girl: Mayday #2 on the new release shelf of my “local” comic book shop, I grabbed it.  I wanted to see if I would like it as much as I liked the first issue.  I do.  I’m intrigued and want to know what is the big mystery, hiding behind Natalie’s return and those who want to control her.

Yeah, thus far, this comic book is pretty inconsequential and lacking in substance.  Comics should be good, of course, but comics should also be fun, and Danger Girl: Mayday is more of the latter than it is of the former – but it is, in a way, both.  John Royle’s art is a joy to behold, and I found myself flipping through the book several times just to look at the art.  I plan on finding the third issue of Danger Girl: Mayday.

B+

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: DANGER GIRL: Mayday #1

DANGER GIRL: MAYDAY #1
IDW PUBLISHING – @IDWPublishing

WRITER:  Andy Hartnell
PENCILS: John Royle
INKS: Jose Marzan, Jr.
COLORS: Romulo Fajardo
LETTERS: Neil Uyetake
EDITOR: Scott Dunbier
COVER: John Royle and Jose Marzan, Jr. with Romulo Fajardo
VARIANT COVERS: John Royle and Jose Marzan, Jr. with Romulo Fajardo (subscription cover); Jamie Tyndall with Ula Mos (Yesteryear Comics exclusive cover); Jamie Tyndall (Yesteryear Comics exclusive cover); “No art” (Yesteryear Comics exclusive cover)
28pp, Color, $3.99 U.S. (April 2014)

I was not a fan of fan-favorite comic book artist, J. Scott Campbell (who once went by the name Jeffrey Scott), early in his career.  I thought his art was a poor imitation of Art Adams’ style and an even worse impersonation of Jim Lee’s art.  However, I became a fan of Campbell’s work over the course of his run on Image and Wildstorm Production’s Gen13 comic book series.

So when it was first announced all those years ago, I was thrilled by the news of Campbell’s first creator-owned series, Danger Girl, as part of the launch of Cliffhanger, a sort of “young guns” imprint from Wildstorm.  After the release of a preview comic, Danger Girl #1 (March 1998) introduced a group of female secret agents whose adventures were a mixture of Indiana Jones and James Bond.  In fact, Danger Girl’s young female stars were like Bond Girls, except that the girls were the ones getting to be James Bond in action.

I liked Danger Girl.  It was a comic book version of a big-budget, Hollywood action comedy – Lethal Weapon meets Charlie’s Angels.  However, I grew frustrated that Campbell, along with writer Andy Hartnell and inker Alex Garner, only produced seven issues of Danger Girl over a four-year period.  [If you want to give them credit for 10 issues because two of the seven issues were double-sized and because of the preview comic book, you can certainly do that.].

Scott Dunbier, the Wildstorm editor of the original series, has guided Danger Girl back to life in recent years through a series of miniseries.  I was visiting a “local” comic book shop when I spotted the first issue of the latest mini, Danger Girl: Mayday.  I would have ignored it, as I have been ignoring Danger Girl comic books for a decade, but that spectacular first-issue cover by John Royle (pencils), Jose Marzan, Jr. (inks), and Romulo Fajardo (colors) caught my eye.

If there is such a thing as classic Danger Girl art, Danger Girl: Mayday #1 has it.  Royle and Marzan recall the original Danger Girl art team of J. Scott Campbell (pencils) and Alex Garner (inks).  In fact, I think Royle and Marzan are doing better J. Scott Campbell than Campbell himself.  Royle has certainly mastered the Campbell good-girl art thing:  curvy hips, shapely breateses; and booty that recalls Vivica Fox’s stripper pole ass in Independence Day.  Gimme more.  Royle and Marzan, however, are not merely copying; the drawing and storytelling is polished, professional, and some of the year’s best art.

Oh, the story, you ask.  It involves Danger Girl traitor-ho, Natalia Kassle, if I’m correct.  But I’ll figure that out later, maybe by the second issue.  For now, I want to enjoy the art of Danger Girl: Mayday.

A-

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux

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