#IReadsYou Review: AERO #1

AERO No. 1
MARVEL COMICS – @Marvel

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

STORY: Zhou Liefen; Greg Pak
ART: Keng; Pop Mhan
COLORS: Keng; Federico Blee
LETTERS: VC's Joe Caramagna
EDITOR: Mark Paniccia
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: Akira Yoshida a.k.a. C.B. Cebulski
COVER: Keng
VARIANT COVER ARTISTS: Artgerm; Mirka Andolfo; John Tyler Christopher
36pp, Color, $4.99 U.S. (September 2019)

Rated “T+”

Aero created by Zhou Liefen and Keng

“Protector of the City” and “Aero & Wave: Origins & Destinies”

Last year came news that Marvel Entertainment had created two Chinese superheroes.  They made their debut in webcomics that were published online on the website, NetEase (specifically 163.com), one of China's leading Internet technology companies.

According to reports, Marvel created the two heroes, “Aero” and “Sword Master,” to attract fans in China and across East Asia.  Both heroes exist in the modern world, but their stories are also influenced by Chinese culture.  Marvel was responsible for the character design and comics story lines, but the comic book art, environments, and adventures were conceived and produced by Chinese artists.

The hero Aero, who is a young woman named Lei Ling, lives in Shanghai.  Ling is a “brilliant architect” and a “rising young elite.”  As Aero, she has the ability to harness the power of the air, a power she uses to protect her city from enemies, including supernatural ones.  She makes her U.S. debut in the new Marvel Comics title, Aero.

Aero #1 contains two stories.  The first is the original Chinese comics story, “Protector of the City.”  It is written by Zhou Liefen and drawn by artist Keng; the English adaptation is written by Greg Pak.  “Protector of the City” opens with Aero on patrol in the sky above Shanghai.  She discovers that one of the buildings she designed (as Lei Ling) is turning into a giant rock monster.  Although she manages to defeat it, this is not the last such occurrence.

The second story is “Aero & Wave: Origins & Destines” Part One.  It is an original English story written by Greg Pak; drawn by Pop Mhan; colored Federico Blee; and lettered by Joe Caramagna.  The story opens on an island in the Philippine Sea.  There, Aero finds Filipino superhero, “Wave,” a young woman named Pearl Pangan, in a state of distress.  An outsider her entire life, Pearl, fought her way to the top and is now a member of the superhero collective, “Triumph Division.”  However, she believes she has drawn her compatriots ire, so can Aero help the young hero before trouble arrives?

The few times that I have read Chinese comics (called “manhua”), I have liked them.  I like them especially when they are published in color and printed on slick paper.  [I also love to see manga (Japanese comics) and manhwa (Korean comics) in color on slick paper.]  So I like seeing Aero in full-color.  The story is not great, but it has an engaging vibe.  “Protector of the City” has an odd quality, and I think it would seem less odd to me if I could read more than the 22 pages we get in this first issue.  I am curious to read more.

“Aero & Wave: Origins & Destines” Part One is a traditional American comic book story, in rhythm and page design and in story, art, and graphical storytelling.  I must admit to being intrigued by Wave and her problems.  I look forward to more of this character.  Generally, I have liked the work of both writer Greg Pak and artist Pop Mhan, and although I am not a super-fan of either one.  Here, their professionalism and skills make good showings.

Colorist Federico Blee does really good work on “Aero & Wave: Origins & Destines.”  His coloring, especially the blue and green hues, captures the sense of how much water and related themes play a part in this story.  Joe Caramagna's traditional lettering style strikes the right tone for both stories because Caramagna's lettering is different for each story.  The lettering is more traditional and sparse for “Protector of the City” and a bit more modern and crowded for “Aero & Wave: Origins & Destines.”  So, overall, the production values of this comic book are good.

I don't think that Aero will catch on with American comic book readers, in general, but Aero #1 will catch the attention of readers open to different things.  I am interested in this, and I will recommend that readers try Aero #1 to see if it is their cup of tea.

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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Chinese Comic "Daomu" Coming to America

Image Comics and Concept Art House Bring China’s Best-Selling Daomu Series to the U.S.

First issue to arrive in stores this December


Image Comics and Concept Art House announced plans to release a series of Daomu comics based on one of China’s best-selling novel series. This will be Daomu’s debut in the U.S., following a successful graphic novel launch in China earlier this year. The upcoming comic book series is the first of several Daomu releases planned to include games, an animated series, and a feature film.

Daomu, which translates to “tomb raider,” explores an underground world that has been active in China for thousands of years. After witnessing his father’s violent murder, Sean Liu discovers that his family belongs to a secret society of tomb raiders. Led by his uncle, Sean joins an elite team of Daomu to go deep underground in search of answers. Who are they? Who—or what—killed Sean’s father? And what horrors await beneath the earth’s surface? With a distinctive digital art style and high-energy adventures steeped in Chinese tradition and superstition, the comic series will follow Sean’s coming of age as a modern-day tomb raider and his quest to uncover the truth behind his father’s death.

The Daomu Bi Ji or “tomb raider’s journal” novel series on which the comics are based has become a sensation in China since its debut in 2007, reaching well over 20 million fans. Concept Art House, a leading digital art and entertainment company with a focus on transmedia storytelling, is responsible for the popular novel’s conversion to graphic format. Their first Daomu graphic novel released in Asia in early 2010 and quickly secured the #2 spot on Dangdang.com, China’s leading ecommerce website. Though Western audiences have long embraced Japanese comics and cartoons, Daomu’s arrival in the U.S. is a first for a high-profile Chinese entertainment property.

“The quality of comics in China is exceptional,” says Image Comics Publisher Eric Stephenson. “Daomu is no exception. Daomu has exemplary digital art and an outstanding story. We’re excited to be bringing this amazing graphic novel to the United States for its first English translation.”

“American comics are extremely popular among Chinese comic book fans due to their great stories and amazing artwork. We believe the American audience will love Daomu for the same reasons,” says James Zhang, Concept Art House’s CEO. “Image is a great partner, not only because they understand quality art and story, but also because they truly respect the creator’s vision. We’re thrilled to be working with Image to introduce Daomu to the U.S.”

Intended for readers ages 13 and up, the first Daomu comic book will release this winter. To learn more, visit Image Comics at http://www.imagecomics.com.


About Image Comics
Image Comics is a comic book and graphic novel publisher founded in 1992 by a collective of best-selling artists. Image has since gone on to become one of the largest comics publishers in the United States. Image currently has five partners: Robert Kirkman, Erik Larsen, Todd McFarlane, Marc Silvestri and Jim Valentino. It consists of five major houses: Todd McFarlane Productions, Top Cow Productions, Shadowline, Skybound, and Image Central. Image publishes comics and graphic novels in nearly every genre, sub-genre, and style imaginable. It offers science fiction, romance, horror, crime fiction, historical fiction, humor and more by the finest artists and writers working in the medium today. For more information, visit www.imagecomics.com.

About Concept Art House
Concept Art House is an international high-end art service provider and original IP developer focused on digital entertainment formats. The company is based in San Francisco, California with a full production art studio in Shanghai, China. Concept Art House holds the exclusive worldwide rights to Daomu, a transmedia property based on the most popular novel series in China. The company’s extensive digital entertainment experience includes 2D, 3D, and social game development in conjunction with companies including Activision, Blizzard, Disney, Electronic Arts, Hasbro, Sony Online Entertainment, Zynga, and others. For more information please visit the company’s website at www.conceptarthouse.com.

I Reads You Review: REMEMBER

Creator: Benjamin
Publishing Information: TOKYOPOP, Full-Color, paperback, 144 pages, $14.99 (US), $18.99 CAN
Ordering Numbers: ISBN: 978-1-4278-1566-8 (ISBN-13)

TOKYOPOP, known for publishing manga and related books, also publishes English language editions of full-color graphic novels. These titles originate, thus far, from French publishing house and are created by an international roster of writers, artists, and cartoonists. A recent release is Remember, which was originally published by Xiao Pan, a French publisher and distributor of full-color manhua (Chinese comic books).

Remember is the work of Benjamin Zhang Bin, better known as Benjamin. In addition to manhua, he also produces poster art for films and video games. Last year, TOKYOPOP also published an edition of his manhua graphic novel, Orange.

Remember has as it themes memory and recollection. Remember is not a graphic novel so much as it is a collection of two similarly themed novellas or short stories. The first one, “No One Can Fly. No One Can Remember,” focuses on an outcast, wannabe comic book artist who inadvertently attracts the attention of a female comic book artist named Yu Xin (which apparently means “rain heart”). The narrator, who may be named Benjamin, wants to be a comic book artist, but doesn’t want to conform to the expectations of the publishing industry nor to Yu’s expectations of him as boyfriend.

The second story, “That Year, That Summer,” is set in a dorm at an art school. The narrator’s primary goal is to soak in the experiences and freedoms school and dorm life will afford him. However, he finds himself placing his new life in juxtaposition with the struggles of a tormented student with whom he feels some level of sympathy.

While Benjamin is certainly capable of composing an engaging linear narrative, which these two stories are, his aim is emotional and psychological storytelling. He has a deft touch at painting and uses his painted comics as a vehicle to tell stories robust with strong emotions. The iridescent, watercolor-like painting in “No One Can Fly” reflects the narrator’s need to reconcile two things: what Yu Xin’s appearance meant to his life and his memory of events of their relationship.

Benjamin tells the other story in art that could be described as mixing impressionist and realist oil painting with Dave McKean graphic style. This visual approach also reflects the inconsistency of memory, but in this story, the narrator is not trying to reconcile memory. Rather, this method of painting is meant to convey the chaos of the narrator’s first year in school. Both stories exemplify Benjamin’s ability to put across in pictures emotions. Readers that only like excitement or good feelings from their comic books may not like Remember, but readers who like engaging pathos will enjoy Remember.

Buy Remember