Comics Review: Mighty Love

MIGHTY LOVE
DC COMICS

WRITER/ARTIST: Howard Chaykin
LETTER: Kurt Hathaway
COLORS: Dave Stewart
ISBN: 978-1-56389-930-1; hardcover
96pp, Color, $24.95 US, $37.95 CAN

Mighty Love is a 2004 hardcover graphic novel from Howard Chaykin, the creator of one of the most influential comic books of the last 30 years, American Flagg! [In 2005, DC published a paperback version of Mighty Love.] Mighty Love isn’t on the level of American Flagg!, but Chaykin’s trademark smart-ass dialogue and distinctive artwork are plentiful here.

Mighty Love revolves around two costumed heroes, Iron Angel and Skylark. By day, Lincoln Reinhardt is a wealthy liberal attorney who defends criminals, but he is secretly tired of the moral morass that is his professional life. So by night, Reinhardt becomes the masked vigilante, Iron Angel, defending the justice he circumvents every day by bashing the kind of scum he normally represents. By day, Delaney Pope is a straight-arrow detective serving in a crooked police department, but she is tired of working in a murky world of ethical compromise. So by night, this conservative cop becomes Skylark, a bleeding heart masked defender of the justice that she circumvents as an agent of a corrupt administration.

Iron Angel and Skylark, who were previously unaware of each other’s existence, join forces after a fundraiser turns deadly during a robbery. The police are looking at Lincoln’s girlfriend, Bess Autrey, as a prime suspect. Delaney, who despises Lincoln, is the lead detective. If only Delaney Pope knew that Skylark’s new pal, Iron Angel, is none other than her nemesis Lincoln Reinhardt…

While Mighty Love might not be American Flagg!, Mighty Love resembles Howard Chaykin’s mid-1980s revamps of The Shadow and Blackhawk for DC Comics. This story has the same crisp graphic inventiveness mixed with the look of 1940s Film-Noir. Chaykin has toned down the sexual perversity of his 80s work, in favor of sexual innuendo, but Chaykin retains the snappy dialogue readers have come to expect from the comics he writes. There is even a running joke about euphemisms (like “packing heat” and “blow this pop stand”).

In a way, Mighty Love is an “old reliable” type Chaykin comic. His fans know what they’re getting, but what they’re getting is entertaining. Nothing here is earth-moving, but Chaykin brings the opposites-attract romance, superhero genre, and urban crime fiction together in a way they would seemingly not mesh. It’s as if these genres together are a natural thing – three great tastes that taste quite good together – and it’s all so lighthearted, in spite of the violence.

Devotees of superhero comics will understand why Chaykin eschews exploring the reasons why a police detective and a criminal defense attorney would moonlight as costumed vigilantes, even though the trend the last 30 years is to dig in the dirt to find out why Spider-Man, Batman, and others put on masks, cowls, capes, and even spandex. Mighty Love is simply here to be loved. It’s like a neo-golden age Hollywood film, drawn with Chaykin’s visual detail for urban settings, snazzy interiors, and sharply-dressed characters.

B+

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux

Excel Saga: The Surrogates

I read Excel Saga, Vol. 24

I posted a review at the ComicBookBin (which has free smart phone apps and comics).

I Reads You Review: Young Justice #20

YOUNG JUSTICE #20
DC COMICS

WRITER: Greg Weisman
ART: Christopher Jones
COLORS: Zac Atkinson
LETTERS: Dezi Sienty
32pp, Color, $2.99 U.S.

Rated “E” for “Everyone”

Young Justice Invasion – Chapter One: “Wheelbarrow, Shoe, Thimble”

Young Justice is a spin-off comic book series based on “Young Justice,” the animated superhero television series currently airing on Cartoon Network. “Young Justice” the television series focuses on the lives and adventures of the sidekicks and protégés of some of DC Comics’ biggest superheroes, which includes such young heroes as Nightwing, Superboy, Wondergirl, and Robin, among many.

Young Justice #20 (“Wheelbarrow, Shoe, Thimble”) takes place in two different, but local time periods in the existence of Young Justice: “Yero Zero” and “Year Five,” specifically December 1st. In fact, this date is special because it is Dick Grayson’s birthday, and in both periods, various superheroes stop by to wish Robin (Year Zero) and Nightwing (Year Five) a happy birthday.

The team: Nightwing, Batgirl, Beast Boy, Bumble Bee, Lagoon Boy, Mal Duncan, Miss Martian, Superboy, Wolf, and Wonder Girl (with Robin called back to Gotham City) embarks on a mission to stop an assassination of a visiting foreign dignitary. The team splits in two, with Miss Martian leading the “Beta Team” to stop the assassination. Meanwhile, Nightwing takes “Alpha Team” to recruit the new Blue Beetle, Jaime Reyes, into Young Justice. But unknown players are about to enter this game.

Young Justice #20 is all over the place. There are a lot of characters and even several guest stars, which only makes everyone seem extraneous. Forget two time periods, this issue reads as if there were eight. Perhaps, writer Greg Weisman is just prepping and this is the calm before the multi-chapter storm. The art by Christopher Jones and colorist Zac Atkinson is still high-quality, though, especially that last page.

B

http://DCnation.com


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

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Review: PETEY AND PUSSY by John Kerschbaum

PETEY & PUSSY
FANTAGRAPHICS BOOKS

CARTOONIST: John Kerschbaum
ISBN: 978-1-56097-979-1; hardcover (October 2008)
126pp, B&W, $19.99 US

John Kerschbaum is a cartoonist and illustrator whose work has appeared in The Comics Journal, The New Yorker, The New York Times, and the Village Voice, among many. Petey & Pussy is a 2008 collection of interconnected comics shorts and short stories created by Kerschbaum that form a graphic novel.

The stars of the book are Petey & Pussy, two characters that form what is essentially a cat-and-dog comedy team. These funny, talking animals, however, have human heads, of which the outstanding features are prominent noses and balding pates. Several years before this book was published, the characters appeared in a comic book, Peter & Pussy #1, which Kerschbaum self-published through his Fontanelle Press.

Pussy is a rude house cat with a caustic wit and a sharp tongue, and his round spectacles gives him a Larry David vibe. He lives with a decrepit old lady who on the surface seems to be in the throes of dementia, but who has a surprisingly peppy step. Pussy shares the house with a legion of mice (including a smart one that seems to be a cross between Speedy Gonzales and Jerry of Tom and Jerry) and a falling-to-pieces suicidal bird. Pussy’s pal is Petey, a chunky, roly-poly dog with a fondness for drink. Petey personifies the blue collar bum. He is the kind of guy to go to if you need a partner in crime to help you do bad stuff.

Petey & Pussy chronicles their criminal misadventures. Their exploits include a boa constrictor, corpse dismemberment, and foiling a thieving niece. Along the way, Petey and Pussy always find time to drink at Joe’s.

On the back of Petey & Pussy’s book jacket, there’s a quote from Johnny Ryan, creator of Angry Youth Comix, which says, “Kerschbaum is one of the few cartoonists whose work makes me wince in horror.” That’s saying something, because Ryan’s own comix can simultaneously dry out and straighten out a Jheri curl. I’ve read some crazy comix, and while he won’t scare you under the sheets like S. Clay Wilson, Kerschbaum can be as raw as R. Crumb, Peter Bagge, and Ryan, who may be his closest comix cousins.

It is possible to see a similarity between Petey & Pussy and Looney Tunes. Kerschbaum’s work here does have a passing resemblance to the irreverently violent cartoons of Looney Tunes director, Bob Clampett, and the racy and risqué work of Tex Avery. In fact, Petey & Pussy has a cousin in modern animation, the work of Seth MacFarlane (“Family Guy” and “American Dad”).

That said, John Kerschbaum has taken whatever influenced him and has developed his own weird, violently funny thing. No fan of adult funny animal comics (like Fritz the Cat) will want to miss Petey & Pussy. I don’t know enough about John Kerschbaum to say whether or not I’ll be praising his future work, but Petey & Pussy is some funny shit.

A-

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux

Toriko: Deadly Gourmet World!!

I read Toriko, Vol. 13

I posted a review at ComicBookBin.

Albert Avilla Reviews: Justice League #14

Justice League # 14
DC Comics

Reviewed by Albert Avilla

Writer: Geoff Johns
Pencils: Tony S. Daniel
Inks: Matt Banning & Sandu Florea

The Secret of the Cheetah Chapter Two (Spoilers!)
Action from stem to stern: they earned my money. Mr. Johns gave me two good stories for the price of one; a good deal considering my finances.

Super Cheetah and Cheetah are wrecking things until the San, Hara, blows her horn. Cyborg keeps the sonics going while the San cure him. Wonder Woman, Flash, and Aquaman go after the Cheetah. Cheetah is a bad chick. It takes a good plan by the three of them to take her out. She's fast enough to slice up the Flash. Then we get back to the girl-on-girl action. During the fight, we get the origin of the Cheetah. Wonder Woman dumps the kitty in the drink where Aquaman and a school of piranha take her out. Once again solid teamwork saves the day. Then, we find out that it was a part of some mysterious character's plan to get Cheetah locked up in Belle Reve.

Now to some boy-on-girl action; no sir, this story is not just about the violent action. Superman takes Wonder Woman on a date to Smallville. The story ends with another kiss between two of the most powerful heroes. Wonder Woman even does the little one foot in the air thing. Why is Batman watching? I'm glad we can see where his hands are. We not only get the good old violence, but we also get a dose of the soap opera. Give Daniel his props; The splash page with Aquaman and Cheetah is beautiful.

Writer: Geoff Johns
Artist: Gary Frank

Shazam Chapter 7
What! Fourteen more pages for the price of admission. Yes, I counted. This basically develops Black Adam's character. I guess, Mr. Johns didn't want to leave us in the dark about how big of an obnoxious jerk Black Adam is. Shazam is still on his adolescent joyride. Black Adam finds his first ally, the sin Sloth. This backup story is on par with the main story.

I rate Justice League # 14 Buy Your Own Copy. #2 (of 5) on the Al-O-Meter Ranking.

Nura: Rise of the Yokai Clan - Devil's Drum

I read Nura: Rise of the Yokai Clan, Vol. 12

I posted a review at ComicBookBin.