Arata: The Legend - Demonization

I read Arata: The Legend, Vol. 17

I posted a review at the ComicBookBin, which has free smart phone apps and comics, and seeks donations from its readers.  You can follow me on Twitter and follow my Indiegogo campaign.

I Reads You Review: A GAME OF THRONES #19

GEORGE R.R. MARTIN’S A GAME OF THRONES #19
DYNAMITE ENTERTAINMENT – @dynamitecomics

WRITER: George R.R. Martin
ADAPTATION: Daniel Abraham
ART: Tommy Patterson
COLORS: Ivan Nunes
LETTERS: Marshall Dillon
COVER: Mike S. Miller
32pp, Color, $3.99 U.S. (2014)

Dynamite Entertainment is currently producing a comic book adaptation of A Game of Thrones, the 1996 novel from science fiction and fantasy author, George R.R. Martin.  The novel is the first book in Martin’s best-selling A Song of Ice and Fire series of high fantasy novels.  That series is also the basis for the award-winning and popular HBO television series, “Game of Thrones.”

George R.R. Martin’s A Game of Thrones is a planned 24-issue comic book series.  Science fiction and fantasy novelist, Daniel Abraham, who sometimes collaborates with Martin on fiction, adapts the novel into comic book form.  Artist Tommy Patterson draws A Game of Thrones the comic book, with Ivan Nunes coloring the art.  I have read and reviewed A Game of Thrones the comic book series via three volumes of A Game of Thrones: The Graphic Novel, Bantam Books’ hardcover reprint of the Dynamite comic book series.

George R.R. Martin’s A Game of Thrones #19 opens with Lord Tyrion Lannister (the dwarf) in the company of his new allies, the mountain men, who are suspicious of him.  He has promised these warrior clansmen much.  Now, they ride to the Trident where Tyrion will meet his father, Lord Tywin Lannister, and try to complete the bargains he made.  Will Tywin go along with a son for whom he really does not care?

Meanwhile, Robb Stark, son of the imprisoned Lord Eddard Stark, marches to meet the Lannisters, but to reach them, he needs the Crossing which will take him to Riverrun.  However, Walder Frey, Lord of the Crossing, has not given his permission, allowing Stark’s forces to cross.  Now, Lady Catelyn Stark, wife of Eddard and mother of Robb, must find a way to make someone who is supposed to be an ally act like an ally.

Prior to reading A Game of Thrones: The Graphic Novel: Volume 1, I was not familiar with A Game of Thrones, although I had heard of the television series.  I did not even know that the novel was being adapted into comic book form until Random House sent me a review copy of the first graphic novel in early 2012.  Since I have enjoyed the graphic novel collections so much, I have been planning on reading individual issues of Dynamite Entertainment’s series.  As luck would have it, I happened to be visiting a comic book store the week George R.R. Martin’s A Game of Thrones #19 was released.  [A Game of Thrones: The Graphic Novel: Volume 3 concluded with issue #18]

As I have with the collections, I thoroughly enjoyed #19.  Daniel Abraham and Tommy Patterson are not producing a slap-dash licensed product.  This comic book is filled with the kind of character details that enrich the story.  It does not matter how big a scene is or how many characters are involved, Abraham makes every bit of dialogue matter and every scene important to moving the narrative.

Patterson’s compositions transport readers to another world.  It may not be anyone else version of A Game of Thrones, but Patterson makes you believe that his art is not just a depiction, but is an actual world brought to life.  Ivan Nunes’ colors add the extra bit of spark that makes the drama vivid.

George R.R. Martin’s A Game of Thrones #19 is not just a good fantasy comic book; it is a good comic book – period.  I wish other fantasy authors were so luck to have Daniel Abraham and Tommy Patterson adapting their novels to comic book form.

A

www.DYNAMITE.com

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux

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

Nisekoi: What’s in a Name?

I read Nisekoi: False Love, Vol. 3: What's in a Name?

I posted a review at the ComicBookbin, which is fundraising.  You can follow me on Twitter and view my Indiegogo campaign.

I Reads You Review: UNCANNY X-MEN in Days of Future Past

UNCANNY X-MEN IN DAYS OF FUTURE PAST
MARVEL COMICS – @Marvel

PLOT: Chris Claremont and John Byrne
STORY: Chris Claremont
PENCILS: John Byrne
INKS: Terry Austin
COLORS: Glynis Oliver
LETTERS: Tom Orzechowski
EDITORS: Louise Simonson (original), Gregory Wright (reprint)
EiC: Tom DeFalco
COVER: Jackson Guice and Scott Williams
ISBN: 0-87135-582-5; paperback (1989)
48pp, Color, $3.95 U.S., $5.00 CAN

One of the most famous stories ever published in an X-Men comic book is known as “Days of Future Past.”  The two-part story was originally published in The X-Men #141 (“Days of Future Past,” cover dated: January 1981) and #142 (“Mind Out of Time!” cover dated: February 1981).  The popularity of “Days of the Future Past” is affirmed in the fact that the story has been continued and retold and has also influenced and inspired other X-Men publications and stories in the decades since its original publication.  This story is also the basis for the shortly to be released film, X-Men: Days of Future Past (20th Century Fox, 2014).

“Days of Future Past” was the creation of writer Chris Claremont and artist John Byrne, who were both credited as the story’s “co-plotters,” with Claremont providing the script and Byrne providing the pencil art.  Their collaborators were Terry Austin (ink art), Glynis Oliver (colors), Tom Orzechowski (letters), and Louise Simonson (editor).

I first read the story ages ago.  It simultaneously stunned and thrilled me, so much so that I immediately reread it.  This story had it all:  a dystopian future, an assassination conspiracy, dead X-Men, X-Men in peril, X-Men murdered before my very eyes, Sentinels (which were then new to me), the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, and a superhero/super-villain battle.

The X-Men #141 also probably has one of the most famous (if not the most famous) X-Men comic book covers.  Over the years, I made reading “Days of Future Past” an annual event.  One of my repeat readings was courtesy of a 1989 single-issue reprint entitled, The Uncanny X-Men in Days of Future Past.  When I recently discovered that I no longer had a copy of this comic book, I bought one from Mile High Comics, during a sale.  Because of the new X-Men movie, I decided to read and review The Uncanny X-Men in Days of Future Past.

“Days of Future Past” alternates between the (then) present year of 1980, and the (then) future year of 2013.  The X-Men #141 (“Days of Future Past”) opens in the year 2013.  The story introduces a dystopian future North America that is ruled by the mutant-hunting Sentinels.  Mutants are incarcerated in internment camps, and people are classified by their genetics.  The Sentinels not only killed almost all the X-Men, but they also killed many superheroes, including the Fantastic Four.

We meet an adult Kate Pryde.  She is one of the last surviving X-Men, along with Wolverine, Storm, and Colossus.  Kate and the X-Men join Magneto, Franklin Richards (son of Reed Richards and Sue Storm of the Fantastic Four), and his girlfriend, a telepath named Rachel, in a seemingly-impossible plan to travel into the past and change the horrible era in which they live.

On the eve of a feared nuclear holocaust, Kate’s mind travels backward through time to posses the body of her younger self, Kitty Pryde.  There, she convinces the X-Men: Storm, Wolverine, Colossus, Nightcrawler and Angel that they must stop a plot by the newly reassembled Brotherhood of Evil Mutants:  Mystique, Destiny, Avalanche, Pyro, and Blob.  The Brotherhood plans to assassinate United States Senator Robert Kelly, a pivotal event in mutant–human history.

The X-Men #142 (“Mind Out of Time!”) finds the X-Men and the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants in a pitched battle in and around the Congressional building.  Meanwhile, in 2013, the few remaining X-Men make their last stand.

Apparently, Marvel Comics has designated that “Days of Future Past” takes place in Earth-811 in the Marvel “multiverse.”  When I first read “Days of Future Past,” I saw it as probably the real future for the X-Men.  I also saw it as the height of the X-Men run by the team of Chris Claremont, John Byrne and Terry Austin.  There would be no letdown, however, as this team would produce only one more issue of the X-Men after “Days of Future Past.”  Byrne exited the title to become both a writer and an artist, taking over the Fantastic Four.

As much as I have enjoyed reading the X-Men comic books that came after “Days of Future Past,” only a few have even come close to being as close to this Claremont-Byrne classic.  I think some people consider this Byrne’s best work as an artist.  For a long time, I agreed with that, but, as an artist, Byrne would go on to produce much more polished work, with a stronger sense of composition and design than what is found in his original X-Men run.  As a writer, I won’t compare his collaborative X-Men work with his work as a writer-artist on Fantastic Four and on various Superman titles.  Indeed, he was really good on those, too.

I think of X-Men #1 to #66; #94 to #143 (the final Claremont-Byrne-Austin); and Giant-Sized X-Men #1 to be the core of X-Men “mythology.”  Everything that springs after these issues is not quite fan fiction, but much of it seems like a vain attempt to replicate the Claremont-Byrne blueprint.  I think the reason why “Days of Future Past” means so much to me is because it marked the end of an extended run of what I see as the best and the most important of the X-Men.

From the publication of the first issue of The X-Men to “Days of Future Past,” the title introduced startling new concepts, offered gripping narratives full of drama, melodrama, and soap opera, and sometimes presented visionary graphics, graphical elements, and graphical storytelling.  Pretty much everything since “Days of Future Past” has been a rehash, a copy, or a slavishly inspired remake.

A+

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: X-MEN CLASSICS #1

X-MEN CLASSICS #1
MARVEL COMICS – @Marvel

WRITER: Roy Thomas
PENCILS: Neal Adams
INKS: Tom Palmer
LETTERS: Sam Rosen, Artie Simek
NEW MATERIAL: Mike Zeck and Tom Palmer
COLORS: Daina Graziunas
EDITORS: Stan Lee (original), Carl Potts and Ann Nocenti (reprint)
EiC: Jim Shooter
COVER:  Mike Zeck and Tom Palmer
48pp, Colors, $2.00 U.S., $2.25 CAN (December 1983)

One of my favorite comic book miniseries is actually a reprint series.  Originally published in late 1983 (with 1983 and 1984 cover dates), X-Men Classics reprinted writer Roy Thomas and artist Neal Adams’ celebrated run on The X-Men comic book series circa 1969-70.  Adams drew The X-Men #56-63 and #65, while Don Heck was the fill-in artist for #64.  X-Men Classics reprints The X-Men #56-63.

Already a freelancer for DC Comics, in 1969, Adams also began freelancing for Marvel Comics, where he penciled several issues of The X-Men.  In 1969, The X-Men comic book was on the verge of cancellation.  Adams joined Roy Thomas and inker Tom Palmer to produce acclaimed, award-winning work (the Alley Awards).

Adams not only penciled The X-Men, but he also colored and plotted the stories with Thomas.  Apparently, some comic book historians consider the Thomas-Adams-Palmer X-Men a highlight of that era (late 1960s to early 1970s) for Marvel Comics.  Adams’ work was popular, but it was too late to save The X-Men from cancellation with issue #66 (March 1970), and the title ended its initial run.

X-Men Classics #1 reprints The X-Men #56-58, in whole or in part.  It also features some new material, including a new splash page drawn by Mike Zeck and Tom Palmer, which summarizes the story leading up to the reprinted material.  Legendary X-Men artist, John Byrne, also provides an introductory piece for this series.

The X-Men, at the time of these stories, were Scott Summers/Cyclops, Jean Grey/Marvel Girl, Warren Worthington III/The Angel, Hank McCoy/The Beast, and Bobby Drake/Iceman.  X-Men Classics #1 opens with a summary of the connection between The Living Pharaoh/The Living Monolith and Alex Summers, Scott’s younger brother.  Beyond that melodrama, the story’s primary focus is the return of the mutant-hunting robots, the Sentinels.  Larry Trask is the son of Boliver Trask, the creator of the Sentinels.  Seeking revenge for his father’s death, which he blames on the X-Men, Larry restarts the Sentinels program.  One by one, the Sentinels kidnap the X-Men and other mutants with whom the X-Men had interacted (which at the time of this story arc’s original publication was a small number).

I have read the Roy Thomas-Neal Adams-Tom Palmer X-Men several times, mostly in reprint form, but I have read a few of the original issues.  I have never been disappointed.  Reading the series again for the first time in ages, I wondered if I would realize that my love of these classic X-Men comics was really about nostalgia.  That is not the case.  They were great superhero comics, and they remain so.

I think what Thomas and Adams created was their take on the soap opera theatrics of Stan Lee and the dynamism of Jack Kirby.  It as if the grand epic that was the Lee-Kirby Fantastic Four became a smaller epic, something like an intimately staged opera, in the pages of the X-Men.

Thomas has the characters scream dialogue, taking the saying, “wears his heart on his sleeve” as if it were some kind of comic book proverb.  Larry Trask practically vomits rage and the spirit of vengeance is in every one of his word balloons.  The X-Men yell at each other; to hell with discussion.  They command, demand, order, and bicker.  They are selfish and concerned about their own needs and interests.  At the same time, they are a family, constantly fighting to save one another from a world that wants to destroy them.

Neal Adams’ page design early in his career (and even later) was like a mosaic of broken, jagged, and angled panels united into a single page of narrative.  More diagonal and vertical than horizontal, the panels could be confusing.

There is another way of looking at Adams’ stylish and chaotic graphic design and graphical storytelling.  He was creating the illusion of life and movement in static images.  His art suggested 3D in what was clearly 2D.  That 3D, sense of movement makes Roy Thomas’ loud exposition even louder and makes the melodrama seem imperative and immediate, and maybe even genuine.  Pages 2 and 3 of The X-Men #57 form a splash page, in which Iceman seems to be flying off the page.

That splash page epitomizes the graphic and visual power of superhero comics.  It is not fantasy grounded in realism.  That power is a comic book in which the characters really seem to be exploding off the page.  And X-Men Classics is a great way to experience the master of explosive comic book art, Neal Adams.

A+

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux


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

Gangsta: War of the Twilights

I read Gangsta., Vol. 2

I posted a review at the ComicBookBin, which is in need of donations.  Follow me on Twitter and visit my Indiegogo campaign.

I Reads You Review: SUICIDE SQUAD: Amanda Waller #1

SUICIDE SQUAD: AMANDA WALLER #1
DC COMICS – @DCComics

WRITER: Jim Zub
PENCILS: André Coelho
INKS: Scott Hanna
COLORS: Andrew Dalhouse
LETTERS: Carlos M. Mangual
COVER: Giuseppe Camuncoli with Blond
48pp, Color, $4.99 U.S.

Rating “T+” Teen Plus

Amanda Waller created by John Ostrander and John Byrne

“Sacrifice in the Storm”

Dr. Amanda Blake Waller, or simply, “Amanda Waller,” is a DC Comics character.  Waller first appeared in Legends #1 (1986) and was created by John Ostrander and John Byrne.  [Ostrander plotted the series, while Len Wein wrote the script.]  Waller does not possess super-powers, but she has been and is a powerful ally/antagonist of the DC Comics superheroes, as well as being an antihero.

In The New 52, the restart of the DC Comics Universe, Waller is the commander of the Suicide Squad (or “Task Force X”), a team of super-villains.  Members of the squad take on risky missions in exchange for time served.  The team’s base of operations is Belle Reve Penitentiary, a special prison for meta-humans and super-villains located in Terrebonne Parish, Louisiana.  Waller chooses the Suicide Squad’s membership and basically has the power of life and death over those members.  The New 52 Amanda Waller is a slim, attractive young woman, whereas the original version of her was a portly, older African-American woman.

Suicide Squad: Amanda Waller #1 is a one-shot comic book set after the events depicted in Suicide Squad #24 (The New 52 series, of course).  Entitled “Sacrifice in the Storm,” the story finds Amanda Waller confronting a super-powered attacker and focuses on the decisions she has to make in order to save some lives.

The story opens with Waller traveling aboard a U.S. Air Force plane with a military escort.  She is negotiating the cooperation of Dr. Algot Issen, who has developed genetic testing equipment that not only classifies super-powered beings, but also offers the opportunity to control them.  However, an entity from Dr. Issen’s past, called Kriger-3, has come back for some payback.  Now, Waller has to make the tough decisions that will decide who dies and who survives … if anyone survives.

When a young actor is hot… well, let’s be honest… When a young white male actor starts getting hot, the major Hollywood studios/corporations (Warner Bros., FOX, Universal, etc.) will find a “star vehicle” for this hot stuff.  A “star vehicle” is some kind of action movie or comedy with an uncomplicated plot, but has an interesting idea (once called a “high concept”).  Basically, it’s a chance for YWM (young white male) to showcase whatever it is about him that might make him a movie star.

The movie will feature a young (usually) white actress as a sidekick slash arm candy slash girl who probably gives him some booty (off-screen or on-screen, depending on the rating).  This film will have a mixture of respected older actors, venerable character actors, and actors (regardless of age) who specialize in playing such supporting characters as best friends, sassy friend-girls, kooky coworkers, etc.

Disturbia was a star vehicle for Shia LaBeouf.  Most of the films in Channing Tatum’s filmography of the last six or seven years are star vehicles.  Enemy of the State was a star vehicle for Will Smith (one of the Negro exceptions in Hollywood).

Suicide Squad: Amanda Waller #1 could be seen as a star vehicle for a fictional character.  To be honest, I only picked up this comic book because I am a fan of writer Jim Zub’s work on IDW Publishing’s Samurai Jack comic book.  [And Black Jesus knows DC Comics acts as if it would kill them to hire a Black writer to write about a Black character.]

Anyway, I think Amanda Waller makes an excellent choice to star in her own series or occasional miniseries, one-shot, or original graphic novel, especially if Jim Zub were the writer.  Zub’s story focuses on Waller, but is also told in the context of Suicide Squad’s central idea – imprisoning super-villains and sending them on deadly missions no one else would take and Waller’s part in that.

Zub sends Waller on a mission that is dangerous in every sense of the word.  To live, she has to make some brutal choices, and no, I won’t spoil the story by listing them.  I can say that to stay alive, Waller has to go to the heart of darkness and his cousin, ugly.  I am not saying that this is great work.  In some ways, it is merely professionally executed – nothing particularly special.  However, this story does mix internal character conflict and explosive superhero action quite well.

The art by André Coelho (pencils), Scott Hanna (inks) and Andrew Dalhouse (colors) is good.  The colors heighten the drama and beauty of the compositions with its clean line and “exacto” inking.  The storytelling, however, rests on Jim Zub’s efforts, so I hope we get more Suicide Squad: Amanda Waller, with the right storyteller.

B+

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux

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