Black Rose Alice: Out of the Past

I read Black Rose Alice, Vol. 5

I posted a review at the ComicBookBin.  Follow me on Twitter or at Grumble.  Support me on Patreon.

Review: Will Eisner's THE SPIRIT #1

WILL EISNER'S THE SPIRIT VOL. 1 #1
DYNAMITE ENTERTAINMENT – @dynamitecomics

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

WRITER: Matt Wagner
ART: Dan Schkade
COLORS: Brennan Wagner
LETTERS: A Larger World Studios
COVER: Eric Powell
VARIANT COVERS: Matt Wagner with Brennan Wagner; Alex Ross; John Cassaday; Francesco Francavilla; Dan Schkade; Matt Wagner; Dennis Calero; Jenny Frison; Stephen Mooney
32pp, Color, $3.99 U.S. (July 2015)

Rated T+

The Spirit (a.k.a. Denny Colt) is the masked crime-fighting hero created by legendary cartoonist, the late Will Eisner.  The Spirit first appeared on June 2, 1940 as the main feature of what would come to be known as “The Spirit Section.”  This was a 16-page, tabloid-sized, newsprint comic book insert first distributed in the Sunday edition of Register and Tribune Syndicate newspapers.  “The Spirit Section” ended in 1952.  With only a few exceptions, Eisner did not produce new stories featuring The Spirit as a regular feature after 1952.

In the last two decades, Kitchen Sink, DC Comics, and IDW published comic book series featuring new Spirit stories created by other writers and artists.  Sometime in the last year, Dynamite Entertainment obtained the rights to produce new Spirit comic books.  July 2015 saw the debut of Will Eisner's The Spirit, written by Matt Wagner, drawn by Dan Schkade, colored by Brennan Wagner, and lettered by A Large World Studios, with covers by Eric Powell.

Will Eisner's The Spirit #1 opens some time in the 1940s, two years after the last sighting of The Spirit.  Central City Police Commissioner Eustace Dolan wonders about the fate of his loyal, crime-fighting friend, but he must focus on the city's politics, which are not necessarily playing in his favor.  Commissioner Dolan's daughter, Ellen Dolan, is busy with her role as a city councilman, and though she was romantically involved with The Spirit, she has moved on with her life.  She even has a new boyfriend, attorney Archibald “Archie” Shale.

The Spirit's former sidekick, Ebony White, is now part of “Strunk and White: Private Investigators.”  Ebony has grown bored of chasing people, and has decided that it is time to chase The Spirit.

There have been some good recent Spirit stories produced by creators other than Will Eisner; Alan Moore and Darwyn Cooke come to mind.  Even back in The Spirit's original run, the comic was produced by people other than Eisner.  I imagine that readers who are not familiar with Will Eisner won't know the difference between his Spirit and that of other creators, so I will partly review Will Eisner's The Spirit #1 in that context.

It is a decent comic book.  It has potential, but I wouldn't pay a cover price of $3.99 for it on a regular basis.  Series artist Dan Schkade draws so that his compositions try to capture the graphic style of a comic book from the 1940s.  However, his drawing, in terms of comic book art and storytelling, is raw, and the quality of his work says semi-pro webcomic.

Now, as a longtime fan of The Spirit, who has liked both Eisner and non-Eisner Spirit comics, I have to say that Will Eisner's The Spirit #1 simply does not live up to the best of either Eisner or non-Eisner Spirit.  The reality is that anyone who takes on The Spirit works in the shadow of Eisner, one of the greatest and most influential comic book artists and creators of all time.

So truthfully, Dynamite Entertainment needs to do better than Dan Schkade as the series artist.  Flashy cover artists cannot hide that this book does not even come close to living up to its pedigree.  [I must admit to loving Alex Ross' gorgeous “Subscription Cover” variant cover.]  I want this to be better, and I think writer Matt Wagner and artist Dan Schkade can do better.  They must.

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux


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

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Assassination Classroom: Time to Show Off a Hidden Talent

I read Assassination Classroom, Vol. 5

I posted a review at the ComicBookBin.  Follow me on Twitter or at Grumble.  Support me on Patreon.

Review: PREZ #1

PREZ #1
DC COMICS – @DCComics

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

WRITER: Mark Russell
PENCILS: Ben Caldwell
INKS: Mark Morales
COLORS: Jeremy Lawson
LETTERS: Travis Lanham
COVER: Ben Caldwell
VARIANT COVER: Bret Blevins
32pp, Color, $2.99 U.S. (August 2015)

Rated “T” for “Teen”

“Corndog in Chief”

Prez was a comic book series created by writer Joe Simon and artist Jerry Grandenetti.  The series, which debuted in 1973, focused on Prez Rickard, the first teenage president of the United States of America.  Prez ran for four issues before being canceled in 1974, and what was to be issue #5 was eventually published in Cancelled Comic Cavalcade #2.

Like DC Comic's relaunch of its comics line, The New 52, the “DCYou” publishing initiative brings back some obscure, cult, short-lived, and long-canceled comic book series and characters.  Thus, we have a new Prez comic book series, which is written by Mark Russell, drawn by Ben Caldwell (pencils) and Mark Morales (inks), colored by Jeremy Lawson, and lettered by Travis Lanham.

Prez #1 (“Corndog in Chief”) opens in Washington D.C. in the year 2036.  In Conference Room 104A of the U.S. Senate building, a powerful group of senators, known as “The Colonels,” have gathered for an emergency meeting called by one of their own, Senator Thorn.  A week before the presidential election, the incumbent U.S. president has ceased seeking reelection because of a tawdry scandal.  Now, The Colonels must decide whom their hand-picked replacement candidate will be.

Meanwhile, in Eugene, Oregon, at “Li'l Doggies House of Corndogs,” Beth Ross is having an embarrassing time in a workplace video.  Around the same time Beth is having trouble, presidential candidate, Senator Tom Downey, is suffering the indignity of shilling on a popular “videocast” for votes.  Senator Gary Farmer is a candidate, but is nowhere to be seen.  Twitter is going to make one of these three people the next President of the United States.

In my review of another new “DCYou” title, Harley Quinn and Power Girl, I basically said that all the people involved with that comic should be ashamed for putting out such an overwhelmingly mediocre comic book.  In the case of Prez #1, all involved should take a bow.  Part of me is surprised that DC Comics, a subsidiary of a giant media conglomerate, would publish a comic book that savagely lampoons not only American politics, but also corporate media and corporate interests.

Hell, DC Comics just left their historic home of New York City to move to Burbank, California so that it could be closer to its corporate parent's film-making operations.  That way, it would be easier for Warner Bros. Pictures' film and television divisions to exploit DC Comics' copyrights and trademarks.

Part of me doesn't want to buy what Prez is selling.  DC Comics is not a comic book publisher so much as it is a maintainer of copyrights and trademarks and also a lowbrow research and development division for a media corporation's film production and distribution unit.  This comic book reeks of hypocrisy, and the publisher is what its comic book, Prez, is making fun of.  Am I being a hypocrite?  I would totally believe that Prez is genuine if Fantagraphics Books or Rip Off Press published it (or especially defunct Kitchen Sink Press).

Anyway, the future that Prez reveals is now.  We are sick in our messy age.  If Prez is the real deal, then, it should be DC Comics' most popular comic book, especially outside of the usual circles of American comic books.

A

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux


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

Case Closed: Cheesecake Upside Yo Head

I read Case Closed, Vol. 55

I posted a review at the ComicBookBin.  Follow me on Twitter or at Grumble.  Support me on Patreon.

Review: JUSTICE LEAGUE #41

JUSTICE LEAGUE #41
DC COMICS – @DCComics

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

WRITER: Geoff Johns
ART: Jason Fabok
COLORS: Brad Anderson
LETTERS: Rob Leigh
COVER: Jason Fabok with Brad Anderson
VARIANT COVERS: David Finch and Jonathan Glapion with Brad Anderson (Joker 75th Anniversary Cover)
48pp, Color, $4.99 U.S. (August 2015)

Rated “T” for “Teen”

“The Darkseid War” Chapter One: “God vs. Man”

I picked up the forty-first issue of Justice League because it was the first “DCYou” issue, but I had no intention of reviewing it.  However, I enjoyed it so much that I had to share the good news.  Could we have what is the beginnings of a second Justice League creative dream team?  Writer Geoff Johns, artist Jason Fabok, colorist Brad Anderson, and letterer Rob Leigh might make the answer in the affirmative.

Justice League #41 (The Darkseid War Chapter One: “God vs. Man”) opens with two mysterious figures (Kanto and Lashina) in the midst of an apparent killing spree.  Meanwhile, Mister Miracle is trying to discover what Darkseid is up to.

Steve Trevor is with the Justice League:  Wonder Woman, Batman, Cyborg, Flash, Shazam, and the Green Lanterns: Hal Jordan and Jessica Cruz, as they investigate a crime scene.  So why is the Justice League interested in what appears to be a mere homicide?  Meanwhile, Superman finds himself having to deal with Lex Luthor.  And who is Myrina Black?

“God vs. Man” is a first chapter that does not short the reader on awesome superhero fantasy-action theatrics.  Justice League #40 was the prelude to “The Darkseid War,” so issue #41 is free to go crazy, which writer Geoff Johns does.  I do get the feeling that Johns is going to do more than merely throw big fight scenes and spectacular sequences at us.  In this issue, he teases at the frailties, doubts, and past grievances and injuries of several of the characters.  My reading of it is that this big JL event will find much of its conflict originating from the interior lives of several of the main players.

I don't want to give short-shrift to artist Jason Fabok, because, as the artist, he is the “sequential artist” who builds that panels that we read and interpret.  I am still trying to get used to the idea of Fabok as the appropriate artist for a big superhero team book like Justice League.  His storytelling is good, but his style lacks the visual punch of someone like Jim Lee, who is perfect for a book like Justice League.  Still, I think Fabok could be the artist half of a memorable Justice League creative team.  “The Darkseid War” will tell if Fabok is the right guy.

A

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux


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

DC Comics from Diamond Distributors for September 9, 2015

DC COMICS

JUL150246     ACTION COMICS #44     $3.99
JUL150237     ALL STAR SECTION 8 #4     $2.99
JUL150226     ARROW SEASON 2.5 #12     $2.99
JUL150256     BATMAN #44     $4.99
JUN150298     BATMAN BEYOND 2.0 TP VOL 03 MARK OF THE PHANTASM     $16.99
JUL150248     BATMAN SUPERMAN #24     $3.99
JUL150267     CATWOMAN #44     $2.99
JUL150217     EARTH 2 SOCIETY #4     $2.99
JUL150339     FABLES THE WOLF AMONG US #9 (MR)     $3.99
JUL150276     GOTHAM ACADEMY #10     $2.99
MAY150237     GREEN LANTERN NEW GODS GODHEAD HC     $34.99
JUN150259     HARLEY QUINN ROAD TRIP SPECIAL #1     $5.99
JUL150204     JUSTICE LEAGUE UNITED #13     $3.99
JUL150231     NEW SUICIDE SQUAD #12     $2.99
JUL150236     RED HOOD ARSENAL #4     $2.99
JUL150292     SCOOBY DOO WHERE ARE YOU #61     $2.99
JUL150242     STARFIRE #4     $2.99
MAY150272     SUICIDERS #6 (MR)     $3.99

DC COMICS/DC COLLECTIBLES
MAR150321     ARKHAM BATMAN ACTION FIGURE 5 PACK     $84.95
DEC140432     DC COMICS JUSTICE LEAGUE STARTER POKER SET     $24.95