Image Comics from Diamond Distributors for January 22, 2020

IMAGE COMICS

NOV190164    AMERICAN JESUS NEW MESSIAH #2 CVR A TOP SECRET (MR)    $3.99
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Marvel Comics from Diamond Distributors for January 22, 2020

MARVEL COMICS

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Comics, Magazines and Books from Diamond Distributors for January 22, 2020

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#IReadsYou Review: SCOOBY-DOO, Where Are You? #101

SCOOBY-DOO, WHERE ARE YOU? No. 101
DC COMICS – @DCComics

STORY: Sholly Fisch; Robbie Busch; John Rozum;
PENCILS: Randy Elliot; Scott Jeralds; Robert Pope
INKS: Randy Elliot; Jeff Albrecht; Scott McRae
COLORS: Rock Candy; Heroic Age
LETTERS: Saida Temofonte; Mike Sellers
EDITORS: Jim Chadwick; Michael Siglain and Jeanine Schaefer (reprints)
COVER: Randy Elliot with Rock Candy
32pp, Color, $2.99 U.S. (October 2019)

Rated “E” for “Everyone”

“Cow-nt Me Out!”

Join me, dear readers, in my continuing journey through the Scooby-Doo, Where Are You? comic book series.  I renewed my subscription (for a second time) and this is the third issue I received from that renewal.

Scooby-Doo, Where Are You? #101 opens with “Cow-nt Me Out!,” which is written by Sholly Fisch and drawn by Randy Elliot.  Mystery Inc.:  Scooby-Doo, Shaggy, Fred, Daphne, and Velma have been called in for a most unusual case for them – an animal haunting.  Farmer Dale and his two sons, Jedediah and Nathaniel, are being vexed by the glowing green “Ghost Cow.”  Because a corporate farm operation, “Agritech,” wants to buy Dale's farm, Fred and company think that there is more to this haunting than a rampaging “Ghost Cow.”

The second story, “Dr. Krankenstone's Monster,” is, as usual, a reprint and is written by Robbie Busch and drawn by Scott Jeralds and Jeff Albrecht.  [This story was originally published in Scooby-Doo #112 (cover date: November 2006).]  Mystery Inc. is passing through the fairy tale-like village of “Krankonia.”  They are just in time to see “Dr. Krankenstone's Monster” run away from the village after kidnapping Sylvia, a young maiden.

Mystery Inc. and the villagers chase the monster to the castle of Doktor Krankenstone, who insists that he has nothing to do with a monster... nor is he a mad scientist!  It is up to Scooby, Shaggy, and the rest of the gang to discover what is fact and what is fiction when it comes to a notorious family and the legendary monsters they supposedly created.

The third story, “Velma's Monsters of the World,” is also a reprint and is written by John Rozum and drawn by Robert Pope and Scott McRae.  [This story was originally published in Scooby-Doo #118 (cover date: May 2007) and was also reprinted in Scooby-Doo, Where Are You? #39 (January 2014).]  In this two-pager, Velma transports her audience to South Carolina where she introduces them to the gruesome spirit known as the “Plat-eye.”

“Cow-nt Me Out!” isn't the first time that Mystery Inc. has investigated a case involving the ghost of an animal that is rampaging through a locale.  However, there is a pair of people behind this haunting, and the story offers readers two pairs from which to choose.  I like the story because I like Scooby-Doo stories set on farms or in rural areas.

“Dr. Krankenstone's Monster” has the feel of a classic episode of a Scooby-Doo animated series, and I like the interiors of the castle as drawn by Scott Jeralds.   I have come across “Velma's Monsters of the World” as a reprint at least one other time during my subscription to this series.  It actually is a nice little nugget.

Until next time, Scooby-Dooby-Doo!

B
6 out of 10

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 syndication rights and fees.

--------------------------

#IReadsYou Review: SPIDER-MAN: Life Story #6

SPIDER-MAN: LIFE STORY No. 6
MARVEL COMICS – @Marvel

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

STORY: Chip Zdarsky
PENCILS: Mark Bagley
INKS: Andrew Hennessy
COLORS: Frank D'Armata
LETTERS: VC's Travis Lanham
EDITOR: Tom Brevoort
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: Akira Yoshida a.k.a. C.B. Cebulski
COVER: Chip Zdarsky
VARIANT COVER ARTIST: Paul Pope with Bruno Seelig
36pp, Color, $4.99 U.S. (October 2019)

Rated  “T”

Spider-Man created by Steve Ditko and Stan Lee

Chapter Six: “All My Enemies”

Spider-Man is a classic Marvel Comics superhero, perhaps the most famous and most popular Marvel character of all time.  Over the years, readers have followed the adventures of Spider-Man and his secret identity, Peter Parker, who is a teenager and high school student when readers first meet him.  Amazing Fantasy #15 (cover dated: August 1962) introduced 15-year-old Peter Parker.  He was bitten by a radioactive spider and, after gaining various fantastical abilities as a result of that bite, Peter became the Amazing Spider-Man.

Fifty-seven years have passed in the real world since that event, but Peter Parker, a fictional character, has practically always been either a teenager or a young man no older than his mid to late twenties.  What would have happened if fictional time passed the same as real time for Peter Parker?  The 15-year-old bitten by the radioactive spider would be 72-years-old in 2019 instead of being eternally young still in 2019.

Spider-Man: Life Story is a new comic book miniseries that tells the story of Peter Parker and Spider-Man in real time, depicting his life from beginning to end.  Spider-Man: Life Story is written by Chip Zdarsky; drawn by Mark Bagley (pencils) and Drew Hennessy (inks); colored by Frank D'Armata; and lettered by Travis Lanham.  “Life Story” is set against the events of the decades through which Spider-Man has lived.

Spider-Man: Life Story #6 (“All My Enemies”) opens in 2019.  There is a new generation of heroes, including a new Spider-Man, secretly a young man named Miles Morales.  Still, Peter Parker is called to be Spider-Man one more time.  He leaves his wife Mary Jane and their children, the twins:  daughter, Claire, and son, Benjy.

Peter and Miles take off into space in a Victor Von Doom spaceship and head for Tony Stark's old Space Lab.  There, they will find a device that can put a stop to Doom's technological plot against the world.  Peter believes that he must step aside for a new generation of heroes, and that he is an old man whose enemies have all died.  Peter is only partially right on one belief and dead wrong on the other.

As I wrote in my review of Spider-Man: Life Story #2, for the last two decades, especially since the beginning of Joe Quesada's reign as Editor-in-Chief of Marvel Comics (in the year 2000), Marvel has been rebooting, re-imagining, and re-purposing the fictional histories of its comic books.  Maybe, that is a way to introduce classic story lines, story arcs, characters, concepts, etc. to a new readers.  One could say that this also allows older (and old) readers to experience the stories of the past retold to one extent or another.

Spider-Man: Life Story is neither a swipe of the fictional history and mythology of Spider-Man, nor is it a reboot or retelling.  First, Chip Zdarsky is representing the conflicts and melodramas that The Amazing Spider-Man and other Spider-Man publications depicted as the life experiences of a character who is aging in “real time.”  These are no longer just the adventures and misadventures and trial and tribulations of a young man and his superhero alter-ego who have been (mostly) no older than their mid-20s for the better part of six decades and are often eternally on the verge of graduating high school.  Zdarsky depicts Spider-Man having to face his personal obstacles and his rogue's gallery of supervillains as an aging and old man when he previously did this only as a young man.

In Spider-Man: Life Story, Zdarsky is playing with the two themes that run throughout practically every Spider-Man publication and depiction of the character in film and television – the themes of consequence and obligation.  Because of that pivotal moment in his origin story when he decided not to stop the thief that would go on to murder his beloved Uncle Ben Parker, Peter is always confronted by the consequences of his actions and inaction.  What he does or does not do in pivotal moments affects everyone around him and connected to him.

Thus, writers have always depicted Peter as having a deep sense of obligation because he has these fantastic powers, so he owes the world Spider-Man, the superhero who tries to always be here, there, and everywhere.  So, I think what Chip Zdarsky is telling us in his brilliantly conceived comic book series, Spider-Man: Life Story, is that Peter Parker will be the hero Spider-Man regardless of his age and regardless of what year it is.  For Peter and Spider-Man, time is truly neutral.

I think that artist Mark Bagley also makes Spider-Man: Life Story a classic Spider-Man comic book series for two reasons.  First, Bagley is a straight-forward graphical storyteller, illustrating fantasy as if he were a journalist conveying the history that he is witnessing.  Secondly, Bagley understands the core ideas that make Spider-Man resonate with readers and fans.

Inker Andrew Hennessy embellishes Bagley's pencil art without losing what makes it special.  Frank D'Armata colors beautifully, accentuating the story without distracting from it.  Letterer Travis Lanham seems to know exactly where to place the lettering and also how to use the lettering to convey the story's emotions, moods, and atmosphere.  I can say that Zdarsky and Bagley's storytelling would be less successful without Lanham's efforts.

Spider-Man: Life Story #6 has a shocking number of surprises that relate to Spider-Man's past conflicts, including the recent past.  The best thing that I can say about this issue is that it ends the series and also leaves me (and I suspect, many readers) really wanting more.

9.5 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.


--------------------------

#IReadsYou Review: WONDER TWINS #1

WONDER TWINS No. 1
DC COMICS – @DCComics

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

STORY: Mark Russell
ART: Stephen Byrne
COLORS: Stephen Byrne
LETTERS: Dave Sharpe
EDITORS: Mike Cotton and Andy Khouri
COVER: Stephen Byrne
VARIANT COVER: Dustin Nguyen
32pp, Color, $3.99 U.S. (April 2019)

Rated “T” for “Teen”

Wonder Twins created by Hanna-Barbera and Norman Maurer

“It Gets Weirder”

Just in case you, dear reader, do not want to read this entire review, let me say quickly that the first issue of Wonder Twins is not worth your $3.99.  It would not be a good deal even at .99¢ for a digital copy.

“The Wonder Twins” were characters that appeared in “The All-New Super Friends Hour” (September 1977 to September 1978).  Produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions for the ABC television network, “The All-New Super Friends Hour” had a run time of one hour and was composed of about 4 animated shorts per episode.  The Wonder Twins debuted in “The Joy Ride” segment of the debut episode of “The All-New Super-Friends Hour” (“The Brain Machine / The Joy Ride / The Invasion of the Earthors / The Whirlpool”).

On the TV series, the Wonder Twins were brother, Zan, and sister, Jayna, extraterrestrials twins from the planet, Exxor.  They had shape-shifting powers, with Zan being able to turn into inanimate things (like a bucket of water) and Jayna being able to transform into living creatures (like a camel).  Zan and Jayna were being trained as apprentice superheroes by the members of the Super Friends.  The siblings also had a pet, Gleek, a blue alien monkey.

The Wonder Twins made their comic book debut in Super Friends #7 (cover dated: October 1977).  DC Comics published a comic book version of “Super Friends,” the 1973-74 animated TV series that preceded “The All-New Super Friends Hour.”  The comic book ran for 47 issues from 1976 to 1981.

The Wonder Twins return to comics in a new series from DC Comics' young readers imprint, “Wonder Comics.”  Entitled Wonder Twins, the six-issue miniseries is written by Mark Russell; drawn and colored by Stephen Byrne; and lettered by Dave Sharpe.

Wonder Twins #1 (“It Gets Weirder”) opens at Morris High School, which extraterrestrial twins, Zan and Jayna, attend.  Their classmates know that they are aliens on Earth, and the twins have to deal with the same problems most high school teens usually confront.  Zan and Jayna are also more or less apprentices of the Justice League – in large part because of Superman.  The rest of the League, however, are wary of the twins.  Then, a troublesome, impossible villain starts causing some trouble.

I was a fan of writer Mark Russell's short-lived “DCYou” comic book series, Prez.  It was one of the best and smartest comic books that offered political and social satire recently published in the United States.  Imaginative and sharp, Prez lampooned corporate culture and interests as much as it savaged American national politics.

Wonder Twins #1 is neither sharp nor funny.  If I had to compare it to a flavor, I would say that Wonder Twins #1 is bland, even flavorless.  It is more flat and uninspired than it is of poor quality.  The art by Stephen Byrne is so monotone that it might have been produced by a clip-art generator rather than by an actual human being.  The color is... yeah, you get it... uninspired.  Even Dave Sharpe's lettering is not as sharp as usual.  And Dustin Nguyen's variant cover art is ugly.

I don't want to give Wonder Twins #1 a failing grade (an “F”) or even a “D.”  This comic book reads like filler material, something produced to revive a trademark for business purposes, so it deserves the ultimate average grade...

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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#IReadsYou Review: EXCELLENCE #1

EXCELLENCE No. 1
IMAGE COMICS/Skybound – @ImageComics @Skybound

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

STORY: Brandon Thomas
ART: Khary Randolph
COLORS: Emilio Lopez
LETTERS: Deron Bennett
EDITOR: Sean Mackiewicz
COVER: Khary Randolph with Emilio Lopez
VARIANT COVER ARTIST: Emilio Lopez
36pp, Color, $3.99 U.S. (May 2019)

Rated M/Mature

Excellence created by Brandon Thomas and Khary Randolph

Chapter One: “Kill the Past”

Excellence is a new comic book series from writer Brandon Thomas and artist Khary Randolph.  It is released by the Image Comics' studio, Skybound Entertainment.  The series follows a young man who is born into a secret society of magicians.  Excellence is written by Thomas; drawn by Randolph; colored by Emilio Lopez; and lettered by Deron Bennett.

Excellence #1 (“Kill the Past”) opens in Column One, New York City.  It is the day Spencer Raymond Dales is born to Raymond and Stephanie Dales.  Raymond belongs to “The Aegis,” a secret society of magicians ordered by their unseen masters to better the lives of others—those with greater potential.  However, these magicians must never use their powers to better themselves.  As Spencer grows, he struggles to meet the expectations of his legacy, and he also views the system as being in need of change.  Young Spencer is committed to one truth – Excellence is real.

Calling a work of entertainment by the title, “Excellence,” is a trap.  If “Excellence” is not excellent, then, reviewers and critics will offer up snarky titles and headlines for their reviews and articles.  Those titles and headlines will basically focus on “Excellence” not being excellent.

Excellence #1 strives to be excellent.  Truthfully, it might seem to start as if it were nothing more than your average comic book, but what is presented in this first issue plays out for... excellence.  Excellence could be an awesome comic book series, and if it does not turn out to be that way, it won't be because the creative team did not try.

Excellence already has... excellent art by Khary Randolph, art that is as electric and as energetic as any comic book art out there today.  Randolph's art here is highly stylish, but the compositions and page design have a depth of storytelling.  Randolph seems to be lock-step with writer Brandon Thomas, which is a good thing, in bringing this imaginative concept to life in vivid comic book storytelling.

Emilio Lopez's colors Randolph's art with a vengeance with colors that explode off the page.  The green and blue colors here could almost blind an innocent unsuspecting reviewer like myself.  As always, Deron Bennett letters more bumps in the hump; he is a soul man of lettering.

So... Excellence is.  Past this first issue of introductions and teasing, I believe, are chapters that will offer brilliance... and continued excellence.

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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