In 2021 I’d like to cross over the 1,000 comics review barrier, meaning reviews that I (Mike Clarke a.k.a. pghhead) contribute to the blog. That’s what this odyssey is about, beginning January 01, 2021. Wish me luck . . . . .
#361-#364 RED BORDER #1-4 (AWA/Upshot, March-August 2020) Based on the title and cover image, you might think this is a commentary on immigration issues and conflicts. While it does take place along the Mexico-Texas border, this is pure escapist entertainment with a smidgeon of social commentary utilized more in service of character development rather than a vehicle for a poignant message.
Instead, this is a taut, tense thriller with some horrific elements. Recommended for mature readers only. Good story, with expressive photo-realistic art.
Karina is a strong, calculating protagonist who gets in trouble when she does the right thing and passes information on the Mexican cartel to the authorities. The cartel sends a gang to kill her at a dinner gathering of friends, and when a beloved nephew dies in the melee, the crime boss vows revenge on the escaping Karina and Eduardo, her professor boyfriend.
They avoid capture and manage to cross the border into Texas, only to be trapped in a house of horrors. The weird Texas family, still reliving the battle of the Alamo and killing as many Mexicans as possible, reminds me of a familiar family from a 1970’s Texas horror movie involving chainsaws. FOUR STARS.
#365-#368 HOTELL #1-4 of 4 (AWA/Upshot, March-August 2020) The first wave of titles from AWA/Upshot were impressive. In my opinion, this was the absolute best of the bunch.
John Lees is an inventive Scottish writer of horror comics who has a penchant for scripting tales that reveal the darker sides of human nature, the things that get under your skin and start to itch. If you enjoy reading horror comics, seek this one out. A full review was posted to this blog on May 29. FIVE STARS.
#369-#372 HIT-GIRL, SEASON TWO: HIT-GIRL IN HOLLYWOOD #1-4 (Image, February-May 2019) I thought this deserved better reviews than it received. However, while I liked this - - it is not premium Kevin Smith.
Sometimes we need to check our sensitivity at the door when picking up a book that while it touches on current issues, overall it is intended to be humorous. A full review was posted to this blog on May 29. THREE STARS.
#373-#367 BAD MOTHER #1-5 of 5 (AWA/Upshot, August-December 2020)
I love crime comics. Sometimes I don't want anything more than a good story to pull me in and keep turning the pages. BAD MOTHER was exactly the medicine I needed during a busy week - - "a suburban noir crime thriller about a soccer mom on the warpath against the crime syndicate that abducted her daughter."
Tip for gangsters: never piss off a mother in the middle of a mid-life crisis and give her new purpose and determination. Writer Christa Faust makes that all-too evident in this fast-paced thriller.
It was so nice to see what stellar artist Mike Deodato Jr. can illustrate outside of superhero comics. His work here enhances the story so well. His realistic art and use of two-page grids to envelop the often over-lapping panels is inventive - - like viewing the story through smartphone screens (which play an important role in the story). FOUR STARS.
#368-#369 WILDGUARD: CASTING CALL #2, #3 (Image, 2003) I didn’t want to go deep into another mini-series or story arc just yet, so I grabbed 10 comics from a recent mystery box bargain purchase at Captain Blue Hen and read them. This was my favorite of the bunch.
I don’t recall coming across the work of writer/artist Todd Nauck before now. This is a fun, light-hearted take on superhero teams. The art reminds me a lot of George Perez, especially Nauck’s ability to draw a ton of characters into a single panel.
The premise is that a new superhero team is being created for television with nice salary and benefits - so there are a hundred or more characters auditioning. The final selection would be announced in the last issue, with nominations open to readers to log in to the website and try to influence the final decision.
America’s top team, the Ultra Mega Super Five, battle a giant robot which ends with the robot crashing into the Wildguard audition headquarters. The wannabes think it’s just part of the audition, and fight the hundreds of alien warriors who pour out of the crushed robot. Some suspect deliberate sabotage by the Super Five.
Many of these characters will remind you of superhero favorites, although there are plenty of originals mixed in. Some of my favorites, mostly because of their names: Freezerburn, Shrubling, Toughlon (a punch-resistant version of Teflon), Scattermane, Travel Agent (teleportation gloves); and Lily Hammer. THREE AND ONE-HALF STARS.
The rest of the books I read from the mystery box . . . . . .
#370 BASTARD SAMURAI #3 (Image, 2002)
You either like the funky art style of Mike Avon Oeming or you don’t. He wrote and inked this story over the pencils of Kelsey Shannon but it still bears his imprint. I happen to appreciate his work, but I don’t rank him on the higher plateau.
Two modern-day warriors, both having strayed from the principles and mission of true samurai have it out in final battle. Along with the pencils/inks, the most interesting thing about this was the creative coloring (like looking at panels through tinted glasses). THREE STARS.
#371 BLACK SCIENCE #4 (Image, 2014)
Sometimes you can pick up on a series from a later issue, rather than starting at the actual beginning. I use these bargain bin buys to preview a series and see if I want to seek out the back issues or order a trade paperback. I actually have Volume 1 of BLACK SCIENCE but never cracked it open.
While I could follow this, thanks in large part to the recap on the credits page, I wasn’t fully pulled into the story. I”ll have to check out Volume 1 but reading this didn’t persuade me to move it up more spaces in my to-be-read boxes.
Main character Grant McKay is seriously wounded and stranded in a dimension where Europe is being invaded by high-tech Native Americans. He needs to find a Shaman medicine man for some reason which wasn’t entirely clear in this issue - - maybe to help get him back to his home dimension. THREE STARS.
#372-#373 HUCK #2, #3 (Image, 2015)
If I had to summarize the body of work by Mark Millar in just a few words, off the top of my head I’d go with “fast-paced, and over the top”.
Huck is a every day common man who just happens to be huge, possessed of superhuman strength and speed, and a modest good Samaritan who only wants to help out the common man (example: finding a lost dog). He’s about to be manipulated and abused by corrupt politicians who want to jump on the bandwagon and use him to help get elected.
This was really interesting, and a real departure from what I expect from Millar. I’m guessing it probably ends in a warm, heartfelt and uplifting message (as Millar sometimes does). THREE AND ONE-HALF STARS.
#374 TOKYO GHOST #6 (Image, 2016)
I like Rick Remender’s creator-owned work, but had a hard time figuring this one out. However, the recap on the credits page helped a little - - enough to make me curious to read this from the beginning.
The world is addicted to virtual technology in 2089, absorbed in digital pleasures. Led Dent and Debbie Decay vow to stay tech-free and move to Japan, where supposedly no technology has existed for decades.
If I can find Volume 1 in a bargain bin, I’d pick this up for sure. Otherwise, I’m not in a hurry to read it. As I mentioned before, the to-be-read boxes await me - - and I’m not getting any younger. THREE STARS.
#375 STARBORN #2 (Boom, 2011)
Ten years ago or so, Stan Lee created several series ideas for Boom! Studios, who then turned them over to various creative teams to script and visualize. I”ve read a smattering of them before, and they’re all pretty good. I don’t think they did well enough for second story arcs - maybe due more to the glut of books in the marketplace than anything else.
Benjamin Warner is a wannabee science-fiction novelist who learns that the imaginery worlds and concepts he’s been writing about are actually real, and he is a major player who’s about to be pursued by various aliens and mind-controlled drones. Chris Roberson wrote this one. THREE STARS.
#376 MOLLY DANGER/PRINCELESS FREE COMIC BOOK DAY (Action Lab, 2013)
Aimed at middle grade readers, both story are art are very appealing. I was curious about Jamal Igle’s creation (writer/artist for Molly Danger) and now I’m satisfied. His work is under-appreciated, and I”d recommend THE WRONG EARTH (Ahoy Comics) over this, simply because the story line is more suited to my age group.
I’ve read Princeless before, and enjoy the spin on classic fairy tale tropes - - where the princess doesn’t want to be the damsel in distress - - she wants to fight. Both stories feature strong female characters. THREE AND ONE-HALF STARS.
#377 DARK MINDS #5 (Image, 1988)
If you like the offerings of the Cartoon Network every late-night Saturday, you may want to check out this book. Both story and art remind me of various anime cartoon series I’ve sampled in an effort to find one that interests and engages me.
This is a complex story with a lot of exposition (and exclamatory statements!) with decent art but I just can’t get into it. I’d be hard-pressed to remember enough of this to summarize it for you - - something about a Paradox serial killer and a disgraced law enforcement agent now linked to the murders. TWO STARS.
#378 B. B. FREE #2 (Boom! Box, 2019)
A young runaway boy finds himself in a mysterious swamp in 2232 and befriends a young girl in a hovercraft like vehicle. She brings him to her home like nothing has happened - - after leaving in the middle of the night in a dangerous setting and inviting a total stranger to sleep over - - and her parents are super-accepting of that? Wow. Times have changed.
There are some positive messages here about friendship, etc . . and his dad seems to be in trouble with a gator stalking him. I obviously missed quite a bit here by not reading Issue #1, but that’s okay. I am not the audience for this. TWO STARS.
GRENDEL, KENTUCKY is a good grind-house movie stuck inside a comic book. It's the Grendel legend retold in a more modern setting, plopped down inside a backwoods 1970’s former Kentucky mining town, now a fertile ground for a cash crop of weed. Police look the other way.
The town is blessed with such prolific production thanks to a pact with the monster in the abandoned coal mine - - just sacrifice a few homeless people, wandering vagrants, or anyone you don't like from time to time. When the pact is broken, all hell breaks loose.
It's Appalachian residents with attitudes and shotguns, plus a female biker gang led by a former resident versus the Grendel monster. If you've read Beowulf then you know where writer Jeff McComsey is taking this, but it doesn't matter. You'll be having too much fun.
Tommy Lee Edwards' art is grim and gritty and perfect for this story. FOUR STARS.
#383 OUT OF BODY #1 (Aftershock, 6/02 release date)
Somebody wanted Dan Collins dead, but didn’t completely succeed. He’s in hospital in a vegetative state with machinery keeping him alive. He leaves his physical body behind while his astral form attempts to learn how and why this occurred to him. Behind the scenes are a psychic and an occultist hard at work to either help or manipulate him.
There’s always a psychological undercurrent that raises questions about the human condition in the creator-owned work of Peter Milligan, whether it’s a crime story, science-fiction, fantasy, horror or the mystery (among other things) that is introduced here.
While I don’t always like his stories, Milligan is one of the writers I admire and try to follow. I’m so happy to see him writing a mini-series for Aftershock. I hope to write a longer review of this as time permits, but I’m impressed enough with Issue #1 to mention it now. FOUR AND ONE-HALF STARS.
#384 IMMORTAL HULK #47 (Marvel, 6/02 release date)
One of Hulk’s manifestations versus the Avengers. Blade in over his head. (Why is he in the Avengers again?) She-Hulk conflicted as to which side she should support. The other Hulks, Gamma Force, and Harpy (Betty Brandt) show up.
The Leader shows up in only one panel, just to remind us that he’s manipulating Hulk minds. This is leading up to the final issues and the resolution of the Leader storyline. It’s been one amazing build-up. FOUR STARS.
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