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. . . .
# GOAL FOR SEPTEMBER 20 . . . 723 comics documented
CURRENT COUNT . . . . . 695 comics documented
#673 - #675 X-FORCE #4 - #6 (Marvel, June-August 2014)
X-Force is tracking Russian billionaire Volga. The trail leads to an inter-dimensional teleporter. Before X-Force can locate Aggasiz, Volga burns him to a crisp. The team goes to Paris, captures Anais (a Saharan cat person) who they use as bait for Le Necrogateur (who reads the minds of the dead). They have Necrogateur scan Aggasiz’s corpse. In Issue #6 they storm Volga’s mobile base. After a apparent critical setback they regroup and disrupt Volga’s world dominating plans.
Not a bad story with decent art. What spoiled it for me is the faux French speech of Fantomex (annoying as hell) and the even more annoying faux Russo-English of Volga. Ugh.
THREE STARS.
#676 - #678 X-MEN: KINGBREAKER #1 - #3 (Marvel, February-April 2009)
This is a four-issue spin-off from the War Of Kings epic of 2009. Vulcan has supplanted empress Lilandra as ruler of the Shi’Ar and has plans to expand his empire. Vulcan is Gabriel Summers, younger brother of Scott and Alex Summers.
Vulcan has imprisoned all who oppose him, including Havoc (Alex Summers), Polaris, and his Starjammer friends Raza Longknife and Ch’od. With the help of Rachel Summers (wow, this is a family affair) and Korvus Rook’Shir (a cool alien warrior but totally new to me), they escape and join forces with Lilandra and a reconciled Gladiator to go after Vulcan before the other space races (Kree, Skrulls, etc) get into a giant war.
I’m glad I saw this. The story by Chris Yost is very fine, as is the dynamic art of Dustin Weaver (reminding me of classic cosmic Jim Starlin art). Maybe someday I’ll read the whole War of Kings thing. THREE AND ONE-HALF STARS.
At its' roots, the premise behind GRUMBLE VOLUME 1 was pretty familiar: a crime story where two small-time crooks steal from the big boss and then have to run for their lives. What made it seem so fresh was all the other elements that writer Rafer Roberts threw into the mix: animal characters, alien characters, family relationships, old grudges. Add a bit of magic, fantasy, and science-fiction. Partner with an artist (Mike Norton) known for his skill at depicting funny animals in more serious situations.
That made for a book that was 100% fresh and like nothing else on the comics landscape. I was entertained and captivated.
I'm still enjoying the adventures of Eddie (turned into a talking pug by a magic spell), his half-demon daughter Tala and their love/hate relationship with lots of banter and jibes at each other. Volume Three took them away from the familiar stomping grounds on an inter-dimensional adventure.
This volume did not seem quite as humorous as the previous two story arcs. In spite of the absurdity here, things got a little more serious. The ending is especially heart-warming, as one of the characters makes an important sacrifice for the good of all. If there's more to come (it was hinted at) then I'll keep reading. FOUR STARS.
Here’s the summary from the Goodreads website:
Benjamin Percy (Wolverine) and Brent Schoonover (Batman '66) present a pulse-pounding thriller, based on real FBI data, examining murder in the dark underbelly of America's heartland. A young woman with a dark family secret embarks on a quest to hunt down the serial killer that brutally murdered her father - only to discover he is just one piece of a national network of evil that snakes across the country and hides in plain sight. To catch the devil she must first embrace the darkness within.
Some readers may view the character of Sharon as an exaggeration of the heroic but mentally scarred bad-ass heroine, but I loved her. She, as well as Quinn, the disgraced FBI agent still pursuing the case are what made the story memorable for me. FOUR STARS.
#689 ANIMOSITY TALES FREE COMIC BOOK DAY 2019 (Aftershock)
Just like this year’s Free Comic Book Day title from Aftershock (We Live: The Last Days) this contains an all-original story in the Animosity universe.
This goes back to the beginning, on the day when all the animals woke up, started thinking, talking and taking revenge as things got weird.
Meridith, a college student at Florida State University majoring in ichthyology, gets a surprise when her pet fish Neon talks to her and professes his love. The two make it their mission to rescue as many fish as possible from a local aquarium supply store and transport them to a new life in the swamp. Human fish poachers and alligators get in the way.
There’s a neat text piece with a summary of the first four volumes of Animosity, as well as a short preview of MARY SHELLEY, MONSTER HUNTER.
FOUR STARS.
Emily Kai is a Reborn, and she doesn’t think the empathy she feels is much of a power. Then she’s contacted by a grieving sister in need (police say her brother jumped off a mountain cliff) and learns more of the parameters of her power. She ends up averting a tragedy.
A great single issue story that can be appreciated without a grounding in the Resistance universe that writer J. Michael Straczynski is building on.
FOUR AND ONE HALF STARS.
The irony that JMS has inserted into the story is that every time a Reborn uses their power, it shortens their lifespan. They burn out within six months.
This issue brings Emily to the halfway point, each issues chronicling the events of one month. I’m excited to see where this will go. I sort of lost interest before the first RESISTANCE series ended, after giving a five-star rating to the amazing debut issue. I’m having trouble getting interested in RESISTANCE: REBORNS. But MOTHS punches my ticket. FOUR AND ONE-HALF STARS.
Latoya Morgan’s story so far leads me to believe this will be about the bigotry, racism, and segregation of post-war America in the 1950’s with the added element of a science fiction occurrence (“the variance”). What might an oppressed black man, not respected for his service to his country, do with super-powers? He (Avery Aldridge, a.k.a. Double A) begins to realize the full potential of his latent energy when he’s accosted in an alley by an angry white customer of the late-night diner where he works. Maybe that’s gun-toting thug isn’t upset with the service; maybe there’s something else on his mind.
That’s all I could discern from the first issue. Pretty good debut, raises many questions, and holds much promise. One to watch. FOUR STARS.
This was my bed-time reading last night to help me fall asleep. It worked great! I read it a second time, just to be fair.
It’s as disappointing as before. Unless you just can’t get enough super-hero comics from the Big Two, it’s safe to skip this one. Big surprise promised at the end, a bit of a cliff-hanger. I guess this is hinting at more to come.
There are three versions of The Shield featured here, one hero (Lancelot Strong, a name way too close to that disgraced biker) who wore the costume for a while, and other Archie heroes. You get to see the Shield (the Joe Higgins version) in action. That’s all. TWO STARS.
There are five very short stories in this collection, all produced by the same creative team of writer Kiyarn Taghan, artist Christian Dibari, and colors by Simon Gough. The stories feature deep sea monsters, alien parasitic worms, tree-morphing body horror, giant alligators, and a homage to the Hellblazer film franchise.
The overall premise is clever, harkening back to the days when Technicolor was a big deal and was often mentioned in movie trailers. Those late ’60’s and early ’70’s horror films were responsible for lots of good memories. The contents page reminds me of those multi-screen cinemas that used to be located in strip shopping centers. When you enter, you’re greeted with a barrage of signs announcing the story on each screen.
What disappointed me was the overall execution. 1) There’s a repetitiveness to the first-person captions of the first three stories. 2) The art is inconsistent, going from compelling visuals to average art to sketchy panels. 3) The color work suffers from the same inconsistency. 4) Each of the five stories here is five pages long. Lots of content for the money. While it’s pretty rare to see this many pages in a regular comic, each story suffers from being too short. It’s difficult to build the suspense within five pages so that readers can experience the horror. It’s also difficult to empathize or care about any of these characters when there’s so little time to get to know them. The end result — I’m not impressed with the chills offered here, and I’m not entertained. TWO AND ONE-HALF STARS.
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