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. I’ve finally caught up, and actually moved ahead of deadline. Feeling better about this challenge . . . .
# GOAL FOR DECEMBER 31 . . . 1,000 comics documented
CURRENT COUNT . . . . . 1,008 comics documented
* * * * * GOAL ACHIEVED ON DECEMBER 21, 2021 * * * * *
I’ll be taking a deep dive into the long box of bargain bin rescues over the next several posts, even though some of these issues start right in the middle of a storyline. That’s all I have, so I’l try to make sense of it and maybe give you enough info to decide if you want to look for it or forget about it. I’ve been meaning to do this for a long time, and let’s face it — this is my last opportunity to do so this year! See ya in 2022 . . . . .
That presents a number of story possibilities, which I wish writer Matt Miner and artist Sean Von Gorman would have pursued rather than the direction this took.
While they turn into cannibalistic flesh-rending zombies, they still retain their faculties and go on a cross-country tour in search of the cure to their cursed affliction. Apparently, they are punk rockers with a strong sense of ethics and use their zombie powers to rid the world of racists, homophobes, misogynists, white supremacists, etc.
Their target in Issue #4 is Fred and Shirley Phelps, leaders of the Westboro Baptist Church who denounce “fornicators” as hellbound and direct their “Everyone God Hates” campaign to “homos, fags, perverts, dykes” and so on. Toe Tag Riot announce that the site for their next free concert will be right outside the grounds of Westboro Baptist Church.
Their loyal fans assemble. The church brings in their followers with guns and weapons for a giant battle. As soon as the band plays the first note, the zombie transformation begins as it’s time to “butcher some bigots.”
Plenty of gore later, after the band feasts on their enemies they convert back to regular punk rockers to officiate over a same-sex marriage on the church front yard.
I realize I’m coming in on this at the very end, but I found this heavy-handed and not that funny or engaging. Considering it’s the last issue, there is no mention of whether or not they are close to finding a cure (or actually looking for one), just the announcement of a worldwide tour and the final comment of “I wonder what bigots taste like in other countries.”
I hate bigots but I get no satisfaction from this particular treatment. TWO STARS.
So I looked it up on Wikipedia, where the explanation is too long and windy to try and summarize here. Suffice to say, it’s a science-fiction story, good versus evil, etc. In addition to my confusion, I also found it boring and couldn’t wait until the last page.
This was actually the title of an album by the rock band Coheed and Cambria, and originally published as a graphic novel at the same time in 2005. It was written by Claudio Sanchez and illustrated by Christopher Shy and published by Evil Ink Comics.
In 2017 it was rebooted, adding Sanchez’s wife Chondra as a co-writer and Rags Morales as the main artist. This is version published by Boom and it goes into more depth than the graphic novel.
Here’s a section of the Wikipedia entry, which may help you decide if you want to explore further:
The story of Good Apollo takes a step outside the science fiction narrative of the first three chapters and examines the life of the Writer, a character who is crafting the lives of the protagonist Claudio and his companions in the form of a fictional story. The graphic novel alternates between the two different worlds of Claudio the Writer and Claudio the Character, which can be confusing for one unacquainted with the concept as the Writer and Character are similar in appearance.
Not only that, these characters aren’t properly introduced, half of the action occurs in dreams or hallucinations, and the end was rewritten to be intentionally vague. It was great to see some cool art by industry veteran Rags Morales again, and that kept me going. TWO STARS.
This one takes place in 2020, with truck driver Jack Burton now an old man and still being plagued by old foes like Lo-Pan and his mythic cronies. It’s a minor player from the first film, Ching Dai, who bypasses Lo-Pan and breaks the barrier between Earth and the infinite hells, declaring himself ruler of all. Naturally, it’s up to Jack to stop him.
Story and art mirror the spirit of the original film and brought back fond memories. I’m going to have to look for this on one of the streaming services so I can watch it again. THREE STARS.
I watched it faithfully, and I’m happy to say that this mini-series was written by Eureka series developer Andrew Cosby. So it stays true to the characters and canon of the television show.
This issue begins a two-part final story. Here, former Global Dynamics director (and unpopular manager) Warren King returns to help track Army Ranger Eric Brogan who had an “accident” at a weapons lab in Afghanistan and was injured by an untested biological weapon. Unfortunately, the bio-weapon was an effort to reanimate dead tissue to perform programmed commands. Brogan is now Rogue, has abducted head science Allison and is on a mission to destroy Global Dynamics. THREE AND ONE-HALF STARS.
In writer Sam Humphries universe, there are countless different Earths across countless alternate timelines. Higher Earth is the dominant planet, and rules then all.
The main characters are Heidi, a girl born on a landfill/garbage version of Earth and Rex, a soldier gone rogue. Rex finds himself falling onto her planet, fights through various warriors riding armored bears to find his way to Heidi, who helps him escape the armored assassin who is tracking him. He in turn helps her escape from the garbage planet to more civilized and urban Sunshine Earth 9.
Lots of action, great art by Francesco Biagini. This is the second reading for me. I remember purchasing this try-out issue back in 2012 and enjoying it. I don’t remember why I decided not to follow it. THREE AND ONE-HALF STARS.
But, I honestly didn’t like this enough to want to go there anyway, despite the attraction of another work by Phillip Kennedy Johnson because I’ve liked most of what I’ve read by him. The art by Flaviano is very good here, and while the color work of Miquel Puerto looks sharp, I’m not a fan of the purples and reds for the supernatural attackers. It really muddles the fight scenes.
Another post-apocalypse story, although one with some important ties to the past and some nasty treatment of native Americans by a greedy enterprising Civil War era landowner, the residue of which still haunts a property in the future.
Five teenage refugees are stranded in an irradiated Oklahoma wasteland. While trying to survive an exodus from the war-torn East Coast, they take shelter in a ghost town that is much more than it seems. The strange, unnatural threats they face there will make them question what they think they know about death, about reality, and especially about family as they learn to rely on each other if they’re ever going to make it to the sanctuary of San Francisco. THREE STARS.
It only requires one random issue to determine whether or not this is your cup of tea. I admire Malachai’s inventiveness but not his story-telling abilities. I’ve met several elementary school-age children with similar abilities over the years and while they all exhibit an ability to create fantastic worlds within their minds, they all fall short of their creations making any sense. The same applies here. The yarn-spinning skills come much later in life.
I think if I read this comic with my six-year old grandson he would laugh at the wacky character creations and situations and probably conclude that “Pap pap, this doesn’t make any sense.” TWO STARS.
Scott Traver’s finds a special suit that allows him t move in and out of our world through a shadowy parallel dimension. But, he doesn’t exactly know how the suit works or where it came from.
Meanwhile, others are searching for the Blackout suit and technology and are not nice about how they plan to obtain it. While trying to solve the puzzle, Travers is ambushed and captured in this fast-paced introductory issue. THREE STARS.
A former Zodiac member went rogue with a band of mean-girl minions in the first series and was defeated. Here, she attempts to bring a goddess into our dimension but instead opens a portal to a different dimension and releases the deceitful blue Adonis-like Pavos. Demons begin to overrun their town and the girls discover there is a U.K. version of Zodiac Starforce, just in time help them save the day. THREE STARS.
I also purchased those early Marvel Transformers comics and read them with my son, took him to the first Transformers animated movie, watched the tv cartoons - - but I never cared as much for them despite a few moments (usually when they took a break from the action to feature some character development). So, I’ve mostly stayed away from current Transformers comics until I decided to grab these two from my bargain bin acquisitions.
This is Part 3 and Part 4 of the 4-part “Worlds Collide” storyline. A squadron of Transformers from a parallel reality invade Cybertron (the Transformers home planet) and Earth, intent on wreaking havoc within the Autobots and Decepticons and taking over.
Autobot leader Optimus Prime is lost on an alternate Cybertron while the Autobots and Mini-Cons on Earth launch a rescue bid. Lots of battles, lots of ominous warnings, anxieties, but no time for characterization. I was bored. TWO STARS.
“Tell me your name. . . . Subject 47 . . . Why are you here? . . . Providence. . . . What is your purpose? . . . To infiltrate, to study, to kill. . . . Do you enjoy your work . . Yes. It’s the only thing that keeps me alive.”
The Institute bred Agents: programable humans, bald and indistinguishable from one another, designed for killing purposes, who address the scientist who created them as Father. Issue #4 flashes back to some of Agent 47’s significant kills, beginning in 1994 London. But in 1996, the program no longer remains viable, and Father gets instructions to inject them with a chemical “wipe” eliminating their ability to feel emotions.Unforseen result: agents have no motivation with the exception of Subject 47. The other agents are dying, incapable of anything - - all expect Agent 47. Ever since the wipe, he’s been loyal, obedient. Now the organization demands that Father hand him over.
Concurrent to these events, a well-funded Diana has been pursuing and eliminating corrupt scientists until she earns the attention of the organization who puts out a hit on her. I’m expecting her path to cross with 47 soon. This was so much better than I anticipated. Nice work from writer Chris Sebela and artist Ariel Medel. THREE AND ONE-HALF STARS.
I recall watching CHARLIE’S ANGELS on television back in 1976-1981 and enjoying the light-hearted adventures of a trio of female weapons specialists working for a private agency where they received their assignments by phone only and never met Charlie.
Layman and Eisma stay true to the canon in this tale where they are infiltrating then-Communist East Germany to assist an FBI agent in hot water. They make a big splash, and draw the attention of a Russian private agency who dispatches their “Angels”, The Satanbratan to eliminate them.
THREE AND ONE-HALF STARS.
Nancy receives a threatening note that leads her merry band of crime-solving friends (including the also iconic Hardy Boys) back to her old hometown of Bayport, a coastal community. The trail leads to the seaside cliffs north of town, where Nancy’s climbing rope is cut and she falls into a cave while her friends aboveground all pass out mysteriously.
Rescued by a handsome biracial stranger from town, who hangs around long enough to help Nancy solve the mystery when another body is discovered inside the caves. THREE STARS.
Writer David F. Walker takes on 1970’s blaxploitation film hero private detective John Shaft and scripts a tight story that maintains the tough, hard-boiled appeal and smoothness of the character. Bilquis Evely’s art has the look and feel of classic 1970’s adventure/crime daily newspaper comic strips of the era.
John Shaft’s a suspect in the murder of seven bodies, and because of his military background Shaft seems capable of pulling it off. Except one police detective thinks he’s not guilty, and since they have no direct evidence Shaft gets released so that he can do the things the cops aren’t permitted to do and asked to find the murderers and make them pay.
He’s on the case and not on the streets long before a crime boss and gang pick him up for interrogation, figuring he knows the whereabouts of a woman who knows too much about what happened. THREE STARS.
I’ve been reading outside my comfort zone lately, sampling books I rescued from bargain bins in various genres I normally don’t read, with a good many issues intended for a different target audience than me. While this exercise has reminded me just how diverse and all-inclusive current comics are, these stories often end up surprising me. Instead of plowing through a stack of books that I anticipated not liking, I’m finding many worthy of the THREE STARS or higher rating, which I normally reserve for books that I find very satisfactory or above average. This has been refreshing . . . . . . .
Jem leads an all-female pop group that’s earning a reputation, but not yet on the same level as The Misfits, an all-female punk rock group that eventually takes on The Holograms as their opening act.
Sometimes the Holograms and the Misfits are at odds, but they often interact. In fact, there’s a romance budding between a couple, one from each group. This is a very LGBTQ title, but it doesn’t force the issue on readers. It’s handled tactfully and without fanfare. THREE STARS.
#1,002 JEM AND THE HOLOGRAMS: 20/20 one-shot (IDW, 2019) To celebrate IDW’s 20th anniversary, they published a series of one-shots featuring popular storylines but set twenty years either in the future or the past.
This one covers Jem & Holograms twenty years into the future, when things have fallen apart and efforts are made to get the band back together.
The story by Sina Grace with art by Siobhan Keenan was entertaining but didn’t impress me as much as the regular series. TWO AND ONE-HALF STARS.
After posting that JEM review, I have completed a personal challenge. On this Comics Odyssey I’ve been posting reviews with a goal in mind to complete 1,000 in 2021. That was a harder task than I thought. I read well over 1,000 comics each year, but documenting them involves more time and thought. Glad I made it!
Sukeban Turbo is the name of a Brooklyn street gang terrorizing the neighborhood with acts of violence and vandalism and moving drugs for a big criminal organization. After attacking one of their classmates for not paying up, her mother threatens to press charges.
If any of these characters exhibited a little bit of self-doubt or remorse regarding their activities I might take to this a little better. But the parent in me does not appreciate a book that glorifies what happens here. TWO STARS.
I knew nothing about the Visionaries before this, but I find them more interesting than the Transformers. I’d be down for checking out a comic featuring just them.
They are cool-looking human medieval style warriors from the fantasy world of New Prysmos.
Their world has been destroyed and Cybertron appears to be a good place for them to relocate to, hence the battle. The story and art were both much easier to follow and understand compared to the Dreamwave Transformer books I recently read.
THREE STARS.
WYNONNA EARP has been a popular series on the SyFy channel (not sure if a new season is in the works), and while I found it to be amusing I just couldn’t get into it. It never made my list of must-watch tv shows. I often found myself checking my cell phone for messages or emails while watching an episode, so I just quit on it early.
Like many a comic featuring licensed properties that I’ve recently read, this one also rings true to the spirit and continuity of the tv series. As a member of the U.S. Marshal’s Black Badge Division, Wynonna brings feral paranormal Amy Jane to Black Rock Paranormal Prison. There, she unexpectedly reunites with her younger sister Waverly just as a prison break/riot starts up.
THREE STARS.
What caught my eye here was the engaging art by Brian Level (someone to watch for) and story by Ed Brisson (always happy to check out his work).
Brisson puts a cool spin on superhero tropes and mixes in a bit of fantasy into the storyline. Robbie, a drunk/drugged (mushrooms)concert goer exits early with his girlfriend Jen when the band sucks. Walking, they get caught in a rainstorm and while taking shelter, an brightly colored electrical charge moves in their direction and engulfs Robbie, turning him into The Mantle.
Soon after, they are visited by three super-powered beings who inform them that Robbie has been selected by The Mantle to be the protector of mankind, and that The Plague is hot on his trail. Compelling story, good dialogue and characterization and cool action with a very surprising twist ending. I might be looking for a trade paperback of this one.
THREE AND ONE-HALF STARS.
#1,007 - #1,008 ROSE #3 - #4 (Image, 2017)
In ROSE, writer Meredith Finch has created a well-developed fantasy world that’s as interesting as most novels you would find in the science fiction/fantasy section of your local bookstore. Ig Guara’s art details Finch’s world perfectly and the ability to convey emotions through facial expressions and body language helps enhance the characters.
Rose is a blossoming “guardian” in a world where having magical abilities is a death sentence from the wicked queen. Convinced that the queen is behind her loss of both her mother and her home village, Rose is on a vengeance quest, destined to pair up with her “khat”, Thorne, a giant black panther that will help her magic powers come under her control.
THREE AND ONE-HALF STARS.
I decided to do a count for my comics reviewed on the Blue Hen Group next week around the 30th. We'll see how close I came to ya. Ha! Take Care!
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