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 DECEMBER 10 . . . 945 comics documented
CURRENT COUNT . . . . . 928 comics documented
This is a completely different Bruce Banner, and I’m not sure yet if I like him. But he certainly has my attention. He’s no longer calm and collected, but mad and raging - even when he’s arguing with himself. Artist Ryan Ottley even draws him differently, more like a scheming villain.
The story opens with several pages of Hulk smashing and pounding while the captions pose a theory and ask some critical questions. (I’m guessing the unidentified narrator is Doctor Strange, who shows up later to tell the Avengers how dangerous the situation is.) It appears that the Hulk is trying to break into a cosmic-appearing monolithic structure, but maybe he is trying to break out?
Cates packs a ton into this first issue: the Smashtronaut. Starship Hulk. The Mind Palace. Commander Banner. A split psyche. An old Stark Tech armory housing the remains of Project A.R.K., which Banner intends to utilize to enter a pocket dimension. I would prefer that Cates keep Banner and Hulk within the Earth-bound Marvel Universe, hoping this doesn’t become a Hulk in Space/Time/Multiverse series. But I’m going to be checking out Issue #2 no matter what. FIVE STARS.
That comes near the end of Issue #1, right after a dogfight at a gas station. The investigating police officer is questioning the lone store employee and asks her (with much skepticism in his body language) “And then the ‘giant crazy dog assassins’ fought to the death?” To which she replies “I don’t know why y’all are acting so suspicious of me! You know anthropomorphic characters exist in this literary universe.” That made me chuckle.
You’ll need to be familiar with the John Wick films (Chapter 4 planned for 2022!) to fully appreciate GOOD BOY. Just think of it as an Elseworlds/What If? version of the film but in a comic book. What if John Wick didn’t lose his dog in that opening fight sequence, and that he was killed and the dog survived to exact revenge on the same crime gang?
This is indeed a homage to the films. You’ll recognize many of the same settings and images. Somehow in Wick’s dying moments his four-legged tiny dog (Flint) was transformed into an upright, walk on two legs, wear clothes, drive cars and handle guns and fists with great expertise. Why, how, you ask? I refer you to the gas station explanation.
This was fun. Why not call it John Woof? It will be interesting to see if that premise can sustain a full mini-series. I’m not sure I wait to see multiple issues of a dog going full-blown Punisher vigilante doggie-style. I’m still laughing, so who knows? THREE AND ONE-HALF STARS.
Also, like those horror series ET-ER is not just straightforward medical drama. This is science fiction with a bit of black comedy. ET-ER stands for ExtraTerrestrial Emergency Room.
There’s a special floor underneath Reading Hospital where emergency cases from all over the galaxy are transported for treatment. Issue #1 features two stories, with Jeff McComsey establishing the template for additional stories by other writers. (ET-ER is planned as an irregular special featuring different creative teams). I hope to see Dr. Mobray and new recruit Dr. Chen again in future issues, both interesting characters.
In the opening story “The Walk-Ins” a huge alien brought to the hospital is misidentified. When his true identity and nature is learned, a simple appendectomy has fatal consequences if not successful. The art by Javier Pulido is perfectly suited to this type of light-hearted story. His style is not for everybody but I like it, especially the inventive way he often depicts ordinary things. If you’re a fan of Michael Allred, you’ll want to check out Pulido’s work.
Talented illustrator Dan Panosian puts his pencils down and scripts the back-up feature “Hard Pill”. A surgeon is inserted into a capsule and dropped into the mouth of a giantic alien in order to operate internally. Complications arise, requiring him to exit via the back door. I don’t know why this story reminded me of FEAR AGENT, perhaps it’s the art style of Shawn Crystal. THREE AND ONE-HALF STARS.
Let’s call them “BB” books: baffling beginnings. It’s a technique used by many comics writers (and in other forms of literature as well) and it succeeds with me more than it fails. I’ll often pick up Issue #2 simply because there were enough questions raised in Issue #1 that I want to know the answers to. So I buy the next issue hoping for a little more clarity.
That’s a long way round to stating that I’m going to pick up Issue #2 of WTFPFH in an effort to get a clearer picture of what’s being offered here.
I’m not sure enough to say I like this book yet, but I’m certainly curious.
Even though a post-apocalyptic society is used in copious amounts of comics as the setting, I’m not tired of it yet as long as the story merits my attention.
In WTFPFH the majority of survivors are young and impressionable, separated into different communes, where the few surviving adults are forbidden, following an apparently pre-arranged set of rules to live by (the neighborhood pact).
New arrivals (babies) get dropped off usually in the dead of night by strange weird ghosty matrons (the Strangers). The story follows the life of The Academy, a ragtag group of nine youth (and one forbidden adult), who reside within what appears to be a former record store/warehouse. They seem to make decisions about their roles in the community based on what music they prefer. There are plenty of references to various musicians and groups and images scattered throughout the story. There’s a confrontation with a rival group who all wear pig masks. The conflict arises when one of their members, the pregnant Sid, goes missing.
There’s an informative text piece in the back of the book that explains the role of music in the storyline, although it’s only scratched the surface of the vinyl in Issue #1. There’s also a 7” single for those who want some curated music to read the book by, and hints that there may be a longer soundtrack yet to come.
This is a bit more cryptic than previous works I’ve read from Matthew Rosenberg. I’m just not a fan of the art of Tyler Boss, although I appreciate the way he helps tell the story. It’s going to be the story (and not the art) that keeps me going, once I make that decision. THREE AND ONE-HALF STARS.
Some more world-building here from Brian Michael Bendis, who apparently has switched his creator-owned properties (old and new) to Dark Horse Comics. Body-guard (I am guessing that is her role) Joy works within the futuristic Jonado Trust (a city community)
Bendis plays with the language a bit, referring to “verses” and leaving it to readers to discern the meaning. Joy is an “envoi” to the Queen of Jonado, Kathryn Menteuse (who we don’t hear from but get glimpses of - she looks arrogant and commanding). The Queen also employs/utilizes a “Gerxhart” for security, kind of a floating Dungeons & Dragons orb with elongation properties similar to The Blob (from movies, not X-Men).
Aside from an interesting confrontation with the Gerxhart (with neat art from Stephan Byrne), Joy spends much of this debut issue standing on rooftops and having conversations with herself. Until, a new inner voice invades her consciousness and asks her assistance in a new assignment counter to her mission. Summary: a head-scratcher, for sure. THREE STARS.
This just shows how little I know about the Eternals. I have only read a smattering of their titles, a couple of Kirby ETERNALS too long ago to remember and the Marvel Max ETERNALS series. I don’t recognize half the characters here, although I assume that writer Kieron Gillen has added to the mythos. BTW the art by Dustin Weaver is very cool, especially the double-page battle scene.
However, that is the only action in this story and it’s a quick flashback scene. There isn’t any conflict going on here except for a conflict of words.
This is a very wordy story that even includes several text pages of dialogue.
It does detail the limitations of being an Eternal (you can’t have children) and establishes the role of the planet Titan and Thanos’ connection to the Eternals. (A neat subject for debate)
If you are a die-hard Eternals or Thanos fan you may appreciate this more than I did. Also, Thanos’ biggest appearance in this issue is on the cover. I wanted to explore Gillen’s take on the Eternals, but now I’m having second thoughts.TWO AND ONE-HALF STARS.
The subject matter is murder/torture on the dark web for “fun and profit”, and depicts such acts in the storyline. That FCBD preview seemed like pure exploitation to me, and I wondered why both Piskor and Fantagraphic Books (who I consider a respected showcase for important indie works and art that would not find an audience with more commercial publishers) would go there. Surely, there had to be more substance to this.
So, I’m glad I risked potential criticism and kept going. There is a solid storyline here with interesting (but depraved) characters and Piskor has some points to make about how the dark internet and untraceable crypto-currency have created an environment for some to thrive and profit without fear of detection by authorities. In the afterword Piskor states that he doesn’t know if Red Rooms actually exist, but he knows that the pieces for them to work are there, which created enough compulsive thoughts for him to explore the idea in a comics format.
Make no mistake. This is a hardcore comic and not for everybody, including some fans of horror comics.
In Issue #1 a clerk in the judicial system has a secret sordid life. His exploits garner the attention of one of the companies featuring murder/torture on the dark web. They offer him a new job as The Decimator, and the bitcoin monies roll in. This particular company is a family, always masked to protect their identities, and their business is profitable enough to secure their underground breeding grounds. It’s a complete in one issue story with a believe-it-or-not happy ending (only for some characters, of course). Piskor intends to explore a different story (although in the same setting) each issue as well as different story-telling techniques. FOUR STARS.
If I didn’t check the credits page for VENOM #1, I’d think the story was written by Donny Cates. That’s how seamless it was. New writers Al Ewing and Ram V pick up the threads left by Cates and start weaving a new sweater. Add some delicious art by Bryan Hitch and this one is hard to resist. I just have to wear it and see how comfortable it is.
After the fallout from the defeat of the King In Black, young Dylan Brock is host to the symbiote that once inhabited his father. Meanwhile, father Eddie Brock has become the new King In Black, ruler of all symbiotes, and is traveling the cosmos using his abilities to both communicate and transfer his conscious to any symbiote as the protector of the universe and guardian of peace. (Nice touch by Eddie to name the four host-less symbiotes that team up with him as John, Paul, George and Ringo.)
Before he can adjust to that role he finds a new evil presence that threatens both his status and his son’s future as well. Eddie just has enough time to contact Dylan and arrange for a meeting when a nasty skirmish separates them once again. Now, Dylan and the symbiote Venom plus weird cat Sleeper are on the run. And Eddie’s consciousness is in a new and strange place at the Garden with Meridius, who may not be as nice as he purports to be.
Fast paced, with enough action to satisfy. Plenty of soul-searching and regrets by Eddie and Dylan. Strange red eyes. A new mentor for Dylan, an old friend of his father.
I noticed the absence of Al Ewing from the credits for Issue #2, with Ram V listed as the only writer. Not sure if that’s a concern just yet. However, I know what I’m getting with Ewing on script, not so much Ram V. We’ll see. FOUR STARS.
The death of a superhero is no longer an original concept, but still it presents the possibility for a good storyline. I want to note here that I believe there is a “first occasion” that occurs in this series, but I don’t want to state it because others may have not read this issue yet or may be thinking of reading the series. Guess I’ll wait until February or later to say something about it. If you are curious and see me before then, I’ll gladly tell you in private.
It should be noted now that the title of this series is misleading. Magneto has yet to be summoned to a court by a jury of his peers. With one issue to go, I’m not sure if it’s going to happen. An actual trial could have made for an interesting issue or two.
In the final pages, someone in a position to know says that they know who the murderer is and will spill the beans next issue. TWO AND ONE-HALF STARS.
This is a continuation of the story from 2019’s B.P.R.D.: THE DEVIL YOU KNOW, which I didn’t read and put me at a little bit of a disadvantage here.
However, the real reason I grabbed this one on impulse from the comic shop shelves is the return of Mike Mignola to both writing and illustrating within his Hellboy Universe. I loved the art here, and Mignola’s twisted imagery plus great effective coloring by Dave Stewart. A nice return. I can’t say the story wowed me, but again this isn’t really a stand-alone and I don’t know the background.
Sir Edward Grey, the mysterious Witch Hunter, is just a shell of himself and resembles a hooded denizen of Hell more than a human. He returns to Hell to complete a mission to save the world in the absence of Hellboy (a deadly fight with Rasputin is referred to). There he confronts the demon Eligos where ensues a conversation, a trip down memory lane for both of them. Plenty of references to Greek mythology are dropped in, and I frantically searched my memory for their connections within the Hellboy universe. Is it just me, or are these Hellboy Universe stories getting more confusing?
The story ends with Acheron (a.k.a. Grey) meeting the physical representations of the rivers of Hell with an invite to check out the new landscape. Then, Acheron remembers “there’s just one thing I have to do first.” To be continued in KOSHCHEI: THE DEATHLESS IN HELL. Arrrgghhh!
Note to buyers: New Rules - - - “one-shot” does not mean “stand-alone story”. This rating was elevated by the art. THREE STARS.
The Kennedy assassination is a rat's nest of conspiracy theories: mafia involvement, the second gunman, government cover-up... but the most important chapter of this sordid tale may just be the theory that the body buried at Oswald's Rose Hill gravesite is not actually Lee Harvey himself.
Meet the ragtag group of "useful idiots" who are unwittingly brought together to clean up the crime of the century - a wannabe cowboy from Wisconsin, a Buddy Holly-idolizing (former) car thief, a world-weary Civil Rights activist ready for revolution, and a failed G-Man who still acts the part - and specifically, regarding the matter of Oswald's body.”
A very intriguing first issue, similar in some ways to DEPARTMENT OF TRUTH but less complex, and I’m also thinking, much shorter in story length. I’m wondering where this is going, and thinking I’ll probably defer from picking up the monthly issues and wait for the trade paperback.
The opening grabs your attention right away, with the October 1981 exhumation of whatever body happens to be in Oswald’s grave. Then the rest of the issue cuts to November 1963 and events prior to JFK’s assassination.
I’m enjoying the depiction of these characters by writer Christopher Cantwell, especially the account of sad sack want-to-be bank robber/cowboy Shep. The scene where he holds up a small-town bank and gets talked down by a grandmotherly bank teller with a meager haul of eighty-one dollars is clever and amusing. FOUR STARS.
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