In 2021 I set a goal to post reviews here for 1,000 comics, and finished the year at 1,008 reviews. It was a stretch - - not to read that many comics, because I actually read quite a bit more. The challenge is to find and take the time to write a fair review of what I read - - but I made it. I’m up for a new year, and a new challenge. My goal for 2022 is to read and document 1,200 comics. That’s an average of 100 books per month, easy enough to check and update. Wish me luck!
# GOAL FOR JANUARY 31, 2022 . . . 100 comics documented
CURRENT COUNT . . . . . 102 comics documented
#83 HANK HOWARD, PIZZA DETECTIVE in CALIGULA’SSAFE (Bad Idea, May 2021) This is the first time I’ve read a funny story by the gifted Robert Venditti, and it’s really good. Hank Howard is old-school private detective using first person narration to share his wry observations on human society (just like so many of his peers). He insists on wearing the hat and heavy trench coat, even in very hot weather. This short story is wonderfully illustrated in black and white by veteran crime comics writer/artist David Lapham.
Howard just happens to be employed by a national pizza restaurant chain, and is tasked with investigating the break-in of the store’s safe at Caligula’s Pizza location in Hollywood, Florida. His interrogation of the pimply-faced teen who closed the shop the night of the robbery is blunt and cruel but funny. His asides: “Prime suspect was a new hire. His application said he was clean. Good reference from his drama teacher. Straight A’s for days. . . . His face told a different story. Kid looked like he’d been in a spoon fight and the other guy used a fork. Fifteen years old and going nowhere.”
His opinion of the boy’s protesting mother is equally droll: “I’d seen it before. Stovetop lawyer. Watches Law and Order marathons while she burns dinner. Thinks it makes her Clarence Darrow . . . I listen to music. Doesn’t mean I’m ready to play Carnegie Hall.”
The back-up story, “Save Now” by Matt Kindt and Tomas Giorello (equally gorgeous art) is a preview for a potential series that isn’t likely to happen now (at least not under the Bad Idea banner).
Deep Fake, Spear, Numb, and Saver make up the task force Integrity International. Saver is the most interesting member of the team, with the ability to rewind time like a video game with save points. He can assess the team’s situation and when it looks like they are headed for failure he can return to any of his save points and play it all again. It works against a giant smog monster controlled by a witch, but it ages Saver ten hours to the thirty minutes of the final winning battle. One year later he’s pretty worn down, and now asked to save the world from the apocalypse. To be continued.
Bad Idea packaged this double feature in a $1 comic. Another Bad Idea.
FOUR STARS.
#84 - #89 THE LOW, LOW WOODS #1 -#6 (DC/Hill House, March-August 2020) Of all the first season titles from Joe Hill's Hill House imprint for DC Comics, THE LOW, LOW WOODS is the least accessible. That's not to say that the story is impenetrable or not worthy of the readers' time. On the contrary, this is a deep dive into a coming-of-age story of two young girls finding friendship and love and bonding together over various threats to not just their survival, but their maturity and identity.
The setting is former coal-mining town and pretty vacant Shudder-To-Think, Pennsylvania (love the name and it's implications). The threats are to memory loss and manipulation, and manifest in both skinless bodies and deer in the woods as well as threats beneath the ground.
This is a book that readers will either love or hate. You can't read it casually. Symbolism and analogies abound. However, what made this work for me is the realistic characterization of Olivia (Vee) and Eldora (El). I understood and felt their apprehension. These are believable characters, which makes the threatening surroundings that more horrific. FOUR STARS.
#90 KING OF SPIES #1 OF 4 (Image, December 2021) Secret Agent Roland King is writer Matt Millar's version of James Bond. We get to see him in ultra-violent escapist action in an opening scene from 1990 Panama City. Then flash forward to present-day London, and King is an aging retired 65-year old just diagnosed with a terminal illness.
A smug comment from Queen Elizabeth during a medal presentation causes him to reflect and realize how he’s wasted his life: “. . . This is the world we forged for our children. We always knew who the real crooks were, but we were all too busy feathering our own nests. Men like us could have changed the world, but we turned a blind eye for the money and the little trinkets.”
King vows to use his remaining days to make some corrections, beginning with a pompous Russian oligarch and his bodyguards abusing the staff at a private club. “So listen up, all you presidents and kings. All you crooks on our thrones and hypocrites at the pig trough you call high office . . . you’re going to pay for wasting my life like this.”
King still remembers the moves and has a bit of the ultra-violence left in his system. I love this. I’m riding with the King. FOUR STARS.
#91 DEATH OF DOCTOR STRANGE: BLOODSTONE (Marvel, March 2022)Elsa Bloodstone, inheriting a magical blood gem that enhances her natural abilities, is the most skilled monster hunter in the world. I’ve read some of her exploits before and while being entertained I never really engaged enough to want to see more on a regular basis. She always seemed a bit out of place in the Marvel Universe to me. This story would fit right in with
the tales of strong female characters from Zenoscope Comics, except that the art doesn’t quite live up to the exaggerated female anatomy that seems to be the house style of that publisher.
Following the death of Doctor Strange (any guesses as to how long that will last?) the magical barriers he helped erect around the planet have fallen. Now all manner of extra dimensional threats and monsters are attacking the world, and it’s up to hunters like Bloodstone to become the new line of defense.
This is a notable issue in that it introduces a forgotten member of the Bloodstone family, sister Lyra, who dates back to the stone ages of father Ullysses when he sacrificed her in order to obtain the power of the blood gems. Lyra has the ability to absorb and store magic. Along with brother Cullen (who harbors a monster inside him) the trio have to work out their new roles and how they will work together. There’s enough action here to
keep things interesting, some decent art and a few funny one-liners; but not enough for me. THREE STARS.
#92 - #93 MARVEL VOICES COMMUNITY #1C (Marvel, December 2021) I have a like/dislike relationship with these oversized anthologies.
I like the fact that Marvel and other publishers are attempting to diversify within their titles and feature characters with different skin tones, gender preferences, religious beliefs and backgrounds, etc. I like that they put together these oversized, somewhat pricey, collections to celebrate that diversity and showcase their efforts.
I dislike that they feel the need to include every single one of their diverse characters (in the case of this issue, Latinx) so much so that it imposes restrictions on story length. There are just too many stories here. One and two-page features don’t give readers a chance to get to know the character or create a reason to care. When the text pieces are more interesting than some of the stories, that’s a problem.
I would prefer to read a limited series that would showcase only two or three characters per issue. One of the reasons I have been picking up these anthologies is to find out more and see if there is a character that interests me. So far, there’s only two (Miles Morales/Spider-Man and White Tiger) that I learned enough about to want to pursue more.
DC is doing pretty much the same thing with their oversized anthology issues, but the Black Label Other History of The DC Universe does a much better job of introducing these lesser-known characters to a broader comics audience. I think I”m better off investigating those than to keep picking up the VOICES specials and being disappointed. THREE AND ONE-HALF STARS.
#94 - #95 MANIAC OF NEW YORK: THE BRONX IS BURNING #1, #2 (AfterShock, December 2021 - January 2022) The reason this title about a bloodthirsty killing spree has been so appealing to me is that it transcends the slasher genre. There have been several moments of keen but muted social commentary mixed in both this and the former series that make me stop and reflect/agree with.
Character development has also been exceptional. The creative team is very strong, with sharp dialogue and scenes created by writer Elliott Kalan and embellished by the amazing art and colors of Andrea Mutti. Mutti’s expressiveness and creative use of shading takes this to another level. If you only want to read one slasher horror comic, make it this one.
Rahal’s New York City is very reflective of our current times. Someone is always trying to exploit a situation for monetary purposes (pandemic, conspiracy theories, etc). Copy cat versions of Harry The Maniac are robbing convenience stores hoping to terrify cashiers into compliance, while store owners are hoping to cash in on insurance money by claiming a Maniac event.
People are impatient, expecting instant results. It’s surprising that detectives Gina Greene and Zelda Pettibone are still holding down their Maniac Task Force jobs after the botched subway incident in Volume One. Coffee baristas berate them for their failures, and want to spit in their take-out.
The differences between the haves and have-nots is glaring. The nationwide SmartsCorp Charter Schools probably charge a pretty penny for enrollment, and fortify their Manhattan chapter with the best security and protection against Harry The Maniac. Yet, their Bronx chapter has one lone security guard with an overblown opinion of his abilities, and a timid principal afraid to make a move without consulting SmartCorp headquarters first. Guess where Harry is headed?
I’m not even going to tell you much more about these issues. Why not pick up a copy and see if I’m right? FIVE STARS.
#96 PEACEMAKER: DISTURBING THE PEACE (DC/Black Label, March 2022) Prior to this, I’ve never picked up a comic featuring the Peacemaker character. I could never get over that silly costume and dumb helmet. So, my first real introduction to Peacemaker was the recent Suicide Squad movie. A really funny, over-the-top film that poked fun at itself. John Cena as Peacemaker was a cool casting choice, and it worked. I haven’t seen the new HBO series yet, but I heard it’s not serious either.
On the contrary, this one-shot story is deadly serious and puts a whole different spin on the character. Methodical. Unwavering. And willing to make many sacrifices. This isn’t really a story about Peacemaker. It’s a prequel.
Christopher Smith is being interviewed by government psychologist Dr. Sedgewick prior to his application acceptance for a new task force (and the Peacemaker role). In the hands of Garth Ennis and Garry Brown this is a disturbing flashback into prior events in Smith’s life which make him either ideal or unsuitable for the new job.
“My point is that everywhere you go . . . . . in every unit you’ve served with or alongside for 25 years . . . . . something’s happened. People have died.”
I don’t know if these prior events are actually part of Peacemaker continuity or solely the rough creation of Garth Ennis. Doesn’t matter. This is a really compelling story. It got my attention. I’d like to see what else Ennis can do with this character. Too bad this is just a one-shot. FOUR STARS.
#97 SAGA #55 (Image, January 2022) SAGA is back, after a three-year hiatus by the creative team. For those unfamiliar, or in case you forgot, SAGA is epic science-fiction/space opera/fantasy featuring a married couple (Alana and Marko) from two different extraterrestrial races at war with each other.
They are wanted by authorities from both sides of the galactic war as they are in constant flight mode while trying to care for their daughter, Hazel.
Hazel was born in the first volume of the series, and is the usual narrator of the stories (now adult, reflecting on the past).
I’m not going to detail what goes on in Issue 55 much. New readers can actually pick up here and follow the story forward without too much difficulty (although they will have missed some great reading). Writer Brian K. Vaughan has the wonderful ability to pull readers into his stories immediately. He also manages to create interesting and very likable characters. Reading this new issue makes me want to go back and start all over from the beginning. I’ve been eyeing up that giant omnibus with all 54 prior issues, so who knows?
Related story: My familiarity with Saga began with Issue #1 which I bought on the initial release date. The story just didn’t hook me, and I didn’t add it to my monthly pulls. Even when it grabbed a ton of awards for the first year, I still didn’t gravitate towards it. Then when it continued to win award after award, year after year, that sort of turned me off. Could it really be that good? I had to know, so I purchased the first two volumes in trade paperback. Yes, it really is that good.
Vaughan really knows how to push buttons and make you feel for these characters. Fiona Staples art is uncluttered and appealing. FOUR STARS.
#98 EEEK! HALLOWEEN SPECIAL #1 (Asylum Press, October 2021)
A cool little one-shot horror anthology, mainly the work of writer/artist Jason Paulos who writes three of the four stories here and illustrates them all in glorious black and white. This reminded me of some of the better CREEEPY/EERIE magazines. The art is equal to that quality. The stories come close.
“The Green Fairy” takes place in 19th Century Paris where a starving artist finds his muse, unaware until the end the price of letting her become his agent. “Cousin Eeek’s Eeky Education” is a one-pager with a punchline comparing divorce lawyers to parasitic zombies.
My favorite story is “Sick Joke” a twisted tale of an unhappily married couple running into some backwoods/swamp folk with nothing but troubles on their mind. The ending is particularly twisty.
“False Alarm” is a spin on the classic Boy Who Cried Wolf fable. THREE AND ONE-HALF STARS.
#99 TURKEY DAY one-shot (Source Point Press, 2021) This was a lot of fun, a nice break from the sometimes over-serious/dark reading matter that dominates my to-be-read-next stack. A light-hearted (but gory) holiday tale that kind of reflects the spirit of Thanksgiving.
Small town Pilgrim Point, Illinois presents an annual play at the community theater celebrating the story of white settlers sharing a meal with native Americans on Thanksgiving Day. Do you really think it went down the way that history books and stories depict it?
The local school’s history teacher (and the main character of the book) is asked to add a little more accurate historical flavor to the script this year, and gets miffed when the presentation completely ignores all the sections and dialogue he added. His script is murdered; and history is butchered.
Meanwhile the local turkey farm gets a visit from miniature worm-like alien settlers who infiltrate the turkey bodies and control them. Then, it’s off to town to greet the natives at the community theater. Think they will invite everyone to break bread together? Think again. THREE AND ONE-HALF STARS.
#100 ZORRO FLIGHTS #1 (American Mythology, 2021) It’s great to see veteran writer Don McGregor (Black Panther, Sabre)writing comics again. He returns to Zorro after an absence of 15 years. I did not know he wrote a Zorro daily newspaper strip back in 1999, a preview of which appears in the back of this issue.
I admire what American Mythology has been doing with some older licensed properties, especially bringing Zorro to a new audience. (I used to watch the black-and-white television series from Disney during my formative years, so I have warm nostalgic feelings for this.)
It will be interesting to see if this take on Zorro, a return to pure adventure and the human condition compared to the quite good but different horror leanings of scripter Mike Wolfer, continues to build the audience for this classic character.
The reason this new series is called Flights becomes apparent as the Issue #1 story unfolds. Zorro is alarmed to come upon an apparent dragon until he realizes it’s a decorative hot air balloon, and a runaway that escaped from its’ handler until Zorro tries to stop it from lifting into pilotless flight. THREE AND ONE-HALF STARS.
#101 - #102 SWAMP THING: GREEN HELL, Book One (DC/Black Label, February 2022) A chance to view more of Doug Manhke’s great art in bigger panels with gorgeous splashes of color! I immediately picked this up without checking out what the story was about. Oh, Jeff Lemire wrote this: double bonus!
This is not the Swamp Thing you may know and love, although some familiar characters show up near the end of this first issue. This is gory and gruesome, with a Lovecraftian spin on the swamp monster. But don’t despair. As is his won’t, Lemire creates some likable characters for us to empathize with and root for.
This future Earth is doomed, whether the result of a global war or just the ravages of climate change is unspecified. But what remains of humanity clings to a mountaintop island surrounded by endless floodwater, and besieged by an outlaw bunch living on a former oil drilling platform and making frequent visits to collect protection money.
The Parliaments of the Green, the Red and the Rot are all in agreement: it’s time to finish the job, end humanity, and start over. They are responsible for the latest Swamp Thing. The world needs Alec Holland back, and an aging cynical mage is persuaded to help. FOUR STARS.
