PGHHEAD’S 2022 COMIC ODYSSEY, PART 34
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 August 31, 2022 . . . 800 comics documented
CURRENT COUNT . . . . . 795 comics documented
As the world deals with the loss of the Thinker; Logan, Jessica and their infant son Jaq have found a secluded spot to live out their new found extended lives. But the world isn't done with Logan-6 and though he tries to stay out of things, a mysterious person from his past re-emerges with an agenda of her own and a score to settle with the retired Sandman.
It's rare that I don't finish a limited series. I read this in the single monthly issues, but stopped after Issue #4. I should mention that Issue #4 was an improvement over the prior issues, which did not really seem like they were taking place in the world of Logan's Run. This was a disappointing series following the promising LOGAN'S RUN: LAST DAY that preceded it.
Back to Issue #4: the storyline finally began to show some promise, with a flashback to earlier times when Logan was a DS (deep sleep) agent and a rivalry during training between he and a female agent, who turns out to be the villain in this story. However, prior to this the storyline seemed to be re-telling a common western fiction theme in a futuristic setting, with Logan assuming the role of a retired gunfighter trying to keep his family isolated. But his past catches up to him.
The story does deliver a few dramatic moments, but the art fails to enhance the story. While there are a few images that show some skill and creativity, the art overall is very inconsistent and sloppy, sometimes with minimal backgrounds and just figures in the foreground. Very disappointing. Three Star rating because of the potential.
The inclusion of Logan's Run co-creator William F. Nolan and Jason Brock on the first series seems to have made a difference. Paul Salamoff's story by itself is not engaging. I also miss the short histories of Logan's world which were scripted by Brock in the first series, and only one of which appears in the four issues I read. THREE STARS.
BARBARIC utilizes familiar trappings of the barbarian/gladiator/mercenary sword-and-sorcery genre. What the creative team does with those trappings makes this a fresh take on what is sometimes an over-worked genre. (As good as those Barry Windsor-Smith, Roy Thomas/John Buscema, Timothy Truman Conan and Kull comics are, I grow weary if I read too many of them.)
Wisely, I believe, the story of Barbaric is going to be broken up into short mini-series and one-shots, and not an ongoing monthly title. However, I don't expect to grow weary of stories with Owen (unusual name for a barbarian, don't you think?) and his bloodthirsty axe, who he engages in private and amusing banter with (that no one else can hear so they think him crazy).
What makes this fresh is the curse placed on Owen by a trio of witches: "Henceforth, you live in servitude, and all the world is your Master. Any cry for help, any haven under siege, any beggar in distress you must aid."
In this first series, Owen saves Soren, a maiden accused of witchery, and then returns with her to the abbey where she lived before she exposed the rituals of a corrupted monk who then accused her of witchcraft and left her for the manipulated townsfolk to deal with. (Maybe she does have some magical abilities, as she is the only other person who can hear the needy, greedy axe. - -No spoilers.) Plenty of blood, and plenty of severed limbs and decapitations later the story concludes, but not before foreshadowing the next threat (which also marks a departure from standards as this kind of monster doesn't always surface in sword-and-sorcery fare).
The blazing artwork of Nathan Gooden and lush color work from Addison Duke elevate the story to the next level of premium quality. I'll be following this one for a bit longer. FOUR STARS.
This takes place in a future world of 2056. Humans are everywhere, as interstellar travel has been perfected. Technology has made vast strides. But that doesn’t prevent the race of Predators from making humanity their targets. Now every planet is a game reserve to them.
The story here is a simple revenge tale but is enhanced by the other details that keep it interesting, all revealed in sparse flashback scenes. Young Theta’s parents were planetary explorers, both victims of a Predator’s hunting trip. Theta survived, and with the assistance of a sentient spaceship, prowls the galaxy in search of the specific Predator who killed her family. The adult Theta is a bad-ass warrior, and wears an armored suit that resembles a Predator uniform (which gets her in a bit of trouble in one scene). A good beginning. Don’t know if Brisson can keep this story arc interesting for a six-issue run, but I’ll stick around for the next installment. FOUR STARS.
Still, as much as I’ve enjoyed Aaron’s imaginative scenes, I became a little bored around Issue #5 as the story seemed to meander in multiple directions without any forward movement. I sat out Issues #6 and #7, and came back with Issue #8.
This issue’s story is much stronger than prior entires, and benefits from focusing on a single character in a very good standalone story that new readers could pick up and easily follow along. Also, maybe inspired by the chance to draw only a few characters rather than multitudes, Kuder’s art here is the best I’ve seen from him in a long time.
A street-clothed and bearded version of Thor visits the Himalayas on Earth-56337 trying to escape the enchanted hammer Mjolnir, which follows and torments his steps. This Thor is also an unworthy version, and he cannot lift the hammer. He finds the entrance to the ruins of K’un-Lun (birthplace of Iron Fist) and meets Lei-Kung The Thunderer and guardian of its ancient secrets. Under Lei-Kung’s training, Thor learns to develop fists like hammers. He becomes Thor, God of Fists just in time to join up with Ghost Rider Robby Reyes and Ant-Man Tony Stark as they build a team to take on the Masters of Multiversal Evil. Now, that was a good story. FOUR STARS.
I enjoyed Moreci’s script, and the humor that kept the first series fresh and fun is still here. However, the change in artists disappoints me. Even though Robert Wilson IV did a fine job here, his art pales in comparison to the stylings of Nathan Gooden. Evidence of that is easy to come by - - just compare the gorgeous cover art by Gooden to the interior art by Wilson.
Owen joins a group of diverse characters, at the pleading of a goat-horned noble asking Owen to rid their land of a giant devil bat invasion.
This royal knighted warrior seems a little reluctant to do anything other than issue orders. He’d rather boss around the robed monk from the Order of Mystics (who joined up because he’s overly curious about Owen’s special weapon), and La’Kandra (new love interest for Owen and a professional thief). We get some intriguing back-story along the journey (especially the origin of the harvest blades and La’Kandra’s upbringing) as well as the obligatory battle scenes with plenty of blood. Things end well, even though the characters have hidden motives. Already, I’m not feeling as excited as I once did for this title. Perhaps the next story arc will help revive that. THREE AND ONE-HALF STARS.
Synopsis: The Rebel Fleet is reunited at last, and Leia Organa, Mon Mothma and the other Alliance leaders send a strong message to the galaxy that the resistance to Palpatine’s rule remains as strong as ever. Meanwhile, Lady Qi’ra of Crimson Dawn has activated her sleeper agents across the galaxy, instructing them to cause chaos for the Empire by any means necessary!
This is an important issue for Star Wars aficionados as it introduces some new characters and is a lead-in to new stories occurring just before The Return Of The Jedi timeline. This just didn’t entertain me the same way that earlier entries in Marvel’s Star Wars series have. Soule’s story is tight and contains a lot of plot threads, requiring a bit more dialogue than usual. The often minimalist art of Andres Genolet almost pulled me out of the story. This might have come across better with a different art team.
TWO AND ONE-HALF STARS.
Such is the case here. I enjoyed the art a bit more than the story, although the story is fun. If you’re looking for a tongue-in-cheek spin on superhero
conventions this may satisfy your craving.
Actor/comedian Patton Oswalt gets an assist on the script and it helps. The last book I read by Oswalt wasn’t as tightly woven as this, so that’s a good pairing. This book reminded me of a less explicit version of The Boys if it existed within a mediocre version of The Watchmen. That may sound negative, but that’s actually not a bad pairing either.
The setting is Twilight City, which seems to be overrun with meta-humans so much so that the seedier parts of town seem to be solely inhabited by failed super-villains who hang out in bars and whine about their misfortunes. The main character is Frankie, trying to make it as a bartender in one of these loser meta-hangouts. She’s trying to go straight after being brought up as Playmate, a sidekick to super-villain Toy Queen, her mother. She’s brought right back into the meta-life when the psycho Stickman kills Kid Dusk, sidekick to The Insomniac, top crimefighter in Twilight City.
Fearing that an angry Insomniac may go on a killing rampage, his team-mates in the Continuum are violently shaking down all the inferior super-villains to locate the whereabouts of Stickman.
Frankie/Playmate (who can assemble toys out of any raw materials) takes it upon herself to form a team of super-villains to locate Stickman (and maybe kill him) before The Continuum can wreck their part of town.
THREE AND ONE-HALF STARS.
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