PGHHEAD’S 2022 COMIC ODYSSEY, PART 41
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!
CURRENT COUNT . . . . . 924 comics documented
#911 THE WALKING DEAD DELUXE #1 by Robert Kirkman and Tony Moore (Image/Skybound, October 2020)
The addition of color, especially the fine work done by Dave McCaig here, adds another dimension to this now familiar survival horror epic. I’m very familiar with this story, but it was cool to see it in glorious color. I can just imagine some of the gory scenes to come and how stunning they will look.
This also provides a nice opportunity for those who shun black and white comics to finally read this story . . . as well as an a beginning point for new readers. I’m impressed with the presentation. If I didn’t already have the entire series in trade paperback, I would definitely be down for this.
The bonus content in the back of the book is fascinating: a look at Kirkman’s writing process. The new cover by David Finch is breath-taking. FIVE STARS.
Despite being a debut issue, it felt like it started after Act One. That was deliberate, and the premise behind yet another Avengers book. Like NON-STOP SPIDER-MAN this title promises to cut the drama and interactions and get right to the action. And it does.
The storyline seems worthy of a Marvel mini-epic/crossover. Yet another race of space invaders pose a huge threat to Earth as cruel Queen Arrok The Seventh utilizes the Dark Tide to transform heroes into monstrous villains to aid in her efforts to retrieve “the scapel” and rebuild her galactic empire. The first to morph (on page 2, even!) is Captain Marvel.
The action scenes are plentiful and some are engaging, helped along by some good art by Greg Land, who no longer thrills me the way his illustrations used to. I’m trying to figure out what target audience would be attracted to a book like this. Maybe video-gamers? I require some real drama and interaction. TWO STARS.
The main story involves Rhino smuggling himself inside a delivery of rhinoceroses to the Wakandan animal preserve. Shuri takes him down without much effort and discovers an unknown source was using him to take surveillance of parts of Wakanda from a camera hidden on his person. What’s more interesting here is the interaction between Shuri and her mother.
A decent debut, but this doesn’t hold my attention the same way that John Ridley’s story in the main BLACK PANTHER title does. TWO AND ONE-HALF STARS.
Cate’s world-building is admirable and extensive. His depiction of the main character, Oliver Harrison, is a giant attention-hook. In the Mistland of Everkeep, an out-world of magic, 14-year old sorcery student Oliver was the mythical hero who slayed the power-mad evil Baron Vanish. He saved his world by breaking the rules and crossing over to Earth to obtain a weapon.
As an adult he’s under the radar, living on Earth (where Vanish’s followers, the Hollow, escaped) with his childhood sweetheart. He’s paranoid and mentally unhinged, smokes, drinks, and takes massive amounts of drugs to hide himself from himself. The Hollow emerge in disguise as a super-hero team as Oliver decides he needs to sober up and become a super-villain to take them down.
I loved Ryan Stegman’s work behind Cates on VENOM. He surpasses that effort here. I could just dwell on the art page after page. FIVE STARS.
The story embroils four individuals who uncover a means of time travel involving a cave (the mechanics of which are not detailed yet, in lieu of character development). One of their party, Tad, must go back in time to 1492 and kill Christopher Columbus. The intention is this will alter time, prevent the development of North America, and save the planet.
Tad has to kill a newly employed sailor, Rodrigo, takes his clothes and impersonate his way onto one of the three exploratory ships. He tries to assimilate, but struggles with tying knots and draws too much attention to himself. However, he does meet Columbus, who finds his other skills useful.
An intriguing beginning, with some interesting art. Gianfelice’s style almost looks like cel animation in places. His panoramic panel of the Nina, Pinto, and Santa Maria ships is harbor is dreamy. However, it’s the strong story that transports this title.
This is the first venture into comics for Stephen Graham Jones, one of my favorite horror novelists. If you like what you read here, check out Mongrels, The Only Good Indians, and My Heart Is A Chainsaw. Also check out the positive reviews (including mine) of those books on Goodreads. FOUR AND ONE-HALF STARS.
I had expectations of a good horror-themed title. Halloween is a great time to publish them. CRYPT OF SHADOWS does enter the spookier side of the Marvel universe but this was more super-hero stories rather than scary stuff and I was disappointed.
It’s a mixed bag of story and art, and feels more like a try-out/showcase issue for both secondary characters and new creative teams. Unfortunately, some of these stories fail to entice, possibly because of the short length, and that won’t improve their chances for future inclusion in the Marvel Universe.
Al Ewing’s name on the cover was another reason I picked this up, considering the great job he did introducing horror into his 50-issue run on IMMORTAL HULK. I looked forward to what he might do with a short story here. Unfortunately, he was only assigned to write the one-page introductions to each story in TALES FROM THE CRYPT fashion with the horror host being Victor Strange, the undead brother to Dr. Strange who inhabits the “half-world behind every mirror.” A wasted opportunity for Ewing, in my opinion.
“Neither Big Nor Bad” is a clunky story notable for perhaps the first appearance of Brielle/Bloodline, the daughter of Blade. She interrupts the misguided work of some young spell casters as it relates to ghosts.
“Werewolf by Moonknight” is a better story with two competing werewolves fighting, although the late introduction of Moon Knight seems contrived in order to justify the story title.
“Skin Crawl” brings back the Darkhold, which is the best thing about this poorly executed story. I do like the Troids (weird bugs)although they would be scarier if they didn’t speak.
“Down Came The Rain” is one of the better stories even though it is super-hero dominated. Elsa Bloodstone is searching for an infected Spider-Man (Man-Spider), and heads into the sewers with an assist from Johnny Storm. Unlike the other stories, this one is quick and better paced getting to its resolution without a lot of unnecessary fluff.
“Endless Slaughter In The Infinite Swamp” has some cool art by writer/artist Adam Warren. It’s about a battle through the future centuries between X-23 and Man-Thing that never ends due to their regenerating abilities. It gets a little ridiculous in its’ conclusion, but I was amused. TWO STARS OVERALL.
The art is quite different than what you’ll see in current Spider-Man titles and is the best thing about this book. The images are very creative, especially the lucid waking-dream sequences that bother Peter Parker throughout the title and afford Ferreyra the freedom to exercise his impressionistic style.
The change in locale for Parker is also fresh, a temporary stay in Pasadena, California while he assists in a tech sonic research laboratory. It’s a very introspective debut issue as Peter reflects on his past, his purpose, his success or lack thereof, etc. and gets advise from his new associates and friends.
It’s lean on action, except for the scenes that play out in his mind. There’s a rescue of teens in a park from a huge black bear that foreshadows the demon bear that shows up later. Wow, haven’t seen that problem show up since the original NEW MUTANTS series of the 1980’s.
FOUR STARS.
#919 THE NINJETTES #1 by Fred Van Lente and Joseph Cooper (Dynamite, 2022)
You might think this is a humorous title judging by the cover and Fred Van Lente’s name on the credits (he of the wry satiric bent).
There are some light-hearted moments but for the most part this is pretty serious, and violent as well. Young women who fit the profile are being abducted and forced into battle training in a remote desert location. The rules are rigid. There are only three diplomas available in the dojo. There are eleven students. It’s pass/fail (survive/die) as the final exam begins.
The art isn’t going to wow anybody but it works effectively. Van Lente rules and story leads the way. This is a spin-off from his JENNIFER BLOOD series for Dynamite and makes me want to check out what he’s doing there.
THREE AND ONE-HALF STARS.
I’ve read this in the single issues and reviewed it before, but this is a title that I keep coming back to and deriving more enjoyment as well as insights each time. This may be my fourth reading, although I lost count. I want to write about this again, and do a deep dive for its many pearls, but lack the sufficient time. This will have to serve as a bookmark for now.
The recent occasion was as Captain Blue Hen’s Book Club selection for October (and how appropriate). The October 27 meeting via Zoom was well-attended and enhanced by the participation of Maniac writer Elliott Kalan who revealed even more about this modern classic.
Slasher films are one of my guilty pleasures, and Maniac is a great slasher film on paper. Although I don’t watch them as often today, back in the late 1980’s and early 1990’s I was renting at least one VHS tape per week from the local video store. I was occupied with a challenging job and slasher films became my release valve after a hard day or week at work. I wanted to watch someone else having a worse day than me.
Anyone who’s watched their share of slasher fare knows that they are usually hit or miss. There are some really bad ones. But the better ones feature good direction and staging, have empathetic characters that you worry about, and know how to build suspense and hold it. It’s not so much about the blood as it is about the build-up.
MANIAC OF NEW YORK shares those same features. Not everyone in the group was a fan. Some didn’t appreciate the watercolor art and style of Andrea Mutti. Some didn’t care for the character development. But most of the group felt the same as I. This is one for the ages. FIVE STARS.
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