This marks the third consecutive year that I will attempt to document my comics reading by writing at least a mini-review. The goal is 1200 books read and reviewed in 2023, although I missed the mark in 2022 by 88 books. Still, I like that number as it’s easy enough to track - - - 100 books per month on average. Wish me luck!
# GOAL FOR July 31, 2023. . . 700 comics documented
CURRENT COUNT . . . . . 528 comics documented
#504 W0RLDTR33 #1 by James Tynion IV and Fernando Blanco (Image Comics, April 2023) When I want to read a good horror comic, there are several creators that I trust to spin a good story - - - Cullen Bunn, Jeff Lemire, John Lees. It’s well past time to add James Tynion IV to the list (Something Is Killing The Children, Nice House On The Lake, Department of Truth, etc). When he’s not writing licensed characters for the Big Two, he’s at his absolute best. So it is with W0RLDTR33. This could end up being his bloodiest and most graphic storyline so far, so be advised.
One of the themes here is the dangers of the Dark Web, in this case the Undernet. Just forcing others to watch images can result in immobilization, loss of motor function, and death. A young man becomes infatuated with this and commits mass murder on a giant scale. His older brother is trying to understand how it happened and come to his aid (his brother’s in a police station jail cell).
There are homages to the late science fiction writer Harlan Ellison and other nods to popular culture fascinations, including (of course) covert agencies (good or bad? - not sure). There’s also a naked tattooed female assassin by the name of PH34R who may be the instigator, or just the messenger. Tynion and Blanco jump cut through several scenes and characters as the debut issue rushes forward.
Back in 1999, a group of computer grad students discovered the Undernet and created a message board called W0RLDTR33. Once they
realized the dangerous potential they shut everything down. Now, some unknown party has resurrected the Undernet and unleashed an era of violence.
Already up to Issue #4, I came to the game late and have decisions to make. Thinking about what happens in this book makes me shudder.
I keep exploring debut issues and they keep exceeding my expectations. Good reading, if I can only keep up. FIVE STARS.
#505 MY GREATEST ADVENTURE #80 facsimile edition by Arnold Drake and Bruno Permiani (DC Comics, September 2023) This reprints the very first appearance of The Doom Patrol from 1963’s MY GREATEST ADVENTURE #80. An original copy in various conditions could set you back as much as $700, so this is a welcome opportunity to read it since I missed the first release. Classic super-hero fare from the Silver Age, with just enough of a difference to lift it up a bit.
The first part introduces the three members of the team, led by the wheel-chair bound surgeon/genius known as The Chief. The Chief tells how all three of them developed unique abilities due to mysterious accidents.
Over the years, other team members have been added and the abilities of the original three have been further defined and enhanced. But it all started here with Rita Farr (elongation abilities, either a giant or tiny/miniature), Larry Trainor (releases a negative energy being from his body for 60-seconds maximum) and Cliff Steele (damaged so much in a fatal race car accident that only his brain was retained and placed inside a robotic body).
The second half of the book details their first team-up against General Immortus, an old foe of The Chief who’s secured an atomic convertor device. A fun team to re-visit. They’ve come a long way since then. THREE STARS.
#506 - #507 THE BROODING MUSE #1 by various creators (Cherry Bomb Comics, October 2022) A quick scan of this magazine-sized black-and-white comics anthology appeared to be yet another effort to match the excitement of those old 1960’s CREEPY and EERIE magazines. I was mistaken, as this is a series of four linked stories that all occur in a post-apocalyptic world, two of which are continued in Issue #2.
While I love an opportunity to support small indie comics publishers (Cherry Bomb is located in Hanover, PA) I can only recommend this one to those who share my sentiments or die-hard comics horror fans that collect as much as they can.
There’s just not enough revealed of this strange new world that the characters are thrust into to give readers a good feel for the concepts, as well as a reason to care about the primary characters and their conflicts. Yet, there is potential here and perhaps the writing will improve and the stories will do a better job of giving readers the important background.
Likewise, the art is below expectations on the final story, and spaced out too much on the too-short (one page) third story. Although the opening tale (and the most interesting of the quartet), “Kayla And The Castle Keep”,
by Patrick James and Nik Poliwko features some powerful and exciting images. “Witness At Wet Rock” by Art Pencil (really?) and Herman Gonzalez is set in the marrow wastelands of the title story and has evocative art to match the Twilight Zone twist-ending story. TWO AND ONE-HALF STARS.
#508 - #515 BLUE PERIOD Volume One graphic novel/manga by Tsubasa Yamaguchi (Kodansha Comics, English translation 2020) A manga about high school soul-searching dramatics that aims to educate while it entertains? I wasn’t expecting that and found the story to be both fresh and interesting, although maybe not satisfying enough for me to continue.
This series is ongoing, with Volume 13 released in May 2023.
Main character Yatora is a model high school student who does well in class, studies hard, has lots of friends (drinking must be legal in Japan at high school age!) but isn’t quite satisfied and questions his choices and directions in life. HIs bleached hair and “cartilage piercings” garner him plenty of attention. One day, he walks into an art class, and finds a new world of exploration in painting.
The story here is just as much about art as it is about coming-of-age and preparing for further education beyond high school. At times, it feels like a tutorial on various aspects of art (from still life in pencils and charcoal to oil paintings) as well as a recruitment pamphlet for the art schools in Tokyo.
Yatora finds new friends, new competitors, and new challenges as the story proceeds. The art is interesting and much easier to follow visually compared to some other manga that I’ve read. There’s also an interesting subplot involving a transgender character who is often mistaken for female based on appearance.
While I appreciate the effort Yamaguchi is making here to give a basics-of-art class manga-style while telling the story of Yatora - I started to become bored about mid-way through. At least the pace picked up in the final chapter. THREE STARS.
#516 - #525 SQUISHED by Megan Wagner Lloyd and Megan Mee Nuter middle grade graphic novel (Scholastic/Graphix, March 2023) Hardcover, 256 pages.
A great book for young readers about a large family of seven children and 11-year-old Avery's challenges and coping mechanisms. No privacy. Wants her own room. Badgered by younger siblings. Drifts apart from best friend. Family considers moving away, etc.
The creators understand Avery's point of view and present it in a friendly way that middle grade readers will be sure to relate to. The conflicts and resolutions are detailed and explained in such a warm fashion. It's all about the family and this story revels in it. FIVE STARS.
#526 - #527 TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES / THE LAST RONIN: LOST DAY SPECIAL One Shot by Kevin Eastman and Tom Waltz with art by Kevin Eastman, Ben Bishop, Esau & Isaac Escorza and Freddie Williams II. (IDW Publishing, July 2023) If you’re going to be following the next series in The Last Ronin saga, you may want to pick this up. While
it won’t spoil critical details of the upcoming series it does serve as a set-up issue and introduces a lot of characters that may be featured in the new series. More importantly, it reveals more of the new, younger turtle clan (still mutated, but barely teenagers - but who wants to quibble over that? Also, why keep tagging these new series as “Last Ronin” when that title no longer pertains to a character? Just let it go, already.) We get to see Odyn, Yi, Moja and Uno in short skirmish and they exhibit some cool skills. Some of their individual personalities and quirks are also identified.
Following the events of The Last Ronin, New York City is free of the yoke of the Foot Clan. However, several factions are trying to take control and trouble is brewing.
The new mutants (Yeah, why not call them that? Marvel can’t yell copyright infringement if we don’t capitalize it.) share a sensei in Casey Marie Jones who is raising and training them with mom April O’Neil. When Casey takes a day off for a date, April decides to take the young turtles along for a supply run, which provides the excuse to introduce readers to all the new characters and situations. Despite the modicum of action and anything really happening it, this was a fun read. THREE AND ONE-HALF STARS.
#528 WEIRD WORK #1 by Jordan Thomas and Shaky Kane (Image Comics, July 2023) “Cops, cults, crooks & corruption. It’s weird work but somebody’s gotta do it.”
I wanted to like this book, but it was just too hard to do. If you take away the “weird” world setting (lots of aliens, reminding of several strange Adult Swim cartoon series and/or Futurama) this is just a standard crime noir tale that feels over-used and not fresh. The art is cool, but art alone won’t carry the book. If you enjoy offbeat art similar to Michael Allred and Geoff Darrow you might appreciate Shaky Kane’s work. Maybe future issues will improve the storyline, but I’m not sticking around to find out. Too much else out there awaits me.
Back cover synopsis: “It’s 18 months since Lady Haste, the head of crime in Stellar City, was locked up, creating bloody mayhem on the streets. Things have started to get back to normal - well, as normal as is possible in Septamus Prime’s capital.
That is until washed-up detective Ovra Sawce is woken by a phone call. Three dead bodies found in a warehouse on the wrong side of town: A crooked cult leader. A tech billionaire's right-handed woman. And Ovra’s corrupt partner . . . Things just got weird.” TWO AND ONE-HALF STARS.
