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 August 10, 2023. . . 733 comics documented
CURRENT COUNT . . . . . 546 comics documented
#529 - #534 THE SANDMAN UNIVERSE: NIGHTMARE COUNTRY, VOLUME ONE by James Tynion IV and Lisandro Estherren (DC Comics/Black Label, February 24, 2023) Hardcover edition, collects Issues #1-#6.
It's been quite some time since I read any of the original Sandman Universe volumes by Neil Gaiman, and some of the more recent re-visits seemed to have missed the mark. Still, I don't remember Sandman as horrific as SANDMAN UNIVERSE: NIGHTMARE COUNTRY comes across. However, this series comes closer to recreating that sense of wonder and awe I felt while reading Gaiman's original stories many years ago.
In fact, in the foreword by James Tynion IV he mentions how important the Sandman series has been to developing his writing and creativity. "You can see its DNA in each of my comics projects.” He says it is the single most important reason he made the decision to work in comics.
However, rather than write a copycat version of Sandman or a pure homage, Tynion has pulled the more horrifc elements from those works and further enhanced and developed them in NIGHTMARE COUNTRY. While SANDMAN was a series that straddled several genres, NIGHTMARE COUNTRY is a tale of horror and dark fantasy, two genres that Tynion excels at. Based on the number of two-star reviews on Goodreads I'm sure that several readers will disagree with my assessment. But I'm being purely subjective, and this series pushes all the right buttons for me.
Tynion resurrects secondary character The Corinthian and builds a backstory where he walked the Earth in the 1920's as a vicious serial killer before being returned to The Dreaming and having his memory wiped. Now, art student Madison Flynn sees the presence of a "smiling man"(with teeth for eyes) first in her dreams and now in her waking hours. With the threat of a new series of Corinthian-like murders occurring, The Corinthian leaves the Dreaming and enters our plane of existence in order to hunt down the copycat.
Every issue of this opening round features a short story within the main story that explores further the background of The Corinthian and other aspects of the story. The art throughout by Lisandro Estherren is both creepy and evocative. Guest artists illustrate the mini-stories and the choices of creators is excellent. The hardcover edition on heavier, quality paper is a great presentation.
Tynion introduces two new characters in the chilling lackeys Mr. Agony and Mr. Ecstacy, two oddballs that remind me of Clive Barker's Cenobites as well as the creepy hit men in the James Bond DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER film. Issue Six is an interlude in the story, where a writer, with a striking resemblance in both name and appearance to Tynion, meets beautiful neighbor Lamia and is pulled into a sorceress-like ritual.
I'm impressed by this introduction, which may disappoint many readers because there is no specific resolution. It's an important set-up volume. Gaiman didn't build the entirety of The Sandman Universe in the opening stories but across 75 issues. Tynion is obviously building something perhaps equally awe-inspiring here. I look forward to reading Volume Two. FIVE STARS.
Every once in awhile I’ll check out a comic from Aspen. I always have a soft spot for the smaller comics publishers and try to give them a chance to win me over. I”ve picked up titles from Aspen before but nothing really clicked. Still, when I can find them in bargain bins at reduced prices I can’t resist trying again. It amazes me how Aspen has been able to survive without a real presence in comic shops. I rarely see Aspen titles on the new release shelves at the six stores I visit. Yet, this is a 20-year-old comics publisher. Update: Since I wrote this, I've learned that Aspen suspended operations during the 2020 Covid shutdown, and as just now re-emerged with a new investor as EKOS UNIVERSE with plans outlined during last month's San Diego Comic Con.
#535 ASPEN UNIVERSE: REVELATIONS #1 of 5 by Joshua Hale Fialkov & J.T. Krul with art by Jordan Gunderson (Aspen MLT Inc., July 2016 This mini-series was created to bring together the worlds of Aspen Matthews (FATHOM) with the cast of the SOULFIRE series in a crossover event. Aspen’s Earth is set in a science-fiction and ecological world. Soulfire takes place in a magical realm.
A future threat is revealed that will span the boundaries of time and space and threaten both realms. In the Soulfire universe the young magician Malikai is chosen to escape from his world via a portal created by fellow magicians to find allies upon the Earth of Aspen Matthews - - because the fate of two civilizations depends upon their cooperation as a team.
Lots of exposition and set-up. The writers give enough info to help brand-new readers get comfortable while not being too repetitive for regular readers. I found myself getting a bit tired and indifferent, despite some cool looking art. I won’t be trying to find the rest of these issues. THREE STARS.
#536 NU WAY #1 by J.T. Krill and Alex Konat (Aspen MLT Inc., July 2018) This series takes place in the future world of New Sheng in 2051, and apparently is unrelated to both FATHOM and SOULFIRE titles. The only commonality is the look of the art. I guess the house style at Aspen, no matter who the artist is, is to try and emulate the style of Aspen’s founder, the (sadly missed) late Michael Turner. NU WAY ran for 5 issues, completed its’ first story arc and then faded out.
The story takes place in a future society where technology dominates so much that in the metropolis of New Sheng there are either those elites living in high rises or poverty-level residents trying to survive down below in the shadows. Zihao is a young fighter competing for a corporate sponsorship and a more-accommodating paycheck. He’s sacrificing his body in the ring in order to get noticed, which he does. Now the corporation converts him into a cybernetically-enhanced warrior so he can compete in the high profit gladiatorial games at even greater risk of life.
Just as Zihao is preparing for his first fight he spots a former childhood friend in the crowd, a woman who used her looks to move up in the world the same way he used his body. Will this discovery lead to his promotion or help sap his confidence? I couldn’t get excited about this. It just felt too heavy-handed. There was an opportunity to create some empathy for these characters but the writers didn’t dwell on that enough. TWO AND ONE-HALF STARS.
#537 - #539 X-MEN: HELLFIRE GALA 2023 #1 by Gerry Duggan and a whole bunch of artists (Marvel Worldwide Inc, September 2023) I stopped reading the X-Men on a regular basis in the late 1990’s, but I do dip into the waters from time to time just to see what’s new. I normally look through the bargain bins and just read random issues. But a strong recommendation from Jason at Captain Blue Hen persuaded me to plunk down the $8.99 for this triple-sized issue which heralds the beginning of THE FALL OF X. This time it seems like it’s not a deception, like THE TRIAL OF MAGNETO was.
The annual Hellfire Gala marks a momentous event in X-Men culture, and everybody who’s anybody attends - and fashionably dressed to kill. Last year was the announcement of a colony on Mars. This year seems to be a bit less monumental, with a vote scheduled for a rejuvenation of the X-Men team members. There’s a big surprise when a recently departed superhero is resurrected along with a previously unknown origin reveal that seems to contradict the premise of the INHUMANS VS. X-MEN mini-series.
The art and colors throughout are incredible, and the transition between artists is seamless and doesn't disrupt the flow of the story. Readers may not even notice the changes unless they are deliberately looking for them.
The anti-X-Men ORCHIS organization, led by a Mister Sinister lookalike and Nimbus have other plans and disrupt things in ways that would cause me to spoil it for you if told here. Things won’t be the same in THE FALL OF X. I’ll still sit this one out (my big event phobia) but tell Jason he made a good suggestion. FOUR STARS.
#540 - #541 SVENGOOLIE: LOST IN TIME #1 by RIch Koz (Svengoolie) with art by Christopher Jones, Art Balthazar, and Jill Thompson (Frank Miller Presents, 2023)
Synopsis: “In the first of two specials, MeTV sensation Svengoolie appears in his first full-length comic book feature, as the evil Svenbot goes to the past to undo Svengoolie’s future. Learn the secrets behind Sven and his crazy cast of friends - Boddy Sorrell, Tombstone and Kerwyn as told by the show’s creator Rich Koz, Jim Roche and Chris Faulkner. Buy this at your local store and remember, No Personal Checks!”
Once in awhile there will be a old movie I’d like to revisit or something I haven’t seen before on MeTV’s SVENGOOLIE and I’ll watch the episode. I find his bad jokes amusing and appreciate that Rich Koz is also a serious fan of horror films and adds some interesting background information to his commentary.
The comic is equally silly fun, with some seriously good art from a trio of creators. If you like the show, you’ll like the comic. THREE STARS.
#542 UNDER THE INFLUENCE #1 by Eliot Rahal and Stefano Simeone (Mad Cave Studios, 2023) This one is certainly timely. It’s also a little frightening in that the events of this story could be (and may be) actually happening in our crazy social media-obsessed times.
The satiric pen of Eliot Rahal takes a deep dive into social media influencers, pranking for “likes” and the impact on followers. He’s not exactly kind and shines a spotlight on the dumber (and dangerous) aspects of spending too much time Tik-Tokking, Instagramming and scrolling the Internet.
While a youngster Paul Kozac was a child actor in commercials for a hot dog manufacturer which helped propel the company to riches. As a bitter teenager who feels cheated, he creates an internet cult called The Hot Dog Party and encourages followers to steal the company’s hot dogs from store shelves. One of his followers, posting the heist for views, makes a critical and fatal error - - live on stream for everyone to see.
This prompts an F.B.I. investigation and an undercover agent is dispatched to the college where Kozac is enrolled to infiltrate the ranks of his personality cult. I’m kind of glad I’m not a teenager anymore, and social media likes, etc don’t have the same impact as they might on a susceptible follower trying to find their way and thinking this is helpful to them.
The art is very stylistic and the colors are garish, something that usually puts me off from picking up a comic. However, it’s all about the story - - of which there is plenty to carry this forward. Eliot Rahal, thanks for putting things in perspective for us in such an entertaining fashion. FOUR STARS.
#543 SOKO #1 by Nana Miskovic and Steve Ekstrom with art by Antonio Fuso (Sumerian.Ink, 2023) A police procedural set in Serbia. This begins with two beat cops, Junior Sergeant Mihajlo Sokolov and Senior Sergeant Lazar Vukovic, in a car chase pursuing a van loaded with smuggled oil cans. They apprehend the driver after his reckless driving causes a major accident, but with zero casualties and superficial injuries.
During an interview in confinement with the prosecutor’s office, the driver claims he knew nothing about the cargo, just being a driver for hire. Sokolov seems to be a workaholic, also working a side gig and more, which upsets his wife. The story concludes with a murder/hit on both the released driver and another witness in the district attoney’s office. Corruption within the police force and elsewhere. I normally like European-style crime comics, but I’m just not feeling it here. TWO AND ONE-HALF STARS.
#544 - #545 THE INCREDIBLE HULK #1, #2 by Phillip Kennedy Johnson and Nic Klein (Marvel Worldwide Inc, August-September 2023) In my opinion, I’ve always preferred the monster version of The Hulk versus the super-hero version. IMMORTAL HULK is my favorite volume of the character, with Al Ewing focusing on the horror elements for most of the time - - even though it got real strange near the end when The Leader entered the storyline. And, Donny Cate’s sci-fi spin on the character with Rocketship Hulk didn’t really excite me.
Philip Kennedy Johnson is definitely taking things in the horror direction, with the Hulk as the monster within Bruce Banner - who is barely keeping him under control as both fight for command. It’s such a struggle that Banner has to go on the run again in order to protect the rest of the world. Issue #1 sets the stage as an ancient evil is uncovered during an Iraq
But back in the states, Banner has his hands full with the FBI in pursuit after a diner incident and a teenage runaway girl named Charlie, who has some latent (possibly inherited) uncontrollable powers of her own, and wants to partner with The Hulk. Meanwhile a U.S.-based horror called The Eldest has called about all monsters to arise and hunt down The Hulk. Seems like the Green Door that Banner closed in THE IMMORTAL HULK series has opened the gates for a slew of monsters to return.
I’m not as excited by the dark-looking art by Nic Klein (art and colors with an assist from Matthew Wilson) but the style is already growing on me by Issue #2. I’m hanging around to see where this goes. Monsters-of-the-month could get tiring, but there’s a lot more happening here. FOUR STARS.
#546 BATMAN BEYOND: NEO-GOTHIC #1 by Collin Kelly & Jackson Lanzing with art by Max Dunbar (DC Comics, September 2023) Batman is my favorite DC character. I”ve read a lot, including some of the related Bat-family titles. Yet, I’ve never warmed up to Batman Beyond (including the cartoon) and can still count on one hand the number of issues I’ve read over the years. So, with this new title I thought it was time to give BATMAN BEYOND another change to wow me.
This may be the most complex (both character and the futuristic setting of Gotham) I’ve come across so far and perhaps the best written. I can say the same thing about the art. Really nice visuals.
Terry, this version of Batman, has a lot of help from reformed criminals to maintain and operate the Cave. He’s conflicted about a lot of things, including attention to family. There’s an interesting albino cat-being who becomes Terry’s tour guide through the ruins of Gotham (underneath the city proper) as he tries to find out why young people keep disappearing there. It’s not a fresh storyline, and reminds me of the beginning issues of The New 52 GREEN ARROW series with children disappearing underground, but it’s well told. Yet, I’m not feeling it and don’t think I want to add this title to my pulls. THREE AND ONE-HALF STARS.
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