PGHHEAD’S 2023 COMICS ODYSSEY, PART 29
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 September 10, 2023. . . 833 comics documented
CURRENT COUNT . . . . . 640 comics documented
#617 EPIC TAVERN’S TALES FROM THE FANTASTICAL CRIMES UNIT #1 by Shawn French and Steve Mardo (Scout Comics/Black Caravan, October 2021) Episode 1: Angel Is A Centaur Foal
Near as I can tell, this comic based on the Epic Tavern video game (described as a cross between The Sims and Dungeons & Dragons) is the only release to date. That’s too bad, as the story was decent and the art was exquisitely intricate in glorious details. One of the best things about the illustrations is the full two-page spread when hard-boiled detective Victor Marshall enters the offices of the FCU (Fantastical Crimes Unit) and sees a strange and diverse collection of people and monsters.
In the story, Marshall is partnered with young necromancer Emilia Mortalis, who has a collection of undead -and smelly - animal pals. They are investigating the disappearance of a young female centaur and assemble a motley crew of fellow adventurers, some over eager to engage in violence. The story is rather simple and episodic but peppered with enough humor and visual delights to keep readers engaged. There are supposedly hidden clues within the story for unlocking bonus content when playing Epic Tavern. The series, and apparently the game, follow the adventures of the FCU investigating crimes committed by supernatural and mythological creatures in the fantasy world of Beor. THREE STARS.
#618 - #620 JIM STARLIN’S DREADSTAR #1, #3, #4 of 6 by Peter David and Ernie Colon (Malibu Comics/Bravura, April - September 1994) Bravura was an imprint of Malibu (later sucked up and murdered by Marvel Comics) co-founded by its’ creators who each had their own titles: Daniel Brereton, Howard Chaykin, Steven D. Grant, Dan Jurgens, Gil Kane, Walt Simonson, and Jim Starlin. Starlin concentrated on a new title, BREED, and turned the reins of DREADSTAR over to Peter David.
David focused on Dreadstar as Kalla, the daughter of Vanth Dreadstar, trained and raised by his arch foe, the Lord High Papal. Issue #1 picks up the storyline 20 years later with Kalla’s search for her missing Vanth. There’s a cruel invading race, the Zons, and the only hope for the people to survive is to find the father who abandoned Kalla 20 years earlier.
Issue #3 is a flashback issue, with Skeevo shedding light on the mystery of who was Kalla’s mother, who has survived, and what happened to Vanth Dreadstar. In Issue #4, Kalla discovers more secrets from her past, and has drifted further apart from her foster father Papal, who is not pleased.
I like what David did here to continue the storyline; and Colon’s art is up to the task of doing justice to Starlin’s earlier dynamic style. Still, I’m missing that Starlin magic which this just didn’t equal for me. THREE AND ONE-HALF STARS.
#621 - #624 ALIENS: RESCUE #1 - #4 of 4 by Brian Wood and kieran McKeown (Dark Horse Comics, July-October 2019)
As a sequel to ALIENS: RESISTANCE this answers the question of Aliens followers as to what happened to Alec Brand, who was rescued by Amanda Ripley and Zula Hendricks. He works his way into the Colonial Marines and gets an assignment that reunites him with his rescuers. Should be an emotional moment, right? - - - somewhat, for all of three panels and then it's right to the mission briefing - - intercept an alien migration on a remote moon (the same surface that Brand was saved from) to a giant hive with thousands of eggs.
The story is good, and includes a sufficient amount of marines versus aliens to satisfy those who came along for that. The art is good, but also nothing special. Wood's story-telling here is so methodical and matter-of-fact that it completely drains this story of any emotion for me. And, failing that, so what? Why read it? I would only recommend this to real Aliens fans. To others, it's just not essential. Nothing new happens. Same old bad guys - - the evil Weyland-Yutani corporation and "their perpetual hard-on for alien bio-tech.” TWO AND ONE-HALF STARS.
#625 - #628 ACTION COMICS #957, #958, #961, #962 by Dan Jurgens with art by Patrick Zircher and Stephen Segovia (DC Comics, August - October 2016) “Path Of Doom”, Parts 1,2,5,6.
I picked this up, wanting to relax with a non-challenging superhero read. This did not disappoint and lived up to my (admittedly, lowered) expectations. It's another slugfest with Superman versus the monster alien who killed him back in the day (Death of Superman) and could easily have been told across four or less issues instead of the six that it required. I missed reading two middle issues of the six issues, but had no trouble whatsoever following this. The battles almost seemed to be the same, except for the inclusion of some other heroes like Wonder Woman, etc.
There's a bit of a twist here as Lex Luthor took on the mantle of super-protector of Metropolis and even sports the big S on his costume as a tribute to the late, great . . . but wait, Superman is back! And not just one. They also run into Clark Kent.
This was fun while it lasted. THREE STARS.
#629 - #634 ROGUE STATE #1 - #3 of an assumed 3 by Matteo Pizzolo and Carlos Granda (Black Mask Entertainment, November 2022 - February 2023) As more and more comics go beyond the $2.99 to $3.99 list price and climb upwards between $4.99 to $9.99 it is nice to get a little more value for the extra money. Black Mask is releasing this mini-series in a magazine-sized 34-page Prestige Format for $4.99, which is the perfect presentation for the compelling art of Carlos Granda.
Both story and art are street smart and realistic. ROGUE STATE is a promising title that reminds me of the Vertigo TRANSMETROPOLITAN series except that this is not a tech-heavy society of the future. This could be happening right around the corner. It’s heavy stuff.
Writer Matteo Pizzolo takes the familiar What If theme and applies it to political and social events in the United States and speculates a disturbing environment:
“A contested Presidential election plunges America into turmoil. The streets erupt in political violence. Police precincts are burned to the ground. Protesters and counter-protestors clash in bloody conflicts. Local police join forces with the National Guard, but even their combined strength is unable to quell the rage. Filling the vacuum, militia groups rise into roving gangs of vigilantes. Their unsanctioned law enforcement proves controversial and is soon challenged in the Supreme Court. In a strict interpretation of the 2nd Amendment, the Justices overturn two centuries of settled law by recognizing militias as Constitutionally protected. In an instant, every paramilitary gang in America is suddenly deputized, transforming the entire country into a vigilante police-state. Lockdowns set in. Fear spreads . . . and whispers of revolution.”
What this means in application is brought home in the opening scenes, which focus on San Francisco and Clara (we don’t learn her name until Issue #3), a single female resident who happens to be illegally out on the streets during a citywide lockdown (Day 61). The armed vigilante gangs arrive and receive carte blanche from the local police to round up “any P.O.S. on the street past curfew” and do whatever they want. (P.O.S. = people of suspicion?)
What follows are several pages of engaging dialogue between the fleeing woman (later dubbed “Dust Girl”) and an apartment building landlord who spots her climbing the exterior wall and sticks a gun out the window to stop her.
The latter part of the first issue is a flashback scene with the same character nine months earlier and living with Taylor, a moonshine cooker boyfriend in a small apartment. Events on the street outside their apartment portray a pivotal and foreshadowing moment when a group of homeless/squatters get into a conflict with police over property rights and it escalates from there. Issue #1 ends on a cliffhanger as the armored police squad (black suits with red banding) spot them filming the event from an overhead fire escape and apprehend them.
Issue #2 transitions back and forth from the past (where we learn that Clara/Dust Girl makes a living by selling Taylor’s drugs from her scooter bike.) The scene that ended Issue #1 is repeated here, with Taylor being captured by police and Clara escaping, but not before she inadvertently gets a dose of Taylor’s wares and takes a mescaline hallucinogenic trip. She evades the police by blowing up the cooking operation, with an apartment building neighbor rescuing her from the blast.
Clara is eventually caught on the streets and this time is rescued when a masked and hooded vigilante causes the police van to crash and overturn.
Issue #3 provides a background on the election that upset the world one year earlier, and introduces a new character, brash super cop and “America’s most feared inquisitor” Olivia Jones, who may have another identity. The story transitions back to present day where Clara learns her rescuer is Viya of Brightstars who has “reclaimed” a church for a new revolutionary cause. Clara is recruited for her architectural skills to design a fortress from their surroundings. The issue ends on another cliff-hanger, to be continued. The announcement on the back page notes that ROGUE STATE, Volume 2: Assault On Alcatraz is coming soon. FOUR AND ONE-HALF STARS.
#635 THE INCREDIBLE HULK #3 by Phillip Kennedy Johnson and Nic Klein (Marvel Worldwide Inc, October 2023) “That Old-Time Religion, Part Two”.
So far, this has remained a horror comic in the vein of what Al Ewing did with IMMORTAL HULK but still different, not a copycat title. As long as it stays with this theme and doesn’t start guest-starring superheroes/teams I’ll keep reading. What I love most is the internal battle between Bruce Banner and The Hulk for control of his form and mental dominance.
The Hulk here is the Hulk of old, a powerful and savage figure, simple-minded but cunning enough to carry on and keep Banner subdued.
There’s a Lovecraftian/Chthulu-like creature in an abandoned mine that is being worshipped by the brain-washed townsfolk. The battle between Hulk and “Brother Deep” takes up most of the issue, and it is depicted by Klein in glorious dialogue-free panels. I think that’s the proper name, but it’s a bit cryptic as the zombified ex-miners keep talking about his Mother and The Elder.
Young runaway Charlie is still hanging around, but Hulk wants her to leave. Charlie may have latent supernatural abilities (hinted at last issue) but she wins over Hulk when she mimics his speech patterns and attitudes. Quite the team-up. Next issue guests Man-Thing, and I expect it to stay horrific. At least, it’s not Wolverine or Ghost Rider. THREE AND ONE-HALF STARS.
#636 - #637 BATMAN/CATWOMAN: THE GOTHAM WARS - BATTLE LINES #1 by TinI Howard & Chip Zdarsky with pencils by Mike Hawthorne, inks by Adriano Di Benedetto (DC Comics, October 2023) The current BATMAN and CATWOMAN writers team up for an eight-part crossover event. Things start out pretty slow in the opening salvo of “The Gotham Wars” but I just decided to sign up for this based on the premise and the promising potential. Here’s hoping I don’t regret it.
I’m willing to overlook the absence of action and fight scenes as long as the story is a good one. There are multitudes of character conversations here and that often bores readers to tears. However, the conversations are the reason I’m sticking around. It’s been so long since I’ve been able to see a debate between two parties with opposing views that is conducted with civility and doesn’t result in shouting, angry rages, “no comments”, or simply one of the parties completely dismissing the discussion and walking away. Howard and Zdarsky’s script does such an effective job of presenting both points-of-view that it’s possible to empathize with both and often switching sides.
Batman has been recovering (in a deep sleep) from the horrors of the recent Knight Terrors and has been absent from the scene. But, there’s been a reduction in violent crime in Gotham even without him.
How is that possible? And who engineered this? . . . . . It’s Catwoman. She’s been having heart to heart chats with the second fiddles and associates of various big-time criminals, offering them a better life and providing training on how to be effective cat-burglars. Isn’t that still criminal activity? Yes, but it’s not violent. And, they agree to only steal from the very wealthy and donate a portion of their profits back to worthy charities.
Batman and Catwoman have been lovers and fighters over the years, often at odds but never like this. I’m enjoying the debates. Even some of the Bat-family members are agreeing with Catwoman’s ideas. FOUR STARS.
#638 MAIDEN #1 by Michelle Sears and Bart Sears (Heavy Metal Entertainment / Elements, 2021) Back in 2021, Heavy Metal began publishing some of the maxi-series that ran in HEAVY METAL magazine as individual series. For whatever reason, only the first issue of this haunting tale of revenge was released, reprinting the first two chapters. That’s a shame, as it marked a departure from the regular art style of Bart Sears and was visually very evocative and moody, as befits the mystical, mysterious story scripted by Michelle Sears.
As the story opens, a cloaked woman walks past a rundown wooden home and an abandoned car and seems to cross over into a different land and a different time, surrounded by wailing forms where she meets a dead ringer for herself garbed in regal dress from an unknown era. She’s been given a mission to become the unwilling bride of a feudal lord in a realm that bears resemblance to ancient Japan and kill him with a mystical dagger. The vague captions and philosophical dialogue only add to the mystery and uncertainty.
I had to look this title up to figure out what it’s exactly about. The unnamed young woman has given up her soul to a supernatural force of vengeance, and this is just the opening story that will span time, worlds and genre. She’s cursed to be the servant of annihilation and is accompanied by a frightening Hag who gives her guidance. I’m not going to try and find those HEAVY METAL back issues to read the rest of the story, but it’s a shame the series wasn’t finished. FOUR STARS.
#639 - #640 VAMPIRESS CARMILLA #1 anthology magazine. Stories by Don Glut, Nicola Cuti, Lynn Marron, Artie Godwin. Black & White art by Vicente Alcazar, Tom Grindberg, Nik Poliwko, Benito Gallego, Reno Maniquis, Santos Zaballos, Mike Dubisch. (Warrant Publishing Company, March 2021)
Like its companion magazines THE CREEPS and SHUDDER, VAMPIRESS CARMILLA revives the legendary Warren illustrated horror magazines of the 60’s and 70’s by replicating Warren’s early page layouts and publishing newly styled work by original Warren artists, writers and editors. While I’ve enjoyed the random issues that I’ve picked up of each title, they just don’t have the magic that the original CREEPY and EERIE once held for me. Granted, I was a young impressionable lad who discovered these gems in the third grade - - I credit them for jump-starting my life-long fascination with horror and dark fantasy.
Each of the seven stories here is introduced by horror host Carmilla (you can also call her “Vamps”) and her origin story appears in the lead-off slot. She is one of Count Dracula’s brides who was staked and decapitated by Van Helsing, and resurrected centuries later by Satan’s servant - the devil Millarca. Millarca puts her in charge of keeping the more vicious monsters in hell (Frankenstein’s monster, The Mummy, Black Lagoon creature, Wolfman, etc) in check by telling them stories of horror, fantasy and the supernatural set in the past, present and future.
VAMPIRESS CARMILLA differs from THE CREEPS and SHUDDER in that each new tale of terra has a “fatally feminine twist.” In Issue #1, there are stories featuring a swamp siren, a cursed sultan, a haunted homecoming, a mummy revival for cosplay, a planet of women, and a creepy old Victorian home. THREE AND ONE-HALF STARS.
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