PGHHEAD’S 2023 COMICS ODYSSEY, PART 31
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 30, 2023. . . 900 comics documented
CURRENT COUNT . . . . . 685 comics documented
#666 - #669 PARANORMAL HITMEN #1 - #4 by Brett Murphy and Wilson Gandolpho (Behemoth Comics, 2021-2022) Behemoth later became Sumerian Comics for reasons I’m unaware of. I thought the slogan “All Hail Behemoth” while a bit presumptuous was also kind of catchy.
PUBLISHER’S SYNOPSIS: “The Sopranos meets Ghostbusters in this action comedy starring Gene Rizzo and Devon Grace, two hitmen working for the infamous mobster, Alfonso Carboni. After being recruited into a mysterious Government agency not only will Gene and Devon have to hunt and kill ghosts, they will have to dodge Alfonso Carboni and his men.”
There’s even more to this story than is indicated by that summary. Gene and Devon are valued for their skill at kill shots to the head, which becomes rather important to the storyline. The USPAA (United States Paranormal Activity Agency) is aware of their abilities and ambushes the duo while on an assignment. Because they are sedated and transported via the back seat of a government vehicle, the Carboni gang’s surveillance team spots them and interprets that as two members who have turned on their boss.
Back in 1970, Dr. Ed Mooney created the Specter Cube, a portal between the living and the dead, with the idea of the U.S. using it to talk to deceased soldiers and gain intel on the enemy. The problem was that ghosts (from all timelines as well) could physically pick up objects and attack. So Mooney develops magic bullets to kill the ghosts, which only works when it’s a head shot. Now, because of blabbermouth ghosts everybody knows about this and Specter Cubes are sought after,especially by Al Carboni. It’s also revealed in present time that Mooney didn’t invent this, but stole them from a Russian agency who dispatch the vicious Black Dogs covert team to get revenge and re-obtain the Cubes.
The story is quirky and has some funny scenes. The first half of the story was more entertaining and engaging, while the second half seemed to falter a bit. Things come to an end point in Issue #4, but many plot threads are left hanging - - maybe saved for a second volume. I don’t think that’s going to happen, as this title seems to have been buried among the glut of indie books and didn’t get picked up on. Which doesn’t bother me that much. THREE STARS.
#670 SPECTREMAN HEROES: ELECTROID ZABORGER story, art & colors by Hiroshi Kanatani (Antarctic Press, February 2022) Antarctic Press, in a collaboration with P-Productions and Phase 6, published six one-shot issues of SPECTREMAN HEROES,”a nostalgia-blast of retro Japanese live-action super beings.” Each issue showcased a different hero in a complete story.
Police Agent Yutaka Daimon commands the Electroid Zaborger, a transformer-like robot that he rides in its motorcycle mode to battle the criminal Sigma Gang. The story is forgettable, but the art is stylish and interesting. It’s not done in a manga-style but the influences are there.
TWO AND ONE-HALF STARS.
#671 ARTISTS ELITE PRESENT PRIMER BLUE by various creators (Artists Elite Comics, 2022) As a comics publisher, Artists Elite serve as a type of incubator/workshop for professional creators as well as upcoming talents.
They have published six anthology format comics so far, and both PRIMER BLUE and PRIMER RED were their pre-release previews.
There’s just not enough story in these short 2-5 page previews, sometimes featuring just art and conceptual sketches, but several works caught my eye. “Final Boss” is a street fighter-like video game battle taking place on an island tournament. What stood out is the incredible detailed art (shown in black and white here) by Tyler Kirkham.
“Belong”is a creepy story by Freddie E Williams II about a lonely kid who finds a companion in a demonic creature. “Death Watch” by Chad Hardin and Jared Gifford features a Solomon Kane-like hunter putting vampires in their place via a “death watch” ceremony. “Apotheosis: Collapsing Worlds” by Jordan Gunderson is a sci-fi epic with multiple characters. “Red Ronin” by Dexter Soy looks really cool. All that was provided was his image. “Sandwenches” by Ale Garza features a quartet of female warriors in humorous manga-style space opera. Stories of all of these titles have been presented in the ARTISTS ELITE PRESENTS series. THREE STARS.
#672 - #675 ELEMENTALS Volume Two, #11 by Bill Willingham (writer and cover artist) and Mike Leeke/Mike Chen (pencils and inks) ELEMENTALS #24 by Jack Herman and Mike Leeke/Neil Train. ELEMENTALS #26 by Jack Herman and Antonio Daniel/Pam Eklund. ELEMENTALS Volume Three #1 by Jack Herman and Tony Daniel/Phil Moy (Comico Comics, January 1990 - December 1995)
If you are a fan of Bill Willingham (Fables, etc) and want to see some of his earlier works, seek out the first volumes of ELEMENTALS. Willingham created the series and both wrote and drew the early issues. Also, if you’re feeling nostalgic and want to sample the earlier indie days of comics, check this out. Comico started out in Norristown PA and later transplanted to Chicago before going bankrupt in the mid-1990’s.
The original story began when ancient sorcerer Lord Saker built the Shadowspear machine, which captured the supernatural powers of the world. To counter that, the spirits of the four elements chose a person who had been killed and resurrected him
The issues I read dealt with The Oblivion War a giant battle between heroes and villains in a big crossover saga featuring the Elementals team as well as all of Comico’s characters (Justice Machine, etc). I found it interesting how close the appearance of many of these characters were to iconic Marvel and DC characters. Just look at the cover of #11. That’s Thor (you really can’t copyright that name) wielding his hammer.
Volume Three was a reboot of the team, with a new person replacing Monolith - - which was interesting because he was old enough to be the father of the other team members and struggled to fit in. The team relocates, gets a publicity agent, and seeks to finance their efforts through merchandising etc. This just seemed like a hundred miles away from what Willingham started. Kind of fore-shadowing the eventual Comic collapse. THREE STARS overall.
The new creative team does a good job here with some great art and a new conflict introduced for Fathom to work through. Still, I just can’t get interested. I think my experiment with Aspen is over, although I still have some books that I haven’t read yet.
For some reason most titles featuring underwater characters, regardless of publisher, revert to similar themes. Here’s the elevator pitch for Fathom, courtesy of this issue: “From beneath the tides she was born . . . Above the sea level she was raised . . . On the surface, she is a marine biologist . . . Yet, under the surface she is something far more. She is something . . . ELITE.” Yeah, aside from a few differences, that could stand in as a statement about Aquaman, Namor, etc. Come to think of it, I really don’t have any favorite underwater titles. THREE STARS.
#677 - #679 SAGA OF A DOOMED UNIVERSE Book 1 of 3 by Scott Read (CEX Publishing, October 2022) This looks and reads like a 1980’s superhero team title, with enough of a twisty difference to keep it interesting. It’s a comics story within a comic. The superheroes vs villains conflict is interspersed by overlays of the comics pages from comics writer Burt Colt with white-on-black text boxes revealing the previously undisclosed story of Saga Comics Company and how the government shut them down.
Colt gets visited by the EPA, who take blood samples for testing to detect . . . what? As he reveals, “Just know that this will be my final attempt to bring justice to the dead . . . before I join them.” Another mystery on top of a mystery, hopefully to be revealed within the final two of these three triple-sized issues. THREE AND ONE-HALF STARS.
Here’s the synopsis from CEX:
“CEX Publishing is proud to present 1984’s most shocking comic book, revealed at last! The heroes have been murdered — all except for Roy Brannon, a costumed loser who could never become the champion that Earth needs. Now, it will be Roy’s chance to prove everyone wrong…. even if he has to destroy the entire Universe to do it!
This is the comic that changed everything, presented in three triple-sized volumes with six covers – including homages to some of the OTHER comics that changed everything!
“Reed nails the design and look of the comic as Saga of a Doomed Universe #1 mixes old-school designs with a bit more “modern” aspects. Deaths have a bit of gore but don’t linger, the characters themselves feel inspired by classic designs of Kirby, Ditko, and more.” — Brett Schenker (Graphic Policy)"
I was excited a few years back when Marvel reacquired the property and began publishing new stories. I enjoyed the initial issues, but they quickly lost the quality as the months went by and I stopped picking them up. When Marvel made the enormous blunder (my opinion, and I’m entitled to it) of sticking Conan in the Savage Avengers that didn’t sit well with me. I felt like they were disrespecting the character. Now Titan Comics gets a crack at this licensed property, and if the first issue is any indication - - - this is more like it.
Jim Zub's version of Conan feels like a return to what made the character so interesting and his adventures so much fun to read. The art harkens back to some of the great work done way back when by the late John Buscema, and De La Torre includes even more intricate detail in his illustrations.
In this first issue, Conan has been hardened by years of travels and adventures beyond his native Cimmeria. Events occur after the battle of Vanarium, and Conan is close enough to his homeland to contemplate a return. He’s tired of hanging with mercenaries and thieves, and things begin with a disagreement that turns into a real barroom brawl. A female Pict warrior rides into town warning of an advancing horde of possessed zombie-like berserkers and Conan partners with her, but not before learning it may already be too late for Cimmeria. FOUR AND ONE-QUARTER STARS.
This new title is intended as a prequel to the story presented in the 1983 FIRE AND ICE movie, a collaboration between illustrator Frank Frazetta and animator Ralph Bashki. But you don’t have to be familiar with that story in order to follow this one. I may have seen that film, but it’s just too long ago for me to remember any details. Note to self: see if it’s streaming on Netflix or Amazon, etc and watch again.
Things take place on a savage prehistoric world, with two kingdoms represented by fire and ice. Willingham engages in some creative world-building here and includes plenty of backstory and details to make this much more than a quick read. Beauty and danger. Good versus evil. Magic and more. Many of the recognizable Frazetta characters from book illustrations and artwork come to life here within the storyline. Manco makes a slight departure from his photo-realistic style and alters his art to more resemble that of Frazetta. His color work is beautiful. FOUR AND ONE-HALF STARS.
The story is told as a flashback in present day as main character Michael, an ageless time traveler nicknamed The Collector, reads the obituary of a companion prisoner and reflects on his time during WWII imprisoned in the Japanese POW camp and how he
The text intro on the contents page of Issue #1caused me to assume that this was a sequel, and a new story arc in the tale of The Collector. That is not the case, and I’m not sure exactly why the writers decided to make the main character a time-traveler unless they wanted to gauge the market for interest in further adventures. The story could just as easily be told by an elderly survivor of the camp without the meager details about The Collector. As a character, Michael is not that interesting. What kept me reading was learning for the first time about Unit 731. Thankfully, the story doesn’t exploit the situation or dwell too long on the atrocities that occurred there. It could have served as a decent piece of historical fiction without the sci-fi extra. THREE STARS.
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