For the last three years I have embarked on a Comics Odyssey, reading and writing reviews of comics towards an ambitious goal which I only attained on one of three attempts. This year, I still want to read more comics and write reviews, but I’m not setting a specific goal. I’ll just document them and number them. We’ll see how far I can go . . . . . . . .
#73 - #77 CHEW, VOLUME TWO: INTERNATIONAL FLAVOR by John Layman and Rob Guillory (Image Comics, 2014) Reprints Chew #6-10.
Not as ground-breaking as Volume One (hard to exceed after that awesome debut) but writer John Layman proves there is plenty of entertaining story potential in the main premise and artist Rob Guillory has a wonderfully quirky style that holds your attention.
In the midst of a global prohibition on chicken and poultry products, a newly discovered fruit native to a Polynesian island has a taste just like chicken. The autocratic governor of the island kidnaps famous chefs and holds them hostage in a confined kitchen to create new recipes that will get him recognition and bring fame and fortune to his small community. But the island holds plenty of secrets and murder, which gets the attention of chibopathic detective Tony Chu, whose brother (a New York chef) is among the captives.
Tony's romantic interest, a food writer with the descriptive ability to make readers actually taste what she writes about, is also among the captives - - expected to write about the dishes created from the chicken-flavored fruit.
There's a crooked sheriff and a side plot involving gangs and murder over a renowned fighting rooster named Poyo, a vampire (foreshadowed in Volume One) who wants his own private chef for private reasons, and tension back in NYC where Chu's boss hates him so much he wants to hand him the worst assignments. Also, Chu gets a new partner, the former NYPD detective who worked with him before the FDA gig, who now returns with a bionically enhanced face to replace the part hacked away by a butcher knife in Volume One.
A fun read with wacky humor that doesn't take itself too seriously. A nice departure from my regular comics reading. FOUR STARS.
#78 - #82 CHEW, VOLUME THREE: JUST DESSERTS by John Layman and Rob Guillory (Image Comics, second printing March 2015)
Synopsis: Things are looking up for Tony Chu, the cibopathic federal agent with the ability to get psychic impressions from the things he eats. He's got a girlfriend. He's got a partner he trusts. He even seems to be getting along with his jerk boss. But his ruthless ex-partner is still out there, operating outside of the law, intending to make good on his threats against Tony and everybody Tony cares about. It's just a matter of time before their investigations collide, blood spills and, inevitably, body parts are eaten.
Still funny as dark humor, still gross, still artistically stimulating - - this remains an exciting reading experience. Layman takes little nuggets of information introduced in earlier volumes and expands upon them, adding suprises and new twists to the storyline.
Tony Chu's first date with food writer Amelia Mintz is anything but conventional, but that doesn't stop their romance from blooming - - despite Amelia finding a body part from Tony's last girlfriend in his refrigerator, and then learning that he has children during a wild over-the-top Chu family reunion at Thanksgiving. Poyo the fighting rooster returns. Deep cover agents working within the corporation making money pushing a chicken substitute that Tony learns corntains some chicken as well as frog meat - - how else? By eating some. There's a mini-tribute to some classic Tarantino films. Also, Agent Savoy is back to cause more havoc and disrupt/expose the FDA. FOUR STARS.
#83 - #85 THE MAZE AGENCY Volume Two #1 - #3 by Mike W. Barr and Gene Gonzales (Caliber Comics, 1997-1998) “Good old-fashioned detective stories. Murder mysteries.”
THE MAZE AGENCY was a semi-popular non-superhero black & white series that was released from four different small comics publishers including Caliber Comics. Eventually many of the stories were collected and released in trade paperback editions by IDW Publishing.
What I liked most about this series was that every issue in this volume was a complete stand-alone story, that gave off Agatha Christie vibes and reminded me of several television series that featured male-female detective duos with a romantic interest. Also, the stories were just as good as some of the scripts for those tv shows. Barr knows how to write a tight script and pepper it with smart exchanges between characters. Gonzales’ art is more than functional and shines in several places without being flashy.
In “The Death of Justice Girl” Maze Agency owner Jennifer Mays and employee/companion Gabriel Webb solve the mystery of an superhero-movie actress killed when a prop gun contained real bullets instead of blanks. Mays and Webb don robes and pose as guests inside a monastery in “The Adventure of the Realm of Silence.” Finally, in “The Two Wrong Rhoades” they have to decide who’s telling the truth when three elderly women show up at a media mogul’s nostalgia revival posing as the same actress. Naturally, murder plays a prominent role in each story, and there are plenty of suspects. THREE AND ONE-HALF STARS.
#86 - #93 JACK KIRBY 100TH CELEBRATION COLLECTION trade paperback by various creators (DC Comics, January 2018)
Snyopsis: The tributes to one of the greatest creators of all time--Jack Kirby--are collected in this new trade paperback graphic novel!
The one-shots will focus on heroes, villains and story arcs created by Kirby during his extensive run at DC Comics. Darkseid, the New Gods and Manhunter will be among the characters explored in the one-shots, from such acclaimed creators as Shane Davis (SUPERMAN: EARTH ONE), Howard Chaykin (AMERICAN FLAGG!), Bill Sienkiewicz (NICK FURY), Bruce Timm (BATMAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES) and more!
Jack "King" Kirby's comics career began in 1937 and continued for nearly six decades. Kirby returned to DC in 1971 with his classic FOURTH WORLD TRILOGY, which was followed by THE DEMON and KAMANDI. Kirby continued working and innovating in comics until his death in 1994. Now today's greatest talents pen their tributes to him in the most appropriate form: comics!
A very respectful tribute to the DC creations of Jack Kirby as written and drawn by various contemporary comic book professionals. Supplemented by some short essays on Kirby and his characters by long-time associate Mark Evanier this collection (originally published as one-shot specials in 2017 to commemorate what would have been Kirby's 100th birthday) is a fine testimony to Kirby's legacy.
While I enjoyed each story, some are more memorable than others. The stand-outs for me were The Orion and the New Gods story written and drawn by Walt Simonson; Howard Chaykin's WWII team-up story featuring both the Newsboy Legion and Boy Commandos; and a Simon/Kirby Sandman story by Dan Jurgens and Dan Bogdanove. FOUR STARS.
#94 BENEATH THE TREES WHERE NOBODY SEES #3 written and drawn by Patrick Horvath (IDW Publishing, January 2024) A murder/serial killer book in disguise as a funny animal childrens’ book. This has the look of a whimsical Golden Book in all aspects except the storyline.
Samantha the neighborly hardware store owner who takes her passion for murder outside of town learns of a new serial killer who has no qualms about where he/she kills, even displaying his hits publicly. Sam decides to be investigator and actually breaks into the home of a suspect, only to learn they have their own weird secret. Next suspect, a suspicious looking bystander at the well-attended burial service for the first victim.
This wouldn’t be exceptional if these characters were human, just another crime comic. However, when these cute little animals in clothing are involved it makes this quirky and fun. FOUR STARS.
#95 DUKE #2 by Joshua Williamson and Tom Reilly (Image Comics, January 2024)
Williamson introduces some more characters and iconic vehicles that will be familiar to G.I. Joe fans. This continues to be a fun book, and I think the way the Transformers are being incorporated into the storyline is clever.
On the run, Duke enlists the help of old friend Clutch. Except pursuit is not far behind and two more G.I. Joe stalwarts create an ambush under the direction of Hawk. In the lock-up Duke meets a potential ally in a familiar Cobra foe. THREE AND ONE-HALF STARS.
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