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 . . . . . . .
#234 ROOK: EXODUS #1 by Geoff Johns and Jason Fabok (Image Comics/Ghost Machine, April 2024) Based on the three new titles I have read so far - - it’s safe to say that the Ghost Machine imprint features the best and most consistent art on the stands right now. That consistency may be due in part to Brad Anderson providing colors for all three titles. There’s a certain look to these books, and it is visually stunning. Jason Fabok’s depiction of this dystopian world is exciting.
I’ve previously written about this title in my review of the GHOST MACHINE preview, which included some select scenes from this issue. So, I don’t want to repeat too much of that review here.
ROOK: EXODUS takes place in a separate setting from the rest of John’s Unnamed Universe, so if you decide to only sample one Ghost Machine title this is a good pick - as long as you appreciate science fiction.
Opportunities on Earth were diminishing, so several farmers accepted an offer from Better World corporation to move to a brand new planet (named Exodus - - Johns seems to love irony) and develop the natural resources there. Many farmers become Wardens, who use special helmets tapped into a neural network that gives them control over select animal species.
Then the world engine that powers Exodus breaks down and the majority of the population leaves, with a promise from Better World to return and pick up the various Wardens who remain. After months of waiting Rook is trying to scavenge various parts to build a ship and exit the planet.
Rook’s helmut gives him control over birds. His best friend, Swine, control pigs. Ursa controls bears (who have mutated to larger forms), is very aggressive and seems determined to establish himself as chief Warden, as evidenced by the brutal attacks this issue on Swine and Rook.
I love the look of this book and the storyline has a lot of potential. I’ll hang around for at least three issues in order to determine if this is a title I want to follow. THREE AND THREE-QUARTER STARS.
#235 - #236 SOMNA #3 of 3 by Becky Cloonan and Tula Lotay (Dstlry, March 2024)
A woman living in a small provincial community has her rights repressed and is considered a dependent of her husband. No, this isn’t modern Arizona. It just sounds like it might be a contemporary story.
This takes place in 1600’s New England and Ingrid is the stay-at-home wife of Roland, the local witch finder whose work frequently requires him to travel afar. Isolated and lonely, Ingrid begins to have semi-conscious dreams where a shadow demon visits her and tempts her repressed sexual fantasies. There’s also a love triangle involving her alleged best friend who confides but swears her to secrecy. Things get complicated when several men end up dead or victims of arson. I had a feeling someone was going to be accused of being a witch and burned before this was all over. This intriguing erotic folk-horror tale concludes in somewhat predictable fashion, although the creators keep the final fate and the ending vague enough to make readers wonder if there was an actual demonic presence in the background or was the main character having a mental breakdown due to her unhappy role in these events.
There’s plenty of deep meaning to contemplate within Cloonan’s mysterious story. The art by Lotay and colors (by Lotay with Lee Loughridge and Dee Cunniffe) is akin to spending a day in an art gallery viewing paintings. For mature readers. THREE AND THREE-QUARTER STARS.
#237 - #241 PENTHOUSE COMICS #2 by various creators (Penthouse World Media/Behemoth Entertainment LLC, April/May 2024) While I’m happy to see more mature comics offerings in a preferred magazine format, after Issue #2 I’m becoming indifferent to what’s being offered here. It’s not that the quality of story and art is lacking - - it’s quite good. It’s just that the sameness of themes (all crime stories), art that doesn’t distinguish enough between illustrators (more like a defined house style regarding composition and coloring), storylines that aren’t that complex that they need to unravel this slowly, all combine to make me a bit weary. I happen to enjoy crime comics, but I think Penthouse would benefit from including other genres here. Also, most crime comics I read get their hooks into me by or before the second issue - - and that’s not happening here.
PENTHOUSE COMICS is planned for an initial six-issue run. I’m thinking that could be it - - after six issues the sales numbers may not justify continuing. Some of the announced graphic novels in the back advertisements this issue look more promising as well as exploring other genres. The stories here in Issue #2 would likely benefit from being presented in a single volume as well. The text articles from Issue #1 are gone, and that allows for the first installment of a fifth illustrated story - - “The Dead All Have The Same Skin” by Jean-David Moran and Rey Macutay, about a light-skinned black man working as security/bouncer for a speakeasy/night club in what appears to be the 1930’s or 1940’s (undefined).
The second installments of “I Spit On Your Grave” (not related to the exploitation horror film), “Miss October” and “The Dream” (interesting Guillem March art) continue but slowly add minor details to their stories. In Part 2 of “Gun Crazy” the two protagonists of Part 1 are absent and we’re introduced to an huge psychopath with political tendencies.
There’s an unnecessary and somewhat murky photo-pictorial featuring a semi-clothed model that really seems out of place in this format. Maybe they feel the name on the cover demands that they include the obligatory skin pix. I really don’t think that will appeal to mature comics fans and I can’t see a regular reader of the old Penthouse magazine picking this up for the one article. How about giving us another illustrated story? THREE AND ONE-HALF STARS.
#242 - 3247 DREADSTAR RETURNS written, illustrated and colored by Jim Starlin with inks and assist from Jaime Jameson (Monkey Wrench Press, August 2023) This is a 100+ page softcover reprint of the original graphic novel published in hardcover by Ominous Press in 2021. Both the new and old editions were crowd-funded through very successful Kickstarter campaigns.
Jim Starlin returns to his classic cosmic space-opera character after a thirty-year absence and doesn’t miss a beat. His story-telling abilities and fabulous art style appear as fresh as if he never put down the pencil or pen on the adventures of Dreadstar and Company. The assistance by Jaime Jameson really enhances the best of his visual style. There was always a heavy Star Wars influence on the Dreadstar books, and it’s evident and welcome here. All the familiar characters are back, even including some of the old villains (although it’s not entirely them). I thoroughly enjoyed the story although the major plot line became a bit too metaphysical to my liking. Also, this is the lead-in to DREADSTAR VS. THE INEVITABLE (also Kickstarter funded) and the announcement of the plan for three more Dreadstar books as well as the possibility of a live-action video series.
In this brand-new story, Vanth Dreadstar and his cosmic sword (which he shares with the embedded female entity known as Power) reunites with his team to face a new threat (reminding me of the erase-it-all blankness/void of the original CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS from DC).
The older threat of the High Lord Papal and the political/religious Instrumentality was eliminated in the older series. Everything is now controlled by the Willow Consortium. Former character Willow has transcended her physical form to become Willow 327, the powerful artificial intelligence that communicates with and controls all computers and cooperates with humans through her telekinetic and telepathic abilities.
Those endearing team members are back, including Oedi, the super soldier/marital artist and last of the cat people; and Tueton, the monstrous but lovable simpleton. Also Laslo Delphi, the med student and lover of Willow in a one-sided relationship, who perished in the original series - now returns as a formless entity in another dimension who temporarily restores Willow to human form and brings her into his dimension. Turns out he’s partially responsible for the threat and the harbinger of more to come. FOUR STARS.
