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 . . . . . . .
#282 - #286 MY DATE WITH MONSTERS #1 - #5 by Paul Tobin and Andy MacDonald (AfterShock Comics, November 2021 - March 2022)
Synopsis:
Seven years ago, an attempt to weaponize dreams resulted in holes being punched through the world we know and into the world of dreams. Nightmarish creatures now stalk the land, sprouting from (and killing) anyone unlucky enough to dream. The only way to save the world is for certain people to have their dreams come true.
Which is how Risa Himura finds herself not only fighting monsters, but forced into finding true love. Monsters and modern dating? It feels like a nightmare either way, and the only help Risa has is a friendly-ish monster named Croak and her pre-teen daughter, Machi.
What a great blend of horror, romance and humor! It also serves as a humorous treatise on the perils (and horrors) of modern dating and using apps to find a partner. The brief dating experiences of widowed mother Risa are quite funny.
At its heart, Tobin scripts a warm and fuzzy story despite all the monsters and mayhem. The tale is illustrated with great expression and dynamic scenes by Andy MacDonald. If not for the light-hearted presentation at the root of this story, it could appear quite horrific, violent and gory as many of these monsters as envisioned by MacDonald are truly frightening - - none more so than the Kabuki-mask wearing Chub.
The government created the problem, and is doing their best to fix it with unusual methods. They tried to keep people from experiencing nightmares and releasing monsters into the world by doing whatever to make them happy - - money, fame, pleasure, etc. When that became too expensive and unwieldy, scientist Risa invents a capsule called Blanket, which needs to be consumed daily to prevent the nightmares. When another child in daughter Machi's middle-school class fails to take Blanket and falls asleep during class, it allows Chub to enter the classroom and soon bring along a horde of monsters.
Perhaps because of the trauma Machi and Risa experienced witnessing the murder of her fellow scientist/husband who created the problem by trying to weaponize the nightmares for the government, their nightmares are harder to suppress. Machi won't be happy until her mother finds a new partner, and the government efforts to assist are so over-the-top and wacky.
While the ending is satisfactory, it doesn't resolve everything. It's open-ended and leaves with the possibility of more story, which i would be glad to read.
Issue #1 is a bonafide FIVE-STAR read, a perfect debut that showcases that brilliant and creative premise. There are several equally wonderful moments in the succeeding issues, especially the budding romantic relationship for Machi, but the ending dropped my rating to an overall FOUR STARS.
#287 - #291 DARK SPACES: WILDFIRE #1 - #5 by Scott Snyder and Hayden Sherman (IDW Publishing, July - November 2022) SYNOPSIS:
Six weeks into the slow burn of the historic Arroyo Fire, a crew of women from an inmate firefighting program are risking everything on the frontlines when their newest recruit—a white-collar convict with a deep network of shady dealers—discovers they’re mere miles from her crooked former associate’s abandoned mansion. When she proposes a plan to abandon their duties and hunt for riches under cover of smoke and ash, the team must decide if they’re ready to jeopardize their one sure path back to normalcy for a shot at a score that would truly change their lives...but is this a flicker of fortune, or a deadly trap?
After finishing Issue #1, I gave this a FIVE STAR rating. It's a very promising debut and has one hell of a twist in the final narration, right in the space of just 20+ pages in the first issue. Issue #1 is a little long on introduction, but necessary. All it took for me to keep going was the two-page prologue in the front and that narrative twist at the end. The middle is full of character development and insights into the dangerous business of fighting forest fires. I learned a lot and never once felt like I was sitting in a classroom listening to a lecture.
Scott Snyder structured the five-issue script to coincide with the five stages of a forest fire. Snyder has come a long way in his story-telling ability and it really shows here. There’s a lot more here than a simple story of five female convicts working a fire-fighter prison-sponsored program for two bucks a day. They come up with a get rich quick plan that’s not without a huge amount of risk.
Hayden Sherman’ art is the best I’ve seen so far, very evocative and illustrative of the situations. His fire images are amazing. At times, it seems as if he is doing his best to top the descriptions in the script. Very creative and evocative. Also, keep an eye on the color work of Ronda Pattison which matches the fiery passion of the script and art in the appropriate places.
This is a crime story involving a heist that is a bit different and distinctive. The ending of Issue #4 and the explosive conclusion in Issue #5 involved yet another twist that I did not see coming. The ending is super-satisfactory and leaves a strong message about teamwork, obligation and responsibilty.
My only quibble, and why I changed my rating from FIVE STARS to FOUR AND ONE-HALF STARS is the inability to determine which of the five characters is being featured or speaking. Even though I wasn't certain at times, it did not interfere with my comprehension and enjoyment of the story. Granted, they are dressed as firefighters and the helmet and protective gear can make it difficult to distinguish differences between the characters. However, when it matters (especially in the final issue) readers can easily determine who is speaking. FOUR AND ONE-HALF STARS.
#292 - #299 THE RIBBON QUEEN #1 - #8 by Garth Ennis and Jacen Burrows (AWA/Upshot, July 2023 - February 2024) Synopsis:
Detective Amy Sun has a problem—a problem called the NYPD. Three years ago, a young woman was rescued from a serial killer by a police tactical unit. Now she’s dead—and Amy has a bad feeling one of her fellow officers is responsible. Is there a conspiracy deep inside the department, intent on covering up the foulest of crimes? And if there is, what does one officer do about it?
But Amy is looking in the wrong direction. A far more dangerous, far more terrible threat than anything in the affairs of mortal men is suddenly at hand. A force of vengeance older than the human race itself has awoken, invoked by the tormented murder victim in the weeks before she died, and out for the blood of the guilty—who soon find themselves suffering a fate more gruesome than anything they could have dreamed of. The Ribbon Queen has come to New York City…and when she learns the truth, Amy is not at all certain that it should be stopped.
I'm a fan of Garth Ennis' gritty comics work and had high expectations for this one. It started out very strong in both premise and visuals (definitely not for the squeamish) and then began to disappoint me in little ways. I thought some of the ideas would have benefited from further clarification, and their vagueness diminishes the full effect.
Ennis has written about crooked cops before, and problems with law enforcement, and this follows the same pattern - although Detective Amy Sun is a very strong character and very conflicted - - her issues are well defined throughout the dialogue and long, sometimes philosophical conversations with other characters. Ennis makes some strong points about injustices but really doesn't do anything beyond bringing them up. No real solutions are offered, except for the supernatural spirit of vengeance that deals out punishment in the form of skin shedding like ribbons, until the victims are skinless, and totally eviscerated. Artist Jacen Burrows does not disappoint when it comes to depicting gore (my second warning to the squeamish).
While I wouldn't go so far as to say the story is padded out, it didn't truly require eight issues to make its' points. If you really want to read how good Ennis can craft a crime/supernatural story, seek out A WALK THROUGH HELL. That one stays with you. THREE AND ONE-HALF STARS.
#300 - #304 WELLINGTON #1 - #5 by Aaron Mahnke and Delilah S. Dawson with art by Piotr Kowalski (IDW Publishing, December 2019 - September 2020)
This has a Hound of the Baskervilles vibe all over it due to the inclusion of a monster dog, the Victorian era setting on a wealthy estate, and the historical Duke of Wellington investigating in Sherlock Holmes fashion.
It also made me curious about the popular LORE podcasts and story collections, which I now plan to check out. LORE creator Aaron Mahnke takes some Northern England folklore regarding the Barghest (a monster dog) and expands it into a demonic, Satan-like adversary.
Mahnke obviously does a bit of research and keeps the Duke of Wellington true to the historical figure, a despicable smug aristocrat and military veteran who distinguished himself against Napoleon at the Battle of Waterloo.
WELLINGTON purports to tell the secret history and origin tale of the Duke as a monster hunter (and a mostly inept one). This does end in a conclusion of sorts, but it's just the beginning and leaves the door open for another volume. Four years later that seems in doubt. Perhaps the audience for WELLINGTON was not large enough to merit a sequel.
Creator Aaron Mahnke came up with the story idea, but this is scripted by Delilah S. Dawson, a writer of horror fiction that I respect. (Check out THE VIOLENCE by her, a brilliant spin on a pandemic). After this, I'm kind of lukewarm towards her comics work.
This type of story, mood, and atmosphere is done so much better in the worlds of Mike Mignola's Hellboy Universe. Think of this as an appetizer. Makes me want to re-read some of those Hellboy stories. THREE STARS.
#305 - #312 THE AUTUMNAL #1 - #8 by Daniel Kraus and Chris Shehan (Vault Comics/Nightfall, September 2020 - June 2021) “May the leaves always fall on the right side of the fence.”
Sometimes, I’ll read a debut issue so impressive that I give it a Five-Star Rating. Later, as the series progresses, it fails to live up to the initial promise and ends up with an overall Four-Star or lower rating. Rarely, does the reverse happen. THE AUTUMNAL is the exception.
I read the first three issues with increasing interest but rated each of them Four Stars. When I returned to this title (after stock-piling the remaining issues for a rainy day) everything started to click. By the time I paged through Issue #5 I was thoroughly hooked and this series ends up being a FIVE-STAR read for me. It builds creepiness slowly issue by issue until after the mid-point things get out of control and this goes bat-shit crazy (in a good, entertaining way). I’m not going to give away what happens later in this series; but if you pick it up and stay with it those final issues will reward you tenfold.
In just two words, chilling and unsettling. That final issue and resolution is a giant grab-by-the-shirt-collar-and-punch-in-the-face. If you like stories of small-town horror and dreadful secrets, this is the book for you.
Main character Kat and her middle-school daughter Sybil are both troubled and struggling on her meager income, but bond together when they try to adjust to the New England town of Comfort Notch as they try to settle her deceased mother’s estate but decide to stay and live there.
Her mother seems to have an unsavory reputation in the town, and neighbors are very panicky about touching any leaves outdoors as fall is just beginning. Sybil makes friends easily and learns a weird nursery rhyme while playing hopscotch. Is there a local legend and an ancient curse behind it? Neighbors and strangers are friendly and helpful up to a certain point, but exhibit strange behavior. “Don’t hang around the park after dark.” When Kat rakes the yard, encouraging her daughter to invite some boys to have fun jumping into piles of leaves, a neighbor panics and gets abusive.
Kat is trying her best to fit in, but has to leave town one day (to get away and contemplate) and ends up at a seedy bar that doesn’t end well. She gets sage advice from an unlikely source, the owner of a tattoo removal service, who later becomes a confidant and lover. Creepy images of Clementine Briggs (a treelike wraith of a woman of local legend) keep showing up in Comfort Notch in strange places. A good samaritan neighbor dies and Kat finds herself being blamed by his unfriendly wife.
The art overall is spot-on and looks like a fall montage (warm, brown and orange earth tones) and just adds to the foreboding atmosphere. That brings us to the aforementioned Issue #4 which is where I’m going to stop describing scenes so as not to interrupt your own suspense/fear for these characters. Pick this one up if you’re so inclined. FIVE STARS OVERALL.
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