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 . . . . . . .
#526 - #530 CHILDREN OF THE GRAVE #1 - #5 of 5 by Sam Romesburg and Ben Roberts with art by Gisele Filipo (Scout Comics, November 2020 - May 2021) If I ever see the names of this creative team on another book (I know they’ve done a couple series for Scout), either writers or artists, I will definitely check it out.
CHILDREN OF THE GRAVE (kind of a misleading title, but it fits the story) is a science-fiction story with plenty of drama, good action, great characterization and stunning art. The first issue, which creates plenty of curiosity, introduces the mystery, and hints at the main conflict is among the most impressive debut issues I remember reading.
The story is set in a small village where the oldest resident is just 30 years (the local priest and apparently the governing authority as well), residents are cared for and food provided mysteriously without their having to work for it. Just don’t leave the village perimeters. Daniel, a young person who questions everything and isn’t satisfied with vague answers decides to violate those rules and has a horrifying encounter as the issue ends. It left me with the impression that this was a horror title.
That impression is corrected by Issue #2, and I’m not spoiling it for anyone by sharing that. The covers alone indicate where this is going.
The village of pampered residents is reminiscent of THE TIME MACHINE by H.G. Wells. In that novel a race of subterranean humanoids (Morlocks) keep the surface-dwelling humans (Eloi) complacent enough and willing to follow the rules, answering the summons to go underground where they are eaten.
CHILDREN OF THE GRAVE are being pampered by alien cannibals. Once enough time has passed for the current generation to be unaware they return to the village to slaughter their meat and harvest young woman to serve as mothers for the next generation of victims. The flashback scenes of the initial invasion of Earth and the later murder-for-meat are quite vivid and bloody. Still, I’m reminded of another H.G. Wells story, the much tamer WAR OF THE WORLDS.
Despite the familiarity and themes, this is still a quality reading experience. The difference is in the story-telling, the soul-searching, and the characterization. Knowing as much as I’ve revealed here will not spoil that. The ending leaves an opening for more, so it’s a bit anti-climatic. I might have rated this higher if not for that. FOUR STARS.
#531 - #534 THE MIDNITE SHOW #1 - #4 of 4 by Cullen Bunn and Brian Hurtt (Dark Horse Comics, October 2023 - January 2024)
Over 50 years ago, legendary horror film director/actor Basil Saxon vanished during a fire on the set of his last film, God Of Monsters. A cursed film, it was never completed. During a film festival, the movie is screened for the first time - - and the result is the physical manifestation of four classic horror movie monsters to attack first the audience, then the town. It’s up to a group of horror film fans and actors to stop them from crowning the God of Monsters.
When I heard the creative team behind THE SIXTH GUN was going to work together again on a horror comic featuring classic monsters of the silver screen - that was more than enough to whet my appetite.
This is obviously a tribute to the Universal Monsters, with a couple of additional features to keep it interesting. Dr. Frankenstein has now placed his brain inside the Frankenstein monster, so he's a thinking and calculating brute. Dracula has bitten the Wolfman, turning him into a necro-wolf (half vampire, half werewolf). The Mummy brought his hounds along. The Creature From The Black Lagoon becomes The Dweller, with Lovecraftian eldritch overtones.
Despite the viciousness of the monsters and many bloodbaths, this wasn't scary at all. I expected a trip down nostalgia lane with some familiar monster faces, and I wasn't disappointed by Bunn and Hurtt's interpretations. THREE AND ONE-HALF STARS.
#535 HUMAN REMAINS #1 by Peter Milligan and Sally Cantirino (Vault Comics, October 2021) I’m a fan of Peter Milligan and find that his heavier work is best appreciated (and understood better) if read at one sitting. Not knowing from the solicitation if that would be the case with HUMAN REMAINS I decided to order Issue #1 to see if I wanted it and then wait for the trade paperback. This somehow got lost in the shuffle, I forgot about it, and just read it for the first time today.
Yes, I’ll be adding this to the long list of series to pick up. This is a neat blend of horror and science-fiction. I was reminded of the movie THE QUIET PLACE. But unlike an invasion story where the aliens react to sounds, this is even harder to contain and avoid detection.
The first page focuses on a poster tacked to a telephone pole. It says “GOVERNMENT MESSAGE! All expressions of fear, anger, love, lust, and humor are forbidden in public places. . . . . . . Remember: Emotions Cost Lives!”
In Milligan’s hands, for example, when a resident has a breakdown after trying to bottle it all up and be careful every minute of the day - - he runs out into the street to protest at the top of his lungs. A black vortex appears in the street and enormous tentacles emerge to create a bloodbath until there are only a scant few bones remaining.
The story focuses on a young couple, deeply in love, who try to complete their wedding ceremony and celebration without drawing attention.
The government remains stumped. I love the satire in the text commentary: “There will be those who deny their existence, from Berlin to Kuala Lumpur to Washington. The self-styled free thinkers. As though, some parts of humanity are unable - or unwilling - to comprehend something so immense, something so other.
They believe the entire life-form phenomenon has been created by Elon Musk. Or the Israelis. Or the Illuminati. Or the European Union.”
FOUR STARS.
#536 -#542 EDGAR ALLAN POE’S SNIFTER OF TERROR, SEASON TWO #1 - #6 of 6 (Ahoy Comics) . . . . A detailed review of this horror comics anthology with humor appears on this blog for Tuesday, August 20 . . . . .
#543 THE NAMES #1 of 9 by Peter Milligan and Leandro Fernadez (DC Comics/Vertigo, November 2014) Yikes, another Milligan series that I have to add to my to-be-read list and find a copy of the trade paperback.
I totally missed this one when it was released and found a copy of #1 in a bargain bin. After reading this introductory issue, I can’t argue with the elevator pitch line: “THE NAMES has been called KILL BILL meets WALL STREET.” Fast paced, high stakes, suspenseful, with a bad ass female lead character - - this issue is a keeper.
Peter Milligan himself says it better than I could in his afterword to Issue #1: “The story’s about a really strong female protagonist named Katya Walker who wreaks revenger against a formidable opponent - - the Names, a shadowy cabal who control much of the world’s finance and are responsible for the death of her husband. . , Katya already knows how to fight: she must very quickly learn how to kill. . . .
In addition to the death and destruction the relationship between Katya and Philip - - Katya’s late husband’s uber-bright but strange son - - develops in a totally unexpected way. And the personality of the psychopath who’s after them - - The Surgeon - - its really surprising (and scaring) me, along with his highly dangerous League of Psychopaths.
So, what might have been a fairly generic revenge story set in the world of money has become something oddly sexy, violent, moving, and weird.”
The art by Leandro Fernandez and colors by Cris Peter are reminiscent of the stylish look of 100 BULLETS and fit the story perfectly. Get this one if you can find it. FIVE STARS.
#544 - #548 YEAR ZERO, VOLUME TWO #1 - #5 of 5 by Benjamin Percy and Juan Jose Rep (AWA/Upshot, November 2020-March 2021)
The synopsis on the Goodreads website . . . .
“Upshot’s hit series Year Zero returns with four new harrowing tales of survival from around a post apocalyptic world, set several months after the events on Volume One:
A grizzled Norwegian sea captain and her two young grandchildren navigate an ocean teeming with undead while eluding the relentless pirates on their trail.
A Colombian cartel boss indulges all of his most sadistic whims unaware that a threat far greater than zombies is headed toward his jungle fortress.
A Rwandan doctor must overcome the crippling fear that has plagued him all his life as he stumbles through the African bush.
And a pregnant woman barricaded in an American big box store discovers that the greatest threat to her life – and her unborn child’s – might not be undead.”
Maybe because I'm used to the format, but I enjoyed this and thought it was a big improvement over YEAR ZERO VOLUME 1. The format is the same - - four individuals in different parts of the globe coping with the zombie pandemic.
The difference here is that some time has elapsed. In Volume 1, the characters were learning about and experiencing the first wave of the zombie invasion. In Volume 2, the pandemic is already established and these characters are all survivors.
They were also more interesting than the characters in Volume 1.
Finally, the inclusion of Juan Jose Ryp makes a big difference. Very detailed, very graphic, very violent, very expressive.
While each story has a conclusion, nothing further is explained regarding the cause of the plague or how it might end. So, that leaves the door open for a Volume 3 - and I would welcome that. FOUR STARS.
#549 - #552 THE GRAVEDIGGERS UNION #2 - #5 of 9 by Wes Craig and Toby Cypress (Image Comics, December 2017-March 2018) I read Issue #1 when it was first released and liked it, but not enough to keep going. But, when I found these 4 issues in a bargain bin I snatched them up out of curiosity. I liked these issues as well, but not enough to prompt me to try and fill in the blanks and finish the series.
Wes Craig wrote the story and illustrates the first 3 or 4 pages of each issue before turning over the drawing to Toby Cypress, whose style is similar but different enough to recognize the transition. Craig’s part tell the text-free pre-history when some bird-like gods visited primitive Earth and persuaded by force our ape-like ancestors to abandon their darker gods.
(That’s as close as I can figure out).
In the present day story a cult called the Black Temple wants to unleash those ancient dark gods and cause the apocalypse. The Gravediggers Union (Cole, Ortiz & Haley) is sworn to defend the living from the dead. One complication is that Morgan, a street kid and Cole’s estranged daughter, is believed to be the next apocalyptic prophet of the Black Temple. The Union enlists the help of a swamp witch Morphea to discover their headquarters.
It gets more complicated, but that’s enough to summarize the story. By this point, I needed to empathize or care for one of these characters in order to stay engaged. That didn’t happen, so I’m done.
I’m also not as fascinated by Wes Craig’s art as I was when I first read DEADLY CLASS. His style really shines there, but not so much here. THREE STARS.
#553 - 554 AUTUMNLANDS: TOOTH & CLAW #1 - #2 by Kurt Busiek and Benjamin Dewey (Image Comics, 2015) The short synopsis from Goodreads . . .
“When the wizards of the Autumnlands reach through time to bring back a legendary hero, they don't get the savior they expected. But in a shattered, besieged city, he's their only hope of survival—and possibly their entire world's, as well.”
This was another bargain-bin discovery. The world-building and visualizations are simply amazing here - - the kind of work that exists as evidence at the incredible talents of Kurt Busiek. Not everything he does is a hit, but when he hits - - it’s just incredible. (Astro City and the original Avengers Forever are just two examples).
The characters are all various members of the animal kingdom, wearing elegant clothing and practicing magic and living in elaborate floating cities.
When Magic appears to be failing, the key wizards from each species attempt to resurrect the Mighty Warrior (a human) of legend to provide their salvation.
The only thing preventing me from rating this higher is the absence of a clear main character, someone I need to worry about and something essential in epic fantasy (in my opinion). There are so many players involved in this story. (Maybe it’s the dog that lost his father when the town crashed to Earth.)
This story ran for two volumes (14 issues total) but I don’t know if it concluded or sales didn’t merit more issues. The first volume in trade paperback can be picked up for $9.99 - so it’s worth looking for. FOUR STARS.
#555 X-MEN #2 by Jed MacKay and Ryan Stegman (Marvel Comics, October 2024) Now that the introductions and set-ups of Issue #1 have been taken care of, the new team rushes to action when notified of a new x-gene activation. That used to occur when latent mutants reached puberty/maturity or earlier but now it seems to occur at any age; and this new mutant is an adult.
Things are complicated when there’s an alien invasion in the way, seemingly directed solely at the new mutant. There’s a little twist here that I won’t reveal and spoil your surprise.
Stegman’s art is my favorite thing this issue, as I found the story to be essentially flat. I’m already thinking my drop-off point with this title is approaching, but I’ll stick around for another issue at minimum. THREE STARS.
#556 THE CURSED LIBRARY, PART ONE: ALPHA #1 of 3 by Eliot Rahal & Magdalen Visaggio, with line art by Craig Cermak. Exclusive variant cover edition (Archie Comics, October 2024) NOTE: Even though this story can be a little confusing for jumping-on readers like myself, please don’t read the synopsis on the Comics Roundup website - because it spoils where the story is going. I made the mistake of reading that, and it took a little surprise away from me, even though I now understand one character’s motivations a little better.
No matter. If you like horror comics in a somewhat lighter vein, then you should check it out. I have to admit that I’ve had mixed reactions to Archie Comics’ excursions into horror, with AFTERLIFE WITH ARCHIE being my favorite. But, I don’t seek them out so I was completely unfamiliar with this storyline. Rahal does a good job of filling in some blanks without bogging the story down.
I initially passed on a chance to pre-order this comic, but now I’ve subscribed to the remaining two issues and hope for a worthy reading experience. However, this marks a big leap forward for Captain Blue Hen and since I applaud their efforts I had to participate by getting a copy of this exclusive comic shop variant cover commissioned by CBH and illustrated by local fave Buzz Hasson.
Here’s the backstory from the credits page: “Madam Satan made her way back to Earth from the depths of Hell . . . but Hell followed her there and she found herself in an apocalyptic world, stripped of her humanitand her powers. Even worse, she is at the mercy of the young Jinx Holliday, the only person with magic left. She thought the two of them could summon the Eldritch Terrors and turn things around, but instead, Jinx tricked her, knocking her out and using her as a sacrifice for her father, Lucifer.”
The goat-headed Lucifer is apparently a prime player in the ongoing apocalypse and Jinx wants to trade Madam Satan in exchange for protection for her best friend Danielle Malloy.
Things don’t go well at a family dinner, and Jinx and Danielle attempt to escape when they uncover the cursed library. THREE AND ONE-QUARTER STARS.
#557 -#561 JENNIFER BLOOD, VOLUME TWO: BLOODLINES #1 - #5 of 7 by Fred Van Lent and Vincenzo Federici (Dynamite Entertainment, 2015-2016) Synopsis on the Goodreads website . . . .
So...once upon a time, a suburban housewife spent her nights as a mobster-murdering assassin, named JENNIFER BLOOD. Then she died...or did she? Because in the cozy cul-de-sacs of Bountiful, Utah, a noticeable number of normal people have gone missing. And by "normal," I mean "mobsters under witness protection." And by "missing," I mean killed by someone that looks, sounds, and murders a lot like JENNIFER BLOOD…”
When I’m in the mood for some non-challenging action entertainment with lots of violence I’ll turn to Marvel’s THE PUNISHER. When I want the same thing but with a strong female character JENNIFER BLOOD meets the criteria.
This time she’s up against an entire small town in Utah populated by various criminals under witness protection who have managed to infiltrate the high offices of government and law enforcement. Just one woman against many, with the odds stacked against her? That won’t stop the clever Jennifer Blood.
While this mini-series ran for seven issues, the main story wraps up in Issue #5. The final two issues deal with her dangerous recovery from injuries and how even hospital employees will turn on someone for some extra moolah. Appropriately action-oriented and dexterous art. THREE STARS.
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