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 . . . . . . .
#592 EPITAPHS FROM THE ABYSS #2 by various creators (Oni Press/EC Comics, August 2024) Just trying to revive the style and quality of those old 1950’s EC Comics is a monumental task. I was impressed with Issue #1 as it reached for that high bar and managed to hang on many times. Seems like the grip is slipping with Issue #2, but I’m just quibbling by making these comparisons. This is a good book, and I’ll keep reading it. I just need to tamper down my glory days expectations.
The cover art by Lee Bermejo is stunning, a spin on the evil clown tropes. However, there is no story about this inside. It’s just a cool cover. Actually, this cover would have fit in perfectly with HELLO DARKNESS #2.
Also, the intro page with art by Dustin Weaver is amazing, and really captures that EC feel in both text and illustration.
“Pattern Recognition” by Matt Kindt and Klaus Janson is about a street gang led by a charismatic man with a twisted worldview. It’s a good jab at the problems associated with “group mind” and how incidents can be misinterpreted. A very subtle EC-type message.
“Gray Green Memories” by Tyler Crook has a real Twilight Zone feel to it, in a story about a zombie woman in an abandoned grocery store that evokes memories that she can’t quite place. This would also have fit in as a short secondary scene in THE WALKING DEAD.
“Sound & Haptics” by Jason Aaron and Jorge Fornes takes aim at those who text while driving and put everyone else on the highway at risk. Justice is served, and bluntly.
I read all of these stories three times and kept enjoying them. If you are a fan of the horror anthology format, please support this title. THREE AND THREE-QUARTER STARS.
#593 PHOENIX #2 by Stephanie Phillips and Alessandro Miracolo (Marvel Comics, October 2024) The Marvel synopsis:
JEAN GREY is dedicated to protecting innocents in deep space! Yes, space is vaster than imagination, greater and darker than the mind can comprehend - and yet, not big enough to stop family from dropping by without warning... But that's how it goes when your father-in-law is CORSAIR of the STARJAMMERS! Leaving the pirate life behind, he's got the inside line on huge news, and PHOENIX is the only one who can act to save untold lives - that is, if she can believe he's telling the truth…
Issue #2 is a strong outing, as Phillips lays down some secondary plot threads that I’m convinced will blossom as the series moves forward.
Presently, she answers another distress call and rescues Corsair, who is apparently estranged from the Starjammers and is untrustworthy, according to Scott/Cyclops (his son). However, he has detected something weird going on, which turns out to be true and leads Phoenix and Corsair to a prison camp run by Thanos’ Black Order. The ensuing battle leads to the resurrection of an army of unusual combatants. THREE AND ONE-QUARTER STARS.
#594 NIGHT CLUB 2 by Mark Millar and Juanan Ramirez (Dark Horse Comics, August 2024) If you enjoyed the first volume of Millar’s teenage vampire superheroes then you’ll want to check this out to decide if you’ve had enough or want more.
There’s been some dissension in the ranks since last volume, and now Danny and Amy operate as a duo, filming their apprehension of ever-more hardened and dangerous criminals on their cell phones, and monetizing the videos on social media. The police appreciate their cooperation but warn them of the increasing danger/risk.
The break-up occurred when Sam realized that Amy liked Danny more than him, and he went his separate ways - - using his powers to win high-stakes basketball games and moving up in social ranking at his high school while risking exposing the trio’s identities/powers.
This creates the tension in this volume and makes for some snappy exchanges. Millar knows how to depict teenagers. The issue ends with Sam being offered work by a giant crime boss.
I’m thinking this is one I can skip. I don’t have to know where this is going. THREE STARS.
#595 WONDER WOMAN #11 by Tom King and Tony S. Daniel (DC Comics, September 2024) Despite my own rule, I checked out both the BLOOD HUNT epic at Marvel and ABSOLUTE POWER at DC. After reading the first issues, I started picking up more of each series and stockpiling them for a later read. The final verdict isn’t out yet - - I may regret this. I have been enjoying the issues of each that I’ve read so far, and will eventually review them all here.
This story takes place following Issue #1 of ABSOLUTE POWER. Wonder Woman, John Constantine, Spectre, Zatanna, the Shazam twins and the Chimp Detective are hiding out due to the public backlash against superheroes. Their card game is interrupted by another Amazo robot and a huge battle ensues. The robot appears to be somewhat defective, and quotes Charles Dickens in-between “clicks” (less of these would have been sufficient - they became annoying) before he gets stuck on repetitive phrases. That doesn’t stop him for winning all the battles.
There is also a back-up story - - “World’s Finest, Part 8” by King and Belen Ortega that features the young Trinity - - Jon Kent, Damian Wayne, and Hera (I assume she is the niece of Wonder Woman). They attend a Black Canary music concert and a skeptical Damian is won over. They can’t stop talking about Black Canary and her music, and this ends when they battle Mongul - who also is a fan and joins the conversation. Ugh.
THREE STARS.
#596 - #599 ART BRUT, VOLUME ONE: THE WINKING WOMAN by W. Maxwell Prince and Martin Morazzo (Image Comics, August 2023 - hardcover, 136 pages)
Here’s the synopsis from the back cover & Goodreads summary:
Presenting here the first major work from the creative minds behind ICE CREAM MAN-re-lettered, remastered, and under its original intended name! The world of fine art is falling apart, and only ART BRUT knows how to fix it. Alongside the Bureau of Artistic Integrity, Arthur Brut the Mad Dreampainter (and his trusty sidekick, Manny the Mannequin) must dive back into the very paintings that made him insane...or reality itself might just crumble to pieces.
A colorful, gonzo romp through art and art history, ART BRUT is equal parts police procedural, hyper-fantasy, and psychological thriller--a veritable Pollock-splatter of comics genres tossed onto one giant pulpy canvas! Each chapter features new cover art, new design, and a new Silver Age-style backup story featuring the art hero that no one's ever heard of--until now! Originally published under the title The Electric Sublime, this special hardcover edition presents the NPR-lauded, critically acclaimed material in its intended form. Collects ART BRUT #1-4.
ART BRUT the graphic novel merits some comparison to ART BRUT the former art-punk rock band, which came first. The band had a loyal following which adored them while equal numbers deplored them. I was somewhere in that middle ground, appreciating the quirkiness and differences in their musical approach (mostly the song subjects and lyrics) and a singer that enunciated lines in an offhand way as well as shouted/recited as much as he sang. ART BRUT the band also made me laugh at the ridiculous nature of some of their songs, elevating issues of maturation that would seem to be more mundane and of less life importance. I enjoyed ART BRUT the graphic novel for pretty much the same reasons. For me, both are pleasant diversions - - but in the bigger picture, no big deal.
ART BRUT the graphic novel has received much critical acclaim, perhaps because of how different it is from the normal comics fare, but also because of the possible underlying commentary on the nature of art and its' affect on modern culture/life. I'm not totally buying into that. Maybe this just provided an interesting subject/theme for the creators to play around with. This is a fast-paced, page-turner of a novel that spans several genres and presents it's storyline in a kooky way that is thoroughly enhanced by the equally quirky art. The creative team is a good partnership. I gave this a Four Star rating because it's different enough that it deserves more attention.
I like the two premises presented here, and both remind me of other works. The ability to walk into a piece of art and immerse yourself in that world is a neat concept, and Prince chooses some cool classic landscapes and portraits to have madcap Arthur stride into. There was a long-ago DOOM PATROL comic book story by Grant Morrison that had the team enter into a painting. I also like the paranormal ability of some characters to draw a dramatic scene/incident and have it matched in the real world. That reminds me of DUMA KEY, Stephen King's 2008 novel.
Good stuff, and I'll probably give ART BRUT a second spin just to see what I might have missed on the first listening, I mean viewing. FOUR STARS.
#600 WEREWOLF BY NIGHT: RED BAND #1 by Jason Loo and Sergio Davila (Marvel Comics, October 2024) This is a book well-suited to the explicit content Red Band format. Werewolves are savage, flesh-eating, organ rendering creatures and to depict them without the blood and visuals is to tone down the impact and the drama. Suffice to say, Jack Russell means well but he can’t control the impulses of a full moon and it’s dangerous to be his friend or associate.
Since the events of the WEREWOLF BY NIGHT one-shot, Jack has moved into the Colorado castle once inhabited by Doctor Nekromantik before Jack and Elsa Bloodstone took out him and his mindless minions.
By day, he’s writing poetry and acting as a navigator for river excursions.
The skies grow total dark during the Blood Hunt event and Jack turns werewolf but loses control as well as his memory - waking up two days later and blaming himself for the murder/mutilation of his passengers.
He chains himself inside the castle, apparently intending suicide by starvation, but Elsa visits and tries to provide recovery only to have to fight for her life.
Meanwhile in Transylvania a group of elder vampires, acolytes and mages find themselves taken over by outsiders in the form of The Hood and Deathwatch, his second in command.
A good debut issue that establishes the internal conflicts and foreshadows the upcoming threat. THREE AND ONE-HALF STARS.
#601- #602 FALLING IN LOVE ON THE PATH TO HELL #1 & #2 by Gerry Duggan and Garry Brown (Image Comics, June-July 2024) I came upon this title late, but was able to pick up a third printing of Issue #1. This is a delightful adventure tale, a blend of several genres.
A gritty western gunfighter and a female samurai warrior are both on a path of vengeance in their own timelines. They succeed in obtaining justice, but are seriously wounded, near death, and transported to a mist shrouded island washed up ashore in a daily “corpse tide”. They immediately have to defend themselves from grotesque monsters. They meet up with a Punjab soldier from the British conflict in India who tells them they are in Purgatory.
They join up with his band of survivors and encounter more monsters, including flesh-eating zombies. Plenty of action, engaging dialogue and exchanges, and some glorious-looking art and colors. The gunman and the samurai barely tolerate each other. I suppose the love affair hinted at in the title is several issues off. The whole thing reminds me of Jules Verne’s MYSTERIOUS ISLAND in a good way. THREE AND THREE-QUARTER STARS.
#603 DEATHLOK 50TH ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL by Christopher Priest and Denys Cowan (Marvel Comics, November 2024) Turns out the single story format is the better way to create a special tribute comic. As a result, this is a better presentation than the recent IRON FIST 5OTH ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL and the story has more teeth.
The first Deathlok the Demolisher story was released in 1974 in ASTONISHING TALES #25 by Doug Munch and Rich Buckler. While the science-fiction story was futuristic, it didn’t go far enough into the future. In this fictional 1990’s America, Luther Manning was a soldier during an invasion in New York City as society collapsed, and the country fell into chaos. There’s a cool prelude in the beginning of this new story that flashes back to a time just prior to 1983 and before Manning was killed in action.
His dead body was reanimated by corrupt military scientist Simon Ryker and turned into an assassin. Something goes wrong in his programming and he struggles to free himself while arguing/cooperating with the computer that controls his body and acts as a sensor/warning system.
In this new story, Deathlok is in New York City 1990 and receives a distress signal indicating that Ryker is in trouble. Seeing an opportunity to get revenge Deathlok falls into a deadly trap. However, he stills get his opportunity to confront Ryker but is mysteriously transported to another universe in front of a familiar villain as this one-shot issue ends with a question mark. Sure, I’d like to see more. I also wish I still had some of those back issues so I could read them again. THREE AND ONE-HALF STARS.
#604 MARK SPEARS MONSTERS #1 story, art, colors, letters by Mark Spears (Keenspot Entertainment, September 2024) If you’re a fan of classic horror movie monsters as well as some of the actors and characters they portrayed back in the day - - then this will be a welcome trip back to nostalgia town for you.
The text piece on the credits page refers to an unspecified time when the most wicked and cruel monsters were imprisoned within the vault of a towering castle in an unspecified location. It refers to a prophecy that the vault would be unsealed with a sorcerers ring, and the released prisoners would do the bidding of the one who released them.
The initial story deals with that outbreak coming to the attention of various monster hunters and the various locations where weird things start to happen: Grimewood, Alabama 1981 and Chicago Illinois. There’s an informant who may be a werewolf, and an apparent immortal demon hunter (who looks like a character from Mortal Kombat) named the Slayer.
The other scene takes place in London, England in 1896 where during a meeting of Professor Locke, Van Helsing, and Doctor Jekyll they are violently attacked by Dracula. The Slayer shows up here as well.
Spears art is very graphic in the fight scenes and overall exhibits a photo-realistic look that makes it seem like you are watching an old Universal monster movie. This was originally a Kickstarter-funded title and Keenspot is giving it a chance to reach a bigger audience. THREE AND ONE-QUARTER STARS.
#605 - #606 THE BIG BURN #1 by Joe Henderson and Lee Garnett (Dstlry, July 2024) This a light-hearted fun book that is worth multiple readings in order to find those spots in the story where the creators sank their hooks so deep into me. THE BIG BURN is a mash-up of crime and supernatural themes with a nice dose of dark humor.
Owen and Carlie are young wannabe bank robbers/thieves. They both pick the same small town bank for their first attempt. Neither one knew that the other had been planning the same heist, so they clash during their initial meeting until they realize that each has skills the other needs in order to get into the vault and make their getaway.
From there they fall in love, and like a modern Bonnie and Clyde they get better and smoother at pulling off impossible heists. Until the day they don’t, and a suave- talking Devil offers them the usual deal - - your freedom in exchange for your souls.
Without their souls, their love for each other diminishes until they separate. Carlie checks into a mental institution. Owen is determined to get their souls back by planning the biggest heist yet. Hell is just a giant casino where the vault contains all the souls the Devil has seized. Owen recruits an unlikely trio of helpers and the game is on. THREE AND ONE-HALF STARS.
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