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 . . . . . . .
#607 - #608 CRUEL UNIVERSE #2 by various creators (Oni-Lion Forge Publishing / EC Comics, September 2024) I love that champion cover by Greg Smallwood, inspired by a story inside this issue. Now, that is a classic EC-style cover if I ever saw one! CRUEL UNIVERSE #2 doesn’t disappoint, with a quartet of great stories.
Things open up with the delicious “Organ1c” by Stephanie Phillips. In a future world following the first great food shortage, cattle are extinct but people are still eating meat and haven’t gone full vegan. A documentary film crew interviews a modern organic small-time farmer, who contrasts his process with the larger meat-packers still using pesticides, antibiotics and chemicals. Just don’t look at the sources of that meat, especially what they are being fed. Better to read this on an empty stomach and skip your next meal.
“Brilliant . . . and Deceived!” by Ben H. Winters and Leomacs is a taut two-page story about a scientist resurrecting his deceased and beloved wife. The ending provides a punch along with its’ twist, and the art has the look of classic EC with a similar layout and text boxes overlapping panels like the EC house style.
There’s plenty of meaning in the title of “And The Profit Said . . .” by Chris Condon and Javier Fernandez, my favorite story this issue. A janitor at a biomedical corporation has an incurable tumor. His employer offers to provide him free brain surgery and provide some enhancements that give him precognitive visions. After a short time of happiness, things go the other direction. It’s a twisty, turnabout ending that is so satisfying.
In “Ray Gun” by Christopher Cantwell and David Lapham a disabled rodeo cowboy witnesses the crash of a spacecraft, and recovers a ray gun from the wreckage. He proceeds to use it on those who have wronged him until he gets the attention of others he should have known were watching.
Two issues in, and I’m pretty happy with CRUEL UNIVERSE and EPITAPHS FROM THE ABYSS. Time to subscribe. FOUR STARS.
#609 - #611 JONAH HEX #76 - #78 by Michael Fleisher with art by DIck Ayers & Tony DeZuniga (DC Comics, September - November 1983) Tight scripts with continuing plot elements, good art, eye-appealing action scenes. If you want to read a classic western comic, you can’t get much better than JONAH HEX.
In Issue #76 Jonah is struggling with how to tell the beautiful EmmyLou (who he rescued from the Crow Indians in Issue #50) that he’s not ready to settle down and begin a family with her, despite their love for each other.
Meanwhile in Richmond, VA the wealthy, influential, and corrupt Quentin Turnbull sits in his mansion dreaming of the perfect vengeance against Jonah Hex. Jonah gets a secret meeting with Governor McKinley Phelps who wants him to be an insider at the state penitentiary to expose a corrupt warden and guards. The scheme involves Hex making some very public robberies and then allowing himself to be caught by lawmen and sent to prison. After exposing the corruption there, the governor will see to his release.
A reluctant Hex agrees, but only in exchange for a letter from the governor absolving him of guilt (in case the governor dies while Hex is in prison). He’s only in prison long enough to get on the bad side of the head prison guard, who throws him in solitary confinement.
In Issue #77, Hex gets a visit from Turnbill, who reveals that the governor was acting on instructions to dupe Hex. There is no plan to release him from prison. Hex tries to jump Turnbill and strangle him, but the head guard intervenes and beats Hex unconscious. He’s near starved, bruised, with possible internal injuries and the warden decides not to call in a doctor but to see whether he survives or not. He then tells an impatient EmmyLou that Hex died in prison from a lingering illness, news which makes headlines in the local papers.
Hex revives and makes his escape. When Turnbull learns that the governor gave Hex a pardoning letter, he dispatches his men to find it -suspecting that it must be in EmmyLou’s possession.
In Issue #78, Hex arrives in time to save EmmyLou, but the lucky Turnbull gets away. On his way to retrieve the letter, Hex rides by a massacre of Indians by illegal buffalo hunters, and manages to revive the only survivor, the young son of the chief. Hex helps him get revenge, and then Hex is made an official member of the tribe. When he finally gets back on the trail, Hex is tricked by two ruthless bounty-hunting brothers as the issue ends.
When I pulled these out of a bargain bin for a fun read, I was anticipating single issue stories, and not a continuing one. Them’s the breaks. THREE AND ONE-HALF STARS.
#612 MARVEL & DISNEY: WHAT IF . . . ? DONALD DUCK BECAME WOLVERINE one-shot by Luca Barbieri and Giada Perissinotto (Marvel Comics, September 2024) Do you know any young people whose first exposure to reading/animation was through Disney Comics and/or Disney cartoons (maybe Donald Duck?) and then progressed to older fare with Marvel Comics and/or Marvel cartoons (maybe Wolverine a la X-Men ’97, etc)? They are the perfect audience for this book, and would most likely appreciate it the most.
For the rest of us, it depends on your interest in either property or maybe just some nostalgic urges. It was the latter that prompted impulsive me to buy this. It’s not a bad option - - - the story is decent and the art is suitably cartoonish and colorful. However, for my hard-earned $5 in comics dollars I was hoping for a bit more. At least make me laugh.
Pete-Skull (combo of Mickey Mouse villain Peg-Leg Pete and Marvel villain Red Skull) has taken over Duckburg and robbed all the heroes of their “invincible weapons.” The only one who doesn’t depend on invincible weapons is Donald-Wolverine (you get the combo by now), who’s basically lazy and sleepy. It takes a Mickey-Hawkeye to rouse him and join with Goofy-Hulk to set things right. Donald-Wolverine is essential because of his angry streak (a trait that Donald and Logan share in common). So, Mickey-Hawkeye has to make sure there is plenty of green around them (that really makes Donald-Wolverine angry) so they have a chance to win the battles. THREE STARS.
#613 HELL’S HALF ACRE #1 by Denton J. Tipton and Jack Jadson (Magma Comix, September 2024) This has been described as “Western noir with a supernatural twist” and Issue #1 delivers on the promise.
The story takes place in Nashville, Tennessee 1904 as things are changing at the beginning years of the 20th century. But there’s still a place that still seems fixated on the Old Wild West that draws it’s share of customers. It’s called Hell’s Half Acre, and Miss Marion’s is the place to go - a combination saloon, gambling house and brothel.
The first issue is kind of an ensemble piece, so it was difficult to identify exactly who the main character and future focus might be. My guess it will be Britt, a gambler/cardshark who displays a mysterious ability with cards (Gambit-like) when a female employee is threatened. Other characters are Miss Marion and her attractive daughter Bessie, the piano player and singer. Both have an unspoken connection with Marshall Clinton, an advocate for the common citizen.
Britt finds his way upstairs with a grateful to be rescued Bessie and later gets a visit from a person who’s not a stranger to Hell. A huge fire breaks out, Britt gets blamed, and the conflict begins.
The art and colors are eye-appealing, and very realistic. I’ve attached a copy of the first page as evidence.
HELL’S HALF ACRE is a collaboration with Ruptura Studios, the first of two titles that they will produce together. I’m intrigued, but will need a second issue to decide if I’ll be attracted to finishing the series. THREE AND ONE-HALF STARS.
#614 CREEPSHOW VOLUME 3, ISSUE #1 (Image Comics, September 2024)
The past several months, I’ve been in horror anthology comics heaven with the new EC titles from Oni Press, HELLO DARKNESS at Boom! - and now the return of Creepshow. There are two good stories this time around.
“Let “er Trip” by Chip Zdarsky and Kalan McLeod is a familiar tale of a teenage daughter leaving home to join a cult. This particular group centers around a “guru”-like leader and his abundant supply of magic mushrooms.
A mother impatient with police efforts to locate her daughter does her own investigation and visits the compound, where followers inject her with a sedative and then feed her some mushrooms. Sometimes people are doing their best to suppress psychological urges and don’t need to have the restraints removed so they can experience euphoria.
“Scrimshaw” written, illustrated, colored and lettered by James Stokoe features an aggressive real estate developer who visits a small coastal town hoping to get some background/tales of local legends to help entice investors. The story of a mariner who is trying to sail to land during a storm and keeps getting thwarted seems to fit the bit, until it doesn’t. Chilling but satisfying.
Welcome back,CREEPSHOW! THREE AND ONE-HALF STARS.
#615 THE PEDESTRIAN #2 by Joey Esposito and Sean Von Gorman (Magma Comix, September 2024) This title reminds me of Mike Allred’s MADMAN. It’s similarly kooky, but deviates in its’ own delightful ways.
The title character is the silent type, and champions the common folk. The story so far seems to revolve around a quartet of characters, whose lives have all been affected by The Pedestrian, and they also keep crossing paths as if they are all tied to the same thread. There’s the single father raising two middle-schoolers, the pizza shop employee who was saved from a street purse-snatcher, the purse snatcher who subsequently lost his hardware store job and ended up in jail, and the middle-aged school crossing guard who befriends The Pedestrian.
In Issue #2, the villain is introduced who is equally strange and kooky. The Red Hand is spooky and infects victims with a rage that only violence satisfies. He visits the purse snatcher in prison, infects him, and turns him loose on the hardware store owner and then the pizza shop, before The Pedestrian intervenes but suffers an injury. School crossing guard to the rescue.
Not everything I read has to be dark and serious, so this is a pleasant departure. I especially like the psychedelic visions of The Pedestrian when the Red Hand (my name for the villain, who has not been identified yet) sticks his mitts in his face. THREE AND ONE-HALF STARS.
#616 BATMAN, THE LONG HALLOWEEN: THE LAST HALLOWEEN #1 of 10 by Jeph Loeb and Eduardo Risso (DC Comics, November 2024) The hardest decision I’ll need to make here is whether I want to read this every month or wait for the collected volume. THE LONG HALLOWEEN ranks among my all-time favorite Batman stories. Jeph Loeb brought cinematic elements to his script, and really knows how to control the flow and mood of a story. Tim Sale’s art made the story magical with his adept use of color, shadows and silhouettes to really punctuate the storyline with word-free contributions.
It feels off to read a Loeb Batman story without Sales’ contribution, but Eduardo Risso does a fantastic job of including those same shadings, shadows and silhouettes that made the earlier work so great. I would love to see him illustrate the entire series, but news sources reveal that there will be a different artist working with Loeb each issue.
During the Halloween festivities, Jim Gordon’s young son (wearing a Batman suit) wanders off and is declared missing. Gordon is especially worried, as rumors of the return of the Holiday Killer are circulating.
Batman is coaching a young Robin on how to handle certain villains, especially Catwoman. Solomon Grundy is attacked by an off-camera assailant, and Harvey Dent (Two-Face) and wife are endangered by a gang of thugs wearing clown masks (are they Joker minions?)
A nice beginning, and that art just kills it. FOUR STARS.
#617 BATMAN/SUPERMAN: WORLD’S FINEST #31 by Mark Waid and Adrian Gutierrez (DC Comics, November 2024) “Shadows Fall, Part One” While I’m on the subject of art, Gutierrez’s work here really embellishes the script. This is a gorgeous book to view. I like the slightly angular anatomy that he gives to the characters. It just seems fresh.
Eclipso is back and really gets his way in the first part of this story. He has been imprisoned inside a giant black diamond inside the JLA’s space headquarters, where the heroes have gathered to witness a solar eclipse up close.
That of course, triggers the ability of Eclipso to escape, aided by a duplicate black diamond that he planted and tricked scientist Bruce Gordon to activate during the start-up of a solar-powered city back in California.
Heroes inflected by Eclipso’s influence attack other heroes and things get really bad. Only Red Tornado manages to escape and attempt to get more help. A nice beginning. I picked this up on a whim and now I’m eager to read more of this storyline. THREE AND THREE-QUARTER STARS.
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