#82 = CHEST FACE written, illustrated, colored and lettered by Dean Haspiel (January 2025, self-published via a Kickstarter Fundraiser)
There are certain top-level artists whose style is instantly recognizable upon viewing. You don’t need to see a credits page or a signature (like “Dino”) hidden within the pages to identify the unique and appealing art style of Dean Haspiel. He also has a knack for creating quirky characters and placing them in amusing and entertaining situations.
CHEST FACE blends neo-noir, super-hero, body horror, and comedy into a story about, in Haspiel’s own words: “revenge and redemption.” (Bleeding Cool, November 2024 upon the launch of the Kickstarter).
Chester Faccia grew up in a ghetto and worked hard at stand-up comedy in small clubs for low pay, doing his best to raise his standard of living. As often happens, working comedians need side gigs. So, Chester donates his blood for money, not realizing that he’s allowed himself to be experimented upon by an evil corporation. That experiment was botched and he was mutated into Chest Face, a huge headless golem with his face transplanted onto his chest and his brain centered where his heart used to be. He’s still trying to make a living on the comedy circuit, but the corporation is constantly sending henchmen (with giant bazookas) to erase their mistake.
During his encounters he meets Meridian Prime (real name Summer Time), a successful victim of the same experiments that were intended to create Super-Soldiers (but didn’t work with male chromosomes). She’s rebelled against the corporations’ intentions and partners with Chest Face.
This is fast-paced and fun, hopefully opening the door to future installments. Chest Face reminds me of the ferocity of Marvel’s The Hulk combined with the street-smarts of The Thing and with a lot of compassion like Paul Chadwick’s Concrete. Worth checking out if you can find it. THREE AND ONE-HALF STARS.
For more, check out https://deanhaspiel.substack.com/ . If you missed the Kickstarter, you can get a copy direct through Etsy.
Go to Chest Face, signed
#83-#88 = BLOOD SYNDICATE SEASON ONE #1-#6 of 6 by Geoffrey Thorne and Crisscross (DC Comics/Milestone Media, 2022) I read a few issues of the original BLOOD SYNDICATE comics when Milestone Media came onto the comics scene (1993-1996). Then, as now, they were distributed by DC Comics and were distinctive in that they featured heroes of minority races written and drawn by minority creators. I appreciated and admired the concept and bought many of the beginning issues of each series. I might have gone further than that but my comics budget back then was pretty tight.
From what I remember, this is almost a retelling of the Blood Syndicate origins. Back then, police sought to break up a huge gang fight on Paris Island and used an experimental tear gas laced with a radioactive substance so they could use it to track down those they didn’t apprehend immediately. Instead, the gang members were mutated and obtained super-powers based on things in their vicinity — water, bricks, fire, etc.(and also the ability to roll back time enough to save heroes killed in battle, which plays a critical role in the story).
Writer Geoffrey Thorne gives the story a modern update, adding street gang language/slang and even having characters speak in Spanish, Haitian, and other languages (but without translations). The art by Crisscross is dynamic but also too cluttered in some of the battle scenes.
What the mini-series boils down to is good super-powered street gang versus bad super-powered street gang. The back story of these characters is only provided for some, and their motivations are sometimes vague. To complicate matters they address each other either by real name or code name. There are so many characters it makes it difficult to sort it out.
A noble effort that fell down in execution. Looks like the ambitious plans to revive the Milestone universe will not come to fruition. That’s a shame. THREE STARS.
Sometimes I get in the mood to read some Batman comics, but don’t want to get wrapped up in a four-to-six issue story arc. When that happens, the Annuals usually contain single-issue stories, sometimes interesting character spotlights. I grabbed these two from my Bat-Boxes and they helped quell my Bat Scratch Fever.
#89-#90 = DETECTIVE COMICS ANNUAL #2 (DC Comics, September 2013) “Face In The Crowd” by John Layman & Joshua Williamson with pencils by Scot Eaton & inks by Jaime Mendoza. “Contained Multitudes” by the same writers with art by Szymon Kudranski. “Harvey Bullock, This Is Your Life” by the same writers with pencils by Derlis Santacruz & inks by Rob Hunter. Let me get this out of the way first: the art throughout is appealing. I can’t recall ever reading any Bat-books where the art didn’t satisfy.
In the opening story, a serial killer is targeting Gotham cops for assassination. At the same time a shape-changing thief has been messing around on the inside with the GCPD. Batman solves the mystery, and it turns out the culprit is the same person - - Jane Doe (not sure if this is repeat performance by this character, but she is intriguing).
This also explains why the competent but usually slow-acting and slovenly Harvey Bullock is getting recognition for extra hard work, losing a little weight, dressing better, and charming a recently hired psychologist who was brought in to help officers cope with the trauma of recent events. The real Harvey is a confined basement hostage of Jane Doe, who assumed his identity.
The second story is a psychological profile of Jane Doe from behind Arkham prison bars as she converses with imaginary visitors and plays both sides of the dialogue. The third entry focuses on poor Harvey, who realizes that Jane Doe was a better version of himself and he just doesn’t compare favorably. THREE AND ONE-HALF STARS.
#91-#92 = DETECTIVE COMICS ANNUAL #3 (DC Comics, September 2014) “Icarus: Chaos Theory” by Brian Buccellato with art by Werther Dell’Edera, Jorge Fornes & Scott Hepburn This is a tie-in to the Icarus storyline that ran through DETECTIVE COMICS, but I was able to pick up the threads even though I didn’t read those issues. Icarus is the street name for a deadly drug that is having effects of the lives of several of Bruce Wayne/Batman’s contacts (including him): Elena and Annette Aguila, Harvey Bullock, etc.
Aden, a young crime gang apprentice, is charged with guarding the warehouse of Icarus while the rest of the thugs go out on the street to peddle their wares and get into skirmishes. Batman gets a lead, which sends him to the same warehouse where he puts the fear into Aden and persuades him to reveal where the gang is storing a ton of guns.
Batman learns about Aden’s troubled past, an abusive father - - and sets out disguised in street clothes to teach his dad a lesson. He later helps
Aden start anew by pairing him up with foster parents that he can trust.
In addition to the action with Batman battling less-than-super criminals for a change, this is heart-warming and reveals a benevolent side to Batman. THREE AND ONE-HALF STARS.
#93-#100 = DARK ENTRIES by Ian Rankin and Werther Dell’Edera (DC/Vertigo Crime, 2009) A John Constantine graphic novel.
This is the first time I've come across a comics work by detective fiction writer Ian Rankin, and it's a really good one. (If you're not familiar with Rankin's crime novels featuring Scottish Inspector John Rebus, make a note to self to check them out.) Back in 2009-2010 DC/Vertigo experimented with a series of five original graphic novels in a $20 digest-sized hardcover format under the Vertigo Crime label. That really doesn't fit this story, which is more horror than anything else.
Rankin has a good feel for the nuances and snappy retorts of occult detective John Constantine, and this has the feel and flavor of how I best remember the character. The story is an engaging detection/mystery in which Constantine solves the riddle through interviews, intuition, and his wits rather than resort to magic. This also takes a well-deserved swipe at reality television and the appeal of instant celebrities.
Lured by an enormous amount of cash by a devious television producer of reality series, Constantine agrees to become a mole inside the corridors of the "Haunted Mansion", a hit show similar to Big Brother. Beyond the scary props designed by the production team, the contestants are being attacked and haunted by sinister visions that have nothing to do with the script. Constantine's job is to figure out who's pulling the strings.
Things take an interesting turn mid-way through this over-200-page story, but it's such a fascinating spin on the plot that I would spoil too much by sharing more. Let's just say that Constantine has been in these kinds of situations before.
The black-and-white art style employed here by Werther Dell'Edera is much more minimalist and sketchy than what I am used to seeing from him, but it works effectively here in this smaller-sized format. There's a cool twist in the actual formatting of the book in that at the turning point in the story the pages go from white borders to black borders. FOUR STARS.
#101-#102 = BLOOD TRAIN by Adam Glass and Bernard Chang (Image Comics/Ninth Circle, January 2024) Another entertaining offering from the Ninth Circle imprint, released in the over-sized prestige format.
BLOOD TRAIN is a fast-paced, heart-pounding, adrenaline rush of a story. If you were thrilled by Ridley Scott’s ALIEN film or the even earlier IT, THE TERROR FROM BEYOND SPACE (1958) - just transport the alien/stowaway threat from those two films onto a train and you have BLOOD TRAIN.
Even though readers can suspect where this is going, good story-telling and great art make this one-shot effort worthwhile. Plenty of blood and gore, so be forewarned. THREE AND THREE-QUARTER STARS.
The back-cover synopsis: “After backpacking through Asia, a group of friends climb aboard the Siberian Express to start their journey home. Little dot they known they’ve bought a one-way ticket to Hell, as one of their own has been infected with a bioweapon that will turn them into a horrific monster compelled to slaughter everyone on the train before it reaches its final destination. The friends now face the unthinkable choice: kill someone they love to stop the infection from spreading beyond this doomed train or die trying!
#103-#110 = GAMMA DRACONIS manga by Benoist Simmat and Aldo Yoshimizu (TItan Comics/Hard Case Crime, August 2021)
Considering how much shelf space in the big box bookstores is dedicated to manga, I always feel like I'm neglecting the genre. I've sampled enough to have a good feel for the format, but have yet to find any manga that I can obsess about, rate five stars, and recommend without reservation. I do know that if I'm going to find that gem it will probably be within the crime, horror, or science-fiction genres. So, when I read the description of this being a blend of crime and occultism, it immediately appealed to me.
While there is much to like in this French (script) and Japanese (art) collaboration, the storyline was pretty formulaic and contained way too much exposition and not enough show. That's a shame because the black-and-white art here is dark and atmospheric and the street scenes and panoramic landscapes are really detailed and expressive.
An art student with training in martial arts as well as an interest in the occult. A savvy female French police inspector working a special detail on financial crimes. Their paths cross when several experts in art and occult known to both are being attacked. The trail leads to an ageless sinister global organization now being influenced by a corrupt financial exec who wants to cross into the fourth dimension, unleash a demonic entity, and gain immense power as a result. The art student, Aiko Moriyama, learns that both her mother and grandmother have ties to the cult, and she has a personal connection to the corrupt leader.
The story and action flows from Japan to France to England and back, ending with a showdown at a monastery. The best way to enjoy this is to read quickly, just go with it, and don't dwell on the details too much. THREE STARS.
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