#111 = EPITAPHS FROM THE ABYSS #7 (Oni Press/EC Comics, January 2025) Another trio of creepy tales from the EC revival at Oni Press. All the evildoers and trouble-makers in this issue receive some twisted justice. Maybe that’s the theme here.
My favorite this issue was “A Splice Of The Action” by Chris Condon and Valeria Burzo. A female screenwriter in 1956 Hollywood worked her way up through the ranks only to find her screenplay credited to the film’s producer/director instead of her. When she requests payment for her stolen script, she is rebuked and denied. But, she takes action on her own and gets the final cut. An ending I saw coming, but it was still satisfying.
In “Prohibition” by Cullen Bunn and Andrea Sorrentino a town drunk decides to steal a sample of some newly discovered barrels of Prohibition-era rotgut, and uncorks some real trouble. Some very evocative art and coloring here similar to the best of Alex Maleev.
The opening scenes of “Black Gold Cemetery” by Jordan Thomas and Andrea Mutti remind me of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. A killer preying on travelers discovers something more besides all the bodies buried on his property. FOUR STARS overall.
#112-##117 = ROBIN & BATMAN trade paperback by Jeff Lemire and Dustin Nguyen (DC Comics, July 2023) The promotional synopsis:
The legendary story of Batman and Robin has reached nearly mythic proportions: the crime-fighting Dynamic Duo, always one step ahead of the criminals they pursue and never meeting a case too big. This isn’t that story. This is the story of a young Dick Grayson, newly orphaned, struggling to find his way in a strange, difficult, dark new world…This is the story of Robin and Batman.
I enjoyed this re-telling of the early days of Dick Grayson as the ward of Bruce Wayne, his adjustments to new life, trouble fitting in at Gotham Academy, and trying his best to please his new father as he’s being trained to be Batman’s accomplice as Robin.
Heartfelt and touching. This is similar to a father trying to teach his son to drive, but of course the stakes are much higher. The story is modified to introduce Killer Croc as the murderer of Dick’s trapeze artist parents. THREE AND ONE-HALF STARS.
#118 = JUDGE DREDD: LEGENDS OF THE LAW #1 written by John Wagner & Alan Grant with art by Brent Anderson & Jimmy Palmiotti (DC Comics, December 1994) “The Organ Donors, Part One: Honeymoon In Hell”
I was first introduced to Judge Dredd through the Eagle UK imports (1983-1986), which remain my favorites, and then read a smattering of the 1986-1991 offerings from Quality Comics (U.S.). I completely forgot that DC Comics had a run with the character in Judge Dredd (1994-1996, 18 issues), the Judge Dredd Movie Adaptation (the awful Sylvester Stallone version), and finally Judge Dredd: Legends Of The Law (1994-1995).
This title promised a series of story arcs by rotating creative teams. What a great way to start with a collaboration between Dredd creator John Wagner and legendary Alan Grant. I regret that this is the only issue I have, salvaged from a bargain bin, as I’d love to finish the story. The set-up in Issue #1 is well done, a mix of suspense and humor.
Some Brit-City residents choose to vacation in Mega City One, including a newly married couple on their honeymoon. Their tour bus driver is apprehended by Judge Dredd for illegally transporting contraband cigarettes. Dredd promises to send a new driver to the stranded tourists asap, but they can’t wait and decide to drive the bus themselves. They get lost in a bad neighborhood and enter a one-way street blocked
by a criminal gang who demand a toll. The reckless driver tries to force through the barricade and ends up turning the bus upside down in a culvert, just as Dredd catches up to them. The married couple get out of the bus and flee down the side streets, where they run into some thugs working for Dr. Bliss, the illegal organ-transplanting doctor, likely to become his new and freshest victims. THREE AND ONE-HALF STARS.
#119-#124 = JACKED trade paperback by Eric Kripke and John Higgins (DC Comics/Vertigo, 2016)
Synopsis on the Goodreads website . . . . .
Crystallized in the nimble mind of Supernatural creator Eric Kripke and the talented hands of HELLBLAZER artist John Higgins , JACKED brings superheroes back down to earth—and rubs their chemically enhanced faces in the dirt!
Josh Jaffe has become invisible. Not literally—his receding hairline and protruding beer belly are certainly there for all to see. But his downsized career is going nowhere, his kids barely acknowledge his existence, and his wife might as well be a stranger. As far as the rest of the world is concerned, Josh has faded away.
But that was before he discovered a mysterious new drug on the Internet—a miracle compound called Jacked that promises to enhance both brain and body to their maximum potential. Of course, it’s pure snake oil for 99.99 percent of the people who take it. But for Josh, it’s a ticket to heightened senses, astonishing strength, insane bravery, and a newly satyric sex drive.
A single pill takes him from middle-aged zero to real-life superhero—and it’s not long before he’s thwarting crime in increasingly bloody ways.
Helping others—as always, that’s where the trouble really starts.
The highly realistic detailed art of John Higgins serves to enhance this engaging story, complimented by some creative work on the individual cover art by Glenn Fabry and Ryan Brown.
I would recommend this title to anyone suffering from, or mildly affected by, a bout of mid-life crisis. Way back when I turned the (at the time) dreadful age of 40 I went through a period of self-analysis. I sure could have benefitted from reading JACKED at that time - to infuse a healthy dose of humor into my musings.
At its’ heart this is a gentle reflection on aging, the beginning of the decline in middle age, and wishful thinking (example: “Wish I was stronger, healthier, handsomer/prettier, richer, or . . .Wish I was a super-hero”) While JACKED entertains and amuses, it also serves as a fable about the importance of family and responsibility. FOUR STARS.
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