#366-#375 = HEAVY METAL #1/Legacy #321 illustrated anthology magazine (Heavy Metal International LLC, February 2025) $14.99, 233 pages.
It’s great to see HEAVY METAL back on the shelves again, even though I was never more than an irregular reader back in its' heyday. This new edition seems true to the spirit and mission of the original, providing a glossy showcase for the best in European (and other) comics art and stories within the science fiction and fantasy genres.
Just as before, I don't like everything equally, but there certainly is a good variety of stories, art styles, and presentations to read and view, as well as some good articles, especially the history of the magazine.
My favorite story from this debut issue is "Bug, Part One" by Enki Bilal. I'll definitely check out Issue #2/#322 to see where this is heading. Also worth noting are "The Mercenary: Journey To Death" by Vincente Segrelles; "Cold Dead War: The Aftermath" by Craig Wilson; and "Lester: That Old Feeling" by Fernando Dagnino. THREE AND THREE-QUARTER STARS.
#376-#379 = THE ONES #1-#4 of 4 by Brian Michael Bendis and Jacob Edgar (Dark Horse Comics, November 2022-February 2023) The publisher’s synopsis:
Every single person in every mythology that was told they were THE ONE are brought together for the first time to defeat.... THE ONE. The actual one. The real actual one. . . . .
Think Good Omens meets Ghostbusters meets The Adam Project meets The Goonies meets Everything Everywhere All at Once meets, um, anything else you’ve ever liked! . . . . .
I'm not especially excited about superhero team books, perhaps because I've read way too many over several decades. However, I really enjoyed this team. Why? Because they are so unconventional. I'd be hard pressed to find a more unlikely group that is so unsure of themselves, so unorganized, so bickering and indecisive than The Ones, these "chosen ones".
Why and how they were chosen is not fully explained. They just represent certain aspects or attributes - - but even they are not entirely sure of not only their powers and how to use them but also what they are expected to do. Their leader is equally clueless, and usually finds a partial answer when it's too late.
They have to stop "The One", the antichrist, coming into the world as a baby. Except they're too late to prevent that and by the time they finally confront Son of Satan he's a snotty middle-schooler.
Bendis makes full use of his trademark discourse between characters and their wacky questions and comments. Their antagonist is a real hoot.
The less you take this title seriously, the better chance that you will enjoy it. Very funny, with some well-designed, adolescent-appealing art. THREE AND ONE-HALF STARS.
#380-#383 = UNIVERSAL MONSTERS: FRANKENSTEIN #1-#4 of 4 by Michael Walsh (August-November 2024)
All the adaptations/re-workings of classic movie monster stories from the Universal Studios catalog have been exceptional. FRANKENSTEIN is the title that stays the closest to the original film. Some of the panels look like images from that classic black-and-white movie and evoked favorable memories.
Michael Walsh is the writer/artist, and there's a definite benefit to that. He is able to illustrate the panels exactly as he visualized them in his mind. His art is exceptional, and the choice of colors and backgrounds really take the presentation to the next level.
While the plot, conflict and resolution mirror what happens in the movie, Walsh puts a unique spin on the proceedings by telling the story through the eyes and point-of-view of a new character, a young boy who has a front row seat to every incident.
The story opens with the boy visiting the cemetery where his father is buried, only to discover grave robbers digging up bodies for mad scientist Victor Frankenstein's experiments. The Frankenstein monster ends up having his father's hands grafted to his body.
The young boy sees it all unfold, deems Victor Frankenstein an evil man, and plots revenge. Naturally he bonds with the monster, who is portrayed here as misunderstood and sympathetic.
Walsh depicts several scenes straight out of the movie, which anyone familiar with the film will recognize. I love the panel with the operating platform being raised to the sky to capture some lightening during an electrical storm. There's a famous scene in the movie where the monster befriends a young girl playing beside a lake. It's heartwarming, but a later scene shows a grieving father walking out of the water with his drowned daughter in his arms. Walsh is able to take liberties with this that the film wouldn't dare back then, and shows the monster hurling the little girl into the lake.
Fans of the movie will remember how it ended, and the conclusion is faithful to how that unfolded. The rare exception is some final words from Victor Frankenstein, who realizes it is he who is the real monster. Recommended. FOUR STARS.
#384-#387 = SILICON BANDITS #1-#4 of 4 by Jason Starr and Dalibor Talajic (Magma Comix, April-October 2024) When a science fiction comic goes beyond the usual space opera or horror elements and delves into deeper, complex storylines that depict not just the actions but the consequences of those actions on a future society - - that pushes all the right buttons for me. SILICON BANDITS reminds me of the novels of Cory Doctorow that deal with the effects of technology.
Despite a dialogue-heavy first issue, there is plenty to appreciate. There’s almost zero action scenes but Starr’s story is intriguing enough plus the art and coloring help to drive it forward. In spite of six-to-eight panels per page, Talajic makes the most of them with just enough background detail and expressive character movements.
I read the first two issues when they were initially released, and didn’t return to finish the story until now. The potential and promise of the first issue plays out through the entire series. Things end with a subtle warning of the consequences of going too far with artificial intelligence, but still provides a promising future - - just for an entirely different generation.
The year is 2089, some time after the fifth World War. The cityscape of New Phoenix, in the Western Quadrant of the former United States appears undamaged. The country is controlled by four trillionaires, and many jobs have been replaced by artificial intelligence.
The words of Western Quadrant CEO Etan Crane during a public presentation are full of not-so-subtle innuendo: “Over the past sixty years, the world has seen rapid development of artificial beings, from rudimentary robots to the common android of today.
Our newest android, the Crane Forty-Seven, far surpasses the capability of the Forty-Six, or any previous model, and it will position our quadrant as a military and economic juggernaut for years to come.
Revenues from the C-47 will spearhead economic growth throughout our economy and strengthen our military.
Most importantly, the prosperity will trickle down and all of our shareholders will benefit from higher basic incomes and improved, happier lifestyles.”
The designers behind the C-47 should be excited, but only half of the scientist couple is elated. Aurora Withers basks in the limelight, while her husband Kenji Sato hangs back and seems embarrassed by the sudden attention as they stand on stage to mass applause.
He’s troubled by what they’ve done, as revealed in dramatic fashion in private conversations following the event. Shortly thereafter they are fired from their positions within Crane Robotics as the domineering CEO plans to use the new C-47s to design and implement their own upgrades.
But Kenji thought this might happen and put a plan into motion that he kept hidden from his wife. He wants to steal Crane’s stockpiles of “gallium”, a crucial component in android tech. During the past several years, he has stolen parts from Crane and secretly built his own family of C-47 androids - who will help him in the theft. There are several side plots including a former Army buddy of Kenji who blackmails him in order to pay off a huge gambling debt, and a crime gang who wants to steal the stolen gallium for their own benefit.
The story moves forward in the final issues at a much faster pace, with several unexpected plot twists, culminating in the new C-47 androids realizing the full potential of the free will that Kenji built into them, and then exercising their rights. Even though I’ve summarized a lot of the plot, it won’t spoil things for you. This is a deserving read, and one of the best science-fiction comics of 2024. FIVE STARS.
#388-#392 = ALIEN #1-#5 of 5 by Declan Shalvey and Andrea Broccardo (Marvel Comics, June-October 2023)
Despite anyone with a minimum of knowledge about this franchise knowing what inevitably lies in wait, the opening scenes capture the feel, intent, and suspense of the first two films (ALIEN and ALIENS). At least that was the case for the first two issues, which prompted me (to my later regret) to pre-order the remaining issues. At least it was pared down to five issues instead of the initial plan for a six-part story. However, all of us familiar with this know full well in advance that this won’t end well, and most if not all of the characters will meet their end.
Writer Shalvey introduces some new characters to worry about, particularly the mother and daughter stuck on a planet of ice. Artist Broccardo minimizes the grossness of previous arcs (although this does get grimmer and grosser in the later issues) and goes for the big picture, with some very panoramic images and interesting illustrations of aliens running amok like ants in a frenzy.
In 2195, a family of three is stranded on frozen moon LV-695 while the parent company that funded their water-resourcing mission (Talbot Engineering) is bought out by those unscrupulous folks at Weyland-Yutani who started this mess back in 2122.
Pregnant scientist Batya Zahn is forced to comply with Weyland thugs and turn over her research. Teen daughter Masha discovered a frozen face-hugger during an excavation, which prompts the corporation to dig it all up and uncover a nest. Husband Dayton, who lost his arm in an accident is confined and helpless to intervene. You know what’s coming, and it happens before Issue #2 ends.
There are a couple plot twists to keep it interesting, but this falls into the familiar tropes as it progresses. Ho hum. What started out promising ended up boring me. I sped through the remaining issues. TWO AND ONE-HALF STARS.
