This was a well drawn crossover between two of Marvel’s biggest properties, the Avengers and the X-Men. As is wont between two super teams, the groupsThis was a well drawn crossover between two of Marvel’s biggest properties, the Avengers and the X-Men. As is wont between two super teams, the groups engaged in some unadulterated mayhem. Overall, the story was rather forgettable but the ramifications of the final chapter of this story extended beyond this six-part storyline.
The X-Men now have their own island distinct from the United States. No longer were they beholden to the United States whose top law enforcer was a schizophrenic super-villain. The mutants, whose numbers have dwindled since the Scarlet Witch uttered a sentence fragment that decimated a thriving species became unto themselves like a North Korea. Namor, a mutant because of his hybrid human/Atlantean physiology joined the X-Men officially. His status as a sovereign lends legitimacy to this fledging state.
This new mutant status quo sets up for future stories. As the world’s remaining mutants coalesced in Utopia, it gave them strength and yet made them a convenient target for their enemies. A similar incident already happened, when millions of mutant souls died when Genosha, the former mutant homeland, was attacked by a colossal Tri-Sentinel.
As I said, this story was rather forgettable. Both sides were able to spin a victory from their internecine warfare. The X-Men get their island, and Osborn was able to solve America’s mutant problem. A potential hostile state only a few kilometers off its west coast notwithstanding, Osborn claimed it as a moral and personal victory for his ego to feed on. Nevertheless, never underestimate the power of broadcast media that can turn a psychopath into a respected national figure. ...more
I first met Gio Paredes at Komikon 2011 in November. I wanted to try the adventures of his superhero creation Kalayaan, which is Filipino for freedom.I first met Gio Paredes at Komikon 2011 in November. I wanted to try the adventures of his superhero creation Kalayaan, which is Filipino for freedom. His art has a Rob Liefeld vibe, his super strong hero has an enormous musculature that gave it a disproportionate appearance that is Liefeldesque. His art captured the energy and power that was often ignored by critics of Liefeld’s work who never even read his books. Though Paredes may have dynamic art, which was not to say his work was polished from the onset. One would need to compare the cover on this trade paperback with the finished art on his first chapter. The older art was sophomoric compared to the much finished cover which Paredes did after he had already a dozen of his self-published mini-comics under his belt. His technique got better as the title progressed.
Paredes’ Kalayaan debuted as little more than an ashcan comic with a character fully formed, his origin and motivation revealed in installments across four issues. Essentially, Kalayaan is a wish fulfillment fantasy for the ordinary Filipino. An ordinary Filipino averages in height at around 5’7”, but because of his gene enhancement therapy, that gave the hero his powers, he grows to 6’5” with super strength, flight, limited invulnerability and gadgets. He is Superman and Batman rolled into one, but with feet of clay similar to the characters Stan Lee created in his Silver Age heyday. Kalayaan has great powers, but it came with a price that flew straight in the face of Filipino macho pride and shook our hero to his core.
I found myself enjoying this slim volume, a collected edition of the first four Kalayaan mini-comics. It was much more than I anticipated and I am looking forward to the next volume. Especially since Paredes continued to improve as he regularly churned out his comics. ...more
With this trade paperback, the Skyworld saga is complete. What was envisioned as a series of four graphic novels is collectSummer Komikon 2012 special
With this trade paperback, the Skyworld saga is complete. What was envisioned as a series of four graphic novels is collected in a two volume collection published by National Book Store. The first three chapters of the series were released intermittently in various Komikons but the fourth title was unpublished and can only be found in this collected edition. During its launch at Summer Komikon 2012, I got the two volume set and had it signed by the creators. Now, the remaining question: does the concluding chapter deliver as promised?
I’ve written reviews on the first three graphic novels and the first volume paperback, and rereading the story reminded that Skyworld is an interesting concept by Messrs. Ignacio and Sta. Maria. The duo re-imagined Philippine folklore and mythology for the twenty-first century as a post-apocalyptic Philippines ravaged by monsters with dialogue and captions by Ignacio and stellar art by Sta. Maria. They have meshed history and its myths to retell key events from the country’s past into new stories by revealing a secret history behind the Battle of Mactan, the Japanese Occupation and Rizal’s exile in Dapitan which served to flesh out the main story set in the modern era. The asuang hordes, led by its queen Rianka seek to send the Philippines into a dark age and reclaim their ancestral domain. But a scion of prophecy and his allies stand ready to thwart Rianka’s bloodlust laced dreams of conquest.
Did it end well? If you are a Trese fan, you will be delighted that the Philippines’ top supernatural police constant played a key role in the end game. Ignacio nails Alexandra Trese’s character. But where does that leave his own character Andoy the scion of the Skygod? He got overshadowed by one of his supporting cast. I love Trese, I’m a big fan, but this isn’t her book. But Trese is such a well developed character that she couldn’t help but turn Skyworld into an ancillary Trese adventure.
Ignacio and Sta. Maria have opened a veritable trove of stories they can spin off from Skyworld now that their initial foray into independent graphic comics has been completed. Their heady combination of Philippine alternate history, mythology and folklore created an interesting universe that bears revisiting again. ...more
Summer Komikon 2012 saw the launch of Mervin Ignacio and Ian Sta. Maria’s Skyworld as a two-volume trade paperback collectiSummer Komikon 2012 special
Summer Komikon 2012 saw the launch of Mervin Ignacio and Ian Sta. Maria’s Skyworld as a two-volume trade paperback collection from National Bookstore which collected the graphic novel series originally self-published by the duo. I have the first three graphic novels, which were released in previous Komikons and of which I have done reviews here. A fourth one was unpublished but is included in the second volume of the collection.
The first volume collected Apocrypha and Testament and the trade paperback has some subtle differences from the original self-published releases. The new edition has an introduction from acclaimed local author David Hontiveros and the pages are now fully inked. In the original graphic novel, Apocrypha had uninked pages and went with the full pencils treatment. The later releases were fully inked and the trade paperback now has a unified appearance. But I preferred the pencils as Sta. Maria penciled his pages tightly and rendered intricate details which became obscured when he inked it.
Since much of Apocrypha was a flashback story, it actually made the collection a better reading experience than the original because what were once two books was now within one cover. The emphasis in the first graphic novel was on characterization and world building, thus hampering the reader who wanted to dive into the main story and action that Testament had in spades. In the collection, the reader had the best both worlds, as the introduction flowed into the modern day setting and action seamlessly.
Trese fans would enjoy this book as an extension of the Trese universe. The supernatural police consultant has an important supporting role here and Trese creator Budjette Tan is credited as editor, so Trese purists would be satisfied that their favorite character is voiced authentically. ...more
The title is an appropriate name for what was a historic clash between two of Marvel’s biggest super-teams. This pre-dated this year’s Avengers Vs. X-The title is an appropriate name for what was a historic clash between two of Marvel’s biggest super-teams. This pre-dated this year’s Avengers Vs. X-Men event by almost a decade, but this was set in the alternate Ultimate Universe. On the run and underground, the mutants gave as good as they got against the government-sanctioned Ultimates, this universe’s version of the Avengers.
This miniseries sets up Mark Millar’s final arc on the title he helped launch with Adam Kubert. Millar, with Brian Bendis, was one of the key architects of this then brand new universe and he ran and played with the concept. Unencumbered with continuity, he mined the X-Men’s decades old history for ideas and characters to “Ultimatize.” Along with Bendis’ Ultimate Spider-Man, Ultimate X-Men was one of the key books that served as pillars of this new universe.
This miniseries, with art by Chris Bachalo was better than the payoff in Millar’s final Ultimate X-Men arc. It was tightly scripted and had unified for four issues that ended in a cliff-hanger. It was what the culminating arc was not. ...more
I just attended my second straight Summer Komikon and it was a blast. For the second year in a row it was held at the relatSummer Komikon 2012 special
I just attended my second straight Summer Komikon and it was a blast. For the second year in a row it was held at the relatively swanky Bayanihan Center located in a big pharmaceutical firm’s compound. Any time the rest rooms have bidets in the water closets, that place qualifies as swanky.
Summer Komikon has definitely grown from its humble roots. A key indicator was attendance since there were more people this year than the last. The Center was a great place to hold a convention. It has immaculately clean bathrooms and arctic air-conditioning. The air-conditioned venue by itself was a great attraction for anyone wishing a momentary reprieve from the often oppressive tropical summer heat.
Summer Komikon was one of two yearly events to get the lowdown on what’s happening in the Philippine independent comics (or komiks) scene. This year, part of my haul was the first collected volume of Tepai Pascual’s Maktan 1521. This was released in November last year, during Komikon 2012 but I vacillated in getting one. This time around, I didn’t hesitate and bought my own copy from the creator herself.
Maktan 1521 is Pascual’s solo gig and she saved her best work for her own project. She has another title, Mark 9 Verse 47, where she does the art and gave it a manga visual. Her work in Maktan 1521 retains the manga and anime influence but with a more realistic rendering. Pascual utilizes both a fine line to draw more distinctive facial characteristics on the characters. She also uses big, bold blacks to convey mood and give it a gritty feel.
This being her solo project, Pascual has a lot of say in the story direction. She has a great story sense and she definitely isn’t afraid to juggle an expansive cast. Her story is a retelling of a key point in Philippine history, the first time its native meet Europeans during Magellan’s expedition. It has an East versus West them and she plays it well. The native show a lot of heart pitting their swords and spears against Spaniards’ guns and armor.
I definitely like this better that Mark 9 Verse 47. It has a lot of action scenes. The language slows my reading speed, but that only served to help me savor the story. ...more
This probably the best Free Comic Book Day (FCBD) giveaway ever. An anthology sampling six titles from the Archaia Entertainment roster of titles wrapThis probably the best Free Comic Book Day (FCBD) giveaway ever. An anthology sampling six titles from the Archaia Entertainment roster of titles wrapped between a hardcover. All for the price of free from any FCBD participating comic book store.
This is a great sampler of any Archaia book. If the publisher is willing to produce an excellent hardcover for a giveaway, I can only imagine the production values of the books it actually sells. It serves its purpose though, I will definitely try Mouse Guard and Return of the Dapper Men soon....more
The Marvel Annuals of old were double-sized affairs, high in page count and other standalone tales. The Uncanny X-Men annuals then were of particular The Marvel Annuals of old were double-sized affairs, high in page count and other standalone tales. The Uncanny X-Men annuals then were of particular note, since Chris Claremont plotted and often scripted the story and teamed with an exciting artist of the age. This was where Alan Davis had his first American credit on art and the only format suitable for Art Adams’ detail intensive and slow line art. Adams’ slowness made him unsuitable for the monthly grind of a regular title and the X-Men annuals with its loose deadlines was a great fit.
These thoughts came after I finished reading this hardcover collection, a crossover of three annuals of their respective titles. The story by James Asmus was solid enough, interesting even, playing on threads from other storylines in other titles that would not have intersected otherwise. Like the annuals of decades past, the three books have promising new artists on them. Especially Nick Bradshaw, whose style could be mistaken for an Art Adams clone, there are subtle differences but it is a voice that the artist has effectively carried in his Marvel work. ...more
I had high hopes for this collection. The hardcover collected Mark Waid’s second arc on his return to the Captain America title in the late Nineties. I had high hopes for this collection. The hardcover collected Mark Waid’s second arc on his return to the Captain America title in the late Nineties. I enjoyed his first run on the title before Heroes Reborn restarted the numbering. He collaborated with artist Ron Garney to produce a Captain America that was part James Bond, part Jacky Chan and all action. I have a trade paperback of their Operation Rebirth which I enjoyed tremendously. All Waid had to do was follow up his previous Captain America work with another one worth reading. In this arc, Waid teamed up with artist Andy Kubert so it was understandable that my expectations were high when I found a bargain copy of the hardcover. Sadly, it did not live up to its initial promise.
In the main story, Captain America faces Nightmare, the Marvel Universe version of the embodiment of dreams. Though there were some engaging moments in the waking world, much of their encounter was resolved in the dreamscape. Besides being a superhero, Cap managed to have a semblance of a civilian life as Steve Rogers, which provided a subplot when he took in a homeless immigrant family. Cap as Rogers was in his community with superheroing as basically his day job. Having read Ed Brubaker’s superlative work with a modern Captain America, I sadly found Waid’s work here uninteresting to say the least. At his core, Captain America was a super-soldier, and in order to do that effectively, he needed to be under the cowl full-time and this was the direction Brubaker took his Cap.
What saved this collection was that it included the Annuals from this time period. Annuals are rarely reprinted and this contributed to a hefty page count for this collection....more
The Thanos Imperative miniseries, featuring Marvel’s cosmic superheroes comes to full circle the story of the ultimate nihilist. It began with AnnihilThe Thanos Imperative miniseries, featuring Marvel’s cosmic superheroes comes to full circle the story of the ultimate nihilist. It began with Annihilation which took him off the board by having his arch nemesis Drax fulfill his destiny by killing him. That story made cosmic characters such as Nova, the Guardians of Galaxy and Adam Warlock relevant again as it spawned more stories like its sequel, Annihilation: Conquest, War of Kings, and now this. This story brought back Thanos who gets to face his most worthy foe, an avatar of life, as he is death’s avatar, Mar-Vell from an alternate universe that has conquered death.
Aside from another excellent story from the writing team Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning, who really made used of these neglected characters, is that this is basically a Marvel / Lovecraft mash-up. My awareness for anything for anything Lovecraft is at an all time high since I’m reading an enormous tome of his complete works; so it didn’t escape my attention when the evil behind this cross universal war were risen elder gods.
The H.P. Lovecraft love letter notwithstanding, this is an excellently conceived story full of character moments and heroic sacrifice. Abnett and Lanning are at the top of their game in this one. This is highly recommended to superhero fans. Four stars. ...more
The rating I give this oversized, slipcased hardcover collection that originally appeared as a webcomic has nothing to do with the overall quality of The rating I give this oversized, slipcased hardcover collection that originally appeared as a webcomic has nothing to do with the overall quality of Scott Kurtz’s creation. Player Vs. Player (PvP) is one of the best webcomics available today. It is an engaging series that takes on pop culture, specifically the gaming subculture though other areas like toys, comics and movies are touched upon as well. The humor is sometimes infantile and predisposed to fart jokes, especially in its early years but that humor has matured and become understated as the years progressed. It would not hurt to it out here and it won’t cost you a cent. My gripe would center on the content the author decided to preserve for posterity in a hard copy.
I bought this pricey tome because I thought I would be getting the entire seven years worth of strips preserved for posterity in a nice format that would look alongside my oversized hardcovers and absolute editions and to support the webcomic that I have come to enjoy these past few years. Instead, it lacks a large chunk of those early strips. I know they were missing because I’ve read the entire run online and that the author wrote about it in the book’s introduction. The strip’s entire run is available online but I thought that a book that purports itself to be an “Awesomology” and at a three figure price point would have included those missing strips.
The introduction also said the book took a lot of time to be prepared for publication; original files were located, collected and resized. It is too bad that the author didn’t ensure to correct the typographical errors in his strips’ dialogues before it was reprinted in this collection. The strip has had a major problem in misspelling especially in its early years that the author jokingly acknowledged it in one of his strips included here. It is also not in color but in crisp grayscale, the strips appear in full color online.
Admittedly, I did enjoy the reading strips again in a physical copy. The author gets a whole lot better as the years pass and as he mastered his craft. The progression of his storytelling skills is evident as I read the book from cover to cover. My gripes could be considered nitpicking but I believe the missing strips to be a valid concern. Overall, especially online, PvP is a four star read. But the product presented here in this spiffy package and its content or lack thereof can only muster two stars from me. This would encourage me to continue reading it online and avoid any print editions. After all, the author did intend his creation to be read online and that is the way it should be. ...more
Fear Itself was a major crossover event that Siege was not. Seven issues by Matt Fraction and Stuart Immonen, plus a lengthy epilogue that was also a Fear Itself was a major crossover event that Siege was not. Seven issues by Matt Fraction and Stuart Immonen, plus a lengthy epilogue that was also a miniseries. Like Siege, it was a Thor-centric story given that the villain had a vague Norse origin and his avatars have faux Asgardian Kirbyesque design. It was definitely a retelling of the Ragnarok cycle, something Walter Simonson did twice in his legendary run on Thor. Fear Itself centered on the part of myth where Thor battles the Serpent and for those who know their Norse sagas, that is spoiler enough.
I enjoyed this story and because of its epic scope it needed a miniseries and it tie-ins to be told. Fear Itself focused on the Avengers trinity of Captain America, Thor and Iron Man. Each got their moments of heroism and sacrifice; a high price to pay for a war they possibly couldn’t win. The best moment was when Captain America, with his shield broken into shards, picks up the fallen hammer of Thor and helped rally their ragged forces. ...more
I didn’t finish this story when it first came out due to “event fatigue.” Marvel had too many crossover events that a few years ago I just ceased to fI didn’t finish this story when it first came out due to “event fatigue.” Marvel had too many crossover events that a few years ago I just ceased to follow the monthly comics and waited for the trade. I actually started on the first two issues but dropped it when I was overwhelmed by the tie-ins. Ironically, Marvel touted this as a small scale event, and perhaps the company was aware of their overabundance of events. This was indeed smaller in scale since it only had four issues and I was able to read all of it in one sitting since those books were available digitally on the Marvel Digital Comics Unlimited resource on Marvel.com.
The Siege in question here was an actual military action by Norman Osborn, also known as the Green Goblin, and his villainous cohorts on Asgard. With a lot of heroes in hiding due to Osborn’s rule as director of H.A.M.M.E.R., Asgard stood as an ostentatious symbol of defiance in these dark times. Osborn wanted it brought down and he succeeded, though that was not the only one to fall on that momentous day.
This could have easily been folded into the monthly Thor title, but I understood why this needed its own miniseries. The ramifications of the Siege brought about a sea change in story direction, which ended a lot of story threads and begat new ones. The Dark Reign was over and Asgard literally fell. The Sentry finally became unhinged and killed Ares before he himself was brought down like a rabid dog. Steve Rogers became America’s top cop, inheriting a role once worn by Nick Fury, Tony Stark and Norman Osborn; and the Avengers could operate in the open again, essentially heralding a new “Heroic Age.” Just in time really, I was beginning to tire of Osborn in charge of everything.
I enjoyed this story a lot. Admittedly, I would always be partial to story where Thor gets to swing his hammer a lot and bring down a lot of bad guys. It was a good story with a lot of warriors fighting and dying by the platoon. There was a different flavor to Brian Bendis’ dialogue that I liked and Oliver Coipel’s beautiful pencils are always a draw for me. This story rated an easy four stars from me. ...more
I’ve read once this trade paperback of Walter Simonson’s run on Thor and I’ve often wondered how Thor would have fared had he claimed his birthright aI’ve read once this trade paperback of Walter Simonson’s run on Thor and I’ve often wondered how Thor would have fared had he claimed his birthright and succeeded his father on the throne of Asgard. Dan Jurgens probably had that question in mind and that was the premise on this paperback that collects seven issues (44-50) of his own well-regarded run on Thor.
Lord Thor was not doing so well as the new ruler of Asgard. As Odin had been its only king since its founding, the subjects question the wisdom of their new king. Perhaps rightly so, Thor abhorred the trivialities of ruling and instead craved for battle and often found himself on the frontlines defending his realm against opportunistic enemies wanting to take advantage of Asgrad’s weakness in the aftermath of its battle with Surtur. This Thor was without empathy and arrogantly insufferable. One could say that Jurgens was losing his touch on the character he helped re-launched, despite the spot-on characterization he had on the scion of Asgard in his early issues. But the ongoing narrative hinted that ever since a new Jake Olson persona was sundered from Thor, this new thunder god seemed to have lost whatever humanity he gained from his exile in a frail human form. It might have been what Odin and Jurgens intended, as king, Thor need not bow to anyone anymore.
Taken at face value and as a whole, the art in this collected edition was a mixed bag, but individually, the three artists credited gave a standout job. Especially Stuart Immonen, whose “Nuff Said” issue was probably the only one that worked in this trade paperback. It was a standalone story and served well as an introduction to this collected story. Since it was also a silent issue, Immonen’s visuals were a lot stronger and he had to render a lot of background detail since there would be no word balloons or captions.
Tom Raney was the designated regular artist on this title but because of a double-sized fiftieth issue done in full bleed splash pages, it necessitated a second penciller, Joe Bennet to work on a couple of issues while Raney did work on issue 50. It resulted in a jarring visual flow as their individual styles were too different to work together.
I thought I would enjoy this story from Jurgens, I did but not as much as I thought I would. To be fair, everything pales in comparison with Simonson’s Thor. This barely missed three stars and gets a two instead. ...more
The events of Civil War split the ranks of the Avengers and formed opposing sides with warring political beliefs. With Captain America’s death, the noThe events of Civil War split the ranks of the Avengers and formed opposing sides with warring political beliefs. With Captain America’s death, the now leaderless anti-registration heroes coalesced into a guerilla superhero squad in New Avengers. Iron Man, the face of the pro-registration camp, handpicked his own team in Mighty Avengers with Ms. Marvel as the nominal team leader. These two titles couldn’t be more different and this hardcover collected the first 11 issues of Mighty Avengers and its first two story arcs.
The first 11 issues of Mighty Avengers featured the writing of Brian Bendis and the pencils of Frank Cho and Mark Bagley in their respective arcs. Bendis wrote a different Avengers flavor here, compared to the flagship Marvel title New Avengers. New Avengers was more street and their first adventure as a new team made it more evident where they traveled to Japan to be embroiled in a gang war. Mighty Avengers gave Bendis a chance a team that can handle world class threats and made it so by pitting them against Ultron and Dr. Doom in these issues. But I felt that Bendis’ word balloon and thought bubbles were overwhelming here. He went overboard on the thought bubbles and caption boxes as each character’s musings crowded the panels. Maybe this was Bendis’ point, a team of powerhouses like Ares, Sentry, Wonder Man and Ms. Marvel does not guarantee and cohesive team. All of them have their own agenda and this made team more disjointed that they look and perhaps this was the edge the New Avengers had, eluding arrest from their government sponsored counterparts.
Frank Cho handled the art chores in the first story arc and as always was gorgeously rendered. Bendis played his script to Cho’s strength by making almost half this Avengers team female and even made this incarnation of Ultron a naked woman. This was where the thought bubbles worked since Cho used it a lot in his Liberty Meadows work.
The second arc has an American city besieged by a biological agent derived from the Venom symbiote. Long time Spider-Man artist Mark Bagley was the artist most suited for this tale. This story fulfilled fans’ fantasy mash-ups, mixing Venom with other superheroes. The thought balloons weren’t as prevalent as in the other arc but still enough to be a distraction. Bendis instead compensated with more captions. As the story progressed there were less of those distracting shapes and it allowed Bagley to tell the story better.
I am always a sucker for Frank Cho art but Bendis’ writing style here drops it a notch. It stands at 3.5 stars and highly recommended for the pretty pictures. ...more
There’s a lot of stuff going on in this young adult novel by Sean Austin. Having read the description from the back, as I am wont to do before startinThere’s a lot of stuff going on in this young adult novel by Sean Austin. Having read the description from the back, as I am wont to do before starting on a book, it purports to be an ongoing investigation by the author on the activities of a now defunct video game company. It’s like reading molasses from the first two chapters, as the events were pretty mundane and hard to get excited about. This is a story of two brothers who enjoyed playing video games, their favorite being the eponymous Echo series. The gamers’ language was struggle initially, but quite easily remedied with a few keystrokes in Google search for the urban dictionary. Once I got my reading going and into the flow, I realized this book wasn’t as shallow as it appeared.
The brothers Stone, Reggie and Jeremy, play computer games to escape a troubled household with an abusive stepfather and their mother who’s too busy to care for her own kids. The irony here is that their mother is a social worker who helps other families stay together but is blind to the abuses her freeloading boyfriend heaps on her kids. She remains blind while her family is crumbling around her. It got to the point that the brothers decided to escape to their biological father a thousand miles away... But not before Reggie gets involved in the beta test of a revolutionary new upgrade of their favorite game that promises to add a “dimension of fear.”
This is where the book gets interesting, when the brothers run away from home to hitchhike all the way to their escape. They meet some interesting people but they get a sense that they are being stalked by a dangerous predator. They are away from their comfort zones and as with the readers, they never know what would happen next. This unexpected journey becomes a crucible where their faith in each other and their brotherhood are tested. Their body and mind are stretched to the breaking point as they are sucked into a bizarre situation that there almost no escape from.
The book is very easy to read, given that it is targeted to a young adult audience. Like the game in the book, the author adds a lot of extra dimension to his product. He adds himself as a character with a small but key role to play. It also has a lot of extra material that can be accessed from the book’s internet site once it is online. This is the first of a series and the seeds for sequels are planted in the last chapter. There are still unanswered questions that can only be answered with the follow up books. ...more
This is a charming project Marvel presented in a three issue miniseries and collected in this hardcover. It features the comic books industry’s top feThis is a charming project Marvel presented in a three issue miniseries and collected in this hardcover. It features the comic books industry’s top female creators on their top female characters. It is a great line-up, featuring a mix of A-list creators and up and coming indie newcomers. The collection evokes a mix of nostalgia and edgy underground feel. It is a great book to have just to see Louise Simonson and June Brigman work on their original creation Power Pack again, Colleen Coover’s retro sensibilities in the opening strips and Jill Thompson’s painted Inhumans short story and cover. Current independent comics darlings Carla Speed McNeil, Faith Erin Hicks and Ming Doyle show off their unique styling that made them critical favorites and apply them to Marvel characters.
This is a great book and the work that the newcomers pour in here only proves they are ready for prime time. Theirs is a unique and refreshing take on what has become a derivative superhero genre. It is a slim volume but each story in it is a satisfying read by itself since it is one and done and with no continuity baggage. It is a nice change of pace from reading a lot of mainstream action and adventures stories. It has an edgy indie vibe and proves that Marvel isn’t afraid to experiment with genre bending projects.
This is easily a 4 star book and it is easily accessible for new readers eager to sample superhero stories without all the violence and issues and back stories to follow. ...more
As a kid, I’ve always thought that dinosaurs were cool and that ninjas rated a bit higher on the same scale. So when webcomic creator Jason Horn combiAs a kid, I’ve always thought that dinosaurs were cool and that ninjas rated a bit higher on the same scale. So when webcomic creator Jason Horn combines the two concepts into a katana wielding, black garbed reptile, the result could be exponentially more fun.
The problem with webcomics is that practically anybody can create a character and publish the strips in a blog. There are a lot of dregs to sift in order to find gems. I often rely of comics news sites to point me in the direction of webcomics worth my time and this was how I discovered Ninjasaur.
This book collects the earliest stories in a softcover with nice, thick paper pages. Horn’s baby steps in self-publishing are evident as he vacillates in the format, going from portrait to landscape strip before settling on portrait orientation and thus making this collection easier to read. His lines are simple, but infused with energy that permeates from what usually is a placid herbivore dinosaur. His dinosaur is the stegosaurus with its trademark plates which is appropriate given that Ninjasaur looks like a walking shuriken, a deadly weapon indeed. The villains are as absurd as the main characters with combinations like a ninja Nazi, a samurai rhinoceros and skull-faced time-traveling scientist.
I admit this book is a guilty pleasure for me, the sort of mindless, juvenile fun with great energy lacking from most mainstream books. Part of the fun for me was that I helped this book get published with Kickstarter. This volume is my reward and it comes with a sketch, which I got a kick out off. That alone could push this book’s rating to four, but an accurate grade would 3.7 stars. I recommend checking the strip out in Ninjasaur.com, there is nothing to lose, and it’s for free. ...more
Old Man Logan is the 1992 movie Unforgiven done as a superhero story. It is fitting that it was done in the Wolverine ongoing series, since Logan coulOld Man Logan is the 1992 movie Unforgiven done as a superhero story. It is fitting that it was done in the Wolverine ongoing series, since Logan could be any of Clint Eastwood’s characters through the years; the strong, silent type with the gravel voice and tough as granite who lets his guns or in this case claws do the talking.
The movie and comic book plots are almost indistinguishable. A retired killer taking on one more hit to save a failing farm. Both had to avenge a fallen comrade and left the farms they wanted to save but not without paying their last respects at their wives’ final resting place.
Mark Millar has been channeling a lot of movies in his scripts lately. The last few stories I’ve read of his had echoes of Big (Superior), Ocean’s 11 (Supercrooks) and Unforgiven. It is fair play really as Hollywood has been mining a lot of comic book stories for its projects recently. Also, comic books have a readership that wouldn’t mind reading their favorite movies reinterpreted as superhero action and adventure.
Millar has made it a point of partnering with talented artists to visualize his stories. Steve McNiven is definitely one of the comic industry’s best. I really like his clean, crisp and clear lines. His depiction of a post-superhero, America n dystopia is at once morbid and familiar. The land is ruled by tyrants and the landscape still litter with the corpses of its dead superheroes. This being a Western, there is no shortage of fight scenes, with blood, gore and death.
Postscript: Millar once hinted that his post-Civil War Marvel stories are connected, with a common alternate future that would imperil the present in his and Bryan Hitch’s Fantastic Four run. This book has the origin of the Hooded Man and his adopted son and for those that read those Fantastic Four issues, that is enough of a hint. ...more
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