Category: Entertainment

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Screamland #2 Review

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Story by Harold Sipe & Christopher Sebela
Art by Lee Leslie

After threatening to publicize a career-threatening monster-porn called Phantasmagorgya, a group of out-of-work movie monsters finds their almost-blackmailer, Invisible Izzy, stabbed to death and the movie stolen. Now, with every monster a suspect and the movie on the loose, it’s up to Carl “Wolfman” London and former Space Path engineer Travis Walters to find the killer and save what’s left of this motley group’s reputation.

Set in a world where monsters are real and make money off of their monstrosity (think Galaxy Quest meets Greg The Bunny), Screamland is intentionally referential of both monster movie and geek counter-culture. Now that the sheen of a new story has worn off, though, so has the appeal of its gimmick. The characterizations all seem to loiter at the bottom of an odd valley, never quite serious enough to be an intriguing take on the genre, and not quite over-the-top enough to be a comedic spoof.

While there are some genuinely funny moments (like a particular exchange in an elevator), there’s never enough laugh-out-loud jokes to carry the book into the next scene. On the other hand, so much time is spent on character origins and explanatory history that the murder-mystery plot is almost entirely obscured until the end of the book.

The art is fittingly cartoony, doing a fine job of deflecting some potentially adult subject matter into comedy. Like the writing, however, it’s just kind of there, never really finding a groove that sets it apart. If I were to flip through the book in a store, I’d likely just set it right back on the shelf.

Screamland is full of mildly entertaining ideas set in a mildly intriguing world with some mildly interesting characters. All that mild just lacks spice in the end, and mixes together into something ultimately bland.

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Green Wake #4 Review

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Story by Kurtis Wiebe
Art by Riley Rossmo

Reading Green Wake has been a confusing journey for me. While the first issue was an interesting introduction to this surreal pseudo-afterlife of a town, the intervening issues grew steadily more vague, adding confusion to an already muddled murder-mystery by living in and dancing around increasingly obtuse metaphors.

While the same is somewhat true of issue #4, the explanations and revelations contained within do an admirable job of beginning to tie together the some of the niggling loose ends. We begin to understand some of the characters’ origins, and are given a deeper insight into the nature of Green Wake itself. Again, however, the story flutters in and out of the corporeal, making some of Morley’s revelatory conclusions seem to materialize from thin air.

While I do feel like issue #4 spends most of its time explaining the story to me, let me take a moment to give credit where credit is due: Unlike previous issues, nothing here feels random. The surprises in issue #4 are genuine – and genuinely planned – and for the first time in the series (unfortunately not until the fourth of five issues), I’m honestly intrigued to see how it ends.

I can’t help but wonder if Wiebe’s story is just poorly suited for monthly releases. Taken individually, each part is unduly confounding and lacks the necessary punch to remind you to buy the next issue each month. Taken as a whole, the story feels a little less pretentious and – depending on how Wiebe wraps everything up in issue 5 – potentially more cohesive.

I’m not yet sold that Green Wake is any sort of masterwork of surreal horror, but my befuddlement is starting to give way to curiosity, enough to now allow the conclusion to determine my opinion of the overall narrative.

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Irredeemable #27 Review

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Story by Mark Waid
Art by Peter Krause & Diego Barreto

For the last several months, Irredeemable has been mired in several plot threads that were opened with seemingly little thought toward their closure. While interesting at its start, the current storyline has diverged so far from what made the book interesting in the first place that it felt like Waid’s tale of Superman-gone-bad might be completely lost.

While issue 27 hints at something like closure, it does not do quite enough to assuage the feeling that Irredeemable is just…off. This issue feels even more haphazard than others recently as Tony nears the conclusion of his quest through the bowels of an intergalactic insane asylum. Characters introduced in previous issues are proven to have no purpose other than momentary plot devices, and the most recent introduction feels a bit too deus ex machina for my liking.

The entire purpose here feels forced, like Waid suddenly decided to give purpose to the book’s meandering. A few potentially major plot points are closed in very minor ways, yet new threads are opened with far-reaching implications. At some point along the way, Irredeemable lost its rudder, and this issue does nothing but change the book’s direction without committing to any particular destination. It lacks any sort of satisfying resolution, ending on another mildly interesting cliffhanger without really advancing any of the characters or storylines.

On the upside, I can dare to dream that the new direction laid out here is for the best, a first step toward bringing Irredeemable back around to the simple-yet-compelling storyline that made it a hit in the first place. That hope, however, will be tempered by yet another month of “wait and see”.

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Review: Xombi #4

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Story by John Rozum
Art by Frazer Irving

When I first began reading the new run of Xombi, I was caught off guard by its witty (and genuinely funny) dialogue, its quirky characters, and its slightly… okay really goofball slant. As I continued reading, what I was not prepared for was how complete – and how completely different – the world that Rozum had built around David Kim was.

Issue #4 picks up after the defeat of Maranatha, a god of rage who had been imprisoned for 30 years in the mind of a psychopath, and tells us the story of Annie, the woman who unintentionally released him onto the world. Normally I’m not a fan of flashback issues, but Rozum’s script handles this one with so much grace that I was instantly enthralled. The tale of Annie’s world and her history is crafted with such care and originality that we feel connected to her plight, misguided at times as it may be.

While Iriving’s art looks beautiful during action sequences and weird supernatural goings-on, his real talent is in the almost overly expressive faces of his characters. This being an entirely dialogue-driven issue allowed him to run hog-wild with his players’ reactions, to both hilarious and heart-wrenching effect. I’m still not entirely taken with his coloring style, but his linework is so beautiful that I can forgive him that one trespass.

Xombi has cemented itself as one of my favorite new titles. Unfortunately, all signs point to Xombi ending with issue #6, in light of the DCU reboot. It’s odd to me that this book was ever part of the core DCU upon its re-launch – especially since the original run was part of the Milestone imprint – and my hope is that it will see new life someday, perhaps as a Vertigo book.

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Review: The Sixth Gun #12

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Story by Cullen Bunn
Art by Brian Hurtt

Bound, the third story arc in Oni Press’s The Sixth Gun, finds Drake and Becky traveling with the monks of a religious sect called The Sword of Abraham on a mission to secure and conceal General Bedford Hume’s undead corpse on consecrated ground. Nothing is ever easy for Sinclair, though, as Hume’s widow has plans afoot to retrieve and revive her undead husband.

In every arc so far, Cullen Bunn introduces us to new environments and adds little bits to the world’s mythos. He also takes a very Whedon-esque tack with his antagonists, introducing a new “big bad” – in this case it’s a mercenary named Eli Barlow. With each new introduction, we are given just enough information to be intrigued – and to make the world feel fully realized – without bogging the story down in needless details or backstory. With just a few simple pages, we learn more about the nature of Missy Hume’s gun, and we’re given a glimpse into the perils that Eli Barlow will present to our heroes.

Bunn and his collaborator Brian Hurtt manage to choose exactly the right moments to tell us a sweeping story so efficiently that a single panel feels like a page; a single page like an entire scene. The transitions between dialogue- and action-driven set pieces feel natural, effortlessly carrying us from an implication-ridden conversation between Sinclair and Brother Roberto into a frenetic train battle. Hurtt’s artwork is as efficient as the script, sparing excess in favor of exquisite attention to just the right details.

Issue #12 presents a more action-oriented beginning than the last two arcs, without abandoning the individual charm of our favorite duo or the mythos that fills their supernatural western world. I can’t wait to see where The Sixth Gun takes us next.

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Skullkickers #8 Review

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Story by Jim Zub
Art by Edwin Huang

Issue #8 joins our hapless heroes after they’ve been framed for the murder of the Chancellor and several other nobles by a group of fairies and their ginger-elf leader. Dumped into the street with no weapons and little information, Shorty and Baldy’s plan is simple: hide out until nightfall and find the town’s less reputable elements, then press them for information to clear their names, kicking some ass… I mean skulls… along the way.

Everything in this book is as guileless as you would expect: our heroes are simplistic, so their adventures are requisitely so. This lack of depth is balanced by legitimate (if sometimes black) comedy, evidenced by several interjecting scenes involving the retrieval of a golden flintlock. The brainless storyline is not unwelcome, though, and should be expected from a book named Skullkickers.

Edwin Huang’s artwork is suitably dynamic, seemingly built entirely to enhance comedy and action, which is exactly what a script like this needs. The aforementioned gun retrieval sequence is hilariously rendered, and Huang’s choice of framing adds an extra punch to just the right beats. Misty Coats’s colors are bright and vibrant, a good compliment to the book’s overall style.

Skullkickers is what it is: a rambling, anachronistic log of a (pretty decent) D&D adventure, replete with the kind of dialogue you’d expect from a group of cynical long-time gamers. It’s an entertaining ride devoid of emotion or drama – but sometimes that’s good enough.

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Gobs #1 Review

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Story and art by Richard Moore

Goblins – “Gobs” for short – are dangerous, filthy little degenerates, capable of no good and unable to positively contribute to civilized society, no matter what Harry Potter may tell us. So what happens when a group of goblin friends are permanently removed from their favorite elvish pub? Why, they go build their own, of course!

Richard Moore’s tale of a gaggle of goofball goblins and their plight to drink themselves into oblivion might be a bit on the simplistic side, but it’s a fun fantasy adventure nonetheless. Our introductions to Gretchen, Milo, and the rest of the band of misfit gobs shows little care for the fourth wall, and effectively builds a comedic cast of endearing – if slightly shallow – characters.

The crisp, cartoony, black & white line work in the book is perfectly matched to the script’s irreverent style. Since Moore handled both the writing and artistic chores on the book, the art is allowed to breathe and work for itself at times when other books would have attempted explanations in text. There were a few times when I was confused about what was being depicted in a panel, though, and I think coloring would have solved that problem.

My main complaint about the first issue of Gobs is that it steps outside itself just a few too many times. Some scenes could have been more straightforward and still retained their comedic nature (a scene involving beards comes to mind), but stepped into a strange no-man’s-land that derailed the experience, if only slightly.

Gretch & Co’s tale is entertaining and its cast is charming. If you can stand the large dose of cuteness this story carries with it, Gobs has a lot of potential.

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Review: Generation Hope #8

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Story by Kieron Gillen
Art by Salva Espin

When I first read the end to Generation Hope #7, I was worried. The book had just gotten its legs under it with the first legitimate mission for Hope and her crew. The catalyst of conflict finally made the book gel, and Kieron Gillen finally brought the team’s dynamic into full view. And they were about to step away from that. Issue 8 allows us to focus on the team in a moment of downtime, while also pitting them against an entirely new type of challenge: Teon’s parents have brought a lawsuit against the X-Men organization to return him to their custody.

I was pleasantly surprised by this latest issue. Gillen shows us the beginnings of the team as a family, as they have a chance to adjust to each others’ presence outside a major conflict. Each character gets a moment in the spotlight, but always within the context of their family unit. Their dialogue is appropriately witty, and we’re starting to see real personality in each of the characters, differentiating them from one another in deeper ways that just aesthetics and powers. I’m still annoyed by Idie, but now I’m wondering if maybe I’m supposed to be.

Alongside all of that, this issue is really about Teon. Up until now, he’s been mostly a mindless dog that can kick things really hard. While he’s been an interesting foil (especially for Hope), we’ve never seen what really makes him tick. The reveal of his mutation’s true nature could have come across asinine, but Gillen works a sublime turn with the scene that is simultaneously intriguing, heartwarming, and funny.

Generation Hope keeps surprising me, and the team’s family dynamic is poised for all the supreme joy and agonizing twists of a real family. I’m hooked.

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Review: Planet of the Apes #3

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Story by Daryl Gregory
Art by Carlos Magno

I continue to be impressed by Boom! Studios’ new Planet of the Apes series. Much like KotOR or Tales of the Jedi did for the Star Wars universe, this new book shows us the ancient future of the Apes world, and is doing a fine job of building a hefty mythology around that history.Issue 3 focuses primarily on Chaika, a Silent (mute) with revolutionary ideas – ideas her father won’t buy into as he searches for the person that assassinated the Lawgiver.

Although this is a sci-fi book set in a familiar cinematic world, the book’s lore and murder-mystery trappings set it apart from much of the rest of the Apes universe. Characters – both ape and human – are presented with depth and breadth that is absent in most of the movies. Nix and Alaya, especially, are noble and likeable characters, even when portrayed as antagonists. Gregory’s portrayal of Chaika as a strong willed and impetuous youth is touching and identifiable. She wants to prove herself to her father and her people, but her decisions lead her down a dangerous path.

And I can’t heap enough praise on Carlos Magno’s art. His depth of detail and subtlety of expression are astounding at times, regardless of whether he’s drawing a bloody action scene or a quiet discussion between father and daughter. His environments are rendered with as much stunning detail as his characters, which serves well to pull the reader even deeper into the mythos being created here.

Rarely does a comic book based on a movie property diverge so far and simultaneously live so completely within its source material, and still present a successful story without relying on referential fan service. Planet of the Apes is a must-read.

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Review: New Mutants #26

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Story by Dan Abnett & Andy Lanning
Art by Leandro Fernandez

The New Mutants – under the new leadership of Dani Moonstar – are now the X-Men’s clean-up crew, charged with closing all of the loose ends left behind by the core team’s many and varied conflicts. Their first mission: find Nate Grey – X-Man.

Issue 26’s first few pages introduce us to Donny, a young former-mutant who lost his powers on M-Day. Donny’s story is surprisingly compelling for the half-issue that’s spent on it, and Dan Abnett & Andy Lanning use it as an intriguing and elegant introduction to Sugar Man’s true objective. Donny’s arc in this issue is purposely predictable: you can see exactly where he’s headed, but nothing can be done about it, which makes you really feel for this kid who just wants his powers back.

On the other side of the coin, it’s nice to see the New Mutants out without a chaperone, following a purpose all their own. The “clean up team” angle is a nice tack to take with them, and this book feels a bit less like an X-book and more like a detective story. While I understand that no mutant-related story arc can go much more than an issue without fisticuffs, it’s nice to see the team work outside of a combat situation once in a while.

Abnett & Lanning’s concentration on dialogue in this issue really works to flesh out not only the team’s new objective, but lends weight to what could have been a forgettable side-character in Donny. Sugar Man has always been a bit on the absurd side, but he’s given an almost likable manipulative streak here that adds significant depth to his malevolence.

I hope to see more of the New Mutants as they are portrayed here: detectives hunting down the leavings of the X-Men’s poor planning.